O uso de \"pigmento frio\" é uma alternativa para minimizar os efeitos de \"ilhas de calor\" em grandes cidades como São Paulo. Este tipo de pigmento proporciona o desenvolvimento de fórmulas de tinta para aplicação em coberturas com cores escuras, próximo ao preto, apresentando refletância solar (SR) maior. Neste estudo, foi formulado um grupo de tintas na cor cinza claro e outro na cor cinza escuro. O primeiro grupo de tintas foi preparado com adição de pigmento preto convencional, o negro de fumo que possui natureza orgânica e o segundo grupo de tintas foi preparado com adição de \"pigmento frio\", que possui natureza inorgânica. A fração pigmentária de ambos os grupos de tintas foi preparada com auxílio do software \"CoolSim\". A revisão bibliográfica mostra que as tintas preparadas com pigmentos de natureza orgânica apresentam baixa refletância solar enquanto que as tintas preparadas com o uso do \"pigmento frio\" apresentam maior refletância solar. Os resultados de refletância solar de ambos os grupos de tintas confirmam os dados apresentados na revisão da bibliográfica. As fórmulas preparadas com o uso de \"pigmento frio\", mesmo tendo cor escura, resulta em produto mais adequado para a aplicação em superfície de cobertura como telha, devido sua capacidade de absorver menos calor, o que contribui na redução da temperatura do edifício, reduzindo a necessidade de uso de ar condicionado e auxiliando na redução do consumo de energia. / The use of \"cool pigment\" is one of the alternatives to minimize the effects of \"heat islands\" in big cities like São Paulo. This type of pigment provides the development of formulas for painting roofs with dark colors, near black, but showing higher solar reflectance (SR) than conventional pigments. In this study, a group of paint was formulated in light gray color and the other in dark gray color. The first group of paints was prepared with addition of conventional black pigment which is the carbon black that has organic nature. The second group of paints was prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", which has inorganic nature. The pigment fraction of both groups of paints was obtained using the software \"CoolSim\". The literature review shows that finishes obtained with paints prepared with organic nature pigment has lower solar reflectance and finishes obtained with paints prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", with inorganic nature, have a higher solar reflectance. The results of the study show that the solar reflectance of both groups of paint confirms the data obtained in the literature review. The paint formulas prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", even presenting dark color, resulted in film more adequate for the application in surfaces of roofs and tiles due their capacity to absorb less heat. The use of \"cool pigment\" in formulas allow to obtain paints that can contribute to the reduction of the temperature of the building, by reduction the need to use air conditioning, resulting in lower energy consumption.

The dissertation investigates the optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) systems. The main object of research is an optical receiver for OTDR. The aim of the work is to create an optical receiver design method-ology to achieve optimal dynamic range of the system for a given band-width, design and investigate integrated fully differential variable gain tran-simpedance amplifier for OTDR optical receiver. Main tasks solved in this work are: perform analysis of OTDR struc-tures, main specifications and suggest possible improvement approaches; analyze main optical receiver noise sources and noise minimization and create generalized noise model; create optical receiver for an OTDR design methodology, that allow calculating avalanche photodiode multiplication factor, transimpedance amplifier feedback resistance and voltage amplifier input transistor dimensions that achieves optimal OTDR dynamic range; design and perform simulations of transimpedance amplifier integrated cir-cuit using AMS 0.35 µm CMOS technology and calculate optical receiver parameters in 0.1–100 MHz range of bandwidths The dissertation consists of four parts including Introduction, 4 chap-ters, Conclusions, References and 1 Annex. The introduction reveals the investigated problem, importance of the thesis and the object of research. It also describes the purpose and tasks, research methodology, scientific novelty, the practical significance of re-sults examined in the paper and defended statements. The... [to full text] / Disertacijoje nagrinėjamos laiko srities optinės reflektometrinės (OTDR) sistemos. Pagrindinis tyrimo objektas yra OTDR įėjimo pakopa – optinis imtuvas (OI). Disertacijos tikslas – sukurti OI projektavimo metodiką, lei-džiančią pasiekti optimalų dinaminį diapazoną, suprojektuoti ir ištirti integ-rinį diferencinį pereinamos varžos stiprintuvą (PVS) su kintamu stiprinimo koeficientu. Darbe sprendžiami šie uždaviniai: atliekama OTDR ir jų pagrindinių charakteristikų analizė ir formuluojamos tobulinimo kryptys; analizuojami pagrindiniai optinio imtuvo triukšmų šaltiniai, jų mažinimo galimybės ir su-daromas apibendrintas optinio imtuvo triukšmų modelis; sukuriama OI pro-jektavimo metodika, leidžianti apskaičiuoti griūtinio fotodiodo dauginimo faktorių, pereinamosios varžos stiprintuvo grįžtamojo ryšio varžą ir įėjimo tranzistoriaus fizinius matmenis, kuriems esant gaunamas optimalus dina-minis diapazonas; projektuojamas optinio imtuvo maketas iš diskrečiųjų elementų ir tiriami jo parametrai; atliekamas integrinio PVS projektavimas ir modeliavimas, taikant 0,35 µm KMOP technologiją bei optinio imtuvo pa-rametrų skaičiavimas 0,1–100 MHz dažnių juostų diapazone. Disertaciją sudaro įvadas ir keturi skyriai. Pabaigoje pateikiami naudo-tos literatūros ir autoriaus publikacijų disertacijos tema sąrašai ir 1 priedas. Įvadiniame skyriuje aptariama: tiriamoji problema, darbo aktualumas, aprašomas tyrimų objektas, suformuluotas darbo tikslas bei uždaviniai, ap-rašoma tyrimų metodika... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]

O uso de \"pigmento frio\" é uma alternativa para minimizar os efeitos de \"ilhas de calor\" em grandes cidades como São Paulo. Este tipo de pigmento proporciona o desenvolvimento de fórmulas de tinta para aplicação em coberturas com cores escuras, próximo ao preto, apresentando refletância solar (SR) maior. Neste estudo, foi formulado um grupo de tintas na cor cinza claro e outro na cor cinza escuro. O primeiro grupo de tintas foi preparado com adição de pigmento preto convencional, o negro de fumo que possui natureza orgânica e o segundo grupo de tintas foi preparado com adição de \"pigmento frio\", que possui natureza inorgânica. A fração pigmentária de ambos os grupos de tintas foi preparada com auxílio do software \"CoolSim\". A revisão bibliográfica mostra que as tintas preparadas com pigmentos de natureza orgânica apresentam baixa refletância solar enquanto que as tintas preparadas com o uso do \"pigmento frio\" apresentam maior refletância solar. Os resultados de refletância solar de ambos os grupos de tintas confirmam os dados apresentados na revisão da bibliográfica. As fórmulas preparadas com o uso de \"pigmento frio\", mesmo tendo cor escura, resulta em produto mais adequado para a aplicação em superfície de cobertura como telha, devido sua capacidade de absorver menos calor, o que contribui na redução da temperatura do edifício, reduzindo a necessidade de uso de ar condicionado e auxiliando na redução do consumo de energia. / The use of \"cool pigment\" is one of the alternatives to minimize the effects of \"heat islands\" in big cities like São Paulo. This type of pigment provides the development of formulas for painting roofs with dark colors, near black, but showing higher solar reflectance (SR) than conventional pigments. In this study, a group of paint was formulated in light gray color and the other in dark gray color. The first group of paints was prepared with addition of conventional black pigment which is the carbon black that has organic nature. The second group of paints was prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", which has inorganic nature. The pigment fraction of both groups of paints was obtained using the software \"CoolSim\". The literature review shows that finishes obtained with paints prepared with organic nature pigment has lower solar reflectance and finishes obtained with paints prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", with inorganic nature, have a higher solar reflectance. The results of the study show that the solar reflectance of both groups of paint confirms the data obtained in the literature review. The paint formulas prepared with addition of \"cool pigment\", even presenting dark color, resulted in film more adequate for the application in surfaces of roofs and tiles due their capacity to absorb less heat. The use of \"cool pigment\" in formulas allow to obtain paints that can contribute to the reduction of the temperature of the building, by reduction the need to use air conditioning, resulting in lower energy consumption.

The need for water conservation continues to increase as global freshwater resources dwindle. In response, many golf course superintendents are implementing new methods and tools to become more frugal with their water applications. For example, scheduling irrigation using time-domain reflectometer (TDR) soil moisture sensors can decrease water usage. Still, TDR measurements are time-consuming and only cover small scales, leading to many locations being unsampled. Remotely sensed data such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) offer the potential of estimating moisture stress across larger scales; however, NDVI measurements are influenced by numerous stressors beyond moisture availability, thus limiting its reliability for irrigation decisions. An alternative vegetation index, the water band index (WBI), is primarily influenced by water absorption within a narrow spectral range of near-infrared light. Previous research has established strong relationships between moisture stress of creeping bentgrass (CBG) grown on sand-based root zones, a typical scenario for golf course putting greens. However, this relationship characterizes only a small portion of total acreage across golf courses, which limits widespread adoption. In our research, '007' CBG and 'Latitude 36'hybrid bermudagrass (HBG) were grown on three soil textures, USGA 90:10 sand (S), sand loam (SL) and clay (C), arranged in a 2 x 3 factorial design, randomized within six individual dry-down cycles serving as replications. Canopy reflectance and volumetric water content (VWC) data were collected hourly between 0700 and 1900 hr using a hyperspectral radiometer and an embedded soil moisture sensor, until complete turf necrosis. The WBI had the strongest relationship to VWC (r = 0.62) and visual estimations of wilt (r = -0.91) compared to the green-to-red ratio index (GRI) or NDVI. Parameters associated with non-linear regression were analyzed to compare grasses, soils, indices, and their interactions. The WBI and GRI compared favorably with each other and indicated significant moisture stress approximately 28 hr earlier than NDVI (P = 0.0010). WBI and GRI respectively predicted moisture stress 12 to 9 hr before visual estimation of 50% wilt, whereas NDVI provided 2 hr of prediction time (P = 0.0317). When considering the time to significant moisture stress, the HBG lasted 28 hr longer than CBG, while S lasted 42 hr longer than either SL and C (P ≤ 0.0011). Nonlinear regression analysis showed that WBI and GRI can be useful for predicting moisture stress of CBG and HBG grown on three diverse soils in a highly controlled environment. Our results provide substantial evidence and direction for future research investigating how WBI and GRI can expedite moisture stress assessment and prediction on a large-acreage basis. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Managed turfgrasses provide several benefits including filtering pollutants, cooling their surroundings, generating oxygen, preventing erosion, serving as recreational surfaces, and increasing landscape aesthetics. Intensively managed turfgrass systems, such as on golf courses and sports fields, require more inputs to maintain acceptable conditions. Freshwater use is often excessive on intensively managed turfgrasses to maintain proper plant growth. Drought conditions often limit water availability, especially in regions with limited rainfall. Turf managers tend to over-apply water across large acreage when few localized areas begin to show symptoms of drought. Additionally, turf managers sometimes wrongly identify stressed areas from other factors as ones being moisture-deprived. Advancements such as the use of soil moisture meters have simplified irrigation decisions as an aid to visual inspections for drought stress. While this method enhances detection accuracy, it still provides no solution to increase efficiency. Expanding our current knowledge of turfgrass canopy light reflectance for rapid moisture stress identification can potentially save both time and water resources. The objective of this research was to enhance our ability to identify and predict moisture stress of creeping bentgrass (CBG) and hybrid bermudagrass (HBG) canopies integrated into varying soil textures (USGA 90:10 sand (S), sand loam (SL) and Clay (C)) using light reflectance measurements. Dry-down cycles were conducted under greenhouses conditions collecting soil moisture and light reflectance data every hour from 7 am to 7 pm after saturating and withholding water from established plugs. Moisture stress was most accurately estimated over time using two vegetation indices, the water band index (WBI) and green-to-red ratio index (GRI), with approximately ninety percent accuracy to visible wilt stress. The WBI and GRI predicted moisture stress of CBG in all soil types and HBG in SL and C approximately 14 hours before the grasses reached 50% wilt. While light reflectance varies on exposed soils, our research shows that underlying soils do not interfere with measurements across typical turfgrass stands. This research provides a foundation for future research implementing rapid, aerial measurements of moisture stressed turfgrasses on a broad application of CBG and HBG on constructed or native soils.

[pt] Com a crescente demanda por maior capacidade na transmissão de dados, uma solução tem sido estudada para transmissão de rádio sobre fibra combinando múltiplos canais de dados sobre a portadora óptica na rede de acesso baseada em multiplexação por sub-portadoras. Ademais, essa rede de acesso é comumente ramificada na forma de uma rede óptica passiva. Monitoramento desses enlaces em fibra é, então, cada vez mais importante. A tecnologia atual de reflectometria óptica no domínio do tempo utilizada para monitoramento opera em um comprimento de onda óptico separado e possui ampla largura de banda de detecção, tornando-se relativamente cara. A busca por uma alternativa de monitoramento de alta precisão e baixo custo é de suma importância para a oferta de transmissão com garantia de qualidade de serviço. Neste trabalho, o uso de multiplexação por sub-portadoras é explorado, incorporando uma técnica de monitoramento de varredura de tom de baixa frequência na transmissão de dados. Um modelo matemático para a resposta em frequência do enlace foi derivado e a localização e a intensidade de uma falha são estimadas através da comparação com a amplitude e a fase detectadas da luz retroespalhadaa medida em que é feita uma varredura de frequência do sinal de monitoramento, aplicando-se um algoritmo de minimos quadrados. O modelo proposto considera que a medida do enlace antes da ocorrência de uma falha é conhecida. Uma única falha nova pode então ser detectada com precisão e sua posição e intensidade são estimadas da maneira descrita. / [en] With ever growing demand for higher capacity in data transmission, a solution has been proposed for analog Radio over Fiber transmission, combining several data channels over the optical carrier in the access network using Sub-Carrier Multiplexing (SCM). Furthermore, this access network is often branched in the form of a passive optical network (PON). Monitoring such fiber links is thus increasingly important. Current optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) technology used for monitoring operates at a separate optical wavelength and has wide bandwidth detection, making it relatively costly. The pursuit of a low cost, high precision monitoring alternative is of paramount importance for cost effective quality of service (QoS) improvement. In this work employment of SCM for data multiplexing is exploited embedding a low frequency tone sweep monitoring technique into data transmission. A mathematical model for the frequency response of the link was derived and the fault location and intensity is estimated through comparison with acquired amplitude and phase of the backscattered light for the varying frequency by applying a simple least mean squared (LMS) algorithm. The modeling suggested requires that measurement of the link prior to the occurrence of a fault is known. A single new fault can then be accurately detected and its position and intensity estimated in the way described.

<p>The coupled transport of water and heat, involving freezing and thawing, in the road structure and its immediate environment is important to consider for optimal design and maintenance of roads and when assessing solute transport, of e.g. de-icing salt, from roads. The objective of this study was to develop mechanistic models, and measurement techniques, suitable to describe and understand water flow and heat flux in road structures exposed to a cold climate. </p><p>Freezing and thawing was accounted for by implementing new routines in two numerical models (HYDRUS1D/2D). The sensitivity of the model output to changes in parameter values and operational hydrological data was investigated by uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. The effect of rainfall event characteristics and asphalt fractures on the subsurface flow pattern was investigated by scenario modelling. The performance of water content reflectometers (WCR), measuring water content, was evaluated using measurements in two road structure materials. A numerical model was used to simulate WCR sensor response. The freezing/thawing routines were stable and provided results in agreement with laboratory measurements. Frost depth, thawing period, and freezing-induced water redistribution in a model road was greatly affected by groundwater level and type of subgrade. The simulated subsurface flow patterns corresponded well with published field observations. A new method was successful in enabling the application of time domain reflectometer (TDR) calibration equations to WCR output. The observed distortion in sampling volume for one of the road materials could be explained by the WCR sensor numerical model. Soil physical, hydrological, and hydraulic modules proved successful in simulating the coupled transport of water and heat in and on the road structure. It was demonstrated in this thesis that numerical models can improve the interpretation and explanation of measurements. The HYDRUS model was an accurate and pedagogical tool, clearly useful in road design and management.</p>

The coupled transport of water and heat, involving freezing and thawing, in the road structure and its immediate environment is important to consider for optimal design and maintenance of roads and when assessing solute transport, of e.g. de-icing salt, from roads. The objective of this study was to develop mechanistic models, and measurement techniques, suitable to describe and understand water flow and heat flux in road structures exposed to a cold climate. Freezing and thawing was accounted for by implementing new routines in two numerical models (HYDRUS1D/2D). The sensitivity of the model output to changes in parameter values and operational hydrological data was investigated by uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. The effect of rainfall event characteristics and asphalt fractures on the subsurface flow pattern was investigated by scenario modelling. The performance of water content reflectometers (WCR), measuring water content, was evaluated using measurements in two road structure materials. A numerical model was used to simulate WCR sensor response. The freezing/thawing routines were stable and provided results in agreement with laboratory measurements. Frost depth, thawing period, and freezing-induced water redistribution in a model road was greatly affected by groundwater level and type of subgrade. The simulated subsurface flow patterns corresponded well with published field observations. A new method was successful in enabling the application of time domain reflectometer (TDR) calibration equations to WCR output. The observed distortion in sampling volume for one of the road materials could be explained by the WCR sensor numerical model. Soil physical, hydrological, and hydraulic modules proved successful in simulating the coupled transport of water and heat in and on the road structure. It was demonstrated in this thesis that numerical models can improve the interpretation and explanation of measurements. The HYDRUS model was an accurate and pedagogical tool, clearly useful in road design and management.

This project is dealing with methods of measuring impedances of the antenna systems in the frequency range from the low frequencies to the very high frequencies. There is a discussion about different methods of measuring impedance and each technique is critically evaluated. In terms of this project is compared few types of the professional antenna analyzers. According to this comparison there was made the concept of my own antenna analyzer. There is a detailed description of the design of this device’s important parts including software equipment. Designed instrument has been built and tested.

This work deals with analysis methods continuous measuring systems for measurement standing wave ratio and high frequency power. Reflectometr, provision measuring standing wawe ratio, works in range frequence VHF (145 MHz, 443 MHz), for this width working frequence is used construction reflectometer with directive lead. Measurer HF power works into range 1kW. Further is in work go through problems communications bus for transmission data from unit monitor SWR a HF power into score modulus. With regard to high frequency interference is choice serial communication RS-485 , which is immune against disturbance. Further is designed evaluation unit MASTER, unit SLAVE and modules for measurement power and SWR. In finish is build up the firmware for units.