Este trabalho consiste na avaliação do desempenho de uma instalação piloto de dupla filtração no tratamento de água superficial, apresentando turbidez entre 8,5 e 21 uT. A instalação piloto constituída de um sistema de filtração de duas fases, com filtração direta ascendente em areia grossa seguida da filtração rápida descendente em areia fina. A taxa de filtração variou de 120 a 360 m3/m2.dia no filtro ascendente e de 200 a 400 m3/m2.dia no filtro ascendente. Foram executadas descargas de fundo intermediários no filtro ascendente durante a carreira de filtração para avaliar a instalação piloto. Além disso, simulou pico de turbidez, para avaliar as condições. Baseado no trabalho experimental concluiu-se que: (i) a eficiência global do sistema de dupla filtração ascendente em areia grossa foi satisfatória, apresentando efluente final com turbidez inferior a 1 uT e cor verdadeira inferior a 1 uH; (ii) a distribuição da perda de carga nas camadas do meio granular do FAAG não apresentou diferenças significativas para as variadas taxas de filtração e modo de operação (com e sem execução de DIFs); (iii) os ensaios que foram realizados com a execução de DIFs apresentaram carreiras de filtração mais longas. / This work concerns the study of the performance of a double filtration pilot plant whom treating surface water, presenting turbidity between 8,5 and 21,0 NTU. The pilot plant consisted of a two-stage filtration system, with an upflow coarse sand direct filtrer followed by a dowflow fine sand filter. Filtration rats varied from 120 to 360 m/day in the upflow filter and from 200 to 400 m/day in the downflow filter. Intermediate downflow in the upflow filter were performed during the run length do evaluate the performance of the pilot plant in addition, a peak of turbidity in the for influent selected filter operating varabile, was studied here in. Based on the experimental work carried out, it was concluded that: (i) the global efficiency of the system of double filtration with upflow filtration in coarse sand was satisfactory, presenting final efflents with inferior turbidity to 1,0 NTU and inferior true color to 1 uH; (ii) the distribution of the load loss in the layers of the granular middle of FAAG didn\'t present significant differences for the varied filtration taxes and operation way (with and without execution of DFIs); (iii) the rehearsals that were accomplished with the execution of DFIs presented longer filtration runs.

Um grande número de rochas de granulação grosseira tem valor agregado muito alto quando usadas como materiais de construção, as chamadas rochas exóticas. No entanto, existem problemas com a utilização desses materiais dado a sua fragilidade, que está relacionada com a sua textura muito heterogênea. No Brasil é empregado empiricamente um reforço (compósito) que utiliza resina epóxi e fibra de vidro para melhorar o desempenho mecânico de tais rochas quando empregadas como materiais de construção. Os objetivos da presente pesquisa foram estudar o reforço tradicional brasileiro (telagem) para determinar sua eficiência e, ao mesmo tempo, propor outras soluções de reforço alternativas e mais eficientes, e avaliá-las através da caracterização mecânica experimental. Foi proposto um critério denominado Declive Global para avaliar as tensões de serviço dos materiais pegmatíticos estudados, quando os reforços propostos foram aplicados. Para validar esse critério foi utilizado um sistema de correlação digital de imagem (CDI) para observar e medir o comportamento de deformação e fratura durante a realização de testes de flexão em 4 pontos. Tanto o critério proposto como a CDI mostraram que a propagação de fissuras ocorre muito antes do material atingir a carga máxima. O reforço alternativo proposto, que emprega resina epóxi e uma fibra de vidro 600 g/m² apresentou o melhor desempenho mecânico, elevando a carga de ruptura até 6x em comparação com as amostras onde nenhum reforço foi aplicado. Os resultados demonstrados pelos reforços propostos são promissores e aumentam a possibilidade de aplicar rochas exóticas frágeis como materiais de construção, além do critério proposto fornecer uma ferramenta importante para a compreensão mecânica prévia de produtos de rocha que utilizam reforços compósitos. / A great number of coarse-grained natural stones have very high added-value when used as building materials, the so called exotic stones. However, problems using these materials arise from its brittleness behavior, which are related to its very heterogeneous texture. Glass fiber-reinforced epoxy composite (GFRC) is being used to improve mechanical performance of such stones when employed as building materials. The objectives of this present investigation it were studying the Brazilian traditional reinforcement to determinate its efficiency and, at the same time, a number of alternative solutions were proposed and evaluated through experimental mechanical characterization. It was proposed a slope-based criterion to evaluate the useful service loads of pegmatitic materials when glass fiber-reinforcement is applied. To validate the proposed criterion, a digital image correlation (DIC) system was employed to observe and measure strain and fracture behavior during the realization of 4-point bending tests. Both proposed criterion and DIC show that crack propagation occurs long before the material reaches maximum load. GFRC acts as a crack inhibitor, raising the breaking load up to 6x in comparison with the specimens where no reinforcement was applied. The results from this study enhance the capability to apply such materials as building materials and provide an important tool to perform prior mechanical understanding of stone products using GFRC.

Esse trabalho tem como objetivo estabelecer um método simples de ensaio que permita determinar a resistência à tração e módulo elástico de partículas individuais de agregados graúdos naturais submetidas à carga de compressão. O método de ensaio foi desenvolvido baseado no ensaio de carga pontual (Point Load Test) que permite obter a resistência à tração de partículas. Para a determinação do módulo de elasticidade foi acoplado ao método um LVDT e foi satisfeita a condição para aplicação da teoria de contato de Hertz (contato curvo-plano entre as partículas e as fixações de aplicação da carga). Inicialmente a metodologia foi avaliada utilizando como material de referência partículas de vidro (com geometrias similares aos agregados). Após a validação no vidro, o método de ensaio foi aplicado em agregados graúdos de granito. Propôs-se um método de seleção de partículas com base na sua distribuição de frequência de absorção, com o intuito de reduzir a quantidade de partículas testadas mecanicamente necessárias para obter a distribuição de Weibull da resistência à tração (e módulo de elasticidade). Para tanto, foi feita a determinação da absorção de água individual de centenas de partículas selecionadas por amostragem a esmo da população de agregados. Com base nos resultados, foi possível determinar a distribuição de Weibull da resistência à tração e módulo de elasticidade das partículas. Observou-se que as resistências à tração variaram de 3 a 15 MPa. Os agregados possuíam aproximadamente 10% da população de partículas com resistência à tração inferior a 5 MPa, o que pode influenciar as classes de resistência à compressão de concretos >50MPa. Os módulos elásticos dos agregados também foram variáveis (18-67 GPa) e aproximadamente 10% da população de partículas com módulo elástico <30 GPa. Isso pode limitar o módulo de elasticidade do concreto (que geralmente é em torno de 27 GPa), dependendo do processo de escolha dos agregados. As funções exponenciais inversas fundamentais entre essas propriedades mecânicas e a porosidade foram confirmadas (para valores médios). / The aim of this work is to establish a simple test method to determine the tensile strength and elastic modulus of individual natural aggregate particles subjected to a compression load. The test method was developed based on the Point Load Test, that allows to obtain the tensile strength of particles. For the determination of the elastic modulus, an LVDT was coupled to the method and the condition for application of Hertz contact theory (curved-plane contact between the particles and the load application fixations) was satisfied. Initially, the method was evaluated using glass particles as reference (with geometries similar to aggregates). After validation on the glass, the test method was applied to coarse granite aggregates. A method of particle selection was proposed based on its absorption frequency distribution, in order to reduce the amount of mechanically tested particles required to obtain the Weibull distribution of tensile strength (and elastic modulus). For this purpose, the determination of the individual water absorption of hundreds of particles selected by random sampling of the population of aggregates was made. Based on the results, it was possible to determine the Weibull distribution of the tensile strength and elastic modulus of the particles. The tensile strengths ranged from 3 to 15 MPa. The aggregates had approximately 10% of the particles population with tensile strength less than 5 MPa, which may influence the classes of concrete with compressive strength > 50MPa. The elastic modulus of the aggregates was also variable (18-67 GPa), with approximately 10% of the particle population with elastic modulus <30 GPa. This may limit the elastic modulus of the concrete (usually around 27 GPa) depending on how the aggregates are selected. The fundamental inverse exponential functions between these mechanical properties and the porosity were confirmed (for mean values).

The objective of this master’s thesis work is to evaluate the potential benefit of a superpixel preprocessing step for general object detection in a traffic environment. The various effects of different superpixel parameters on object detection performance, as well as the benefit of including depth information when generating the superpixels are investigated. In this work, three superpixel algorithms are implemented and compared, including a proposal for an improved version of the popular Spectral Linear Iterative Clustering superpixel algorithm (SLIC). The proposed improved algorithm utilises a coarse-to-fine approach which outperforms the original SLIC for high-resolution images. An object detection algorithm is also implemented and evaluated. The algorithm makes use of depth information obtained by a stereo camera to extract superpixels corresponding to foreground objects in the image. Hierarchical clustering is then applied, with the segments formed by the clustered superpixels indicating potential objects in the input image. The object detection algorithm managed to detect on average 58% of the objects present in the chosen dataset. It performed especially well for detecting pedestrians or other objects close to the car. Altering the density distribution of the superpixels in the image yielded an increase in detection rate, and could be achieved both with or without utilising depth information. It was also shown that the use of superpixels greatly reduces the amount of computations needed for the algorithm, indicating that a real-time implementation is feasible.

The workers are exposed to aerosol particles in a coal strip mine. These particles are usually generated by the Bucket-wheel excavators which break the mined rock. The goal of the thesis thesis was to compare the concentrations of atmospheric aerosol particles - PM on the Bucket-wheel excavator Schrs 1320, the Stacker ZPDH 6300 and the Bucket- wheel excavator K 800/N2 in the coal quarry Doly Nástup Tušimice, and then to answer the questions what is the main cause of increased concentration PMx and whether the mining machines are different from each other. The measurement was realized stepwise on every mining machine in the time period from 12. 8. to 2. 9. 2016. The concentrations of PM1, PM2,5 and PM10 were measured by two portable laser nephelometers in the cab drivers and the outdoor walkway of the mining machines with the integration time of 1 minute. The air temperature and the relative humidity were monitored in both types of settings in every five minutes. The PMx concentrations variability is usually determined by the type of work and by the type of smoking. Consequently, PM concentrations on the mining machines were compared at the morning exchanges and evening exchanges, during the outdoor cleaning by sweeping, the indoor cleaning by hoovering and during the smoking. The highest...

Disturbance events affect forest composition and structure across a range of spatial and temporal scales, and forest development may differ after natural, anthropogenic, or compound disturbances. Following large, natural disturbances, salvage logging is a common yet controversial management practice around the globe. While the short-term impacts of salvage logging have been studied in many systems, the long-term effects remain unclear. Further, while natural disturbances create many persistent and unique microsite conditions, little is known about the long-term influence of microsites on forest development. We capitalized on over eighty years of data on stand development following the 1938 hurricane in New England to provide the longest known evaluation of salvage logging impacts, as well as to highlight developmental trajectories for eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis)-white pine (Pinus strobus) forests under a variety of disturbance histories. Eight decades following disturbance, there were no differences in current overstory composition between areas that were logged, hurricane disturbed, or hurricane disturbed and salvage logged, but white pine declined across most sites. In contrast, structural characteristics remain distinct between the three management histories. In the unsalvaged area, the diversity of microsites and the coverage of uprootings and pits influenced overstory tree composition, diversity, and structural characteristics. These findings underscore the long-term influence of salvage logging on forest development and the importance of natural disturbance-mediated microsite conditions on tree species growth and survival. Future salvage logging efforts should consider these impacts and provide a greater range of unsalvaged areas across the landscape to maintain these important structural legacies over the long term.

Abstract Electrostatic interactions are very important in biomolecular systems. Electrostatic forces have received a great deal of attention due to their long-range nature and the trade-off between desolvation and interaction effects. It remains a challenging task to study and to predict the effects of electrostatic interactions in biomolecular systems. Computer simulation techniques that account for such interactions are an important tool for the study of biomolecular electrostatics. This study is largely concerned with the role of electrostatic interactions in biomolecular systems and with developing novel models to estimate the strength of such interactions. First, a novel formulation based upon continuum electrostatics to compute the electrostatic potential in and around two biomolecules in a solvent with ionic strength is presented. Many, if not all, current methods rely on the (non)linear Poisson-Boltzmann equation to include ionic strength. The present formulation, however, describes ionic strength through the inclusion of explicit ions, which considerably extends its applicability and validity range. The method relies on the boundary element method (BEM) and results in two very similar coupled integral equations valid on the dielectric boundaries of two molecules, respectively. This method can be employed to estimate the total electrostatic energy of two protein molecules at a given distance and orientation in an electrolyte solution with zero to moderately high ionic strength. Secondly, to be able to study interactions between biomolecules and membranes, an alternative model partly based upon the analytical continuum electrostatics (ACE) method has been also formulated. It is desirable to develop a method for calculating the total solvation free energy that includes both electrostatic and non-polar energies. The difference between this model and other continuum methods is that instead of determining the electrostatic potential, the total electrostatic energy of the system is calculated by integrating the energy density of the electrostatic field. This novel approach is employed for the calculation of the total solvation free energy of a system consisting of two solutes, one of which could be an infinite slab representing a membrane surface.

Que ce soit dans l’automobile avec des contraintes thermiques ou dans l’aérospatial et lenucléaire soumis à des rayonnements ionisants, l’environnement entraîne l’apparition de fautesdans les systèmes électroniques. Ces fautes peuvent être transitoires ou permanentes et vontinduire des résultats erronés inacceptables dans certains contextes applicatifs. L’utilisation decomposants dits « rad-hard » est parfois compromise par leurs coûts élevés ou les difficultésd’approvisionnement liés aux règles d’exportation.Cette thèse propose une approche conjointe matérielle et logicielle indépendante de la technologied’intégration permettant d’utiliser des composants numériques programmables dans desenvironnements susceptibles de générer des fautes. Notre proposition comporte la définitiond’une Architecture Reconfigurable à Gros Grains (CGRA) capable d’exécuter des codes applicatifscomplets mais aussi l’ensemble des mécanismes matériels et logiciels permettant de rendrecette architecture tolérante aux fautes. Ce résultat est obtenu par l’association de redondance etde reconfiguration dynamique du CGRA en s’appuyant sur une banque de configurations généréepar une chaîne de programmation complète. Cette chaîne outillée repose sur un flot permettantde porter un code sous forme de Control and Data Flow Graph (CDFG) sur l’architecture enobtenant un grand nombre de configurations différentes et qui permet d’exploiter au mieux lepotentiel de l’architecture.Les travaux, qui ont été validés aux travers d’expériences sur des applications du domaine dutraitement du signal et de l’image, ont fait l’objet de publications en conférences internationaleset de dépôts de brevets. / Whether in automotive with heat stress or in aerospace and nuclear field subjected to cosmic,neutron and gamma radiation, the environment can lead to the development of faults in electronicsystems. These faults, which can be transient or permanent, will lead to erroneous results thatare unacceptable in some application contexts. The use of so-called rad-hard components issometimes compromised due to their high costs and supply problems associated with exportrules.This thesis proposes a joint hardware and software approach independent of integrationtechnology for using digital programmable devices in environments that generate faults. Ourapproach includes the definition of a Coarse Grained Reconfigurable Architecture (CGRA) ableto execute entire application code but also all the hardware and software mechanisms to make ittolerant to transient and permanent faults. This is achieved by the combination of redundancyand dynamic reconfiguration of the CGRA based on a library of configurations generated by acomplete conception flow. This implemented flow relies on a flow to map a code represented as aControl and Data Flow Graph (CDFG) on the CGRA architecture by obtaining directly a largenumber of different configurations and allows to exploit the full potential of architecture.This work, which has been validated through experiments with applications in the field ofsignal and image processing, has been the subject of two publications in international conferencesand of two patents.

Pontine et Reptine constituent de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques encore très méconnues à ce jour. Outre leur activité ATPase, les complexes multimériques de Pontine et Reptine ont été décrits comme des hélicases capables d’ouvrir les acides nucléiques. La modélisation moléculaire constitue un outil puissant pour l’étude des systèmes protéiques et c’est pourquoi une approche par docking et dynamique a été envisagée. Au vue de la taille d’un complexe à douze sous-unités, les simulations prenant en compte tous les atomes se sont avérées trop coûteuses en termes de puissance de calcul. Une approche mésoscopique,appelée gros-grains, a donc été utilisée pour réduire le nombre de particules à traiter. Legain de temps de calcul offert par ce modèle nous a permis d’étudier les complexes de Pontine et Reptine en présence de partenaires de type ligands, l’ATP et l’ADP, et de type acide nucléique. Par le biais d’un retour au niveau atomique, une ouverture de la double hélice d’ADN a pu être observée ainsi qu’une orientation préférentielle des brins. Des hypothèses mécanistiques de l'activité hélicase du complexe ont alors pu être formulées sur la base de ces résultats. / Pontin/Reptin complexes offer new therapeutic opportunities despite the fact they are still notwell known. In addition to their ATPase activity, multimeric complexes of Pontin/Reptin were reported as hélicases able to unwind nucleic acids. Molecular modeling techniques are a powerful tool to study proteins, both a docking and molecular dynamics were applied.Considering the size of a twelve sub-units complex, simulations taking into account all atoms were too expensive in terms of computational costs. A mesoscopic approach, called coarse grain,was used to reduce the number of particles. The calculation time saved with this model allowed the study of Pontin/Reptin complexes in the presence of diverse partners like small ligands (ATP or ADP) and/or nucleic acids. Reverse transformation from coarse-grain to the atomic level led to a DNA double helix opening along to the single strands rearrangement.Several mechanistic hypotheses for the complex helicase activity were formulated from these results.

Cette thèse concerne l’analyse et le développement de schémas d’intégration numérique de la Dynamique des Particules Dissipatives. Une présentation et une analyse de convergence faible de schémas existants est présentée, suivie d’une présentation et d’une analyse similaire de deux nouveaux schémas d’intégration facilement parallélisables. Une analyse des propriétés de conservation d’énergie de tous ces schémas est effectuée suivie d’une étude comparative de leurs biais sur l’estimation des valeurs moyennes d’observables physiques pour des systèmes à l’équilibre. Les schémas sont ensuite testés sur des systèmes choqués de fluides DPDE, où l’on montre que nos deux nouveaux schémas apportent une amélioration dans la précision de la description du comportement de tels systèmes par rapport aux schémas facilement parallélisables existants.Finalement, nous présentons une tentative d’accélération d’un schéma d’intégration de référence s’appliquant aux simulations séquentielles de la DPDE / This thesis is about the development and analysis of numerical schemes forthe integration of the Dissipative Particle Dynamics with Energy conservation. A presentation and a weak convergence analysis of existing schemes is performed, as well as the introduction and a similar analysis of two new straightforwardly parallelizable schemes. The energy preservation properties of all these schemes are studied followed by a comparative study of their biases on the estimation of the average values of physical observables on equilibrium simulations. The schemes are then tested on shock simulations of DPDE fluids, where we show that our schemes bring an improvement on the accuracy of the description of the behavior of such systems compared to existing straightforwardly parallelizable schemes. Finally, we present an attempt at accelerating a reference DPDE integration scheme on sequential simulations