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Research Booklet Studio Border Conditions

Many public or open areas are facilitated with cameras at every angle to monitor the security of that area for keeping the citizens safe, which is known as the surveillance system. For this moment, the best solution to approach a safety environment has to be done by human. Even though a human is the most intelligent creature in this world, still there are some shortcomings from the existing way. Because of these kinds of shortcomings, human keeps finding new discoveries to replace them and make the best of it. In order to support this surveillance system, a recognition and tracking system is built to detect an abandoned luggage in the public transportation area such as train central station and airport. The goal of this project is to design and implement an algorithm which will be able to detect abandoned luggage using the captured images or videos from the camera as the input of the system. The algorithm realizes image segmentation and image tracking, creates blobs of objects, labels the blobs and finally gives warning when an abandoned luggage is detected. Also a database is developed to store all the media data.

As the first stage of the amplifier chain aiming for the base station applications, a highly linear low noise amplifier (LNA) dictates very high performance for optimum coverage with a best signal quality. In today’s commercial market, the GaAs enhancement-mode pHEMT based LNA is dominant. However, a SiGe-based LNA, due to its high integration, is still attracting the interest from industry. In this thesis, the highly linear SiGe-based LNA design procedure is presented. For the fully-differential LNA design, the base tuning and emitter tuning, which both belong to the out-of-band matching technique used to increase linearity, are analyzed in details. Although the base tuning suffers more from mismatches in comparison with the emitter tuning, it is proved that proper choice of the harmonic trap capacitor is able to mitigate this effect, which can trigger a higher linearity. For the single-ended LNA design, the out-of-band matching is still feasible for narrow band applications. A compact topology of highly linear low noise amplifier which is composed of an emitter inductive degeneration and out-of-band matching core is proposed. Moreover, a modified neutralization function block based on on-chip transformer and bondwire inductor is also proposed. For this configuration, simultaneous noise/input matching, linearity improvement and a good reverse isolation is able to be achieved. It proved effective and convenient for a packaged monolithic RF chip. However, most input-referred linearity optimization techniques focused on the harmonic termination design at the input part, which leads to a narrower bandwidth and a higher noise figure due to extra losses in practice. To avoid these issues, an innovative linearity improvement method based on optimizing the output load is proposed. A novel two-stage highly linear LNA is designed to validate this theory. It achieved a power gain of 29dB and noise figure of 0.7dB at 1.7GHz, while only consumed 41mA from 3.3V supply. The OIP3 can be better than 38dBm from 1.2GHz to 2GHz. The input-referred 1dB compression point is -5dBm. The simulated result is the state-of-the-art among the current existing SiGe-based LNAs for base station applications. The design, as a part of a highly linear monolithic RF receiver, has been carried out using NXP QUBiC4x BiCMOS technology.

As the first stage of the amplifier chain aiming for the base station applications, a highly linear low noise amplifier (LNA) dictates very high performance for optimum coverage with a best signal quality. In today’s commercial market, the GaAs enhancement-mode pHEMT based LNA is dominant. However, a SiGe-based LNA, due to its high integration, is still attracting the interest from industry. In this thesis, the highly linear SiGe-based LNA design procedure is presented. For the fully-differential LNA design, the base tuning and emitter tuning, which both belong to the out-of-band matching technique used to increase linearity, are analyzed in details. Although the base tuning suffers more from mismatches in comparison with the emitter tuning, it is proved that proper choice of the harmonic trap capacitor is able to mitigate this effect, which can trigger a higher linearity. For the single-ended LNA design, the out-of-band matching is still feasible for narrow band applications. A compact topology of highly linear low noise amplifier which is composed of an emitter inductive degeneration and out-of-band matching core is proposed. Moreover, a modified neutralization function block based on on-chip transformer and bondwire inductor is also proposed. For this configuration, simultaneous noise/input matching, linearity improvement and a good reverse isolation is able to be achieved. It proved effective and convenient for a packaged monolithic RF chip. However, most input-referred linearity optimization techniques focused on the harmonic termination design at the input part, which leads to a narrower bandwidth and a higher noise figure due to extra losses in practice. To avoid these issues, an innovative linearity improvement method based on optimizing the output load is proposed. A novel two-stage highly linear LNA is designed to validate this theory. It achieved a power gain of 29dB and noise figure of 0.7dB at 1.7GHz, while only consumed 41mA from 3.3V supply. The OIP3 can be better than 38dBm from 1.2GHz to 2GHz. The input-referred 1dB compression point is -5dBm. The simulated result is the state-of-the-art among the current existing SiGe-based LNAs for base station applications. The design, as a part of a highly linear monolithic RF receiver, has been carried out using NXP QUBiC4x BiCMOS technology.

With the growing usage of mobile devices, manufacturers have to distinguish themselves in their devices to keep their share of the market. Most important is that the consumer is satisfied with a given brand, since then the chances are high that he will stay loyal to that brand when it is time for a new device. A consumer buys a mobile device based on several factors. The user interface is one of these factors, and it is an easy aspect for the consumer to evaluate. It is what he sees and uses, and therefore, has to be made easy to use, intuitive and attractive. One way of making a user interface attractive is by using a new technology, such as an auto-stereoscopic display. This type of display makes use of binocular depth, also called stereopsis, which allows users to see depth without the necessity of using viewing aids. Nowadays, static images on a standard 2D display get an impression of depth by using monocular depth cues, e.g. occlusion, shadows, relative size, and linear perspective. However, an auto-stereoscopic display provides a real sense of depth with objects popping out of the display screen. It is interesting to investigate the effect on the overall experience of a user interface of a mobile device with an auto-stereoscopic display when combining stereopsis with these monocular depth cues. To answer this research question three experiments have been performed. The goal of the first experiment – the pilot experiment – was to find which attributes were appropriate for evaluating the overall experience of a graphical user interface of a mobile device. In this experiment subjects saw stimuli based on a simplified menu of a mobile device, consisting of a background image with five background icons, and one ‘selected icon’ on the foreground. The stimuli varied in the monocular depth cue used, being shadowing, relative size, and luminance differences, and in the background image and depth mode used. The subjects were asked to score these stimuli on three predefined attributes, which were affordance, aesthetics, and preference. From this experiment the attributes affordance and aesthetics were found to represent different assessment criteria, which implied that these two attributes were useful for the assessment of a graphical user interface of a mobile device. The goal of the second experiment – the tuning experiment – was to find the preferred setting of the subjects for the disparity difference between foreground and background items in the graphical user interface, for the size increase of the ‘selected icon’ and for the luminance increase of the ‘selected icon’. Subjects were requested to indicate their preferred setting via a tuning for each of the variables separately. The results showed that there was quite some spread in preferred disparity among the subjects. The preferred size of the ‘selected icon’ was on average about 130% of its original size. The increase in luminance for the ‘selected icon’ was found to be too small to be detected in the absence of reference material. Therefore, it was decided to leave this variable out of the rest of the study. The goal of the third experiment, being the main experiment, was to find the added value of the various depth cues for the user interface of a mobile device with an auto-stereoscopic display. In this experiment the subjects were selected based on having about the same preferred disparity. These subjects were asked to score the stimuli on the attributes perceived amount of depth, image quality, affordance, and aesthetics. The stimuli consisted of combinations of the same variables as in the first experiment, with the exception of the luminance cue. The results showed that the bigger size of the ‘selected icon’ and the addition of a shadow both contributed to higher scores for all four attributes. Additionally, the depth mode ‘sinking background’, in which the ‘selected icon’ was displayed at the screen and the background behind the screen, gained the highest scores for the perceived amount of depth, image quality and affordance. The depth mode ‘none’, representing the background image that already contained depth had the highest score on aesthetics. The natural background image had the highest score on perceived depth and affordance, while the uniform background had the highest score on image quality. Overall it can be concluded that an auto-stereoscopic display has clearly added value for the design of a graphical user interface on a mobile device. The various variables studied for the graphical user interface affected different aspects of its overall experience. Clearly, a ‘sinking background’ depth mode is more appreciated than a ‘floating icon’ depth mode. A background containing depth is clearly appreciated from an aesthetic point of view. Additionally, the user interface should be designed such that no artifacts affecting the overall image quality are introduced. As the amount of disparity that has to be used is very dependent on the viewer, it may be a good option to allow the user of a mobile device to personalize the amount of disparity to his or her own preference.

Abstract not available

The graduation project is under supervision of TU Delft and ABN AMRO N.V. with the objective to strengthen and further develop an exclusive online community for the Next Generation clients of ABN AMRO. The Next Generation clients are the children of ABN AMRO’s top segment clients whose investable assets are more than EUR 25 million. The key issue to deal with in this graduation project is to find solutions, plan strategies to ‘offer the Next Generation clients a platform to talk, meet, share, participate and engage with each other and ABN AMRO. ABN AMRO wants to learn from the platform, in which ideas can be tested, feedback generated and the Next Generation's mind sets and needs explored’. Starting from this objective, current customer relationship management (CRM) and social customer relationship management (SCRM) literatures are studied. Based on the theoretical findings, an integrated SCRM model is proposed to identify the current situation, support concept generation, and evaluate implementation outcomes. Concepts in aspects of customer relationship management, product, service and employee are generated, tested, and evaluated according to the proposed model. Positive feedback and evaluation results prove the success of the project concepts. The concepts are then refined and further explored in the end of the report to draw conclusion and give recommendations for future studies.

The project QBTEC is a company which designs, manufactures and sells deep-fry installations to companies with a focus on deep-frying. Deep-fry installations are the entire stainless steel wall, known from cafeteria for example. The company felt the urge to innovate, to maintain their leading market position. They had not been able to introduce innovations other than incremental innovations over the past years. They had ideas about the direction of automation, to enable control of the deep-fry process at customer’s location. They wanted to know if there was a market need for automation. However, it is decided to focus on the problem of innovation for QBTEC and the problem of controlling the deep-fry process for customers. Controlling the deep-fry process is defined as diminishing the influences during the process to control the result. Becoming pro-active Currently, QBTEC offers custom-fit products. The sales representatives of the company translate customer’s wishes to the design department, who build a custom-fit solution. A new customer request or frequent complaints lead to product improvements. This re-active approach to customer’s situation leads to incremental innovations. For QBTEC to become more innovative, a pro-active approach is needed. This approach enables to take away the causes, instead of fighting the symptoms. Expand with new products in current market To generate corporate growth in the future, it is recommended to apply a product development strategy. Developing new products, instead of deep-fry installations and components, for the current market entails a relatively small risk and provides opportunities to innovate. It enables the company to quickly adapt to customer’s changes. Project as first step and example This project can be seen as an example and first step of these recommendations towards corporate growth in the future. First of all, a research on controlling the deep-fry process goes beyond the current product and is therefore a suited direction for new product development. Secondly, research is conducted within the current market segment ‘recreation’. Preliminary research within different market segments has founded this choice. And finally, a pro-active research method is applied, to be able to understand the system of behaviour and to come to a more innovative solution. Research recreation market Eight snack locations within the recreation market are observed to find the influencing factors that cause an uncontrolled process and the relation between these factors. Observations are the appropriate method to research workflows. Observing the deep-fry process enables discovering the entire situation, real actions and unarticulated needs. The handlings of the employees at the snack location are observed from the moment an order is taken until the order is finished. Conclusions are drawn upon the observed problems, their causes and their consequences for the result. The pro-active approach provided this insight in the system structure of employee’s behaviour. It is concluded that a cognitive overload of the employees has its influence on the rest of the causes of occurring problems. To be able to control the deep-fry process, the risk or problems need to be decreased. Idea generation An internal and external creative session and individual brainstorms are conducted in the idea generation phase. These sessions have sharpened the system structure of the research and resulted in solutions to reduce the cognitive workload. The solution Ultimately, the Clock is chosen as a first step of future developments of QBTEC. The Clock is a system which displays the process on screens. It provides employees overview of the handlings yet to come. It shows when to do what and enables to anticipate on these moments to execute secondary handlings. This external representation of internal thoughts reduce the cognitive workload and therefore the risk of mistakes during the deep-fry process. The reduction of mistakes enables QBTEC’s customer to control their deep-fry process and reduce unwanted results. QBTEC as a specialist The product development of the Clock will be the first step towards the future vision of QBTEC. There are large opportunities for innovation within the current market. With a pro-active approach, the company is able to understand the customer’s entire situation. When acting upon this knowledge, the company is able to provide their customer a total solution for their business. QBTEC becomes a specialist in the deep-fry situation.

This graduation thesis is carried out for the company Johnny Loco. They started the brand Johnny Loco 5 years ago. The inspiration to start this brand came from the brand management strategy developed by Rijkenberg (1998). The brand Johnny Loco can be seen as a lifestyle brand that communicates a philosophy. Rijkenberg (1998) assumes that this philosophy will attract consumers who feel attracted to this philosophy. Johnny Loco started the brand with the development of bicycles. Nowadays they have extended the brand portfolio by sunglasses and bags and are developing an electric moped. The assignment of this graduation project is to develop a launch strategy of the Johnny Loco E-scooter that fit the brand philosophy. Therefore, the brand philosophy is analyzed internally and externally and the e-moped market is analyzed. These results concluded in a list of requirements for the launch of the Johnny Loco E-scooter. Brand image research is done. From the results it is concluded that some aspects needed to be improved by the brand identity. An improvement of the brand philosophy was made. The reviewed brand philosophy of Johnny Loco can be described as: Johnny Loco believes that a healty dose of self-willingness makes you more enjoy life. We live in a busy society in which there is a risc that you will get stuck in everyday routine. By making your own plans, you get somewhere, you will explore more and you will feel more relaxed. Johnny Loco believes that life needs more “Johnny Loco”: Don’t go with the flow, go Johnny Loco. This will attract a group of consumers, called followers, that can be described as: “A group of people that is getting tired of their busy lifes and are looking for moments to reflect their lifes and relax”. The electric moped market is in the introduction phase of the Product Life Cycle. Currently, only local brands have entered the market. Between 2011 and 2014, the A-brands will enter the market. The (electric) moped market is highly seasonal, most mopeds are sold in spring and summer. Therefore the Johnny Loco E-scooter will be launched in spring 2012. Both Johnny Loco and Wu’s Tech, the manufacturer of the Johnny Loco E-scooter, have no experience with an e-scooter. Therefore it is chosen to start with a specific testing phase. Only ten potential consumers will take part of the testing phase of six months. During this testing phase it will be analyzed if there are some flaws in the desgin and if the Johnny Loco E-scooter will fit consumer expectations about the brand. This testing phase will also be used as a marketing tool. It will be communicated to consumers as an exclusive opportunity. Participants will be treated as VIP’s which will stimulate rumor araund the brand and the product. The testing phase will start in spring 2011 and end in autumn 2011. This will give Johnny Loco the opportunity make some improvements to the Johnny Loco E-scooter before officially entering the market in spring 2012.

In recent years, satellite gravity missions have been launched that probe the earth's long- to mediumwavelength (1000 - 500 km) gravity field. The upcoming ESA satellite gravity mission GOCE is predicted to measure the gravity field with an accuracy of a few centimeters at spatial scales of 100 km. Such a high-resolution gravity field contains information on mass inhomogeneities in the shallow earth, for example due to the creep of low-viscosity material forced by the growth and decay of ice sheets during the last glacial cycle. In this PhD thesis we show that GOCE is predicted to be sensitive to crustal low-viscosity zones down to a resolution of 150 km, but that recovery of the long wavelengths is hampered by uncertainties in the background earth stratification and ice-load history. We develop a thermomechanical earth model and show that creep laws and heatflow data can be used as additional constraints on the rheology of the shallow earth. Finally we indicate how in the near future high-resolution information on the shallow earth and the ice-load history can be obtained from GOCE and how this information can be used to improve for example estimates of present-day sea-level change.

The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) is a fundamental datum for high‐precision orbit tracking, navigation, and global change monitoring. Accurately realizing and maintaining ITRF origin at the mean Earth system center of mass (CM) is critical to surface and spacecraft based geodetic measurements including those of sea level rise and its sources. Although ITRF combines data from satellite laser ranging (SLR), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), Global Positioning System (GPS), and Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), its origin is currently realized by the single technique of SLR. Consequently, it is difficult to independently evaluate the origin accuracy. Also, whether the solid Earth is expanding or shrinking has attracted persistent attention. The expansion rate, if any, has not been accurately determined before, due to insufficient data coverage on the Earth's surface and the presence of other geophysical processes. Here, we use multiple precise geodetic data sets and a simultaneous global estimation platform to determine that the ITRF2008 origin is consistent with the mean CM at the level of 0.5 mm yr−1, and the mean radius of the Earth is not changing to within 1σ measurement uncertainty of 0.2 mm yr−1.

Protein sequence features are explored in relation to the production of over-expressed extracellular proteins by fungi. Knowledge on features influencing protein production and secretion could be employed to improve enzyme production levels in industrial bioprocesses via protein engineering. A large set, over 600 homologous and nearly 2,000 heterologous fungal genes, were overexpressed in Aspergillus niger using a standardized expression cassette and scored for high versus no production. Subsequently, sequence-based machine learning techniques were applied for identifying relevant DNA and protein sequence features. The amino-acid composition of the protein sequence was found to be most predictive and interpretation revealed that, for both homologous and heterologous gene expression, the same features are important: tyrosine and asparagine composition was found to have a positive correlation with high-level production, whereas for unsuccessful production, contributions were found for methionine and lysine composition. The predictor is available online at http://bioinformatics.tudelft.nl/hipsec. Subsequent work aims at validating these findings by protein engineering as a method for increasing expression levels per gene copy.

Because of heavy deposition and water shortage, the Yellow River faces the risk of flooding and no-flow since the middle of 1980s. The problem could be solved only by integrated water management. However, Dutch has a long history fighting the flood and gets a lot of experiences in water management, especially river ecosystem recovered after 1993 and 1995's flooding. It is now accepted that there is more to ensuring safety than continually making the dikes higher. It is helpful to learn the flood management practice in Netherlands. Based on the purvious points, the objectives of this study should primarily include following aspects: 1. Modeling methods of numerical model, focusing on a case study for lower Yellow River by use of the series numerical model developed by Delft Hydraulics, including flood forecasting and dredging. 2. Flood management practices in Netherlands, including flood defense measures, flood forecasting and warning system, compensate policy etc. It is a convenient way to study numerical methods by use of DelfBD model to calculate wandering reach. Running Delft3D model to simulate a flood process occurred in 1996 and comparing the calculated results with the measured data, we can easily know the advantage and disadvantage of the model. This is a base for a further cooperation too. In order to control flood hazard, dredging has become an important method. But, some problems, such as the recovery rate of dredged channel, have to be solved before the large scale of application. These problems will be studied by Sobek(Delft ID model) running combined with experimental data and the part field data analysis.

Lignocellulosic feedstocks are thought to have great economic and environmental significance for future biotechnological production processes. For cost-effective and efficient industrial processes, complete and fast conversion of all sugars derived from these feedstocks is required. Hence, simultaneous or fast sequential fermentation of sugars would greatly contribute to the efficiency of production processes. One of the main challenges emerging from the use of lignocellulosics for the production of ethanol by the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is efficient fermentation of D-xylose and L-arabinose, as these sugars cannot be used by natural S. cerevisiae strains. In this study, we describe the first engineered S. cerevisiae strain (strain IMS0003) capable of fermenting mixtures of glucose, xylose, and arabinose with a high ethanol yield (0.43 g g–1 of total sugar) without formation of the side products xylitol and arabinitol. The kinetics of anaerobic fermentation of glucose-xylose-arabinose mixtures were greatly improved by using a novel evolutionary engineering strategy. This strategy included a regimen consisting of repeated batch cultivation with repeated cycles of consecutive growth in three media with different compositions (glucose, xylose, and arabinose; xylose and arabinose; and only arabinose) and allowed rapid selection of an evolved strain (IMS0010) exhibiting improved specific rates of consumption of xylose and arabinose. This evolution strategy resulted in a 40% reduction in the time required to completely ferment a mixture containing 30 g liter–1 glucose, 15 g liter–1 xylose, and 15 g liter–1 arabinose.

This research is focused on damage development in the adhesive zone and the mortar of porous asphalt concrete. The motive of this research is the loss of stone from the pavement surface, the so-called ravelling of noise reducing surface wearing courses. Ravelling is the dominant defect of porous asphalt resulting in huge costs of maintenance and resurfacing in the Netherlands. Ravelling is a mixture-associated problem and is directly related to the binding failure within the stone-to-stone contact regions. This research is thus towards a better understanding of the processes responsible for ravelling, i.e. cohesive failure in the mortar bridge and adhesive failure at the mortar/aggregate adhesive zone on the basis of meso-mechanics. An intensive experimental program was carried out on various adhesive zones and mortars at a meso-sale of millimetres. This program was designed based on a better understanding of stress/strain states in porous asphalt concrete under moving traffic loadings. The aim was to develop fatigue/damage models for the adhesive zone and mortar which allows life expectancy to be predicted. Tension and shear tests as well as tests in which tension and shear were combined were performed on the adhesive zones. Among these tests, uniaxial tension testing was conducted using Dynamic Mechanics Analyzer. Shear testing was performed using Dynamic Shear Rheometer. A test which combined tension and shear was specially designed. Various types of load signals were applied accounting for complex stress signals to which the adhesive zones are subjected in practice. A damage model based on a linear cumulative damage rule was used to explain the obtained test data. The proposed model is making use of the integration of an equivalent uniaxial tensile stress signal to compute the development of damage. To do this, an internal-friction theory was applied to translate any combination of shear and normal stresses into a simple equivalent uniaxial tensile stress. Model fit indicated that the predicted number of cycles to failure is in agreement with the measured data. A practical mortar fatigue model based on the dissipated energy concept was developed for the life predictions under complex multiaxial loadings. The fatigue model is based on the initial dissipated energy per cycle. Model parameters can be determined on the basis of commonly used fatigue tests. The proposed model gave very good results in explaining the laboratory fatigue data. By combining the mortar stress and strain signals provided by response calculations the dissipated energy per tyre passage can be calculated and the number of load repetitions to failure can be estimated using the mortar fatigue model. The developed fatigue/damage models were applied to explain the ravelling damage of four different porous asphalt mixtures used in a full-scale accelerated pavement testing (APT) experiment. Finite element simulations of the behaviour of these four mixtures were made. A 2D idealized model was used for practical reasons. The life expectancy predicted by this way was in good agreement with the results of full scale ravelling tests. The life time predictions as made explain the initiation of ravelling. In reality however maintenance will only be applied if ravelling has extended over a certain area and at a certain level of severity. To relate the computed life expectancy with the actual lifespan of porous asphalt or the maintenance moment, a ravelling development model was proposed. By combining this model with the initial ravelling damage obtained from the simulations, the moment for maintenance and resurfacing can be estimated for planning pavement preservation strategies. Finally, it was concluded that the meso-scale fatigue characterization of the adhesive zone and mortar is feasible. The developed adhesive zone damage model and mortar fatigue model together with the finite element model for the prediction of stress, strain and dissipated energy allow to arrive at a proper ranking in performance of porous asphalt mixtures. It has been shown that the developed models are very useful tools to design porous asphalt concrete with a better raveling resistance and a longer lifetime.