Due to the Columbia Space Shuttle Accident of February 2003, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board determined the need for an on-orbit inspection system for the Thermal Protection System that accurately determines damage depth to 0.25". NASA contracted the Spacecraft Technology Center in College Station, Texas, for a proof-of-concept photogrammetric system. This system involves a high quality digital camera placed on the International Space Station, capable of taking high fidelity images of the orbiter as it rotates through the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver. Due to the pitch rotation, the images are tilted at different angles. The tilt causes the damage to exhibit parallax between multiple images. The tilted images are therefore registered to the near-vertical images using visually striking features on the undamaged surface of the Thermal Protection System that appear in multiple images taken at different tilt angles. The images become relatively oriented after registration, and features in one image are ensured to lie on the epipolar line in the other images. Features that do not lie on the undamaged surface, however, are shifted in the tilted images. These pixels are matched to the near-vertical image using a sliding-window area-matching approach. The windows are matched using a least-squares error method. The change in location for a pixel in a tilted image from its expected location on the undamaged surface is called the pixel disparity. This disparity is linearly scaled using the tilt angle and the pixel sampling to determine the depth of the damage at that pixel location. The algorithm is tested on a set of damaged tiles at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and the photogrammetric damage depth is then compared to a set of truth data provided by NASA. The photogrammetric method shows promise, with the 0.25" error limit being exceeded in only a few pixel locations. Once the camera properties are fully known from calibration, this systematic error should be reduced.

A power system protection system consists, at least, of an instrument trans- former, a protective device (relay), and a circuit breaker. Conventional instrument transformers bring currents and voltages from power network levels to much lower scaled-down replicas that serve as input signals to protective relays. The relay's function is to measure input signals (or a relationship among them in some cases) and compare them to defined operating characteristic thresholds (relay settings) to quickly decide whether to operate associated circuit breaker(s). Existing protection systems within a substation are based on a hardwired interface between instrument transformers and protective relays. Recent development of electronic instrument transformers and the spread of digital relays allow the development of an all-digital protection system, in which the traditional analog interface has been replaced with a digital signal connected to digital relays through a digital communication link (process bus). Due to their design, conventional instrument transformers introduce distortions to the current and voltage signal replicas. These distortions may cause protective relays to misoperate. On the other hand, non-conventional instrument transformers promise distortion-free replicas, which, in turn, should translate into better relay performance. Replacing hardwired signals with a communication bus also reduces the significant cost associated with copper wiring. An all-digital system should provide compatibility and interoperability so that different electronic instrument transformers can be connected to different digital relays (under a multi-vendor connection) Since the novel all-digital system has never been implemented and/or tested in practice so far, its superior performance needs to be evaluated. This thesis proposes a methodology for performance and compatibility evaluation of an all-digital protection system through application testing. The approach defines the performance indices and compatibility indices as well as the evaluation methodology.

Taiwan Power Company (the Company) is devoted to the development and operation for the power industry in Taiwan, which is the driving power to Taiwan industry. By the ¡§quality¡¨ analysis of the Company¡¦s organization, changes and innovation, and the ¡§quantity¡¨ analysis of changes of the Company¡¦s operation data (during 2004 to 2008), we discuss the impact and influence on the Company¡¦s operation under Taiwan government¡¦s environmental protection and saving policies in such circumstances of more and more importance on environment issues. We adopt ¡§SWOT¡¨ analysis of the Company¡¦s action to environmental protection policy. On the points of view form two sides, government policy and the Company¡¦s operation, we interview some power industries, academic communities and official communities, and by means of case study to summarize their suggestion to the Company¡¦s strategies for facing environmental protection policy. From the concepts of enhancing power control and reducing operation costs, we put the strategies and action plans for the Company, and hope to ensure its long-term competition advantage.

The oil spill marine pollution resulting from the shipping has been the major concern of Taiwan coastal environment that embraces abundant and enriched marine resources, because it often has caused serious destruction to the marine ecological habitat. The integrated policy on marine pollution control and protection is urgently needed to augment the efficiency of administration for the adaptions of many acts that exist in vary governmental departments. The present study was initiated to survey the current international law related to the marine pollution control and protection. The strategic management and organization of marine protection employed by United State, Canada, Japan, Singapore and Korea were evaluated and assessed to the idea of consideration of the existing environmental law and acts at the governmental department. These are to be made for better structure and organization for the improvement of integrated marine pollution control and protection. The study illustrated both Tzini and Natuna oil spill cases for comparative analysis on handling the marine pollution control. The analysis showed that, the ocean environmental protection in Taiwan only focus on ¡§marine pollution¡¨, but lack of consideration on ¡¨marine ecological conservation¡¨. Besides, the task due among ministries is less of unified and good coordination. In addition, Taiwan is restricted to the situation of non-diplomatic relation to the world, it is very difficult to participate in international program or organization related to marine environment and pollution prevention. Taiwan should monitor and collect ecological resource data at the sensitive areas associated with the possible problems from the loss of coral reef recovery, fishery and local economy. This thesis attempts to suggest the need for the improvement mechanism and institution on legislation, organization, enforcement, ecosystem and compensation. Desiring future legislation should be able to integrate the marine environment protection by proposing a comprehensive integrated legislation, management, organization and to strongly urge energy enforcement.

Thèse de doctorat--Informatique et réseaux--Paris--ENST, 2006. / Bibliogr. p. 151-168. Résumé en français et en anglais.

Thèse de doctorat : Histoire : Lyon 2 : 2000. / Titre provenant de l'écran-titre. Bibliogr.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2009. / "Graduate Program in Computer Science." Includes bibliographical references (p. 99-103).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis--Lund. / Extra t.p. with thesis statement inserted. Summary in English. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.L.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.