There is a growing interest in investigating the high order contingency events that may result in large blackouts, which have been a great concern for power grid secure operation. The actual number of high order contingency is too huge for operators and planner to apply a brute-force enumerative analysis. This thesis presents a heuristic searching method based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) and tabu search to select severe high order contingencies. The original PSO algorithm gives an intelligent strategy to search the feasible solution space, but tends to find the best solution only. The proposed method combines the original PSO with tabu search such that a number of top candidates will be identified. This fits the need of high order contingency screening, which can be eventually the input to many other more complicate security analyses. Reordering of branches of test system based on severity of N-1 contingencies is applied as a pre-processing to increase the convergence properties and efficiency of the algorithm. With this reordering approach, many critical high order contingencies are located in a small area in the whole searching space. Therefore, the proposed algorithm tends to concentrate in searching this area such that the number of critical branch combinations searched will increase. Therefore, the speedup ratio is found to increase significantly. The proposed algorithm is tested for N-2 and N-3 contingencies using two test systems modified from the IEEE 118-bus and 30-bus systems. Variation of inertia weight, learning factors, and number of particles is tested and the range of values more suitable for this specific algorithm is suggested. Although illustrated and tested with N-2 and N-3 contingency analysis, the proposed algorithm can be extended to even higher order contingencies but visualization will be difficult because of the increase in the problem dimensions corresponding to the order of contingencies.

Optical parametric frequency conversion based on quasi phase matching (QPM) in nonlinear optical crystals is a powerful technique for generating coherent radiation in wavelength ranges spanning from the mid-infrared (mid-IR) to the blue, displaying low thermal load and high efficiency.This thesis shows how QPM in one- (1D) or two-dimensional (2D) lattices can be employed to engineer novel devices for parametric downconversion in the IR, af-fording freedom in designing both spectral and angular properties of the parametric output. Experimental demonstrations of parametric devices are supported by theoreti-cal modelling of the nonlinear conversion processes.In particular, broadband parametric downconversion has been investigated in 1D QPM lattices, through degenerate downconversion close to the point of zero group-velocity dispersion. Ultra-broadband optical parametric generation (OPG) of 185 THz bandwidth (at 10 dB), spanning more than one octave from 1.1 to 3.7 μm, has been achieved in periodically poled 1 mol% MgO-doped near-stoichiometric LiTaO3 (MgSLT) of 25 μm QPM period, pumped at 860 nm. Such broadband gain is of high interest for ultrashort optical pulse amplification, with applications in high harmonic generation, ultrafast spectroscopy and laser ablation. Furthermore, the det-rimental impact of parasitic upconversion, creating dips in the OPG spectrum, has been investigated. By altering the pump pulse duration, energy can be backconverted to create peaks at the involved OPG wavelengths, offering a possible tool to enhance broadband parametric gain spectra.The engineering of the angular properties of a parametric output benefits greatly from 2D QPM, which is investigated in this thesis by the specific example of hexagonally poled MgSLT. It is demonstrated how two OPG processes, supported by a single 2D QPM device, can exhibit angularly and spectrally degenerate signals (idlers). This degeneracy results in a coherent coupling between the two OPG pro-cesses and a spectrally degenerate twin-beam output in the mid-IR (near IR). 2D QPM devices exhibiting such coherently coupled downconversion processes can find applications as compact sources of entangled photon-pairs. This thesis further illus-trates the design freedom of 2D QPM through the demonstration of a device support-ing multiple parametric processes, thus generating multiple beams from the mid-IR to the blue spectral regions. / <p>QC 20131204</p>

Understanding the behavior of complex, large-scale, interconnected systems in a rigorous and structured manner is one of the most pressing scientific and technological challenges of current times. These systems include, among many others, transportation and communications systems, smart grids and power grids, financial markets etc. Failures of these systems have potentially enormous social, environmental and financial costs. In this work, we investigate the failure mechanisms of load-sharing complex systems. The systems are composed of multiple nodes or components whose failures are determined based on the interaction of their respective strengths and loads (or capacity and demand respectively) as well as the ability of a component to share its load with its neighbors when needed. Each component possesses a specific strength (capacity) and can be in one of three states: failed, damaged or functioning normally. The states are determined based on the load (demand) on the component. We focus on two distinct mechanisms to model the interaction between components strengths and loads. The first, a Loss of Strength (LOS) model and the second, a Customer Service (CS) model. We implement both models on lattice and scale-free graph network topologies. The failure mechanisms of these two models demonstrate temporal scaling phenomena, phase transitions and multiple distinct failure modes excited by extremal dynamics. We find that the resiliency of these models is sensitive to the underlying network topology. For critical ranges of parameters the models demonstrate power law and exponential failure patterns. We find that the failure mechanisms of these models have parallels to failure mechanisms of critical infrastructure systems such as congestion in transportation networks, cascading failure in electrical power grids, creep-rupture in composite structures, and draw-downs in financial markets. Based on the different variants of failure, strategies for mitigating and postponing failure in these critical infrastructure systems can be formulated.

In 1998 the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement were developed following years of crises faced by the millions of people experiencing forced displacement, especially those internally displaced. These Principles were widely considered to be precedent setting, both historically and normatively. However, the examination of the construction of the international norms that underpin the Principles indicates that there are important epistemological weaknesses in widely used constructivist frameworks that understand normative shifts in international relations. They are critiqued as being impedingly linear, temporally compressed and analytically obstructive in its agent-centric view of norm cascading. This research aims to address some of these gaps with an enhanced life-cycle model using cluster genealogies and the processes of replication and particularization. The reformulated framework is tested for robustness and feasibility using two preliminary cases – UNSC Resolution 1325 and the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is then used to conduct an in-depth original analysis of the development of the 1998 UN Guiding Principles. The findings in the case of the Guiding Principles show, for example, that though the acceptance of the IDP definition was a big leap, the replication and particularization of human rights limits the humanitarian scope of the Guiding Principles, and also brings into question existing humanitarian protection of IDPs under the Geneva Conventions. Meanwhile, rooting them in ‘sovereignty as responsibility’ has not shifted the community of states’ intersubjective take on sovereignty, but it has added to the existing normative tension – individual vs. state – that underpins the very understanding of sovereignty.

Les chutes de blocs constituent un aléa naturel majeur dans les Alpes françaises en raison de leur probabilité d'occurrence spatiale et temporelle très élevée. Les forêts peuvent constituer une solution naturelle et efficace pour atténuer ce phénomène tout en protégeant les populations et leurs infrastructures. Cependant, ce service écosystémique peut être perturbé par d'autres aléas naturels comme les feux de forêts, susceptibles d'être plus fréquents et intenses dans le contexte actuel et futur de changements climatiques.Cette thèse propose ainsi d'évaluer les effets des incendies sur la capacité de protection des forêts contre les chutes de blocs dans les Alpes françaises.Une méthodologie pour évaluer la capacité de protection d'une forêt contre les chutes de blocs est d'abord développée et consiste à utiliser des simulations de propagation de chutes de blocs réalisées sur 3886 placettes forestières des Alpes françaises pour calculer trois indicateurs quantitatifs évaluant la réduction de la fréquence (BARI), de l'intensité (MIRI) et la réduction globale (ORPI) de l'aléa chutes de blocs dues à la présence d'une forêt. Ces indicateurs sont utilisés pour identifier les variables forestières prépondérantes pour évaluer la capacité de protection : la longueur boisée sur le versant, la surface terrière et le diamètre moyen. Les peuplements présentant une distribution hétérogène des diamètres et composés de plusieurs essences offrent généralement une meilleure protection que les peuplements monospécifiques et réguliers, soulignant ainsi l'influence de la diversité forestière. Cette thèse montre ainsi que les taillis présentent les capacités de protection les plus élevées, suivis par les futaies feuillues et les futaies mixtes ; les peuplements résineux venant en dernier.Les évolutions spatiales et temporelles des conditions climatiques favorables aux incendies, étudiées sur la période 1959-2015, révèlent un contraste majeur entre les Alpes du Sud qui ont connu une forte augmentation (en intensité, fréquence, durée et saisonnalité) surtout à haute altitude, et les Alpes du Nord, où une légère hausse est observée à basse altitude, mais aucune tendance significative n'est observée à haute altitude. Ces résultats sont ensuite utilisés pour définir trois types de feux (d'hiver, d'été moyen et d'été très sec) pour lesquels la mortalité post-incendie est étudiée à l'échelle de l'arbre et du peuplement forestier. Ces analyses montrent que seuls les feux d'été sont susceptibles d'affecter significativement les peuplements, en particulier à basse altitude où les peuplements feuillus (notamment les taillis) dominent.L’effet des incendies sur la capacité de protection des forêts est évalué en comparant les simulations de propagation de chutes de blocs sans feu aux simulations après chaque type de feu pour lesquelles les arbres avec une forte probabilité de mortalité post-feu ne sont pas pris en compte. Les valeurs de ORPI pour chaque placette forestière et chaque type de feu sont ainsi calculées et comparées au scénario de référence sans feu, permettant ainsi d'évaluer quantitativement la réduction de la capacité de protection. Les peuplements de basse altitude, soumis à des conditions climatiques plus chaudes et sèches, présentent des réductions de la capacité de protection après des feux d'été de l'ordre de 60 à 100 %. Il s'agit principalement de taillis et de futaies feuillues. À plus haute altitude, la réduction est de l'ordre de 30 à 65 %.En conclusion, ce travail de thèse propose une méthode originale pour quantifier la capacité de protection d'une forêt contre les chutes de blocs avant et après un incendie et alimente les connaissances sur ces deux aléas naturels et les risques associés. L'analyse multi-aléas conduite en fin de thèse permet d'appréhender les effets cascades potentiels à l'échelle du peuplement forestier et de quatre territoires bioclimatiquement homogènes des Alpes françaises. / Rockfalls are a major natural hazard in the French Alps due to their high probability of spatial and temporal occurrence. Forests constitute an efficient nature-based solution to mitigate this hazard while protecting human lives and assets. However, this ecosystem service may be disrupted by others natural hazards such as wildfires likely to be more frequent and intense in the current and future context of climate changes.This PhD thesis proposes to assess the effects of fires on the protection capability of forests against rockfalls in the French Alps.A methodology to evaluate the protection capability of a forest against rockfalls is first developed. It consists in modeling rockfalls propagations on 3886 forest plots taken in the French Alps to calculate three quantitative indicators that assess the reduction of the frequency (BARI), the intensity (MIRI) and the overall reduction (ORPI) of rockfalls due to the presence of a forest. These indicators are used to identify the predominant forest variables for assessing the protective effect: the length of forest along the slope, the basal area and the mean diameter. Forest stands with a heterogeneous distribution of diameters and made up of several tree species generally offer a better protection than monospecific and regular stands, thus underlining the influence of forest diversity. This work shows that coppices have the highest protection capabilities, followed by hight stands dominated by deciduous species and mixed stands; coniferous stands coming last.Spatio-temporal trends in fire weather in the French Alps are investigated over the period 1959-2015 and reveal a major contrast between Southern Alps which experienced a strong increase (in intensity, frequency, duration and seasonality) especially at high elevation, and Northern Alps, where a slight increase at low elevation and no significant trends at high elevation are observed. These results are then used to define three types of fires (winter, summer, and dry summer) for which post-fire tree mortality is studied at the tree and forest stands levels. These analyses show that only summer fires are likely to significantly affect the forest ecosystems, particularly at low elevations where deciduous stands (especially coppice) dominate.The effect of fires on the protection capabilities of forests is assessed by comparing rockfalls propagation simulations without fire to simulations after each type of fire in which the trees with a high post-fire mortality are not taken into account. The ORPI values for each forest plot and fire type are thus calculated and compared to the reference scenario without fire thus making it possible to quantitatively assess the reduction of the protection capabilities. Low elevation stands, subject to warmer and drier climatic conditions, show reductions of the protective effect in the range 60-100%. It mainly concerns coppices and deciduous stands. At high elevation, the reduction is in the range 30- 65%.In conclusion, this PhD thesis proposes an original method to quantify the protection capabilities of a forest against rockfalls before and after a fire and improve the knowledge of these two natural hazards and their associated risks. The multi-hazard analysis conducted at the end of the thesis makes it possible to understand the potential cascading effects in the main forest types and for four bioclimatically homogeneous territories of the French Alps.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:55:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RobsonHCM.pdf: 3964230 bytes, checksum: b66d62a3ab0ff3d24888963581fbde31 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-08-12 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / This work presents a theoretical and numerical analysis for the cascading of frequency selective surfaces, which uses rectangular patches and triangular Koch fractals as elements. Two cascading techniques are used to determine the transmission and reflection characteristics. Frequency selective surfaces includes a large area of Telecommunications and have been widely used due to its low cost, low weight and ability to integrate with others microwaves circuits. They re especially important in several applications, such as airplane, antennas systems, radomes, rockets, missiles, etc.. FSS applications in high frequency ranges have been investigated, as well as applications of cascading structures or multi-layer, and active FSS. Furthermore, the analyses uses the microwave circuit theory, with the Floquet harmonics, it allows to obtain the expressions of the scattering parameters of each structure and also of the composed structure of two or more FSS. In this work, numeric results are presented for the transmission characteristics. Comparisons are made with experimental results and simulated results using the commercial software Ansoft Designer? v3. Finally, some suggestions are presented for future works on this subject / Este trabalho apresenta uma an?lise te?rica e num?rica do cascateamento de superf?cies seletivas de frequ?ncia, que usa patches retangulares e fractais de Koch triangular como elementos. Para isto, s?o utilizadas duas t?cnicas de cascateamento, visando ? determina??o das caracter?sticas de transmiss?o e de reflex?o. Superf?cies seletivas de frequ?ncia abrangem uma grande ?rea das Telecomunica??es e t?m sido largamente utilizadas devido a seu baixo custo, peso reduzido e possibilidade de se integrar com outros circuitos de microondas. Elas s?o especialmente importantes em diversas aplica??es, como avi?es, sistemas de antenas, radomes, foguetes, m?sseis, etc. Aplica??es de FSS em faixas de freq??ncia elevadas t?m sido investigadas, assim como aplica??es destas estruturas em cascata ou multicamadas, e FSS ativas. Especificamente, as an?lises usam a teoria de circuitos de microondas, em conjunto com os harm?nicos de Floquet, permite a obten??o das express?es dos par?metros de espalhamento de cada estrutura e tamb?m da estrutura composta por duas ou mais FSS. Nesse trabalho, s?o apresentados resultados num?ricos para as caracter?sticas de transmiss?o. S?o feitas compara??es com resultados experimentais e tamb?m com resultados simulados utilizando o software comercial Ansoft Designer? v3. S?o apresentadas, ainda, sugest?es de continuidade do trabalho

As represas construídas em cascata no rio Tietê (Barra Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga, Promissão, Nova Avanhandava e Três Irmãos) constituem em sistemas artificiais com grande importância ecológica, econômica e social. Com base nos dados físico-químicos e biológicos das seis represas, foram avaliadas as condições limnológicas, abundância da comunidade fitoplanctônica e zooplanctônica e o estado de trofia dos reservatórios através da aplicação do índice do estado trófico, desenvolvido por Carlson (1977). A utilização da concentração de fósforo para determinação do índice é o que deu melhor resultado, mostrando uma redução gradual de sua concentração nas represas seqüenciais, principalmente no período do verão. Os reservatórios que se mostraram eutróficos como o de Barra Bonita, Bariri e Ibitinga apresentaram uma maior abundância e freqüência de florescimento das algas pertencentes a classe Cyanophyceae principalmente das espécies Microcystis aeruginosa. Algumas espécies de Rotifera, como Asplanchna sieboldi, Brachionus caliciflorus e Kellicottia bostoniensis, e de Copepoda Calanoida Notodiaptomus iheringi, também serviram de indicativos do estado trófico dos sistemas, já que esses estão associados a ambientes eutróficos. / Reservoirs built in cascade in Tietê river (Barra Bonita, Bariri, Ibitinga, Promissão, Nova Avanhandava and, Três Irmãos) constitute artificial systems with a high ecological, economic and social relevance. Based on the physical, chemical and biological data from the six reservoirs, limnological conditions were evaluated, the abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities and the trophic state of reservoirs through the application of trophic state index, developed by Carlson (1977). The use of phosphorus concentration to determine the index gave the best result, showing a gradual reduction of its concentration in the sequential reservoirs, especially in summer period. The reservoirs that showed up to be eutrophic like Barra Bonita, Bariri and Ibitinga presented a higher abundance and frequency in development of algae belonging to the Cyanophyceae class, especially of Microcystis aeruginosa species. Some species of Rotifera such as Asplanchna sieboldi, Brachionus calyciflorus and, Kellicottia bostoniences, and of Copepoda Calanoida Notodiaptomus iheringi, also served as indicative of trophic state for these systems, since they are associated to eutrophic environments.

This thesis deals with the analysis of the actuator ACOPOS and its accessories. There are described the cascaded control loop concept and the setting servomechanism from B&R Automation with the important parameters. We follow the draft a speed controller servomotor with a load with the regards to knowledge of the control system. We compare the different methods of labor control actuator at last. There are implemented laboratory tasks of Position servomechanism and speed servo controller-on-load as a demonstration of our achieved results.

Theme of this master's thesis Comparison of thermal cycle efficiency is aimed on the calculation of thermal schemes of reheating and without reheating for various performances. The calculation is performed using specialized literature. The introduction describes the fundamental thermal cycle used in power plants and Rankine - Clausius cycle. After the initial familiarization with the parameters of Rankine - Clausius cycle follow a section with technical solutions to improve thermal efficiency of Rankine - Clausius thermal cycle. The aim of this work is to identify and compare the thermal efficiency of the thermal cycle with reheating, without reheating and compare them with each other. At the conclusion of this work is shown comparison between two low-pressure regeneration systems.

Dagens linjära materialflöde leder till att nyttjandegraden av råvaror är låg, vilket tömmer ut världens resurser och mängden avfall ökar. Samtidigt skapar den ökande världsbefolkningen och världsekonomin ett större tryck på dagens resurser vilket inte är hållbart i längden. Genom att övergå till cirkulär ekonomi betraktas genererat avfall som en resurs, vilket ökar resursutnyttjandet i samhället. Byggbranschen är den verksamhet som genererar mest avfall i Sverige och stor del av den genererade mängden är träavfall. Idag energiutvinns i stort allt trä som kasseras och samtidigt sker ett ökat intresse för användning av materialet. Syftet med denna studie är att ta reda på hur och i vilken mängd träavfall från bygg- och rivningsarbete kan materialåtervinnas före energiutvinning.  Denna studie har kartlagt innehållet av tre containrar med träavfall från olika byggskeden; stomme, inredning och rivning. Kartläggningen utfördes med en sorteringsmetod som togs fram med hjälp av litteraturstudie och samtal med företag. De fyra möjliga sorteringsalternativ som togs fram under studien var Fingerskarvning / Återanvändning, Korslimmat trä, Lamellträ och Spånplattor.  Kartläggningen visar att fördelningen av träavfall varierar stort beroende på byggskede. Vid inredning är det mycket lastpallar, träskivor och reglar, detsamma gäller för stomme dock med en färre andel skivmaterial.   Vid maximal utdelning för stomme kan 19 % av träavfallet gå till Fingerskarvning / Återanvändning, Korslimmat trä  2 %,  Lamellträ 35 % och Spånplattor 100 %. Vid rivning fanns endast treetex och råspont vilket endast kan användas till Spånplattor. För inredning kan 12 % av träavfallet gå till Fingerskarvning / Återanvändning, Korslimmat trä 3 %, Lamellträ 10 % och Spånplattor 100 %. För stomme och inredning är resultatet baserat på en accepterad sortering för grånat och smutsigt virke för de två förstnämnda alternativen. Slutsatsen blir att allt träavfall kan användas till bättre alternativ än energiutvinning. Tills problemen med Korslimmat trä och Fingerskarvning / Återanvändning har lösts bör sortering ske utefter Lamellträ och Spånplattor. / Today's linear material flows leads to a low utilization of raw materials, which depletes the world's resources and the amount of waste increases. At the same time, the growing world population and world economy are creating more pressure on today's resources which is not sustainable in the long run. By converting to a circular economy, generated waste is regarded as a resource, which increases the utilization of resources in society. When it comes to generated waste, the construction industry is the biggest sector in Sweden and wood waste is a large part of the generated amount. Almost all wood waste today is combusted for energy recovery, and at the same time, there is an increased interest in using the material. The purpose of the study is to find out how, and in what amount, wood waste from construction and demolition work can be recycled before energy recovery.  This study has made a survey of the contents of three containers with wood waste from different construction stages; frame, fixing and demolition. The survey was carried out using a sorting method that was developed by studying literature and speaking with companies. The four possible sorting options that were found during the study were Finger jointed / Reuse, Cross-laminated timber, Laminated wood and Particleboard.  The survey shows that the distribution of wood waste varies greatly depending on the stage of construction. In the fixing stage, there are a lot of pallets, wooden boards and studs. The same goes for the frame stage, however, with a smaller proportion of board material. The maximum percentages for each of the sorting options for the frame stage are        19 % to Finger jointed / Reuse, Cross-laminated timber 2 %, Laminated wood 35 % and Particleboard 100 %. During demolition, there were only treetex and tongued and grooved board that can only be used for Particleboard. For the fixing stage, 12 % of the wood waste can go to Finger jointed / Reuse, Cross-laminated timber 3 %, Laminated wood 10 % and Particleboard 100 %. For the frame and fixing stage the results are based on an accepted sorting of gray and dirty wood for the two first mentioned sorting options.  The conclusion is that all wood waste can be used for better alternatives than energy recovery. Until problems with Cross-laminated timber and Finger jointed / Reuse have been solved, sorting should be based on Laminated wood and Particleboard.