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Perceptual Motor Programmes are implemented in more than 300 junior schools around New Zealand (Cropp, 2008). When implemented, many teachers believe the programme improves learning including reading abilities, increases physical activity, and enhances social skills (Broadley & Litterick-Biggs, 2005). Despite continued use of the programme there is very little research to support claims of improved academic readiness, and as a result concerns are raised around the use of a non-validated approach to improve children’s literacy learning and learning in general. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a Perceptual Motor Programme on the reading abilities of year one and two children. Participants were 37 year one and two children, aged 5-6 years, from two classes at a low-decile primary school. Children were tested three times over ten weeks of the study using running records and sight word testing as well as non-word reading. One class acted as the control group and did not receive the programme. Repeated measures ANOVAs revealed a significant time effect over the three time plots for both groups. This time effect is consistent with what you could expect in education where children generally improve over time. However using scores from pre, mid and post testing in all tests, the overall difference between the two groups was non-significant. This result alone clearly disproves the claims of improved reading abilities through the implementation of Smart Starts perceptual motor programme. Sight word testing showed only a marginal time effect due to the scores being high at pre testing creating a ceiling effect where maximum scores had already occurred leaving little room for improvement over time. When asked to observe one child, teacher observations suggested improved attitudes towards learning and some risk-taking occurring later in the study. This was the case for both children observed, therefore cannot be attributed to the participation of the perceptual motor programme but rather part of the developmental process and current teaching and learning programmes. The results of this study have implications for the implementation of non-validated interventions in schools. This study outlines the importance of educators using evidence-based practice and research. It explores the purpose, benefits and need for the Smart Starts perceptual motor programme. The use of non-validated approaches take time, money, resources, staffing and energy away from proven practices that improve children’s reading abilities.

Para a realização dessa pesquisa foi desenvolvido um estudo da espessura crustal nos Andes setentrionais e na parte norte dos Andes centrais (entre 10ºN e 9ºS). Foram usadas reflexões da Moho de seis sismos de profundidade média para achar a espessura crustal na área de estudo. As ondas pmP e smS (reflexões na Moho) são encontradas como precursoras das fases profundas pP e sS de sismos registrados em estações localizadas a distâncias telessísmicas. A metodologia utilizada exigia sismos com profundidade maiores que 100 km e magnitude maiores que 6. Entretanto, devido à baixa amplitude apresentada pelas ondas pmP e smS, foi necessário realizar um empilhamento de vários sismogramas para realçar as chegadas das ondas analisadas. A área estudada foi dividida em três partes: área norte entre 6ºN e 0º(na Colômbia), área central entre 2ºS e 5ºS (no Equador) e área sul entre 6ºS e 9ºS (na borda entre Peru e Brasil). Na área norte foram encontradas espessuras crustais entre 26 e 56 km em quatro pontos de reflexão de dois sismos; na área central foram encontradas espessuras da crosta entre 40 e 63 km para três pontos de reflexão de um sismo; finalmente, na região sul, foram encontradas espessuras crustais entre 35 e 40 km para 7 pontos de reflexão de 3 sismos. Foi obtido a relação Vp/Vs = 1.79 ± 0.16 para a região norte dos Andes, usando as diferenças de tempo sS-smS e pP-pmP. Os resultados obtidos vão aumentar o banco de dados de espessura crustal nos Andes setentrionais e na parte norte dos Andes centrais, como também possibilitaram uma melhora do modelo de espessura crustal desenvolvido por Assumpção et al. (2013) para América do Sul, permitindo assim a analise e comparação entre os dados obtidos nesse estudo e o modelo crustal de Assumpção et al. (2013). / In this work we studied the crustal thickness in northern Andes and northern central Andes (between 10ºN and 9ºS). We analyzed the reflections from the underside of the Moho for six intermediate earthquakes occurred in the study area to estimate the crustal thickness at the bounce point. The pmP and smS phases (reflections at the Moho) are identied as precursors to the depth phase pP and sS, respectively, when recorded at teleseismic distances. This method require events of magnitude > 6 and depth > 100 km. In order to better identify those two reflections, it was necessary to stacking traces from different stations. The study area was divided in three sections: northern area between 6ºN - 0º (Colombia), in this area we analyzed two earthquakes and the crustal thicknesses in four bounce points were found; central area between 2ºS- 5ºS (Ecuador), in this area we studied one earthquake and the crustal thicknesses in three bounce points were found; southern area between 6ºS - 9ºS (Peru-Brazil border), where we analyzed three earthquakes and the crustal thicknesses in seven bounce points were found. Crustal thickness found in the southern area varied from 35 to 40 km, from 40 to 63 km in the central area and from 26 to 56 km in the northern area. We estimated a Vp/Vs ratio of 1.79±0.16 for the northern Andes using the time differences sS-smS and pP-pmP relation. Our analysis complements the data base of Moho depths in the Northern Andes and also, it allows a comparison with the model of crustal thickness estimated by Assumpção et al. (2013) confirming the Moho depth on both studies.

Para a realização dessa pesquisa foi desenvolvido um estudo da espessura crustal nos Andes setentrionais e na parte norte dos Andes centrais (entre 10ºN e 9ºS). Foram usadas reflexões da Moho de seis sismos de profundidade média para achar a espessura crustal na área de estudo. As ondas pmP e smS (reflexões na Moho) são encontradas como precursoras das fases profundas pP e sS de sismos registrados em estações localizadas a distâncias telessísmicas. A metodologia utilizada exigia sismos com profundidade maiores que 100 km e magnitude maiores que 6. Entretanto, devido à baixa amplitude apresentada pelas ondas pmP e smS, foi necessário realizar um empilhamento de vários sismogramas para realçar as chegadas das ondas analisadas. A área estudada foi dividida em três partes: área norte entre 6ºN e 0º(na Colômbia), área central entre 2ºS e 5ºS (no Equador) e área sul entre 6ºS e 9ºS (na borda entre Peru e Brasil). Na área norte foram encontradas espessuras crustais entre 26 e 56 km em quatro pontos de reflexão de dois sismos; na área central foram encontradas espessuras da crosta entre 40 e 63 km para três pontos de reflexão de um sismo; finalmente, na região sul, foram encontradas espessuras crustais entre 35 e 40 km para 7 pontos de reflexão de 3 sismos. Foi obtido a relação Vp/Vs = 1.79 ± 0.16 para a região norte dos Andes, usando as diferenças de tempo sS-smS e pP-pmP. Os resultados obtidos vão aumentar o banco de dados de espessura crustal nos Andes setentrionais e na parte norte dos Andes centrais, como também possibilitaram uma melhora do modelo de espessura crustal desenvolvido por Assumpção et al. (2013) para América do Sul, permitindo assim a analise e comparação entre os dados obtidos nesse estudo e o modelo crustal de Assumpção et al. (2013). / In this work we studied the crustal thickness in northern Andes and northern central Andes (between 10ºN and 9ºS). We analyzed the reflections from the underside of the Moho for six intermediate earthquakes occurred in the study area to estimate the crustal thickness at the bounce point. The pmP and smS phases (reflections at the Moho) are identied as precursors to the depth phase pP and sS, respectively, when recorded at teleseismic distances. This method require events of magnitude > 6 and depth > 100 km. In order to better identify those two reflections, it was necessary to stacking traces from different stations. The study area was divided in three sections: northern area between 6ºN - 0º (Colombia), in this area we analyzed two earthquakes and the crustal thicknesses in four bounce points were found; central area between 2ºS- 5ºS (Ecuador), in this area we studied one earthquake and the crustal thicknesses in three bounce points were found; southern area between 6ºS - 9ºS (Peru-Brazil border), where we analyzed three earthquakes and the crustal thicknesses in seven bounce points were found. Crustal thickness found in the southern area varied from 35 to 40 km, from 40 to 63 km in the central area and from 26 to 56 km in the northern area. We estimated a Vp/Vs ratio of 1.79±0.16 for the northern Andes using the time differences sS-smS and pP-pmP relation. Our analysis complements the data base of Moho depths in the Northern Andes and also, it allows a comparison with the model of crustal thickness estimated by Assumpção et al. (2013) confirming the Moho depth on both studies.

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2016-09-06T17:54:45Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação 02 V17 (Versão Final) Bib 8.pdf: 1194102 bytes, checksum: 7ae0e7ab6718e39ffaf10a179b0a2b19 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-06T17:54:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação 02 V17 (Versão Final) Bib 8.pdf: 1194102 bytes, checksum: 7ae0e7ab6718e39ffaf10a179b0a2b19 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-31 / Uma das necessidades básicas dos seres humanos é a liberdade, pois realiza uma função importante de motivação em várias ações do processo social. É notável o aparecimento de algumas metodologias no âmbito do gerenciamento de projetos que enfatizam características como flexibilidade e autonomia, termos associados à noção de liberdade. Todavia, na abordagem tradicional de gerenciamento de projetos, essas características não são tão perceptíveis quanto nas metodologias mais inovadoras, que as destacam, uma vez que naquela abordagem a utilização de mecanismos estruturados dificulta a implementação de maior flexibilidade e autonomia. O objetivo central deste estudo é realizar uma análise sobre a incidência dos construtos autoritarismo e anarquia no gerenciamento de projetos tradicional a partir da avaliação comparada entre a relevância de determinadas atividades e o seu nível de liberdade, como percebidos por gestores de projetos. Essa incidência é avaliada através de um banco de dados gerado a partir da aplicação de um survey em uma empresa multinacional de grande porte, que rotineiramente utiliza o modelo de referência PMBOK do PMI (Project Management Institute) para gerenciamento de seus projetos, sendo seus gestores de projetos detentores de certificação PMP (Project Management Professional). Com essa pesquisa exploratória, espera-se contribuir para a melhoria do nível de entendimento e aperfeiçoamento dos métodos de gerenciamento de projetos no que se refere a importância das atividades gerenciais e o seu nível de liberdade de ação que, pela atual pesquisa, revelou uma grande discrepância entre o discurso da relevância estratégica versus o grau de flexibilidade e autonomia efetivamente percebido pelo gestor de projeto. / One of the basics needs of human beings is freedom, because it performs a critical function of motivation in a range of actions regarding social process. It is remarkable the appearance of some methodologies within project management, which emphasize aspects such as flexibility and autonomy that are terms associated with the idea of freedom. Nevertheless, in the project management traditional approach these aspects are not as noticeable as in the most innovative methodologies that highlight them, once its utilization of structured mechanisms hinders the implementation of greater flexibility and autonomy. The main focus of this study is developing an analysis over the incidence of authoritarianism and anarchy constructs in the traditional project management model, considering the project managers perspective through the evaluation of freedom level in comparison with action relevance. This incidence is evaluated through a data collected from a survey applied in a large multinational company, which frequently uses the PMI PMBOK reference model for project management, as well as it is worthy to mention that the company project managers hold the PMP certification. Furthermore, this exploratory research is expected to contribute for enhance of comprehension level as well as the improvement of project management methods, regarding management activities relevance in comparison with action freedom, which this research has revealed a large dissonance between the discourse on strategic relevance versus flexibility and autonomy effectively noticed by the project manager.

Abstract : As atmospheric temperatures at the Earth’s surface increase due to global warming, the capacity of lower atmospheric levels to hold water vapor rises and thus, precipitations and floods will be influenced. In turn, extreme precipitation and flood events are subject to potential modifications under climate change, namely, Probable Maximum Precipitation (PMP) and Probable Maximum Flood (PMF). This research aims at analyzing climate change influences on PMP and PMF in three watersheds with different climatic conditions across the province of Québec, Canada. The watersheds are located in the south, center and north of the province. They have been selected in a manner which reflects climate diversity across Québec. In order to study climate change conditions, the data output of the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM) was used. This database covers a time horizon from 1961 up to 2100 and includes daily precipitation, temperature, specific humidity and Convective Available Potential Energy (CAPE). These data were used to estimate PMP. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) method was adapted to estimate PMP values under climate change conditions. The 100-year return period precipitable water (W100) was selected as an upper limit of precipitable water in establishing maximization ratio. The time series for estimating W100 was established from annual maximum precipitable water values that have similar atmospheric variables of the event to be maximized. The atmospheric variables used in this research were atmospheric temperature at the Earth’s surface and CAPE. This method does not require setting any upper bound limit to the maximization ratio and is therefore more amenable to calculate the PMP in a climate change context. The PMP was used to run a distributed hydrological model to estimate PMF. PMP and PMF values were estimated in three 45-year time horizons: recent past (centered on 1985), near future (2030) and far future (2070). In regions where snowmelt plays a key role in the annual hydrological cycle, winter-spring flooding could be the major discharge. Consequently, PMP and PMF were separately analyzed in two seasons: summer-fall (snow-free) and winter-spring (snow accumulation and melt). The largest value obtained was identified as the all-season PMP/PMF. Summer-fall PMF was estimated by inserting the PMP in each day of the simulated time horizon. Therefore, all soil moisture conditions prior to PMP occurrence were included. Accordingly, a distribution of PMF values based on different initial conditions (soil wetness levels) was obtained. Winter-spring PMF was estimated by inserting the PMP value at the end of a warm melting period and for an extreme snow accumulation. Our results show that the PMF of three watersheds would occur in the winter-spring season in current and future climate projections. Furthermore, all-season PMP and PMF in southern Québec would decrease, but trends in central and northern of Québec would be reversed and the PMP and PMF would increase in projected climate conditions. In the center and north of Québec, the PMF would increase by 25 and 23% respectively, at the end of the 21st century. For the same period, PMF would have a reduction of 25% in the south of Québec. Of the three watersheds, the PMF always occurs at the end of winter-spring season when the snow accumulation is the greatest. / Résumé: Quand la température atmosphérique à la surface a des augmentations en raison du réchauffement climatique mondial, la capacité des niveaux atmosphériques inférieurs à contenir de la vapeur d’eau s’élève. Ceci peut influencer les précipitations et les inondations. C’est pourquoi le réchauffement mondial conduit au changement climatique. Les précipitations extrêmes et les inondations extrêmes peuvent potentiellement subir des changements, à savoir, la précipitation maximale probable (PMP) et la crue maximale probable (CMP). Cette recherche vise à analyser les influences du changement climatique sur la PMP et la CMP dans trois bassins versants avec différentes conditions climatiques à travers la province de Québec, Canada. Les bassins versants sont situés dans le sud, le centre et le nord du Québec. Ils ont été sélectionnés d’une manière qui reflète la diversité du climat à travers le Québec. Afin d'étudier les conditions du changement climatique, les sorties du modèle régional canadien du climat (MRCC) ont été utilisées. Cette base de données couvre un horizon de temps à partir de 1961 jusqu'à 2100. Les données comprennent la précipitation quotidienne, la température, l'humidité spécifique et l’énergie potentielle de convection disponible (EPCD). Ces données ont été utilisées pour estimer la PMP. La méthode de l’Organisation Météorologique Mondiale (OMM) a été adaptée pour estimer les valeurs de la PMP dans des conditions de changements climatiques. L'eau précipitable centennale (W100) a été choisie comme une limite supérieure de l'eau précipitable pour déterminer le rapport de maximisation. Les séries chronologiques pour estimer W100 ont été établies à partir de valeurs annuelles maximales d'eau précipitable qui sont associées à des valeurs de variables atmosphériques similaires à l'événement qui doit être maximisé. Les variables atmosphériques utilisées dans cette recherche sont la température atmosphérique à la surface et l'EPCD. Cette méthode ne nécessite pas de fixer une limite supérieure au rapport de maximisation et est donc plus propice à la détermination de la PMP dans un contexte des changements climatiques. La PMP résultante a été utilisée pour forcer un modèle hydrologique distribué afin d’estimer la CMP. Les valeurs de la PMP et de la CMP ont été estimées en trois horizons de temps: le passé récent, les futurs proches (2030) et lointains (2070). Dans les régions où la fonte des neiges joue un rôle clé dans le cycle hydrologique annuel, les crues printanières en climat actuel correspondent habituellement au débit maximum annuel. La PMP et la CMP ont cependant été analysées séparément en deux saisons: l'été-automne (sans neige) et l'hiver-printemps (accumulation et fonte de neige) pour évaluer l’impact des changements climatiques sur la saisonnalité de ces événements extrêmes. La plus grande valeur obtenue a été identifiée comme la PMP / CMP annuelle. La CMP d’été-automne a été estimée par l'insertion de la PMP pour chaque jour de l'horizon de temps de simulation. Par conséquent, toutes les conditions possibles d'humidité du sol avant l’événement de la PMP ont été incluses. En conséquence, une distribution des valeurs de CMP basées sur différentes conditions initiales (niveaux d'humidité du sol) a été obtenue. La CMP d’hiver-printemps a été estimée en insérant la valeur de PMP à la fin d'une période de fonte et une accumulation de neige extrême. Nos résultats montrent que dans le sud et le nord du Québec, la CMP a toujours lieu à la fin de la saison hiver-printemps lorsque l’accumulation de neige est maximale. Aussi, la PMP et la CMP au sud du Québec devraient diminuer, mais la tendance au centre et au nord du Québec serait inversée. Dans le centre et le nord, la CMP augmente de 22 et 21%, respectivement, à la fin du 21e siècle alors que pour la même période, CMP aurait une réduction de 13% dans le sud du Québec. La CMP annuelle de ces bassins versants se produit dans la saison hiver-printemps dans trois horizons temporels.

Presented in this thesis is a case study of two study watersheds located in south central Virginia. For each, a HEC-HMS event-based hydrologic model was constructed to simulate the rainfall-runoff response from the Probable Maximum Storm (PMS), the theoretical worst-case meteorological event that is capable of occurring over a particular region. The primary goal of these simulations was to obtain discharge hydrographs associated with the Probable Maximum Flood (PMF) at key locations in each of the watersheds. These hydrographs were subsequently used to develop flood inundation maps of the study areas and to characterize sediment transport phenomena in the study reaches under severe flooding conditions. To build the hydrologic basin models, ArcHydro, HEC-GeoHMS and ArcGIS were employed to assimilate the substantial amount of input data and to extract the pertinent modeling parameters required for the selected simulation methods. In this, the SCS Loss and Transform Methods, along with the Muskingum Routing Method, were adopted for the HEC-HMS simulations. Once completed, the basin models were calibrated through a comparison of simulated design storm flows to frequency discharge estimates obtained with regional regression techniques and a flood frequency analysis. The models were then used to simulate their respective PMS events, which were developed following recommendations from the Hydrometeorological Branch of the National Weather Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Descriptions of each of the study sites, explanations of the modeling theory and development methodologies, and discussions of the modeling results are all detailed within. / Master of Science

Vehicle communication using sensors and wireless channels plays an important role to allow exchanging information. Adding more components to allow exchanging more information with infrastructure enhanced the capabilities of vehicles and enabled the rise of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS). Leveraging such capabilities, more applications such as Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) and platooning were introduced. CACC is an enhancement of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC). It enables longitudinal automated vehicle control and follows the Constant Time Gap (CTG) strategy where, distance between vehicles is proportional to the speed. Platooning is different in terms of addressing both longitudinal and lateral control. In addition, it adopts the Constant Distance Gap (CDG) control strategy, with separation between vehicles unchanged with speed. Platooning requires close coupling and accordingly achieves goals of increased lane throughput and reduced energy consumption. When a longitudinal controller only is used, platooning operates in car-following mode and no Platoon Management Protocol (PMP) is used. On the other hand, when both longitudinal and lateral controllers are used, platooning operates in maneuver mode and coordination between vehicles is needed to perform maneuvers. Exchanging information allows the platoon to make real time maneuvering decisions. However, all the aforementioned benefits of platooning cannot be achieved if the system is vulnerable to misbehavior (i.e., the platoon is behaving incorrectly). Most of work in the literature attributes this misbehavior to malicious actors where an attacker injects malicious messages. Standards made efforts to develop security services to authenticate and authorize the sender. However, authenticated users equipped with cryptographic primitives can mount attacks (i.e., falsification attacks) and accordingly they cannot be detected by standard services such as cryptographic signatures. Misbehavior can disturb platoon behavior or even cause collision. Many Misbehavior Detection Schemes (MDSs) are proposed in the literature in the context of Vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) and CACC. These MDSs apply algorithms or rules to detect sudden or gradual changes of kinematic information disseminated by other vehicles. Reusing these MDSs directly during maneuvers can lead to false positives when they treat changes in kinematic information during the maneuver as an attack. This thesis addresses this gap by designing a new modular framework that has the capability to discern maneuvering process from misbehavior by leveraging platoon behavior recognition, that is, the platoon mode of operation (e.g., car-following mode or maneuver mode). In addition, it has the ability to recognize the undergoing maneuver (e.g., middle join or exit). Based on the platoon behavior recognition module, the anomaly detection module detects deviations from expected behavior. Unsupervised machine learning, notably Hidden Markov Model with Gaussian Mixture Model emission (GMMHMM), is used to learn the nominal behavior of the platoon during different modes and maneuvers. This is used later by the platoon behavior recognition and anomaly detection modules. GMMHMM is trained with nominal behavior of platoon using multivariate time series representing kinematic characteristics of the vehicles. Different models are used to detect attacks in different scenarios (e.g., different speeds). Two approaches for anomaly detection are investigated, Viterbi algorithm based anomaly detection and Forward algorithm based anomaly detection. The proposed framework managed to detect misbehavior whether the compromised vehicle is a platoon leader or follower. Empirical results show very high performance, with the platoon behavior recognition module reaching 100% in terms of accuracy. In addition, it can predict ongoing platoon behavior at early stages and accordingly, use the correct model representing the nominal behavior. Forward algorithm based anomaly detection, which rely on computing likelihood, showed better performance reaching 98% with slight variations in terms of accuracy, precision, recall and F1 score. Different platooning controllers can be resilient to some attacks and accordingly, the attack can result in slight deviation from nominal behavior. However, The anomaly detection module was able to detect this deviation. / Kommunikation mellan fordon som använder sensorer och radiokommunikation spelar en viktig roll för att kunna möjliggöra informationsutbyte. Genom att lägga till er komponenter för infrastrukturkommunikation förbättras fordonens generella kommunikationskapacitet och möjliggör C-ITS. Det möjliggör också för att introducera ytterligare applikationer, exempelvis CACC samt plutonering. CACC är en förbättring av ACC -konceptet. Denna teknik möjliggör longitudinell automatiserad fordonskontroll och följer en CTG -strategi där avståndet mellan fordon är proportionellt mot hastigheten. Plutonering är annorlunda med avseende på att hantera longitudinell och lateral kontroll. Dessutom antar den en kontrollstrategi för CDG där avståndet mellan fordon förblir oförändrat med hastighet. Plutonering kräver en nära koppling mellan fordon för att uppnå målet med ökad filgenomströmning och reducerad energikonsumtion. När enbart longitudinell kontroll är aktiverad, fungerar plutonering i bilföljande läge och funktionen PMP används inte. När både longitudinella och laterala kontroller används, arbetar plutonen istället i manöverläge och samordning mellan fordon behövs för att utföra olika manövrar. Informationsutbytet möjliggör att plutonen kan man manövrera i realtid. Alla ovan nämnda fördelar med plutonering kan emellertid inte uppnås om systemet är sårbart för felbeteende, det vill säga att plutonen beter sig fel. I litteraturen kopplas detta missförhållande till skadliga aktörer där en angripare injicerar skadliga meddelanden. I standardiseringsarbeten har man försökt utveckla säkerhetstjänster för att autentisera och auktorisera avsändaren. Trots detta kan autentiserade användare utrustade med kryptografiska primitiv upprätta förfalskningsattacker som inte detekteras av standardtjänster som kryptografiska signaturer. Felaktigt handhavande kan orsaka störningar i plutonens beteende eller till och med orsaka kollisioner och följaktligen påverka tillförlitligheten. Det finns manga MDSs beskrivna i litteraturen i relation till VANET och CACC. MDSs använder algoritmer eller regler för att detektera snabba eller långsamma förändringar kinematisk information som sprids av andra fordon. Direkt användning av MDSs under manövrar kan leda till falska positiva resultat eftersom de kommer att behandla förändringar i kinematisk information under manövern som en attack. Denna avhandling adresserar detta gap genom utformningen av ett modulärt ramverk som kan urskilja manöverprocessen från misskötsamhet genom att utnyttja plutonens beteendeigenkänningsmodul för att intelligent känna igen plutonläget (t.ex. bilföljande läge eller manöverläge). Ramverket har vidare egenskapen att känna igen pågående manövrar (frikoppling eller växelbyte) och avvikelser från förväntat beteende. Modulen använder en oövervakad maskininlärningssmodell, GMMHMM, för att lära en plutons normala beteende under olika lägen och manövrar som sedan används för plutonbeteendeigenkänning och avvikelsedetektion. GMMHMM tränas på data från plutoneringens normalbeteende i form av multivariata tidsserier som representerar fordonets kinematiska karakteristik. Olika modeller används för att upptäcka attacker i olika scenarier (t.ex. olika hastigheter). Två tillvägagångssätt för avvikelsedetektion undersöks, Viterbi-algoritmen samt Forward-algoritmen. Det föreslagna systemet lyckas upptäcka det felaktiga beteendet oavsett om det komprometterade fordonet är en plutonledare eller följare. Empiriska resultat visar mycket hög prestanda för beteendeigenkänningsmodulen som när 100%. Dessutom kan den känna igen plutonens beteende i ett tidigt skede. Resultat med Forward- algoritmen för avvikelsedetektion visar på en prestanda på 98% med små variationer med avseende på måtten accuracy, precision, recall och F1-score. Avvikelsedetektionsmodulen kan även upptäcka små avvikelser i beteende.

Membranes made of composite polymer material are widely employed to separate gas mixtures in industrial processes. These membranes have better performance than membranes consisting of polymer alone. To understand the mechanism and therefore aid membrane design it is essential to explore the penetrant transport in the complex composites from the molecular level, but few researchers have done such research to our knowledge. Herein the penetrant transport in the composite Poly (4-methyl-2-pentyne) (PMP) and silica nanoparticle is being explored with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The structure of the PMP and amorphous silica nanoparticle composite was modeled and with the structure the variation of the cavity size distribution was established due to the existence of nanoparticles. The diffusivity of different penetrants, including H2, O2, Ar, CH4 and n-C4H10 was determined through least square fit of the data of mean square displacement at different times in the Fickian diffusive regime. The solubility coefficients and the permeability of different penetrants in PMP and the composite were calculated and the distribution of potential difference due to the penetrant insertion was analyzed in detail to find the reason of higher solubility in composite than pure PMP. Silica has different crystalline form. In faujasite silica, there are pores that are large enough to allow penetrants to pass through, while in cristobalite silica, the Si and O atoms are densely packed and there are no pores that penetrants can pass through. The transport properties of penetrants in the composite of PMP and nanoparticles of these two types of silica are therefore different. The molecular dynamics method was employed in the research to explore the transport of different penetrants in the composites of PMP and nanoparticles of two forms of silica, namely the cristobalite form and the faujasite form. The structures of the PMP and nanoparticle of cristobalite silica composite (PMPC) and the PMP and nanoparticle of faujasite silica composite (PMPF) were established and relaxed. With the relaxed structure, the cavity size change due to the insertion of both types of nanoparticle was analyzed. The diffusivity of different penetrants was determined through least square fit of the data of mean square displacement at different time in Fickian diffusive regime. The solubility coefficients and the permeability of different penetrants in PMPC and PMPF were calculated and compared. The parameters of "Ti" in the Lennard-Jones potential equation were estimated; MD simulation of penetrants transport in composite poly (4-methyl-2-pentyne) and TiO2 nanoparticles were done; the simulation results were compared with composite poly (4-methyl-2-pentyne) and silica nanoparticles. / Ph. D.

An investigation was carried out on a three stage method (extrusion/annealing/uniaxial-stretching) (MEAUS) utilized to produce semicrystalline polymeric microporous membranes. The two semicrystalline polymers studied were selected based on a set-of-prerequisites proposed for the formation of highly porous membranes via the method in question. The prerequisites included "fast" crystallization kinetics, presence of an ac relaxation, ability to form a planar stacked lamellar morphology with a "good" crystalline orientation upon melt-extrusion, and rapid heat transfer of the film during extrusion. The first polymer was isotactic poly(4-methyl-1-pentene) (PMP), and the second was polyoxymethylene (POM). Three PMP resins were studied, which differed in weight average molecular weight. Three POM resins were also investigated where two of resins were characterized by relatively narrow molecular weight distributions (MWD) ca 2 while the third POM resin possessed a MWD ca 5.9. The melt-extruded film morphologies and orientation values were a consequence of the melt-relaxation times as a result of the resin characteristics and/or the melt-extrusion conditions. Following the extrusion stage, the effect of annealing (second stage) on film properties was investigated. The annealing variables investigated included the temperature, time, and level of extension applied during annealing. The annealed films were then subjected to the uniaxially stretching stage (third stage) consisting of a cold and hot step, respectively, where deformation was along the extrusion direction. The variables of interest included the cold and hot stretch temperature and extension level. It was found that starting precursor morphology and orientation, annealing conditions, and stretching variables impact the final film microporous morphology and permeability. Additionally, the proposed prerequisites were verified in both the PMP and POM film series. In addition to the MEAUS study, a comprehensive investigation was conducted of the optical properties of blown and cast films made from conventional Ziegler-Natta catalyzed linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) as well as metallocene-catalyzed LLDPE resins. From this work, it was determined that in PE blown and cast films made using conventional processing conditions, the optical haze properties are adversely affected due to enhanced surface roughness caused by the formation of spherulitic-like superstructures in polymer melts that possess fast relaxing and low melt elasticity rheological characteristics. This optical property study was also published in J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 77(13), 2845, (2000). / Ph. D.