Forests have been proposed as a means of reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels due to their ability to store carbon as biomass. To quantify the amount of atmospheric carbon sequestered by forests, biomass and density estimates are often needed. This study develops, implements, and tests an individual tree-based algorithm for obtaining forest density and biomass using orthophotographs and small footprint LiDAR imagery. It was designed to work with a range of forests and image types without modification, which is accomplished by using generic properties of trees found in many types of images. Multiple parameters are employed to determine how these generic properties are used. To set these parameters, training data is used in conjunction with an optimization algorithm (a modified Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm or a genetic algorithm). The training data consist of small images in which density and biomass are known. A first test of this technique was performed using 25 circular plots (radius = 15 m) placed in young pine plantations in central Virginia, together with false color othophotograph (spatial resolution = 0.5 m) or small footprint LiDAR (interpolated to 0.5 m) imagery. The highest density prediction accuracies (r2 up to 0.88, RMSE as low as 83 trees / ha) were found for runs where photointerpreted densities were used for training and testing. For tests run using density measurements made on the ground, accuracies were consistency higher for orthophotograph-based results than for LiDAR-based results, and were higher for trees with DBH ≥10cm than for trees with DBH ≥7 cm. Biomass estimates obtained by the algorithm using LiDAR imagery had a lower RMSE (as low as 15.6 t / ha) than most comparable studies. The correlations between the actual and predicted values (r2 up to 0.64) were lower than comparable studies, but were generally highly significant (p ≤ 0.05 or 0.01). In all runs there was no obvious relationship between accuracy and the amount of training data used, but the algorithm was sensitive to which training and testing data were selected. Methods were evaluated for combining predictions made using different parameter sets obtained after training using identical data. It was found that averaging the predictions produced improved results. After training using density estimates from the human photointerpreter, 89% of the trees located by the algorithm corresponded to trees found by the human photointerpreter. A comparison of the two optimization techniques found them to be comparable in speed and effectiveness. / Ph. D.

Det övergripande syftet med föreliggande studie är tudelat. För det första syftar den till att på teoretisk väg etablera en dialog mellan queerteoretisk och socialpsykologisk teoribildning om aktörer och aktörsskap med utgångspunkt i en kritisk läsning av Judith Butler och George Herbert Mead. För det andra syftar den till att på empirisk väg utveckla och fördjupa denna dialog i syfte att demonstrera och resonera kring de möjligheter som uppstår i spänningen mellan dessa teoretiska perspektiv. På detta sätt är avsikten att föra ett bidrag till såväl den queer- och genusteoretiska debatten som dess socialpsykologiska motsvarighet. Ambitionen är att detta sammantaget kan utgöra ett ramverk i vilket möjligheterna med en queer socialpsykologi skisseras. I jämförelsen mellan dessa teoretiska perspektiv fokuseras på frågan om hur människor antas bli till som aktörer och under vilka villkor och genom vilka processer detta äger rum. I centrum för denna diskussion positioneras relationen mellan deras respektive antagande om struktur och aktör samt hur denna relaterar till och förutsätts vara uppburen genom något slags praktik. För det andra diskuteras individens möjlighet att omförhandla sitt förvärvade aktörsskap och genom vilka processer och praktiker detta eventuellt kan göras möjligt. Avhandlingen är uppdelad i fyra delar. Den inledande delen (del 1: Inledande ord) introducerar studiens övergripande bakgrund, teoretiska position, syfte, material och de metodologiska överväganden som har gjorts under forskningsresans gång. Den andra delen (del 2: Teoretiska interventioner) utvecklar i tre kapitel den diskussion om spänningen mellan queerteori och socialpsykologi som påbörjades i avhandlingens första och inledande kapitel. I ett första kapitel fokuseras på Judith Butler för att ringa in och granska några centrala argument och faktorer i hennes tänkande. I ett andra kapitel diskuteras George Herbert Mead för att, i likhet med föregående kapitel, presentera hans övergripande argument och huvudsakliga tankegångar. Avslutningsvis avrundas avhandlingens andra del med ett kapitel som syftar till att summera och utveckla den spänningsrelation som hittas mellan dessa två teoretiker samtidigt som en diskussion förs om de möjligheter en empirisk utveckling av den teoretiska problematiken skulle kunna bidra med. Den teoretiska spänning som lokaliseras mellan Mead och Butler kretsar i första hand kring deras förståelse av relationen mellan aktör och praktik och med utgångspunkt i denna formuleras arbetsbegreppen transaktör och transpraktik som genomgående används i presentationen av det empiriska materialet. Avhandlingens tredje del (del 3: Empiriska nedslag) är i första hand av empirisk karaktär och är uppdelad i två kapitel. I det första av dessa förs en diskussion om hur de självreflexiva genuslekarna inbegriper formulerandet av ett särskilt transgenus och på vad sätt det är möjligt att förstå iscensättandet av genus som en i första hand självkommunikativ praktik. Gradvis demonstreras hur det går att utläsa en önskan om att iscensätta genus tillsammans med andra människor och därför kretsar det följande kapitlet kring en diskussion om betydelsen av social interaktion för detta iscensättande. Med andra ord går det att utläsa en rörelse från självkommunikation till (önskad) social interaktion och detta är ett tema som tydligt ringar in en stor del av den teoretiska problematik som genomsyrar denna studie. I den fjärde och avslutande delen (del 4: Avslutande reflektioner) knyts i tre kapitel de resonemang som hittills har presenterats och diskuterats ihop. Det inledande kapitlet för en teoretiskt orienterad diskussion om den föregående genomgången av det empiriska materialet. I ett därpå följande kapitel fokuseras på olika aspekter av självreflexiva genuslekar i relation till den klädda kroppen för att visa hur den tidigare presenterade praktik- och aktörsproblematiken är avhängig den klädda kroppens genusprägling. I detta sammanhang visas hur det är möjligt att upprätta en relation mellan självets framväxt, subjektivitet och den klädda kroppen. Avslutningsvis förs ett kortfattat resonemang kring avhandlingens huvudsakliga argumentationslinjer och vilka möjligheter ett tänkande inspirerat av queer socialpsykologi för med sig. / <p>Med sammanfattning på engelska</p>

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Orientador: Sílvia Regina Quijadas Aro Zuliani / Resumo: A presente pesquisa consiste na investigação e construção de um panorama das dificuldades de aprendizagem de Física apresentadas por um grupo de alunos ingressantes no Ensino Médio, assim como das potencialidades que novas metodologias de ensino, conhecidas como Metodologias Ativas, possuem quando atuam objetivando a superação destas dificuldades e a modificação da percepção do ambiente escolar pelos alunos. Para compreensão das dificuldades dos alunos e da percepção que eles possuem quanto ao ambiente escolar, foi adotada uma investigação ecológica e exploratória que compreende suas ações e seus comportamentos associados à organização social da escola. Com o entendimento de que o ambiente escolar influencia diretamente o comportamento social dos estudantes e, consequentemente, sua aprendizagem, buscou-se compreender como os próprios estudantes explicam as relações sociais existentes no ambiente escolar e suas consequências de cunho psicológico e sociológico. O principal resultado encontrado na pesquisa, por meio da análise fenomenológica de grupos focais realizados com os alunos foi a presença de Estigmas relacionados à escola, nomeados de Estigmas Escolares, os quais podem ser diretamente relacionados à evasão e ao abandono escolar. Na sequência, buscou-se inserir os alunos participantes da pesquisa em uma proposta de ensino, na qual a Metodologia Ativa de Ensino Híbrido foi utilizada como intervenção didática, articulando ações presenciais e não presenciais que objetivaram... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the reasons of difficulties in learning Physics presented by a group of high school first-year students and the potential of Active Learning methodologies to change the school social environment perception of the students and improving their skills to learn and act in a democratic curriculum perspective. An Ecological, exploratory and qualitative investigation was performed to comprehend learning difficulties and student's perceptions of the school environment. The Ecological approach understands students actions and behaviors related to the social organization of the school. Thereby, understanding that the school environment directly influences students' social behavior and, consequently, their learning, the research sought to recognize how the students themselves explain the social relations existing in the school environment and its psychological and sociological consequences. The main result found in the research, through the phenomenological analysis of focus groups performed with the students, was the presence of school-related stigmas, named School Stigmas, which can be directly related to evasion and school failure. Trying to change this primary results, face-to-face and online learning actions aiming to social integrate students into a learning community were articulated to introduce them into a Blended Learning proposal. Thus, the research concludes that, after six months of activities, the developed actions indicate the reduce manife... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T14:23:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 444490.pdf: 1334210 bytes, checksum: 889808ec32b03559b3a2e21c1a1fefe2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-11-13 / This dissertation, entitled The formation of the self in Mead and Habermas: challenges and implications for education , is the result of a doctorate research study on education and aims to address the issue of self-formation, as a process of subjectivity and stabilization of a personal identity, within the context of the post-metaphysical thinking, based on George Herbert Mead s symbolic interactionism and on J?rgen Habermas s theory of communicative action. This research also discusses the role of the school in the formation process of subjects, particularly with respect to the challenges and implications which result from both theoretical positions. It is a theoretical study, in the area of philosophy of education, which includes literature review, a presentation of the main concepts involved in this issue, and a hermeneutic endeavor to locate, understand and argue logically based on issues and concepts presented. Throughout the discussion it is possible to notice that the individuation process occurs through socialization. The mechanism of communication is the structuring principle of the mind, of the self, of the identity of the self and of the human society. Personal identity is structured by the internalization of collective norms and conventions, the progressive development of the internal structures of the self, the continuous processes of individual social learning, processes of decentralization and acquisition of rationality within communicative and symbolic contexts. The stabilization of a post conventional identity, the last level of the ideal development of personality, can be understood considering an increasingly universal action and the structuring of a meaning and a biography in one s own existence. Such kind of identity offers the possibility of a self-understanding, which allows the subject to act with autonomy and responsibility in relation to themselves, to society and to culture. The school as an institution, through systematic and intentional teaching and learning processes, can effectively contribute to the formation of the self and the building of a personal identity in higher levels, thus qualifying the subjects to appropriate and reconstruct the inherited cultural knowledge, to establish judgments concerning world issues, to coordinate their actions together with other members of the social group and to participate in the interaction and socialization processes of the individuals. This contribution will be of a higher quality as the pedagogical actions, taken within the school environment, are outlined based on assumptions of interaction, dialogue and participation, always respecting the multiplicity of human dimensions and aiming at the formation of competent subjects in esthetic, expressive, interpretative, moral, social and discursive dimensions. / A presente tese, intitulada A forma??o do eu em Mead e em Habermas: desafios e implica??es ? educa??o, fruto de uma pesquisa de doutoramento em educa??o, tem por objetivo abordar o tema da forma??o do eu, enquanto processo de subjetiva??o e de estabiliza??o de uma identidade pessoal, no contexto do pensamento p?s-metaf?sico, a partir do interacionismo simb?lico de George Herbert Mead e da teoria da a??o comunicativa de J?rgen Habermas. A investiga??o tamb?m discorre sobre o papel que a escola desempenha nos processos de forma??o dos sujeitos, especialmente no que tange aos desafios e ?s implica??es decorrentes das posi??es te?ricas dos autores anteriores. Trata-se de um estudo de cunho te?rico, no campo da filosofia da educa??o, que engloba revis?o bibliogr?fica, exposi??o dos principais conceitos implicados no problema e esfor?o hermen?utico por situar, compreender e argumentar logicamente a partir das quest?es e dos conceitos em tela. No decorrer da argumenta??o ? poss?vel perceber que o processo de individua??o se d? pela socializa??o. O mecanismo da comunica??o ? o princ?pio estruturante da mente, do self, da identidade do eu e da sociedade humana. A identidade pessoal estrutura-se mediante a internaliza??o das normas e das conven??es coletivas, o desenvolvimento progressivo das estruturas internas do eu, processos cont?nuos de aprendizagem individual e social, processos de descentra??o e de ganhos de racionalidade em contextos comunicativos e simb?licos. A estabiliza??o de uma identidade p?s-convencional, ?ltimo n?vel de desenvolvimento ideal da personalidade, pode ser compreendida a partir de um agir com fim cada vez mais universal e da estrutura??o de um sentido e de uma biografia para a pr?pria exist?ncia. Tal classe de identidade abre a possibilidade de um autoentendimento, que permite ao sujeito agir autonomamente e de modo respons?vel diante de si mesmo, da sociedade e da cultura. A institui??o escolar, mediante processos de ensino e de aprendizagem sistem?ticos e intencionados, pode contribuir efetivamente na forma??o do eu e na estrutura??o de uma identidade pessoal em n?veis mais elevados, qualificando os sujeitos a que se apropriem e reconstruam o saber cultural herdado, estabele?am entendimentos acerca de algo no mundo, coordenem as a??es com os demais membros do grupo social e participem de processos de intera??o e de socializa??o individuadores. Tal contribui??o ser? mais qualificada ? medida que as a??es pedag?gicas, efetivadas no ambiente escolar, delinearem-se sob os pressupostos da intera??o, do di?logo e da participa??o, respeitando a multiplicidade das dimens?es do humano e objetivando a forma??o de sujeitos competentes na dimens?o est?tica, expressiva, interpretativa, moral, social e discursiva.

En ce début de 21e siècle, le bruit des transports est l'une des principales nuisances. Un important travail est réalisé par les acousticiens afin d'améliorer l'efficacité des écrans acoustiques.<br />Actuellement, le choix des protections anti-bruit se porte souvent sur des solutions triviales ou issues d'études paramétriques. Or le CSTB possède des codes de calculs numériques avancés dédiés à la simulation de la propagation acoustique en milieu extérieur. Le but de cette thèse est de coupler ces codes prévisionnels avec un outil mathématique à développer permettant une recherche systématique des solutions optimales.<br />Une étude bibliographique a permis de dégager des algorithmes applicables au cas de l'optimisation de paramètres caractérisant un écran acoustique. Ils ont été appliqués avec succès aux écrans multi-diffracteurs. Des méthodes d'optimisation multiobjectif ont en outre permis d'optimiser simultanément le prix de revient de la protection et son efficacité acoustique. Dans une optique de développement durable, un travail a été réalisé sur l'efficacité de protections acoustiques de faible hauteur en milieu urbain dans le but de créer des espaces calmes. Des mesures sur modèles réduits ont été confrontées aux simulations acoustiques et l'optimisation de la forme de ces protections a permis de dégager des solutions optimales. Enfin, les méthodes d'optimisation ont été appliquées au cas de l'optimisation de trajectoires.<br />Les principaux objectifs de la thèse ont été atteints, notamment par la création d'un outil utilisant des algorithmes d'optimisation (Nelder Mead et Algorithmes Génétiques) ainsi que les codes de calculs de simulation acoustique en milieu extérieur.

Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'identification et la commande prédictive des systèmes non linéaires monovariables et multivariables en exploitant les modèles NARMA. Pour l'identification des modèles de type NARMA, nous avons proposé deux nouvelles méthodes heuristiques. La première méthode est basée sur les algorithmes génétiques binaires et la deuxième méthode constitue une combinaison entre le réseau de neurones artificiels à fonction d'activation polynomiale et l'algorithme génétique sous sa représentation réelle. Cette dernière méthode a été également développée pour la modélisation des systèmes multivariables. Les résultats trouvés, pratiques ou en simulations, ont confirmé l'efficacité et la robustesse des méthodes proposées. En effet, les modèles NARMA déterminés caractérisent avec une précision acceptable et avec une complexité raisonnable le comportement des systèmes étudiés. Par la suite nous avons proposé un contrôleur prédictif des systèmes non linéaires sous contraintes, qui exploite les modèles de type NARMA. La loi de commande est obtenue en minimisant un critère quadratique non convexe. Le problème d'optimisation est résolu par deux méthodes utilisant les algorithmes de Nelder-Mead et de Rosenbrock qui ne nécessitent pas le calcul de la dérivée du critère. Ces méthodes, combinées avec la fonction de pénalité, l'approche CFON ainsi que l'utilisation de la notion de multi initialisation, permettent une meilleure convergence vers le minimum global.

Ce travail porte sur la modélisation dynamique des fours de réchauffage en continu de la sidérurgie en développant une logique de supervision en ligne. Le premier axe présente l'élaboration d'un modèle dynamique global d'un four de réchauffage où seules l'équation de l'énergie et l'équation de continuité sont appliquées en utilisant et perfectionnant le logiciel THERMETTE du Centre Energétique et Procédés (CEP). Le modèle est applicable à tous les types de fours grâce à l'interface de l'outil SAFIR-4D développé pour la société Stein-Heurtey. A l'aide de cette interface, un four quelconque est décrit et le modèle dynamique est généré automatiquement après avoir calculé les facteurs de transferts radiatifs du four étudié. Les facteurs de transferts sont calculés par la méthode "Damier", méthode de calcul rapide des facteurs de transferts radiatifs développée dans cette thèse, couplée au logiciel MODRAY du CEP. La validation numérique de la méthode "Damier" est effectuée afin d'en démontrer son exactitude avec ce qu'elle apporte comme gain considérable en temps de calcul. La validation expérimentale, basée sur une brame instrumentée circulant dans un four, montre la cohérence du modèle dynamique global mis en place et couplé aux facteurs de transferts radiatifs issus de la méthode "Damier". Les résultats obtenus de températures, de débits de produits et de bilan thermique sont en bon accord avec les mesures. Le second grand axe de ce travail porte sur la supervision en ligne d'un four de réchauffage. Le modèle dynamique développé dans la première partie sert d'analogue de four réel et donc de fournisseur de données pour le fonctionnement en ligne du four. Le travail de supervision est une combinaison d'algorithmes de prévision et d'optimisation. La prévision rapide et en ligne des températures des brames permet d'obtenir les données nécessaires à l'optimisation dont la fonction est de mettre à jour les consignes du four afin de vérifier le critère technico-économique de production. La supervision est ensuite validée en comparant les résultats des tests menés à ceux obtenus lors d'une supervision classique où les consignes des zones ont des valeurs constantes. Les résultats sont satisfaisants du point de vue consommation énergétique et critère de températures sur les différentes brames.

The challenges in automating the design of planar mechanisms are tremendous especially in areas related to computational representation, kinematic analysis and synthesis of planar mechanisms. The challenge in computational representation relates to the development of a comprehensive methodology to completely define and manipulate the topologies of planar mechanisms while in kinematic analysis, the challenge is primarily in the development of generalized analysis routines to analyze different mechanism topologies. Combining the aforementioned challenges along with appropriate optimization algorithms to synthesize planar mechanisms for different user-defined applications presents the final challenge in the automated design of planar mechanisms. The methods presented in the literature demonstrate synthesis of standard four-bar and six-bar mechanisms with revolute and prismatic joints. But a detailed review of these methods point to the fact that they are not scalable when the topologies and the parameters of n-bar mechanisms are required to be simultaneously synthesized. Through this research, a comprehensive and scalable methodology for synthesizing different mechanism topologies and their parameters simultaneously is presented that overcomes the limitations in different challenge areas in the following ways. In representation, a graph-grammar based scheme for planar mechanisms is developed to completely describe the topology of a mechanism. Grammar rules are developed in conjunction with this representation scheme to generate different mechanism topologies in a tree-search process. In analysis, a generic kinematic analysis routine is developed to automatically analyze one-degree of freedom mechanisms consisting of revolute and prismatic joints. Two implementations of kinematic analysis have been included. The first implementation involves the use of graphical methods for position and velocity analyses and the equation method for acceleration analysis for mechanisms with a four-bar loop. The second implementation involves the use of an optimization-based method that has been developed to handle position kinematics of indeterminate mechanisms while the velocity and acceleration analyses of such mechanisms are carried out by formulating appropriate linear equations. The representation and analysis schemes are integrated to parametrically synthesize different mechanism topologies using a hybrid implementation of Particle Swarm Optimization and Nelder-Mead simplex algorithm. The hybrid implementation is able to produce better results for the problems found in the literature using a four-bar mechanism with revolute joints as well as through other higher order mechanisms from the design space. The implementation has also been tested on three new challenge problems with satisfactory results subject to computational constraints. The difficulties in the search have been studied that indicates the reasons for the lack of solution repeatability. This dissertation concludes with a discussion of the results and future directions. / text

This study argues that a pragmatic conception of religion would enable philosophers to make important contributions to our ability to handle concrete problems involving religion. The term 'philosophical anthropology', referring to different interpretative frameworks, which philosophers draw on to develop conceptions of human phenomena, is introduced. It is argued that the classical pragmatists embraced a philosophical anthropology significantly different from that embraced by most philosophers of religion; accordingly, pragmatism offers an alternative conception of religion. It is suggested that a conception of religion is superior to another if it makes more promising contributions to our ability to handle extra-philosophical problems of religion. A pragmatic philosophical anthropology urges us to view human practices as responses to shared experienced needs. Religious practices develop to resolve tensions in our views of life. The pictures of human flourishing they persent reconstruct our views of life, thereby allowing more significant interaction with the environment, and a more significant life. A modified version of reflective equilibrium is developed to show how we, on a pragmatic conception of religion, are able to supply resources for criticism and reform of religious practices, so the extra-philosophical problems of religion can be handled. Mainstream philosophy of religion attempts to offer such resources by presenting analogy-arguments from religious experience. Those arguments are, however, unconvincing. A comparison of the two conceptions of religion thus results in a recommendation to reconstruct philosophy of religion.