The issue about how Scania shall perform HVAC tests in the climatic wind tunnel CD7, which Scania is about to complete by year 2013, has resulted in four test methods for truck HVAC and also a test method structure. The test methods have been chosen to focus on sun, snow and rain simulations. These are adapted and developed according to what should be tested and to what can be tested in CD7, which has been the object. With CD7 different climates can be simulated in a controlled environment for complete truck level, from desert with high sun load to arctic cold and snow. The test methods represents a basis to start from, for designers and test engineers which make the testing more repetitive as well as time eventually can be saved. Before the test methods can be applied they must be verified as they are based on theoretical and empirical assumptions. Test methods are not static and must be updated and developed continuously. By having a clear documentation with motivated choices for the methods, changes can easily be made. Another important part is for knowledge not to be lost over time. The aim with the master thesis has been that the study shall be basis for future testmethod development for HVAC at Scania. The structure makes an important component for documentation and the overview perspective. The structure is also flexible enough to be used for other test facilities, not only CD7, which should be a natural continuation. From the literature study in combination with interviews and observations, both internal and external, a modeling has emerged. Developed test methods have been discussed in a workshop with Scania personnel that gave feed-back to the methods. Performed interviews have demonstrated that explorative methods are usually made. At the same time the explorative testing evolve from established internal methods and requirement specifications. Requirement specification and testing are two subjects who have shown to be connected to each other. The interviews have also shown that solar simulations are among the most common tests concerning climate and HVAC.

The thesis is focused on testing the banking software. The first part is contained introduction to the topic, introduced the project, including its objectives, the nature of the application, my role in it. Further described is a method Case study used throughout the work. The company is a researcher of the project for the client. The first objective is to describe the company's testing methodology by which the project progressed during, compare it with other methodologies with regard to their robustness, the degree of organization of work and domestic allocation. The second objective is to determine the bottlenecks including the determination of improvement. Each project is unique, so is suitable, another degree of organization. A control method of the project is agile. It is therefore expected framework anticipating complications and subsequent resolution of other areas to occur. The work defines the cause bottlenecks as the internal factor (human labor), external factors (legislative changes). Mapped was not only the current situation but also outlined the cause of the problem. And the third in terms of value-added most important goal is to design verification solutions experts. At work I described ways of solving problems. I woke them both employees solver side, so people from client companies. Experts from the client know good practices in the company and are able to assess the suitability due to the nature of society. Collaborators supply side, meanwhile, have extensive experience from similar projects. Their opinion on the issue can bring effective application of the Recommendation. The biggest benefit is not only the approval but also the subsequent implementation in the course of the entire project.

As proteínas do leite de vaca são os principais alérgenos relacionados à alergia alimentar em crianças e o diagnóstico inclui a realização do teste de provocação oral duplo cego placebo controlado (TPODCPC). Apesar da acurácia, este teste envolve riscos, necessita condições especiais para sua realização e apresenta limitações em crianças de baixa idade e em pacientes anafiláticos. Assim, há necessidade de métodos diagnósticos alternativos, entre eles o estabelecimento de pontos de corte de concentrações de IgE sérica específica para leite de vaca, que permitam o diagnóstico mesmo sem a realização do TPODCPC. O objetivo deste estudo foi estabelecer uma concentração discriminante de IgE sérica específica para leite de vaca e suas frações protéicas para o diagnóstico de alergia à proteína do leite de vaca (APLV) e avaliar se há diferentes concentrações discriminantes de IgE específica para este alérgeno no grupo de pacientes com anafilaxia. Realizou-se um estudo de coorte histórica incluindo pacientes com APLV e grupo controle composto por pacientes com suspeita não confirmada de APLV. Para estes objetivos, foram construídas curvas ROC para os seguintes alérgenos: leite de vaca, caseína, a- lactoalbumina e b-lactoglobulina. Os níveis de IgE específica foram avaliados posteriormente, em separado, nos pacientes com anafilaxia. Foram incluídos 123 pacientes (1,3M:1F mediana = 1,91 anos, com idade de 3,5 meses a 13,21 anos) com diagnóstico confirmado de APLV através de TPODCPC (n=26), presença de anafilaxia à proteína do leite de vaca (n=46) ou história clínica fortemente sugestiva de APLV associada à pesquisa positiva de IgE específica através de teste cutâneo (n=51). Entre os 65 pacientes com anafilaxia, 19 confirmaram o diagnóstico posteriormente, através de testes de provocação. O grupo controle foi composto por 61 pacientes (1M:1,1F) com idade variando entre 0,66 e 16,7 anos (mediana= 6,83 anos). A metodologia adotada para estabelecimento dos pontos de corte foi a construção de curva ROC e posterior cálculo dos valores preditivos positivos e negativos. Os pontos de corte obtidos considerando-se uma especificidade de 98% e um valor preditivo positivo acima de 95% foram: 3,06 kU/L para o leite de vaca, 2,06 kU/L para a- lactoalbumina, 1,85 kU/L para b-lactoglobulina e 1,47 kU/L para caseína. O valor de IgE específica para leite de vaca revelou-se com maior capacidade discriminante que os encontrados para as frações, tornando estes últimos dispensáveis. Com relação à anafilaxia, a curva ROC construída a partir de uma análise comparativa entre pacientes com e sem esta manifestação, indicou um ponto de corte elevado de 39kU/L, tornando impossível sua utilização na prática clínica. O presente estudo mostrou que um ponto de corte de IgE específica para leite de vaca é suficiente para o diagnóstico de APLV, não sendo necessária a avaliação das frações protéicas. Na presença de anafilaxia desencadeada pelo leite de vaca não há necessidade da utilização de pontos de corte de IgE específica, sendo os dados clínicos e a sensibilização ao leite suficientes para o diagnóstico de APLV. / Cow\'s milk proteins are the main allergens related to food allergy in children and the diagnosis include the double blind placebo controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). Although this test presents accuracy, it involves risks, it is necessary special conditions and it presents limitations in infants and anaphylactic patients. It is necessary other diagnostic methods, among them the cut off values for IgE specific for milk to allow the cow\'s milk allergy (CMA) diagnosis without the need to perform the DBPCFC. The objective of this study was to establish a discriminating concentration of specific IgE to cow\'s milk and its proteins fractions for the diagnosis of allergy to CMA and to assess if there are different discriminating concentrations of specific IgE to this allergen in the group of patients with anaphylaxis. It was carried out a historical cohort study including patients with CMA and the control group was composed by patients with excluded CMA suspicion. To obtain the cutoff points for diagnosis of CMA , ROC curves were constructed for the following allergens: cow\'s milk, casein, a-lactalbumin and a b-lactoglobulin. The levels of specific IgE were later evaluated, separately, in patients with anaphylaxis. The study included 123 patients (1.3 M: 1F median = 1.91 years, ranging from 3.5 months to 13.21 years) with confirmed diagnosis of CMPA through DBPCFC (n = 26), the presence of anaphylaxis triggered by cow\'s milk protein (n = 46) or strongly suggestive clinical history associated with positive specific IgE through skin test (n = 51). Among the 65 patients with anaphylaxis, 19 confirmed the diagnosis through challenge tests . The control group was consisted of 61 patients (1M: 1.1 F) with ages ranging between 0.66 and 16.7 years (mean 6.86, median = 6.83 years). The methodology to stablish the cutoff was the construction of a ROC curve and subsequent calculation of positive and negative predictive value. The cutoff points obtained considering a 98% specificity and positive predictive value above 95% were: 3.06 kU / L for cow\'s milk, 2.06 kU/ L for/ a-lactalbumin, 1.85 kU/ L for/ b-lactoglobulin and 1.47 kU / L for casein. The value of specific IgE to cow\'s milk showed better discriminant capacity than those found for the fractions, being these last values dispensable. In relation to anaphylaxis, the ROC curve constructed from a comparative analysis between patients with and without this manifestation indicated a very high cutoff of 39kU/L, being without value for the clinical practice. This study showed that the cut off point detected for hole cows milk was enough for CMA diagnosis, without necessity of the milk fractions evaluation. In the presence of cows milk anaphylaxis, it is not necessary the IgE specific cut off value, being the clinical data and the sensitization to cows milk enough for the CMA diagnosis.

As proteínas do leite de vaca são os principais alérgenos relacionados à alergia alimentar em crianças e o diagnóstico inclui a realização do teste de provocação oral duplo cego placebo controlado (TPODCPC). Apesar da acurácia, este teste envolve riscos, necessita condições especiais para sua realização e apresenta limitações em crianças de baixa idade e em pacientes anafiláticos. Assim, há necessidade de métodos diagnósticos alternativos, entre eles o estabelecimento de pontos de corte de concentrações de IgE sérica específica para leite de vaca, que permitam o diagnóstico mesmo sem a realização do TPODCPC. O objetivo deste estudo foi estabelecer uma concentração discriminante de IgE sérica específica para leite de vaca e suas frações protéicas para o diagnóstico de alergia à proteína do leite de vaca (APLV) e avaliar se há diferentes concentrações discriminantes de IgE específica para este alérgeno no grupo de pacientes com anafilaxia. Realizou-se um estudo de coorte histórica incluindo pacientes com APLV e grupo controle composto por pacientes com suspeita não confirmada de APLV. Para estes objetivos, foram construídas curvas ROC para os seguintes alérgenos: leite de vaca, caseína, a- lactoalbumina e b-lactoglobulina. Os níveis de IgE específica foram avaliados posteriormente, em separado, nos pacientes com anafilaxia. Foram incluídos 123 pacientes (1,3M:1F mediana = 1,91 anos, com idade de 3,5 meses a 13,21 anos) com diagnóstico confirmado de APLV através de TPODCPC (n=26), presença de anafilaxia à proteína do leite de vaca (n=46) ou história clínica fortemente sugestiva de APLV associada à pesquisa positiva de IgE específica através de teste cutâneo (n=51). Entre os 65 pacientes com anafilaxia, 19 confirmaram o diagnóstico posteriormente, através de testes de provocação. O grupo controle foi composto por 61 pacientes (1M:1,1F) com idade variando entre 0,66 e 16,7 anos (mediana= 6,83 anos). A metodologia adotada para estabelecimento dos pontos de corte foi a construção de curva ROC e posterior cálculo dos valores preditivos positivos e negativos. Os pontos de corte obtidos considerando-se uma especificidade de 98% e um valor preditivo positivo acima de 95% foram: 3,06 kU/L para o leite de vaca, 2,06 kU/L para a- lactoalbumina, 1,85 kU/L para b-lactoglobulina e 1,47 kU/L para caseína. O valor de IgE específica para leite de vaca revelou-se com maior capacidade discriminante que os encontrados para as frações, tornando estes últimos dispensáveis. Com relação à anafilaxia, a curva ROC construída a partir de uma análise comparativa entre pacientes com e sem esta manifestação, indicou um ponto de corte elevado de 39kU/L, tornando impossível sua utilização na prática clínica. O presente estudo mostrou que um ponto de corte de IgE específica para leite de vaca é suficiente para o diagnóstico de APLV, não sendo necessária a avaliação das frações protéicas. Na presença de anafilaxia desencadeada pelo leite de vaca não há necessidade da utilização de pontos de corte de IgE específica, sendo os dados clínicos e a sensibilização ao leite suficientes para o diagnóstico de APLV. / Cow\'s milk proteins are the main allergens related to food allergy in children and the diagnosis include the double blind placebo controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). Although this test presents accuracy, it involves risks, it is necessary special conditions and it presents limitations in infants and anaphylactic patients. It is necessary other diagnostic methods, among them the cut off values for IgE specific for milk to allow the cow\'s milk allergy (CMA) diagnosis without the need to perform the DBPCFC. The objective of this study was to establish a discriminating concentration of specific IgE to cow\'s milk and its proteins fractions for the diagnosis of allergy to CMA and to assess if there are different discriminating concentrations of specific IgE to this allergen in the group of patients with anaphylaxis. It was carried out a historical cohort study including patients with CMA and the control group was composed by patients with excluded CMA suspicion. To obtain the cutoff points for diagnosis of CMA , ROC curves were constructed for the following allergens: cow\'s milk, casein, a-lactalbumin and a b-lactoglobulin. The levels of specific IgE were later evaluated, separately, in patients with anaphylaxis. The study included 123 patients (1.3 M: 1F median = 1.91 years, ranging from 3.5 months to 13.21 years) with confirmed diagnosis of CMPA through DBPCFC (n = 26), the presence of anaphylaxis triggered by cow\'s milk protein (n = 46) or strongly suggestive clinical history associated with positive specific IgE through skin test (n = 51). Among the 65 patients with anaphylaxis, 19 confirmed the diagnosis through challenge tests . The control group was consisted of 61 patients (1M: 1.1 F) with ages ranging between 0.66 and 16.7 years (mean 6.86, median = 6.83 years). The methodology to stablish the cutoff was the construction of a ROC curve and subsequent calculation of positive and negative predictive value. The cutoff points obtained considering a 98% specificity and positive predictive value above 95% were: 3.06 kU / L for cow\'s milk, 2.06 kU/ L for/ a-lactalbumin, 1.85 kU/ L for/ b-lactoglobulin and 1.47 kU / L for casein. The value of specific IgE to cow\'s milk showed better discriminant capacity than those found for the fractions, being these last values dispensable. In relation to anaphylaxis, the ROC curve constructed from a comparative analysis between patients with and without this manifestation indicated a very high cutoff of 39kU/L, being without value for the clinical practice. This study showed that the cut off point detected for hole cows milk was enough for CMA diagnosis, without necessity of the milk fractions evaluation. In the presence of cows milk anaphylaxis, it is not necessary the IgE specific cut off value, being the clinical data and the sensitization to cows milk enough for the CMA diagnosis.

The Information Age is revolutionizing the way we communicate, acquire knowledge, and perform work. Society is shifting from occupations rooted in industrial production to those associated with knowledge and information, requiring the development of new skills for changing occupations and updating old educational methods. Educators need to be aware of economic and social changes and have a vision for how to design career education to respond to those changes. Individuals must also be prepared to learn on their own as careers evolve and change. The training necessary to adapt to the changing career culture needs to be made available to everyone, regardless of social class and background. In order to learn how to help students prepare for life, it is necessary to understand their views on careers. There is a critical and acute need to understand the perceptions of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, such as Upward Bound participants (identified by the U.S. Department of Education as part of the TRIO Program for low-income and first generation college students). This study used Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) to access representations of students' thinking by means of a repertory-test grid methodology. Using the traditional constructivist repertory-test method, a custom designed instrument called the WOAR (Weingarten Occupational Awareness Rep-test) was used by students in a Utah Valley State College Upward Bound group to generate constructs for personally identified occupations. These constructs provided the data for a qualitative content analysis designed to better understand how marginalized students construct careers and the world of work. The resulting analysis reflected the students' perceptions about (a) what their life experiences were, (b) what they had in common with one another, and (c) what they had in common with the rest of the population at large, in terms of career knowledge. The findings showed that the students were influenced by people they knew such as doctors, teachers, church leaders and so on, as indicated by the career choices they identified. They were also affected by their unique experiences such as identifying drug dealing and other illegal means as a way of earning money. The collective responses identified sixteen common career themes among the students.

<p>Dat je pregled i analiza performansi lakih vojnih terenskih točka&scaron;kih vozila (LVTTV), lakih komercijalnih terenskih točka&scaron;kih vozila (LKTTV) u Pik-ap verziji i postojećih sistema naoružanja pogodnih za primenu na LKTTV Pik-ap verzija.<br />Posebno je razmotrena problematika elastično-prigu&scaron;nog oslanjanja naoružanja pri njegovom jediničnom dejstvu.<br />Definisana je metodologija i projektovana je i realizovana oprema za simulaciju impulsne sile u cilju statičkih i dinamičkih ispitivanja sistema vozilo-platforma-naoružanje u laboratorijskim uslovima.<br />Prikazan je postupak ispitivanja pri statičkom opterećenju sistema i dinamičkih ispitivanja sistema vozilo-platforma-naoružanje u uslovima kontinuirane impulsne sile u cilju odredjivanja pomeranja &scaron;asije u zonama točkova i napona u &scaron;asiji vozila i osloncima platforme za prihvat naoružanja.<br />Postavljen je matematički model sistema vozilo-platforma-naoružanje i data teorijska pomeranja &scaron;asije vozila u zonama točkova pri jediničnoj impulsnoj sili odnosno impulsu.</p> / <p>The review and analysis of the performances of military ground wheeled vehicles (LVTTV), light commercial wheeled ground vehicles (LKTTV) of Pick-up version and current systems of armament convenient for the application on LKTTV Pick-up versions, were given.<br />The issues of elastic-absorbtion suspension of armament during its single shooting function was analised in detail.<br />The methodology was defined, the equipment for the simulation of impulse force was designed and realised with purpose of static and dynamic tests of the vehicle-platform-armament system in the laboratory conditions.<br />The test procedure of static and dynamic loads of system vehicle-platform-armament in conditions of continual impulse force was presented. The aim of these tests was the determination of motion of vehicle chassis in the stress of vehicle chassis and platform supports for the armament.<br />The mathematical model of vehicle-platform-armamaent system was defined and theoretical motions of vehicle chassis in the wheels zones under the single impulse force, were given.</p>

Devido a grande competitividade do mercado, existe uma demanda crescente pela produção de sistemas computacionais modernos cada vez com mais qualidade e em menores prazos (CALANTONE; BENEDETTO, 00). O tempo para desenvolvimento de novas versões do sistema também é crítico, pois se espera melhor desempenho e mais funcionalidades que a versão atual, com grande expectativa por parte dos clientes em relação ao tempo de liberação. Em conseqüência das evoluções tecnológicas e com a redução no valor dos processadores e memórias, sistemas modernos com alto desempenho, como os sistemas de processamento paralelo, ganharam espaço e estão sendo cada vez mais requisitados pelos clientes devido ao seu poder computacional para resolver problemas complexos em áreas críticas como médica, militar, energética, simulações e previsões de tempo (MORRISON, 03). Na área de processamento paralelo, pode-se dizer que existe uma verdadeira corrida por colocar um novo produto e suas versões rapidamente no mercado, permitindo posicioná-lo de maneira vantajosa em relação aos concorrentes e torná-lo uma referência para os clientes, que passam a querer adotá-lo. Levando-se esses fatos em consideração, o problema pesquisado por esta tese é como melhorar o processo de desenvolvimento de sistemas de processamento paralelo, reduzindo o tempo de desenvolvimento de novas versões destes sistemas e sua colocação no mercado. A proposta para resolução do problema é reduzir o tempo gasto na atividade de teste, que corresponde a uma parte significativa do tempo total do projeto. Para diminuir esse tempo, o trabalho apresenta uma estratégia baseada na execução dos testes em paralelo com desenvolvimento. Esta técnica aplicada a sistemas de processamento paralelo resulta no principal objetivo do trabalho que é reduzir o tempo de desenvolvimento de novas versões destes sistemas através de uma metodologia de testes. Esta metodologia é usada para testar um dos componentes de um sistema de processamento paralelo, chamado Sistema de Controle, simultaneamente com o desenvolvimento dos outros componentes do sistema. Para testar a eficiência da solução, a metodologia foi aplicada no desenvolvimento do supercomputador da IBM Blue Gene. Como resultado, pode-se verificar uma redução de até 41% do tempo total do projeto. / Due to the great competitiveness of the market, there is an increasing demand for the production of modern computational systems with more quality in less time (CALANTONE; BENEDETTO, 00). The development time of new versions at those systems is also critical, because better performance and more functionalities than in the current version are expected, and the customers have great expectative regarding the release time. As consequence of the technological evolution and the price reduction of the processors and memories, modern systems with high performance, as the parallel processing systems, have gained more relevance and they have been progressively more requested by the customers due to their computational power to solve complex problems in critical fields such as medical, military, energy, simulation and weather forecasts (MORRISON, 03). In the parallel processing area, it is reasonable to affirm that there is a real race to release a new product and its versions earlier in the market, to get a better position and more advantages than the competitors and to become a reference for the customers, who then wish to adopt it. Taking these facts into consideration, the problem studied in this thesis is how to improve the development process of parallel processing systems, reducing the development time of new versions of these systems. The proposal to solve this problem is to reduce the test time, which corresponds to a significant part of the total project time. In order to achieve this reduction, this work presents a strategy based on the parallel execution of the test with the development. The application of this technique to the parallel processing systems results in the main objective of this work, which is to reduce the development time of new versions of these systems through a test methodology. This methodology is used to test one component of the parallel processing system, called Control System, simultaneously with the development of the other components of the system. To test the efficiency of the proposed solution, the methodology has been applied to the development of the IBM Blue Gene supercomputer. As a result, a reduction of up to 41% of the total project time could be observed.

Devido a grande competitividade do mercado, existe uma demanda crescente pela produção de sistemas computacionais modernos cada vez com mais qualidade e em menores prazos (CALANTONE; BENEDETTO, 00). O tempo para desenvolvimento de novas versões do sistema também é crítico, pois se espera melhor desempenho e mais funcionalidades que a versão atual, com grande expectativa por parte dos clientes em relação ao tempo de liberação. Em conseqüência das evoluções tecnológicas e com a redução no valor dos processadores e memórias, sistemas modernos com alto desempenho, como os sistemas de processamento paralelo, ganharam espaço e estão sendo cada vez mais requisitados pelos clientes devido ao seu poder computacional para resolver problemas complexos em áreas críticas como médica, militar, energética, simulações e previsões de tempo (MORRISON, 03). Na área de processamento paralelo, pode-se dizer que existe uma verdadeira corrida por colocar um novo produto e suas versões rapidamente no mercado, permitindo posicioná-lo de maneira vantajosa em relação aos concorrentes e torná-lo uma referência para os clientes, que passam a querer adotá-lo. Levando-se esses fatos em consideração, o problema pesquisado por esta tese é como melhorar o processo de desenvolvimento de sistemas de processamento paralelo, reduzindo o tempo de desenvolvimento de novas versões destes sistemas e sua colocação no mercado. A proposta para resolução do problema é reduzir o tempo gasto na atividade de teste, que corresponde a uma parte significativa do tempo total do projeto. Para diminuir esse tempo, o trabalho apresenta uma estratégia baseada na execução dos testes em paralelo com desenvolvimento. Esta técnica aplicada a sistemas de processamento paralelo resulta no principal objetivo do trabalho que é reduzir o tempo de desenvolvimento de novas versões destes sistemas através de uma metodologia de testes. Esta metodologia é usada para testar um dos componentes de um sistema de processamento paralelo, chamado Sistema de Controle, simultaneamente com o desenvolvimento dos outros componentes do sistema. Para testar a eficiência da solução, a metodologia foi aplicada no desenvolvimento do supercomputador da IBM Blue Gene. Como resultado, pode-se verificar uma redução de até 41% do tempo total do projeto. / Due to the great competitiveness of the market, there is an increasing demand for the production of modern computational systems with more quality in less time (CALANTONE; BENEDETTO, 00). The development time of new versions at those systems is also critical, because better performance and more functionalities than in the current version are expected, and the customers have great expectative regarding the release time. As consequence of the technological evolution and the price reduction of the processors and memories, modern systems with high performance, as the parallel processing systems, have gained more relevance and they have been progressively more requested by the customers due to their computational power to solve complex problems in critical fields such as medical, military, energy, simulation and weather forecasts (MORRISON, 03). In the parallel processing area, it is reasonable to affirm that there is a real race to release a new product and its versions earlier in the market, to get a better position and more advantages than the competitors and to become a reference for the customers, who then wish to adopt it. Taking these facts into consideration, the problem studied in this thesis is how to improve the development process of parallel processing systems, reducing the development time of new versions of these systems. The proposal to solve this problem is to reduce the test time, which corresponds to a significant part of the total project time. In order to achieve this reduction, this work presents a strategy based on the parallel execution of the test with the development. The application of this technique to the parallel processing systems results in the main objective of this work, which is to reduce the development time of new versions of these systems through a test methodology. This methodology is used to test one component of the parallel processing system, called Control System, simultaneously with the development of the other components of the system. To test the efficiency of the proposed solution, the methodology has been applied to the development of the IBM Blue Gene supercomputer. As a result, a reduction of up to 41% of the total project time could be observed.

Background: The ice hockey community is founded on masculine norms and values, and the hockey rink is often described as “the home of men’s ice hockey”. Despite a growing popularity, women’s ice hockey has low priority in comparison to the men’s game. On top of that, the women’s game does not allow body checking, which makes it deviant from what some see as “the real game of ice hockey”. The checking prohibition causes physiological requirements to differ from the men’s game, and since women are underrepresented in ice hockey research, not much is known regarding the physiological- and socio-cultural conditions of women’s ice hockey. The overall aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate physiological- and socio-cultural conditions important for performance in women’s ice hockey. Methods: This thesis is unique in terms of the interdisciplinary approach between physiology and gender science, and the inclusion of studies based on both qualitative and quantitative research methods. Qualitative thematic interviews with ice hockey coaches from Sweden, Canada, and the United States were used to explore socio-cultural conditions in relation to performance and sport development (Paper I). Relative age effect (RAE) in relation to maturity status was examined through anthropometric measurements and a player questionnaire (Paper II). Physiological field- and laboratory assessments were used to investigate physiological conditions and performance in female competitive ice hockey players from Sweden (Paper III-IV), and players from Canada (Paper IV). Results: The findings from Paper I suggest that coaches need to maintain a holistic approach to coaching to be able to coordinate and optimize the effects based on available conditions. Socio-cultural conditions, such as structural and financial support, are mentioned as important to support opportunities in women’s ice hockey. Furthermore, the results (Paper I) show that female players in Canada and the United States have superior opportunities compared to female players in Sweden. These advantages are mainly attributed to the support provided by the North American education systems. The findings from Paper II suggest that the relative age effect (RAEs) in women’s hockey are also influenced by socio-cultural conditions. Significant RAE (p&lt;.05) was found for Swedish players born in the third quartile (Q3) and for Canadian player born in the second quartile (Q2). Players born in the fourth quartile (Q4) are significantly (p&lt;.05) underrepresentated in both countries. Players tend to be average or late maturers, but no differences can be found by country or position. The findings from Paper III show that field-based assessments are comparable to laboratory assessments with the purpose of predicting skating performance. The Prediction models accounted for 13.6 % to 42 % (laboratory-based models) and 24.4 to 66.3 % (field-based models) of the variance in skating time. Regardless of assessment method, uni-lateral assessments are superior to bi-lateral assessments. The results support the use of field-based assessments in Paper IV. The findings from Paper IV show various physiological profiles for female Swedish and Canadian players. Swedish players had less body fat (p=.007), more lean mass (p=.005), and greater aerobic fitness measured with the20-meter shuttle run beep test (p=&lt;.001). Canadian players had greater maximal isometric leg strength (p=.026), exhibit a greater running acceleration (p=&lt;.001), performed better in single leg standing long jumps (right leg p=.002, left leg p=.030), and showed better anaerobic endurance (p=.029) on- ice. No significant differences can be found between forwards and defenders. Conclusion: The findings of this study show that physiological- and socio-cultural conditions should both be considered in relation to performance in women’s ice hockey. For example, the various physiological profiles are probably an effect of the different socio-cultural conditions in Sweden and Canada. The Canadian profile may be better adapted to performance in ice hockey, but further research is needed to establish a relationship. Since women’s ice hockey often has somewhat limited resources, this knowledge may help optimize the effect of the available resources, and thus improve performance. Improved performance may have a positive long-term effect on the symbolic view of women’s ice hockey. Women can probably further optimize their physical performance in relation to their current conditions. But for permanent changes to occur, power structures in sport must also change. Women themselves have limited opportunities to affect the dominating gender norms and values in ice hockey. / Bakgrund: Ishockeysamhället är grundat på maskulina normer och värderingar, och hockeyrinken beskrivs ofta som "herrishockeyns hem ". Trots en växande popularitet är damishockey lågt prioriterad i jämförelse med herrishockey. Tacklingar är inte tillåtna i damishockey, vilket gör att den skiljer sig från herrishockey som ofta benämns som "riktig ishockey". Tacklingsförbudet innebär att de fysiologiska kraven förändras gentemot om tacklingar skulle vara tillåtna, och det medför att studier gjorda på herrishockey inte är generaliserbara till damishockey. Eftersom kvinnor är underrepresenterade i ishockeyforskning så saknas det kunskap om de fysiologiska såväl som sociokulturella förutsättningarna inom damishockey. Det övergripande syftet med denna doktorsavhandling är att undersöka fysiologiska och sociokulturella förhållanden som är viktiga för prestation i damishockey. Metod: Denna avhandling är unik när det gäller det tvärvetenskapliga tillvägagångssättet mellan fysiologi och genus, samt att den inkluderar studier gjorda med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder. Kvalitativa tematiska intervjuer med ishockeytränare från Sverige, Kanada och USA användes för att utforska sociokulturella förhållanden i förhållande till prestation och idrottsutveckling (Studie I). Relativ ålderseffekt (RAE) i förhållande till mognadsstatus undersöktes genom antropometriska mätningar och en spelarenkät (Studie II). Fysiologiska fält- och laboratorietester användes för att undersöka fysiologiska förhållanden och prestation hos kvinnliga ishockeyspelare från Sverige (Studie III-IV) samt Kanada (Studie IV). Resultat: Resultaten från Studie I visar att tränare måste försöka ha ett helhetsperspektiv för att kunna samordna resurser och optimera effekterna av dessa utifrån sina förutsättningar. Sociokulturella förhållanden, såsom strukturellt och ekonomiskt stöd, nämns som viktiga faktorer för att skapa utvecklingsmöjligheter inom damishockey. Dessutom visar resultaten (Studie I) att kvinnliga ishockeyspelare i Kanada och USA har överlägsna förutsättningar jämfört med kvinnliga ishockeyspelare i Sverige. Dessa fördelar uppkommer främst på grund av det ekonomiska och strukturella stöd som de nordamerikanska utbildningssystemen bidrar med. Resultaten från Studie II föreslår att även relativ ålderseffekt (RAE) i damishockey påverkas av sociokulturella förhållanden. Signifikant RAE (p &lt;.05) hittades för svenska spelare födda i tredje kvartilen (Q3) och för kanadensiska spelare födda i andra kvartilen (Q2). Spelare födda i fjärde kvartilen (Q4) är signifikant (p &lt;0,05) underrepresenterade i båda länderna. Mognadsstatusen på spelarna uppmättes till medel eller sen utifrån tid för första menstruation, men inga skillnader hittades mellan länderna eller mellan positioner. Resultaten från Studie III visar att fälttester är jämförbara med laboratorietester när syftet är att prediktera skridskoåkningsförmåga. Prediktionsmodellerna förklarade 13.6 % to 42 % (laboratoriebaserade modeller) och 24.4 % to 66.3 % (fältbaserade modeller) av variansen i åktid. Oavsett bedömningsmetod visar sig unilaterala tester överlägsna bilaterala tester att prediktera skridskoåkningsförmåga. Resultaten stöder valet av fälttester i Studie IV. Resultaten från Studie IV visar att de svenska och kanadensiska spelarna hade olika fysiologiska profiler. De svenska spelare hade mindre kroppsfett (p = .007), mer fettfri massa (p = .005) och högre aerob kapacitet mätt genom beeptest (p = &lt;.001). De kanadensiska spelare hade högre maximal isometrisk benstyrka (p = .026), bättre löpacceleration (p = &lt;. 001), bättre hoppkapacitet i stående längdhopp på ett ben (höger ben p = .002, vänster ben p = .030) och högre anaerob uthållighet (p = 0,29) på MRSS. Inga signifikanta skillnader hittades mellan forwards och backar. Slutsats: Resultaten från denna avhandling visar att såväl fysiologiska som sociokulturella förhållanden bör beaktas i förhållande till prestation i damishockey. Till exempel är de olika fysiologiska profilerna troligen en effekt av de olika sociokulturella förhållandena i Sverige och Kanada. Den kanadensiska profilen kan vara bättre anpassad till prestation i ishockey men ytterligare forskning behövs för att fastställa om det finns ett verkligt samband. Eftersom damishockeyn ofta har begränsade resurser kan den här kunskapen bidra till att damlag kan nyttja sina resurser på ett mer effektivt sätt och därmed förbättra sin prestation. En förbättrad prestation skulle kunna ha en positiv effekt på damishockeyns symboliska värde, men för att permanenta förändringar ska uppstå måste maktstrukturerna i sporten också förändras. Kvinnorna själva har begränsade möjligheter att påverka den dominerande könsnormen i ishockey.

This master thesis aims to develop a test methodology for electromechanical linear actuators. A linear actuator acts as a linear motor, converting a power source to linear motion. The electromechanical linear actuator in this project has an electric motor as its power source and uses a rack and pinion system to transfer that power to linear motion.  The test methodology is to impose a force onto the rack of the actuator, to ensure that operation under a load scenario is within specification. To accomplish this, the design of a test rig implementation is analyzed. The test rig consists of the test unit, which is to be tested, the load unit, which is to provide the load force, and a control system for the load unit. The load unit is another linear actuator and is controlled via a load cell. The load cell gives out the load force being applied, and the controller gives out the corresponding appropriate motor command to the load unit to ensure the load force is as desired. This analysis is done through simulation of the setup. Viable options for the setup were first analyzed in order to implement the deemed promising options for a setup into a simulation environment. The simulation environment in this project was Simscape, an extension of MATLAB’s Simulink. In simulation the parameters for the test rig were rigorously analyzed, in order to determine acceptable thresholds. The primary load unit tested was another electromechanical linear actuator from Cascade Drives, the model A-100-8P. Two secondary setups, one using the same model as being tested, and another setup using two of the models being tested. Simulation found that the suggested options’ applied load force have a poor rise time, large overshoot and substantial oscillation errors. The primary source for this was determined to be the latency between load cell input, and motor command output in the controller. The poor metrics from the result could lead to problems when emergency braking, and with a long honing period, which would render most test data unusable.