Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

In recent years, autonomous driving has become an increasingly practical technology. With state-of-the-art computer and sensor engineering, autonomous vehicles may be produced and widely used for travel and logistics in the near future. They have great potential to reduce traffic accidents, improve transportation efficiency, and release people from driving tasks while commuting. Researchers have built autonomous vehicles that can drive on public roads and handle normal surrounding traffic and obstacles. However, in situations like lane changing and merging, the autonomous vehicle faces the challenge of performing smooth interaction with human-driven vehicles. To do this, autonomous vehicle intelligence still needs to be improved so that it can better understand and react to other human drivers on the road. In this thesis, we argue for the importance of implementing ”socially cooperative driving”, which is an integral part of everyday human driving, in autonomous vehicles. An intention-integrated Prediction- and Cost function-Based algorithm (iPCB) framework is proposed to enable an autonomous vehicles to perform cooperative social behaviors. We also propose a behavioral planning framework to enable the socially cooperative behaviors with the iPCB algorithm. The new architecture is implemented in an autonomous vehicle and can coordinate the existing Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Centering interface to perform socially cooperative behaviors. The algorithm has been tested in over 500 entrance ramp and lane change scenarios on public roads in multiple cities in the US and over 10; 000 in simulated case and statistical testing. Results show that the proposed algorithm and framework for autonomous vehicle improves the performance of autonomous lane change and entrance ramp handling. Compared with rule-based algorithms that were previously developed on an autonomous vehicle for these scenarios, over 95% of potentially unsafe situations are avoided.

Die Jahresmitteltemperatur-Zeitreihen dreier Stationen (Berlin, Leipzig und Stockholm) werden auf ihre langfristigen Trends im Zeitbereich 1830-1980 untersucht. Dazu wird die neuartige, parametrische Methode der Rampenregression (Mudelsee 1999a) verwendet. Die Vorteile gegenüber bisher verwendeten Verfahren sind (1) eine realistischeres Übergangsmodell und (2) Angaben des statistischen Fehlers geschätzter Übergangs-Zeitpunkte und -Niveaus. Leipzig (Erwärmung um 0.86±0.13 °C von 1889±7bis1911±7) und Stockholm (Erwärmung um 1.01±0.22 °C von 1879±23 bis 1945±21) zeigen beide einen rampenförmigen Trendverlauf, Berlin dagegen einen noch komplizierteren Trend. Im Falle von Leipzig liegt wahrscheinlich ein deutlicher Urbanisierungseinfluß vor. Die Rampenregression bietet die Möglichkeit, einen globalen Klimawechsel genauer zu quantifizieren. / Timeseries of annual average temperature from three stations (Berlin, Leipzig and Stockholm) are investigated with regards to their long-term trends in the time interval 1830-1980. For that, the new, parametric method of ramp function regression (Mudelsee 1999a) is used. The advantages against other previously employed methods are (1) a more realistic transition model and (2) information about the statistical accuracy of estimated transition dates and levels. Both Leipzig (warming by 0.86±0.13 °C, from 1889±7 to 1911±7) and Stockholm (warming by 1.01±0.22 °C, from 1879±23 to 1945±21) show a ramp-form trend, whereas Berlin\'s trend is even more complicated. In the case of Leipzig a significant contribution by urbanization is likely. Ramp function regression has the potential to quantify a global climate change more accurately.

Sedan 1970-talet har ålbeståndet minskat rejält och under de senaste decennierna har man försökt hitta en lösning på detta problem. En ökad naturlig rekrytering kan hjälpa ålarnas återhämtning. Varje år fastnar en stor mängd juvenila ålar vid vattenkraftverk. För att hjälpa ålarna ta sig förbi dessa kan man installera ramper, vilka hjälper ålarna att klättra förbi vattenkraftverken. Syftet med studien var att ta reda på vilken typ av substrat i ramper vid dessa vattenkraftverk som ålynglen föredrar. Studien utfördes utomhus i två odlingsbassänger där sex stycken ramper hade installerats. Den huvudsakliga studien bestod av ett selektionstest där ålynglen fick välja mellan tre olika substrat. Man antecknade också om det var några yngel som valde att stanna kvar, detta för att kunna testa om det fanns någon signifikant skillnad mellan importerade och vilda ålyngel när det gäller de yngel som inte valt någon av ramperna. Sammanlagt 500 yngel (vilda N=235, importerade N=265) var med i studien. Ålynglen placerades i nätkassar nedanför ramperna. Där hade de möjligheten att antingen välja ett av substraten och vandra uppför rampen, eller stanna kvar i bassängen. De tre substraten som testades var plastkätting, FishPass™ rigid brush mixed green (FishPass™) och Diadrain 25H (D-25). Resultatet blev att både de vilda och de importerade ålynglen föredrog FishPass™ och D-25 framför plastkätting. Det fanns ingen signifikant skillnad mellan FishPass™ och D-25. Man kom också fram till att signifikant fler vildfångade ålar än importerade valde att stanna kvar istället för att klättra upp för en ramp. Resultatet från den här studien säger att vi kan öka antalet juvenila ålar som tar sig förbi vattenkraftverk. Placerar man ut ramper klädda med antingen FishPass™ eller D-25 vid de vattenkraftverk där juvenila ålar har svårt att passera så kan man på så sätt hjälpa ålarnas naturliga rekrytering. / Since the 1970s, eel stocks have declined, and in the recent decades people have been trying to find a solution to this problem. An increased natural recruitment could help the eels to recover. Each year a large quantity of juvenile eels get stuck at hydroelectric plants. To help the eels pass by these plants, ramps can be installed, which help the eels to pass the dams. The purpose of the study was to find out what type of substrate in ramps at these hydropower plants that juvenile eels prefer. The study was conducted in two outdoor hatchery ponds where six ramps had been installed. The main study consisted of a selection test where juvenile eels had to choose between three different substrates. It was also recorded if there were some juveniles who chose to remain, in order to test if there was a significant difference between imported and wild eels when it comes to individuals that have not selected any of the ramps. A total of 500 juveniles (Wild N = 235, Imported N = 265) were included in the study. The juvenile eels were placed in net enclosures beneath the ramps, and had to choose one of the substrates and climb the ramp, or else remain in the net enclosure. The three substrates tested were plastic chain, Fish Pass ™ rigid brush mixed green (Fish Pass™) and Diadrain 25H (D-25). I found that both the wild and imported eels preferred Fish Pass™ and D-25 instead of the plastic chain. There was no significant difference between Fish Pass™ and D-25. It was also found that significantly more wild-caught than imported eels chose to stay in the enclosure instead of climbing up a ramp. The results from this study indicate that we can increase the number of juvenile eels that successfully pass by hydroelectric plants. If we place ramps covered with either Fish Pass™ or D-25 at the hydropower plants, we can help the eel’s natural recruitment.

Grupo Corumbá representa um dos mais completos registros sedimentares do Ediacarano na América do Sul, com afloramentos de rochas siliciclásticas e carbonáticas ao longo da Faixa Paraguai Sul. Estas rochas contêm um rico conteúdo fossilífero, com ocorrências dos primeiros organismos com estruturas biomineralizadas (Cloudina sp). Este trabalho apresenta o estudo faciológico e quimioestratigráfico da Formação Tamengo, Grupo Corumbá na mina Laginha, sucessão carbonática de 130 metros de espessura, em contato erosivo na base com brechas calcárias e no topo com os pelitos da Formação Guaicurus. Para a Formação Tamengo foram descritas 4 fácies sedimentares: brecha calcária intraformacional (F1), grainstone oolítico (F2), packstone/grainstone oolítico (F3) e ritmito (F4), as quais representam a evolução de uma rampa interna-média com geração de barras oolíticas, submetida à ação de correntes e ondas de alta energia. Os dados geoquímicos e isotópicos dos carbonatos mostram as condições geoquímicas dessa rampa carbonática depositada em ambiente marinho de águas rasas. Análises isotópicas de carbono e oxigênio foram realizadas em 130 amostras de rocha, coletadas a cada um metro. Com base nos teores de Rb e Sr determinados por FRX, as 10 amostras com altas concentrações de Sr foram selecionadas para análise isotópica de Sr e geoquímica elementar. Na base da sucessão, os carbonatos oolíticos mostram valores de ?13C (V-PDB) de cerca de -3,5 ?, aumentando para +6,0 ? nos primeiros 70 metros basais da sequência. O aumento nos valores de ?13C é interpretado como resultado do aumento da taxa de matéria orgânica soterrada. Acima desse intervalo, observa-se uma tendência homogênea dos valores ?13C, oscilando entre 1,7 e 3,4 ?. A estabilidade nestes valores positivos pode estar relacionada ao equilíbrio entre a taxa de matéria orgânica soterrada e a reciclagem do carbono pela degradação da matéria orgânica. Os valores de ?18O (V-PDB) são todos negativos e mostram uma tendência progressiva em toda a seção, de -1,8 na base a -9,3 ? na parte superior. Os valores de ?18O provavelmente não refletem as composições isotópicas primárias devido à alteração pós-deposicional. As razões 87Sr/86Sr variaram entre 0,7085 e 0,7089, as quais são concordantes com a evolução global para o final do Ediacarano. Os resultados obtidos permitem inferir que estas razões representam a composição isotópica da água do mar na época da deposição. A presente investigação contribui para o conhecimento das condições geoquímicas presentes nos ambientes marinhos rasos da rampa carbonática onde as rochas da Formação Tamengo foram depositadas e suas implicações no desenvolvimento das comunidades biológicas que evoluíram no final do Ediacariano. / The Corumbá Group represents one of the most complete sedimentary records of the Ediacaran in South America, with outcrops of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks along the southern Paraguay Belt. These rocks contain a rich fossiliferous content, with occurrences of the first organisms with biomineralized structures (Cloudina sp). This work presents the faciologic and chemostratigraphic study of the Tamengo Formation, Corumbá Group, at the Laginha mine, a 130 - m thick carbonate succession, in erosive contact at the base with carbonate breccias and at the top with pelites of the Guaicurus Formation. Four sedimentary facies have been described in the Tamengo Formation: intraformational breccia (F1) oolitic grainstone (F2) oolitic packstone/grainstone (F3) and rhythmites (F4), which represent the evolution of an inner-mid ramp with oolitic bars generation, subjected to the action of currents and waves of high energy. Elementar and isotope geochemistry of carbonates show the chemical conditions in the shallow-water marine environments of this carbonatic ramp. Carbon and oxygen isotopic analysis were performed on 130 calcareous samples, collected each meter. Based on the Rb and Sr contents determined by XRF, ten samples with high Sr concentrations were selected for Sr isotope and elemental geochemical analysis. The ?13C (V-PDB) values start with -3.5 ? at the base of oolitic carbonates, increasing to +6.0 ? in the first 70 meters at the base of the sequence. The increase in ?13C values is preliminarily interpreted as a result of the increase in the organic matter buried. Above this interval, a homogeneous trend is observed in the ?13C values, oscillating between 1.7 and 3.4 ?. The stability of these positive values can be related to a balance between the buried organic matter and carbon recycling by organic matter degradation. The ?18O (V-PDB) values are all negative and show a progressive trend throughout the section, from -1.8 at the base to -9.3 ? at the top. This trend of the ?18O values probably do not reflect the primary isotopic composition due to post-depositional alteration. 87Sr/86Sr ratios ranged between 0.7085 and 0.7089, which are in accordance with the global Sr isotope evolution of the late Ediacaran seawater. The obtained results allow us to infer that these ratios represent the isotopic composition of seawater at the time of deposition. The present study contributes to the knowledge of the geochemical conditions of the shallow marine environments of the Tamengo Formation, which has implications in the development of the biological communities that evolved at the end of the Ediacaran.

Student Number : 9803381J - MSc Dissertation - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Although pulsed power has been used in many parts of the world over the last few decades to initiate high-voltage discharges through rock, no systematic test work on South African ore bodies and related rock types has been done so far. As part of CSIR Miningtek’s integrated approach of combining underground comminution with a novel Tore© hydrotransport system, which has been shown to operate well with coarse particles up to 10 mm, various rock types were fragmented in single discharge mode under laboratory conditions. The work was conducted at the University of the Witwatersrand’s high-voltage laboratory with a custom-designed test rig. The rig configuration was based on a critical review and analysis of the literature and on assessments of existing test facilities elsewhere. Core samples with diameters ranging from 16 to 48 mm were cut from test specimens with thicknesses ranging from 8 to 48 mm. Rock types included Ventersdorp Contact Reef, Carbon Leader, Elsburg Formation, UG2 and Merensky, as well as pure quartz, shales, lava and dykes. A six-stage Marx generator provided a voltage rise time of 2 000 kV/μs to create a discharge through the rock, in preference to a discharge through the surrounding water, which acts as an insulator at ramp-up times faster than 0,5 μs. High-speed photography, and an analysis of the voltage and current signals for various rock types and for water alone, were used to quantify the potential benefits of rock breaking by electric discharge. It was found that some Kimberlite specimens and mineralised gold-bearing reefs were much easier to fragment than hanging wall or footwall material. Merensky reef appeared to be more susceptible than the less brittle UG2 material. A correlation was derived between the dynamic resistivity of various rock types, measured at 16 MHz excitation frequency, and the electrical breakdown strength at which discharge took place. The fragments created had a more cubical shape than would be created by conventional impact crushing. However, the high voltage requirements of about 30 to 35 kV per millimetre of rock thickness would necessitate not only efficient mechanical and electrical contact between the electrodes and the rock, but also considerable safety features for underground installations. The clearly identified, preferential fracturing of reef rock types, compared with the hanging or footwall materials, suggests that the greater benefit of electric rock breaking may lie in primary rock breaking as a mining method, rather than in secondary comminution of broken rock to enable hydraulic transportation by pipeline to surface.

<p>Den här rapporten beskriver arbetet med en automatiserad provrörsförflyttare. Det är ett examensarbete som har gjorts på företaget Q-linea AB. En karuselliknande konstruktion med en stegmotor användes för att flytta prover mellan ett antal positioner. En mikrokontroller som hanterar styrning och sensordata har programmerats i C. LabVIEW och en USB-kamera har använts som hjälp till att göra utvärderingar och tester av systemet. Målet var att konstruera en prototyp som uppfyllde de precisionskrav och tidskrav som ställdes, vilket också uppnåddes. Rapporten beskriver arbetsgången och avslutas med rekommendationer för fortsatt arbete. Rapporten innehåller en teoridel som kan användas till hjälp för att konstruera liknande system, d.v.s. roterande positioneringstillämpningar.</p> / <p>This thesis describes the work of an automated sample tube mover. This is a degree project and has been done at the company Q-linea AB. A carousel similar construction with a stepper motor has been designed for the task to move samples between a numbers of positions. A microcontroller has been programmed to control the movements and handle sensor data. LabVIEW have been used together with an USB-camera in order to do evaluations and tests of the system. The goal was to design a prototype that fulfills the demanded requirements of precision and timing, which also was achieved. The thesis describes the work process and concludes with recommendations for further work.</p>

With growing trend in "cloud computing" and increase in the data moving into the Internet, the need to store large amounts of data by service providers such as Google, Yahoo and Microsoft has increased over time. Now, more than ever, there is a need to efficiently and securely store large amounts of data. This thesis presents an implementation of a Ramp Scheme that confidentially splits a data file into a configurable number of parts or shares of equal size such that a subset of those shares can recover the data entirely. Furthermore, the implementation supports a threshold for data compromise and data verification to verify that the data parts have not been tampered with. This thesis addresses two key problems faced in large-scale data storage, namely, data availability and confidentiality.

Den här rapporten beskriver arbetet med en automatiserad provrörsförflyttare. Det är ett examensarbete som har gjorts på företaget Q-linea AB. En karuselliknande konstruktion med en stegmotor användes för att flytta prover mellan ett antal positioner. En mikrokontroller som hanterar styrning och sensordata har programmerats i C. LabVIEW och en USB-kamera har använts som hjälp till att göra utvärderingar och tester av systemet. Målet var att konstruera en prototyp som uppfyllde de precisionskrav och tidskrav som ställdes, vilket också uppnåddes. Rapporten beskriver arbetsgången och avslutas med rekommendationer för fortsatt arbete. Rapporten innehåller en teoridel som kan användas till hjälp för att konstruera liknande system, d.v.s. roterande positioneringstillämpningar. / This thesis describes the work of an automated sample tube mover. This is a degree project and has been done at the company Q-linea AB. A carousel similar construction with a stepper motor has been designed for the task to move samples between a numbers of positions. A microcontroller has been programmed to control the movements and handle sensor data. LabVIEW have been used together with an USB-camera in order to do evaluations and tests of the system. The goal was to design a prototype that fulfills the demanded requirements of precision and timing, which also was achieved. The thesis describes the work process and concludes with recommendations for further work.

Sand ramps are widespread but understudied landforms which have the potential to provide detailed palaeoenvironmental information in dryland regions. This thesis investigates the utility of sand ramps as late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental archives by addressing two research questions: (1) What are the main controls on sand ramp formation in southern Africa? (2) What does the sand ramp record tell us about late Quaternary palaeoenvironments in southern Africa? The distribution of sand ramps in southern Africa was surveyed using Google Earth™ and 75 features were identified in southern Namibia. Ten of these sand ramps, and an additional feature from South Africa, were studied in the field. Sediments and morphology were mapped and a total of 64 OSL dates, 96 sediment samples, 10 heavy mineral assemblages and OSL sensitivity data from 8 samples were examined. The distribution of sand ramps suggests formation is dependent on (1) sediment supply, (2) accommodation space, (3) persistent unidirectional wind and (4) a variable semi-arid to arid climate. Chronologies and sediment analyses indicate individual sand ramp accumulation is locally controlled by sediment supply modulated by the availability, and nature, of the accommodation space. Comparison between the Namibian and South African sand ramps suggests considerable regional variation in the factors controlling sediment supply. The Namibian sand ramps show an affinity to local ephemeral river channels. Periods of dated sand ramp activity in multiple features are interpreted as periods of increased regional fluvial activity. Significant activity occurred at ~21-12 ka (with peaks at 21-18.5 ka and 14.5-12 ka), ~8.5-7.5 ka and ~2 ka. Some activity is also indicated at 85-65 ka and 45-35 ka. These results correspond well to regional records. Overall, this study demonstrates that sand ramps can provide palaeoclimatic information on both the local and regional scale but only if a number of caveats are taken into consideration.