The world's water resources face unsustainable pressure from population growth, changes in consumption patterns, pollution, and overexploitation. Water resources managers have developed holistic approaches such as IWRM (Integrated Water Resources Management) and, more recently, the WEEF (Water-Energy-Environment-Food) nexus to address the situation. However, their application in day-to-day water resources management is still challenging due to the of little knowledge, data, and tools. One area where that challenge needs practical solutions is reservoir operation. The current study aims to improve the reservoir module in the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) so that operation rules that aim to meet various water, food, and electricity objectives can be simulated. The improved SWAT model is used to simulate the management of the Sélingué reservoir in Mali, West Africa. The reservoir operation was simulated under three different operation rules: 1) priority to monthly hydropower production (HPP) target (rule 1); 2) respect of predefined monthly target storage (rule 2); 3) priority to downstream environmental flow, irrigation, and municipal water demands (rule 3). Results show that when priority is given to the HPP target (rule 1), 98.3% of the electricity demand is met. At the same time, the dam can supply 81.72% of the water demand to maintain environmental flow and sustain irrigation and municipal water consumption. It also ensures water availability with an annual target storage deviation estimated at 1.8%. When rule 2 is implemented, a gap of 8.5% between electricity production and electricity demand is observed. Rule 2 also failed to sustain environmental flow and supply flow for irrigation and municipal consumption as a gap of 15.39% between the supply and the demand was observed. Similarly to rule 1, It ensures water availability with an annual target storage deviation estimated at 1.25%. When rule 3 is enforced (i.e., the priority is given to environmental flow, irrigation, and municipal water demands) the reservoir can maintain the environmental flow and maintain irrigation, and municipal water requirements with a gap of 17.7% between the supply and the demands. However, HPP production decreases with a gap of 12.56% between the electricity supply and demand. Its capacity to supply water in the long term is low as it has the highest target storage deviation with a value of 18%. These results indicate that rule 1 offers more guarantees considering the food and electricity security and environmental challenges. Note that the simulations are done assuming that these rules are systematically followed. In practice, decision-makers can deviate from a rule in exceptional circumstances to maximize benefits or avert unwanted consequences. Finally, a decision support system (DSS) was developed to assist decision-makers in selecting efficient reservoir operation policies for multipurpose reservoirs combining HPP and irrigation.

Heavy precipitation events are expected to increase in intensity and frequency, due to global warming. Sewer systems might overload during heavy rainfall, resulting in floods which potentially affect all municipalities in Sweden. Traditionally, stormwater is seen as pipe-related problem, but a transition towards Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) has started. SuDS aim to reduce the quantity of the runoff from the site, slow down the runoff to allow (in)filtration, and provide treatment of the surface water before discharge. In Sweden, municipalities are responsible for the sewer system and realization and implementation of climate change adaptation measures, like SuDS. Tools and models support the highly complex selection, location, and design of SuDS, by systematically providing the most relevant information that represents the actual drainage system in the best way possible. Furthermore, models are used to predict the behaviour of SuDS, which may form Decision Support Systems (DSS). The highest interest in SuDS modelling and DSS lies in water quantity, however existing models are complex and lack flexibility, transferability, and stakeholder inclusion. The aim of this project is to provide a tool for the Municipality of Östersund that aids in the decision-making and design process for the implementation of SuDS, concerning their capacity to store stormwater. The ‘SuDS water storage capacity calculator’ can be used to test what (combinations of) SuDS are able to store the stormwater of a heavy rainfall event.The following SuDS components were included in the calculator: extensive green roofs, underground infiltration systems, infiltration basins, swales, porous pavements, detention basins, ponds, and wetlands. Secondly, the technical criteria forming the basis of the calculator were identified through a literature review. These criteria were used to calculate precipitation and the water storage capacity of each SuDS. The calculator was then built in Microsoft Powerpoint using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Two case studies were selected in Östersund and explored using the calculator. The water storage capacity of each SuDS component was calculated using scenarios in which 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of the total available area in each case study was used as input. Finally, four combinations of SuDS were tested concerning their water storage capacity. All calculated water storage capacity was compared to the amount of water falling on the case study areas during a heavy precipitation event that only occurs once every 100 years.The developed calculator can be used to calculate water storage capacity of SuDS and precipitation in a simple way. The tool contains user input and default values, which can still be changed. Furthermore, the calculator allows comparison between the amount of precipitation and water storage capacity. The results of the scenarios show that underground infiltration systems and detention basins have the highest potential to store stormwater, followed by infiltration basins, porous pavements, and ponds or wetlands. The calculator has limited design options, due to its simplification of reality. However, its limits are mostly applicable further in the designing process. The4calculator gives a rough estimate of the potential water storage capacity of a variety of SuDS components. The calculator is a useful tool before the design process has started, by providing an indication of the options that are worthwhile to consider in terms of water storage capacity. Furthermore, opportunities for optimization of the tool were recognized. The water storage capacity resulting from the different scenarios was compared to the precipitation falling on each case study area. Realistically, the amount of precipitation that exceeds the capacity of the sewer system might not fall directly where the SuDS are located. Finally, the calculator allows applications of a wider range of combinations of SuDS components. / <p>2022-06.16</p>

Information visualization dashboards are a widely used supportive tool in decision making. These tools can be difficult to create and utilize especially for the novice user. There is an extensive collection of company related data for decision making, resulting in a need of assistive tools. Prototypes were developed to research and identify design guidelines how to support fund managers in their decision making. This was carried out as a qualitative study involving 7 experts in fund management. The results provide insights and guidelines in decision supportive design for dashboards. The results indicate that there is a threshold in the number of displayed elements without limiting the cognitive analysis by the user. Three aspects; size, distribution and time should be included in the generating of suitable graphics. Assistive tools for connecting multiple context domains has been identified as a crucial element of decision support design. These guidelines should be investigated further in larger and more diverse studies in order to prove its full validity. / Information visualiserings dashboards är ett väl etablerat verktyg i beslutsfattning. Sådana verktyg kan vara utmanande att skapa och använda speciellt för en oerfaren användare. Idag samlas det in stora mängder av företagsrelaterad data för beslutsfattning vilket resulterar i ett behov av hjälpande verktyg. I den här studien utvecklades flera prototyper för att undersöka och tag fram designriktlinjer för hur man ska utforma och hjälpa fondförvaltare i sitt beslutsfattande. En kvalitativ studie genomfördes med 7 experter inom fond och kapitalförvaltning i framtagandet av designriktlinjer. Resultaten visar riktlinjer för beslutsstöd i utformningen av dashboards. Resultaten indikerar att det finns en gräns för hur många element man bör presentera för en användare utan att försvåra användarens kognitiva analysförmåga. Tre karaktärsdrag; storlek, distribution och tid påverkar utformningen av passande grafik. Studien har även identifierat behovet av verktyg för sammankopplingen mellan flera olika kontextdomäner i och med den kollaborativa delen av beslutsfattning. Dessa designriktlinjer ligger till grund för fortsatt undersökning i större och mer varierade studier för att styrka dess validitet.

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There is a body of evidence indicating that the implementation of current Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry business models and practices have caused negative impacts on global energy supply, ecosystems, and local or regional economies. In order to eliminate such negative impacts, AEC practitioners are seeking new business models in which the Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology can be considered an important technology driver. Despite the fact that the majority of AEC practitioners have used BIM tools for construction-level modeling purposes, some early adopters of BIM technology began to use BIM tools to better inform their design decisions. Corresponding to the increasing demand for decision support functionality, a number of studies showed that a part of BIM technology will be developed toward decision support and artificial intelligence domains. The use of computer-based systems to support decision making processes can usually be found in the business management field. In this field, decision support and business intelligence systems are widely used for improving the quality of managerial decisions. Because of its theories and principles, Decision Support Systems (DSS) can be considered as one of the potential information technologies that can be applied to enhance the quality of design decisions. The DSS also has the potential to be constructed as a system platform for implementing building information contained in BIM models associated with other databases, analytical models, and expert knowledge used by AEC practitioners. This study explores an opportunity to extend the capability of BIM technology toward the decision support and artificial intelligence domains by applying the theories and principles of DSS. This research comprises the development of a prototype BIM interoperable web-based DSS for vegetated roofing system selection. The prototype development can be considered a part of an ongoing research agenda focusing on the development of the integrated web-based DSS for holistic building design conducted within the College of Architecture and Urban Studies (CAUS), Virginia Tech. Through a post-use interview study, the developed prototype is used as a tool for evaluating the possibility for the DSS development and the usefulness of DSS in improving the quality of vegetated roofing system design decisions. The understanding gained from the post-use study is used to create a guideline for developing a fully functional DSS for holistic building design that will be developed in the future. / Ph. D.

As doenças inflamatórias intestinais (DII) são causadas por desequilíbrio entre as respostas imunes efetoras e reguladoras na mucosa intestinal e podem ser moduladas pelo eixo hipotálamo-hipófise-adrenal (HPA) por meio de interações neuroimunoendócrinas e secreção de cortisol. Embora os glicocorticóides (GC) sejam utilizados para tratar a DII, o cortisol produzido pelas glândulas supra-renais também está envolvido na resposta ao estresse, que pode levar a doenças inflamatórias descontroladas. Portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a participação do eixo HPA na modulação da resposta imune de mucosa intestinal. Para tal, camundongos C57BL/6 foram submetidos à remoção das glândulas adrenais seguida por indução de colite pela administração de água contendo 3% de dextran sulfato de sódio (DSS). Os resultados demonstraram que a ausência das adrenais levou à maior suscetibilidade à doença e mortalidade precoce, fenômeno que não foi prevenido pela reposição de GC. Os animais adrenalectomizados com colite apresentaram níveis significativamente menores de LPS, concomitantemente ao aumento de IL-6 no soro quando comparados aos camundongos não adrenalectomizados. Além disso, os animais adrenalectomizados apresentaram menor celularidade na lâmina própria (LP), menos áreas de erosão e menor escore histopatológico associado ao aumento de IFN-? e FasL, no intestino, sem produção local compensatória de corticosterona. Houve aumento na atividade das enzimas mieloperoxidase (MPO), N- acetilglicosaminidase (NAG) e eosinófilo-peroxidase (EPO) no intestino dos animais expostos ao DSS quando comparados ao grupo de camundongos controles saudáveis, independentemente da presença do eixo HPA intacto e o tratamento com GC nos animais adrenalectomizados levou à redução significativa da atividade de MPO. Também foi observado na LP dos camundongos adrenalectomizados aumento significativo na frequência de células dendríticas tolerogênicas CD11b+CD11c+CD103+, T auxiliares (CD3+CD4+), T citolíticas (CD3+CD8+) e NKT (CD3+CD49b+), além de redução significativa da população de células dendríticas pró-inflamatórias CD11b+CD11c+CD103-, leucócitos CD11b+ e linfócitos intra-epiteliais, de maneira dependente de GC. A ausência do eixo HPA intacto levou à diminuição de leucócitos totais no baço quando comparados ao grupo com colite, relacionada principalmente à redução significativa na frequência de células NKT (CD3+CD49b+), as quais foram restauradas nos camundongos tratados com GC exógenos. Durante a exposição ao DSS houve aumento de células Th2 e Th1 no baço dos camundongos não adrenalectomizados, enquanto que a remoção das adrenais levou a notável redução na população de células T CD4 produtoras de IL-4, IL-10, IFN-? ou IL-17, com aumento de células Th17 e diminuição significativa de células Th1 no baço dos camundongos adrenalectomizados e tratados com GC. De forma interessante, houve menor acúmulo de células T reguladoras juntamente à redução na intensidade média de fluorescência (MFI) de FOXP3 em células T CD4+CD25+ do baço dos camundongos adrenalectomizados expostos ao DSS, de maneira geral dependente de GC. Por fim, esta diminuição de mecanismos reguladores foi acompanhada de menor índice de proliferação e aumento de IL-10 no sobrenadante de cultura de esplenócitos de camundongos com o eixo HPA não ii funcional, indicando que a ausência de GC endógenos pode alterar significativamente a homeostase do sistema imunológico. Juntos, nossos resultados demonstram que o eixo HPA é importante na modulação da resposta imunológica durante a colite induzida experimentalmente / Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are caused by imbalance between regulatory and effector immune responses in the intestinal mucosa and can be modulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis via neuroimmune endocrine interactions and secretion of cortisol. Although glucocorticoids (GC) are used to treat IBD, cortisol produced by the adrenals glands is also involved in the stress response, which can lead to uncontrolled inflammatory diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the HPA axis in the modulation of the immune response of intestinal mucosa. C57BL/6 mice were subjected to removal of the adrenal glands followed by induction of colitis by administration of water containing 3% dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). The results showed that the absence of adrenals led to increased susceptibility to disease and early mortality, a phenomenon that was not prevented by GC replacement. Adrenalectomized animals exposed to DSS had significantly lower levels of LPS, concomitantly to increased IL-6 in the serum when compared to non-adrenalectomized mice. In addition, adrenalectomized animals had lower cellularity in the lamina propria (LP), less erosion areas and less histopathologic score associated with increased IFN-? and FasL in the intestine, without compensatory local production of corticosterone. There was an increase in the activity of the myeloperoxidase (MPO) enzyme, N- acetilglicosaminidase (NAG) and eosinophil-peroxidase (EPO) in the intestines of DSS-exposed animals when compared to the healthy control group of mice, regardless of the presence of intact HPA axis, while treatment with GC led to significantly reduced MPO activity. It was also observed in the LP of adrenalectomized mice significant increase in the frequency of tolerogenic dendritic cells CD11b+CD11c+CD103+, helper T (CD3+ CD4+), cytolytic T (CD3+ CD8+) and NKT (CD3+ CD49b+) besides significant reduction in the population of pro-inflammatory dendritic cells CD11c+ CD11b+ CD103-, leukocyte CD11b+ and intraepithelial lymphocytes, GC-dependent manner. The absence HPA intact carried decrease in total leukocytes in spleen when compared to the group with colitis, related mainly to significant reduction in the frequency of NKT cells (CD3+CD49b+), which were restored in the GC treated mice. During exposure to DSS there was increased Th2 and Th1 cells in the spleen of non-adrenalectomized mice, while the removal of the adrenals was associated to a marked reduction in the population of CD4 T cells producing IL-4, IL-10, IFN-? or IL-17 with increased Th17 cells and significant decrease in Th1 cells in the spleen of adrenalectomized mice treated with GC. Interestingly there was less accumulation of regulatory T cells together to a reduction in mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) of FOXP3 in CD4+CD25+ T cells in the spleen of mice exposed to DSS after adrenalectomy, most dependent on GC. Finally, the decline of regulatory mechanisms was accompanied by lower rates of proliferation and increased IL-10 in the supernatant culture of splenocytes of mice with disrupted HPA axis, indicating that the absence of endogenous GC altered significantly the homeostasis of the immune system. Together, our results demonstrate that the HPA axis is important in modulating the immune response during experimentally induced colitis

As organizações públicas e privadas são constantemente expostas a fatores internos e externos, que podem comprometer sua estabilidade diante das oscilações da economia e dos concorrentes. Nestas empresas, os tomadores de decisão são essenciais para analisar e avaliar todas as variáveis que envolvem estes fatores, com o objetivo de identificar o melhor caminho para os negócios. Entretanto, conseguir gerenciar os dados internos e externos à organização não é uma atividade simples. Neste contexto, os Sistemas de Suporte à Decisão (SSD) tornaram-se fundamentais para auxiliar os tomadores de decisão na solução de problemas mal estruturados ou sem nenhuma estruturação. Porém, a complexidade que envolve os projetos de implantação ou desenvolvimento de um SSD, geralmente compromete a efetividade dos testes que garantem a conformidade do sistema em relação às especificações previamente definidas. Uma solução para esse problema é considerar os atributos ou fatores de testabilidade nestes projetos, pois podem elevar o grau de eficácia e eficiência da atividade de teste e consequentemente contribuírem para redução do tempo e custos do projeto. Portanto, conseguir identificar esses atributos ou fatores que tenham influência na testabilidade dos SSD e algum método que permita analisar e avaliar o quanto estão presentes neste sistema, é essencial para aumentar a qualidade do sistema. Diante desta necessidade, este trabalho investigou e selecionou os principais fatores que podem influenciar no grau de testabilidade de um software e propôs um método para analisar e avaliar o quanto o SSD está considerando esses fatores em sua arquitetura. Com o objetivo de avaliar e validar o método de análise e avaliação, foram realizados testes de aplicabilidade em empresas de pequeno, médio e grande porte, bem como no meio acadêmico. Com os resultados obtidos nos testes, foi possível concluir que o método é específico para SSD, que pode ser usado como um guia durante o processo de desenvolvimento e auxiliar na classificação de SSD quanto a sua testabilidade. / Public and private organizations are constantly exposed to internal and external factors which could compromise their stability in the face of fluctuations in the economy and competitors. In these companies, decision makers are essential to analyze and evaluate all the variables regarding these factors, in order to identify the best way for business. However, managing internal and external data of the organization is not a simple activity. In this context, Decision Support Systems (DSS) have become essential to assist decision makers in solving unstructured problems or lock of structure. However, the complexity involved in the implementation of projects or development of a DSS usually compromises the effectiveness of tests that ensure compliance of the system in relation to previously defined specifications. One solution to this problem is to consider the attributes or testability factors in these projects, since they can raise the level of effectiveness and efficiency of testing activity and thus contribute to reducing the time and project costs. Therefore, the ability to identify these attributes or factors that influence testability of DSS and a process for analyzing and evaluating how much the present in this system, is essential to increase system quality. Given this need, this work investigated and selected the main factors that can influence the degree of testability of software and proposed a way to analyze and assess how the DSS is considering these factors in its architecture. In order to evaluate and validate the analysis and evaluation method, applicability tests were performed in small, medium and large companies, as well as in academy. As results obtained in the tests, it was concluded that the method is specific for DSS, which can be used as a guide during the development process and assist in the DSS classification regarding its testability.

ModClark and Clark’s Unit Hydrograph (Clark’s UH) within HEC-HMS software are distributed and lumped models, respectively. Clark’s UH simulates the transformation and attenuation of excess precipitation, and requires time of concentration (Tc) and Storage Coefficient (R) parameters. ModClark transformation accounts for variations in travel time to catchment outlet from all regions of a catchment, and it additionally requires gridded representation of a catchment and Gridded cell-based input files. Four cases (three from observed rain, and one from radar reflectivity) of three chosen events were specifically chosen and examined for the comparison of simulation results with the same estimated initial parameters apart from different rainfall inputs. The Upper Waimakariri River Catchment was divided into ten subcatchments, and the HEC-HMS basin model parameters were estimated by using the physical/hydrological characteristics. However, ModClark transformation was unavailable because of an output error from converting ASCII to gridded Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS CN) format by the conversion tool – ai2dssgrid.exe. Therefore, Mean Aerial Precipitation (MAP) for each subcatchment was calculated by Thiessen polygon method combined with an overlay analysis for grid-cell-based rainfall estimation from radar with geographic information system (GIS) tools. The automated calibration/optimisation procedure included in HEC-HMS package was applied to the cases which showed a deviation between simulation and observed flows. The purpose is to ‘optimise’ the initial estimates of parameters only in a mathematical-fit manner based on the observed flows from the only discharge gauge at Old Highway Bridge (OHB). The TC values calculated from the five equations vary in a relatively narrow range apart from the one from Bransby-Williams equation. Therefore, the values from all the other four equations were averaged and used as the initial TC input. The simulation results showed that there was a notable difference between observed and simulated hydrographs for some case studies even though TC, R, CN, and lag time were calibrated/optimised separately. Also, radar estimated rainfall and grid-based data storage system (DSS) need more investigations.

<p>Are agency and responsibility solely ascribable to humans? The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), including the development of so-called “affective computing,” appears to be chipping away at the traditional building blocks of moral agency and responsibility. Spurred by the realization that fully autonomous, self-aware, even rational and emotionally-intelligent computer systems may emerge in the future, professionals in engineering and computer science have historically been the most vocal to warn of the ways in which such systems may alter our understanding of computer ethics. Despite the increasing attention of many philosophers and ethicists to the development of AI, there continues to exist a fair amount of conceptual muddiness on the conditions for assigning agency and responsibility to such systems, from both an ethical and a legal perspective. Moral and legal philosophies may overlap to a high degree, but are neither interchangeable nor identical. This paper attempts to clarify the actual and hypothetical ethical and legal situations governing a very particular type of advanced, or “intelligent,” computer system: medical decision support systems (MDSS) that feature AI in their system design. While it is well-recognized that MDSS can be categorized by type and function, further categorization of their mediating effects on users and patients is needed in order to even begin ascribing some level of moral or legal responsibility. I conclude that various doctrines of Anglo legal systems appear to allow for the possibility of assigning specific types of agency – and thus specific types of legal responsibility – to some types of MDSS. Strong arguments for assigning moral agency and responsibility are still lacking, however.</p>

Are agency and responsibility solely ascribable to humans? The advent of artificial intelligence (AI), including the development of so-called “affective computing,” appears to be chipping away at the traditional building blocks of moral agency and responsibility. Spurred by the realization that fully autonomous, self-aware, even rational and emotionally-intelligent computer systems may emerge in the future, professionals in engineering and computer science have historically been the most vocal to warn of the ways in which such systems may alter our understanding of computer ethics. Despite the increasing attention of many philosophers and ethicists to the development of AI, there continues to exist a fair amount of conceptual muddiness on the conditions for assigning agency and responsibility to such systems, from both an ethical and a legal perspective. Moral and legal philosophies may overlap to a high degree, but are neither interchangeable nor identical. This paper attempts to clarify the actual and hypothetical ethical and legal situations governing a very particular type of advanced, or “intelligent,” computer system: medical decision support systems (MDSS) that feature AI in their system design. While it is well-recognized that MDSS can be categorized by type and function, further categorization of their mediating effects on users and patients is needed in order to even begin ascribing some level of moral or legal responsibility. I conclude that various doctrines of Anglo legal systems appear to allow for the possibility of assigning specific types of agency – and thus specific types of legal responsibility – to some types of MDSS. Strong arguments for assigning moral agency and responsibility are still lacking, however.