Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, OTEC, is a sustainable energy conversion technology that is not yet commercialized. OTEC is a technology that utilizes the temperature difference in oceans between the warm surface water and the cold water at 1 000 m depth to run a Rankine Cycle. This technology can produce electricity and provide synergies like fresh water, air conditioning and aquaculture. A simulation program for three alternative OTEC systems has been created in order to decide which OTEC system is most profitable; closed, open or hybrid system. In this simulation a production cost analysis is performed in order to investigate and decide which one of the three systems that has the lowest production cost. The production cost analysis also analyzes if the profitability is affected by the size of the facility. After these analyzes, the most profitable of the three different OTEC-systems is expanded by an installation of solar collectors in order to see if the thermal efficiency is improved. The result shows that the most profitable system varies with the size of the facility.

no abstract available.

In order to respond to a more complex community planning with increased cooperation and public participation, a common language and a common model to be used as a base for the communication process is needed. The thesis behind this dissertation for a master's degree is that a virtual 3D planning portal would respond to this need. Why and how are explained and described through studies of communication- and perception theory as well as technology and recent research. The introduction concludes that a broad participation and a transparence towards underlying information are important foundations for the coming work with the model. The first four chapters of the theory part show the benefits of using natural signs in our mixed cultural society, instead of the more arbitrary symbols. Using visual landscapes for storing information is motivated by the flexibility of our visual memory and its ability to understand complex connections.

With increasing traffic congestion problems in bigger cities, it is becoming more and more important to provide the traveller with correct information about all transport alternatives. When doing that, the traveller gets the opportunity to make the best decision based on the current traffic situation. Instead of traditional travel planners, where public and private transport modes are presented separately, the co-modal travel planner offers a combination. In order to make the comparison correct and fair, the travel times have to be estimated realistically and on equal basis. This master thesis focuses on how to estimate travel times in the city of Stockholm for journeys by cars, public transport, bicycles and also for walking.An investigation of the available data on maps and travel times shows where the currently used methods are lacking.

Active headsets have been on the market for years and now it is time for something else to enter the stage. The technology of active noise reduction can for exmple also be used in ventilation systems for reducing ventilation noise. An active control system principally consists of four important components, namely the downstream error microphone, the upstream detection or reference microphone, the digital signal processor (DSP) and a loudspeaker. The upstream reference microphone listen to the primary ventilation noise and sends it to the DSP which makes a phase shift to the signal and sends it to the loudspeaker. The loudspeaker sends out the opposite waveform of the incoming one and reduce the primary ventilation noise.

System Andersson AB is a company located in Jönköping that works with developing computer systems for the mechanical engineering industry. As of today, when this report is written, the company is working on the development of a new Manufacturing Planning and Control (MPC) system. This new system aims to create not only a user friendly interface but also a modern, stylish interface. To achieve this, the company has decided to work with a, for them, new application framework; Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF).System Andersson is well known for developing systems for different kinds of touch screens, this project is no exception. For this new user interface the company wishes to implement different types of Drag&Drop functionality.

Our aim in this work has been to redesign ModernFamilies and make a user-friendly interface for people with aphasia. The focus has been to identify general issues they might face while using different technology and applications, in order to find better alternative design for ModernFamilies, with a focus on usability. To approach this issue, we used a qualitative method. Our study includes several interviews and observations preformed in conjunction with the AGNES project (AGeing in a NEtworked Society) and speech therapists. Aphasia requires simple design that in the same time gives them support to understand and use technology and different applications.

Bakgrunden till examensarbetet är att det existerar ett behov inom Sandvik Materials Technology att komma tillrätta med problemen avseende dålig leveransprecision och antalet reklamationer genom ett förbättringsprogram som kan angripa alla bekymren inom företaget. Företaget har i dagsläget inlett ett internt förbättringsprogram kallat Lyftet Ledtid, med övergripande syfte att sänka ledtiderna i processerna för att minska kapitalbindningen samt uppnå bättre kvalitet. Andra företag har implementerat förbättringsprogrammet Sex Sigma och en undersökning av dess lämplighet för Sandvik Materials Technology bör ske. Arbetet syftar till att undersöka förbättringsprogrammet Sex Sigmas utrymme inom det interna förbättringsprogrammet Lyftet Ledtid. Det bör även ange hur en eventuell implementering kan ske.

New technology makes it possible to remotely measure all consumers in a power network onan hourly basis and store the values in a database.This thesis work describes the conversion process between automatic meter reading systemMActor and calculation software Xpower.Then the possible differences between calculations of power networks using load curves incombination with a yearly estimate of consumption and calculations using hourly measuredvalues is examined.The result of the comparison shows that, for the power network under inspection, nosignificant difference could be noticed. This does not mean that calculations using hourlymeasured values would be unnecessary. I believe that in a near future calculations using hourmeasurements will be the primary choice for many power companies to whom technology isavailable.Also some basic calculations of fundamental power network parameters, such as power factorand loses, are presented using hourly measured distribution transformers in combinations withits hourly measured loads.The report is written in Swedish.

We are currently in the midst of the current information revolution and it is increasinglyimportant to allocate and utilize the resources spent on IT. To accomplish this, one solutioncould be to work together with IT. For municipalities, this can be a complicated process whenyou are dependent on the resources that are given and subject to laws regarding procurement,this places great demands on the Swedish municipalities.One solution could be to work collaboratively with IT across municipal borders, this studyexamines the advantages and disadvantages of this. The study was conducted using interviewand survey of various municipalities in the Gothenburg region. The study shows that there isjoint work across municipal boundaries but that communication sometimes fails, this provesamong other things that some communities feel they have a partnership with a municipality,while the other sees that they have no partnership.With the results from the study are discussed and problematized the current conditions thatexist between the municipalities today, and how they could change.

Digital artefacts such as smartphones have become an intricate part of our daily lives both private and professionally. They have evolved from doing simple tasks to become a form of expression, as well as acting as a gateway to the digital world of connections. We rely on various technology such as Wi-Fi networks to connect with others. They in turn have become more available and today, many establishments offer free network to their customers. With these developments comes different kind of risks for the user.

This is a thesis written for a master's degree at the Computer Vision Laboratory, University of Linköping. An abstract outer product is defined and used as a bridge to reach 2:nd and 4:th order tensors. Some applications of these in geometric analysis of range data are discussed and illustrated. In idealized setups, simple geometric objects, like spheres or polygons, are successfully detected. Finally, the generalization to n:th order tensors for storing and analysing geometric information is discussed..

Sociala nätverk tar stor plats på Internet genom virtuella communities. Användare har en större möjlighet att nå dem via mobila lösningar och därmed göra dem till mobila communities. Kriterierna som ligger till grund för framgång för virtuella communitiesvill vi applicera på mobila communities. För att undersöka dessa kriterier, och bakomliggande faktorer, har vi valt att titta på ?tidigt bruk? användning av en mobil community, Facebooks mobila portal med hjälp av Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).

The main purpose of this essay is to investigate professional artists experience of the need and use of information in their creative work. I have collected the material through qualitative interviews with four professional artist working with different materials and techniques. One of the results of the study is that the artists first of all used information as a source of inspiration in their creative work. They gathered their information from various scources, for example; pictures, exhibitions, visual arts, books and novells, depending on what project they are working with. Other important information scources were colleges, especially for the technical information need.

This paper aims to examine whether there are any substantial differences between a generation of users born during the 1960?s and younger generation born during the 1990?s regarding the use of digital technologies connected to the Internet. Based on Marc Prensky?s theories on people born before and after 1980 saying those born before are not as natural when it comes to using digital technologies. We used diaries as a qualitative method to gather data from 16 respondents.