In this thesis appropriate statistical methods to overcome two types of problems that occur during parameter estimation in chemical engineering systems are studied. The first problem is having too many parameters to estimate from limited available data, assuming that the model structure is correct, while the second problem involves estimating unmeasured disturbances, assuming that enough data are available for parameter estimation. In the first part of this thesis, a model is developed to predict rates of undesirable reactions during the finishing stage of nylon 66 production. This model has too many parameters to estimate (56 unknown parameters) and not having enough data to reliably estimating all of the parameters. Statistical techniques are used to determine that 43 of 56 parameters should be estimated. The proposed model matches the data well. In the second part of this thesis, techniques are proposed for estimating parameters in Stochastic Differential Equations (SDEs). SDEs are fundamental dynamic models that take into account process disturbances and model mismatch. Three new approximate maximum likelihood methods are developed for estimating parameters in SDE models. First, an Approximate Expectation Maximization (AEM) algorithm is developed for estimating model parameters and process disturbance intensities when measurement noise variance is known. Then, a Fully-Laplace Approximation Expectation Maximization (FLAEM) algorithm is proposed for simultaneous estimation of model parameters, process disturbance intensities and measurement noise variances in nonlinear SDEs. Finally, a Laplace Approximation Maximum Likelihood Estimation (LAMLE) algorithm is developed for estimating measurement noise variances along with model parameters and disturbance intensities in nonlinear SDEs. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithms is compared with a maximum-likelihood based method. For the CSTR examples studied, the proposed algorithms provide more accurate estimates for the parameters. Additionally, it is shown that the performance of LAMLE is superior to the performance of FLAEM. SDE models and associated parameter estimates obtained using the proposed techniques will help engineers who implement on-line state estimation and process monitoring schemes. / Thesis (Ph.D, Chemical Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-12-23 15:12:35.738

Background: Epidemiologic evidence supports the association between shiftwork and the development of cardiovascular disease. Sleep disturbances are associated with a variety of adverse cardiometabolic outcomes and they may lie on the causal pathway between the exposure to shiftwork and cardiovascular disease. Objectives: 1) To describe sleep quality in a group of shift-working and day-working female hospital employees; 2) To determine the association between shiftwork status and sleep disturbances in this group and to determine the effect of lifetime exposure to shiftwork on current sleep disturbances; and 3) To explore whether sleep disturbances mediate the relationship between shiftwork and cardiometabolic risk. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among female hospital employees: participants were 132 women working only during the day, and 98 women who worked a shift schedule of two 12-hour days, followed by two 12-hour nights and five days off. Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index questionnaire. The primary outcome of interest was the metabolic syndrome defined in accordance with the 2009 Joint Interim Studies consensus statement. Results: Shiftwork was associated with poor sleep latency (odds ratio (OR)= 2.08 95% CI: 1.11-3.92), poor sleep efficiency (OR=2.35 95% CI: 1.21- 4.54), and poor global sleep quality (OR=1.88 95% CI: 1.02-3.49), while the impact of past shiftwork history was inconclusive. The OR for the association of shiftwork with the metabolic syndrome was 2.00 (95% CI: 0.89-4.51), and there was no evidence of mediation by sleep disturbances in the relationship of shiftwork and the metabolic syndrome. Conclusion: In this study, a rapid forward rotating 2-shift system is associated with self-reported poor sleep quality, while the long-term effects of sleep disturbances on cardiometabolic risk requires further study. / Thesis (Master, Community Health & Epidemiology) -- Queen's University, 2013-09-24 21:16:38.768

Child initiated play appears as a means for children to express their inner world and personality and works as a milestone promoting their overall development. Internalized emotional disturbances constrain children’s functioning and have an impact on their general behavior, hindering their development. Most of the times, it appears challenging for teachers to identify a child with internalizing problems in the preschool classroom and most interventions are targeting children with externalized problems. Since play is a way for children to express, observations of children’s behavior while playing, provide information about their inner thoughts and concerns. The aim of the present study was to identify play behaviors and tendencies in types of play that children with typical and atypical internalized emotional disturbances show in free play situations in preschool. A systematic literature review was conducted in order to reach this goal. Six articles were included in which five internalized emotional disturbances were mentioned -one typical and four atypical. Findings revealed eight overt play behaviors, with prevalent these of non-play, solitary-passive behavior, unconscious play activity and desire for peer play but no attempt for it. Regarding engagement in play types, children exhibiting internalized problems were more prone to constructive and creative play and less engaged in symbolic play, which can be possible indicator of developmental delays. This study works as a tool for professionals in order to identify play behaviors of children with internalized emotional disturbances in preschool child initiated play. Subsequently, the findings assist interventionists on providing adequate support and clinicians on shedding light on the dubious field of emotional and behavioral disorders in early childhood.

There is a growing body of research on psychopathic traits in non-clinical populations. This emerging research has documented the prevalence of psychopathic traits in the general population and demonstrated that psychopathy has a similar latent structure as well as similar correlates (e.g., violent behavior, alcohol abuse, and lower intelligence) to forensic/offender samples. Relatedly, there is strong evidence insecure attachment patterns in adulthood are associated with many personality disorders, including psychopathy, but only a few studies have examined the relationship between attachment and psychopathic traits in non-clinical samples (albeit, convenience samples of college students). Thus, two aims of the current study are to: 1) describe and explore the manifestation and expression of psychopathic traits in a large, community-based sample and 2) examine associations between adult attachment disturbances and psychopathic traits in diverse sociodemographic subgroups. Using a cross-sectional design, results showed mean-level psychopathy factor score differences existed only when considering single sociodemographic factors (e.g., age), not an interaction of those factors. Psychopathy factor profiles were also consistent across groups, with higher levels of lifestyle followed by interpersonal, affective, and antisocial traits reported. Regarding the second aim, findings indicated support for the positive association between disturbed attachment patterns in adult relationships and psychopathic traits, although these associations differed in males and females of different age groups. Finally, there was some support for attachment processes acting as a social development pathway toward psychopathy, as insecure attachments in adulthood partially mediated the relationships between age and interpersonal, affective, and lifestyle traits of psychopathy.

As our electric power distribution infrastructure has aged, considerable investment has been applied to modernizing the electrical power grid through weatherization and in deployment of real-time monitoring systems. A key question is whether or not these investments are reducing the number and duration of power outages, leading to improved reliability. Statistical methods are applied to analyze electrical disturbance data (from the Department of Energy, DOE) and reliability index data (from state utility public service commission regulators) to detect signs of improvement. The number of installed smart meters provided by several utilities is used to determine whether the number of smart meters correlate with a reduction in outage frequency. Indication emerged that the number of power outages may be decreasing over time. The magnitude of power loss has decreased from 2003 to 2007, and behaves cyclically from 2008 to 2014, with a few outlier points in both groups. The duration also appears to be decreasing between 2003-2014. Large blackout events exceeding 5 GW continue to be rare, and certain power outage events are seasonally dependent. There was a linear relationship between the number of customers and the magnitude of a power outage event. However, no relationship was found between the magnitude of power outages and time to restore power. The frequency of outages maybe decreasing as the number of installed smart meters has increased. Recommendations for inclusion of additional metrics, changes to formatting and semantics of datasets currently provided by federal and state regulators are made to help aid researchers in performing more effective analysis. Confounding variables and lack of information that has made the analysis diffcult is also discussed.

The South African National Water Act (NWA) (No. 36 of 1998) recognises that in order to sustain the goods and services that are provided by rivers and their associated biological communities, it is necessary to conserve the entire aquatic ecosystem. Conservation and maintenance of ecosystem functioning entails the protection of the biotic components (i.e. fish, macroinvertebrates, riparian vegetation, etc.) and ensuring that the abiotic driver aspects (i.e. required amount and variability of flow, water quality and fluvial geomorphology) are addressed and met (Malan and Day, 2003). According to the Reserve Determination methodology (DWAF, 2003), sustainable utilisation of the river resources requires proper, responsible management and that exploitation without understanding or limits, impacts negatively on the ecological processes, functions and communities, both in the present and the future. Manipulation of the flow regimes of rivers, to provide water when and where people need it, has resulted in a growing deterioration in the condition (health) of riverine ecosystems (King et al., 2000). Stressors on aquatic ecosystems originating from these anthropogenic activities, include point and non-point loadings, land use influences and changes, and stream modification. These are usually defined by the drivers of aquatic ecosystems namely the geomorphology, hydrology and water quality. In turn, the effects on the physical habitat and water quality have both direct and indirect effects on the biotic communities present and are usually defined by biological responses to these changes (Kleynhans et al., 2005). There is currently limited data available to formally propose a methodology to quantify the significance of altered flows in riverine ecosystems brought about by the abstraction or excessive release of water by industrial activities on a reach scale. The aim of this study was to determine the degree and magnitude of habitat-flow alterations caused by pulp and paper mill activities in the Elands and Mvoti Rivers and to link the related biological responses to them. / Prof. V. Wepener

Asteroid missions are gaining interest from the scientific community and many new missions are planned. The Didymos binary asteroid is a Near-Earth Object and the target of the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment (AIDA). This joint mission, developed by NASA and ESA, brings the possibility to build one of the first CubeSats for deep space missions: the ASPECT satellite. Navigation systems of a deep space satellite di er greatly from the common planetary missions. Orbital environment close to an asteroid requires a case-by-case analysis. In order to develop the Attitude Determination Control System (ADCS) for the mission, one needs detailed information about orbital disturbances in the vicinity of the asteroid. This work focuses on the development of a simulator that characterises the orbital disturbances a ecting the ASPECT satellite in the space environment near the Didymos asteroid. In this work, a model of orbital conditions and disturbances near the Didymos system was defined. The model integrates several classical and modern models of spacecraft motion and disturbance. An existing Low Earth Orbit (LEO) simulator was modified and updated accordingly to the ASPECT mission scenario. The developed simulator can be used to analyse the disturbances to be counteracted by the ADCS of the ASPECT satellite. The objective of the study was to quantify the e ect of both non-gravitational and gravitational disturbances. The simulator was used to analyse di erent orbit scenarios related to the period of the mission and to the relative distance between the spacecraft and the asteroid system. In every scenario, the solar radiation pressure was found to be the strongest of the disturbance forces. With the developed simulator, suitable spacecraft configurations and control systems can be chosen to mitigate the e ect of the disturbances on the attitude and orbit of the ASPECT satellite.

O presente trabalho visa a utilização da transformada Wavelet no monitoramento do sistema elétrico no que diz respeito a problemas de qualidade da energia com o intuito de detectar, localizar e classificar os mesmos. A transformada Wavelet tem surgido na literatura como uma nova ferramenta para análise de sinais, utilizando funções chamadas Wavelet mãe para mapear sinais em seu domínio, fornecendo informações simultâneas nos domínios tempo e freqüência. A transformada Wavelet é realizada através de filtros decompondo-se um dado sinal em análise multiresolução. Por esta, obtém-se a detecção e a localização de distúrbios relacionados com a qualidade da energia decompondo-se o sinal em dois outros que representam uma versão de detalhes (correspondente as altas freqüências do sinal) e uma versão de aproximação (correspondente as baixas freqüências do sinal). A versão de aproximação é novamente decomposta obtendo-se novos sinais de detalhes e aproximações e assim sucessivamente. Sendo assim, os distúrbios podem ser detectados e localizados no tempo em função do seu conteúdo de freqüência. Estas informações fornecem também características únicas pertinentes a cada distúrbio, permitindo classificá-los. Desta forma, propõe-se neste trabalho o desenvolvimento de um algoritmo classificador automático de distúrbios relacionados com a qualidade da energia baseado unicamente nas decomposições obtidas da análise multiresolução. / The aim of the present dissertation is to apply the Wavelet transform to analyze power quality problems, detecting, localizing and classifying them. The topic Wavelet transform, has appeared in the literature as a new tool for the analysis of signals, using functions called mother Wavelet to map signals in its domain, supplying information in the time and frequency domain, simultaneously. Wavelet transform is accomplished through filters decomposing a provided signal in multiresolution analysis. The detection and localization of disturbances are obtained by decomposing a signal into two other signals that represent, a detailed version (high frequency signals) and a smoothed version (low frequency signals). The smoothed version is decomposed again, and new detailed and smoothed signals are obtained. This process is repeated as many times as necessary and the disturbances can be detected and localized in the time as a function of its level frequency. This information also supplies characteristics to each disturbance, allowing classifying them. Thus, this research presents a way to develop an automatic classifying algorithm of power quality disturbances, based only on multiresolution analysis.

Objetivo: Verificar o comportamento auditivo de crianças com fissura labiopalatina operadas, por meio do julgamento realizado pelos professores, observando as crianças nas condições de escuta no silêncio, em situação ideal, presença de múltiplos estímulos, de ruído, quando solicitados a recordar a informação ouvida e, em longo período de escuta. Modelo: Aplicação do questionário CHAPPS contendo seis condições/funções de escuta: em ambiente silencioso, no ruído, quando é requerido lembrar a informação ouvida (memória auditiva/seqüência) e, em longos períodos de escuta (atenção auditiva). Local de execução: O questionário foi enviado via correio para famílias de todo o Brasil, cuja criança tivesse fissura labiopalatina transforame unilateral esquerda do Hospital de Reabilitação de Anomalias Craniofaciais da Universidade de São Paulo - HRAC-USP/Bauru. Participantes: Duzentos e vinte e quatro professores de crianças com fissura labiopalatina transforame unilateral esquerda responderam ao questionário. Avaliação: Foi solicitado ao professor julgar o comportamento do aluno nas seis condições de escuta comparando esta criança com outra da mesma idade e similar condição. Resultados: Dos 224 questionários analisandos, 105 (46,87%) crianças apresentaram resultados com mais dificuldade principalmente nas condições de ruído, memória/seqüência auditiva e atenção auditiva. Conclusão: As crianças com fissura labiopalatina demonstraram dificuldade em mais de uma condição de escuta. O comportamento auditivo das crianças amostradas foi correlacionado com as diferentes condições de escuta, sendo o ruído, quando solicitado a recordar a informação ouvida (memória auditiva) e durante longo período de escuta (atenção auditiva), as condições de mais dificuldades. / Objective: To assess hearing behavior of children with an operated cleft lip and palate, through an assessment performed by the teacher, observing children in hearing conditions of silence, in an ideal situation, in the presence of multiple stimulations, when required to remember heard information and, in a long hearing time period. Model: Application of CHAPPS questionnaire containing six hearing conditions/functions: in a silent environment, in noise, when it is required to remember heard information (hearing memory/sequence) and, in long hearing time periods (hearing attention). Performance place: Questionnaires were mailed to families all around Brazil, that had a child with a unilateral left transforamen cleft lip and palate registered at Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies of University of São Paulo (HRAC-USP). Participants: Two hundred and twenty-four teachers of children with a unilateral left transforamen cleft lip and palate answered to the questionnaire. Assessment: It was asked to the teacher to assess student’s behavior in the six hearing conditions, comparing this child to another one of the same age and similar condition. Results: From the 224 assessed questionnaires, 105 (46.87%) children showed results of more difficulty, especially in noise conditions, memory/hearing sequence and hearing attention. Conclusion: Children with a cleft lip and palate showed difficulties in more than one hearing condition. Hearing behavior of sample children was correlated to the different hearing conditions, noise, when required to remember heard information (hearing memory) and during a long hearing time period (hearing attention), being the conditions that showed more difficulties.

Introdução: A terapia vocal após tireoidectomia tem como objetivo reduzir características de rugosidade, soprosidade, tensão e incoordenação pneumofonoarticulatória. A nasofibroscopia é um exame que permite analisar alterações orgânicas, neurogênicas e funcionais de laringe, assim como observar o comportamento laríngeo durante a execução de técnicas vocais. Objetivo: analisar a configuração laríngea em pacientes com queixa vocal após tireoidectomia durante a execução das técnicas terapêuticas. Método: Trata-se de um estudo transversal observacional comparativo no qual foram avaliados indivíduos adultos atendidos pelo Serviço de Cirurgia de Cabeça e Pescoço do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP. A amostra foi composta por 31 indivíduos do gênero feminino, entre 20 e 50 anos, dos quais 21 com queixa vocal após tireoidectomia total ou parcial e dez sem cirurgia ou tratamento prévio de doença de tireoide. A amostra foi dividida em três grupos: com mobilidade laríngea (GEmob, n=16), sem mobilidade laríngea (GEimob, n=5) e o grupo-controle (GC, n=10), todos sem terapia fonoaudiológica prévia. Foram submetidos à nasofibroscopia e instruídos a repetir duas vezes, por cinco segundos, cada uma das seguintes técnicas: vogal /a/ prolongada com mãos em gancho (AMEG), vibratório de língua (VL) e fonação com canudo (FC). As imagens do exame foram analisadas por dois juízes concomitantemente, que preencheram parte do Protocolo de Cooperação Fonoaudiológica para a Avaliação Nasofibrolaringoscópica da Mobilidade Laríngea em Doenças da Tireoide - PAN para observação da configuração laríngea. Resultados: Não houve diferença significante no grupo GEimob. Quando comparados a vogal /a/ com AMEG e FC, houve mudança no movimento ântero-posterior nos grupos GEmob e controle. Conclusão: As técnicas FC e AMEG alteraram a configuração laríngea supraglótica em pacientes com mobilidade laríngea. A técnica AMEG promoveu maior adução de pregas vocais em pacientes com imobilidade / Vocal therapy after thyroidectomy aims to reduce roughness, breathiness, strain and pneumophonoarticulatory incoordination. Nasofibroscopy is a test that permits the analysis of organic, neurogenic and functional larynx alterations, as well as the observation of laryngeal behavior during the execution of vocal techniques. The aim of this study was to analyze laryngeal configuration in patients with vocal complaint after thyroidectomy during the performance of therapeutic techniques. A transversal observational comparative study in which adults were seen by the Hospital das Clínicas Head and Neck Service, São Paulo University Medical School. The sample was composed of 31 people of the female gender, aged between 20 and 50 years old, 21 with vocal complaint after total or partial thyroidectomy, and 10 with no surgery or previous treatment for a thyroid disease. The sample was divided into three groups: with laryngeal mobility (mobSG, n=16), with no laryngeal mobility (immobSG, n=5) and the control group (CG, n=10), all with no previous phonoaudiological therapy. Groups were submitted to nasofibroscopy and instructed to repeat twice, for 5 seconds, each of the following techniques: prolonged /a/ vowel with hooked hands (AMEG), tongue trill (TT) and straw phonation (SP). The images of the test were analyzed by two judges simultaneously, who filled in part of the Phonoaudiological Cooperation Protocol for Nasofibrolaryngoscopic Assessment of laryngeal mobility in Thyroid Diseases - PAN for the observation of laryngeal configuration. There was no significant difference in the immob SG group. When the /a/ vowel was compared with AMEG and SP, there was some change in anteroposterior movement in groups SGmob and control. Conclusion: SP and AMEG techniques alter supraglottic laryngeal configuration in patients with laryngeal mobility. The AMEG technique allows for more adduction of the vocal folds in patients with immobility