No description available.

No description available.

This thesis introduces a novel online set-point modulation (SPM) technique that employs fuzzy logic to adjust the timing and magnitude of control system set-points. After first applying fuzzy logic-enabled SPM to underdamped second order systems for testing purposes, the new scheme is then applied to an electromagnetic transient simulation model of Manitoba Hydro’s existing Ponton SVC system, and the results are then compared to the original SVC system that uses traditional control approaches. Conclusions show that fuzzy logic-based SPM improves the controlled voltage’s transient overshoot response to changes in the voltage set-point.

The estimation of the software cost remains one of the most challenging problems in software engineering; as a preliminary estimate of cost includes many elements of uncertainty. Reliable and early estimates are difficult to obtain because of the lack of the detailed information about the future system at an early stage. However, the early estimates are really important when bidding for a contract or determining whether a project is feasible in terms of cost-benefit analysis. Estimators often rely on their past experiences for the prediction of effort for software projects. The fundamental factors that are contributing towards inaccuracy of the cost estimation process are imprecise and drifting requirements, information not readily available on past projects, and the methods that were developed and trained on specific data. In this thesis, we have developed a software cost estimation tool that helps commercial software-development organizations to effectively and quantitatively measure and analyze the software metrics based upon the functional requirements, operational constraints and organization’s capability to handle a project. This cost estimation tool is a fusion implementation or an essence of certain software measurement and estimation techniques that help a software organization to evaluate and analyze fundamental software metrics such as complexity, time, effort, and cost all of which are essential to improving turnaround time and attaining organizational maturity. The new cost estimation method is proposed for the iterative software development projects. The use case technique is implemented per iteration for the specification of the software requirements. COCOMO II and Function Point were used to compute the effort required for successive iterations. We also computed the magnitude of relative error for successive iterations. We tested the proposed method on student projects in order to illustrate its usefulness.

We consider a data set comprising encounters between gray seals off Sable Island in the autumn of 2009. We apply Spatial Point Pattern data analysis approaches to this data set and demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques. Specifically we propose using point processes for clustered data; the Inhomogeneous Poisson process, and the subset of cluster processes called Cox processes. We utilize maximum likelihood methods to produce a model for the mean intensity of the seal encounters which includes spatial covariates. We then consider the impact of inhomogeneity and review minimum contrast methods for fitting the Cox process models, specifically the Thomas and Matern cluster processes. We demonstrate that these methods allow us to gain valuable insight into the nature and extent of grey seal encounters at sea. Finally we validate both our conclusions and the approach taken using the most recent data available, that of autumn 2010.

This study sought to explore the access and alteration “rules experience” within an Ontario wetlands case study framework. The study interviewed two key stakeholder groups, key-involved stewardship agencies and key-identified wetland property owners, and aggregated them as a single response group. There were significant overlaps between these groups and the final identified potential respondent group was thirteen. All potential respondents were invited to participate in a detailed exploration of the rules experience via a thorough semi-structured interview process within the existing context of a Long Point, Ontario study area. For their own specified reasons, eight of thirteen identified and invited potential respondents chose to provide a response for analysis. It was imagined that very specific questions about each discovered rule in the study area might provide insight into to effect and understanding of specific rule characteristics within the study area; however, nothing exceptional was revealed with respect to rule characteristics using a small detailed study group. Study area respondents appeared to have focused and specific knowledge of a collection of study area rules (often within their direct interest), but few respondents had a relatively comprehensive knowledge of the entire alteration and access rules framework. The most interesting results within in the interview process, including the most interest in response provision by respondents, centred more generally on wetland management- with emphasis on private and public management initiatives. In this theme, while generally supportive of the apparent goals of the existing rules, respondents were divided as to how management should actually function within the study area. Despite interest by both key informant groups in wetland conservation and maintenance, the application of public rules on private and/or organized wetland spaces occasionally appear to conflict. During the study, there appeared to be much more interest in wetland alteration rules, and, expectedly, a strongly expressed desire to have these rules more carefully scrutinized and adapted to the study area. The study area is fortunate to have a history of public and private interest in wetland conservation; this study highlights the need for these similarly interested groups to work together to reconcile the differences in expected applications of public rules.

This thesis introduces a novel online set-point modulation (SPM) technique that employs fuzzy logic to adjust the timing and magnitude of control system set-points. After first applying fuzzy logic-enabled SPM to underdamped second order systems for testing purposes, the new scheme is then applied to an electromagnetic transient simulation model of Manitoba Hydro’s existing Ponton SVC system, and the results are then compared to the original SVC system that uses traditional control approaches. Conclusions show that fuzzy logic-based SPM improves the controlled voltage’s transient overshoot response to changes in the voltage set-point.

A point-set embedding of a planar graph G with n vertices on a set S of n points is a planar straight-line drawing of G, where each vertex of G is mapped to a distinct point of S. We prove that the point-set embeddability problem is NP-complete for 3-connected planar graphs, answering a question of Cabello [20]. We give an O(nlog^3n)-time algorithm for testing point-set embeddability of plane 3-trees, improving the algorithm of Moosa and Rahman [60]. We prove that no set of 24 points can support all planar 3-trees with 24 vertices, partially answering a question of Kobourov [55]. We compute 2-bend point-set embeddings of plane 3-trees in O(W^2) area, where W is the length of longest edge of the bounding box of S. Finally, we design algorithms for testing convex point-set embeddability of klee graphs and arbitrary planar graphs.

No description available.

No description available.