<p dir="ltr">This research introduces an approach utilizing a novel conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) tailored specifically for the prediction of cellular network coverage. In comparison to state-of-the-art method convolutional neural networks (CNNs), our cGAN model offers a significant improvement by translating base station locations within any Region-of-Interest (RoI) into precise coverage probability values within a designated region-of-evaluation (RoE). </p><p dir="ltr">By leveraging base station location data from diverse geographical and infrastructural landscapes spanning regions like India, the USA, Germany, and Brazil, our model demonstrates superior predictive performance compared to existing CNN-based approaches. Notably, the prediction error, as quantified by the L1 norm, is reduced by two orders of magnitude in comparison to state-of-the-art CNN models.</p><p dir="ltr">Furthermore, the coverage manifolds generated by our cGAN model closely resemble those produced by conventional simulation methods, indicating a substantial advancement in both prediction accuracy and visual fidelity. This achievement underscores the potential of cGANs in enhancing the precision and reliability of cellular network performance prediction, offering promising implications for optimizing network planning and deployment strategies.</p>

Yes / Human activity recognition from sensor data is a critical research topic to achieve remote health monitoring and ambient assisted living (AAL). In AAL, sensors are integrated into conventional objects aimed to support targets capabilities through digital environments that are sensitive, responsive and adaptive to human activities. Emerging technological paradigms to support AAL within the home or community setting offers people the prospect of a more individually focused care and improved quality of living. In the present work, an ambient human activity classification framework that augments information from the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of passive RFID tags to obtain detailed activity profiling is proposed. Key indices of position, orientation, mobility, and degree of activities which are critical to guide reliable clinical management decisions using 4 volunteers are employed to simulate the research objective. A two-layer, fully connected sequence long short-term memory recurrent neural network model (LSTM RNN) is employed. The LSTM RNN model extracts the feature of RSS from the sensor data and classifies the sampled activities using SoftMax. The performance of the LSTM model is evaluated for different data size and the hyper-parameters of the RNN are adjusted to optimal states, which results in an accuracy of 98.18%. The proposed framework suits well for smart health and smart homes which offers pervasive sensing environment for the elderly, persons with disability and chronic illness.

The crop productivity increase is often associated with an increase in the use of agricultural products, including herbicides. When these products are applied in an untidy way, leaching may occur and cause environmental contamination either at the soil or at the groundwater. Regarding herbicides, atrazine is widely used in Brazil and around the world. It is also considered as the main organic pollutant, and a potential contaminant of the water table. According to that, it is necessary to build a detailed knowledge about the dynamics of these molecules through the soil with the objective to better control the contamination risks. Thus, the main goal of this research was to simulate the atrazine\'s movement through both tropical and temperate soils under corn cultivation using HYDRUS package models, and to obtain equation parameters to transform electromagnetic induction (EMI) signal data in atrazine\'s movement parameters. Thus, the research was conducted in two different places: 1 - \"Luiz de Queiroz\" College of Agriculture (ESALQ/USP) at the Biosystems Engineering Department and at the Ecotoxicology Laboratory (CENA/USP) both in Piracicaba, SP (Brazil), and 2 - at the Meat Animal Research Center (MARC/ARS) from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in Clay Center, NE (US). In Brazil, a corn crop using three treatments of atrazine was conducted in a greenhouse to obtain the herbicide concentration data from the soil solution. Then, soil samples were collected to run breakthrough curves (BTC) to obtain atrazine\'s movement parameters through STANMOD model. After that, atrazine\'s movement simulations were taken through the HYDRUS 2D model. In the end, statistical indexes were used to compare observed and modeled data aiming the evaluation of HYDRUS 2D model for the movement of atrazine. In US, EMI data were collected in a corn field before atrazine application. Then, soil samples from this field were collected for BTC\'s to obtain atrazine\'s movement parameters. After obtaining such parameters, models were generated correlating EMI signal data with atrazine\'s movement parameters. Subsequently, statistical comparison indexes were used to compare the actual data obtained with the data obtained by the new model generated. Finally, simulations of the movement of atrazine were made with the purpose of evaluating the contamination of the subsoil. In addition, maps with interpolated data were generated, facilitating the visualization of sites most susceptible to contamination. In Brazil, the atrazine\'s movement parameters were R = 1.604, &#946; = 0.82 e &#969; = 2.5 h-1. Then, HYDRUS 2D simulations were precise (r = 0.9815) and accuracy (d = 0.9906) when the corn plant is not in the system. However, with the presence of the corn, HYDRUS 2D still predicted atrazine with precision (r = 0.8609) but the accuracy was low (d = 0.4449). In US, the atrazine\'s movement parameters were R = 7.45, &#946; = 0.47, and &#969; = 5.56 h-1. Further, models using EMI signal data to predict atrazine\'s movement parameters were generated. The statistical indexes to these models were R2 = 0.9012, r = 0.9311, and d = 0.9589. Overall, HYDRUS 2D is a model to predict atrazine\'s movement through the soil. However, more researches need to be carried out considering the plant as part of the system and the parameters which account water and solutes absorption need to be improved. The EMI technique to obtain atrazine\'s movement parameters was also well succeeded. Thus, it should be broadly used to monitor atrazine and other contaminants. / O aumento de produtividade dos cultivos, na maioria das vezes, está associado a um aumento na utilização de insumos agrícolas, dentre eles, os herbicidas. Quando esses produtos são aplicados de uma maneira desordenada ao solo, processos de lixiviação podem ocorrer e, dessa forma, provocar algum tipo de contaminação ambiental, alcançando, assim, águas subterrâneas. Nesse sentido, em termos de aplicação de herbicidas, a atrazina é um exemplo dessa classe, que é intensamente utilizada no Brasil e no mundo e é frequentemente considerada como sendo um dos principais poluentes orgânicos, revelando-se, também, como um dos potenciais contaminantes do lençol freático. Visando maior controle de riscos de um possível impacto ambiental aliado à necessidade de aumento de produtividade, faz-se necessário o conhecimento com maior detalhamento sobre a dinâmica desses elementos no perfil do solo. Dessa forma, buscou-se como objetivo principal dessa pesquisa, simular a dinâmica da atrazina em um perfil de solo utilizando-se, para tal, o modelo HYDRUS 2D, sob condições de cultivo de milho, em regiões de solos tropicais e temperados e obter parâmetros de uma equação que transforme dados de indução eletromagnética (EMI) em parâmetros do movimento da atrazina. Deste modo, a pesquisa foi conduzida em dois locais distintos: Local 1 - Escola Superior de Agricultura \"Luiz de Queiroz\" (ESALQ/USP), junto ao Departamento de Engenharia de Biossistemas e Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia (CENA/USP) ambos em Piracicaba, SP (Brasil) e Local 2 - U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (MARC/ARS/USDA), em Clay Center, Nebraska (EUA). No Brasil, um cultivo de milho usando-se três tratamentos de atrazina foi conduzido em estufa experimental a fim de se obter dados de concentração do herbicida na solução do solo. Em seguida, amostras do mesmo solo foram coletadas para realização de curvas de eluição (BTC) para se obter os parâmetros de movimento da atrazina através do software STANMOD. Após a obtenção de tais parâmetros, simulações de movimento da atrazina no solo foram realizadas através do modelo HYDRUS 2D. Por fim, índices estatísticos de comparação foram utilizados para avaliar este software. Nos Estados Unidos, dados de EMI foram coletados num campo de cultivo de milho antes da aplicação de atrazina. Em seguida, amostras de solo deste campo foram coletadas para realização de BTC\'s para se obter os parâmetros do movimento da atrazina. Após a obtenção de tais parâmetros, foram gerados modelos correlacionando dados de EMI com os parâmetros do movimento do herbicida. Posteriormente, índices estatísticos de comparação foram utilizados com o objetivo de se comparar os dados reais obtidos com os dados obtidos pelo novo modelo gerado. Por fim, simulações do movimento da atrazina foram feitas com o intuito de avaliar a contaminação do subsolo. Além disso, mapas com dados interpolados foram gerados, facilitando a visualização dos locais mais suscetíveis à contaminação. No experimento realizado no Brasil, os parâmetros do movimento da atrazina encontrados foram: R = 1,604, &#946; = 0,82 e &#969; = 2,5 h-1. Com tais parâmetros, o modelo HYDRUS 2D simulou o movimento da atrazina com precisão (r = 0,9815) e acurácia (d = 0,9906), quando a planta de milho não está inclusa no sistema. Quando a planta é considerada, o modelo prevê o movimento da atrazina com precisão (r = 0,8609), porém sem precisão (d = 0,4449). No experimentos realizado nos EUA, os parâmetros do movimento da atrazina encontrados foram: R = 7,45, &#946; = 0,47 e &#969; = 5,56 h-1. Modelos para obtenção dos parâmetros de movimento da atrazina utilizando-se EMI como dado de entrada foram gerados e seus índices estatísticos de comparação foram: R2 = 0,9012, r = 0,9311 e d = 0,9589. Deste modo, o modelo HYDRUS 2D é uma ferramenta para simular o movimento da atrazina no solo. No entanto, mais pesquisas devem ser feitas no que se refere à presença da planta no sistema solo-planta-atmosfera, pois os parâmetros que controlam a absorção de água e solutos podem estar obsoletos. A técnica de obtenção de EMI também foi bem sucedida na previsão dos parâmetros do movimento da atrazina e, portanto, deve ser utilizada para monitoramento, não só da própria atrazina, mas também de outros contaminantes.

A evolução molecular, impulsionada pela Teoria Sintética da Evolução, tornou um assunto indispensável na compreensão da evolução da vida. O crescimento genômico, etapa responsável pelo maior potencial de armazenamento de informação e estabilidade, também foi submetido à indelével ação da seleção natural. Utilizando a metodologia dos ciclos de amplificação-mutação-seleção, tal como o SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), que mimetizam a seleção natural, e ferramentas da Teoria de Informação, foram desenvolvidos e implementados programas para simular a evolução, considerando, além de outros, um parâmetro pouco explorado na literatura: a variação do tamanho do genoma. Foram estudados dois cenários distintos; no primeiro a seleção era dependente da busca exata de uma sequência pré-determinada (o filtro). Além disso, a entropia de Shannon considerada era referente ao alinhamento da molécula toda. Avaliando configurações simples desse modelo, foi possível desenvolver uma equação analítica que descreveu bem os resultados (para tamanho de genoma constante). No segundo cenário, foram exploradas a seleção não específica de uma sequência, o número máximo de bases constante, a entropia apenas das regiões de interesse e a presença de até cinco filtros de seleção. A entropia da molécula toda se mostrou pouco significativa (primeiro cenário), diferentemente da avaliada em apenas uma região. Foi possível observar que o crescimento do genoma foi pouco acentuado, predominando as moléculas menores, mesmo com grande quantidade de filtros, o que indica que o sistema está sob \"seleção por compressão\", sendo, pois, necessário atribuir explicitamente vantagens às moléculas mais complexas para poder haver aumento no crescimento médio. / Molecular Evolution, stimulated and supported by Evolution Synthetic Theory, became essential to understand evolution of life. Genomic growth was responsible to increase the capacity of storage information and to stability of the molecule; besides, it was also submitted to natural selection. Using amplification-mutation-selection methodology, such as SELEX (systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment), and tools of Information Theory, it was developed computer program to simulate macromolecule evolution taking into account, besides other, a less study parameter in specialized journal: the genome size variation. It was studied two different scenarios. In the first one, selection was dependent of a specific sequence to be searched; moreover, Shannon entropy took into account all nucleotides of all molecules and it was studied with until two sequence target. It was possible develop an analytical equation to well describe simple settings of this model. In the second scenario, in another hand, selection depends on a specific sequence, but is not required to match the whole sequence. Also, to compute Shannon entropy it was taking into account only the least Hamming distance sequence of each molecule. It was studied until five sequence target in this scenario. Entropy was not significant in first scenario as it was in the second one. Size genome evolution shows the system were under compression selection, being necessary to get other advantage to become possible an increase in genome size.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T18:50:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseRubem.pdf: 3958802 bytes, checksum: 559985052b43efb925ede65de47826ff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-26 / This thesis aims at presenting a systematic study of resolution of two-dimensional problems of electromagnetic wave scattering, by conducting and homogeneous or non-homogeneous dielectric media, involving singular sources, large wavenumbers and absorbing boundary conditions, governed by the scalar Helmholtz equation. The resolution of this class of problems through the Finite Element Method, raises several orders of difficulty. The first one comes from the presence of singular sources, having been overcome by adopting a technique of singularity removal. Another one is related to the undefined character of the Helmholtz operator for large wavenumbers, which results in the so-called pollution error of the approximated solution. This error is minimized through a new formulation of Petrov-Galerkin, using quasi optimal weighting functions, called Quasi Optimal Petrov-Galerkin (QOPG) method. The QOPG method, originally developed for homogeneous media, is extended to treating problems with non-homogeneous media as well. Finally, the effects of Bayliss-Turkel absorbing boundary conditions on the quality of the numerical solutions is also evaluated. / Esta tese tem por objetivo apresentar um estudo sistemático da resolução,em duas dimensões espaciais, de problemas de espalhamento de ondas eletromagnéticas por meios condutores e meios dielétricos homogêneos e heterogêneos, envolvendo fontes singulares, números de onda elevados e condições de contorno absorventes, modelados pela equação de Helmholtz. A resolução dessa classe de problemas pelo Método dos Elementos Finitos apresenta dificuldades de várias ordens. A primeira decorre da presença de fontes singulares, tendo sido superada pela adoção de uma técnica de remoção de singularidades. Uma outra decorre do caráter indefinido do operador de Helmholtz para números de onda elevados, o que resulta em um erro de aproximação denominado erro de poluição. A minimização desse erro foi obtida utilizando-se a nova formulação de Petrov-Galerkin, com funções peso quase ótimas, denominada método Quasi Optimal Petrov-Galerkin (QOPG). O método QOPG, originalmente desenvolvido para meios homogêneos, foi adaptado para tratar problemas em meios heterogêneos. Finalmente, consideram-se os efeitos das condições de contorno absorventes de Bayliss-Turkel sobre a qualidade das soluções obtidas.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-24T19:38:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Engelbert de Souza Folkuenig.pdf: 8804704 bytes, checksum: 956aed781c64725afe3d6dc23b53947c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-10 / Several electrochemical processes, such as electrocatalysis of organic substrates, make use of mediators. One of the mediators is the most commonly used anion methanesulfonate, CH3SO3, which has several advantages for such use, and chemical stability considered one of them. However, experimental studies indicate the possibility of this compound suffer the adsorption and decomposition on platinum electrodes. To get an understanding at the molecular level these processes, computer simulations were performed with the aid of the semi-empirical PM6. The cluster approach was used in the modeling of platinum surfaces with crystallographic orientations (111) and (100). The symmetries of most stable adsorption calculated for the anion in these areas correspond to the experimental data: C3V symmetry in (111) surface and C1 in (100) surface. To simulate the potential applied to the electrode, external electric fields with a positive sign and perpendicular to the surface of the clusters were applied. Changes in the lengths and angles of bonds adsorbed anion, as well as its values of dipole moment were observed. The infrared spectra of the systems anion-clusters were calculated and the values for the Stark tunning rate (Δstark) of mode δs CH3 were compared with the experimental value. Both for the free anion and for systems where the anion is adsorbed, it was found that the values of Δstark assumed negative values (indicating that the frequency of the vibrational mode δs CH3 diminished with increasing external eletric field), opposite to the experimental positive value (frequency mode δs CH3 increases with the increase in potential). Only with the addition of water molecules in the systems studied, in order to simulate the aqueous solvent is that the values of Δstark started to assume a positive value. The comparison showed the importance of the presence of water molecules in the simulation of an electrochemical system and prompted a detailed analysis of the frontier orbitals involved in this process. It was found that the dipole-dipole coupling between water molecules and the adsorbed anion is responsible for the Stark effect, while the electrostatic interactions between various molecules adsorbed anion affect the intensity of the absorption band mode δs CH3 in the spectra calculated. In (100) surfaces, the joint action of external field and water molecules, lead the anion molecule to adopt the adsorption geometries more inclined to systems without water molecules, indicating that this may be an important factor in explaining the greater reactivity of the anion on the surface. / Vários processos eletroquímicos, como por exemplo a eletrocatálise de substratos orgânicos, fazem uso de mediadores. Um dos mediadores mais utilizados é o ânion metanossulfonato, CH3SO3¯, que apresenta várias vantagens para tal uso, sendo a estabilidade química considerada uma delas. No entanto, estudos experimentais apontam para a possibilidade desse ânion sofrer processos de adsorção e decomposição em eletrodos de platina. Para se obter uma compreensão em nível molecular desses processos, simulações computacionais foram efetuadas com auxílio do método semi-empírico PM6. A aproximação de cluster foi utilizada na modelagem de superfícies de platina com orientações cristalográficas (111) e (100). As simetrias de adsorção mais estáveis calculadas para o ânion nessas superfícies correspondem aos dados experimentais: simetria C3v em superfície (111) e C1 em superfície (100). Para simular o potencial aplicado ao eletrodo, campos elétricos externos de sinal positivo e perpendiculares à superfície dos clusters foram aplicados. Alterações nos comprimentos e ângulos de ligações do ânion adsorvido, bem como em seus valores de momento dipolar foram observados. Os espectros de infravermelho dos sistemas ânion-clusters foram calculados e os valores para a taxa de variação Stark (Δstark) do modo δs CH3 foram comparados com o valor experimental. Tanto para o ânion livre quanto para os sistemas onde o ânion se encontra adsorvido, verificou-se que os valores de Δstark assumiam valores negativos (indicando que a frequência vibracional do modo δs CH3 diminuía com o aumento da intensidade do campo externo), ao contrário do valor experimental, positivo (frequência do modo δs CH3 aumenta com o aumento do potencial). Apenas com a adição de moléculas de água aos sistemas estudados, de modo a simular o solvente aquoso, é que os valores de Δstark passaram a assumir um valor positivo. Essa comparação revelou a importância da presença de moléculas de água na simulação de um sistema eletroquímico e motivou uma análise pormenorizada dos orbitais de fronteira envolvidos nesse processo. Verificou-se que a interação dipolo-dipolo entre as moléculas de água e o ânion adsorvido é o responsável pelo efeito Stark, enquanto as interações eletrostáticas entre várias moléculas do ânion adsorvidas afetam a intensidade da banda de absorção do modo δs CH3 nos espectros calculados. Nas superfícies (100), a ação conjunta do campo externo e das moléculas de água, levam a molécula do ânion a adotar geometrias de adsorção mais inclinadas em relação aos sistemas sem as moléculas de água, indicando que este pode ser um fator importante para explicar a maior reatividade do ânion sobre esse tipo de superfície.

L'objet de cette thèse est la modélisation computationnelle de l'Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique (IRM), appliquée à l'imagerie des réseaux vasculaires. Les images sont influencées par la géométrie des vaisseaux mais aussi par le flux sanguin. Par ailleurs, outre la qualité des modèles développés, il est important que les calculs soient performants. C'est pourquoi, le calcul parallèle est utilisé pour gérer ce type de problèmes complexes. Dans cette thèse, trois solutions sont proposées. La première concerne les algorithmes parallèles pour la modélisation des réseaux vasculaires. Des algorithmes dédiés à différentes architectures sont proposés. Le premier est basé sur le modèle de « passage de messages » pour les machines à mémoires distribuées. La parallélisation concerne l'irrigation de nouvelles zones de tissu par les vaisseaux existants. Le deuxième algorithme est dédié aux machines à mémoire partagée. Il parallélise également le processus de perfusion mais des processeurs différents se chargent de gérer les différents arbres vasculaires. Le troisième algorithme est une combinaison des approches précédentes offrant une solution pour les architectures parallèles hybrides. Les algorithmes proposés permettent d'accélérer considérablement la croissance des réseaux vasculaires complexes, ce qui rend possible la simulation de structures vasculaires plus précises, en un temps raisonnable et aide à améliorer le modèle vasculaire et à tester plus facilement différents jeux de paramètres. Une nouvelle approche de modélisation computationnelle des flux en IRM est également proposée. Elle combine le calcul de flux par la méthode de Lattice Boltzmann, la simulation IRM par le suivi temporel de magnétisations locales, ainsi qu'un nouvel algorithme de transport des magnétisations. Les résultats montrent qu'une telle approche intègre naturellement l'influence du flux dans la modélisation IRM. Contrairement aux travaux de la littérature, aucun mécanisme additionnel n'est nécessaire pour considérer les artéfacts de flux, ce qui offre une grande facilité d'extension du modèle. Les principaux avantages de cette méthode est sa faible complexité computationnelle, son implémentation efficace, qui facilitent le lancement des simulations en utilisant différents paramètres physiologiques ou paramètres d'acquisition des images. La troisième partie du travail de thèse a consisté à appliquer le modèle d'imagerie de flux à des réseaux vasculaires complexes en combinant les modèles de vaisseaux, de flux et d'acquisition IRM. Les algorithmes sont optimisés à tous les niveaux afin d'être performants sur des architectures parallèles. Les possibilités du modèle sont illustrées sur différents cas. Cette démarche de modélisation peut aider à mieux interpréter les images IRM grâce à l'intégration, dans les modèles, de connaissances variées allant de la vascularisation des organes jusqu'à la formation de l'image en passant par les propriétés des flux sanguins. / This PhD thesis concerns computer modeling of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The main attention is centered on imaging of vascular structures. Such imaging is influenced not only by vascular geometries but also by blood flow which has to been taken into account in modeling. Next to the question about the quality of developed models, the challenge lies also in the demand for high performance computing. Thus, in order to manage computationally complex problems, parallel computing is in use. In the thesis three solutions are proposed. The first one concerns parallel algorithms of vascular network modeling. Algorithms for different architectures are proposed. The first algorithm is based on the message passing model and thus, it is suited for distributed memory architectures. It parallelizes the process of connecting new parts of tissue to existing vascular structures. The second algorithm is designed for shared memory machines. It also parallelizes the perfusion process, but individual processors perform calculations concerning different vascular trees. The third algorithm combines message passing and shared memory approaches providing solutions for hybrid parallel architectures. Developed algorithms are able to substantially speed up the time-demanded simulations of growth of complex vascular networks. As a result, more elaborate and precise vascular structures can be simulated in a reasonable period of time. It can also help to extend the vascular model and to test multiple sets of parameters. Secondly, a new approach in computational modeling of magnetic resonance (MR) flow imaging is proposed. The approach combines the flow computation by lattice Boltzmann method, MRI simulation by following discrete local magnetizations in time and a new magnetization transport algorithm together. Results demonstrate that such an approach is able to naturally incorporate the flow influence in MRI modeling. As a result, in the proposed model, no additional mechanism (unlike in prior works) is needed to consider flow artifacts, what implies its easy extensibility. In combination with its low computational complexity and efficient implementation, the solution is a user-friendly and manageable at different levels tool which facilitates running series of simulations with different physiological and imaging parameters. The goal of the third solution is to apply the proposed MR flow imaging model on complex vascular networks. To this aim, models of vascular networks, flow behavior and MRI are combined together. In all the model components, computations are adapted to be performed at various parallel architectures. The model potential and possibilities of simulations of flow and MRI in complex vascular structures are shown. The model aims at explaining and exploring MR image formation and appearance by the combined knowledge from many processes and systems, starting from vascular geometry, through flow patterns and ending on imaging technology.

Rubber like materials find wide applications in damping treatment of structures, vibration isolations and they appear prominently in the form of hoses in many structures such as aircraft engines. The study reported in this thesis addresses a few issues in computational modeling of vibration of structures with some of its components made up of rubber like materials. Specifically, the study explores the use of fractional derivatives in representing the constitutive laws of such material and focuses its attention on problems of parameter identification in linear time invariant systems with fractional order damping models. The thesis is divided into four chapters and two annexures. A review of literature related to mathematical modeling of damping with emphasis on fractional order derivative models is presented in chapter 1. The review covers lternatives available for modeling energy dissipation that include viscous, structural and hybrid damping models. The advantages of using fractional order derivative models in this context is pointed out and papers dealing with solution of differential equations with fractional order derivatives are reviewed. Issues related to finite element modeling and random vibration analysis of systems with fractional order damping models are also covered. The review recognizes the problems of system parameter identification based on inverse eigensensitivity and inverse FRF sensitivity as problems requiring further research. The problem of determination of derivatives of eigensolutions and FRF-s with respect to system parameters of linear time invariant systems with fractional order damping models is considered in chapter 2. The eigensolutions here are obtained as solutions of a generalized asymmetric eigenvalue problem. The order of system matrices here depends upon the mechanical degrees of freedom and also somewhat artificially on the fractional order of the derivative terms. The formulary for first and second order eigenderivatives are developed taking account of these features. This derivation also takes into account the various orthogonality relations satisfied by the complex valued eigenvectors. The system FRF-s are obtained by a straight forward inversion of the system dynamic stiffness matrix and also by using a series solution in terms of system eigensolutions. As might be expected, the two solutions lead to identical results. The first and the second order derivatives of FRF-s are obtained based on system dynamic matrix and without taking recourse to modal summation. Numerical examples that bring out various facets of eigensolutions, FRF-s and their sensitivities are presented with reference to single and multi degree freedom systems. The application sensitivity analysis developed in chapter 2 to problems of system parameter identification is considered in chapter 3. Methods based on inverse eigensensitivity and inverse FRF sensitivity are outlined. The scope of these methods cover first and second order analyses and applications to single and multi degree freedom systems. While most illustrations are based on synthetic measurement data, limited efforts are also made to implement the identification methods using laboratory measurement data. The experimental work has involved the measurement of FRF-s on a system consisting of two steel tubes connected by a rubber hose. The two system identification methods are shown to perform well especially when information on second order sensitivity are included in the analysis. The method based on inverse eigensolution is shown to become increasingly unwieldy to apply as the order of the system matrices increases while the FRF based method does not suffer from this drawback. The FRF based method also has the advantage that the prior knowledge of order of fractional order derivative terms is not needed in its implementation while such knowledge is assumed in the method based on eigensolutions. While the methods are shown to perform satisfactorily when synthetic measurement data is used, their success is not uniformly good when laboratory measurement data are employed. Chapter 4 presents a summary of contributions made in the thesis and also enlists a few suggestions for further research. Annexure I provides a précis of elementary notion of fractional order derivatives and integrals. A case study on finite element analysis of aircraft engine component made up of metallic and rubber materials is outlined in Annexure II and the study points towards possible advantages of using fractional order damping models in the study of such structures.

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Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Nesta dissertação são avaliados os efeitos dinâmicos provenientes da travessia de comboios de veículos sobre o tabuleiro irregular de obras de arte rodoviárias de concreto armado. O modelo matemático empregado para simular o comportamento do sistema veículo-ponte considera a participação da massa e da rigidez das viaturas na definição das freqüências do sistema e, conseqüentemente, a força de interação entre os veículos e a ponte é afetada pela flexibilidade desta. A ponte é modelada a partir do emprego de elementos finitos de barra unidimensionais e discretizado com massas concentradas e flexibilidade distribuída. O modelo de veículo empregado baseia-se no veículo TB-12 preconizado pela norma brasileira NBR 7188. Este veículo é simulado por sistemas de massas, molas e amortecedores sendo descrito por graus de liberdade à translação e rotação no plano. As irregularidades da pista são definidas por um modelo não-determinístico com base na densidade espectral do pavimento. O carregamento sobre a ponte é constituído por sucessões de veículos deslocando-se com velocidade constante sobre a obra. Devido à própria natureza das irregularidades da pista e do comboio de veículos, atenção especial é concentrada na fase permanente da resposta do sistema. São estudadas as respostas de dois modelos estruturais existentes, com base em tabuleiros isostáticos, em concreto armado, com e sem balanços, em seção do tipo T e duplo T, respectivamente, em termos de deslocamentos e esforços nas seções onde ocorrem os efeitos máximos. As conclusões do trabalho versam sobre a influência da velocidade, espaçamento e do número de veículos, referentes a situações distintas de carregamento, no que tange a resposta dinâmica das pontes rodoviárias de concreto armado. A magnitude dos efeitos dinâmicos associados à interação dos veículos com o pavimento irregular também é investigada. / In this investigation the dynamic effects induced by the vehicles crossing on the irregular pavement surfaces of reinforced concrete highway bridge decks were evaluated. The mathematical model considered the participation of the mass and stiffness of the vehicles in the definition of the system natural frequencies. The vehicle-bridge mathematical model includes the interaction between the vehicles and bridge dynamical properties. The bridge deck was modelled using beam finite elements with concentrated masses and distributed stiffness. The vehicle model was based on the Brazilian code NBR 7188 standard vehicle TB-12. This vehicle was simulated as mass-spring-damper system and the degrees of freedom of these cars are defined as in plane vertical translations and rotations. The deck surface roughness was defined by a non-deterministic model based on the spectral density of the pavement. The moving load is formed by an infinite succession of vehicles equally spaced and with constant velocity. Only the steady-state response was considered. The dynamic response of two existing structural models corresponding to reinforced concrete highway bridge decks was investigated in terms of displacements and efforts. The conclusions have shown the influence of the velocity, spacing and number of vehicles on the bridges dynamic response. The magnitude of the response amplification due to the surface irregularities was investigated.