A utilização de sistemas semi-ativos no controle de movimento e vibração vem crescendo muito nos últimos anos, e está se firmando como a opção mais econômica em muitas aplicações. Os sistemas de controle semi-ativos baseados em fluidos magneto-reológicos (MR) já são empregados no controle de vibrações desde máquinas de lavar a grandes pontes suspensas, e até mesmo no controle de vibração de edifícios sujeitos a abalos sísmicos. No controle de movimento, eles têm sido aplicados em aparelhos de fisioterapia, próteses de joelho humano e embreagens. No setor automobilístico, os sistemas semi-ativos são empregados em sistemas de controle da suspensão e sistemas anti-rolagem, e também no controle de sistemas de torque e tração. Visto a crescente importância dos sistemas de controle semi-ativo, este trabalho aborda este assunto dividindo-o em duas partes: a primeira, apresentada no volume 1, trata do projeto de atuadores magneto-reológicos e do seu modelamento dinâmico voltado para projetos de controle; e a segunda parte, apresentada no volume 2, trata de projeto de controladores para sistemas semi-ativos, mais especificamente voltados para o controle de suspensão veicular semi-ativa, buscando a melhoria do desempenho em conforto, segurança e dirigibilidade do veículo. Na primeira parte, a maior contribuição deste trabalho está em preencher uma lacuna na literatura no que diz respeito a uma técnica sistemática de projeto de atuadores magneto-reológicos e da forma mais adequada de sua representação dinâmica para projetos de controle, que é feita a partir de dados experimentais. Na segunda parte deste trabalho buscou-se desenvolver um sistema de controle economicamente viável para veículos utilitários (caminhonetes principalmente). Estes são os veículos que mais carecem de sistemas de suspensão capazes de atender a uma grande variedade de situações (variação de pista, variação de carga), e cujo mercado exige uma relação custo/benefício melhor que aquela dos mercados de carros de luxo, onde estes sistemas são empregados atualmente. Como resultados mais importantes deste trabalho têmse: uma proposição para o uso da lei de controle LQG/LTR em sistemas não estritamente próprios; um modelo de um veículo utilitário completo com sete graus de liberdade e capaz de representar as situações mais importantes do comportamento dinâmico deste tipo de veículo; o desenvolvimento de uma estratégia de controle robusto baseado na técnica LQG/LTR, adequada para trabalhar com atuadores semi-ativos, e que utiliza sensores de custo compatível com a aplicação. O sistema de controle proposto foi capaz de melhorar o desempenho em conforto e segurança, evitando situações de perda de aderência dos pneus e comportamentos dinâmicos indesejáveis destes veículos, que foi verificado experimentalmente e através de simulações em computador. / The application of semi-active systems to motion and vibration control has significantly grown during the last years, and it is becoming an economically viable option for several applications. Semi-active systems based on magneto-rheological (MR) fluids were applied to vibration control ranging from washing machines to suspended bridges, and also in vibration control of buildings under seismic tremors. Regarding the movement control, they have been used in gym apparati, human knee prosthesis and clutches. More specifically in the automotive industry, semi-active systems have been applied in suspension and anti-roll systems, and also in torque and traction control systems. This work treats this subject dividing it into two parts: the first one, presented in volume 1, deals with the design of semi-active actuators based on magneto-rheological fluids and dynamic modeling; and the second one, presented in volume 2, deals with the design of semi-active control for vehicular suspension systems. The control main objective is the performance improvement in comfort, safety and handling features of a vehicle. In the first part, the main contribution of this work is to fulfill a literature gap regarding a systematic procedure for design of magneto-rheological actuators and to find a better representation for the dynamic behavior regarding the control system development, which is done based on experimental data analysis. The second part of this work leaded with the development of a vehicular suspension system for utility vehicles (for SUVs, and mainly for light trucks), which need suspension systems able to face a great number of situations (road variation, load variation, etc.), and which present stability problems due to its high gravity center height. Important results of this work are: the development of a robust control strategy based on LQG/LTR techniques for non-strictly proper systems, the development of a dynamic model for light trucks and SUVs with seven degrees of freedom; the development of a robust control strategy based on the LQG/LTR synthesis, suit to work with semi-active actuators, and using sensors with costs compatible to the application. The proposed control system was able to improve the performance of comfort and safety, avoiding the loss of adherence between tires and the ground and other undesirable dynamic behaviors of these vehicles, that was verified experimentally and through computer simulations.

Le recours à des simulations numériques pour l’étude de l’influence des paramètres d’entrée (matériaux, chargements, conditions aux limites, géométrie, etc.) sur les différentes quantités d’intérêt en soudage (contraintes résiduelles, distorsion, etc.) s’avère trop long et coûteux vu l’aspect multi-paramétrique de ces simulations. Pour explorer des espaces paramétriques de grandes dimensions, avec des calculs moins coûteux, il parait opportun d’utiliser des approches de réduction de modèle. Dans ce travail, d’une façon a posteriori, une stratégie non-intrusive est développée pour construire les abaques dédiées aux études paramétriques du soudage. Dans une phase offline, une base de données (‘snapshots’) a été pré-calculée avec un choix optimal des paramètres d'entrée donnés par une approche multi-grille (dans l’espace des paramètres). Pour explorer d’autres valeurs de paramètres, une méthode d’interpolation basée sur la variété Grassmannienne est alors proposée pour adapter les bases réduites espace-temps issues de la méthode SVD. Cette méthode a été constatée plus performante que les méthodes d’interpolation standards, notamment en non-linéaire. Afin d’explorer des espaces paramétriques de grandes dimensions, une méthode de type décomposition tensorielle (i.e. HOPGD) a été également étudiée. Pour l’aspect d’optimalité de l’abaque, nous proposons une technique d’accélération de convergence pour la HOPGD et une approche ‘sparse grids’ qui permet d’échantillonner efficacement l’espace des paramètres. Finalement, les abaques optimaux de dimension jusqu’à 10 à précision contrôlée ont été construits pour différents types de paramètres (matériaux, chargements, géométrie) du procédé de soudage. / The use of standard numerical simulations for studies of the influence of input parameters (materials, loading, boundary conditions, geometry, etc.) on the quantities of interest in welding (residual stresses, distortion, etc.) proves to be too long and costly due to the multiparametric aspect of welding. In order to explore high-dimensional parametric spaces, with cheaper calculations, it seems to be appropriate to use model reduction approaches. In this work, in an a posteriori way, a non-intrusive strategy is developed to construct computational vademecum dedicated to parametric studies of welding. In an offline phase, a snapshots database is pre-computed with an optimal choice of input parameters given by a “multi-grids” approach (in parameter space). To explore other parameter values, an interpolation method based on Grassmann manifolds is proposed to adapt both the space and time reduced bases derived from the SVD. This method seems more efficient than standard interpolation methods, especially in non-linear cases. In order to explore highdimensional parametric spaces, a tensor decomposition method (i.e. HOPGD) has also been studied. For the optimality aspect of the computational vademecum, we propose a convergence acceleration technique for HOPGD and a “sparse grids” approach which allows efficient sampling of the parameter space. Finally, computational vademecums of dimension up to 10 with controlled accuracy have been constructed for different types of welding parameters (materials, loading, geometry).

在探討願付價格的條件評估法中一種常被使用的方法為“雙界二分選擇法”，並且一個隱含的假設是，所有研究對象皆願意支付一個合理的金額。然而對於某些商品，有些人也許願意支付任何金額；相對的，有些人可能不願意支付任何金額。分析願付價格時若不考慮這兩類極端反應者，則可能會得到一個偏誤的願付價格。本篇研究中，我們提出一個“混合模型”來處理此議題，其中以多元邏輯斯迴歸模型來描述不同反應者的比例，並以加速失敗時間模型來估計願意支付合理金額者其願付價格的分布。此外，我們以關於治療高血壓新藥之願付價格實例，作為實證分析。 / One commonly used method in contingent valuation (CV) survey for WTP (willingness-to-pay) is the “double-bound dichotomous choice approach” and an implicit assumption is that all study subjects are willing to pay a reasonable price. However, for certain goods, some subjects may be willing to pay any price for them, while some others may be unwilling to pay any price. Without considering these two types of the extreme respondents, a wrongly estimated WTP value will be obtained. We propose a “mixture model” to handle the issues in this study, in which a multinomial logistic model is taken to specify the proportions of different respondents and an accelerated failure time model is utilized to describe the distribution of WTP price for subjects who are willing to pay a reasonable price. In addition, an empirical example on WTP prices for a new hypertension treatment is provided to illustrate the proposed methods.

A utilização de sistemas semi-ativos no controle de movimento e vibração vem crescendo muito nos últimos anos, e está se firmando como a opção mais econômica em muitas aplicações. Os sistemas de controle semi-ativos baseados em fluidos magneto-reológicos (MR) já são empregados no controle de vibrações desde máquinas de lavar a grandes pontes suspensas, e até mesmo no controle de vibração de edifícios sujeitos a abalos sísmicos. No controle de movimento, eles têm sido aplicados em aparelhos de fisioterapia, próteses de joelho humano e embreagens. No setor automobilístico, os sistemas semi-ativos são empregados em sistemas de controle da suspensão e sistemas anti-rolagem, e também no controle de sistemas de torque e tração. Visto a crescente importância dos sistemas de controle semi-ativo, este trabalho aborda este assunto dividindo-o em duas partes: a primeira, apresentada no volume 1, trata do projeto de atuadores magneto-reológicos e do seu modelamento dinâmico voltado para projetos de controle; e a segunda parte, apresentada no volume 2, trata de projeto de controladores para sistemas semi-ativos, mais especificamente voltados para o controle de suspensão veicular semi-ativa, buscando a melhoria do desempenho em conforto, segurança e dirigibilidade do veículo. Na primeira parte, a maior contribuição deste trabalho está em preencher uma lacuna na literatura no que diz respeito a uma técnica sistemática de projeto de atuadores magneto-reológicos e da forma mais adequada de sua representação dinâmica para projetos de controle, que é feita a partir de dados experimentais. Na segunda parte deste trabalho buscou-se desenvolver um sistema de controle economicamente viável para veículos utilitários (caminhonetes principalmente). Estes são os veículos que mais carecem de sistemas de suspensão capazes de atender a uma grande variedade de situações (variação de pista, variação de carga), e cujo mercado exige uma relação custo/benefício melhor que aquela dos mercados de carros de luxo, onde estes sistemas são empregados atualmente. Como resultados mais importantes deste trabalho têmse: uma proposição para o uso da lei de controle LQG/LTR em sistemas não estritamente próprios; um modelo de um veículo utilitário completo com sete graus de liberdade e capaz de representar as situações mais importantes do comportamento dinâmico deste tipo de veículo; o desenvolvimento de uma estratégia de controle robusto baseado na técnica LQG/LTR, adequada para trabalhar com atuadores semi-ativos, e que utiliza sensores de custo compatível com a aplicação. O sistema de controle proposto foi capaz de melhorar o desempenho em conforto e segurança, evitando situações de perda de aderência dos pneus e comportamentos dinâmicos indesejáveis destes veículos, que foi verificado experimentalmente e através de simulações em computador. / The application of semi-active systems to motion and vibration control has significantly grown during the last years, and it is becoming an economically viable option for several applications. Semi-active systems based on magneto-rheological (MR) fluids were applied to vibration control ranging from washing machines to suspended bridges, and also in vibration control of buildings under seismic tremors. Regarding the movement control, they have been used in gym apparati, human knee prosthesis and clutches. More specifically in the automotive industry, semi-active systems have been applied in suspension and anti-roll systems, and also in torque and traction control systems. This work treats this subject dividing it into two parts: the first one, presented in volume 1, deals with the design of semi-active actuators based on magneto-rheological fluids and dynamic modeling; and the second one, presented in volume 2, deals with the design of semi-active control for vehicular suspension systems. The control main objective is the performance improvement in comfort, safety and handling features of a vehicle. In the first part, the main contribution of this work is to fulfill a literature gap regarding a systematic procedure for design of magneto-rheological actuators and to find a better representation for the dynamic behavior regarding the control system development, which is done based on experimental data analysis. The second part of this work leaded with the development of a vehicular suspension system for utility vehicles (for SUVs, and mainly for light trucks), which need suspension systems able to face a great number of situations (road variation, load variation, etc.), and which present stability problems due to its high gravity center height. Important results of this work are: the development of a robust control strategy based on LQG/LTR techniques for non-strictly proper systems, the development of a dynamic model for light trucks and SUVs with seven degrees of freedom; the development of a robust control strategy based on the LQG/LTR synthesis, suit to work with semi-active actuators, and using sensors with costs compatible to the application. The proposed control system was able to improve the performance of comfort and safety, avoiding the loss of adherence between tires and the ground and other undesirable dynamic behaviors of these vehicles, that was verified experimentally and through computer simulations.

This master's thesis deals with optimization of traffic networks. There are discussed modeling methods for traffic and simplifications used in these models. Introductory part is focused on mathematical theory used to buid presented model. Main focus of this thesis was creation and optimization of the model which describes real world traffic network with traffic lights. Model was tested on both artificial and real data gathered in city Zlín. It was necessary to create generator which can produce suitable input data for model.

Major disasters such as wildfire, tornado, hurricane, tropical storm, flooding cause disruptions in infrastructure systems such as power outage, disruption to water supply system, wastewater management, telecommunication failures, and transportation facilities. Disruptions in electricity infrastructures have negative impacts on sectors throughout a region, including education, medical services, financial, and recreation sectors. In this study, we introduce a novel approach to investigate the factors which can be associated with longer restoration time of power service after a hurricane. Considering restoration time as the dependent variable and utilizing a comprehensive set of county-level data, we have estimated a Generalized Accelerated Failure Time (GAFT) model that accounts for spatial dependence among observations for time to event data. The model fit improved by 12% after considering the effects of spatial correlation in time to event data. Using GAFT model and Hurricane Irma's impact on Florida as a case study, we examined: (1) differences in electric power outages and restoration rates among different types of power companies: investor-owned power companies, rural and municipal cooperatives; (2) the relationship between the duration of power outage and power system variables; (3) the relationship between the duration of power outage and socioeconomic attributes. The findings of this study indicate that counties with a higher percentage of customers served by investor-owned electric companies and lower median household income, faced power outage for a longer time. This paper identifies the key factors to predict restoration time of hurricane-induced power outages, allowing disaster management agencies to adopt strategies required for restoration process.

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Information and communication systems enter an increasing number of areas of daily lives. Our reliance and dependence on the functioning of such systems is rapidly growing together with the costs and the impact of system failures. At the same time the complexity of hardware and software systems extends to new limits as modern hardware architectures become more and more parallel, dynamic and heterogenous. These trends demand for a closer integration of formal methods and system engineering to show the correctness of complex systems within the design phase of large projects. The goal of this thesis is to introduce a formal holistic approach for modeling, analysis and synthesis of parallel systems that potentially addresses complex system behavior at any layer of the hardware/software stack. Due to the complexity of modern hardware and software systems, we aim to have a hierarchical modeling framework that allows to specify the behavior of a parallel system at various levels of abstraction and that facilitates designing complex systems in an iterative refinement procedure, in which more detailed behavior is added successively to the system description. In this context, the major challenge is to provide modeling formalisms that are expressive enough to address all of the above issues and are at the same time amenable to the application of formal methods for proving that the system behavior conforms to its specification. In particular, we are interested in specification formalisms that allow to apply formal verification techniques such that the underlying model checking problems are still decidable within reasonable time and space bounds. The presented work relies on an exogenous modeling approach that allows a clear separation of coordination and computation and provides an operational semantic model where formal methods such as model checking are well suited and applicable. The channel-based exogenous coordination language Reo is used as modeling formalism as it supports hierarchical modeling in an iterative top-down refinement procedure. It facilitates reusability, exchangeability, and heterogeneity of components and forms the basis to apply formal verification methods. At the same time Reo has a clear formal semantics based on automata, which serve as foundation to apply formal methods such as model checking. In this thesis new modeling languages are presented that allow specifying complex systems in terms of Reo and automata models which yield the basis for a holistic approach on modeling, verification and synthesis of parallel systems. The second main contribution of this thesis are tailored branching-time and alternating time temporal logics as well as corresponding model checking algorithms. The thesis includes results on the theoretical complexity of the underlying model checking problems as well as practical results. For the latter the presented approach has been implemented in the symbolic verification tool set Vereofy. The implementation within Vereofy and evaluation of the branching-time and alternating-time model checker is the third main contribution of this thesis.

為了處理在願付價格的研究中，極端受訪者對於估計結果所造成的誤差。本文沿用Tsai(2005)所建議採用的三要素混合模型，將受訪者區分為價格再高都願意支付、願意支付合理價格以及價格再低都不願意支付等三種類型。在評估願付價格時，以加速失敗模型(accelerated failure time model，簡稱AFT model)針對願意支付合理價格的受訪者進行估計，並且在考慮不同起價點可能會造成不同程度的起價點偏誤(starting point bias)或是定錨效果(anchoring effect)的情形下，提出一個起價點偏誤調整模型來做探討。我們並以CVDFACTS中的高血壓之願付價格資料進行實證分析。分析結果發現，教育程度越高的男性對於能降低高血壓病患罹患心臟血管相關疾病之新藥願意付較高的金額。此外我們也發現在此筆資料中，不同起價點確實會造成不同程度的偏誤，經由偏誤調整後會得到較高的願付金額。 / A study of willingness-to-pay often suffers from the bias introduced by extreme respondents who are willing to or not willing to pay any price. To overcome the problem, a three-component model proposed by Tsai (2005) is adopted. Under such a circumstance, respondents are classified into three categories, i.e. respondents who are willing to pay any price, unwilling to pay any price, or willing to pay a reasonable price. The willingness-to-pay for those subjects who are willing to pay a reasonable price is again modeled by an accelerated failure time model (AFT model). In this study, we, however, propose an unified model that allows us to look into the issue related to starting point bias and anchoring effect, simultaneously. Willingness-to-pay for cardiovascular disease treatment from a longitudinal follow-up survey- CVDFACTS, is investigated using the new model. Through the use of the model, we are able to detect the effects of starting point biases, and make a proper adjustment accordingly. Our analysis indicates that male respondents with higher education level have an inclination to pay higher price for the new treatment. Besides, we also discover that starting point bias does exist in this dataset.