Alcohol use among college students has maintained its place as a major issue in American higher education since its inception. Although dangerous drinking has always proliferated among college students, institutions have only provided alcohol and other drug (AOD) education and interventions encouraging students to adapt less harmful habits for a much shorter period of time. During this relatively short history of postsecondary alcohol interventions, colleges and universities have shifted away from abstinence-only, education-based methods. Instead, institutions have begun to adapt cognitive behavior-centric, motivational enhancement-based strategies emphasizing harm reduction through the use of protective behaviors. In order to reach a greater number of students, alcohol intervention programs have been developed combining the harm reduction ideology with internet-based dispersion at a population level. This research study addressed the behavioral changes that occurred among an entire class of first-time-in-college freshmen at a large public university before and after mandatory participation in AlcoholEdu for College, an online, population-level, harm reduction-based alcohol intervention. The study expanded upon previous evaluations of the program, which addressed program efficacy among the population as a whole but did not further explore differences in effect upon students engaging in different levels of drinking. Other demographic factors, such as gender, ethnicity, family history of alcohol issues, and age of first consumption, were also taken into account. Pre-test surveys taken by students prior to the intervention at the beginning of the academic year were matched to follow-up surveys taken four to six weeks after program completion, providing the necessary data for conducting a quantitative study. The specific areas of interest within the study included (a) willingness to complete the program in a timely and complete fashion, (b) levels of consumption, (c) use of protective behavioral strategies (PBS), and (d) incurrence of negative alcohol-related consequences. A combination of analytical procedures was utilized, including descriptive statistics, chi-square tests for independence, exploratory factor analysis, repeated measures ANCOVA, and nonparametric inferential tests. Results were described within the framework of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 2004) as well as the CIPP program evaluation framework (Stufflebeam & Shinkfield, 2007). The analysis uncovered that three major factors determined willingness to complete the mandatory program in a timely and complete fashion: gender, age of first alcohol consumption, and drinker group. Specifically, students who were male, started drinking prior to high school, or were identified as heavy episodic drinkers were less likely than peers to complete all portions of the AlcoholEdu program. Both moderate and heavy episodic drinkers reduced their levels of consumption between pre-test and follow-up. A large percentage of abstaining students maintained this status later in the semester. Light and moderate drinkers either maintained or slightly reduced their use of PBS, while heavy episodic drinkers showed increases in use of most types of PBS over time. All students indicated low levels of incurrence of negative consequences in both the pre-test and follow-up periods. However, while students experienced an increased number of most of these consequences between the pre-test and follow-up surveys, heavy drinkers cited a decreased rate of drinking and driving-related consequences as of the follow-up. Throughout all of the analyses, important controlling factors included gender, ethnicity, and age of first alcohol consumption. The results of this study can guide future development and refinement of the AlcoholEdu program, as well as provide higher education administrators and AOD education program staff with additional baseline knowledge of the change process first-time-in-college freshmen undergo when engaged in the program.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-05-09T17:24:59Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LENARDO CHAVES E SILVA - TESE PPGCC 2015..pdf: 9863003 bytes, checksum: b4ff7a7517f3ec159596b4b3c8730219 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-09T17:24:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LENARDO CHAVES E SILVA - TESE PPGCC 2015..pdf: 9863003 bytes, checksum: b4ff7a7517f3ec159596b4b3c8730219 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-12 / Capes / Sistemas Médicos Físico-Cibernéticos (SMFC) são sistemas críticos cientes de contexto que têm a segurança do paciente como principal requisito, demandando processos rigorosos de validação para garantir a conformidade com os requisitos do usuário e a corretude orientada à especificação. Neste trabalho é proposta uma arquitetura baseada em modelos para validação de SMFC, focando em promover a reúso e a produtividade. Tal abordagem permite que desenvolvedores de sistemas construam modelos formais de SMFC baseados em uma biblioteca de modelos de pacientes e dispositivos médicos, bem como simular o SMFC para identificar comportamentos indesejados em tempo de projeto. A abordagem proposta foi aplicada a três diferentes cenários clínicos para avaliar seu potencial de reúso para diferentes contextos. A abordagem foi também validada por meio de uma avaliação empírica com desenvolvedores para avaliar o reúso e a produtividade. Finalmente, os modelos foram formalmente verificados considerando os requisitos funcionais e de segurança, além da cobertura dos modelos. / Medical Cyber-Physical Systems (MCPS) are context-aware, life-critical systems with patient safety as the main concern, demanding rigorous processes for validation to guarantee user requirement compliance and specification-oriented correctness. In this article, we propose a model-based approach for early validation of MCPS, focusing on promoting reusability and productivity. It enables system developers to build MCPS formal models based on a library of patient and medical device models, and simulate the MCPS to identify undesirable behaviors at design time. Our approach has been applied to three different clinical scenarios to evaluate its reusability potential for different context. We have also validated our approach through an empirical evaluation with developers to assess productivity and reusability. Finally, our models have been formally verified considering functional and safety requirements and model coverage.

Epidemiological research around the world has shown that exposure of urban populations to fine microparticles (PM2.5) suspended in air from, among other things, car combustion, is responsible for many cases of lung and cardiovascular disease and even mortality. However, most of these studies examine urban centers as ensembles without considering that population exposure to microparticles is not homogeneous across an urban space. For example, individuals living near major arterial roads are much more exposed to microparticles than others living in low traffic neighborhoods. Unfortunately, ground stations measuring PM2.5 are few and far between to generate accurate microparticle concentration maps at fine scales. One way to spatialize information on microparticle concentrations is to introduce remotely sensed images that allows to calculate an optical parameter of aerosols, their optical depth. The use of medium-to-fine-resolution images is not common in this area. So, we wanted to look at their potential. Tests with hyperspectral and multispectral images at these resolutions have shown that optical depth can be estimated with enough accuracy. The AODFinder software developed for this purpose performs well. Unfortunately, the small sample of AOD values and PM2.5 concentration measurements did not allow us to conclude on the possibility of using AOD as a proxy for PM2.5 and thus on the possibility of refining microparticle monitoring at the local level. / Des recherches épidémiologiques à travers le monde ont mis en évidence que l’exposition des populations urbaines aux microparticules fines (PM2.5) en suspension dans l’air provenant, entre autres, de la combustion automobile, est à l’origine des nombreux cas des maladies pulmonaires et cardiovasculaires et même des cas de mortalité. Cependant, la plupart de ces études examinent les centres urbains comme des ensembles sans tenir compte que l’exposition des populations aux microparticules n’est pas homogène à travers un espace urbain. À titre d’exemple, les individus demeurant à proximité de grandes artères routières sont beaucoup plus exposés aux microparticules que d’autres demeurant dans des quartiers de faible circulation. Malheureusement, les stations terrestres de mesure des PM2.5 sont peu nombreuses pour permettre de générer des cartes de concentration des microparticules précises à des échelles fines. Un moyen pour spatialiser l’information sur les concentrations des microparticules est d’introduire l’imagerie de télédétection qui permet de calculer un paramètre optique des aérosols, leur profondeur optique. L’utilisation des images à résolution moyenne à fine n’est pas chose courante dans ce domaine. Ainsi nous avons voulu examiner leur potentiel. Les tests avec des images hyperspectrale et multispectrale à ces résolutions ont montré que la profondeur optique peut être estimer avec suffisamment de précision. Le logiciel AODFinder développé à cette fin se comporte bien. Malheureusement le faible échantillon des valeurs de AOD et des mesures des concentrations des PM2.5 ne nous a pas permis de se prononcer sur la possibilité d’utiliser le AOD comme proxy des PM2.5 et ainsi sur la possibilité de raffiner le monitoring des microparticules à l’échelle locale.

This study aimed to identify the type, extent, and predictors of civic and political participation among addiction professionals. A sample of 633 addiction professionals participated in an online survey using the Citizen Participation Study’s survey instrument. Twenty-two political activities were measured as well as three predictors of political participation: resources, psychological engagement, and recruitment networks. Political participation and predictors of participation were analyzed for the full sample and compared among subgroups--social workers vs. those who were not social workers; those who reported they were recovering from alcohol and other drug (AOD) addiction vs. those who were not recovering; and those who held a professional addiction certification vs. those who were not certified and those who were certified plus held other professional credentials. The mean political participation index for participants who were not certified was significantly lower than for participants with a certification and those with a certification plus other professional credentials. No significant difference was noted in the mean political participation index for recovering participants and those not recovering from AOD addiction; and social workers and participants who were not social workers. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the influence of resources, psychological engagement, and recruitment networks on political participation while controlling for recovery status, professional credentials, age, race, and gender. Resources, psychological engagement, and recruitment networks were all significant predictors of political participation. Recruitment networks was the strongest predictor for the full sample and for subgroups who were not social workers, certified, not certified, certified with other professional credentials, and not recovering from AOD addiction. Psychological engagement was the strongest predictor of political participation among individuals recovering from AOD addiction and social workers. However, the validation analysis did not replicate the findings for social workers, those not recovering from AOD addiction, and those who were certified. The significant role of recruitment networks in political participation has important implications for social workers and others interested in mobilizing addiction professionals for political participation. Recommendations for further research include the need to develop valid and reliable measures of political participation that capture civic activities and the use of technology. / text

Fluoride, the most abundant form of fluorine, is an ion released into the environment, mainly via anthropogenic sources and erosion of mineral rocks. Although the element is well known for its health benefits on teeth and bones, it can as well be a harmful pollutant. In some areas on earth, the population can not obtain drinking water that is below the guideline limits of fluoride, which is set to 1.5 mg/L by the world health organization (WHO). Therefore there is a relevance to develop methods that can clean the waters from excess fluoride. The potential problems when it comes to finding these types of methods is that they can be expensive. However, materials generated as residues in industrial processes may be low in cost. In this thesis, silicon reduced AOD-slag, a material generated as a by-product from the production of stainless steel, was examined by its fluoride adsorption behavior and adsorption capacity. The concentrations of fluoride were measured with ion chromatography (IC) and the concentration of metals were analyzed with microwave plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (MP-AES). Additionally pH and conductivity were measured. The functionality of the material surface was analyzed with isotherm modeling, where the Sips isotherm model was tested. Moreover, optimization of the slag was performed by heat treating the material, as well as a sorption kinetics test on both optimized and original slags. The results from the analysis indicated that the material corresponds well to the Sips isotherm. Considering this result it is suggested that at low concentrations, the surface can be characterized as heterogeneous, with different binding energies at different available sites. At higher concentrations the Sips-model explains the surface to be saturated when a monolayer of fluoride is formed. Therefore the binding on the slag surface can be described to have an inner-sphere and covalent character. The metal analysis showed that calcium ions are released from the slag when in aqueous solutions. The presence of calcium in the liquid samples are believed to result in formations of solid calcium fluoride (CaF2), precipitated on the slag surface. Lastly, the maximum fluoride removal is believed to differ between different types of AOD-slag, where there as well are possibilities to optimize the material.

The main purpose of the AOD-converter is to lower the carbon content in stainless steel production. The carbon content can be estimated by static theoretical models. It can also be estimated through dynamic models based on analysis of the exhaust gases from the converter. This master thesis is a study on an extended use of exhaust gas analysis data on the AOD-converter at Outokumpu’s stainless steel plant in Avesta, Sweden. There are two main methods of predicting the carbon content based on exhaust gas analysis, mass balance and a linear regression between decarburization rate and carbon content. This master thesis mainly focuses on the development of the linear regression model for steel grades ASTM 304L, 316L, S32101 and S32205 for the last step of the decarburization, as well as ASTM S32205 and S30815 for the second last step of the decarburization. The results showed that the linear regression model can predict the carbon content at the last step of decarburization with a standard deviation between 0,00626 %C and 0,0109 %C for the different steel grades. An equation for carbon prediction dependent on the steel composition was also developed in the master thesis, making it theoretically possible to use for all steel grades, it has however not yet been tested on other steel grades. The CRE measured from the exhaust gases was also studied to find out if it is possibleto use as basis for step changes during the decarburization, but the resultswere inconclusive. / Huvudsyftet med AOD-konvertern är att sänka kolhalten i produktionen av rostfritt stål. Kolhalten kan uppskattas av statiska teoretiska modeller. Den kan också uppskattas av dynamiska modeller baserade på analys av avgaserna från konvertern. Det här examensarbetet handlar om utvidgning av användandet av avgasanalysdata på AOD-konvertern på Outokumpus stålverk i Avesta, Sverige. Det finns i huvudsak två metoder för att bestämma kolhalten med hjälp av avgasanalys, massbalans och en linjär regression mellan kolfärskningshastigheten och kolhalten. Det här examensarbetet fokuserar i huvudsak på utvecklingen av den linjära modellen för stålsorterna ASTM 304L, 316L, S32101 och S32205 för sista steget i kolfärskningen. Samt stålsorterna ASTM S32205 och S30815 för näst sista steget i kolfärskningen. Resultaten visade att den linjära modellen kunde uppskatta kolhalten i sista steget av kolfärskningen med en standardavvikelse mellan 0,00626 %C och 0,0109 %C för de fyra olika stålsorterna. En ekvation som anger sambandet mellan sammansättningen på stålet under kolfärskningen och ekvationen för den linjära regressionen togs också fram i examensarbetet. Teoretiskt kan ekvationen användas för alla stålsorter men den har inte än blivit testad på andra stålsorter. CRE uppmätt med hjälp av avgasanalys undersöktes också för att ta reda på om CRE kan användas för att bestämma när stegbytena ska ske, det gick dock inte att utgöra från resultaten.

Aerosol are solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere ranging in size from 10 3 to 102 m. Aerosol influence both the regional and global climate of the earth by its direct and indirect effect. Role of atmospheric aerosols on the radiative forcing of atmosphere is a matter of serious research for past few decades and still it remains highly uncertain as acknowledged by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Heterogeneous nature of aerosol both spatially and temporally makes it more complex in estimating radiative forcing compared to that of greenhouse gases. Compounding to the existing difficulty in determining the climate effects, changing aerosol concentration and nature of the aerosol further increases the complexity in determining its effects in both regional and global climate. Increasing aerosol loading is emerging to be an issue of major concern over several regions. The first step towards achieving this goal is by determining the trends in the physical and optical properties of aerosol over the globe. Main objective of the thesis is the determination of the recent trends in aerosol loading over the globe and then to focus specifically on the properties of aerosol over an urban site in southern India. Specific objectives are (a) to determine the trend in aerosol physical and optical properties over the globe using AERONET surface observations (b) to characterize the chemical properties of water soluble inorganic aerosol over an urban site in Southern India, Bangalore (c) to have a better estimation of aerosol radiative forcing over Bangalore with measured aerosol chemical concentration, black carbon concentration and aerosol optical depth (AOD). To quantify the recent trends in aerosol loading over the globe, we have used the surface observations from AERONET and the study provided the first step in giving a global picture of the recent trends in the fundamental optical and physical property of aerosol. Trend analysis showed a significant spatial inhomogenity, and Asian continent clearly showed an increasing trend in AOD compared to other continents. Solar village (24.9oN, 46.4oE) of Saudi Arabia showed a maximum with a value of 0.04/yr and Bac -Giang (21oN, 106oE) of Vietnam showed the minimum value of -0.04/yr. North American study region included 18 sites in which eastern US (E.US) exhibited a decreasing trend while the scenario in western US (W.US) is different with more of sites with increasing AOD trend. Single scattering albedo (SSA) trend in W. US showed a decreasing trend irrespective of the AOD trend. Study sites in South America include Cordoba -CETT (31.5oNS, 64.5 oN W) Alta Floresta (9.8oS, 56.1 o W), Riobranco (9.9oNS, 67.8o W) and Soa Poulo (23.5oS, 46.7o W).Except Riobranco which has a positive trend in AOD, all other sites exhibited a statistically signi cant negative trend. Over Australia, there is an inclination towards increasing AOD in sites and all the three sites in Australia exhibit a statistically significant increasing trend in SSA. According to the recent trends in AOD over African region, there exists a significant decrease in AOD compared to that reported for few years earlier, showing the high temporal in homogeneity and need for continuous observation of aerosol over the regions. European study region included 15 stations, among them only 3 sites showed an increasing trend in AOD, remaining 12 sites showed a significant decreasing trend in aerosol loading over the period of study. SSA was also observed to be decreasing over most of the European sites, even with a decreasing AOD over most of the sites. A Comparison study carried out to determine the relation of population growth rate and aerosol loading, and it revealed that the increasing AOD trend not always coincided with the sites having high population growth rate. Having determined the trends in AOD and other aerosol parameters over the globe and seeing an alarmingly increasing trend over most of the Asian sites, especially over Indian region, we have then focused over work on the aerosol properties of one of the rapidly growing urban location in southern India, Bangalore. While physical properties of aerosol have been extensively studied over Bangalore, chemical characteristics are still an unexplored area. Extensive information on aerosol chemical composition is not available over Indian region except for a few locations based on campaign mode. Even available data is of very coarse temporal resolution, since hours or full day sampling is needed to gather enough samples for chemical analysis. High temporal resolution data of aerosol chemical characteristics, especially for all season is completely lacking over Indian subcontinent. Among aerosol, water soluble aerosol form an important component in particulate matter, since it can change its size, composition, can easily mix with other aerosols and can act as cloud condensation nuclei, based on its hygroscopic nature. Present study provided the rst time results from a high temporal resolution water soluble inorganic aerosol chemical data over Indian region, which is first step towards estimating aerosol climate impacts more accurately. Water soluble inorganic aerosol ions over Bangalore namely, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium and ammonium are measured using Particle Into Liquid Sampler Ion Chromatograph (PILS-IC). PILS is an online sampling technique for quantitatively measuring the chemical concentration of ion in water soluble aerosol particles. PILS IC used in the present study is developed in Georgia Institute of Technology. Instrument samples ambient air at a flow rate of 16.7Lmin 1. Particles below PM 2.5 micron are collected for the analysis using cyclone impactor. Two annular glass denuders are used to remove inorganic gases which else will interfere with the aerosol ion concentration. Ambient air which is deprived of the inorganic gases is then mixed with steam vapours at 150oC, eventually high supersaturated atmosphere is produced with rapid adiabatic mixing of steam and ambient air. High supersaturated air allows droplets to grow enough to be collected by inertial impaction onto a quartz impactor plate. Entire PILS condensation unit is kept at a slight tilt of 15o, to remove all condensate through drain tube connected to the end of the PILS condensate body. Condensed liquid sample is collected from the impaction chamber and known concentration LiF is allowed to mix with the collected sample at a constant rate. LiF known as carrier liquid is added to know the dilution occurring to the collected sample. Sample with carrier liquid is then collected to a debubbler and is supplied to the IC through peristaltic tubings for determining the ion chemical concentration. Seasonal variation of mass concentration of water soluble aerosol species and the influence of long range transport is carried out using HYSPILT back trajectory analysis. Marine air mass from Arabian Sea dominated the air parcel reaching the site for both SW monsoon and summer. Continental air mass dominated the site during both NE monsoon and winter with slight contribution from marine atmosphere. Source characteristics of sulphate, potassium, calcium and magnesium ions are carried out based on sea salt (ss) and non sea salt (nss) origin and it is observed that the nss contribution is dominant over the site for all these ions except magnesium where ss component comparatively dominates the source. SO24 and NO3 form the dominant anions while NH+4 makes the dominant cation species. Monthly variation of the ratio of ammonium to nss -sulphate is carried out to determine the possible cation -anion relation existing between these two major ions. During later winter and summer months ammonium bi sulphate is found to be the existing chemical form and ammonium sulphate during other seasons. High temporal resolution data enabled us to study the diurnal variation of aerosol ions and it is influenced by various mechanisms from boundary layer to local emissions. Optical properties of aerosols depend upon the size and the relative abun-dance of each components. It is usual practice to assume default aerosol chemical composition in radiative transfer models due to unavailability of data, which can lead to errors in forcing estimates. Incorporating realistic aerosol chemical composition in models is essential to reduce the uncertainty in aerosol radiative forcing. Hence we have included measured aerosol chemical compositions, black carbon and AOD to improve the determination of radiative forcing of aerosol. OPAC and SBDART models were used for estimating the aerosol radiative forcing over Bangalore. We have used mainly four components namely, soot, water soluble, sea salt and dust. Except dust all are other components are measured over the site and formed a constrain for the calculation. Dust concentration was altered so that the OPAC AOD matched the measured AOD within 5%. Mineral dust shows the highest contribution in AOD among the four components, however water soluble and soot even being less is mass concentration compared to mineral dust, has significant impact on the AOD. This clearly indicate the influence of both water soluble and soot aerosol over the regional climate of the site. Sea Salt exhibited low AOD compared to other three constituents. The results presented in the thesis highlights the importance of varying trends in the aerosol properties and its effects on a global picture and speci - cally over an urban site in Indian region , we explored the temporal variations of water soluble inorganic aerosol ions and its effects on regional climate. Hence the thesis addressed some of the unexplored areas in aerosol science. This study also suggests the need of continuous observation of aerosol over both spatial and temporal scale, which is essential to estimate their effects on earth's climate.

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / Cape Town is suffering from high rates of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems. Despite the need for effective treatment, there are insufficient AOD treatment facilities available, with barriers to AOD treatment being particularly pronounced among historically disadvantaged communities (HDCs). In addition, the high drop-out rate of patients from AOD treatment, and the finding that retention in treatment is predictive of positive outcomes, increases the necessity of retaining people who enter AOD treatment.This study therefore aimed to identify those patient-level factors impacting on the successful completion of and retention in AOD treatment. In particular, the study aimed to describe the relationship between treatment process factors (therapeutic alliance,motivation, treatment satisfaction, social support), demographic and psychological variables, and treatment completion and retention. The Texas Christian University (TCU) Treatment Model, which conceptualises the AOD treatment process, provided the theoretical framework for the study. Using a quantitative design, secondary data analysis was conducted on a section of data that was originally collected by the Medical Research Council (MRC) via a cross-sectional survey. The sample consisted of 434 individuals from HDCs who had previously entered AOD treatment. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the therapeutic alliance, treatment satisfaction, abstinence-specific social support and depression were significant predictors of treatment completion, while race,therapeutic alliance, abstinence-specific social support and anxiety were predictive of the time spent in treatment. These predictors were positively associated with treatment completion and time in treatment. Black Africans spent significantly less days in treatment than Coloured individuals, although both groups were equally likely to complete treatment. The results suggest that by strengthening the therapeutic alliance,social support and treatment satisfaction, treatment completion and retention can be improved. This can be achieved by training, ongoing monitoring of these factors during treatment, and greater involvement of supportive social networks in a patient’s recovery. The findings also point towards the need for improved service delivery for Black Africans, who confront many barriers to accessing inpatient AOD treatment.

Atualmente, o projeto de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos está crescendo em complexidade devido à sua natureza heterogênea e ao crescente número e diversidade de funções que um único sistema desempenha. Sistemas de automação industrial, sistemas eletrônicos em automóveis e veículos aéreos, equipamentos médicos, entre outros, são exemplos de tais sistemas. Tais sistemas são compostos por componentes distintos (blocos de hardware e software), os quais geralmente são projetados concorrentemente utilizando modelos, ferramentas e linguagens de especificação e implementação diferentes. Além disso, estes sistemas tem requisitos específicos e importantes, os quais não representam (por si só) as funcionalidades esperadas do sistema, mas podem afetar a forma como o sistema executa suas funcionalidades e são muito importantes para a realização do projeto com sucesso. Os chamados requisitos não-funcionais são difíceis de tratar durante todo o ciclo de projeto porque normalmente um único requisito não-funcional afeta vários componentes diferentes. A presente tese de doutorado propõe a integração automatizada das fases de projeto de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos focando em aplicações na área da automação. A abordagem proposta usa técnicas de engenharia guiada por modelos (do inglês Model Driven Engineering ou MDE) e projeto orientado a aspectos (do inglês Aspect-Oriented Design ou AOD) juntamente com o uso de plataformas previamente desenvolvidas (ou desenvolvida por terceiros) para projetar os componentes de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos. Adicionalmente, os conceitos de AOD permitem a separação no tratamento dos requisitos de naturezas diferentes (i.e. requisitos funcionais e não-funcionais), melhorando a modularização dos artefatos produzidos (e.g. modelos de especificação, código fonte, etc.). Além disso, esta tese propõe uma ferramenta de geração de código, que suporta a transição automática das fases iniciais de especificação para as fases seguintes de implementação. Esta ferramenta usa um conjunto de regras de mapeamento, que descrevem como elementos nos níveis mais altos de abstração são mapeados (ou transformados) em elementos dos níveis mais baixos de abstração. Em outras palavras, tais regras de mapeamento permitem a transformação automática da especificação inicial, as quais estão mais próximo do domínio da aplicação, em código fonte para os componentes de hardware e software, os quais podem ser compilados e sintetizados por outras ferramentas para se obter a realização/implementação do sistema tempo-real embarcado e distribuído. / Currently, the design of distributed embedded real-time systems is growing in complexity due to the increasing amount of distinct functionalities that a single system must perform, and also to concerns related to designing different kinds of components. Industrial automation systems, embedded electronics systems in automobiles or aerial vehicles, medical equipments and others are examples of such systems, which includes distinct components (e.g. hardware and software ones) that are usually designed concurrently using distinct models, tools, specification, and implementation languages. Moreover, these systems have domain specific and important requirements, which do not represent by themselves the expected functionalities, but can affect both the way that the system performs its functionalities as well as the overall design success. The so-called nonfunctional requirements are difficult to deal with during the whole design because usually a single non-functional requirement affects several distinct components. This thesis proposes an automated integration of distributed embedded real-time systems design phases focusing on automation systems. The proposed approach uses Model- Driven Engineering (MDE) techniques together with Aspect-Oriented Design (AOD) and previously developed (or third party) hardware and software platforms to design the components of distributed embedded real-time systems. Additionally, AOD concepts allow a separate handling of requirement with distinct natures (i.e. functional and non-functional requirements), improving the produced artifacts modularization (e.g. specification model, source code, etc.). In addition, this thesis proposes a code generation tool, which supports an automatic transition from the initial specification phases to the following implementation phases. This tool uses a set of mapping rules, describing how elements at higher abstraction levels are mapped (or transformed) into lower abstraction level elements. In other words, suchmapping rules allow an automatic transformation of the initial specification, which is closer to the application domain, in source code for software and hardware components that can be compiled or synthesized by other tools, obtaining the realization/ implementation of the distributed embedded real-time system.

Atualmente, o projeto de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos está crescendo em complexidade devido à sua natureza heterogênea e ao crescente número e diversidade de funções que um único sistema desempenha. Sistemas de automação industrial, sistemas eletrônicos em automóveis e veículos aéreos, equipamentos médicos, entre outros, são exemplos de tais sistemas. Tais sistemas são compostos por componentes distintos (blocos de hardware e software), os quais geralmente são projetados concorrentemente utilizando modelos, ferramentas e linguagens de especificação e implementação diferentes. Além disso, estes sistemas tem requisitos específicos e importantes, os quais não representam (por si só) as funcionalidades esperadas do sistema, mas podem afetar a forma como o sistema executa suas funcionalidades e são muito importantes para a realização do projeto com sucesso. Os chamados requisitos não-funcionais são difíceis de tratar durante todo o ciclo de projeto porque normalmente um único requisito não-funcional afeta vários componentes diferentes. A presente tese de doutorado propõe a integração automatizada das fases de projeto de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos focando em aplicações na área da automação. A abordagem proposta usa técnicas de engenharia guiada por modelos (do inglês Model Driven Engineering ou MDE) e projeto orientado a aspectos (do inglês Aspect-Oriented Design ou AOD) juntamente com o uso de plataformas previamente desenvolvidas (ou desenvolvida por terceiros) para projetar os componentes de sistemas tempo-real embarcados e distribuídos. Adicionalmente, os conceitos de AOD permitem a separação no tratamento dos requisitos de naturezas diferentes (i.e. requisitos funcionais e não-funcionais), melhorando a modularização dos artefatos produzidos (e.g. modelos de especificação, código fonte, etc.). Além disso, esta tese propõe uma ferramenta de geração de código, que suporta a transição automática das fases iniciais de especificação para as fases seguintes de implementação. Esta ferramenta usa um conjunto de regras de mapeamento, que descrevem como elementos nos níveis mais altos de abstração são mapeados (ou transformados) em elementos dos níveis mais baixos de abstração. Em outras palavras, tais regras de mapeamento permitem a transformação automática da especificação inicial, as quais estão mais próximo do domínio da aplicação, em código fonte para os componentes de hardware e software, os quais podem ser compilados e sintetizados por outras ferramentas para se obter a realização/implementação do sistema tempo-real embarcado e distribuído. / Currently, the design of distributed embedded real-time systems is growing in complexity due to the increasing amount of distinct functionalities that a single system must perform, and also to concerns related to designing different kinds of components. Industrial automation systems, embedded electronics systems in automobiles or aerial vehicles, medical equipments and others are examples of such systems, which includes distinct components (e.g. hardware and software ones) that are usually designed concurrently using distinct models, tools, specification, and implementation languages. Moreover, these systems have domain specific and important requirements, which do not represent by themselves the expected functionalities, but can affect both the way that the system performs its functionalities as well as the overall design success. The so-called nonfunctional requirements are difficult to deal with during the whole design because usually a single non-functional requirement affects several distinct components. This thesis proposes an automated integration of distributed embedded real-time systems design phases focusing on automation systems. The proposed approach uses Model- Driven Engineering (MDE) techniques together with Aspect-Oriented Design (AOD) and previously developed (or third party) hardware and software platforms to design the components of distributed embedded real-time systems. Additionally, AOD concepts allow a separate handling of requirement with distinct natures (i.e. functional and non-functional requirements), improving the produced artifacts modularization (e.g. specification model, source code, etc.). In addition, this thesis proposes a code generation tool, which supports an automatic transition from the initial specification phases to the following implementation phases. This tool uses a set of mapping rules, describing how elements at higher abstraction levels are mapped (or transformed) into lower abstraction level elements. In other words, suchmapping rules allow an automatic transformation of the initial specification, which is closer to the application domain, in source code for software and hardware components that can be compiled or synthesized by other tools, obtaining the realization/ implementation of the distributed embedded real-time system.