Aujourd’hui, les appareils mobiles sont présents dans le monde entier. Ces appareils permettent aux utilisateurs d'accéder à l’Internet notamment par l'intermédiaire des réseaux WiFi. La diversité et le nombre de déploiements sans coordination centrale (y compris les utilisateurs à leur domicile) conduit à des déploiements qu’on peut qualifier de chaotiques. En conséquence, les réseaux WiFi sont largement déployés avec une forte densité dans les zones urbaines. Dans ce contexte, les utilisateurs et les opérateurs tentent d’exploiter ces déploiements pour obtenir une connectivité omniprésente, et éventuellement d'autres services. Cependant, pour tirer parti de ces déploiements, il faut des stratégies pour identifier les réseaux utilisables et choisir les plus adaptés aux besoins. Pour cela, nous étudions le processus de découverte des réseaux dans le contexte de ces déploiements. Ensuite, nous présentons une plateforme de partage de mesures sans fil, un système d'information collaboratif où les stations mobiles recueillent des mesures du réseau et les envoient à un système central. En rassemblant mesures provenant de différents utilisateurs, la plateforme donne accès à des caractéristiques du déploiement précieuses. Nous évaluons l'utilité de cette plateforme collaborative grâce à deux applications : (1) l’ensemble minimal de points d'accès, afin de réduire l'énergie nécessaire pour offrir une couverture WiFi dans une zone donnée. (2) l'optimisation des paramètres de recherche de réseau, afin de réduire le temps nécessaire pour découvrir les réseaux existants. Ensuite, nous étudions une méthode passive pour déterminer si un réseau fonctionne dans un canal saturé. / Nowadays, mobile devices are present worldwide, with over 4.40 Billion devices globally. These devices enable users to access the Internet via wireless networks. Different actors (e.g., home users, enterprises) are installing WiFi networks everywhere, without central coordination, creating chaotic deployments. As a result, WiFi networks are widely deployed all over the world, with high accesspoint (AP) density in urban areas. In this context, end-users and operators are trying to exploit these dense network deployments to obtain ubiquitous Internet connectivity, and possibly other services. However, taking advantage of these deployments requires strategies to gather and provide information about the available networks. In this dissertation, we first study the network discovery process within the context of these deployments. Then, we present the Wireless Measurements Sharing Platform, a collaborative information system, to which mobile stations send simple network measurements that they collected. By gathering and processing several network measurements from different users, the platform provides access to valuable characteristics of the deployment. We evaluate the usefulness of this collaborative platform thanks to two applications: (1) the minimal access point set, to reduce the energy needed to offer WiFi coverage in a given area.(2) The optimization of the scanning parameters,to reduce the time a mobile station needs for the network discovery. Finally, we describe a method to identify whether an AP operates ina saturated channel, by passively monitoring beacon arrival distribution.

Cranes are large elegant birds that occur on all continents of the world except for South America and Antarctica. Of the fifteen species of crane worldwide, three predominantly occur in southern Africa; the Wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), the Blue crane (Anthropoides paradisea) and the Crowned crane (Balearica regulorum). Crane numbers throughout the world are diminishing, mostly because of the destruction of their habitat and illegal bird trading. Efforts are underway to prevent species extinction, legally and through the compilation of a studbook that contains descriptions of physical attributes, ownership, location and possible kinships of birds in captivity . This investigation, first of its kind, WdS undertaken to assess whether twelve published and unpublished microsatellite primers developed for the related Whooping crane and Red-Crowned crane could be used to fingerprint the southern African crane species using cost effective polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The results obtained were then used to determine the extent of genetic variation within species and distance between species. All primer sets amplified heterologous microsatellite loci in the three crane species, however, the unpublished primers produced poorly defined fingerprints even after extensive optimization. Of the twelve microsatellite loci investigated, the Blue crane and the Wattled crane revealed a high level of polymorphism. The Blue crane displayed 76% polymorphism and the Wattled crane 92%. In contrast, for the Crowned crane, that belongs to a different subfamily, Balearicinae, only 50% of the loci were polymorphic. The alleles displayed sizes similar to that of the species for which the primers were developed. Little variation in size, less than 10 bp, was noted for the different alleles of the polymorphic loci. The number of alleles, on the other hand, at each of the polymorphic loci was found to be low. The frequency of the most prevalent allele at most of the loci was generally reasonably high. These results therefore suggest that these primer sets are not suitable for individual identification and differentiation using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Xll The observed heterozygosity of the three crane species was low; 12% in Blue crane; 7% in Crowned crane; and 13% in Wattled crane. Nei's identity further confirmed the high similarity between individuals; 66-100% for Blue crane; 55-100% for Crowned crane and 41-95% for Wattled crane. This low genetic variation is attributed to possible relatedness between birds supplied by aviculturists whom have a limited number of birds in captivity. A Hardy-Weinberg test for equilibrium revealed that most of the microsatellite loci displayed a deficiency of heterozygotes, while a few loci displayed an excess of heterozygotes. In general, the Hardy Weinberg test of equilibrium supported the notion that the individuals within each of the species might have been related. Differentiation between the three crane species ranged from 3-5%, with Blue and Wattled crane displaying a higher degree of genetic similarity when compared to the Crowned crane, known to be the oldest extant crane species. The limited allelic variation within the microsatellite loci tested, as well as the extensive genetic similarity between individuals suggests that a wide-ranging search for additional microsatellite loci that are more polymorphic and contain a larger number of alleles should be undertaken for the southern African crane species. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2006.

Over the last decades, fast urban sprawl and accelerated land use change have drastically increased the pressure on water resources of the capital Brasília and its surrounding area. The water supply of the metropolitan region of Brasília depends largely on surface water collected in reservoirs. There are increasing concerns regarding water shortages due to sediment aggradations, and of water quality due to geochemical modification of sediments from human activities. The complexity of various socio-environmental problems, such as non-point source pollution, soil erosion or silting of water reservoirs within urban catchments evoked the need for more effective and sustainable strategies to use land and water resources. Accurate identification and management of sediment source areas, however, is hampered by the lack of reliable information on the primary sources of sediment and on sediment geochemistry. The fingerprinting approach and a multivariate mixing model have been proven to be a valuable sediment source tracing technique across the globe and for various environmental settings. A multi-component methodology, including geochemical and geophysical analyses of representative sediment source and alluvial sediment samples, statistical analyses and a multivariate mixing model, was utilized to obtain the impact of different anthropogenic activities on sediment and water quality and to identify the major sources of sediments within the Lago Paranoá catchment. However, sediment source appointment and geochemical signatures of sediments in urbanized tropical regions, such as the Lago Paranoá catchment in the DF, are hampered by severe challenges; (i) the presence of various types of land use and heavy urbanized areas, (ii) large differences between sub-catchments and (iii) model structural failures in representing the sediment source contribution within urban tropical river basins. The present cumulative thesis addresses the challenges in geochemical analyses of different types of source and alluvial sediments, and in sediment source appointment for the Lago Paranoá catchment and it´s five sub-catchments. The aim of the study was to assess the distribution of chemical elements and geochemical/physical properties of potential sediment sources in the Lago Paranoá catchment. Principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were used to investigate the influence of different land use types on the geochemistry of sediments. Geochemical fingerprints of anthropogenic activities were developed based on the results of the cluster analysis grouping. The anthropogenic input of land use specific geochemical elements was examined and quantified by the calculation of enrichment factors using the local geological background as reference. The existing findings suggest a strong relationship between land use and quantifiable features of sediment geochemistry, and identified the combined effects of specific anthropogenic activities and metal enrichment in source and alluvial sediments. Through comparison of the geochemical signature of potential sediment sources and alluvial sediments of the Lago Paranoá and sub-catchments, the relative contribution of land use specific sediment sources to the sediment deposition of the main water reservoir were estimated. This assessment indicated that urban land use had the greatest responsibility for recent silting in the Lago Paranoá. In fact, one of the most challenging issues within the scope of IWRM is to quantify the contribution of sediment sources within fast urbanizing, mixed used, tropical catchments. Therefore, statistically verified composite fingerprints and a modified multivariate mixing model have been used to identify the main land use specific sources of sediment deposited in the silting zones of the Lago Paranoá, Central Brazil. Because of the great variability of urban land use types within the Lago Paranoá sub-catchments, the fingerprinting approach was additionally undertaking for the Riacho Fundo sub-catchment. This sediment source tracing technique provides valuable information on the response of the main sediment sources in a fast growing agglomeration with respect to specific land uses and human activities and allowed to examine the uncertainty in model prediction. The main contributions from individual source types (i.e. surface materials from residential areas, constructions sites, road deposited sediment, cultivated areas, pasture, farm tracks, woodland and natural gullies) varied between the whole catchment and the Riacho Fundo sub-catchment, reflecting the different proportions of land uses. The sediments deposited in the silting zones of the Lago Paranoá originate largely from urban sources (85±4%). Areas with (semi-) natural vegetation and natural gullies contribute 10±2% of the sediment yield. Agricultural sites have only a minor sediment contribution of about 5±4 % within the whole catchment. However, there is no mechanism considered to reflect seasonality in the tropics, e.g. phenological change of the vegetation between wet and dry season, or and temporal changes in land use, e.g. construction sites, which influence model estimates. Nevertheless, the study reveals that even 58 % of the land remains in (semi-) natural state, the main sediment source are urban areas. Beside the analyses of sediments, it was found that metal concentrations in surface water of the main tributaries to the Lago Paranoá are generally low, but show seasonal variability. Terrestrial inputs of metals occur during the rainy season and depend largely on the influence of urban land use. The present thesis shows the great influence of anthropogenic activities on sediment generation, and at least to some degree, on sediment associated pollution loads. It depicts region specific challenges, but also provides essential information to guide management responses towards more effective sediment source-reduction strategies. / Im Gebiet des Bundesdistrikts Brasilien ist ein erheblicher Druck auf die Wasserressourcen zu beobachten, der vorwiegend durch starkes Bevölkerungswachstum, ungeplante Suburbanisierung und Landnutzungsänderungen innerhalb der letzten Jahrzehnte ausgeübt wird. Die Wasserversorgung der jungen Hauptstadt Brasília und seiner suburbanen Räume wird im Wesentlichen durch in Stauseen gesammeltes Oberflächenwasser gewährleistet. Durch die voranschreitende Ausdehnung von urbanen und landwirtschaftlichen Flächen spielen insbesondere Sedimenteinträge in die Stauanlagen sowie sedimentgebundene Stoffbelastungen durch anthropogene Aktivitäten für die verfügbare Wasserquantität und Wasserqualität eine bedeutende Rolle. Damit verbundene negative Umweltauswirkungen sowie die daraus resultierenden sozioökonomische Konsequenzen erfordern daher dringend wirksame und nachhaltige Strategien im Land-und Wasserressourcenmanagement. Eine deutliche Minimierung der Sedimenteinträge und Stoffbelastungen in das Gewässernetz ist jedoch nur mit Kenntnis der Primärquellen von Sedimenten und der Sedimentgeochemie zu erreichen. Der "Fingerprinting"-Ansatz und der Einsatz eines "Multivariate Mixing-Modell", sind geeignete Werkzeuge um den Einfluss anthropogener Eingriffe in das landschaftsökologische Prozessgefüge der Sedimentgenerierung zu klären. Die vorliegende kumulative Dissertation zeigt dies anhand der Anwendung einer Multikomponenten-Methodik. Diese beinhaltet sowohl geochemische und geophysikalische Analysen repräsentativer Sedimentproben der Sedimentquellen und der finalen Senken (Auenbereiche und Bereiche der Zuflüsse zum Lago Paranoá) als auch umfassende statistische Analysen sowie die Anwendung eines modifizierten "Multivariate Mixing-Modells". Der Einsatzder "Fingerprinting" Methodik in urbanen Einzugsgebieten der wechselfeuchten Tropen, wie das des Lago Paranoá in Zentralbrasilien, ist jedoch mit erheblichen Herausforderungen verbunden. Das betrifft insbesondere die Heterogenität der Landnutzungstypen innerhalb einer Landnutzungsklasse (urban, landwirtschaftlich, semi-natürlich) und die Unterschiede der Landnutzungsanteile zwischen den einzelnen Teileinzugsgebieten als auch modelstruktureller Unzulänglichkeiten bei der Sedimentherkunftsberechnung für urbane Einzugsgebiete. Eine Hauptkomponentenanalyse und hierarchische Clusteranalyse wurden verwendet, um den Einfluss der verschiedenen Landnutzungstypen auf der Geochemie der Sedimente zu untersuchen. Geochemische Fingerprints verschiedener anthropogener Aktivitäten wurden auf der Grundlage der Ergebnisse der Clusteranalyse ("grouping") entwickelt. Die Berechnung von Anreicherungsfaktoren ("Enrichmentfactors") auf Basis der gemessenen Elementgehalte, mit dem lokalen geologischen Hintergrundwerten als Referenz, ermöglichte die Quantifizierung des Einflusses der verschiedenen Landnutzungen auf die Metalleinträge in die Sedimente. Die vorhandenen Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass eine direkte Beziehung zwischen Landnutzung und quantifizierbarer Merkmale der Sedimentgeochemie existiert. Ein Vergleich der geochemischen Signatur von potentiellen Sedimentquellen und mit jenen der alluvialen Sedimente unterstützt die Hypothese, dass urbane Gebiete einen beachtlichen Beitrag zur Sedimentgenerierung und letztendlich zur Sedimentablagerung in den Auen- und Zuflussbereichen des Lago Paranoá leisten. Da diese relative Betrachtung von Elementzusammensetzungen der Sedimente keine quantitativen Aussagen zur Bedeutung der einzelnen Sedimentquellen zulässt, wurden statistisch verifizierte "composite fingerprints" und ein an urbane Bedingungen modifiziertes multivariate mixing-Modell (Hybrid) entwickelt und angewendet. Die Modellberechnungen erfolgten für das gesamte Einzugsgebiet des Lago Paranoá und separat für das Riacho Fundo Teileinzugsgebiet, welches Die angepassten Modellschätzungen zeigten, dass die in den Verlandungszonen des Lago Paranoá abgelagerten Sedimente weitgehend aus urbane Räumen (85 ± 4%) generiert wurden. Dahingegen stammen nur 10 ± 2% der Sedimente aus Gebieten mit (semi-) natürlicher Vegetation, obwohl 58 % der gesamten Einzugsgebietsfläche des Lago Paranoá stets (semi-) natürliche Verhältnisse aufweist. Landwirtschaftliche Gebiete haben generell nur einen geringen Anteil von etwa 5 ± 4% am Sedimenteintrag. Die Unterschiede in den Sedimentbeträgen sowohl zwischen den verschiedenen Sedimentquelltypen als auch zwischen den einzelnen Teileinzugsgebieten scheinen maßgeblich von den Flächennutzungsanteilen (urban, landwirtschaftlich, semi-natürlich) in dem jeweiligen Teileinzugsgebiet abhängig zu sein. Trotz umfassender Probennahme, Probenanalytik, Modellanpassung und Unsicherheitsanalyse sind die Ergebnisse nur für den Beprobungszeitraum, für die analysierte Stoffgruppe (organische Stoffeinträge sind im Rahmen dieser Dissertation nicht erfasst) und für die ausgewählten Lokalitäten repräsentativ. Zeitliche Einflussgrößen wie die Saisonalität in den Tropen oder Änderungen der Landnutzung, wie z.B. temporäre Baustellen, konnten mit den hier verwendeten Methoden nicht erfasst werden. Um die hohe räumliche und zeitliche Variabilität der Sedimentdynamik und eine deutliche Minimierung der Sedimenteinträge in das Gewässernetz zu erzielen, sind demnach die Einrichtung und der Betrieb eines langfristigen Monitoring-Netzwerkes für Sedimente im Einzugsgebiet des Lago Paranoá von hoher Priorität. Die vorliegende Dissertation bringt neue Einsichten in verschiedene wichtige Aspekte der geochemischen Beeinflussung von Sedimenten durch anthropogene Aktivitäten und liefert erstmalig quantitative Aussagen zu den Sedimentquellgebieten im Einzugsgebiet des Lago Paranoá. Sie stellt regionsspezifische Herausforderungen heraus, liefert gleichzeitig aber auch wichtige Informationen zu Sedimentbelastungen und -Einträgen und damit einen wichtigen Beitrag als Entscheidungsunterstützung im Rahmen eines Sedimentmanagementplans.

Les structures des communautés procaryotes (diversité β) ont été caractérisées au sein de deux compartiments du benthos en milieu littoral: les sédiments et les bivalves fouisseurs.Dans les sédiments de surface, les communautés bactériennes et archéennes ont été ciblées par ARISA (Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis) et T-RFLP (Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) sur le gène codant pour l’ARN 16S respectivement. Sur 29 sites des zones intertidale et subtidale du Bassin d’Arcachon, les communautés procaryotes présentaient des patrons de distribution spatiale corrélés à ceux de la macrofaune benthique mais représentaient une faible diversité cumulée par habitat. L’extension à des écosystèmes proches (Vasière Ouest Gironde, Estuaire de la Gironde) a mis en évidence une forte proportion d’OTU (Operational Taxonomic Unit) rares et une diminution de la similarité entre les communautés avec l’éloignement géographique des écosystèmes. Chez les bivalves, les communautés bactériennes ont été caractérisées successivement à l’échelle de l’individu, de l’organe isolé et de l’espèce. Le suivi d’une cohorte de coques n’a pas montré d’influence de la présence du parasite Bucephalus minimus sur la structure de ces communautés à l’échelle de l’individu. En revanche, prises à l’échelle de l’organe en comparant la coque à la palourde, les communautés bactériennes associées aux bivalves se sont différenciées en fonction des organes (e.g branchies, tube digestif, reste des tissus), de l’habitat et/ou de l’espèce. / The structures of prokaryotic communities (β diversity) were characterized in sediments and burrowing bivalves.In the sediments, the bacterial and archaeal communities were analyzed by ARISA (Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis) and 16S RNA gene T-RFLP (Terminal-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism) respectively. In 29 subtidal and intertidal sites of the Arcachon Bay, the spatial patterns of prokaryotic and benthic macrofaunal communities were correlated whereas prokaryotic community species exhibited a low cumulated diversity per habitat. Extending to neighboring ecosystems (West-Gironde mud patch, Gironde estuary) revealed the occurrence of a high proportion of rare OTU (Operational Taxonomic Unit) and a decrease of community similarities with geographic distance among ecosystems.For the bivalves, the whole individual, the organ-scale and the species-scale were successively considered. A cockle cohort monitoring indicated no influence of the parasite Bucephalus minimus occurrence on bacterial community structure at the individual-scale. Comparing cockle and clam at the organ level demonstrated that bivalve associated bacterial communities could differ among organs (e.g. gills, digestive gut, others tissues), among habitats and/or between species.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Development of new cancer drugs is increasingly costly and time-consuming. By exploiting massive amounts of biological data, computational repositioning proposes new uses for old drugs to reduce these development hurdles. A promising approach is the systematic analysis of structural data for identification of shared binding pockets and modes of action. In this thesis, I developed the Protein-Ligand Interaction Profiler (PLIP), which characterizes and indexes protein-ligand interactions to enable comparative analyses and searching in all available structures. Following, I applied PLIP to identify new treatment options in cancer: the heat shock protein Hsp27 confers resistance to drugs in cancer cells and is therefore an attractive target with a postulated drug binding site. Starting from Hsp27, I used PLIP to define an interaction profile to screen all structures from the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The top prediction was experimentally validated in vitro. It inhibits Hsp27 and significantly reduces resistance of multiple myeloma cells against the chemotherapeutic agent bortezomib. Besides computational repositioning, PLIP is used in docking, binding mode analysis, quantification of interactions and many other applications as evidenced by over 12,000 users so far. PLIP is provided to the community online and as open source.

Efterfrågan och tillhandahållandet av platsberoende tjänster blir allt större vilket i sin tur skapar intresse för billiga och skalbara tekniker i alla möjliga olika miljöer. Särskilt intressant blir tekniker som är lätta att installera på nya platser och vars hårdvarukomponenter är enkla och billiga. I denna rapport presenteras en experimentiell systemteknisk metod för positionsberäkning i inomhusmiljöer, specifikt de som på grund av lokala elektromagnetiska fält, rörliga större föremål eller oregelbundna ytor skapar störningar som gör det svårt att utföra förlitlig positionering. Systemet utgörs av ett antal wifi-routrar samt en signalmottagre kopplad till en dator med systemets mjukvarukomponent installerad. Resultatet bedömdes utifrån en förväntad nivå av korrekthet, närmare bestämt att minst hälften av systemets bedömningar inte har fel med mer än två meter, samt en övre gräns på högst tre meters fel i minst 90 procent av fallen. För att möta målsättningen utrustades mjukvaran med komponenter tänkta att minimera effekten av störningar. Ett Kalmanfilter ger en bättre tolkning av inkommande mätdata medan en för området vanlig estimeringsalgoritm, så kallad Location Fingerprinting, förstärks med en experimentell uppsättning artificiella neurala neuronnät. Som rapporten kommer visa möter systemet som helhet utmaningen och presterar initialt bättre än väntat (hälften av bedömningarna har ett fel på 1,5 meter eller lägre) men även att det beshöver testas i så många nya miljöer som möjligt så att det kan gå att dra slutsatser om dess mer generella användbarhet. / The demand for and supply of location based services (LBS) is constantly growing, which in turn leads to an unquenchable thirst for affordable, scalable localisation solutions in all kinds of surroundings. Technical solutions that are easy to set up at a new location and whose hardware components are simple and affordable, are especially of interest.This paper describes an experimental system designed for positioning a client in particularly challenging indoor environments – wether it's due to local electromagnetic fields, large moving objects or slanted surfaces, basically whatever could create difficulties in radiowave based positioning. This system consists of a number of wifi routers and a signal receiver connected to a computer running the central software component. The results were assessed out of an expected level of accuracy, namely that no more than half of the estimates are off by two meters or more, with an upper limit of no more than 90 percent of the estimates being off by three meters or more. In order to achieve this, the software includes algorithms designed to lessen the effect of signal disruption. A Kalman filter gives the system a better interpretation of sensor data, while the (for the field) common estimation method of Location Fingerprinting gets reinforced by an experimental array of artificial neural networks. As this paper will show, the system will within the initial testing fulfill the set criteria to satisfaction, however it will need future trials in a row of varying environments so as to give an indication of its general usefulness.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Inadequate land use, ignoring its agricultural fitness can, in a short time, transform thousands of hectares in fragile systems highly susceptible to degradation processes. The use of the fingerprinting method in the identification of sediment sources has been efficient and there are many studies in the international literature proving its effectiveness. In Brazil, the studies in the matter are still incipient, but have demonstrated efficiency in detecting changes in the proportion of contribution of the sources in the production of sediments. Among the variables used in this method, there are some minerals that are used as tracers of soil erosion, due to their high stability in the environment and magnetism property. However, the use of mineralogy together with models of erosion prediction as well as in the identification of sources of sediment production is not common. The objective of this work was to estimate the proportion of contribution of two groups of sources, road+channels+grid and superficial+subsuperficial, in the production of sediments in a watershed slope. For this purpose, two groups of variables were tested, pedogeochemical and pedogeochemical+mineralogical to compose the prediction models. For the identification of the sources the fingerprinting method was used, which compares the soils of different sources and the sediments that are found in suspension in the drainage channel, using tracing variables. It was possible to identify the contribution of each one of the groups of sources of sediment production in the Vacacaí-Mirim River basin, except in the T1point. In this point the scale was determining in the result, due to the low number of samples of this sub-basin. The greatest contributions in the production of sediments came from superficial erosion of the soil. The use of an only group of variables to compose the model of identification of sources, suppressing variables that generate uncertainty, has led to more coherence in the presented results and reduced the space-time variability of the analysis. The roads were presented as a potential source of erosion in the basin. The adding of mineralogical variables improved the results, decreasing the errors. However, using only one group of variables for the prediction model did not lead to any significant change in the results. / O uso da terra de maneira inadequada, ignorando sua aptidão agrícola, em pouco tempo pode transformar milhares de hectares em sistemas frágeis altamente suscetíveis aos processos de degradação. A utilização do método fingerprinting na identificação de fontes de sedimentos, tem se mostrado eficiente e há um grande número de trabalhos na literatura internacional comprovando sua eficácia. No Brasil, os trabalhos dessa natureza ainda são incipientes, porém, demonstram eficiência em detectar alterações na proporção de contribuição das fontes na produção sedimentos. Dentre as variáveis usadas por este método, estão alguns minerais, usados como traçadores de erosão do solo, devido a sua elevada estabilidade no ambiente e propriedade de magnetismo. No entanto, não é comum o uso da mineralogia aliada a modelos de predição de erosão do solo tão pouco na identificação de fontes de produção de sedimentos. O objetivo desse trabalho foi estimar a proporção de contribuição de dois conjuntos de fontes, estrada+canais+malha e superficial+subsuperficial, na produção de sedimentos em uma bacia hidrográfica de encosta. Para tanto, foram testados dois conjuntos de variáveis, pedogeoquímicas e pedogeoquímicas+mineralógicas para compor os modelos de predição. Para a identificação das fontes foi utilizado o método fingerprinting que compara os solos de diferentes fontes e os sedimentos que são encontrados em suspensão no canal de drenagem, usando variáveis traçadoras. Foi possível identificar a contribuição de cada um dos conjuntos de fontes de produção de sedimentos na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Vacacaí-Mirim, exceto para o ponto T1. Para esse ponto a escala foi determinante no resultado, pelo baixo número de amostras referentes a essa sub-bacia. As maiores contribuições na produção de sedimentos provem da erosão superficial do solo. A utilização de um único conjunto de variáveis para compor o modelo de identificação de fontes, suprimir variáveis que geravam incertezas, fez com que os resultados apresentados fossem mais coerentes e reduziu a variabilidade espacial e temporal da análise. As estradas se apresentam como fonte potencial de erosão na bacia. As adições de variáveis mineralógicas melhoraram os resultados, diminuindo os erros. No entanto, usando somente um único conjunto de variáveis para o modelo de predição não houve nenhuma mudança significativa nos resultados.

Cloud gaming has emerged as a popular solution to meet the increasing hardware de-mands of modern video games, allowing players with dated or non-sufficient hardwareto access high-quality gaming experiences. However, the growing reliance on cloud ser-vices has led to heightened concerns regarding user privacy and the risk of fingerprintingattacks. In this paper, we investigate the effects of varying send rates on cloud gamingQoS and QoE metrics when applying a fixed-rate fingerprinting defense, BuFLO. Findingsshow that lower send rates impact both client-side and host-side applied defense differ-ently. Based on the results, specific send rates are suggested for maintaining a stable cloudgaming experience. The research offers insights into the trade-offs between security andperformance in cloud gaming and provides recommendations for mitigating fingerprintingattacks. Future work may investigate alternative defenses, device types, and connectionmethods.

The focus of this study was to investigate an alternative and more cost effective solution for occupancy sensing in commercial office buildings. The intended purpose of this solution is to aid in efficient energy management. The main requirements were that the proposed solution made use of existing infrastructure only, and provided a means to focus on occupant location. This research was undertaken due to current solutions making use of custom occupancy sensors that are relatively costly and troublesome to implement. These solutions focus mainly on monitoring environmental changes, and not the physical locations of the occupants themselves. Furthermore, current occupancy sensing solutions are unable to provide proximity and timing information that indicate how far an occupant is located from a specific area, or how long the occupant resided there. The research question was answered by conducting a proof of concept study with data simulated in the OMNeT++ environment in conjunction with the MiXiM framework for wireless networks. The proposed solution investigated the fidelity of existing WiFi infrastructure for occupancy sensing, this entailed the creation of a Virtual Occupancy Sensor (VOS) that implemented RSS-based localisation for an occupant’s WiFi devices. Localisation was implemented with three different location estimation techniques; these were trilateration, constrained nearest neighbour RF mapping and unconstrained nearest neighbour RF mapping. The obtained positioning data was interpreted by a developed intelligent agent that was able to transform this regular position data into relevant occupancy information. This information included a distance from office measurement and an occupancy result that can be interpreted by existing energy management systems. The accuracy and operational behaviour of the developed VOS were tested with various scenarios. Sensitivity analysis and extreme condition testing were also conducted. Results showed that the constrained nearest neighbour RF mapping approach is the most accurate, and is best suited for occupancy determination. The created VOS system can function correctly with various tested sensitivities and device loads. Furthermore results indicated that the VOS is very accurate in determining room level occupancy although the accuracy of the position coordinate estimations fluctuated considerably. The operational behaviour of the VOS could be validated for all investigated scenarios. It was determined that the developed VOS can be deemed fit for its intended purpose, and is able to give indication to occupant proximity and movement timing. The conducted research confirmed the fidelity of WiFi infrastructure for occupancy sensing, and that the developed VOS can be considered a viable and cost effective alternative to current occupancy sensing solutions. / MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The focus of this study was to investigate an alternative and more cost effective solution for occupancy sensing in commercial office buildings. The intended purpose of this solution is to aid in efficient energy management. The main requirements were that the proposed solution made use of existing infrastructure only, and provided a means to focus on occupant location. This research was undertaken due to current solutions making use of custom occupancy sensors that are relatively costly and troublesome to implement. These solutions focus mainly on monitoring environmental changes, and not the physical locations of the occupants themselves. Furthermore, current occupancy sensing solutions are unable to provide proximity and timing information that indicate how far an occupant is located from a specific area, or how long the occupant resided there. The research question was answered by conducting a proof of concept study with data simulated in the OMNeT++ environment in conjunction with the MiXiM framework for wireless networks. The proposed solution investigated the fidelity of existing WiFi infrastructure for occupancy sensing, this entailed the creation of a Virtual Occupancy Sensor (VOS) that implemented RSS-based localisation for an occupant’s WiFi devices. Localisation was implemented with three different location estimation techniques; these were trilateration, constrained nearest neighbour RF mapping and unconstrained nearest neighbour RF mapping. The obtained positioning data was interpreted by a developed intelligent agent that was able to transform this regular position data into relevant occupancy information. This information included a distance from office measurement and an occupancy result that can be interpreted by existing energy management systems. The accuracy and operational behaviour of the developed VOS were tested with various scenarios. Sensitivity analysis and extreme condition testing were also conducted. Results showed that the constrained nearest neighbour RF mapping approach is the most accurate, and is best suited for occupancy determination. The created VOS system can function correctly with various tested sensitivities and device loads. Furthermore results indicated that the VOS is very accurate in determining room level occupancy although the accuracy of the position coordinate estimations fluctuated considerably. The operational behaviour of the VOS could be validated for all investigated scenarios. It was determined that the developed VOS can be deemed fit for its intended purpose, and is able to give indication to occupant proximity and movement timing. The conducted research confirmed the fidelity of WiFi infrastructure for occupancy sensing, and that the developed VOS can be considered a viable and cost effective alternative to current occupancy sensing solutions. / MIng (Computer and Electronic Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014