This study gives a description about the development of a computer model, RealPipe, which relates genetic algorithm (GA) to the well known problem of least-cost design of water distribution network. GA methodology is an evolutionary process, basically imitating evolution process of nature. GA is essentially an efficient search method basically for nonlinear optimization cases. The genetic operations take place within the population of chromosomes. By means of various operators, the genetic knowledge in chromosomes change continuously and the success of the population progressively increases as a result of these operations. GA optimization is also well suited for optimization of water distribution systems, especially large and complex systems. The primary objective of this study is optimization of a water distribution network by GA. GA operations are realized on a special program developed by the author called RealPipe. RealPipe optimizes given water network distribution systems by considering capital cost of pipes only. Five operators are involved in the program algorithm. These operators are generation, selection, elitism, crossover and mutation. Optimum population size is found to be between 30-70 depending on the size of the network (i.e. pipe number) and number of commercially available pipe size. Elitism rate should be around 10 percent. Mutation rate should be selected around 1-5 percent depending again on the size of the network. Multipoint crossover and higher rates are advisable. Also pressure penalty parameters are found to be much important than velocity parameters. Below pressure penalty parameter is the most important one and should be roughly 100 times higher than the other. Two known networks of the literature are examined using RealPipe and expected results are achieved. N8.3 network which is located in the northern side of Ankara is the case study. Total cost achieved by RealPipe is 16.74 percent lower than the cost of the existing network / it should be noted that the solution provided by RealPipe is hydraulically improved.

Since the introduction of computers in to organisations in the 1950s, computer information systems have become powerful organisational instruments. The uptake of information technology including information systems (IS) and the impact of these technologies have been phenomenal, particularly in the least developed countries (LDCs). Organisations in these countries have continued to utilise IS as a development tool with the belief that it will enhance business processes, in many instances accelerated by foreign assistance. IS can have a positive effect on users, organisations and national development, measured economically or otherwise at the individual, organisational, and national levels. Yet IS implementation and the measure of its success is characterised by a high rate of failure and disagreement among scholars and practitioners. The success of organisational IS is influenced by a fabric of many variables, including contextual elements. In this regard IS can be influenced by both the organisational context in terms of strategies, structures, politics and culture, and by the wider political socio-economic, cultural, and technological climate within which organisations exist. Understanding the contributing variables and the barriers that impede IS success, would better prepare organisations to overcome the inherent difficulties. There is a large body of work documenting the usefulness and consequences of IS. However, these studies have been concentrated in the developed countries (DCs), hence, little is known about IS implementation in LDCs. DCs and LDCs differ in their contextual and social settings, and a uniform analysis may not be applicable in their disparate settings. Indeed the paucity of research and data in the IS domain indicates that the study would benefit an LDC such as Papua New Guinea (PNG) and contribute to knowledge in understanding IS implementation in an LDC environment. This thesis reports on a study that examined IS implementation success in PNG organisations in the context of an LDC. Computers were introduced to PNG in the 1960s, however, no studies have been undertaken to date in this domain that the author is aware of. Hence, the objective of this study was to provide detailed analysis of IS, the context in which it was implemented, its interaction with organisational and external settings, and elicit the underlying elements associated with its success. It also explores the emphasis placed on each of the elements and the extent to which organisations effectively addressed these elements to ensure IS success. The exploratory study employs a multi method design - beginning in Stage 1 with case studies, followed by a survey in Stage 2. Stage 1 adopted a multiple case study approach. Eight case studies were undertaken, however, results of only four case studies are reported in this thesis. Data obtained in the case studies provide a useful basis for the survey. The study in Stage 2 consolidated and expanded on the case study findings from the perspective of a wider population. All the organisations contacted but not involved in the Stage 1 study contributed by participating in the survey. The study identified more than fifty elements that contributed to the success of IS in PNG organisations. There were significant similarities to the findings of studies in other DCs and LDCs despite the disparate contextual conditions. Several elements, not identified in prior studies, were also revealed. Based on this study, a set of principles pertaining to IS implementation and management in PNG were postulated. Similarly a set of recommendations were also outlined.

This thesis proposes, analyses and implements a fast and accurate real-time power system disturbances identification method based on an enhanced linear least squares algorithm for mitigation and monitoring of various power quality problems such as current harmonics, grid unbalances and voltage dips. The enhanced algorithm imposes less real-time computational burden on processing the system and is thus called ???efficient least squares algorithm???. The proposed efficient least squares algorithm does not require matrix inversion operation and contains only real numbers. The number of required real-time matrix multiplications is also reduced in the proposed method by pre-performing some of the matrix multiplications to form a constant matrix. The proposed efficient least squares algorithm extracts instantaneous sine and cosine terms of the fundamental and harmonic components by simply multiplying a set of sampled input data by the pre-calculated constant matrix. A power signal processing system based on the proposed efficient least squares algorithm is presented in this thesis. This power signal processing system derives various power system quantities that are used for real-time monitoring and disturbance mitigation. These power system quantities include constituent components, symmetrical components and various power measurements. The properties of the proposed power signal processing system was studied using modelling and practical implementation in a digital signal processor. These studies demonstrated that the proposed method is capable of extracting time varying power system quantities quickly and accurately. The dynamic response time of the proposed method was less than half that of a fundamental cycle. Moreover, the proposed method showed less sensitivity to noise pollution and small variations in fundamental frequency. The performance of the proposed power signal processing system was compared to that of the popular DFT/FFT methods using computer simulations. The simulation results confirmed the superior performance of the proposed method under both transient and steady-state conditions. In order to investigate the practicability of the method, the proposed power signal processing system was applied to two real-life disturbance mitigation applications namely, an active power filter (APF) and a distribution synchronous static compensator (D-STATCOM). The validity and performance of the proposed signal processing system in both disturbance mitigations applications were investigated by simulation and experimental studies. The extensive modelling and experimental studies confirmed that the proposed signal processing system can be used for practical real-time applications which require fast disturbance identification such as mitigation control and power quality monitoring of power systems

The GIS Industry has digitised cadastre from the best available paper maps over the last few decades, incorporating the inherent errors in those paper maps and in the digitising process. The advent of Global Positioning Systems, modern surveying instruments and advances in the computing industry has made it desirable and affordable to upgrade the placement, in terms of absolute and relative position) of these digital cadastres. The Utility Industry has used GIS software to place their assets relative to these digital cadastres, and are now finding their assets placed incorrectly when viewed against these upgraded digital cadastres. This thesis examines the processes developed in the software program called the ???Spatial Adjustment Engine???, and documents a holistic approach to semi-automating the upgrading of the digital cadastre and the subsequent upgrading of the utility assets. This thesis also documents the various pilot projects undertaken during the development of the Spatial Adjustment Engine, the topological scenarios found in each pilot, their solution, and provides a framework of definitions needed to explore this field further. The results of each pilot project are given in context, and lead to the conclusions. The conclusions indicate the processes and procedures implemented in the Spatial Adjustment Engine are a suitable mechanism for the upgrade of digital cadastre and of spatially dependant themes such as utility assets, zoning themes, annotation layers, and some road centreline themes.

The fate and behaviour of hydrophobic organic compounds (e.g. pesticides) in soils are largely controlled by sorption processes. Recent findings suggest that the chemical properties of soil organic carbon (OC) significantly control the extent of sorption of such compounds in soil systems. However, currently there is no practical tool to integrate the effects of OC chemistry into sorption predictions. Therefore, the K [subscript]oc model, which relies on the soil OC content (foc), is used for predicting soil sorption coefficients (K[subscript]d) of pesticides. The K[subscript]oc model can be expressed as K[subscript]d = K[subscript]oc × foc, where K[subscript]oc is the OC-normalized sorption coefficient for the compound. Hence, there is a need for a prediction tool that can effectively capture the role of both the chemical structural variation of OC as well as foc in the prediction approach. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy offers a potential alternative to the K[subscript]oc approach because IR spectra contain information on the amount and nature of both organic and mineral soil components. The potential of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for predicting K[subscript]d values of a moderately hydrophobic pesticide, diuron, was investigated. A calibration set of 101 surface soils from South Australia was characterized for reference sorption data (K[subscript]d and K[subscript]oc) and foc as well as IR spectra. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was employed to harness the apparent complexity of IR spectra by reducing the dimensionality of the data. The MIR-PLS model was developed and validated by dividing the initial data set into corresponding calibration and validation sets. The developed model showed promising performance in predicting K[subscript]d values for diuron and proved to be a more efficacious than the K[subscript]oc model. The significant statistical superiority of the MIR-PLS model over the K[subscript]oc model was caused by some calcareous soils which were outliers for the K[subscript]oc model. Apart from these samples, the performance of the two compared models was essentially similar. The existence of carbonate peaks in the MIR-PLS loadings of the MIR based model suggested that carbonate minerals may interfere or affect the sorption. This requires further investigation. Some other concurrent studies suggested excellent quality of prediction of soil properties by NIR spectroscopy when applied to homogenous samples. Next, therefore, the performance of visible near-infrared (VNIR) and MIR spectroscopy was thoroughly compared for predicting both foc and diuron K[subscript]d values in soils. Some eleven calcareous soils were added to the initial calibration set for an attempt to further investigate the effect of carbonate minerals on sorption. MIR spectroscopy was clearly a more accurate predictor of foc and K[subscript]d in soils than VNIR spectroscopy. Close inspection of spectra showed that MIR spectra contain more relevant and straightforward information regarding the chemistry of OC and minerals than VNIR and thus useful in modelling sorption and OC content. Moreover, MIR spectroscopy provided a better (though still not great) estimation of sorption in calcareous soils than either VNIR spectroscopy or the K[subscript]oc model. Separate research is recommended to fully explore the unusual sorption behaviour of diuron in calcareous soils. In the last experiment, two dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance/infrared heterospectral correlation analyses revealed that MIR spectra contain specific and clear signals related to most of the major NMR-derived carbon types whereas NIR spectra contain only a few broad and overlapped peaks weakly associated with aliphatic carbons. 2D heterospectral correlation analysis facilitated accurate band assignments in the MIR and NIR spectra to the NMR-derived carbon types in isolated SOM. In conclusion, the greatest advantage of the MIR-PLS model is the direct estimation of Kd based on integrated properties of organic and mineral components. In addition, MIR spectroscopy is being used increasingly in predicting various soil properties including foc, and therefore, its simultaneous use for K[subscript]d estimation is a resource-effective and attractive practice. Moreover, it has the advantage of being fast and inexpensive with a high repeatability, and unlike the K[subscript]oc approach, MIR-PLS shows a better potential for extrapolating applications in data-poor regions. Where available, MIR spectroscopy is highly recommended over NIR spectroscopy. 2D correlation spectroscopy showed promising potential for providing rich insight and clarification into the thorough study of soil IR spectra. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1415416 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This work presents the development and application of modern data acquisition and analysis techniques for the investigations of equilibrium and kinetic reactions. The analytical technique is known as second order global analysis and a background of this relatively novel approach has been given. The theory behind and characteristics of the computer programs developed analysis as part of this research are described in Chapter Two along with descriptions of the instrumentation and programs developed for the acquisition of both potentiometric and spectrophotometric data. Applications of the developed programs include a potentiometric and spectrophotometric study of the protonation and stability equilibria of a series of polydentate N-donor ligands, as detailed in Chapter Three. The combination of potentiometric and spectrophotometric analysis has been shown to be a powerful analytical tool. Spectrophotometric titrations were also combined with fast stop-flow experiments in order to elucidate the complex reaction mechanisms associated with helicating ligands. The helication of the ligand ‘PepdaH₂’ with copper(II) and nickel(II) is examined in Chapter Four, along with discussions concerning the ability to induce chirality in the helicates from the addition of a chiral counter ion. Investigations into chirality were further continued in Chapter Five where the stereoselectivity of a benzimidazole-based ligand was investigated with circular dichroism titrations. The synthesis and characterisation of the benzimidazole-based ligands are provided, including a study of the ability of the ligands to form higher order complexes as investigated using electrospray mass spectroscopy. Chapter Six provides an in-depth discussion concerning the use of combined glass hydrogen selective electrodes for the determination of equilibrium constants, as this was a major focus of this research. Different calibration techniques are discussed and a description of the internal calibration technique developed is provided along with examples of the advantages of performing internal calibration of the electrode.

The objective of this research is to empirically assess the value and validity of a multi-organization data set in the building of prediction models for several ‘local’ software organizations; that is, smaller organizations that might have a few project records but that are interested in improving their ability to accurately predict software project effort. Evidence to date in the research literature is mixed, due not to problems with the underlying research ideas but with limitations in the analytical processes employed: • the majority of previous studies have used only a single organization as the ‘local’ sample, introducing the potential for bias • the degree to which the conclusions of these studies might apply more generally is unable to be determined because of a lack of transparency in the data analysis processes used. It is the aim of this research to provide a more robust and visible test of the utility of the largest multi-organization data set currently available – that from the ISBSG – in terms of enabling smaller-scale organizations to build relevant and accurate models for project-level effort prediction. Stepwise regression is employed to enable the construction of ‘local’, ‘global’ and ‘refined global’ models of effort that are then validated against actual project data from eight organizations. The results indicate that local data, that is, data collected for a single organization, is almost always more effective as a basis for the construction of a predictive model than data sourced from a global repository. That said, the accuracy of the models produced from the global data set, while worse than that achieved with local data, may be sufficiently accurate in the absence of reliable local data – an issue that could be investigated in future research. The study concludes with recommendations for both software engineering practice – in setting out a more dynamic scenario for the management of software development – and research – in terms of implications for the collection and analysis of software engineering data.

The fate and behaviour of hydrophobic organic compounds (e.g. pesticides) in soils are largely controlled by sorption processes. Recent findings suggest that the chemical properties of soil organic carbon (OC) significantly control the extent of sorption of such compounds in soil systems. However, currently there is no practical tool to integrate the effects of OC chemistry into sorption predictions. Therefore, the K [subscript]oc model, which relies on the soil OC content (foc), is used for predicting soil sorption coefficients (K[subscript]d) of pesticides. The K[subscript]oc model can be expressed as K[subscript]d = K[subscript]oc × foc, where K[subscript]oc is the OC-normalized sorption coefficient for the compound. Hence, there is a need for a prediction tool that can effectively capture the role of both the chemical structural variation of OC as well as foc in the prediction approach. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy offers a potential alternative to the K[subscript]oc approach because IR spectra contain information on the amount and nature of both organic and mineral soil components. The potential of mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy for predicting K[subscript]d values of a moderately hydrophobic pesticide, diuron, was investigated. A calibration set of 101 surface soils from South Australia was characterized for reference sorption data (K[subscript]d and K[subscript]oc) and foc as well as IR spectra. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was employed to harness the apparent complexity of IR spectra by reducing the dimensionality of the data. The MIR-PLS model was developed and validated by dividing the initial data set into corresponding calibration and validation sets. The developed model showed promising performance in predicting K[subscript]d values for diuron and proved to be a more efficacious than the K[subscript]oc model. The significant statistical superiority of the MIR-PLS model over the K[subscript]oc model was caused by some calcareous soils which were outliers for the K[subscript]oc model. Apart from these samples, the performance of the two compared models was essentially similar. The existence of carbonate peaks in the MIR-PLS loadings of the MIR based model suggested that carbonate minerals may interfere or affect the sorption. This requires further investigation. Some other concurrent studies suggested excellent quality of prediction of soil properties by NIR spectroscopy when applied to homogenous samples. Next, therefore, the performance of visible near-infrared (VNIR) and MIR spectroscopy was thoroughly compared for predicting both foc and diuron K[subscript]d values in soils. Some eleven calcareous soils were added to the initial calibration set for an attempt to further investigate the effect of carbonate minerals on sorption. MIR spectroscopy was clearly a more accurate predictor of foc and K[subscript]d in soils than VNIR spectroscopy. Close inspection of spectra showed that MIR spectra contain more relevant and straightforward information regarding the chemistry of OC and minerals than VNIR and thus useful in modelling sorption and OC content. Moreover, MIR spectroscopy provided a better (though still not great) estimation of sorption in calcareous soils than either VNIR spectroscopy or the K[subscript]oc model. Separate research is recommended to fully explore the unusual sorption behaviour of diuron in calcareous soils. In the last experiment, two dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance/infrared heterospectral correlation analyses revealed that MIR spectra contain specific and clear signals related to most of the major NMR-derived carbon types whereas NIR spectra contain only a few broad and overlapped peaks weakly associated with aliphatic carbons. 2D heterospectral correlation analysis facilitated accurate band assignments in the MIR and NIR spectra to the NMR-derived carbon types in isolated SOM. In conclusion, the greatest advantage of the MIR-PLS model is the direct estimation of Kd based on integrated properties of organic and mineral components. In addition, MIR spectroscopy is being used increasingly in predicting various soil properties including foc, and therefore, its simultaneous use for K[subscript]d estimation is a resource-effective and attractive practice. Moreover, it has the advantage of being fast and inexpensive with a high repeatability, and unlike the K[subscript]oc approach, MIR-PLS shows a better potential for extrapolating applications in data-poor regions. Where available, MIR spectroscopy is highly recommended over NIR spectroscopy. 2D correlation spectroscopy showed promising potential for providing rich insight and clarification into the thorough study of soil IR spectra. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1415416 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2009

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-06-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:40:23Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 arroyogarcia_r_dr_botfca.pdf: 1117377 bytes, checksum: 640c0531b51ae26f4c6122ba741bb333 (MD5) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O manejo inadequado do solo ocasiona a formação de camadas compactadas que prejudicam o desenvolvimento radicular das plantas, diminuindo a disponibilidade de água e nutrientes, enquanto que o acúmulo de carbono pode melhorar a qualidade do solo. Em sistemas com semeadura direta (SSD), com a menor mobilização do solo, pode-se usar, em rotação, plantas com sistema radicular vigoroso, capaz de crescer em condições adversas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a ação de espécies de cobertura, gramíneas e uma leguminosa, em rotação com a cultura da soja, nos atributos físicos de um Latossolo, no acúmulo de carbono, nas diferentes frações da matéria orgânica e na produção da soja, em semeadura direta, ao longo de três anos. O experimento foi conduzido em um Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico de textura argilosa, na Fazenda Experimental Lageado, Unesp/Botucatu, nos anos agrícolas de 2006/2007, 2007/2008 e 2008/2009. No outonoinverno foram estabelecidas parcelas com braquiária (Brachiaria ruziziensis), sorgo granífero (Sorghum bicolor) e sorgo consorciado com braquiária. Na primavera, foram cultivados, em subparcelas, milheto (Pennisetum glaucum), cober crop [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x Sorghum sudanense Piper Stapf], crotalária (Crotalaria juncea) ou pousio. A soja foi cultivada como safra de verão. Em março do primeiro ano foram retiradas amostras para caracterização da área experimental. Após o manejo das espécies cultivadas na primavera, no primeiro e terceiro ano, foram retiradas amostras indeformadas nas camadas de 0-5; 7,5-12,5; 15-20; 27,5-32,5 e 47,5-52,5 cm para determinação da densidade do solo, porosidade e curva de retenção de água no solo. Nas mesmas épocas, a estabilidade de agregados foi avaliada em amostras coletadas nas camadas de 0-5 e 5-10 cm. No terceiro ano do experimento, o intervalo hídrico ótimo (IHO) foi determinado... / Compacted layers resulting from inappropriate soil management may impair root growth, thus decreasing water and nutrient acquisition by crops. Conversely, soil quality is improved with soil carbon accumulation. In areas under no-till, crop rotation with plants with vigorous root systems may alleviate soil compaction, as well as increase soil carbon. In this experiment the effects of cover crops on soil physical properties, carbon accumulation, organic matter quality and soybean production under no-till in a compacted soil were studied for three years. The experiment was conducted on a clayey Rhodic Ferralsol, Lageado Experimental Farm, Unesp/Botucatu, in 2006/2007, 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. Congo grass (Brachiaria ruziziensis), grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and a mix of both were cropped during fall-winter. Then, in the spring, pear millet (Pennisetum glaucum), cober crop [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench x Sorghum sudanense Piper Stapf] and indian hemp (Crotalaria juncea) were cropped and a treatment under fallow was set on sub-plots. Soybean was cropped as a summer crop. In March of the first year, samples were taken for characterization of the area. Right after spring crops were chemically desiccated in 2006 and 2008, undisturbed soil samples were taken from the layers 0-5; 7.5-12.5; 15-20; 27.5-32.5 and 47.5-52.5 cm to determine bulk density, porosity and water retention curve. At the same time, samples taken from the depths 0-5 and 5-10 cm were used to determine aggregate stability. In the third year, least limiting water range (LLWR) was evaluated in the 7.5-12.5 and 27.5-32.5 cm soil layers. Organic matter characterization was done in the third year, in the depths of 0-5 and 5-10 cm. Roots of spring crops were sampled in the layers 0-5; 5-10; 10-20; 20-40 and 40- 60 cm, one day before chemical desiccation in all growing seasons. Soybean roots were sampled in the same depths at R2 each... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-12T20:27:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Eduardo Henrique Couto.pdf: 1926472 bytes, checksum: 2b4464d74812fd9a1dc1cf69975b8f1f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-06 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / When the three phase induction motor is vector-controlled driven, is considered the mathematical model as a set of linear equations, so that the control is more effective only over an operation point. However, when changing that point, control can pass to not respond properly, causing unwanted errors of speed, position or even instability. Such behavior are due to mismatch of the real behavior of the motor, which is non-linear and time-varying system, and the mathematical model used in the project. Thus, parametric identification techniques allow the motor parameters to be determined online, tracking its time variation. The focus of the thesis is to present a general background of the subject and show the results obtained using techniques of parametric identification, more specifically exploring the least squares method to fit the parameters of the motor in closed loop. / Quando o motor de indução trifásico é acionado em malha de controle vetorial, é considerado o modelo matemático como um conjunto de equações lineares, por isso o controle é mais efetivo somente sobre este ponto de operação. Entretanto, quando se muda esse ponto, o controle pode passar a não responder mais adequadamente, causando erros indesejáveis de velocidade, posição e até mesmo a instabilidade. Tais fatos ocorrem devido à descasamentos entre o comportamento real do motor, que é não linear e variante no tempo, e o modelo matemático utilizado para o projeto. Dentro de tal contexto, as técnicas de identificação paramétrica permitem que os parâmetros do motor sejam determinados de forma online, monitorando sua variação no tempo. O foco principal deste trabalho é apresentar um cenário geral do assunto e mostrar os resultados obtidos usando as técnicas de identificação paramétrica, mais especificamente explorando o método dos mínimos quadrados para ajustar os parâmetros do motor em malha fechada