This study suggests a model for the assessment and development of new businessideas. The scope of the thesis is on the early stages of the model, specifically on the firsttwo steps which refer to screening and identification of global trends in the electricitymarket and the assessment and selection of business opportunities. The framework isan adaptation of portfolio management methodologies and multi-criteria group decisionmodels. The study was developed and applied through a case study in Ormazabal, anelectrical equipment manufacturer and supplier of power network solutions.There are three main theoretical contributions in this work. First, it outlines a five-stepmodel for the development of business opportunities. Second, it suggests a guide forscreening the macro-environment and for the identification of global trends in theelectricity market and finally, it provides a new approach to the directional policy matrixfor the assessment and selection of business ideas. The proposed model has beentested in a real case and the results reveal a practical approach to strategic decisionsbased on team collaboration and group discussion.

In this work is presented stochastic model of binaural hearing in context of another alternative models. According to latest experimental data on mammals, inhibition plays a role in interaural time difference recognition, which is a key for low frequency sound source localization. The outputs of experiments may lead to the conclusion that the binaural hearing works differently in mammals compared to birds. Nowadays there are a few theoretical works addressing this new phenomena, but all of them are relaying on a very precise inhibition timing, which was never proved as physiologically valid. On the other hand, models described in this work are based on the fact, that every neuron has a random delay when reacting to an excitation. If this time jitter is taken into account and combined with inhibitory signal, delay in the neuronal circuit and coincidence detection, then the output firing rate corresponds to the azimuth of the sound source. In this work it is shown, that such a neuronal circuits are giving the same output results compared to experimental data. The models are supported by analytical computations and numerical simulations including simulation of cochlear implant.

Dans la vie actuelle, les données directionnelles sont présentes dans la majorité des domaines, sous plusieurs formes, différents aspects et de grandes tailles/dimensions, d'où le besoin de méthodes d'étude efficaces des problématiques posées dans ce domaine. Pour aborder le problème de la classification automatique, l'approche probabiliste est devenue une approche classique, reposant sur l'idée simple : étant donné que les g classes sont différentes entre elles, on suppose que chacune suit une loi de probabilité connue, dont les paramètres sont en général différents d'une classe à une autre; on parle alors de modèle de mélange de lois de probabilités. Sous cette hypothèse, les données initiales sont considérées comme un échantillon d'une variable aléatoire d-dimensionnelle dont la densité est un mélange de g distributions de probabilités spécifiques à chaque classe. Dans cette thèse nous nous sommes intéressés à la classification automatique de données directionnelles, en utilisant des méthodes de classification les mieux adaptées sous deux approches: géométrique et probabiliste. Dans la première, en explorant et comparant des algorithmes de type kmeans; dans la seconde, en s'attaquant directement à l'estimation des paramètres à partir desquels se déduit une partition à travers la maximisation de la log-vraisemblance, représentée par l'algorithme EM. Pour cette dernière approche, nous avons repris le modèle de mélange de distributions de von Mises-Fisher, nous avons proposé des variantes de l'algorithme EMvMF, soit CEMvMF, le SEMvMF et le SAEMvMF, dans le même contexte, nous avons traité le problème de recherche du nombre de composants et le choix du modèle de mélange, ceci en utilisant quelques critères d'information : Bic, Aic, Aic3, Aic4, Aicc, Aicu, Caic, Clc, Icl-Bic, Ll, Icl, Awe. Nous terminons notre étude par une comparaison du modèle vMF avec un modèle exponentiel plus simple ; à l'origine ce modèle part du principe que l'ensemble des données est distribué sur une hypersphère de rayon ρ prédéfini, supérieur ou égal à un. Nous proposons une amélioration du modèle exponentiel qui sera basé sur une étape estimation du rayon ρ au cours de l'algorithme NEM. Ceci nous a permis dans la plupart de nos applications de trouver de meilleurs résultats; en proposant de nouvelles variantes de l'algorithme NEM qui sont le NEMρ , NCEMρ et le NSEMρ. L'expérimentation des algorithmes proposés dans ce travail a été faite sur une variété de données textuelles, de données génétiques et de données simulées suivant le modèle de von Mises-Fisher (vMF). Ces applications nous ont permis une meilleure compréhension des différentes approches étudiées le long de cette thèse. / In contemporary life directional data are present in most areas, in several forms, aspects and large sizes / dimensions; hence the need for effective methods of studying the existing problems in these fields. To solve the problem of clustering, the probabilistic approach has become a classic approach, based on the simple idea: since the g classes are different from each other, it is assumed that each class follows a distribution of probability, whose parameters are generally different from one class to another. We are concerned here with mixture modelling. Under this assumption, the initial data are considered as a sample of a d-dimensional random variable whose density is a mixture of g distributions of probability where each one is specific to a class. In this thesis we are interested in the clustering of directional data that has been treated using known classification methods which are the most appropriate for this case. In which both approaches the geometric and the probabilistic one have been considered. In the first, some kmeans like algorithms have been explored and considered. In the second, by directly handling the estimation of parameters from which is deduced the partition maximizing the log-likelihood, this approach is represented by the EM algorithm. For the latter approach, model mixtures of distributions of von Mises-Fisher have been used, proposing variants of the EM algorithm: EMvMF, the CEMvMF, the SEMvMF and the SAEMvMF. In the same context, the problem of finding the number of the components in the mixture and the choice of the model, using some information criteria {Bic, Aic, Aic3, Aic4, AICC, AICU, CAIC, Clc, Icl-Bic, LI, Icl, Awe} have been discussed. The study concludes with a comparison of the used vMF model with a simpler exponential model. In the latter, it is assumed that all data are distributed on a hypersphere of a predetermined radius greater than one, instead of a unit hypersphere in the case of the vMF model. An improvement of this method based on the estimation step of the radius in the algorithm NEMρ has been proposed: this allowed us in most of our applications to find the best partitions; we have developed also the NCEMρ and NSEMρ algorithms. The algorithms proposed in this work were performed on a variety of textual data, genetic data and simulated data according to the vMF model; these applications gave us a better understanding of the different studied approaches throughout this thesis.

Les cils motiles et statiques jouent d’importants rôles dans la détermination de l’axe gauche-droite (GD) qui, en général, est mis en place par l’intermédiaire de flux directionnels générés dans des structures spécialisées appelées organisateurs gauche-droite (OGD). C’est ce point clé du développement qui dictera une organogenèse asymétrique. Dans mon projet de thèse, nous avons développé une méthode, appelée 3D-Cilia Map, et analysé l’organisation tridimensionnelle de l’implantation des cils afin d’extraire les paramètres clés responsables de la mise en place du flux directionnel et par conséquent de l’asymétrie GD. En résumé, nos résultats suggèrent qu’un mécanisme de signalisation chimique serait le plus plausible pour induire la rupture de la symétrie GD. Plus tard, les cellules réguleront intrinsèquement l’orientation asymétrique des cils à leur surface. Le travail présenté ici contribue de façon importante à nos connaissances actuelles concernant le comportement des cils et les mécanismes de sensation des flux dans l’établissement de l’axe gauche droite au sein de l’organisateur gauche-droite du poisson zèbre. / Both motile and immotile cilia play important roles in left-right (LR) axis determination, which generally involves cilia-mediated directional flows in organized structures (LR organizers, LRO) in which the LR symmetry is broken, thus driving asymmetric organogenesis in the developing embryos. In my PhD project we aimed to developed a method (3D-Cilia Map) and analyze the three-dimensional organization of ciliary implantation in order to extract the key parameters modulating the directional flow involved in breaking the axis of symmetry in the zebra fish LRO. Altogether, our results suggest the initial mechanism to break the LR symmetry is most likely to be based on the transport of achemical signal, while later, cells intrinsically provide their cilia the cues to orient asymmetrically. The work presented here represents an important contribution to our current understanding of cilia behaviors and flow-sensing mechanisms in the establishment of the left-right axis in the zebra fish LRO.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Topology Optimization is an optimization technique used to synthesize models without any preconceived shape. These structures are synthesized keeping in mind the minimum compliance problems. With the rapid improvement in advanced manufacturing technology and increased need for lightweight high strength designs topology optimization is being used more than ever. There exist a number of commercially available software's that can be used for optimizing a product. These software have a robust Finite Element Solver and can produce good results. However, these software offers little to no choice to the user when it comes to selecting the type of optimization method used. It is possible to use a programming language like MATLAB to develop algorithms that use a specific type of optimization method but the user himself will be responsible for writing the FEA algorithms too. This leads to a situation where the flexibility over the optimization method is achieved but the robust FEA of the commercial FEA tool is lost. There have been works done in the past that links ABAQUS with MATLAB but they are primarily used as a tool for finite element post-processing. Through this thesis, the aim is to develop an interface that can be used for solving optimization problems using different methods like hard-kill as well as the material penalization (SIMP) method. By doing so it's possible to harness the potential of a commercial FEA software and gives the user the requires flexibility to write or modify the codes to have an optimization method of his or her choice. Also, by implementing this interface, it can also be potentially used to unlock the capabilities of other Dassault Systèmes software's as the firm is implementing a tighter integration between all its products using the 3DExperience platform. This thesis as described uses this interface to implement BESO and HCA based topology optimization. Since hybrid cellular atomata is the only other method other than equivalent static load method that can be used for crashworthiness optimization this work suits well for the role when extended into a non-linear region.

Automation of the forest industry has for over 30 years been an important subject of research, which could reduce the human workload and costs significantly. However, there are still many problems to be solved, such as enabling the communication between the heavy machinery in a forest and a remote base. High speed and reliable communication is the key to automated operations and remote control of machinery. This thesis investigates the feasibility and performance of IEEE 802.11n/ac WiFi hardware to provide high-bandwidth connection in a forest. In this project, the propagation of WiFi signals in the2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands in a typical Nordic forest environment has been simulated using specialized radio propagation software employing ray-tracing and different diffraction models to evaluate the path loss and signal strength. The simulations show that the idea is feasible if high-gain directional antennas are employed, as connections of sufficiently high speed (400+ Mbps for the 5 GHz band) can potentially be established for typical working distances,i.e. 300m. We then designed a directional antenna system and evaluated it in a real Nordic forest environment. We found that by manually aligning the antennas in a forest, reliable connections could be achieved up to 50 m without line-of-sight, however higher distances result in significantly lower speeds (13.3 Mbps at 80 m and 1.21 Mbps at 100 m) due to antenna misalignment. It is however possible to construct a more accurate, automated alignment system, which could replicate the simulation results and fully solve the problem of communication. / Automatiseringen av skogsindustrin har i över 30 år varit ett viktigt forskningsämne, med potential att kraftigt minska människans arbetsbelastning samt kostnader. Det finns dock fortfarande flera problem som behöver lösas inom ämnet, såsom kommunikationen mellan en tung skogsmaskin och en basstation. En stabil höghastighetsuppkoppling är nyckeln till automatiserad drift och fjärrstyrning av maskiner. Det här projektet undersöker möjligheterna och prestandan när IEEE 802.11n/ac WiFi-hårdvara används till att skapa ett högbandbreddsuppkoppling in en skog. Projektet examinerar hur WiFi-signaler i 2.4 GHzsamt 5 GHz-banden sprids i en typisk nordisk skog. Detta görs med hjälp av simulationer utförda i specialiserad radiovågsspridnings mjukvara som använder sig av ray-tracing och olika spridningsmodeller till analyser av signalförluster och uppkopplingens stabilitet. Simulationerna visar att lösningen kan realiseras om riktade antenner med hög förstärkning används då kan uppkopplingar med tillräckligt hög hastighet (400+ Mbps för 5 GHz-bandet) potentiellt erhållas för typiska arbetsavstånd 300 m. Därefter byggdes det ett antennsystem som examinerades i en verklig nordisk skogsmiljö. Då antennerna riktades manuellt, kunde systemet erhålla stabil och snabb uppkoppling på avstånd av upp till 50m i skogsmiljö utan sikte mellan basstation och mottagare. Vid längre avstånd blev dock hastigheterna lägre (13.3 Mbps vid 80 m och 1.21 Mbps vid 100 m) på grund av antennernas felorientering gentemot varandra. Det är dock potentiellt möjligt att kostruera ett mer exakt, automatiserad system som kan återskapa simulationsresultaten och fullständigt lösa kommunikationsproblemet.

This thesis presents the design, layout, and measurements of a bi-directional amplifier with variable vector (in-phase / quadrature) gain control that will be part of an electronically steered phased array system. The electronically steered phased array has many advantages over the conventional mechanically steered antennas including rapid scanning of the beam and adaptively creating nulls in desired locations. The 10-bit bi-directional Vector Variable Gain Amplifier (VVGA) is part of the transmit and receive module of each antenna element where transmit and receive functionality is determined through a simple switch. The VVGA performs amplification of the IF IQ pair by an adjustable complex coefficient. At receive, the VVGA functions as a Vector Variable Gain Current Amplifier (VVGCA) and at transmit, the VVGA functions as a Vector Variable Gain Transadmittance Amplifier (VVGTA). Design procedure, layout entry, schematic and parasitic extracted simulation results, and measurements are presented in this thesis.

En la práctica profesional de la ingeniería civil, generalmente, se consideran los componentes del movimiento del suelo de forma independiente y desestimando la componente vertical en los análisis sísmicos. Sin embargo, ya existen estudios que invalidan dichos supuestos, y, es por tal, que el análisis sísmico debería considerar el efecto de todas las componentes del sismo a fin de estimar cualquier respuesta en la estructura. En este estudio se propondrán factores de amplificación para los espectros generados por los análisis uni-direcconales, con el fin de extenuar el efecto tri-direccional del sismo. Dichos factores se realizarán por medio del análisis de 54 estructuras caracterizadas por distintos parámetros dinámicos. Y, además, utilizando ángulos de incidencia cada 10° y 11 registros sísmicos para el ATH. Las respuestas máximas se compararán con las del espectro propuesto por la Norma E0.30 [1], obteniendo así reglas lineales para los factores de amplificación. / In the professional practice of civil engineering, generally, the components of the ground movement are considered independently and disregarding the vertical component in seismic analyzes. However, there are already studies that invalidate these assumptions, and, therefore, the seismic analysis should consider the effect of all the components of the earthquake in order to estimate any response in the structure. In this study, amplification factors will be proposed for the spectra generated by the uni-directional analyzes, in order to exhaust the tri-directional effect of the earthquake. Said factors will be carried out through the analysis of 54 structures characterized by different dynamic parameters. And, in addition, using incidence angles every 10 ° and 11 seismic records for the ATH. The maximum responses will be compared with those of the spectrum proposed by Standard E0.30, thus obtaining linear rules for the amplification factors. / Trabajo de investigación

The development of layer-oriented two-dimensional conjugated metal-organic frameworks (2D c-MOFs) enables an access to direct charge transport, dial-in lateral/vertical electronic devices and unveil transport mechanisms, but remains a significant synthetic challenge. Here we report the novel synthesis of metal-phthalocyanine-based p-type semiconducting 2D c-MOF films (Cu2[PcM-O8], M=Cu or Fe) with an unprecedented edge-on layer-orientation at the air/water interface. The edge-on structure for-mation is guided by the pre-organization of metal-phthalocyanine ligands, whose basal plane is perpendicular to the water surface due to their π-π interaction and hydrophobicity. Benefiting from the unique layer orientation, we are able to investigate the lateral and vertical conductivities by DC methods, and thus demonstrate an anisotropic charge transport in the resulting Cu2[PcCu-O8] film. The directional conductivity studies combined with theoretical calculation identify that the intrinsic conductivity is dominated by charge transfer along the interlayer pathway. Moreover, a macroscopic (cm2-size) Hall-effect measurement reveals a Hall mobility of ~4.4 cm2 V-1 s-1 for the obtained Cu2[PcCu-O8] film. The orientation control in semiconducting 2D c-MOFs will enable the develop-ment of various optoelectronic applications and the exploration of unique transport properties.

Static compensators (STATCOM) based on high-power converters are widely used for utilitiesand industrial applications in order to enhance the power system reliability. Nowadays,the Chain-Link Modular Multilevel Converter is the best solution for such applications,providing high eciency and reliability, and good harmonic performance. However, thecurrent delta and wye congurations present diculties in controlling negative sequencein unbalanced networks, as well as high capacitance requirements, which results in bulkySTATCOMs.This thesis aims to analyse a new Chain-Link Modular Multilevel Converter for STATCOMapplications. The main feature of the proposed topology is the presence of a commondc-link that will allow the exchange of energy between phases, facilitating the compensationof negative sequence components. Consequently, the required zero sequence componentinjection for the current Chain-Link congurations are avoided, and thus, also theconsequent over-sizing of the converter. Moreover, it is expected to have lower capacitancerequirements, because of the elimination of the second order harmonic (100 Hz)component in most of the capacitors, as they are charged and discharged by a bi-phasecurrent instead of a single-phase one. Additionally, lower conduction losses are expectedby reducing the number of devices in the conduction path.The layout and operation of the new converter have been analysed in this thesis.A STATCOM Simulink model provided by ABB has been modied to satisfy the newtopology. The theoretical benets of the proposed converter are supported by dierentsimulations carried out in Matlab-Simulink. In particular, it is shown a 50 % of negativesequence capability without any zero sequence component injection. The total capacitanceof the converter can be reduced a 30 % in comparison with the delta Chain-LinkModular Multilevel Converter, which is the preferable topology in the market nowadays.Furthermore, the losses are kept quite low if SiC semiconductors are used.On the other hand, the proposed topology requires the usage of bi-directional switchesto do the commutation and allow the exchange of energy between phases. An in-depthanalysis of the commutation process is shown at the end of this thesis, concluding that BidirectionalControlled Thyristors would be a promising solution for this converter topology. / Reaktiv effektkompensering (STATCOM) baserade på högeffektomvandlare används vidaför samhällsservice och industriella användningar för att förbättra elsystemet pålitliga.Nuförtiden, Chain-Link Modular Multilevel Converter är den bästa lösningen för sådanaanvändningar, vilket ger hög verkningsgrad och mycket pålitliga, samt låg harmonisk distortion.Hursomhelst, den nuvarande delta och wye konfigurationer presentera svårigheteratt kontrollera negativ sekvens i obalanserade nätverk, vilket leder till överdimensioneringav omvandlaren. Vidare, dessa Chain-Link topologier har hög kapacitans kraven, vilketresulterar i skrymmande STATCOMs.Den här avhandlingen syftar till att analysera en ny Chain-Link Modular MultilevelConverter för STATCOM användningar. Det viktigaste kännetecken av den föreslagnatopologi är närvaron av en gemensam likspänningslänk som gör det möjligt utbytet avenergi mellan faserna, som underlättar ersättning av negativ sekvens komponenter. Pådetta sätt, den behövlig noll sekvens komponent injektion i de aktuella konfigurationernaundviks, och således, också den därav följande överdimensioneringen av omvandlaren.Dessutom, förväntas det att ha lägre kapacitans kraven, eftersom den första övertonens(100 Hz) komponent undviks i några av kondensatorerna, såsom de är laddas och urladdasav en bi-fas ström i stället för en enda-fas ett. Vidare, lägre ledningsförluster förväntasgenom att reducera antalet enheter i ledningsvågen.Layouten och drift av den nya omvandlaren beskrivs i denna avhandling. En Simulinkmodell från ABB har modifierats för att tillfredsställa den nya topologin. De teoretiskafördelarna med det föreslagna omvandlare topologi stöds av simuleringsresultat i Matlab-Simulink. I synnerhet, är det visas en 50 % av negativ sekvens kapacitet utan noll sekvenskomponent injektion. Den totala kapacitansen hos omvandlaren kan minskas på ett 30 %jämfört med den delta Chain-Link Modular Multilevel Converter, som är den föredragnatopologin på marknaden idag. Vidare är förlusterna hålls ganska låg om SiC halvledareanvänds.Å andra sidan, kräver den föreslagna topologi användningen av dubbelriktade omkopplareatt göra kommuteringen och möjliggöra utbytet av energi mellan faserna. Enfördjupad analys av kommuteringsförloppet visas i slutet av denna avhandling, slutsatsenatt Bi-directional Controlled Tyristors skulle vara en lovande lösning för topologin.