La rugosité est une propriété clé des sols qui contrôle de nombreux processus de surface et influence la fonction de diffusion du rayonnement incident, alias sa BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function). Bien qu’elle dépende fortement de l’échelle spatiale, la rugosité est souvent considérée comme stationnaire dans les modèles photométriques de réflectance de surfaces. En particulier, celui de Hapke l’inclut sous la forme d’un angle de pente moyen, intégré sur toutes les échelles variant de la taille d’un grain du régolithe à celle de la topographie locale. Le sens physique de ce paramètre de rugosité moyenne est largement débattu car l’échelle n’est pas clairement définie. Cette thèse a pour objectifs de comprendre comment la rugosité moyenne peut décrire un phénomène multi-échelle et d’investiguer l’influence des échelles spatiales de rugosité sur la BRDF d’une surface. On teste notamment la capacité du modèle de Hapke à restituer par inversion de la BRDF une rugosité moyenne compatible avec la réalité terrain. La topographie de terrains volcaniques et sédimentaires du Piton de la Fournaise (île de La Réunion) et du rift d’Asal-Ghoubbet (République de Djibouti) a été mesurée par photogrammétrie haute résolution sur une large gamme de résolutions à partir de données multi-instrumentales : images satellite, drone et acquises manuellement. Leur BRDF a été mesurée en parallèle par Pléiades et par un spectro-goniomètre (appelé Chamelon), et simulée numériquement par tracé de rayon sur les MNT réalisés. Une analyse multi-échelle par transformée en ondelettes révèle le comportement multi-modal de la rugosité des surfaces étudiées et permet de montrer que les structures sub-centimétriques dominent à la fois le paramètre de rugosité intégré et la forme de la BRDF. La rugosité estimée par inversion sur les données simulées avec une version simplifiée du modèle de Hapke coïncide avec celle déterminée sur les modèles de surface lorsque les hypothèses du modèle sont respectées et l’albédo connu à priori. L’adéquation n’est pas systématique mais reste bonne dans le cas de terrains à rugosité modérée avec une version complète du modèle de Hapke / Surface roughness is a key property of soils that controls many surface processes and influences the scattering function, or BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function), of incident radiation. While it is strongly scale-dependent, it is often considered as a stationnary parameter in photometric models. In particular, it is included in the Hapke model as a mean slope angle, integrated over all scales from the grain size to the local topography. Yet its physical meaning is still a question at issue, as the scale at which it occurs is undefined. This thesis aims at understanding how this mean parameter can describe a multiscale phenomenon and to investigate the role of spatial scale on surface BRDF. Finally, we investigate the ability of the Hapke model to retrieve a roughness parameter which is consistent with the ground truth. The topography of volcanic and sedimentary terrains in the Piton de la Fournaise (Réunion Island) and the Asal-Ghoubbet rift (Republic of Djibouti) has been measured using high resolution photogrammetry at a wide range of resolutions thanks to multi-instrumental data : satellite, drone and handheld images. Simultaneously, the BRDF has been numerically simulated, and measured by satellite and a spectrogoniometer (named Chamelon). A multiscale analysis by the means of the wavelet transform reveals the multi-modal behavior of roughness and shows that sub-centimeter surface features dominate both the integrated parameter and the shape of the BRDF. The roughness estimated by inversion of a simplified version of the Hapke model matches the roughness determined over surfaces when the assumptions of the model are verified, with a priori knowledge on surface albedo. The match is not systematic, but remains good for moderately rough terrains using the full Hapke model

We present a detailed study of the local atomic and magnetic structure of the type-I multiferroic perovskite system (Sr,Ba)(Mn,Ti)O3 using x-ray and neutron pair distribution function (PDF) analysis, polarized neutron scattering, and muon spin relaxation (μSR) techniques. The atomic PDF analysis reveals widespread nanoscale tetragonal distortions of the crystal structure even in the paraelectric phase with average cubic symmetry, corresponding to incipient ferroelectricity in the local structure. Magnetic PDF analysis, polarized neutron scattering, and μSR likewise confirm the presence of short-range antiferromagnetic correlations in the paramagnetic state, which grow in magnitude as the temperature approaches the magnetic transition. We show that these short-range magnetic correlations coincide with a reduction of the tetragonal (i.e. ferroelectric) distortion in the average structure, suggesting that short-range magnetism can play an important role in magnetoelectric and/or magnetostructural phenomena even without genuine long-range magnetic order. The reduction of the tetragonal distortion scales linearly with the local magnetic order parameter. These findings provide greater insight into the multiferroic properties of (Sr,Ba)(Mn,Ti)O3 and demonstrate the importance of investigating the local atomic and magnetic structure to gain a deeper understanding of the intertwined degrees of freedom in multiferroics.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is kinetically slow and hence a significant efficiency loss in electricity-driven water electrolysis. Understanding the relationships between architecture, composition, and activity in high-performing catalyst systems are critical for the development of better catalysts. This dissertation discusses areas both fundamental and applied that seek to better understand how to accurately measure catalyst activity as well as ways to design higher performing catalysts. Chapter I introduces the work that has been done in the field to date. Chapter II compares various methods of determining the electrochemically active surface area of a film. It further discusses how pulsed and continuous electrodepostition techniques effect film morphology and behavior, and shows that using a simple electrodeposition can create high loading films with architectures that outperform those deposited onto inert substrates. The reversibility of the films, a measure of the films transport efficiency, is introduced and shown to correlate strongly with performance. Chapter III uses high energy x-ray scattering to probe the nanocrystalline domains of the largely amorphous NiFe oxyhydroxide catalysts, and shows that significant similarities in the local structure are not responsible for the change in performance for the films synthesized under different conditions. Bond lengths for oxidized and reduced catalysts are determined, and show no significant phase segregation occurs. Chapter IV seeks to optimize the deposition conditions introduced in Chapter II and to provide a physical representation of how tuning each of the parameters affects film morphology. The deposition current density is shown to be the most important factor affecting film performance at a given loading. Chapter V highlights the different design considerations for films being used in a photoelectrochemical cell, and how in situ techniques can provide information that may otherwise be unobtainable. Chapter VI serves as a summary and provides future directions. This dissertation contains previously published coauthored material.

In this study, we employ molecular statics to construct the structure of amorphous zinc oxide. First, we find out the first number of higher energy structures in all local stable structures by Basin-Hopping algorithm, which are separated into different ratio of crystalline/amorphous zinc oxide structures, and then we judge the type of zinc oxide structure by radial distribution function. In addition, we use coordination number to analyse the interatomic bond length and bond angle in the structures. Furthermore, we employ molecular dynamics to increase the temperature of amorphous zinc oxide structures, and then use the distribution of coordination number, bond length and bond angle between zinc and oxygen atom to analyse the change of the local structure of amorphous zinc oxide during the heating process.

The colonias along the Texas-Mexico border are one of the most rapidly growing areas in Texas. Because of the relatively low income of the residents and an inadequate availability of transportation services, the need for basic social activities for the colonias cannot be properly met. The objectives of this study are to have a better comprehension of the status quo of these communities by examining the potential demand for an improved transportation service and evaluate the capacity and optimum service time interval of a new demand responsive transit "feeder" service within one representative colonia, El Cenizo. A comprehensive analysis of the results of a survey conducted through a questionnaire is presented to explain the existing travel patterns and potential demand for a feeder service. The results of this thesis and work from the subsequent simulation analysis showed that a single shuttle would be able to comfortably serve 150 passengers/day. It further showed that the optimal cycle length between consecutive departures from the terminal should be between 11-13 minutes for best service quality. This exploratory study should serve as a first step towards improving transportation services within these growing underprivileged communities especially those with demographics and geography similar to the target area of El Cenizo.

Metaphylactic treatment of incoming feedlot cattle is a common preventative action against bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Cattle are dosed based on estimated or actual lot average weights, rather than on an individual basis, to reduce initial processing time. There has been limited research conducted on the effects of accurate weight- based dosing in feedlot cattle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the economic effects of precision weight- based dosing of cattle as compared to dosing the lot average or lot averages plus 50 lb and minus 50 lb. An economic model was created and stochastic simulations performed to evaluate potential outcomes of different dosing scenarios. Economic analyses of the effects of precision weight-based dosing were conducted using SIMETAR© to determine the stochastic dominance and economic effects of different dosing regimens. Data were obtained from a commercial feedlot for different lots of cattle where individual animal weights were available; for this analysis the minimum lot size was 30 animals, and the maximum lot size was 126 animals. Within lots, individual weight deviations were calculated from the lot mean, the lot mean was rounded up to the nearest 50 lb increment or down to the nearest 50 lb increment to represent mild overestimation and mild underestimation, respectively. Tulathromycin (Draxxin®, Pfizer Animal Health, New York, NY), an antimicrobial commonly prescribed for treatment of bovine respiratory disease, was used to illustrate the impacts of uniform dosing versus exact dosing per body weight. Based on the dilution space method used to evaluate time of drug effectiveness, it was estimated that Draxxin® administered at the recommended dosage to cattle weighing between 500 and 1000 lb should be provided with 191 hours (7.96 days) of protection from pneumonia-causing bacteria. Due to the pharmacokinetic properties of Draxxin®, an animal that is administered half the recommended dose is only protected from pneumonia-causing bacteria for 8 hours, which is 4.2 percent of the coverage time of the proper dose. This limits the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment to fully administer therapeutic treatment. In all cases, the correct weight-based dosing strategy cost less than any other dosing technique. Overall, dosing all cattle at the lot average weight costs $6.04 per animal more than dosing at the exact, correct dose. Dosing all animals at the lot average weight plus 50 lb costs $6.24 per animal more; dosing all animals at lot average minus 50 lb costs $4.01 per animal more. The use of individual animal weights to determine per head dosing of Draxxin® is more cost effective than using lot averages. This concept would appear to extend to all weight-based pharmaceutical products in general, and should be considered a necessary management strategy.

In the development of autonomous vehicles, replacing the driver and its perceptive abilities is one of many technical challenges. As a part in solving these challenges, Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) is a promising technology. In short, LiDAR works by using lasers to detect objects in its vicinity by detecting the light that reflects on them. With knowledge of the reflective properties of an object, a prediction can be made regarding whether a certain LiDAR unit will be able to detect the object or not. When making this prediction, the common description of reflectance is often insufficient. Instead, a more complete description is given by the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) of a surface, which describes reflection on the surface while taking the incident and reflected direction into consideration. In this thesis, an experimental setup was built with the capabilities of measuring the BRDF while taking incident and reflected polarization into account. Program software was written in Python and integrated with the hardware, providing a user interface for simple control of the setup. The BRDF was measured on a total of 6 samples; 2 reference samples and 4 samples taken from the hood of 4 different cars. Conclusively, the setup provided useful information about the reflective and polarization properties of the samples. These measurements can help in predicting whether or not a surface can be detected by a given LiDAR unit, and can also be helpful when designing new LiDAR units by providing useful information about the surfaces they are required to detect.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第18084号 / 理博第3962号 / 新制||理||1571(附属図書館) / 30942 / 京都大学大学院理学研究科地球惑星科学専攻 / (主査)准教授 齊藤 昭則, 教授 余田 成男, 准教授 藤 浩明 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

A material model capable of reproducing the anisotropic behavior of polycrystalline materials will prove to be useful in simulations in which directional properties are of key importance. The primary contributor to anisotropic behavior in polycrystalline materials is the development of texture through the rotation and alignment of slip systems due to plastic deformation. A large concentration of aligned slip systems will influence the glide of dislocations in the respective global deformation direction resulting in a directionally dependent flow stress. The Evolving Microstructural Model of Inelasticity (EMMI) is modified to account for evolving anisotropy due to the development of texture. Texture is characterized via a second order orientation tensor and is incorporated into EMMI through various modifications to the EMMI equations based on physical assumptions. Evolving anisotropy is captured via a static yield surface through a modification to the flow rule based on the assumption loading is entirely elastic within the yield surface. A separate modification to EMMI captures evolving anisotropy through an apparent yield surface via a modification to the EMMI internal state variable evolution equations. The apparent yield surface is the result of a smaller yield surface translating through stress space and assumes the state of the material is disturbed at stresses much lower than indicated by experimental yield surfaces.

The shrinkage estimation has proven to be very useful when dealing with a large number of mean parameters. In this dissertation, we consider the problem of simultaneous estimation of multiple variances and construct a shrinkage type, non-parametric estimator. We take the non-parametric empirical Bayes approach by starting with an arbitrary prior on the variances. Under an invariant loss function, the resultant Bayes estimator relies on the marginal cumulative distribution function of the sample variances. Replacing the marginal cdf by the empirical distribution function, we obtain a Non-parametric Empirical Bayes estimator for multiple Variances (NEBV). The proposed estimator converges to the corresponding Bayes version uniformly over a large set. Consequently, the NEBV works well in a post-selection setting. We then apply the NEBV to construct condence intervals for mean parameters in a post-selection setting. It is shown that the intervals based on the NEBV are shortest among all the intervals which guarantee a desired coverage probability. Through real data analysis, we have further shown that the NEBV based intervals lead to the smallest number of discordances, a desirable property when we are faced with the current "replication crisis". / Statistics