Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-23T13:23:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diego Dantas Amorim.pdf: 1504381 bytes, checksum: 14563c0e29e0cebba743b1afa803507a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-17 / O conhecimento da variabilidade espacial de atributos químicos e físicos do solo pode ser uma ótima ferramenta para auxílio no manejo das culturas de importância agronômica. A partir de mapas de isocores pode-se traçar estratégias de manejo, adubação e calagem, podendo propiciar à planta um melhor desenvolvimento e rendimento. O experimento foi conduzido em uma lavoura de pimenta-do-reino da variedade Bragantina, plantada no espaçamento 3,0 x 1,8 m (1852 plantas ha-1), sob Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico, localizada no município de São Mateus - ES. As análises de solo foram realizadas no Laboratório de Solos e Análise Foliar (LAGRO) e no Laboratório de Física do solo situados no Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (CEUNES-UFES). Instalou-se uma malha retangular de 100 x 120 m (12.000 m2) com 126 pontos georreferenciados com distâncias mínimas de 5 x 5 m, a malha amostral apresenta declividade variando de 3 a 10%. Em cada ponto amostral foram coletadas amostras de solo para análise química do solo onde foi determinado valores de pH, H+Al, Al3+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB, V, t, T e m. Para cada ponto de amostragem coletou-se ainda uma amostra indeformada na profundidade de 0,00-0,20 m para a determinação da densidade do solo (Ds), volume total de poros (VTP), macroporos (Macro) e microporos (Micro). O estudo da resistência do solo à penetração (Rp1 e Rp2) foi realizado em cada ponto amostral, com sua respectiva umidade volumétrica (U1 e U2) do solo nas camadas de 0,00-0,20 e 0,020-0,40 m. Uma calagem foi realizada na área estudada, de acordo com mapa de Necessidade de Calagem (NC), a taxa diferenciada para a avaliação da influência da necessidade de calagem nos atributos químicos do solo. Objetivou-se descrever a variabilidade espacial de atributos químicos e físicos de uma lavouRA de pimenta-do-reino sob Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico. Verificou-se dependência espacial moderada para as variáveis Macroporos, Microproros, densidade do solo, umidade nas duas camadas; forte para volume total de poros e resistência ao penetrômetro na camada de 0,00-0,20, se apresentando fraca para a mesma na camada de 0,20-0,40. Tais variáveis apresentaram alcances de 29,1, 33,81, 39,22, 99,59, 22,33, 25,44, 10,38 e 23,31 m para os atributos físicos, respectivamente. Evidenciou-se correlação espacial negativa entre a produtividade e a Ds. Com a calagem diferenciada, conseguiu-se distribuir melhor o calcário na área segundo a NC para cada zona de manejo / Knowledge of the spatial variability of chemical and physical properties of soil, can be a great tool to aid in the management of crops of agronomic importance. From Contour maps showed we can strategize management, fertilizatilizing and liming, the plant may provide a better growth and yield. The experiment was conducted in a field of black pepper variety Bragantina, planted at 3.0 x 1.8 m spacing (1852 plants ha-1), in Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distroférrico, located in City of São Mateus - ES. The soil analysis will be performed at the Laboratory of Soil and Foliar Analysis and the Soil Physics Laboratory at the Centro Universitário Norte do Espírito Santo, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo (CEUNES-UFES). Installed a rectangular grid of 100 x 120 m (12.000 m2) with 126 georeferenced points, apart from each other at distances of 5 x 5 m, 10 x 10 m and 20 x 20 m with geo minimum distance of 5 x 5 m, the sampling grid has slope ranging from 3 to 10%. At each sampling point were collected soil samples for chemical analysis of soil chemical analysis shall consist of pH values, H + Al, Al3+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SB, V, T , and T m. For each sampling point was collected sample has a depth in the 0.10-0.20 deformed for the determination of bulk density, total pore volume, macropores and micropores. Study was conducted on the resistance to penetration was performed on each sample point, with their respective water content in the soil layers from 0.00-0.20 and 0.020-0.40 m. A liming was made in the study area, according to the statement of need for liming, the fees for the evaluation of the influence of lime requirement on soil chemical properties. The objective was to describe the spatial variability of chemical and physical attributes of a field of black pepper kingdom under Latossolo vermelho-amarelo distrófico. There was moderate spatial dependence for variables macropores, Microproros, bulk density, soil moisture in two layers; strong for total porosity and soil resistance in the layer of 0.00 to 0.20, appearing weak to the same layer from 0.20 to 0.40. These variables had ranges of 29.1, 33.81, 39.22, 99.59, 22.33, 25.44, 10.38 and 23.31 m for the physical attributes, respectively. It was proven negative spatial correlation between productivity and Ds. With the different liming, we were able to better distribute the limestone in the area under the need liming for each management area

Les budgets alloués aux réparations des ouvrages et du patrimoine bâti ont atteint un niveau important. Une démarche scientifique est donc réfléchie pour réduire ces budgets par la mise en place d’outils visant à optimiser et fiabiliser le diagnostic structural des ouvrages. Les méthodes de contrôle non destructif (CND) constituent l’une des voies adaptées. Ces techniques reposent sur des principes physiques bien connus et les sociétés de service en proposent aujourd’hui un emploi courant, mais de nombreux verrous subsistent. Les deux besoins majeurs des gestionnaires d’ouvrages sont celui de l’optimisation de la stratégie de reconnaissance (où mesurer ? en combien de points ? avec quelle(s) techniques(s) et quelle précision ?) et celui de la quantification des propriétés mécaniques des matériaux ou des indicateurs de durabilité telles que la résistance à la compression, l’épaisseur carbonatée, le taux d’humidité. La question est comment déduire ces propriétés et ces indicateurs des mesures faites ? Et quelles sont la précision et la fiabilité de l’évaluation ?Cette thèse s’inscrit dans le cadre de deux projets nationaux de recherche : le projet ACDC-C2D2 et le projet ANR EvaDéOS. L’objectif principal est d’analyser la variabilité issue du CND pour ensuite remonter à la variabilité spatiale des bétons en conditions réelles. Les techniques de CND considérées sont choisies parmi les plus complémentaires : radar, résistivité électrique, ultrasons et rebond (scléromètre). Les résultats sont obtenus à partir d’une large campagne expérimentale effectuée sur des dalles d’un site test et sur deux ouvrages. L’analyse de la variabilité des CND a permis d’évaluer le nombre minimal de mesures nécessaire pour un niveau de confiance souhaité. D’autre part, la corrélation spatiale des données a été modélisée par l’analyse variographique. Les résultats montrent que, dans certain cas, les mesures de CND ne sont pas spatialement indépendantes. Les longueurs de corrélation identifiées dépendent de la propriété mesurée ainsi que du béton de l’ouvrage ausculté. La connaissance de ces longueurs de corrélation est un résultat nouveau qui permettra d’une part de mieux estimer la variabilité spatiale des bétons et d’autre part d’alimenter de manière plus réaliste les calculs fiabilistes des ouvrages. Elle permet également d’identifier un pas d’échantillonnage optimal sur ouvrage dans le cadre du suivi temporel ou pour effectuer des analyses complémentaires (ex. carottage, CND complémentaire ou plus fiable) et de représenter au mieux la cartographie spatiale des propriétés du béton.Dans le cadre du projet de recherche ANR EvaDéOS, les effets de la carbonatation et des gradients de teneur en eau (gradient d’humidité) sur les techniques CND ont été étudiés. Ce travail a pour objectifs d’étudier la sensibilité des techniques de CND à évaluer ces deux indicateurs de durabilité ainsi que leur impact sur la variabilité des mesures de CND. En laboratoire, des campagnes expérimentales ont été réalisées sur corps d’épreuve ayant différentes profondeurs de carbonatation ou des gradients d’humidité. L’effet de la carbonatation a été quantifié pour certains observables : résistivité électrique, vitesse ultrasonore et rebond. En ce qui concerne la variabilité des mesures de CND, l’effet de la carbonatation est seulement notable dans le cas du béton saturé, en particulier pour la variabilité locale de la résistivité électrique et du rebond. Cet effet reste faible par rapport à l’effet du degré de saturation. Les premiers résultats montrent également que les mesures de la résistivité électrique permettraient de suivre des gradients d’humidité dans le béton. / The budgets assigned to the repair of structures and built heritage have reached an alarming level. A scientific approach is needed to reduce these budgets by implementing tools for a more reliable and optimal assessment of existing structures. Non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques constitute one of approaches adapted to real conditions. These techniques are based on well-known physical principles. Many companies offer their services in NDT domain today but many challenges remain. The two particular needs of structure managers are the optimization of the assessment strategy (where to measure? how many testing points? what technique(s) and what precision?) and the quantification of mechanical properties of materials or durability indicators such as the compressive strength, the carbonation depth, the moisture content. The questions are how to estimate these properties from measurements performed, and what are the accuracy and reliability of the evaluation?This thesis is part of two French research projects: ACDC-C2D2 and ANR EVaDéOS. The main objective is to analyze the variability of non-destructive testing (NDT) measurements for assessing the spatial variability of concrete in real conditions. NDT techniques considered are chosen as being complementary: radar, electrical resistivity, ultrasonic, rebound hammer. The results are obtained from a wide campaign of measurements, which was performed on concrete slabs of a testing site and on two existing structures. The analysis of the NDT variability makes it possible to assess the necessary minimum number of measurements for a desired level of confidence. Furthermore, the spatial correlation of the data was modeled using the variogram analysis. In some cases, the results show that NDT measurements are not spatially independent. The correlation lengths identified depend on the measured property and the concrete of the structure inspected. They are a new result, which will provide on one hand a better evaluation of spatial variability of concrete and on the other hand a more realistic input of reliability calculations of structures. The correlation length allows also the identification of an optimal sampling distance on existing structure within the monitoring time or the implementation of additional analyses (eg. core, complementary or more reliable NDT) and a better representation of the spatial mapping of concrete properties.Within the framework of the ANR EvaDéOS research project, the effects of carbonation and of moisture gradients on NDT measurements were studied. This work aims to study the sensitivity of NDT techniques for assessing these two durability indicators and their impact on the variability of NDT measurements. In laboratory, the experimental surveys were carried out on testing specimens having different depths of carbonation or moisture gradients. The effect of carbonation was quantified for several parameters: electrical resistivity, ultrasonic pulse velocity and rebound hammer. With respect to the variability of NDT measurements, the effect of carbonation is only significant in the case of saturated concrete, in particular for the local variability of electrical resistivity and rebound hammer. This effect is weak in comparison with the effect of saturation degree. The first results show also that the measurements of electrical resistivity would follow moisture gradients in concrete.

En Guadeloupe, actuellement, 5,92% de la demande en énergie électrique sont couverts par la filière photovoltaïque et 3,14% par la filière éolienne soit 9,06% pour leur production cumulée selon le bilan 2015 de l’OREC (Observatoire Régional de l’Energie et du Climat). Selon le plan énergétique régional de prospection, la production cumulée du photovoltaïque et de l’éolien devrait représenter 14% du mix électrique en 2020 et 18% en 2030. Pour atteindre les 14% du mix électrique d’ici les cinq prochaines années, il va donc falloir entre autres, améliorer la prédictibilité pour un développement à un rythme soutenu de ces énergies. Ces travaux de recherches ont consisté à apporter de nouveaux résultats de performance de prévision de l’ensoleillement global à court terme et à donner une connaissance plus fine de la ressource sur trois stations en Guadeloupe. L’étude est basée sur une analyse et un modèle de prévision de l’ensoleillement, faisant intervenir des paramètres spatiaux et temporels. La littérature montre qu’un important nombre de sites est en général utilisé pour une analyse spatio-temporelle, ce qui impliquerait pour nous, de poser de multiples capteurs sur l’ensemble du territoire. Les coûts d’un tel système seraient considérables. Notre approche ici consistera à effectuer une analyse spatio-temporelle sur trois stations. Avec peu de stations et des distances non uniformes nous avons donc cherché à développer un modèle de prévision de l’ensoleillement à court terme en dépit de ces contraintes qui ne répondent pas à une approche classique. Le modèle est basé sur une méthodologie VAR (Vecteur Autorégressif) incluant des paramètres spatiaux et temporels. Une stratégie de sélection des variables est développée afin de sélectionner les prédicteurs (stations) utiles pour la prévision sur une localisation. Cette stratégie itérative permettra d’une part d’être plus proche de la réalité, d’autre part d’un point de vue algorithmique, la tendance des calculs sera plus rapide. En amont du développement du modèle, une étude de la variabilité spatio-temporelle de l’ensoleillement a permis de quantifier et caractériser de manière fine, les interactions dynamiques entre ces trois stations. Par comparaison avec les modèles de la littérature, notre modèle de prévision montre une bonne performance avec des valeurs de RMSE relative allant de 17,48% à 23,79% pour des horizons de prévisions de 5 min à 1h. Les méthodologies développées pourraient à terme offrir une opportunité d’assurer des garanties au gestionnaire du réseau. Si d'avenir des solutions de prévision performantes se généralisaient, cette opportunité permettrait d’ouvrir le marché au-delà du seuil de 30% imposé actuellement. / Currently in Guadeloupe, there is 5,92 % of the electric power request covered by the photovoltaic sector and 3,14 % by the wind sector which represents 9,06 % for their accumulated production, according to the OREC report (Regional Monitoring center of Energy and Climate). According to the regional energy plan, the accumulated production of the photovoltaic and the wind energy should represent 14 % of the electric mix in 2020 and 18 % in 2030. To reach the 14 % of the electric mix within the next five years, we need, among other things, to improve forecast for a sustained development of these energies. These research works consisted in bringing new performance results of short-term forecast of the global solar radiation and in giving a finer knowledge of the resource onto three stations in Guadeloupe. The study is based on an analysis and a forecast model of global solar radiation, by including spatial and temporal parameters. The literature shows that an important number of sites is generally used for a spatio-temporal analysis, which would imply for us, to put multiple sensors on the whole territory. The costs of such a system would be considerable. Our approach here will consist in making a spatiotemporal analysis on three stations. With few stations and not uniform distances, we, thus, tried to define a short-term forecast model of global solar radiation, in spite of these constraints which do not answer to a classic approach. The model is based on a methodology the VAR ( Autoregressive Vector) including spatial and temporal parameters. A strategy of selection of variables is developed to select useful predictors (stations) for the forecast on localization. This iterative strategy, on one hand will allow being closer to the reality, on the other hand to the point of algorithmic view, the trend of the calculations will be faster. Preliminarily, a study of the spatiotemporal variability of global solar radiation, allowed to quantify and to characterize in a fine way, the dynamic interactions between these three stations. Compared with the models of the literature, our forecast model shows a good performance with relative RMSE values going from 17.48 % to 23.79 % for horizons from 5 min to 1 hour. The developed methodologies could eventually offer an opportunity to assure guarantees to the network manager. If in the future the successful solutions of forecast became widespread, this opportunity would allow the opening of the market beyond the 30 % threshold imposed at present.

Fatigue is among the most critical forms of deterioration damage that occurs tosteel bridges. It causes a decline of the safety level of bridges over time. Therefore,the performance of steel bridges, which may be seriously affected by fatigue, shouldbe assessed and predicted. There are several levels of uncertainty involved in thecrack initiation and propagation process; therefore the probabilistic methods canprovide a better estimation of fatigue lives than deterministic methods. Whenthere are recurring similar details which may have correlation with each other andbe regarded as a system, there are distinct advantages to analyze them from asystem reliability perspective. It allows the engineer to identify the importance ofan individual detail or the interaction between details with respect to the overallperformance of the system. The main aim of this licentiate thesis is to evaluate probabilistic methods for reliabilityassessment of steel bridges, from both a single detail level and a systemlevel. For single details, an efficient simulation technique is desired. The widelyapplied Monte Carlo simulation method provides accurate estimation, however, isvery time-consuming. The Subset simulation method is investigated as an alternativeand it shows great feasibility in dealing with a multi-dimensional limit statefunction and nonlinear crack propagation. For larger systems, the spatial correlationis considered between details. An equicorrelation-based modelling approachhas been proposed as supplement to common simulation techniques to estimate thesystem reliability analytically and significantly reduce the simulation time. Withcorrelation considered, the information of one accessible detail could be used topredict the status of the system. While reliability analysis aims for a specific safety level, risk analysis aims to findthe most optimal solution. With consequences considered, a risk-based decisionsupport framework is formulated for the selected system, which is presented asa decision tree. It reveals that the decisions based on reliability assessment canbe different from those based on risk analysis, since they have different objectivecriteria. / Utmattning är en av de mest allvarliga nedbrytningsmekanismer som stålbroarutsätts för. Den orsakar en försämrad säkerhet för broar över tid. Därav måstestålbroars tillförlitlighet, som kan påverkas allvarligt på grund av utmattning, bedömasoch förutsägas. Flera olika nivåer av osäkerheter är involverade i initieringoch propagering av utmattningssprickor, varför sannolikhetsbaserade metoder kange en bättre uppskattning av utmattningslivslängden än deterministiska metoder.När liknande detaljer återkommer i en konstruktion och med korrelation mellanvarandra kan dessa betraktas som ett system, för vilket tillförlitlighetsmetoder påsystemnivå kan utnyttjas. Det gör det möjligt för ingenjören att identifiera betydelsenav en individuell detalj eller interaktionen mellan detaljer med avseende påsystemets totala tillförlitlighet. Det huvudsakliga syftet med denna licentiatuppsats är att utvärdera sannolikhetsbaserademetoder för uppskattning av stålbroars tillförlitlighet, både med avseendepå enskilda detaljer och på systemnivå. För enskilda detaljer eftersträvas en tidseffektivsimuleringsteknik. Den allmänt tillämpade Monte Carlo-simuleringsmetodenger en robust uppskattning, men är mycket tidskrävande. Subset-simuleringsmetodenundersöks som ett alternativ och den visar stor potential när det gäller att hanteraen flerdimensionell gränsfunktion och en olinjär sprickpropageringsmodell. På systemnivåbeaktas den rumsliga korrelationen mellan detaljer. En modelleringsmetodbaserad på konstant korrelation mellan detaljer har föreslagits som komplement tillvanliga simuleringstekniker för att uppskatta tillförlitligheten analytiskt och avsevärtminska simuleringstiden. Genom att utnyttja korrelationen kan informationom en tillgänglig detalj användas för att förutsäga systemets status. Medan en tillförlitlighetsanalys bedöms mot en specifik säkerhetsnivå används riskanalysenför att hitta den mest optimala åtgärden. Genom att beakta konsekvenserhar ett riskbaserat verktyg för beslutsstöd föreslagits och presenterats i form av ettbeslutsträd. Resultaten visar att besluten baserade på tillförlitlighet kan skilja sigfrån de som baseras på en uppskattad risk, eftersom metoderna har olika målfunktioner. / <p>QC 20201007</p>

In situ and online Raman spectroscopy - also known as Raman monitoring - offers the excellent opportunity among other possibilities for the evaluation of Raman spectra to investigate semiconductor layers during their growth without any interruption. Not only the surface properties of such layers can be studied, also simultaneously the substrate and the interface layer/substrate can be analysed. This study presents the analysis of growth processes of ZnS/sub x/Se/sub(1-x)/ and GaN layers as well the investigation of nitrogen doped ZnSe:N. Molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) was used for the fabrication of these layers. The analysis of the Raman spectra was focused on the chemical composition of the semiconductor material, the stress in layer and substrate, the incorporation of extraneous atoms like nitrogen radicals into a crystal, the doping and structural order of the semiconductor and as well on the crystalline and amorphous phase of the material. Additionally to the MBE growth processes, the temperature induced resonant Raman scattering of ZnS/sub x/Se/sub(1-x)/ and ZnSe:N and also the desorption, adsorption and phase transition of a-As, a-Se and Sb were studied. Further investigations were undertaken on the nitridation of GaAs(100) by means of a nitrogen plasma generated in an rf-plasma source. The properties and changes of the semiconductor layers and the substrate depending on the layer thickness during growth are evaluated. The results are compared with theoretical models (e.g. spatial correlation model and modified random-element-isodisplacement (MREI) model). / In situ- und online-Raman-Spektroskopie – oder auch Raman-Monitoring genannt – bietet unter anderem die ausgezeichnete Möglichkeit, das Wachstum von Halbleiterschichten ohne Unterbrechung zu verfolgen. Dabei können nicht nur die Oberflächeneigenschaften untersucht werden, sondern es können gleichzeitig auch Informationen über das Substrat und über die Grenzfläche Schicht/Substrat gemacht werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die Wachstumsprozesse von ZnS/sub x/Se/sub(1-x)/- und GaN-Schichten sowie des stickstoffdotierten ZnSe:N untersucht. Zur Schichtherstellung wurde die Molekularstrahlepitaxie (MBE) verwendet. Das Hauptaugenmerk wurde dabei auf die chemische Zusammensetzung der Halbleitermaterialien, Verspannungen von Schicht und Substrat, auf den Einbau von Fremdatomen wie Stickstoffradikale in ein Kristall, die Dotierung und die strukturelle Ordnung der Halbleiter sowie deren kristalline und amorphe Phase gerichtet. Neben den MBE-Wachstumsprozessen wurden temperaturinduzierte resonante Raman-Streuung an ZnS/sub x/Se/sub(1-x)/ und ZnSe:N sowie Desorptions-, Adsorptions- und Phasenübergänge von a-As, a-Se und Sb studiert. Die Nitridierung von GaAs(100) mittels eines Stickstoffplasmas aus einer rf-Quelle wurde ebenso untersucht. Die Eigenschaften und Veränderungen der Halbleiterschichten und der Substrate während des Wachstums werden in Abhängigkeit von der Schichtdicke dargelegt. Die Ergebnisse werden mit entsprechenden theoretischen Modellen (z.B. Spatial-Correlation-Modell und Modified Random-Element-Isodisplacement (MREI)-Modell) verglichen.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:05:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4225.pdf: 931319 bytes, checksum: 2be2e5e88eb314cf8769dabd2749e671 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-27 / Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos / The usage of wireless sensor network is increasingly being applied to people s everyday lives everywhere: from energy consumption in households and buildings in general, to vital signs in assistive medicine, infrastructure monitoring, chemical or biological product leaking detection in industries, better surveillance, environmental monitoring, among many others. WSN can be deployed in different densities next to several thousands of nodes. However, the development of WSN solutions are limited mainly by energy resource restriction. The great challenge to WSN solutions is to increase the network longevity while guaranteeing data delivery, reliability and accuracy in an environment prone to different types of failures. The largest source of energy consumption is data transmission. Thus, solutions to WSN needs to avoid intense communication keeping energy consumption balance and so the network longevity. In applications in which high density of nodes is necessary, sensing process can produce a large amount of data which are similar or redundant, due to the special proximity among the nodes. This spatial proximity can be explored in routing solutions to reduce the amount of messages transmitted throughout the network. This work presents the Spatial Correlation Aware Routing Protocol - SCARP , which makes use of spatial correlation to reduce the number of network transmissions. With SCARP, the WSN is configured in cells and nodes of each cell are selected, in an alternated way, to transmit similar or redundant data, and so reducing the number of transmitted messages. This traffic reduction results in less energy consumption and longer network longevity. Evaluation results show that SCARP outperforms similar solutions described in the literature, such as DAARP, which uses clustering and aggregation. SCARP has a positive performance even for large node density scenarios. / Redes de Sensores Sem Fio (RSSFs) estão sendo cada vez mais utilizadas na vida diária das pessoas em aplicações que incluem desde monitoramento de gasto de energia em residências e prédios em geral, até monitoramento de sinais vitais para medicina assistida, monitoramento de infraestruturas físicas, vazamentos de produtos químicos ou biológicos em indústrias, vigilância para melhoria de segurança, monitoramento ambiental, dentre inúmeras outras. RSSFs podem ser implantadas em diferentes densidades podendo chegar a milhares de nós. No entanto, o desenvolvimento de soluções baseadas em RSSFs é limitado, principalmente, por recursos restritos dos nós sensores, em especial recursos energéticos. O grande desafio de soluções para RSSFs é aumentar a longevidade da rede e, ao mesmo tempo, garantir a entrega, confiabilidade e precisão dos dados coletados diante de um ambiente propício a falhas de diferentes tipos. A maior fonte de consumo de energia é a transmissão de mensagens. Assim, soluções de RSSF têm que evitar comunicação intensa, mantendo o balanceamento do consumo de energia e, assim, a longevidade da rede. Em aplicações onde é necessária alta densidade de nós sensores, o processo de sensoriamento pode produzir grande quantidade de dados similares ou redundantes devido à proximidade espacial entre esses nós. Esta proximidade espacial pode ser explorada em soluções de roteamento para reduzir a quantidade de mensagens transmitidas pela rede. Este trabalho apresenta o algoritmo de roteamento SCARP (Spatial Correlation Aware Routing Protocol), que faz uso da correlação espacial para reduzir o número de transmissões pela rede. Com o SCARP, a RSSF é configurada em células e nós de cada célula são escolhidos, de maneira alternada, para transmitir dados similares ou redundantes, reduzindo assim o número de mensagens transmitidas. Essa redução de tráfego resulta em menor consumo de energia e maior longevidade da rede. Resultados de avaliação de desempenho mostram que SCARP supera soluções semelhantes descritas na literatura como o DAARP, que utiliza clusterização e agregação de dados, e mantém o desempenho positivo mesmo em situações de grande densidade de nós.

This study delves into the application of Small Area Estimation (SAE) techniques to enhance the accuracy of predicting global needs for assistive spectacles. By leveraging the power of SAE, the research undertakes a comprehensive exploration, employing arange of predictive models including Linear Regression (LR), Empirical Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (EBLUP), hglm (from R package) with Conditional Autoregressive (CAR), and Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMM). At last phase,the global spectacle needs’ prediction includes various essential steps such as random effects simulation, coefficient extraction from GLMM estimates, and log-linear modeling. The investigation develops a multi-faceted approach, incorporating area-level modeling, spatial correlation analysis, and relative standard error, to assess their impact on predictive accuracy. The GLMM consistently displays the lowest Relative Standard Error (RSE) values, almost close to zero, indicating precise but potentially overfit results. Conversely, the hglm with CAR model presents a narrower RSE range, typically below 25%, reflecting greater accuracy; however, it is worth noting that it contains a higher number of outliers. LR illustrates a performance similar to EBLUP, with RSE values reaching around 50% in certain scenarios and displaying slight variations across different contexts. These findings underscore the trade-offs between precision and robustness across these models, especially for finer geographical levels and countries not included in the initial sample.

Water distribution systems, electrical power transmission systems, and other civil infrastructure systems are essential to the smooth and stable operation of regional economies. Since the functions of such infrastructure systems often are inter-dependent, the systems sometimes suffer unforeseen functional disruptions. For example, the widespread power outage due to the malfunction of an electric power substation, which occurred in the northeastern United States and parts of Canada in August 2003, interrupted the supply of water to several communities, leading to inconvenience and economic losses. The sequence of such failures leading to widespread outages is referred to as a cascading failure. Assessing the vulnerability of communities to natural and man-made hazards should take the possibility of such failures into account. In seismic risk assessment, the risk to a facility or a building is generally specified by one of two basic approaches: through a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) and a stipulated scenario earthquake (SE). A PSHA has been widely accepted as a basis for design and evaluation of individual buildings, bridges and other facilities. However, the vulnerability assessment of distributed infrastructure facilities requires a model of spatial intensity of earthquake ground motion. Since the ground motions from a PSHA represent an aggregation of earthquakes, they cannot model the spatial variation in intensity. On the other hand, when a SE-based analysis is used, the spatial correlation of seismic intensities must be properly evaluated. This study presents a new methodology for evaluating the functionality of an infrastructure system situated in a region of moderate seismicity considering functional interactions among the systems in the network, cascading failure, and spatial correlation of ground motion. The functional interactions among facilities in the systems are modeled by fault trees, and the impact of cascading failures on serviceability of a networked system is computed by a procedure from the field of operations research known as a shortest path algorithm. The upper and lower bound solutions to spatial correlation of seismic intensities over a region are obtained.

Η αντιστοίχιση εικόνων έχει σαν σκοπό την εύρεση γεωμετρικών και άλλων διαφορών ανάμεσα σε δύο ή περισσότερες εικόνες. Η ψηφιακή υδατογράφηση εικόνων προσφέρει κατοχύρωση των πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων, εισάγοντας στις εικόνες ένα αδιόρατο σήμα, ένα υδατογράφημα, με τέτοιο τρόπο ώστε να είναι δύσκολο να αφαιρεθεί. Η αντιστοίχιση μπορεί να αποτελέσει τμήμα της ψηφιακής υδατογράφησης, στη φάση της ανίχνευσης του υδατογραφήματος. Επιπλέον, για την ανίχνευση του υδατογραφήματος χρησιμοποιούνται παρόμοιες ή και ίδιες μετρικές ομοιότητας με αυτές που χρησιμοποιούνται στην αντιστοίχιση. Έτσι, οποιαδήποτε βελτίωση αφορά την αντιστοίχιση ή τις μετρικές ομοιότητας μπορεί να έχει θετικές επιδράσεις και στην ψηφιακή υδατογράφηση. Η έρευνα που έγινε στα πλαίσια της διδακτορικής διατριβής σε σχέση με το πρόβλημα της αντιστοίχισης αφορά τη συσχέτιση των εικόνων στο χωρικό πεδίο, η οποία έχει το εξής μειονέκτημα: η περιοχή γύρω από τη μέγιστη τιμή της μπορεί να έχει μεγάλο εύρος και να επηρεάζει την ακρίβεια της αντιστοίχισης. Για την αντιμετώπιση αυτού του προβλήματος, προτείνεται μια διαδικασία προ-λεύκανσης των εικόνων, βασισμένη στο φίλτρο σφάλματος πρόβλεψης. Επίσης, αναπτύσσεται ένας επαναληπτικός αλγόριθμος αντιστοίχισης για μετατοπίσεις και περιστροφές, ο οποίος εφαρμόζεται σε ακολουθίες ιατρικών εικόνων με σκοπό τη διάγνωση δυσπλασιών και κακοηθειών. Ένα δεύτερο μειονέκτημα της χωρικής συσχέτισης είναι το μεγάλο υπολογιστικό της κόστος. Στη διδακτορική διατριβή προτείνεται ένα γρήγορο σχήμα υπολογισμού της, το οποίο βασίζεται σε κατάλληλη τμηματοποίηση της εικόνας και στη χρήση του μετασχηματισμού Fourier. Επίσης, το πιο απαιτητικό κομμάτι της διαδικασίας αντιστοίχισης είναι ο υπολογισμός της χρησιμοποιούμενης μετρικής σαν συνάρτηση της σχετικής θέσης των εικόνων. Έτσι, αναπτύσσεται ένας αποδοτικός επαναληπτικός αλγόριθμος, ο οποίος μειώνει σημαντικά τις αναζητήσεις που απαιτούνται για την εύρεση του μεγίστου του συντελεστή συσχέτισης και παρέχει ακρίβεια εικονοστοιχείου. Τέλος, προτείνεται μια τεχνική η οποία παρέχει ακρίβεια υποδιαίρεσης εικονοστοιχείου και βασίζεται στη μεγιστοποίηση του συντελεστή συσχέτισης. Η τεχνική αυτή δεν απαιτεί ανακατασκευή των τιμών της έντασης και παρέχει μια λύση κλειστού τύπου για την εκτίμηση της μετατόπισης. Όσο αφορά το πρόβλημα της υδατογράφησης, η έρευνα που έγινε στα πλαίσια της διδακτορικής διατριβής στοχεύει στην ένθεση ισχυρών υδατογραφημάτων στο χωρικό πεδίο και στη βελτίωση της ανίχνευσής τους. Καταρχήν, προτείνεται μια χωρική αντιληπτική μάσκα, η οποία βασίζεται στην τοπική διασπορά του σφάλματος πρόβλεψης της αρχικής εικόνας. Παράλληλα, αναπτύσσεται ένα «τυφλό» σύστημα ανίχνευσης και η βελτιωμένη απόδοσή του σε σχέση με υπάρχοντες ανιχνευτές αποδεικνύεται θεωρητικά για τη γενική περίπτωση επίθεσης με γραμμικό φίλτρο και θόρυβο. Στη συνέχεια, παράγεται μια νέα χωρική μάσκα η οποία επιτρέπει την ένθεση υδατογραφημάτων με εξαιρετικά μεγάλη ενέργεια, διατηρώντας ταυτόχρονα την ποιότητα της εικόνας σε πολύ καλό επίπεδο. Η απόδοσή της συγκρίνεται με πολύ γνωστές και ευρέως χρησιμοποιούμενες μάσκες και αποδεικνύεται σημαντικά καλύτερη. Επίσης, αναπτύσσεται ένα βελτιωμένο σχήμα ανίχνευσης, το οποίο σε συνδυασμό με την προτεινόμενη μάσκα έχει πολύ καλή απόδοση. Τέλος, προτείνεται μια μέθοδος εισαγωγής υδατογραφήματος στην εικόνα με πολλαπλασιαστικό τρόπο, χρησιμοποιώντας χωρο-χρονική κωδικοποίηση μπλοκ και ειδικότερα μια 4x4 πραγματική, ορθογώνια διάταξη συμβόλων. Το σχήμα αυτό αποδεικνύεται να έχει πολύ καλύτερη απόδοση σε σχέση με την επαναληπτική υδατογράφηση. / Image registration aims at finding geometrical or other differences between two or more images. Image watermarking offers copyright protection by embedding in the images an invisible signal, a watermark, in such a way that it is difficult to be removed. Image registration can be part of a watermark detector. Moreover, similar (or the same) similarity measures are used for both image registration and watermark detection. Thus, any improvement concerning the image registration or the similarity measures can have positive effects on image watermarking, too. Our research concerning the image registration problem deals with the spatial cross-correlation, which has the following drawback: the region around its maximum value can be rather wide, affecting the registration accuracy. This problem can be solved, by properly pre-whitening the images with the prediction error filter. Furthermore, an iterative algorithm is proposed for registering images with translation and rotation differences, which is then applied in sequences of medical images for cancer diagnosis. A second disadvantage of the spatial correlation is its computational cost. A fast computation scheme is proposed, based on a proper partitioning of the images and the Fourier transform. Also, the most computationally intensive part of a registration process is the evaluation of the involved measure for different relative image positions. Thus, an efficient iterative algorithm is developed that considerably reduces the number of searches required for finding the correlation coefficient maximum value and provides pixel accuracy. Finally, an image registration technique with subpixel accuracy is proposed, which is based on the correlation coefficient maximization. This technique does not require the reconstruction of the intensity values and provides a closed form solution to the subpixel translation estimation problem. As far as the problem of image watermarking is concerned, our research aims at embedding robust watermarks in spatial domain and improving their detection. First, a spatial perceptual mask is proposed, based on the local variance of the initial image prediction error. A blind detector is also developed, which performs better than the existing ones. This is theoretically proved for the general attack case with linear filter and noise. Furthermore, a new spatial perceptual mask is proposed that allows for a significantly increased strength of the watermark, while at the same time the image quality remains very good. Its performance is compared to known and widely used masks and is proved to be much better. Moreover, an improved detector is developed, which, combined with the new mask, performs very well. Finally, a new multiplicative watermark embedding is proposed, which uses space-time block coding (specifically a 4x4 real orthogonal design). This scheme is proved to perform much better than the repetitive watermarking.