In this thesis the air infiltration through the envelope of a naturally ventilated stone church located in Bergby (Gävle, Sweden) is studied. The project is focused on Multiple Linear Regression (MLR) modeling the air change rate (ACH) inside the church hall and studying the factors (stack effect and wind effect) that influence the air infiltration. The weather parameters outside the building were recorded in a weather station and the properties of the air inside the church was analyzed with different methods. Infrared thermography techniques and thermistors were used to measure the temperature inside, the tracer gas method to measure the ACH and the blower door technique to measure the tightness of the building envelope. In order to know the pressure coefficients on the church envelope a physical model of the building was studied in a wind tunnel. Firstly, only the values obtained from the weather station were used to calculate the predictors of ACH and see which parameter influence more on its variation:  temperature difference (∆T) indicating the stack effect; and wind speed (WS), the component of wind speed perpendicular to the long-side facades of the church (WS90) and their square values (WS2 and WS902) indicating the wind effect. The data obtained in the wind tunnel were later used to do the MLR study with new predictors for indicating wind effect (∆Cp∙WS, ∆Cp∙WS2, ∆CpOUT-IN·A∙WS, ∆CpOUT-IN·A∙WS2, ∆CpC-H∙WS, ∆CpC-H∙WS2). Better prediction of ACH was obtained with the square of the wind speed (WS2) instead of the magnitude itself (WS). However, the latter (WS) provided better results than the regression with the magnitude of the perpendicular component of the wind (WS90). Although wind speed influences in ACH, it alone seems to be a very poor predictor of ACH since has a negative correlation with ΔT when the data under study include both day and night. However when high wind speed are detected it has quite strong influence. The most significant predictions of ACR were attained with the combined predictors ∆T & WS and ∆T & ∆CpOUT-IN·A∙WS2. The main conclusion taken from the MLR analysis is that the stack effect is the most significant factor influencing the ACH inside the church hall. This leads to suggest that an effective way of reducing ACH could be sealing the floor and ceiling of the church because from those areas the air infiltration has big influence on the ACH inside the church hall, and more in this case that have been noted that the floor is very leaky. Although different assumptions have been done during the analyses that contribute to make the predictions deviate from reality, at the end it would be possible to asses that MLR can be a useful tool for analyzing the relative importance of the driving forces for ACR in churches and similar buildings, as long as the included predictors not are too mutually correlated, and that attained models that are statistically significant also are physically realistic. / Church project

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado. / The current study is based on a multiple linear regression analysis with an objective to formulate an equation related to the productivity analysis of LHD equipment using independent variables such as the effective utilization of the equipment. To identify the independent variables, main productive factors, such as the actual capacity of the buckets, the transport cycles in the cleaning process, and the performance by means of curves, were analyzed. Comparisons of a Peruvian underground mine case study exhibited that the battery-powered equipment denoted similar production efficiencies to that exhibited by its diesel counterparts; however, the three-tier approach observed that the battery-powered equipment could achieve production efficiencies that are up to 13.8% more as compared to that achieved using its diesel counterparts because of increased effective utilization that can be attributed to long MTBF. The results of this study exhibit that LHDs under battery-powered storage are feasible for underground mining not only because of the fact that they do not emit any polluting gases, which helps to mitigate pollution, but also because of their good production performance that can be considered to be an important pillar in deep mining. Copyright 2019.

The primary objectives of this research are to identify the relation between Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria regarding sustainable site credits and the appraised value of land parcels in the City of Houston, and additionally to analyze the effects of detail components which leverage the sustainable credits regarding the Public Transportation Access (PTA) in terms of economic issues. To accomplish these objectives, the approach to estimate sustainable ratings of specific parcels using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) was established. Green construction must be one of the most powerful trends in the construction industry. One of the main concepts to underlie the basis of this green construction is sustainability. This sustainability has to be considered in the process of the site selection prior to the actual activities to construct a building. Recently, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has suggested the modified guideline with "LEED 2009 for New Construction and Major Renovations". According to this metric, it is clear that this principle endeavors to block environmental abuses related to land development or restoration projects. On the other hand, it is not easy to check the serviceability of these rules to guarantee continuous economic merit through sustainable land development or restoration encouraged by these criteria. The criteria regarding the sustainable site selection in this LEED metric are Sustainable Site Credit (SSC) #1: Site Selection, SSC #3: Brownfield, and SSC #4.1: Public Transportation Access. Linear regression methods were used for predictive analysis. In this model, the unit appraisal value of the land was used as the dependent variable to reflect the economic values of the land, and LEED-sustainable-site criteria were used as the categorical independent variables. According to statistical results, the models to predict the appraisal parcel value using sustainable site components have relatively low R-square. Moreover, SSC #1 and SSC #3 were not significant factors affecting the unit value of land. This outcome means that there are no statistically significant effects of SSC #1 and SSC #3 on parcel value. On the other hand, SSC #4.1 was highly significant. Furthermore, the detail components of SSC #4.1 regarding the bus stops and railroad stations were also significant. These results can lead to improved environmental preservation by avoiding development which is far from the PTA as well as increasing economic value while enhancing the development density near the PTA corridors. Finally, GIS was used to determine the LEED ratings of individual parcels. The methods established to do this can be applied to other projects for the other regions, or the same region at different times.

Aboriginal Australians have a significantly lower health status than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. To facilitate healthy living practices necessary for good health, a high level investment is currently made in water services, on the assumption that there is a relationship between the volume and quality of water supplied with health outcomes, despite the high economic and environmental cost. This thesis investigates whether the current design supply criteria of 1000-1200 litres per person per day of water, meeting the Australian Drinking Water Quality Guidelines, is both sufficient and necessary to improve the health of Aboriginal Australians. The scope of the thesis is limited to the sufficiency of design guidelines although it necessarily also touches on the broader issues of Aboriginal health. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to explore current water consumption patterns of consumers at multiple hierarchical levels (community, household and individual) and hence the requirements of physical infrastructure on which consumers depend. Multiple linear regression was used to consider factors correlated with supply volume, while metering was used at both the domestic and appliance level to determine where and how water was used. Meters were installed on fixtures in two houses in a community near Alice Springs. This was then complemented by qualitative information obtained through focus group discussions, key informant interviews and observation in the field. The appropriateness of the supply of high quality water for all uses was addressed by considering the volume of drinking water intake and its impact on the derivation of water quality guidelines. This was achieved by a face-to-face survey involving 57 volunteers. Fieldwork was conducted predominantly in three communities near Alice Springs although some additional data was collected in other communities in Western Australia and the Northern Territory. The results showed that the factors influencing water consumption were highly complex and variable between communities and individuals. However, there were some culturally specific needs identified in Aboriginal communities, such as the need for temperature and dust control, as well as the reduction of losses. The unique characteristics of each community made it difficult to provide a more precise estimate for design supply. As a result, overly conservative guidelines such as those already used are necessary in the short term despite there being no guarantee of improved health. In the long term, issues of community governance and capacity building will start to be addressed, and the realisation that social systems are both complex and dynamic will need to be reflected in policy. These issues were represented in a systemic conceptual model at the end of the thesis, which also highlighted inadequacies of reductionist approaches such as design supply guidelines. The thesis concluded that complex problem situations such as that of health, require a systems approach.

A república de Moçambique é um país localizado ao longo da costa Leste da África Austral, com a economia baseada essencialmente na prática da agricultura. A cultura do milho (Zea mays L.) é a mais importante, cultivada em regime de sequeiro, com rendimentos dependentes das condições meteorológicas. Modelos agrometeorológicos de estimativa de rendimentos de culturas alimentares são alternativas viáveis para tomada de decisão em medidas de segurança alimentar e abastecimento. O calendário agrícola e o sistema de produção tornam o uso de geotecnologias uma importante ferramenta para o monitoramento de culturas e o desenvolvimento de modelos de estimativa de rendimentos. Produtos de dados de sensoriamento remoto, como índices espectrais combinados com parâmetros agrometeorológicos podem melhorar as representações espaciais de rendimentos do milho em Moçambique. O ajuste de um modelo agrometeorológico espectral para estimativa de rendimentos do milho por regressão linear múltipla na província de Manica-Moçambique constituiu o objetivo do estudo. Foi realizado um mapeamento de áreas agrícolas por análise multitemporal do NDVI/MODIS e também foi avaliada a eficiência de variáveis agrometeorológicas e espectrais na estimativa de rendimentos do milho em uma área da província de Manica que envolve os distritos de Gondola, Manica, Mossurize e Sussundenga, responsáveis por mais de 80% da produção de milho na província nos anos de 2000 a 2009. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de início do ciclo do milho baseado em critérios de chuva, e estabelecendo um ciclo fixo do milho em 130 dias. A metodologia de mapeamento de áreas agrícolas consistiu em somatórios de imagens binárias geradas por diferença de NDVI máximo e mínimo ao longo do ciclo e estabelecimento de níveis de restrição com base em comparações com estatísticas oficiais por distrito. As variáveis agrometeorológicas testadas foram evapotranspiração relativa (ETr/ETm) e o índice de satisfação das necessidade de água (ISNA) calculados a partir de dados de estimativas de elementos meteorológicos do modelo do ECMWF. O conjunto de variáveis espectrais compreendiam composições de 16 dias de índices de vegetação EVI e NDVI provenientes do produto MOD13Q1 do sensor MODIS e o LSWI, gerado por diferença normalizada de bandas de refletância de superfície do infravermelho próximo e médio contidas no mesmo produto. O modelo agrometeorológico espectral envolveu as variáveis meteorológicas e espectrais como independentes sendo o rendimento médio e relativo, as variáveis dependentes ajustadas em um modelo de regressão múltipla. Todos os distritos, a exceção de Mossurize, geraram modelos com bom desempenho nas estimativas de rendimentos do milho e significado físico. O modelo regional, incluindo Gondola, Manica e Sussundenga e envolvendo o rendimento relativo foi o mais recomendado para estimativa de rendimentos do milho na região com r2 = 0,762 e RMSE de 9,46%. / Mozambique is a country located along the east coast of southern Africa, with an economy based primarily on agriculture. The Maize crop (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop, growing in rainfed conditions, with its yield dependent only on weather conditions. Agrometeorological models to forecast yields of food crops are viable alternatives for decision making on food safety measures and supply. The agricultural calendar and the production system make use of geotechnologies an important tool for crop monitoring and yield forecasting. Products from remote sensing data, combined with spectral indices and agrometeorological parameters can improve the spatial representations of maize yields in Mozambique. Setting an agrometeorological model to estimate the spectral yield of corn by multiple linear regression in Manica province, Mozambique was the objective of the study. Were conducted a mapping of agricultural areas by analyzing multitemporal NDVI / MODIS and also evaluated the effectiveness of spectral and meteorological variables in the estimated maize yield in an area of Manica province involving the districts of Gondola, Manica, Mossurize and Sussundenga responsible for more than 80% of corn production in the province in the years 2000 to 2009. A model was developed to estimate the beginnig of the corn cycle, using as a criteria the rainfall, and setting a fixed cycle of corn in 130 days. The methodology for mapping agricultural areas consisted of sums of binary images generated by the difference of maximum and minimum NDVI throughout the cycle and establishing levels of restriction based on comparisons with official statistics by district. Were tested the meteorological variables: the relative evapotranspiration (ETr / ETm) and the index of satisfaction of water needs (ISNA) calculated from data from meteorological model of ECMWF. The set of spectral variable were comprised of 16 days composition of vegetation indices NDVI and EVI from the MODIS product MOD13Q1 and LSWI generated from normalized difference of surface reflectance bands of near-infrared and medium infrared contained the same product. The meteorological and spectral variables was the set of independent variables and the average and relative yield were the set of dependent variables used to adjusted a multiple regression model, called agrometeorological-spectral model. To all districts, except for Mossurize were generated models with good performance in estimating the corn yield and with physical meaning. The regional model, including Gondola, Manica and Sussundenga and involving the relative yield was the most suitable for estimating corn yield in the region with r2 = 0.762 and RMSE of 9.46%.

Esta tese tem como objetivo a modelagem da degradação de correias em transportadores utilizados em mineração, como função do tempo e de outras covariáveis independentes que fazem parte do processo de mineração e que influenciam no desgaste das mesmas. Para a realização do trabalho, utilizou-se um método dividido em duas etapas: (i) abordagem qualitativa (estudo teórico do tópico degradação de correias e coleta de dados através da técnica de Grupo Focado – GF), para definição de variáveis influentes no desgaste, e (ii) abordagem quantitativa, para obtenção do modelo de degradação das correias, sendo utilizada, no estudo em questão, uma regressão linear múltipla. Como resultado foi possível identificar através da literatura, assim como via GF, que as variáveis ciclo da correia, comprimento e largura da correia, queda do material, limpador de correias (raspadores), taxa de alimentação, granulometria, composto e velocidade da correia impactariam potencialmente na degradação de correias. Já com o uso da regressão múltipla, constatou-se que as mesmas realmente são significativas e influentes, corroborando os dados obtidos via GF. De posse dos modelos de degradação obtidos para cada correia, foi possível elaborar uma proposta de sistemática de gestão da degradação de correias, baseada na comparação da evolução do desgaste real com o previsto, de modo a se detectar possíveis desvios e permitir a elaboração de ações de correção, visando minimizar a degradação acelerada e maximizar a vida útil das correias. Conseguiu-se estimar um ganho financeiro potencial de cerca de R$ 1.132.000,00 por ano, a partir da comparação entre a vida útil calculada pelos modelos de degradação e a vida estimada pela área de manutenção do complexo. / This thesis aims at modelling of the conveyor’s belt degradation used in mining as a function of time and other independent covariate that are part of the mining process and have influence in their wearing. To carry out the research we implemented a method divided in two stages: (i) a qualitative approach (theoretical study of conveyor belts degradation and data collection through Focused Groups – FG) for definition of factors that are influential in the wearing of belts, and (ii) a quantitative approach for obtaining a belts’ degradation model through multiple linear regression. It was possible to identify in the literature and through FG that variables such as belt cycle, belt length and width, material fall, belt cleaner, feed rate, particle size, compound and belt speed could potentially impact on the degradation of belts. Using multiple regression such variables were found to be statistically significant, corroborating the data obtained from FG. With the degradation models obtained for each conveyor belt it was possible to propose a method for the maintenance management of conveyor belts. The method was based on the comparison of real wear versus predicted wear in order to detect possible deviations and to allow the development of correction actions that aim at minimizing accelerated degradation and maximizing the belt’s lifetime. A potential financial gain of approximately R$ 1.132.000,00 per year was estimated comparing the lifetime obtained using the degradation models and the life estimated by the maintenance area of the complex.

A república de Moçambique é um país localizado ao longo da costa Leste da África Austral, com a economia baseada essencialmente na prática da agricultura. A cultura do milho (Zea mays L.) é a mais importante, cultivada em regime de sequeiro, com rendimentos dependentes das condições meteorológicas. Modelos agrometeorológicos de estimativa de rendimentos de culturas alimentares são alternativas viáveis para tomada de decisão em medidas de segurança alimentar e abastecimento. O calendário agrícola e o sistema de produção tornam o uso de geotecnologias uma importante ferramenta para o monitoramento de culturas e o desenvolvimento de modelos de estimativa de rendimentos. Produtos de dados de sensoriamento remoto, como índices espectrais combinados com parâmetros agrometeorológicos podem melhorar as representações espaciais de rendimentos do milho em Moçambique. O ajuste de um modelo agrometeorológico espectral para estimativa de rendimentos do milho por regressão linear múltipla na província de Manica-Moçambique constituiu o objetivo do estudo. Foi realizado um mapeamento de áreas agrícolas por análise multitemporal do NDVI/MODIS e também foi avaliada a eficiência de variáveis agrometeorológicas e espectrais na estimativa de rendimentos do milho em uma área da província de Manica que envolve os distritos de Gondola, Manica, Mossurize e Sussundenga, responsáveis por mais de 80% da produção de milho na província nos anos de 2000 a 2009. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de início do ciclo do milho baseado em critérios de chuva, e estabelecendo um ciclo fixo do milho em 130 dias. A metodologia de mapeamento de áreas agrícolas consistiu em somatórios de imagens binárias geradas por diferença de NDVI máximo e mínimo ao longo do ciclo e estabelecimento de níveis de restrição com base em comparações com estatísticas oficiais por distrito. As variáveis agrometeorológicas testadas foram evapotranspiração relativa (ETr/ETm) e o índice de satisfação das necessidade de água (ISNA) calculados a partir de dados de estimativas de elementos meteorológicos do modelo do ECMWF. O conjunto de variáveis espectrais compreendiam composições de 16 dias de índices de vegetação EVI e NDVI provenientes do produto MOD13Q1 do sensor MODIS e o LSWI, gerado por diferença normalizada de bandas de refletância de superfície do infravermelho próximo e médio contidas no mesmo produto. O modelo agrometeorológico espectral envolveu as variáveis meteorológicas e espectrais como independentes sendo o rendimento médio e relativo, as variáveis dependentes ajustadas em um modelo de regressão múltipla. Todos os distritos, a exceção de Mossurize, geraram modelos com bom desempenho nas estimativas de rendimentos do milho e significado físico. O modelo regional, incluindo Gondola, Manica e Sussundenga e envolvendo o rendimento relativo foi o mais recomendado para estimativa de rendimentos do milho na região com r2 = 0,762 e RMSE de 9,46%. / Mozambique is a country located along the east coast of southern Africa, with an economy based primarily on agriculture. The Maize crop (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop, growing in rainfed conditions, with its yield dependent only on weather conditions. Agrometeorological models to forecast yields of food crops are viable alternatives for decision making on food safety measures and supply. The agricultural calendar and the production system make use of geotechnologies an important tool for crop monitoring and yield forecasting. Products from remote sensing data, combined with spectral indices and agrometeorological parameters can improve the spatial representations of maize yields in Mozambique. Setting an agrometeorological model to estimate the spectral yield of corn by multiple linear regression in Manica province, Mozambique was the objective of the study. Were conducted a mapping of agricultural areas by analyzing multitemporal NDVI / MODIS and also evaluated the effectiveness of spectral and meteorological variables in the estimated maize yield in an area of Manica province involving the districts of Gondola, Manica, Mossurize and Sussundenga responsible for more than 80% of corn production in the province in the years 2000 to 2009. A model was developed to estimate the beginnig of the corn cycle, using as a criteria the rainfall, and setting a fixed cycle of corn in 130 days. The methodology for mapping agricultural areas consisted of sums of binary images generated by the difference of maximum and minimum NDVI throughout the cycle and establishing levels of restriction based on comparisons with official statistics by district. Were tested the meteorological variables: the relative evapotranspiration (ETr / ETm) and the index of satisfaction of water needs (ISNA) calculated from data from meteorological model of ECMWF. The set of spectral variable were comprised of 16 days composition of vegetation indices NDVI and EVI from the MODIS product MOD13Q1 and LSWI generated from normalized difference of surface reflectance bands of near-infrared and medium infrared contained the same product. The meteorological and spectral variables was the set of independent variables and the average and relative yield were the set of dependent variables used to adjusted a multiple regression model, called agrometeorological-spectral model. To all districts, except for Mossurize were generated models with good performance in estimating the corn yield and with physical meaning. The regional model, including Gondola, Manica and Sussundenga and involving the relative yield was the most suitable for estimating corn yield in the region with r2 = 0.762 and RMSE of 9.46%.

Esta tese tem como objetivo a modelagem da degradação de correias em transportadores utilizados em mineração, como função do tempo e de outras covariáveis independentes que fazem parte do processo de mineração e que influenciam no desgaste das mesmas. Para a realização do trabalho, utilizou-se um método dividido em duas etapas: (i) abordagem qualitativa (estudo teórico do tópico degradação de correias e coleta de dados através da técnica de Grupo Focado – GF), para definição de variáveis influentes no desgaste, e (ii) abordagem quantitativa, para obtenção do modelo de degradação das correias, sendo utilizada, no estudo em questão, uma regressão linear múltipla. Como resultado foi possível identificar através da literatura, assim como via GF, que as variáveis ciclo da correia, comprimento e largura da correia, queda do material, limpador de correias (raspadores), taxa de alimentação, granulometria, composto e velocidade da correia impactariam potencialmente na degradação de correias. Já com o uso da regressão múltipla, constatou-se que as mesmas realmente são significativas e influentes, corroborando os dados obtidos via GF. De posse dos modelos de degradação obtidos para cada correia, foi possível elaborar uma proposta de sistemática de gestão da degradação de correias, baseada na comparação da evolução do desgaste real com o previsto, de modo a se detectar possíveis desvios e permitir a elaboração de ações de correção, visando minimizar a degradação acelerada e maximizar a vida útil das correias. Conseguiu-se estimar um ganho financeiro potencial de cerca de R$ 1.132.000,00 por ano, a partir da comparação entre a vida útil calculada pelos modelos de degradação e a vida estimada pela área de manutenção do complexo. / This thesis aims at modelling of the conveyor’s belt degradation used in mining as a function of time and other independent covariate that are part of the mining process and have influence in their wearing. To carry out the research we implemented a method divided in two stages: (i) a qualitative approach (theoretical study of conveyor belts degradation and data collection through Focused Groups – FG) for definition of factors that are influential in the wearing of belts, and (ii) a quantitative approach for obtaining a belts’ degradation model through multiple linear regression. It was possible to identify in the literature and through FG that variables such as belt cycle, belt length and width, material fall, belt cleaner, feed rate, particle size, compound and belt speed could potentially impact on the degradation of belts. Using multiple regression such variables were found to be statistically significant, corroborating the data obtained from FG. With the degradation models obtained for each conveyor belt it was possible to propose a method for the maintenance management of conveyor belts. The method was based on the comparison of real wear versus predicted wear in order to detect possible deviations and to allow the development of correction actions that aim at minimizing accelerated degradation and maximizing the belt’s lifetime. A potential financial gain of approximately R$ 1.132.000,00 per year was estimated comparing the lifetime obtained using the degradation models and the life estimated by the maintenance area of the complex.

A república de Moçambique é um país localizado ao longo da costa Leste da África Austral, com a economia baseada essencialmente na prática da agricultura. A cultura do milho (Zea mays L.) é a mais importante, cultivada em regime de sequeiro, com rendimentos dependentes das condições meteorológicas. Modelos agrometeorológicos de estimativa de rendimentos de culturas alimentares são alternativas viáveis para tomada de decisão em medidas de segurança alimentar e abastecimento. O calendário agrícola e o sistema de produção tornam o uso de geotecnologias uma importante ferramenta para o monitoramento de culturas e o desenvolvimento de modelos de estimativa de rendimentos. Produtos de dados de sensoriamento remoto, como índices espectrais combinados com parâmetros agrometeorológicos podem melhorar as representações espaciais de rendimentos do milho em Moçambique. O ajuste de um modelo agrometeorológico espectral para estimativa de rendimentos do milho por regressão linear múltipla na província de Manica-Moçambique constituiu o objetivo do estudo. Foi realizado um mapeamento de áreas agrícolas por análise multitemporal do NDVI/MODIS e também foi avaliada a eficiência de variáveis agrometeorológicas e espectrais na estimativa de rendimentos do milho em uma área da província de Manica que envolve os distritos de Gondola, Manica, Mossurize e Sussundenga, responsáveis por mais de 80% da produção de milho na província nos anos de 2000 a 2009. Foi desenvolvido um modelo de início do ciclo do milho baseado em critérios de chuva, e estabelecendo um ciclo fixo do milho em 130 dias. A metodologia de mapeamento de áreas agrícolas consistiu em somatórios de imagens binárias geradas por diferença de NDVI máximo e mínimo ao longo do ciclo e estabelecimento de níveis de restrição com base em comparações com estatísticas oficiais por distrito. As variáveis agrometeorológicas testadas foram evapotranspiração relativa (ETr/ETm) e o índice de satisfação das necessidade de água (ISNA) calculados a partir de dados de estimativas de elementos meteorológicos do modelo do ECMWF. O conjunto de variáveis espectrais compreendiam composições de 16 dias de índices de vegetação EVI e NDVI provenientes do produto MOD13Q1 do sensor MODIS e o LSWI, gerado por diferença normalizada de bandas de refletância de superfície do infravermelho próximo e médio contidas no mesmo produto. O modelo agrometeorológico espectral envolveu as variáveis meteorológicas e espectrais como independentes sendo o rendimento médio e relativo, as variáveis dependentes ajustadas em um modelo de regressão múltipla. Todos os distritos, a exceção de Mossurize, geraram modelos com bom desempenho nas estimativas de rendimentos do milho e significado físico. O modelo regional, incluindo Gondola, Manica e Sussundenga e envolvendo o rendimento relativo foi o mais recomendado para estimativa de rendimentos do milho na região com r2 = 0,762 e RMSE de 9,46%. / Mozambique is a country located along the east coast of southern Africa, with an economy based primarily on agriculture. The Maize crop (Zea mays L.) is the most important crop, growing in rainfed conditions, with its yield dependent only on weather conditions. Agrometeorological models to forecast yields of food crops are viable alternatives for decision making on food safety measures and supply. The agricultural calendar and the production system make use of geotechnologies an important tool for crop monitoring and yield forecasting. Products from remote sensing data, combined with spectral indices and agrometeorological parameters can improve the spatial representations of maize yields in Mozambique. Setting an agrometeorological model to estimate the spectral yield of corn by multiple linear regression in Manica province, Mozambique was the objective of the study. Were conducted a mapping of agricultural areas by analyzing multitemporal NDVI / MODIS and also evaluated the effectiveness of spectral and meteorological variables in the estimated maize yield in an area of Manica province involving the districts of Gondola, Manica, Mossurize and Sussundenga responsible for more than 80% of corn production in the province in the years 2000 to 2009. A model was developed to estimate the beginnig of the corn cycle, using as a criteria the rainfall, and setting a fixed cycle of corn in 130 days. The methodology for mapping agricultural areas consisted of sums of binary images generated by the difference of maximum and minimum NDVI throughout the cycle and establishing levels of restriction based on comparisons with official statistics by district. Were tested the meteorological variables: the relative evapotranspiration (ETr / ETm) and the index of satisfaction of water needs (ISNA) calculated from data from meteorological model of ECMWF. The set of spectral variable were comprised of 16 days composition of vegetation indices NDVI and EVI from the MODIS product MOD13Q1 and LSWI generated from normalized difference of surface reflectance bands of near-infrared and medium infrared contained the same product. The meteorological and spectral variables was the set of independent variables and the average and relative yield were the set of dependent variables used to adjusted a multiple regression model, called agrometeorological-spectral model. To all districts, except for Mossurize were generated models with good performance in estimating the corn yield and with physical meaning. The regional model, including Gondola, Manica and Sussundenga and involving the relative yield was the most suitable for estimating corn yield in the region with r2 = 0.762 and RMSE of 9.46%.

Esta tese tem como objetivo a modelagem da degradação de correias em transportadores utilizados em mineração, como função do tempo e de outras covariáveis independentes que fazem parte do processo de mineração e que influenciam no desgaste das mesmas. Para a realização do trabalho, utilizou-se um método dividido em duas etapas: (i) abordagem qualitativa (estudo teórico do tópico degradação de correias e coleta de dados através da técnica de Grupo Focado – GF), para definição de variáveis influentes no desgaste, e (ii) abordagem quantitativa, para obtenção do modelo de degradação das correias, sendo utilizada, no estudo em questão, uma regressão linear múltipla. Como resultado foi possível identificar através da literatura, assim como via GF, que as variáveis ciclo da correia, comprimento e largura da correia, queda do material, limpador de correias (raspadores), taxa de alimentação, granulometria, composto e velocidade da correia impactariam potencialmente na degradação de correias. Já com o uso da regressão múltipla, constatou-se que as mesmas realmente são significativas e influentes, corroborando os dados obtidos via GF. De posse dos modelos de degradação obtidos para cada correia, foi possível elaborar uma proposta de sistemática de gestão da degradação de correias, baseada na comparação da evolução do desgaste real com o previsto, de modo a se detectar possíveis desvios e permitir a elaboração de ações de correção, visando minimizar a degradação acelerada e maximizar a vida útil das correias. Conseguiu-se estimar um ganho financeiro potencial de cerca de R$ 1.132.000,00 por ano, a partir da comparação entre a vida útil calculada pelos modelos de degradação e a vida estimada pela área de manutenção do complexo. / This thesis aims at modelling of the conveyor’s belt degradation used in mining as a function of time and other independent covariate that are part of the mining process and have influence in their wearing. To carry out the research we implemented a method divided in two stages: (i) a qualitative approach (theoretical study of conveyor belts degradation and data collection through Focused Groups – FG) for definition of factors that are influential in the wearing of belts, and (ii) a quantitative approach for obtaining a belts’ degradation model through multiple linear regression. It was possible to identify in the literature and through FG that variables such as belt cycle, belt length and width, material fall, belt cleaner, feed rate, particle size, compound and belt speed could potentially impact on the degradation of belts. Using multiple regression such variables were found to be statistically significant, corroborating the data obtained from FG. With the degradation models obtained for each conveyor belt it was possible to propose a method for the maintenance management of conveyor belts. The method was based on the comparison of real wear versus predicted wear in order to detect possible deviations and to allow the development of correction actions that aim at minimizing accelerated degradation and maximizing the belt’s lifetime. A potential financial gain of approximately R$ 1.132.000,00 per year was estimated comparing the lifetime obtained using the degradation models and the life estimated by the maintenance area of the complex.