This Ph.D. research project targets Cooper Basin oil reservoirs of very low permeability (approximately 1mD) where injectivities required for water flooding are not achievable. However, the use of injection gases such as CO₂ would not have injectivity problems. CO₂ is abundant in the region and available for EOR use. CO₂ was compared to other CO₂-rich injection gases with a hydrocarbon content including pentane plus components. While the effect of hydrocarbon components up to butane have been investigated in the past, the effect of n-pentane has on impure CO₂ gas streams has not. One particular field of the Cooper Basin was investigated in detail (Field A). However, since similar reservoir and fluid characteristics of Field A are common to the region it is expected that the data measured and developed has applications to many other oil reservoirs of the region and similar reservoirs elsewhere. The aim of this Ph.D. project is to determine the applicability of CO₂ as an injection gas for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) in the Cooper Basin oil reservoirs and to compare CO₂ with other possible CO₂-rich injection gases. The summarised goals of this research are to: • Determine the compatibility of Field A reservoir fluid with CO₂ as an injection gas. • Compare CO₂ to other injection gas options for Field A. • Development of a correlation to predict the effect of nC₅ on MMP for a CO₂- rich injection gas stream. These goals were achieved through the following work: • Extensive experimental studies of the reservoir properties and the effects of interaction between CO₂-rich injection gas streams and Field A reservoir fluid measuring properties related to: • Miscibility of the injection gas with Field A reservoir fluid • Solubility and swelling properties of the injection gas with Field A reservoir fluid • Change in viscosity-pressure relationship of Field A reservoir fluid due to addition of injection gas • A reservoir condition core flood experiment • Compositional simulation of the reservoir condition core flood to compare expected recoveries from different injection gases • Development of a set of Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP) measurements targeted at correlating the effect of nC₅ on CO₂ MMP. The key findings of this research are as follows: • Miscibility is achievable at practical pressures for Field A and similar reservoir fluids with pure CO₂ or CO₂-rich injection gases. • For Field A reservoir fluid, viscosity of the remaining flashed liquid will increase at pressures below ~2500psi due to mixing the reservoir fluid with a CO₂-rich injection gas stream. • Comparison of injection gases showed that methane rich gases are miscible with Field A so long as a significant quantity of C₃+ components is also present in the gas stream. • There is a defined trend for effect of nC₅ on MMP of impure CO₂. This trend was correlated with an error of less than 4%. • Even though oil composition is taken into account with the base gas MMP, it still affects the trend for effect of nC₅ on MMP of a CO₂-rich gas stream. • An oil characterisation factor was developed to account for this effect, significantly improving the results, reducing the error of the correlation to only 1.6%. The significance of these findings is as follows: • An injection pressure above ~3000psi should be targeted. At these pressures miscibility is achieved and the viscosity of the reservoir fluid injection gas mix is reduced. • CO₂ should be compared to gases such as Tim Gas should after considering the cost of compression, pipeline costs and distance from source to destination will need to be considered. • The addition of nC₅ will reduce the MMP and increase the recovery factor, however the cost of the nC₅ used would be more than the value of increased oil recovered. • The developed correlation for the effect of nC₅ on impure CO₂ MMP can be used broadly within the limits of the correlation. • Further research using more oils is necessary to validate the developed oil characterisation factor and if successful, using the same or similar method used to improve other correlations. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1369016 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2009.

<p>"Reading the Street" chronicles the rise of black pulp fiction in the post-civil rights era from the perspective of its urban readership. Black pulp fiction was originally published in the late 1960s and early 1970s; it consisted of paperback novels about tough male characters navigating the pitfalls of urban life. These novels appealed mainly to inner-city readers who felt left out of civil rights' and Black Power's promises of social equality. Despite the historic achievements of the civil rights movement, entrenched structural inequalities led to America's ghettos becoming sites of concentrated poverty, rampant unemployment, and violent crime. While mainstream society seemed to turn a blind eye to how these problems were destroying inner-city communities, readers turned to black pulp fiction for the imaginative resources that would help them reflect on their social reality. In black pulp fiction, readers found confirmation that America was not on the path toward extending equal opportunities to its most vulnerable citizens, or that the rise of Black Power signaled a change in their fortunes. Yet in black pulp fiction readers also found confirmation that their lives as marginalized subjects possessed a value of its own, and that their day-to-day struggles opened up new ways of "being black" amid the blight of the inner city.</p> / Dissertation

Content-based retrieval of multimedia data has been still an active research area. The efficient retrieval of video data is proven a difficult task for content-based video retrieval systems. In this thesis study, a Content-Based Video Retrieval (CBVR) system that adapts two different index structures, namely Slim-Tree and BitMatrix, for efficiently retrieving videos based on low-level features such as color, texture, shape and motion is presented. The system represents low-level features of video data with MPEG-7 Descriptors extracted from video shots by using MPEG-7 reference software and stored in a native XML database. The low-level descriptors used in the study are Color Layout (CL), Dominant Color (DC), Edge Histogram (EH), Region Shape (RS) and Motion Activity (MA). Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) operator in Slim-Tree and BitMatrix aggregates these features to find final similarity between any two objects. The system supports three different types of queries: exact match queries, k-NN queries and range queries. The experiments included in this study are in terms of index construction, index update, query response time and retrieval efficiency using ANMRR performance metric and precision/recall scores. The experimental results show that using BitMatrix along with Ordered Weighted Averaging method is superior in content-based video retrieval systems.

Content-based retrieval of multimedia data has been still an active research area. The efficient retrieval of video data is proven a difficult task for content-based video retrieval systems. In this thesis study, a Content-Based Video Retrieval (CBVR) system that adapts two different index structures, namely Slim-Tree and BitMatrix, for efficiently retrieving videos based on low-level features such as color, texture, shape and motion is presented. The system represents low-level features of video data with MPEG-7 Descriptors extracted from video shots by using MPEG-7 reference software and stored in a native XML database. The low-level descriptors used in the study are Color Layout (CL), Dominant Color (DC), Edge Histogram (EH), Region Shape (RS) and Motion Activity (MA). Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) operator in Slim-Tree and BitMatrix aggregates these features to find final similarity between any two objects. The system supports three different types of queries: exact match queries, k-NN queries and range queries. The experiments included in this study are in terms of index construction, index update, query response time and retrieval efficiency using ANMRR performance metric and precision/recall scores. The experimental results show that using BitMatrix along with Ordered Weighted Averaging method is superior in content-based video retrieval systems.

Os pisos mistos de baixa altura caracterizam um sistema estrutural em que há a incorporação, parcial ou completa, do perfil metálico (viga de aço) na laje de concreto, promovendo a redução da altura da seção e, consequentemente, o aumento da altura útil do pavimento. A incorporação do perfil de aço na laje de concreto garante revestimento ao aço contra o fogo, melhorando o desempenho da viga de aço frente às ações do fogo. Com a finalidade de avaliar o desempenho térmico e estrutural desta solução construtiva, foram desenvolvidos modelos numéricos das vigas parcialmente revestidas presentes nesse sistema estrutural em duas etapas distintas: Na primeira é realizada a análise térmica bidimensional no pacote computacional DIANA para a obtenção dos campos térmicos nas seções transversais das vigas em questão e, a partir daí, considerá-los em um processador de cálculo de momentos plásticos resistentes em todo o intervalo de tempo analisado, sendo então possível avaliar a perda da capacidade portante da seção em função do tempo de exposição ao fogo. A segunda etapa consiste na criação de modelos numéricos tridimensionais em elementos finitos no pacote computacional DIANA, com o qual é possível obter o comportamento estrutural da viga mista de aço e concreto quando exposta ao incêndio padrão, considerando então os efeitos relativos à inclusão do gradiente de temperatura tais como a perda das propriedades mecânicas, a expansão e a interação entre os materiais. Tendo em vista as funcionalidades do código computacional DIANA, diversos modelos foram construídos procurando atingir a melhor aproximação com os resultados experimentais apresentados na literatura associados ao menor custo computacional possível. Dessa forma, foram analisados casos com (1) interação parcial e total entre o aço e o concreto e com (2) diferentes modelos constitutivos para os materiais em questão. Por fim, os resultados obtidos com a análise numérica a partir do DIANA são comparados com os do método dos momentos plásticos, que por sua vez, apresentam um custo computacional bastante reduzido / Slim floor frames consists on structural system in which the steel beam is completely or partially inserted in a concrete slab, that is usually used in profiled steel decks systems. The main goal of the slim floor systems is to obtain a minimum height of the composite beam section and, consequently, achieve a higher height of the floor or a lower total height of the building. The partial encasement of the steel beam in the concrete slab provides a thermal protection, improving the behavior of the beam when subjected to fire. In order to evaluate the thermal and structural behavior of the slim floor system, numerical models considering partially encased beams, which can be found in the slim floor structures, were created. The numerical evaluation procedure was divided in two steps. In the first step, a two-dimensional thermal analysis is carried out using the general finite-element software TNO DIANA to obtain the temperatures gradient in the cross section during the fire exposure time and then, use the data in a computational code developed in FORTRAN which calculates the bearing capacity, over the exposure time, of the slim floor beams by means of the plastic moment capacity method, using the reduction factors associated to the mechanical properties of the materials presented in Eurocode 4. The second step consists in to develop three-dimensional numerical models using the software TNO DIANA and then obtain the complete structural behavior of the beam when subjected to a fire condition. Another aspect related to the loss of mechanical properties was also considered, such as the thermal expansion and the interaction between the steel and the concrete. In view of the DIANA functions, several models were developed in order to achieve a better approximation, a low computational cost, of some tests results presented in wide world literature. The cases of partial and complete interaction between the materials were analyzed, as well as the different constitutive models for them, so that the results obtained at the two steps were compared, and an evaluation of the methods was done

Este trabalho tem por objetivo investigar a contribuição da armadura para a capacidade resistente de vigas mistas parcialmente revestidas, bem como sua eficiência para promover o comportamento conjunto aço-concreto, imprescindível para a obtenção de vigas mistas. O estudo engloba uma investigação experimental com ensaios de vigas sob flexão em quatro pontos e uma simulação numérica utilizando o pacote computacional DIANA®, visando obter dados do comportamento de vigas mistas parcialmente revestidas com armadura longitudinal. Foram ensaiados quatro modelos de viga mista parcialmente revestida e duas variáveis foram analisadas: taxa de armadura longitudinal no concreto e posição dos conectores tipo pino com cabeça. Os resultados experimentais mostraram a eficiência do conjunto armadura-conector para o aumento da capacidade resistente à flexão e para a promoção da interação aço-concreto. A simulação numérica teve concordância satisfatória com os resultados experimentais obtidos. / This study aims to investigate the contribution of the steel bars to the flexure capacity and to promote the composite behavior in partially encased composite beams. The study includes an experimental investigation of partially encased beams under bending in four points and a numerical simulation using the computer package DIANA® to collect data from the behavior of partially encased composite beams with longitudinal reinforcement. Four models of partially encased composite beams were tested and two variables were analyzed: rate of longitudinal reinforcement in concrete and position of stud bolts. The experimental results showed the efficiency of the junction between reinforcing bars and stud bolt to the increase the bending capacity of the partially encased beam and to obtain the steel-concrete interaction. The numerical simulation has good agreement with the experimental results.

O piso misto usual é formado pela laje mista, de aço e concreto, apoiada na mesa superior da viga metálica. No piso misto de pequena altura, a laje mista se apoia na mesa inferior da viga, diminuindo assim a altura total do piso. A forma de aço, utilizada nesse sistema, tende a ser três vezes mais alta, que as formas de aço usuais. No Brasil não há uma forma de aço para uso nos sistemas mistos de pequena altura, comercializada. Este estudo trata do desenvolvimento de uma forma de aço trapezoidal para pisos mistos de pequena altura. Foi desenvolvida uma geometria de forma de aço trapezoidal com mossas estampadas nas laterais. Foram realizados ensaios experimentais com modelos de lajes mistas, confeccionados com a forma de aço desenvolvida no presente estudo. Esses ensaios visaram avaliar a resistência e o comportamento de lajes mistas fabricadas com a forma desenvolvida. A geometria da forma de aço e das mossas apresentaram um bom comportamento frente aos esforços cisalhantes, com resistências comparáveis as formas de aço comercializadas, mostrando que podem ser utilizadas em trabalhos futuros. / The usual composite floor is formed by the composite slab, of steel and concrete, supported on the top flange of the steel beam. On the shallow floor systems, the steel beams are contained within the depth occupied by the floor. The steel form steel used in this composite shallow floor systems is around three times higher than usual forms of steel decking. In Brazil there is not a form of steel for use in shallow floor systems, marketed. This study concerns the development of a steel decking to shallow floor systems. Developed a geometry shape of trapezoidal steel and embossements on the sides. Experimental tests were conducted with composite slabs, made of steel the shape developed in this study. These tests were intended to assess the strength and behavior of composite slabs made with the developed form. The geometry of the steel form and embossements showed good behavior against shearing efforts, forms with resistances comparable steel deckings marketed, showing that may be used in future work.

O objetivo desse trabalho é apresentar as características de um Sistema de Apoio ao Diagnóstico em Sistema Hospitalar Suportando Busca por Imagens Similares, a ser desenvolvido e implantado no Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto. A recuperação de imagens baseada no conteúdo é uma área de pesquisa que tem evoluído bastante nos últimos anos. Assim, um sistema de busca e obtenção de imagens, utilizando tal técnica, deve ser extensível aos novos algoritmos de extração de características e métodos de indexação. A extração de características de imagens, tais como informações de cor, textura, forma e o relacionamento entre elas são utilizadas para descrever o conteúdo das imagens. Essas características são então utilizadas para indexar e possibilitar a comparação de imagens no processo de recuperação. O sistema proposto utilizará um método de indexação de dados recém-desenvolvido – a Slim-tree – para indexar as características extraídas das imagens. Através desse método o Sistema de Apoio ao Diagnóstico possibilitará a consulta por conteúdo em imagens médicas. / This works presents the main characteristics of a diagnosis support system based on image similarity search for medical applications. This system was developed to be used in the Clinical Hospital of Ribeirao Preto of the University of Sao Paulo. The content-based image retrieval (CBIR) researching area has evolved greatly in the last years. Thus, a CBIR system should be able to incorporate the new techniques developed, such as, new feature extraction algorithms and indexing methods among others. Traditionally, the main features extracted from images to get the image essence are color, texture, shape and the relationship among them. Therefore, such features describe the images under analysis, and are used to index and to compare images during the content-based retrieval process. The proposed system takes advantage of a new metric access method - the Slim-tree, which allows the indexing and the retrieval of the images through their extracted features.

Goal of this thesis is to analyze processes in company’s warehouse, optimize it and create backend of warehouse’s information system. Application aim to evidence income goods, stock and expedition. System allows comunicate with web services of delivery companies. It was implemented in PHP with use of Nete, Slim and Doctrine. Application was successfuly implemented and tested.

If more people are starting to invest, then the focus on the effective markethypothesis will increase. The hypothesis's basic idea is that stock pricesalready reflect all available information and outperforming the marketthrough investment strategies is not possible. This study presents how twoinvestment strategies, CAN SLIM and Peter Lynch, has performed on andagainst the S&amp;P 500 under a 10 year period. The result of the study showsthat the efficient market hypothesis does not hold and that an excess returncompared to the market is possible. Between the investment strategies therewas a comparison and analysis regarding the Sharpe ratio and the CapitalAsset Pricing Model. Conclusively, the study shows that CAN SLIM is thestrategy that has performed the best under the period that the study is basedon.