Even though the necessity of water quality monitoring systems is increasing, and though mobile watery quality monitoring systems using the combination of automatic measuring devices and autonomous vehicles is becoming available, research on effective deployment of such systems is not studied well. The locations or paths to take the measurement are one of the most important design factors to maximize the performance of water quality monitoring systems, and they needs to be optimized to maximize the monitoring performance. To solve these optimization problems, multi-objective genetic algorithms were proposed and developed. The proposed optimization procedures were applied to hypothetical circular lakes and Lake Pontchartrain in order to obtain optimal monitoring locations, straight monitoring paths, and higher-order monitoring paths under various conditions. Also, the effect of various parameters such as the speed of a monitoring vessel, the weights of possible scenarios, and etc. are investigated. The optimization models found optimal solutions efficiently while reflecting various effects of complex physical settings. The results from the optimizations show that distribution of possible source locations is an important factor that affects optimal solutions greatly. In a closed water body, wind is major forcing that determines hydrodynamics and contaminant transport, and it affects optimal solutions as well. Straight monitoring lines do not perform very well due to their incapability to cover the irregular boundaries of water bodies. Higher-order optimal monitoring paths overcome this difficulty and perform well up to a comparable level of a few stationary monitoring locations even under realistic and transient conditions.

The main objective of this thesis is to identify how the software repository features influence software quality during software evolution. To do that the mining software repository area was used. This field analyzes the rich data from software repositories to extract interesting and actionable information about software systems, projects and software engineering. The ability to measure code quality and analyze the impact of software repository features on software quality allows us to better understand project history, project quality state, development processes and conduct future project analysis. Existing work in the area of software quality describes software quality analysis without a connection to the software repository features. Thus they lose important information that can be used for preventing bugs, decision-making and optimizing development processes. To conduct the analysis specific tool was developed, which cover quality measurement and repository features extraction. During the research general procedure of the software quality analysis was defined, described and applied in practice. It was found that there is no most influential repository feature and the correlation between software quality and software repository features exist, but it is too small to make a real influence.

A piscicultura vem crescendo ao longo dos anos impulsionada pelo aumento da população mundial. A demanda crescente de alimentos faz com que seja necessário o aprimoramento constante das técnicas de manejo, aumentando a produção e diminuindo os custos, tornando a atividade sustentável. Neste contexto, a adesão de recursos tecnológicos que auxiliem no manejo e controle dos viveiros é muito importante. O monitoramento da qualidade da água também é essencial na piscicultura, pois determinadas variáveis, como por exemplo a temperatura, tem relação direta com o metabolismo dos peixes, influenciando na quantidade de ração ingerida pelos mesmos. A aquisição de ração representa até 79% dos custos de produção, tornando-se vital a obtenção da máxima conversão alimentar. Após levantamento realizado com um grupo de piscicultores da região Oeste do Paraná, visando investigar se estes levam em consideração a qualidade da água em seus viveiros como forma de otimizar o manejo, e se os mesmos utilizam recursos tecnológicos em seu processo produtivo, constatou-se que a maioria não leva em consideração a qualidade da água em seu processo produtivo, assim como também não fazem uso de recursos tecnológicos para auxiliar no manejo. Os resultados deste levantamento motivaram o desenvolvimento de um sistema de monitoramento da qualidade da água através de uma boia sensorial autônoma, interligada a um software de apoio ao manejo e gestão dos viveiros produtivos. A fim de testar o sistema e verificar o seu potencial econômico, realizou-se um experimento durante 26 semanas, envolvendo dois grupos de quinze tilápias distribuídas aleatoriamente em dois tanques, um dotado do sistema de monitoramento, e outro não. O processo de arraçoamento foi baseado em tabelas utilizadas pelos piscicultores entrevistados no levantamento, sendo o arraçoamento no tanque dotado do sistema de monitoramento calculado com base na temperatura e peso dos animais, enquanto que no outro tanque o cálculo levou em consideração apenas o peso das tilápias. Durante o experimento, foram registrados o peso médio, a quantidade de ração ingerida, e o comprimento padrão, os quais foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva, teste de normalidade de Anderson-Darling e teste t de Student para comparação de médias de amostras independentes. Também foi obtido o valor da conversão alimentar, que foi calculado mediante a divisão da quantidade de ração consumida por cada grupo de tilápias pelo ganho de peso adquirido pelos mesmos. Como resultado, observou-se que a conversão alimentar no tanque monitorado foi maior em relação ao tanque não monitorado, acarretando uma economia no consumo de ração por quilo (Kg) de tilápia produzida durante o período experimental. Observou-se também que não houve diferença significativa entre os pesos médios e os comprimentos padrão das tilápias dos dois tanques ao final do experimento. A boia sensorial e os softwares interligados a ela se mostraram eficazes durante todo o experimento, mostrando-se aptos a serem instalados em viveiros produtivos reais. Estes resultados evidenciaram a viabilidade econômica do sistema de monitoramento proposto, tornando-se uma excelente alternativa para o aumento da renda na piscicultura. / Fish farming has been growing over the years driven by increasing world population. The increasing demand of food production makes it necessary to constantly improve management techniques, increasing production and reducing costs, making the activity sustainable. In this context, the adhesion of technological resources that assist in the management and control of nurseries is very important. The monitoring of water quality is also essential in fish farming, since certain variables, such as temperature, are directly related to the fish metabolism, influencing the amount of feed consumed by them. The acquisition of ration represents up to 79% of the production costs, making it vital to obtain maximum feed conversion. After a survey, that was carried out with a group of fish farmers from the western region of Paraná to investigate whether they consider the quality of water in their nurseries to optimize management, and if they use technological resources in their production process, it was verified that most do not consider the quality of water in their production process, nor do they make use of technological resources to aid in their management. The results of this survey motivated the development of a water quality monitoring system through an autonomous sensorial buoy, linked to a software to support the management of productive nurseries. To test the system and to verify its economic potential, an experiment was carried out for 26 weeks, involving two groups of fifteen tilapias distributed randomly in two tanks, one endowed with the monitoring system, and another not. The process of feeding was based on feeding tables used by the fish farmers interviewed in the survey, with the feeding in the tank with the monitoring system calculated based on the temperature and weight of the animals, while in the other tank the calculation considered only the weight of tilapias. During the experiment, mean weight, amount of feed intake, and standard length were recorded, which were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, Anderson-Darling normality test and Student's t-test for comparison of independent sample means. The value of feed conversion was also obtained, which was calculated by dividing the amount of feed consumed by each tilapia group by the weight gain acquired by them. As a result, it was observed that the feed conversion in the monitored tank was higher in relation to the unmonitored tank, resulting in a saving of the ration consumption per kilogram (kg) of tilapia produced during the experimental period. It was also observed that there was no significant difference between the average weights and the standard tilapia lengths of the two tanks at the end of the experiment. The sensory buoy and the software connected to it proved to be effective throughout the experiment, showing that they could be installed in real productive nurseries. These results evidenced the economic viability of the proposed monitoring system, making it an excellent alternative for increasing income in fish farming.

A piscicultura vem crescendo ao longo dos anos impulsionada pelo aumento da população mundial. A demanda crescente de alimentos faz com que seja necessário o aprimoramento constante das técnicas de manejo, aumentando a produção e diminuindo os custos, tornando a atividade sustentável. Neste contexto, a adesão de recursos tecnológicos que auxiliem no manejo e controle dos viveiros é muito importante. O monitoramento da qualidade da água também é essencial na piscicultura, pois determinadas variáveis, como por exemplo a temperatura, tem relação direta com o metabolismo dos peixes, influenciando na quantidade de ração ingerida pelos mesmos. A aquisição de ração representa até 79% dos custos de produção, tornando-se vital a obtenção da máxima conversão alimentar. Após levantamento realizado com um grupo de piscicultores da região Oeste do Paraná, visando investigar se estes levam em consideração a qualidade da água em seus viveiros como forma de otimizar o manejo, e se os mesmos utilizam recursos tecnológicos em seu processo produtivo, constatou-se que a maioria não leva em consideração a qualidade da água em seu processo produtivo, assim como também não fazem uso de recursos tecnológicos para auxiliar no manejo. Os resultados deste levantamento motivaram o desenvolvimento de um sistema de monitoramento da qualidade da água através de uma boia sensorial autônoma, interligada a um software de apoio ao manejo e gestão dos viveiros produtivos. A fim de testar o sistema e verificar o seu potencial econômico, realizou-se um experimento durante 26 semanas, envolvendo dois grupos de quinze tilápias distribuídas aleatoriamente em dois tanques, um dotado do sistema de monitoramento, e outro não. O processo de arraçoamento foi baseado em tabelas utilizadas pelos piscicultores entrevistados no levantamento, sendo o arraçoamento no tanque dotado do sistema de monitoramento calculado com base na temperatura e peso dos animais, enquanto que no outro tanque o cálculo levou em consideração apenas o peso das tilápias. Durante o experimento, foram registrados o peso médio, a quantidade de ração ingerida, e o comprimento padrão, os quais foram analisados por meio de estatística descritiva, teste de normalidade de Anderson-Darling e teste t de Student para comparação de médias de amostras independentes. Também foi obtido o valor da conversão alimentar, que foi calculado mediante a divisão da quantidade de ração consumida por cada grupo de tilápias pelo ganho de peso adquirido pelos mesmos. Como resultado, observou-se que a conversão alimentar no tanque monitorado foi maior em relação ao tanque não monitorado, acarretando uma economia no consumo de ração por quilo (Kg) de tilápia produzida durante o período experimental. Observou-se também que não houve diferença significativa entre os pesos médios e os comprimentos padrão das tilápias dos dois tanques ao final do experimento. A boia sensorial e os softwares interligados a ela se mostraram eficazes durante todo o experimento, mostrando-se aptos a serem instalados em viveiros produtivos reais. Estes resultados evidenciaram a viabilidade econômica do sistema de monitoramento proposto, tornando-se uma excelente alternativa para o aumento da renda na piscicultura. / Fish farming has been growing over the years driven by increasing world population. The increasing demand of food production makes it necessary to constantly improve management techniques, increasing production and reducing costs, making the activity sustainable. In this context, the adhesion of technological resources that assist in the management and control of nurseries is very important. The monitoring of water quality is also essential in fish farming, since certain variables, such as temperature, are directly related to the fish metabolism, influencing the amount of feed consumed by them. The acquisition of ration represents up to 79% of the production costs, making it vital to obtain maximum feed conversion. After a survey, that was carried out with a group of fish farmers from the western region of Paraná to investigate whether they consider the quality of water in their nurseries to optimize management, and if they use technological resources in their production process, it was verified that most do not consider the quality of water in their production process, nor do they make use of technological resources to aid in their management. The results of this survey motivated the development of a water quality monitoring system through an autonomous sensorial buoy, linked to a software to support the management of productive nurseries. To test the system and to verify its economic potential, an experiment was carried out for 26 weeks, involving two groups of fifteen tilapias distributed randomly in two tanks, one endowed with the monitoring system, and another not. The process of feeding was based on feeding tables used by the fish farmers interviewed in the survey, with the feeding in the tank with the monitoring system calculated based on the temperature and weight of the animals, while in the other tank the calculation considered only the weight of tilapias. During the experiment, mean weight, amount of feed intake, and standard length were recorded, which were analyzed by means of descriptive statistics, Anderson-Darling normality test and Student's t-test for comparison of independent sample means. The value of feed conversion was also obtained, which was calculated by dividing the amount of feed consumed by each tilapia group by the weight gain acquired by them. As a result, it was observed that the feed conversion in the monitored tank was higher in relation to the unmonitored tank, resulting in a saving of the ration consumption per kilogram (kg) of tilapia produced during the experimental period. It was also observed that there was no significant difference between the average weights and the standard tilapia lengths of the two tanks at the end of the experiment. The sensory buoy and the software connected to it proved to be effective throughout the experiment, showing that they could be installed in real productive nurseries. These results evidenced the economic viability of the proposed monitoring system, making it an excellent alternative for increasing income in fish farming.

The National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) provides for an ecological Reserve as the quantity (flow) and quality of water needed to protect aquatic ecosystems. While there are methods available to quantify the ecological Reserve in terms of flow, methods of linking flow to water quality are lacking. Therefore, the research presented in this thesis investigated various modelling techniques to estimate the effect of flow on water quality. The aims of the research presented in this thesis were: Aim 1: Can the relationship between flow and water quality be accurately represented by simple statistical models? Aim 2: Can relatively simple models accurately represent the relationship between flow and water quality? Aim 3: Can the effect of diffuse sources be omitted from a water quality model and still obtain realistic simulations, and if so under what conditions? Aim 4: Can models that solely use historical monitoring data, accurately represent the relationships between flow and water quality? In Chapter 3, simple Q-C regressions of flow and water quality were investigated using Department of Water Affairs (DWA) historical monitoring data. It was found that while flow versus salinity regressions gave good regression fits in many cases, the Q-C regression approach is limited. A mechanistic/statistical model that attempted to estimate the point and diffuse signatures of nutrients in response to flow was developed in Chapter 4 using DWA historical monitoring data. The model was verified as accurate in certain case studies using observed point loading information. In Chapter 5, statistical models that link land cover information to diffuse nutrient signatures in response to flow using DWA historical data were developed. While the model estimations are uncertain due to a lack of data, they do provide an estimation of the diffuse signature within catchments where there is flow and land cover information available. Chapter 6 investigates the extension of an existing mass-balance salinity model to estimate the effect of saline irrigation return flow on in-stream salinity. The model gave accurate salinity estimates for a low order stream with little or no irrigation within its catchment, and for a permanently flowing river within a catchment used extensively for irrigation. Chapter 7 investigated a modelling method to estimate the reaction coefficients involved in nitrification using only DWA historical monitoring data. Here, the model used flow information to estimate the residence time of nutrients within the studied river reaches. While the model obtained good estimations of nitrification for the data it was applied to, very few DWA data sets were suitable for the model. Chapter 8 investigated the ability of the in-stream model QUAL2K to estimate nutrient concentrations downstream of point and diffuse inputs of nutrients. It was found that the QUAL2K model can give accurate results in cases where point sources dominate the total nutrient inputs into a river. However, the QUAL2K simulations are too uncertain in cases where there are large diffuse source inputs of nutrients as the load of the diffuse inputs is difficult to measure in the field. This research highlights the problem of data scarcity in terms of temporal resolution as well as the range of constituents measured within DWA historical monitoring data for water quality. This thesis in addition argues that the approach of applying a number of models is preferable to applying one model to investigate the research aims, as particular models would be suited to particular circumstances, and the development of new models allowed the research aims of this thesis to be explored more thoroughly. It is also argued that simpler models that simulate a few key processes that explain the variation in observed data, are more suitable for implementing Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) than large comprehensive water quality models. From this research, it is clear that simple statistical models are not adequate for modelling the relationship between flow and water quality, however, relatively simple mechanistic models that simulate a limited number of processes and water quality variables, can provide accurate representations of this relationship. Under conditions where diffuse sources are not a major factor within a catchment, models that omit diffuse sources can obtain realistic simulations of the relationship between flow and water quality. Most of the models investigated in this thesis demonstrate that accurate simulations of the relationships between flow and water quality can be obtained using solely historical monitoring data.

The thesis presents the development of functionalized electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers for the eradication of pathogenic microorganisms in drinking water. Imidazole derivatives were synthesized as the antimicrobial agents and were characterized by means of NMR spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and X-ray crystallography. The first set of compounds (2-substituted N-alkylimidazoles) consisted of imidazole derivatives substituted with different alkyl groups (methyl, ethyl, propyl, butyl, heptyl, octyl, decyl and benzyl) at the 1-position and various functional groups [carboxaldehyde (CHO), alcohol (CH2OH) and carboxylic acid (COOH)] at the 2-position. It was observed that the antimicrobial activity of the compounds increased with increasing alkyl chain length and decreasing pKa of the 2-substituent. It was also observed that the antimicrobial activity was predominantly against a Gram-positive bacterial strains [Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 5-160 μg/mL) and Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii (MIC = 5-20 μg/mL)], with the latter being the more susceptible. However, the compounds displayed poor antimicrobial activity against Gram-negative bacterial strain, E. coli (MIC = 150- >2500 μg/mL) and did not show any activity against the yeast, C. albicans. The second set of compounds consisted of the silver(I) complexes containing 2-hydroxymethyl-N-alkylimidazoles. The complexes displayed a broad spectrum antimicrobial activity towards the microorganisms that were tested and their activity [E. coli (MIC = 5-40 μg/mL), S. aureus (MIC = 20-80 μg/mL), Bacillus subtilis subsp. spizizenii (MIC = 5-40 μg/mL) and C. albicans (MIC = 40-80 μg/mL)] increased with the alkyl chain length of the 2-hydroxymethyl-N-alkylimidazole. The third set of compounds consisted of the vinylimidazoles containing the vinyl group either at the 1-position or at the 4- or 5- position. The imidazoles with the vinyl group at the 4- or 5-position contained the alkyl group (decyl) at the 1-position. For the fabrication of the antimicrobial nanofibers, the first two sets of imidazole derivatives (2-substituted N-alkylimidazoles and silver(I) complexes) were incorporated into electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers while the third set (2-substituted vinylimidazoles) was immobilized onto electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers employing the graft polymerization method. The antimicrobial nylon nanofibers were characterized by IR spectroscopy and SEM-EDAX (EDS). The electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers incorporated with 2-substituted N-alkylimidazoles displayed moderate to excellent levels of growth reduction against S. aureus (73.2-99.8 percent). For the electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers incorporated with silver(I) complexes, the levels of growth reduction were >99.99 percent, after the antimicrobial activity evaluation using the shake flask method. Furthermore, the grafted electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers showed excellent levels of growth reduction for E. coli (99.94-99.99 percent) and S. aureus (99.93-99.99 percent). The reusability results indicated that the grafted electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers maintained the antibacterial activity until the third cycle of useage. The cytotoxicity studies showed that grafted electrospun nylon 6 nanofibers possess lower cytotoxic effects on Chang liver cells with IC50 values in the range 23.48-26.81 μg/mL. The thesis demonstrated that the development of antimicrobial electrospun nanofibers, with potential for the eradication of pathogenic microoganisms in water, could be accomplished by incorporation as well as immobilization strategies.

Tjänster och tjänsteproduktion har blivit allt viktigare i dagens samhälle inom en rad olika områden. En konsekvens av detta är att konkurrensen om kunderna har hårdnat och att såväl företag som organisationer måste finna nya sätt att skapa värde för sina kunder.I dagsläget finns det tio studieförbund i Sverige vars huvudsakliga verksamhet utgår från att erbjuda tjänster i form av kurser och vuxenutbildningar. Enligt en rapport från Stadskontoret 2018 finns det många framtidsfrågor och utmaningar som är högst aktuella för studieförbundens framtida utveckling, bland annat när det kommer till att fortsätta vara relevanta och att locka nya deltagare till sin verksamhet. I dagsläget finns ingen enhetlig definition av kvalitet utifrån ett kundperspektiv mellan eller inom de olika studieförbunden. Det saknas även adekvat forskning på området studieförbund och tjänstekvalitet.Ett vanligt sätt att mäta tjänstekvalitet är att använda sig av mätverktyget SERVPERF som utgår från fem olika kvalitetsdimensioner. Huvudsyftet med denna studie är därför att mäta hur kursdeltagarna skattar tjänstekvalitén inom ett studieförbund med hjälp av en lätt modifierad version av SERVPERF som anpassats efter studieförbundens särart. Ett underliggande syfte med studien är även att diskutera vad kvalificerade mätningar av tjänstekvalitet kan bidra med när det kommer till att utveckla studieförbundens kundfokus och kvalitetsarbete i framtiden, samt att diskutera hur väl anpassad SERVPERF är efter studieförbundens unika förutsättningar.Mätningen gjordes genom att skicka ut en webbenkät till 300 kursdeltagare. På grund av den låga svarsfrekvensen var det emellertid svårt att dra några generella slutsatser kring hur kursdeltagarna skattar kvalitén på det undersökta studieförbundets kurser. Resultatet uppvisar emellertid en viss trend som pekar mot att åtminstone en större mängd av kursdeltagarna i urvalsgruppen 51 år eller äldre på det stora hela skattar tjänstekvalitén högt hos det undersökta studieförbundet men att det även finns vissa kvalitetsbrister inom ett par kvalitetsdimensioner.Trots den låga svarsfrekvensen kan studien ändå betraktas som välplanerad och SERVPERF kan, med en viss modifikation, åtminsto / Services and service production have become increasingly important in today's society in a number of different areas. One consequence of this is that competition for customers has intensified and that both companies and organizations must find new ways to create value for their customers. A common way to measure service quality is to use the SERVPERF measurement tool, which is based on five different quality dimensions.At present, there are ten study associations in Sweden whose main business is based on offering services in the form of courses and adult education. According to a report from the Swedish Agency for Public Management in 2018, there are many future issues and challenges that are most relevant to the future development of the study associations, including how they will continue to be relevant and attract new participants. At present, there is no unitary picture of quality from a customer perspective between or within the various study associations. There is also no adequate research in the field of study associations and service quality.The main purpose of this study is therefore to measure how the course participants estimate the service quality within a study association with a slightly modified version of SERVPERF, which is adapted to the specific characteristics of the study associations. An underlying purpose of the study is also to discuss what qualified service quality measurements can contribute with when it comes to developing the study associations' customer focus and quality work in the future, as well as discussing how well SERVPERF is adapted to the conditions of the study associations.The survey was made by sending out a web survey to 300 course participants. However, due to the low response rate, it was difficult to draw any general conclusions about how the course participants estimate the quality of the study associations' courses. However, the results show a certain trend that indicates that at least a larger number of course participants in the sample group 51 years or older generally estimate the quality of service high at the study association, but also that there are some quality deficiencies within a few quality dimensions.Despite the low response rate, the study can still be considered well-planned and, with some modification, SERVPERF can at least be used to measure the quality of service based on the basic and stated needs of the course participants. / <p>2020-06-26</p>

This thesis focuses on a measuring and topography of a components´ surface evaluation and it contains the overview of basic methods which includes the description of contact and non-contact measuring devices. Furthermore, the thesis also describes ways of surface texture evaluation through profiled and areal method, including an outline of ČSN ISO parameters. The practical part of the thesis focuses on the evaluation of metric threads´ M10 surface, crafted by diverse cutting and forming threads. The surface was scanned with the optical device called Alicona IFM G5 and it was evaluated through the profiled and areal method. The 2D and 3D parameters were acquired and then compared during the measuring.

The diploma thesis deals with the parameters of electricity quality. The aim of this work is to design and implement a prototype device that will allow remote measurement of power quality. The proposed system uses NB-IoT technology for data transmission. The system enables remote measurement of important parameters of electrical energy, such as the magnitude of the supply voltage or the frequency of the electric network. The device can measure electric current, average voltage values and detect dip / swell voltage events. The device reads a sampled electrical signal suitable for harmonic analysis. The device has started to meet the requirements for measuring device of class S according to EN 61000-3-40.

The master’s thesis deals with finding, measurement and evaluation of suitable physical parameters for quality analysis of saturated steam sterilization according to ČSN EN 285 + A2, which is the first step for the replacement of outdated processes of the analysis by modern automation systems. The other part of the project contains description of physical sterilization, saturated steam, methods and sensors for the monitoring of steam sterilization and the measurement and evaluation of these issues.