Telecommunication service providers have recently begun to offer ubiquitous access to packetised data. As a result, the Internet is not limited to computers that are physically connected but is also available to users that axe equipped with mobile devices. This ubiquitous access fuels the growth and the usage of the Internet even further, and thus the realisation of dynamic Internet. With the realisation of the dynamic Internet, increasing support is needed for Internet protocol (IP) and transmission control protocol (TCP) over wireless/mobile networks.Two areas of interest in this thesis are unicast and multicast routing in connectionless and connection-oriented networks. To address the problems of routing protocols in mobile computing environments, the active networks (ANs) paradigm is employed. ANs provide an alternative paradigm to solving network problems and comprise programmable network elements that allow enhancement of existing protocols and the execution of active protocols which run for the duration of the communication session.This thesis investigates the viability and advantages of ANs when applied to routing in mobile communications. Two new AN-based protocols, for IP and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks, that address the problems of multicast routing with mobile group members are outlined. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) mobile IP has been augmented with active programs in order to enhance its operation further. Also, a novel model for rerouting connections in ATM networks is presented.Results of extensive simulation studies comparing performances of conventional as well as some recently proposed protocols with those of AN-based protocols are presented. The results obtained from these simulation studies show that AN-based protocols have the following benefits: (i) efficient adaptation to mobility, (ii) reduced signaling overheads, ++ / (iii) high reuse of allocated network states, (iv) extensibility, (v) network topology independence, and (vi) scalability. The aforementioned points are crucial in mobile environments where states at routers (switches) are frequently updated due to mobility. It was shown that ANs provide the most benefits to protocols that maintain states within the network, for example connection-oriented and multicast protocols. AN-based protocols enable fast and efficient update of the states maintained at the routers/switches without incurring excessive signaling overheads. Moreover, part of a connection or multicast tree can be updated iteratively with the use of ANs, resulting only in modifications to routers (switches) that are affected by host migration. A model for deploying active programs that is coupled with the protocol operation is also demonstrated. Implementation of such a model eliminates the need for strategic positioning of active services.

Recent developments in the field of parallel and distributed computing has led to a proliferation of solving large and computationally intensive mathematical, science, or engineering problems, that consist of several parallelizable parts and several non-parallelizable (sequential) parts. In a parallel and distributed computing environment, the performance goal is to optimize the execution of parallelizable parts of an application on concurrent processors. This requires efficient application scheduling and resource allocation for mapping applications to a set of suitable parallel processors such that the overall performance goal is achieved. However, such computational environments are often prone to unpredictable variations in application (problem and algorithm) and system characteristics. Therefore, a robustness study is required to guarantee a desired level of performance. Given an initial workload, a mapping of applications to resources is considered to be robust if that mapping optimizes execution performance and guarantees a desired level of performance in the presence of unpredictable perturbations at runtime. In this research, a stochastic process algebra, Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA), is used for obtaining resource allocations via a numerical analysis of performance modeling of the parallel execution of applications on parallel computing resources. The PEPA performance model is translated into an underlying mathematical Markov chain model for obtaining performance measures. Further, a robustness analysis of the allocation techniques is performed for finding a robustmapping from a set of initial mapping schemes. The numerical analysis of the performance models have confirmed similarity with the simulation results of earlier research available in existing literature. When compared to direct experiments and simulations, numerical models and the corresponding analyses are easier to reproduce, do not incur any setup or installation costs, do not impose any prerequisites for learning a simulation framework, and are not limited by the complexity of the underlying infrastructure or simulation libraries.

This thesis describes a computing environment WBCSim and its experiment management component. WBCSim is a web-based simulation system used to increase the productivity of wood scientists conducting research on wood-based composite and material manufacturing processes. This experiment management component integrates a web-based graphical front end, server scripts, and a database management system to allow scientists to easily save, retrieve, and perform customized operations on experimental data. A detailed description of the system architecture and the experiment management component is presented, along with a typical scenario of usage. / Master of Science

A problem solving environment (PSE) is a computational system that provides a complete and convenient set of high level tools for solving problems from a specific domain. This thesis takes an in-depth look at the experiment management aspect of PSEs, which can be divided into three levels: 1) data management, 2) change management, and 3) execution management. At the data management level, anything related to an experiment (computer simulation) should be stored and documented. A database management system can be used to store the simulation runs for a PSE. Then various high level interfaces can be provided to allow users to save, retrieve, search, and compare these simulation runs. At the change management level, a scientist should only focus on how to solve a problem in the experiment domain. Aside from running experiments, a scientist may only consider how to define a new model, how to modify an existing model, and how to interpret an experiment result. By using XML to describe a simulation model and unify various implementation layers, changing an existing model in a PSE can be intuitive and fast. At the execution management level, how an experiment is executed is the main concern. By providing a computational steering capability, a scientist can pause, examine, and compare the intermediate results from a simulation. Contrasted with the traditional way of running a lengthy simulation to see the result at the end, computational steering can leverage the user's expert knowledge on the fly (during the simulation run) and provide new insights and new product design opportunities. This thesis illustrates these concepts and implementation by using WBCSim as an example. WBCSim is a PSE that increases the productivity of wood scientists conducting research on wood-based composite materials and manufacturing processes. It integrates Fortran 90 simulation codes with a Web based graphical front end, an optimization tool, and various visualization tools. The WBCSim project was begun in 1997 with support from United States Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, and Virginia Tech. It has since been used by students in several wood science classes, by graduate students and faculty, and by researchers at several forest products companies. WBCSim also serves as a test bed for the design, construction, and evaluation of useful, production quality PSEs. / Ph. D.

Submitted by PPGE PPGE (pgedu@ufba.br) on 2014-01-24T16:08:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Damasceno1_Dissertacao[FACED UFBA2013].pdf: 3809064 bytes, checksum: 72f5b6c3266cf6efe4dc48a43ed332ad (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Auxiliadora da Silva Lopes (silopes@ufba.br) on 2014-02-11T16:01:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Damasceno1_Dissertacao[FACED UFBA2013].pdf: 3809064 bytes, checksum: 72f5b6c3266cf6efe4dc48a43ed332ad (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-02-11T16:01:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luciana Damasceno1_Dissertacao[FACED UFBA2013].pdf: 3809064 bytes, checksum: 72f5b6c3266cf6efe4dc48a43ed332ad (MD5) / Na sociedade atual, os recursos tecnológicos e os ambientes computacionais e telemáticos têm contribuído significativamente para o desenvolvimento, aprendizado, autonomia e independência das pessoas com deficiência, quando essas tecnologias estão acessíveis segundo as necessidades de cada uma dessas pessoas, principalmente por meio da Tecnologia Assistiva. A Tecnologia Assistiva, com os seus recursos, produtos e serviços, é um instrumento de mediação entre a pessoa com deficiência, ou mobilidade reduzida, e o ambiente, voltado a favorecer a participação mais ativa e independente no entorno social do usuário. Esta pesquisa procurou investigar o processo de introdução dos recursos da Tecnologia Assistiva no ambiente computacional para aluno com paralisia cerebral, buscando analisar os primeiros passos, as primeiras decisões, os conhecimentos e procedimentos necessários para esse início de uso da Tecnologia Assistiva com esses alunos. Para a investigação, utilizou-se uma abordagem qualitativa do tipo pesquisa participante, no intuito de acompanhar três alunos com paralisia cerebral nesse processo. Os instrumentos utilizados foram a observação direta e o registro diário durante todo o processo de escolha e introdução dos recursos, e a entrevista semiestruturada aplicada a todos os profissionais envolvidos nos atendimentos dos sujeitos. Para fundamentar o estudo, investiu-se na busca das concepções sobre a aprendizagem e o desenvolvimento humano propostas por Vygotsky, principalmente no seu trabalho sobre o desenvolvimento da pessoa com deficiência, na obra Fundamentos da Defectologia, e também no referencial teórico sobre Tecnologia Assistiva encontrado na literatura atual, disponível principalmente nos relatos registrados em pesquisas e documentos de instituições e organizações nacionais e internacionais. Como resultado do estudo, foi percebida a importância do trabalho interdisciplinar, envolvendo a atuação de profissionais de diferentes áreas, numa avaliação cuidadosa quanto a questões posturais, adaptações de mobiliário e uso de órtese, além de adaptações de hardware e software especiais de acessibilidade. A escolha dos recursos deu-se a partir da observação do desempenho dos sujeitos no uso dos recursos selecionados. O experimento e criação de novos recursos foram possíveis a partir do conhecimento do sujeito, das suas possibilidades motoras no momento do uso dos recursos, valorizando também a participação desse sujeito na escolha dos recursos. A partir dos resultados da pesquisa, foi proposta uma lista de itens a serem levados em consideração no momento da avaliação do uso da Tecnologia Assistiva com alunos com paralisia cerebral no ambiente computacional. Essa lista tem o objetivo de favorecer e facilitar observação e decisões, e oferecer caminhos possíveis para traçar estratégias para a escolha dos recursos. / ABSTRACT In today`s society, technologic resources, computing environments and telematic systems have contributed significantly to the development, learning, autonomy, and independency of deficient people according to the availability of these technologies and the needs of each one of these pe ople, specifically through the Assistive Technology. Assistive technology, its resources, products and services, is a mediation tool between the deficient or impairment person and the program that favors an active and independent participation in the socia l life of the user. This research investigates the beginning process of Assistive Technology resources in the computing environment for brain paralysis` students. It analyzes the first steps, the first decisions, the knowledge and procedures needed to star t using Assistive Technology with these students. To realize this research, it was used the qualitative approach of the type of the participant. The aim was following three students with brain paralysis during the process. The tools used were the direct o bservation and the daily record during the complete choice process and introduction resources, and the semi - structured interview to all professionals involved on the care of the participants. To support the study, it researched about the learning and huma n development concepts proposed by Vygotsky, principally on his work about development of deficient people in his paper The Fundamental Problems of Defectology. Besides, in the theoretical reference about Assistive Technology found in the current literatur e that is available principally in reports on researches and documents from national and international institutions and organizations. As a result of the study, it realized the need of an interdisciplinary work involving the participation of professionals from different fields in a careful evaluation related to postural questions, furniture accommodations and the use of ortesis, beyond of special accessibility hardware and software adaptations. The choice of the resources occurred basing on observation of t he participant‘s performance using the resources selected. The experiment and creation of new resource was possible from the knowledge of the participants and of their motor ability at the moment of the use of the resource. From the results of the research , it was proposed a list of items to be considered during the evaluation of Assistive Technology for brain paralysis` students in a computing environment. This list has as aim to favor and facilitate the observations and decisions offering possible paths t o draw strategies for the choice of resources

La investigación realizada a los sistemas de seguridad electrónica de edificios, plantea como objetivo principal el reconocimiento de tres gestos de un lenguaje corporal del personal de vigilancia, y la consecuente activación de alarma en forma automática. Inicialmente se realizó una encuesta dirigida a las administraciones y personal de edificios, para saber cuales eran las ocurrencias que vulneraban la seguridad de un edificio multifamiliar, luego se observaron y analizaron las imágenes capturadas por una cámara de vigilancia ubicada en la recepción, identificando las ocurrencias más vulnerables y gestos asociados a dichos eventos; se seleccionaron tres gestos que en forma inconsciente realizaba el personal de vigilancia ante dichas situaciones. A determinados cuadros que comprenden estas imágenes se le aplicaron técnicas de procesamiento espacial, con ayuda de una iluminación artificial que era más intensa en la parte posterior del sujeto de análisis, consiguiéndose la definición de una silueta binarizada en el entorno Matlab, técnicas como selección del plano rojo, plano de bits más significativo, invertir imagen y transformaciones morfológicas tipo cerradura, definieron una silueta que ayudó a desarrollar un algoritmo matemático para generar una señal eléctrica en el puerto serial USB del ordenador, donde se conectó físicamente una plataforma de hardware Arduino que activa la alarma. La elección de esta plataforma se debió a que Matlab cuenta con un grupo de instrucciones para Arduino, con el objetivo de lograr una comunicación sincronizada entre ordenador e interface. Las técnicas utilizadas reconocieron 62,5% de los eventos descritos en las encuestas realizadas y que no son mencionadas en temas de investigación similar. Para lograr el objetivo fue necesario analizar un cuadro por segundo. The research poses as their main objective the three gestures recognition of a body language of surveillance personnel and the consequent activation of alarm automatically. It was initially carried out a survey of the administration and the offices of the buildings to know which were the occurrences that violate the security of a multi-family building, then were observed and analyzed images captured by a surveillance camera located in the reception, identifying the most vulnerable occurrences and gestures associated with these events; were selected three gestures that unconsciously performs surveillance personnel before such situations; to certain pictures that comprise these images were applied spatial processing techniques, with the help of an artificial lighting that was more intense in the back of the subject of analysis, getting the definition of a silhouette binarized in the Matlab environment, techniques such as plane selection red, more significant bit plane, to invest an image and convolution close type, defined a silhouette that allowed to develop a mathematical algorithm that generated an electrical signal in USB serial port of the computer, where it is physically connected a hardware platform Arduino that active the alarm.This platform choice is due to the fact that Matlab has a group of instructions for Arduino, achieving an orderly communication between computer and interface. The techniques used recognized 62.5 % of the events described in the surveys carried out and which aren’t mentioned in similar research topics. To achieve the objective was necessary to analyze a picture per second.