Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Sensing technologies'

Electromagnetic sensors provide information about the environment around us. Historically, THz has been used for astronomy and other scientific insturments. Within this thesis, the aim is to investigate a variety of technologies that have the potential to bring THz technology to a wider market, by creating either low cost devices or technologies that can been monolithically integrated. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to THz and definitive material equations that underpin the simulations undertaken throughout the thesis. This is necessary as THz engineers and scientists come from a broad range of backgrounds where different definitions are deemed standard. Chapter 2 looks at the use of plasmonic devices for THz. Initatilly, the proposed spoof plasmon structure is investigated as a benchmark for simulation comparison and, secondly, the use of semiconductor surfaces is studied to create frequency tuneable sensors with highly confined fields. Chapter 3 moves towards more conventional quasi-optical metal mesh filters for low cost manufacture, comprising a single ultra thin metallic layer on a thick substrate. The chapter concludes with the initial design and simulations of a THz stress sensor based on the metal mesh filter. Chapter 4 looks into the use of photonic crystal technology. Several state-of-the-art devices are demonstrated: resonators, switches and attenuators. These devices have the potential to provide the building blocks for a future monolithically integrated THz architecture.

In an area of interest- Sivas Basin, Turkey- where most of the units are sedimentary and show similar spectral characteristics, spectral settings of ASTER sensor may not be enough by itself. Therefore, considering other aspects, such as morphological variables, is reasonable in addition to spectral classifiers. The main objective of this study is to test usefulness of integration of spectral analysis and morphological information for geological mapping. Remotely sensed imagery obtained from ASTER sensor is used to classify different lithological units while DEM is used to characterize landforms related to these lithological units. Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC) is used to integrate data streaming from different sources. The methodology involves integrating the surface properties of the classified geological units in addition to the spectral reflectances. Seven different classification trials were conducted: : 1. MLC using only nine ASTER bands, 2. MLC using ASTER bands and DEM, 3. MLC using ASTER bands and slope, 4. MLC using ASTER bands and plan curvature, 5. MLC using ASTER bands and profile curvature, 6. MLC using ASTER bands and drainage density and finally 7. MLC using ASTER bands and all ancillary data. The results revealed that integrating topographical parameters aid in improvement of classification where spectral information is not sufficient to discriminate between classes of interest. An increase of more than 5% is observed in overall accuracy for the all ancillary data integration case. Moreover more than 10% improvement for most of the classes was identified. However from the results it is evident that the areal extent of the classified units causes constraints on application of the methodology.

Recent diversification of the telecommunications industry has resulted in the adaptation of optical materials and their associated fabrication technologies for use in the bioanalytical sensor industry. Flame hydrolysis deposited (FHD) planar silica is one such material. Capable of producing high quality films for optical waveguides, the chemical inertness of the deposited silica makes it an ideal substrate from which to fabricate a biological fluorescence sensor. The aim of the work contained in this thesis was to utilise the FHD silica in optical - fluorescence sensors suitable for use at visible and in particular red wavelengths where several fluorophores can be excited, and background fluorescence from the silica is small. New technologies for producing waveguides have been evaluated in the context of their usefulness in optical sensors, with the intention of producing devices with as few fabrication steps as possible to reduce fabrication time and cost. The design, fabrication and testing of a number of sensor configurations is described, in which optical waveguides were interfaced with microfluidic chambers to provide excitation of a fiuorophore in solution. New waveguide fabrication technologies were used for the first time in sensor systems with integrated microfluidic circuits. Waveguides, written by electron beam densification were evaluated in terms of their performance in splitting an excitation signal into several different components, as would be appropriate for excitation of multiple microfluidic chambers - an 'array sensor'. Both Y-branch waveguides and multimode interference (MMI) splitters were successfully used to split the excitation signal. In addition to electron beam densification, UV irradiation at a wavelength of 157 nm was used to write waveguides in FHD silica. The application of a metal surface mask to define the waveguide structures is described. To allow sensitive detection and identification of fluorophores from FHD silica sensor chips, a single chamber device was successfully interfaced to a system to make time resolved fluorescence measurements, a technique known as time correlated single photon counting (TCSPC). The use of TCSPC allowed measurement of the decay time of the fluorescent dye, by which different fluorescent molecules could be identified, as well as the possibility of low concentration measurements. The research has allowed new technologies for creating waveguides in FHD silica to be adapted for sensing purposes, leading to a platform for creating devices in a number of different configurations.

MEMS devices are finding application in diverse fields that include energy harvesting, microelectronics and sensors. In energy harvesting, MEMS scale devices are employed due to its efficiencies of scale. The miniaturization of energy harvesters permit them to be integrated as the power supply for sensors often in the same package and also extends their use to remote and extreme ambient applications. Unlike inductive harvesting, piezoelectric and magnetoelectric devices lend easily to MEMS scaling. The processing of such Piezo-MEMS devices often requires special fabrication, characterization and testing techniques. Our research work has focused on the development of the various technologies for a) the better characterization of the constituent materials that make up these devices, b) the conceptualization and structural design of unique MEMS energy harvesters and finally c) the development of the unit operations (many novel) for fabrication and the mechanical and electrical testing of these devices. In this research work, we have pioneered some new approaches to the characterization of thin films utilized in Piezo-MEMS devices: (1) Temperature-Time Transformation (TTT) diagrams are used to document texture evolution during thermal treatment of ceramics. Multinomial and multivariate regression techniques were utilized to create the predictor models for TTT data of Pb(Zr0.60Ti0.40 O3) sol-gel thin films. (2) We correlated the composition (measured using Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA)) of Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48 O3) RF sputtered thin films to its optical dispersion properties measured using Variable Angle Spectroscopic Ellipsometry (VASE). Wemple-DiDomenico, Jackson-Amer, Tauc and Urbach optical dispersion factors and Lorentz Lorenz polarizability relationships were combined to realize a model for predicting the elemental content of any thin film system. (3) We developed in house capability for strain analysis of magnetostrictive thin films using laser Doppler Vibrometry (LDV). We determined a methodology to convert the displacements measurements of AC magnetic field induced vibrations of thin film samples into magnetostriction values. (4) Finally, we report the novel use of a thermo-optic technique, Time Domain Thermoreflectance (TDTR) in the study of Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) thin film texturing. Time Domain Thermoreflectance (TDTR) has been proved to be capable of measuring thermal properties of atomic layers and interfaces. Therefore, we utilized TDTR to analyze and model the heat transport at the nano scale and correlate with different PZT crystalline orientations. To harvest energy at the low frequency (<100Hz) of ambient vibrations, MEMS energy harvesters require special structures. Extensive research has led us to the development of Circular Zigzag structure that permits inertial mass free attainment of such low frequencies. In addition to Si micromachining, we have fabricated such structures using a new Micro water jet micromachining of thin piezo sheets, unimorphs and bimorphs. For low frequency magnetic energy harvesting, we also fabricated the first magnetoelectric macro fiber composite. This device also employs a novel low temperature metallic bonding technique to fuse the magnetostrictive layer to the piezoelectric layers. A special low viscosity epoxy enabled the joining of the flexible circuit to the magnetoelectric fibers. Lastly, we developed a nondimensional tunable Piezo harvester, called PiezoCap, which decouples the energy harvesting component of the device from the resonant vibration component. We do so by using magnets loaded on piezo harvester strips, thereby making them piezomagnetoelastic and vary the spacing between 2 magnet+piezoelectric pairs to eliminate dimensionality and permit active tunability of the harvester's resonant frequency.
Ph. D.

Las actividades industriales han dejado contaminación en el suelo, el aire y el agua en todo el mundo. Las emisiones de SOx provenientes de gases de combustión requieren tratamiento antes de su liberación al medio ambiente. Los tratamientos fisicoquímicos convencionales utilizados hasta ahora son costosos y requieren mucho tiempo. Además, esos tratamientos también generan aguas residuales que requieren un procesamiento adicional. Para superar el desafío del tratamiento de SOx, se propone un nuevo enfoque que utiliza un método biológico respetuoso con el medio ambiente. El proceso se basa en una adsorción selectiva de SOx, seguida de un tratamiento biológico de dos etapas. Una vez adsorbidos los SOx, se someten a una primera etapa biocatalítica, en la que los microorganismos reductores de sulfato catalizan su conversión en sulfuro de hidrógeno. Posteriormente, se realiza una segunda etapa biocatalítica por microorganismos oxidantes de sulfuro, obteniendo finalmente azufre elemental. Un punto crucial que tratar en este proceso biotecnológico es la cuantificación en tiempo real de las especies de azufre antes y después de cada etapa biocatalítica. Los métodos convencionales, tales como la gravimetría, la turbidimetría, la nefelometría, la electroforesis capilar y la cromatografía iónica se han utilizado para la cuantificación de especies de azufre. Aunque esos métodos se han implementado de manera abrumadora hace unas décadas, no son adecuados para mediciones in situ y en tiempo real, requieren personal capacitado, son costosos y consumen mucho tiempo. Por lo tanto, existe la necesidad de proporcionar nuevos sistemas analíticos que puedan reemplazar a los convencionales. Las plataformas microfluídicas se han estudiado debido a su posibilidad de reemplazar un laboratorio convencional totalmente equipado. Las ventajas bien conocidas de estos sistemas de detección incluyen: compacidad, bajo consumo de muestra, producción de bajo coste, mejor monitoreo y control de procesos, análisis en tiempo real y una respuesta rápida. Estas características abren la posibilidad de realizar medidas in situ y en tiempo real. Además, funcionan de tal manera que el pretratamiento de la muestra y el ensayo químico se pueden realizar en su interior. Su diseño ergonómico y fácil de usar les permite adaptarse fácilmente para realizar el análisis deseado simplemente modificando la geometría de los canales. Estas características hacen que la microfluídica sea de interés en procesos que requieren múltiples análisis al mismo tiempo. Para la producción de sistemas analíticos miniaturizados se han utilizado varias técnicas de microfabricación (por ejemplo, micromaquinado, estampado en caliente, moldeo por inyección, ablación por láser, micromilling y litografía) y materiales (por ejemplo, silicio, polímeros, metales, cerámica, etc.). No obstante, todos estos métodos requieren personal capacitado, son costosos y requieren mucho tiempo. Además, requieren más pasos de procesamiento (por ejemplo, grabado químico, sellado, etc.) después de la fabricación. Hoy en día, los científicos han estado explorando nuevas metodologías para producir tales sistemas analíticos de una manera más factible y más barata. En esta tesis, se promueve el uso de tecnologías de impresión (impresión por chorro de tinta, serigrafía e impresión 3D) para producir plataformas analíticas para la cuantificación de compuestos químicos relevantes en reactores biotecnológicos y en el medio ambiente (S2-, SO42- and NO2-). Por lo tanto, el estado del arte de los dispositivos microfluídicos y los sistemas analíticos impresos se han desarrollado ampliamente:
Modern industrial activities have left wide-spread hazardous pollution in soil, air and water across the globe. Emissions of SOx coming from flue gases require treatment before their release into the environment. Conventional physic-chemical treatments used hitherto are expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, those treatments also generate wastewater that requires further processing. To overcome the SOx treatment challenge, a new approach using environmentally friendly biological method is proposed. The process is based on a selective adsorption of SOx, followed by a two-stage biological treatment. Once the SOx are adsorbed they undergo a first biocatalytic stage, in which sulfate-reducing microorganisms catalyze their conversion into hydrogen sulfide. Afterwards, a second biocatalytic stage by sulfide-oxidizing microorganisms is done, finally obtaining elemental sulfur. A crucial point to address in this biotechnological process is the real-time quantification of sulfur species before and after each biocatalytic stage. Conventional methods, such as gravimetry, turbidimetry, nephelometry, capillary electrophoresis and ionic chromatography have been widely used for sulfur species quantification. Although those methods have been overwhelmingly implemented a few decades ago, they are not suitable of in situ real-time measurements, require trained personnel and they are costly and time consuming. Therefore, there is a need to provide new analytical systems that can replace conventional ones. Microfluidic platforms have been extensively studied due to their possibility of replacing a fully equipped conventional laboratory. Well-known advantages of these microfluidic sensing systems include: compactness, low sample consumption, low-cost production, better overall monitoring and process control, real-time analysis and a fast response. These characteristics open the possibility of performing in situ and real-time measurements. Also, they operate in such a manner that sample pre-treatment as well as chemical assay can be performed therein. Their ergonomic and user-friendly design allows them to be easily adapted to perform a desired analysis just by simply modifying the geometry of the channels. These features make microfluidics of interest in processes that require multiple analyses at the same time. Several microfabrication techniques (e.g., micromachining, hot embossing, injection molding, laser ablation, micromilling and soft lithography) and materials (e.g., silicon, polymers, metals, ceramics, etc.) have been used for the production of miniaturized analytical systems. Nonetheless, all these methods require trained personnel and are expensive and time consuming. Moreover, they require further processing steps (e.g., etching, sealing, etc.) after the fabrication. Nowadays, scientists have been exploring new methodologies to produce such analytical systems in a more feasible and cheaper manner. In this thesis, the use of printing technologies (inkjet printing, screen-printing and 3D printing) to produce analytical platforms for quantification of relevant chemical compounds in biotechnological reactors and in the environment (S2-, SO42- and NO2-) are promoted. Hence, the state-of-the-art of microfluidic devices and the printed analytical systems have been widely developed.

The counterintuitive properties of quantum mechanics have the potential to produce revolutionary new technology. The applications of these devices are both vital and diverse: the efficient generation of energy from light, sensing and measuring with exquisite precision, and information processing with unparalleled speed. In this thesis, I use the theory of open quantum systems to investigate quantum technologies for enhanced sensing and light absorption. In the first research chapter, we develop a new method for describing qubit dynamics in the Rabi model. We obtain a new expression for the ac Stark shift, which enables practical and precise qubit thermometry of an oscillator. In the second research chapter, we demonstrate that it is possible to invert the phenomenon of Dicke Superradiance using nanostructures and quantum control. This creates the possibility of a new class of quantum light absorption technologies with a super-linear scaling in the absorption rate. In the final research chapter, we investigate another means of enhancing light absorption. We show that phonon assisted transitions to ratchet states in rings allow absorbed excitions to be protected from reemission.

Sapphire fiber has been studied intensively for harsh environment sensing in the past two decades due to its supreme mechanical, physical and optical properties. It is by far the most reported and likely the best optical fiber based sensing technology for sensing applications in temperature beyond 1000°C. Several sensing schemes have been proposed and studied to date including sapphire fiber extrinsic and intrinsic Fabry-Perot interferometers, fiber Bragg gratings and long period gratings inscribed in sapphire fibers. Lacking the cladding, sapphire fiber is highly multi-moded which renders sapphire fiber based sensor fabrication much more difficult than those based on silica fibers. Among all the reported work on sapphire fiber sensing, the vast majority is for single point temperature measurement. In this work, different sensing schemes are proposed to enhance the capability of the sapphire fiber based sensing technology. For the single point sensing, a miniaturized sapphire fiber temperature sensor for embedded sensing applications was proposed and studied. The sensors are no more than 75 µm in diameter and are ideal for non-invasive embedded sensing applications. Unlike existing sapphire fiber sensors, the thin film sensors are batch-fabrication oriented and thus have a potential to permit mass production with low cost. In addition to single point sensors, multiplexed sapphire fiber sensing systems are investigated for the first time. Two multiplexed sensing solutions, named frequency-multiplexing and spatial-multiplexing, are proposed and studied to achieve multiplexed sensing based on sapphire fibers.
Ph. D.

During the last century wetlands have considerably decreased. The principal cause is urbanization, especially in large urban regions such as the Houston area. In order to protect the remaining wetlands, they have to be monitored carefully. However monitoring wetland is a difficult and time-demanding task because it has to be done repetitively on large areas to be effective. This study was conducted to determine if Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing technologies would allow accurate monitoring of wetland as a less time-consuming method. With this idea, a suitability model was developed to delineate wetlands in the Houston area. This model combined GIS and remote sensing technologies. The data used for this study were as high spatial resolution as possible and were generally easy to obtain. This suitability model consisted of four submodels: hydrology, soil, vegetation and multi- attribute. Each submodel generated a Wetland Suitability Index (WSI). Those WSI were summed to obtain a general WSI. The suitability model was calibrated using half of the study area. During calibration, the general model was evaluated as well as each individual index. Generally, the model showed a lack of sensitivity to changes. However, the model was slightly modified to improve the delineation of upland wet- lands by increasing the weight of the soil submodel. This model was validated using the second half of the study area. The validation results improved a bit compared to the calibration results; however they remained weak. It was demonstrated that the model does not favor riverine wetlands over upland wetlands, nor large size wetlands. The model ground truth data were evaluated and were suffciently proven to be up to date. Those results indicated that the weakness of the model must come from inac- curacy in the input data. Therefore, the study showed that while existing computing capacity supports remote delineation, spatial accuracy is still insuffcient to perform correct wetland delineation using remote sensing and GIS technologies.

Optical detection technologies for on-chip and free-space applications have numerous benefits. When appropriately designed, these systems offer heightened sensitivity for numerous research fields—especially those based upon biochemical technologies. An on- chip sensing system is first presented in this work as an integrated microfluidic architecture for measuring the refractive index of a given sample. The optical sensing capabilities are dictated by an overhead microlens that is fabricated by way of a new electro-dispensing technique. The microlens contact angle can be tuned to allow for sampling of fluid refractive indices with variable ranges and resolutions. A free-space optical sensing system is then presented. The system utilizes retroreflective elements to detect microscopic particles in macroscopic volumes. System refinements are made to the geometry, shape, and materials. Imaging refinements are then made to further increase the overall sensitivity of the system.

Tese de Doutoramento - Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais - Instituto Superior de Agronomia
Forest ecosystems provide multiple wood and non-wood forest products and services that are crucial for the socio-economic development of rural areas. In this context, current methods of estimating variables of interest in forest ecosystems should be improved due to new demands for information related to sustainable forest management. Advanced remote sensing (RS) technologies provide data that will address the increasing demands for information and support the subsequent development of prediction models. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) has emerged as one of the most promising RS technologies for characterizing tree canopies and other biophysical characteristics essential for forest inventories. The use of 3D data acquired from Digital Aerial photography (DAP) is a useful alternative to ALS-based forest variable estimation. The rapid development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) (drones) fitted with digital aerial cameras and the use of SfM (Structure from Motion) techniques together provide new possibilities for efficient mapping of forest variables. Combining ALS and DAP technologies with UAV platforms will probably have a strong impact on forest inventory practices in the next decade, leading to more accurate characterization of forest stands, as well as for monitoring forest growth. The overall aim of all of the five studies included in this doctoral thesis is to evaluate the capacity of two advanced RS technologies (ALS and DAP) to provide methods and tools that support forest management at different scales ranging from stand level to individual tree level
N/A

Recent technical innovation in the field of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has increased the opportunity for including physical, brain-sensing devices as a part of our day-to-day lives. The potential for obtaining a time-correlated, direct, brain-based measure of a participant's mental activity is an alluring and important development for HCI researchers. In this work, we investigate the application of BCI hardware for answering HCI centred research questions, in turn, fusing the two disciplines to form an approach we name - Brain based Human-Computer Interaction (BHCI). We investigate the possibility of using BHCI to provide natural interaction - an ideal form of HCI, where communication between man-and-machine is indistinguishable from everyday forms of interactions such as Speaking and Gesturing. We present the development, execution and output of three user studies investigating the application of BHCI. We evaluate two technologies, fNIRS and EEG, and investigate their suitability for supporting BHCI based interactions. Through our initial studies, we identify that the lightweight and portable attributes of EEG make it preferable for use in developing natural interactions. Building upon this, we develop an EEG based cinematic experience exploring natural forms of interaction through the mind of the viewer. In studying the viewers response to this experience, we were able to develop a taxonomy of control based on how viewers discovered and exerted control over the experience.

Doutoramento em Engenharia Física
Hoje em dia, a tecnologia de fibra óptica está a ser amplamente usada nas áreas de telecomunicações e sensores. Historicamente, as qualidades das fibras ópticas poliméricas (POFs) têm sido menosprezadas devido à popularidade das fibras óticas de vidro. Tal facto advém maioritariamente da sua elevada atenuação. No entanto, os materiais que compõem as POFs têm vindo a melhorar significativamente nestes últimos anos. Nesse sentido, a emergência de novas técnicas e dispositivos têm vindo a ser demonstradas/os. Considerando o campo das telecomunicações, as POFs estão a crescer rapidamente em aplicações de redes de acesso. Além disso, o advento da operação monomodo e das redes de Bragg em POF estão a ser amplamente explorados em aplicações de sensores e portanto, este tipo de tecnologia tenderá a ser uma realidade num futuro próximo. Devido à necessidade de criar uma conexão de baixa perda entre fibra óptica de vidro e polimérica, será demonstrada uma nova técnica capaz de produzir terminais de POF de alta qualidade, num processo rápido, fácil e semiautomático. A conectorização destes tipos de fibras será também analisada nesta dissertação. No seguimento desta tese serão desenvolvidos dois sistemas de gravação de redes de Bragg em POF. Num dos sistemas será usado o tradicional laser de HeCd com operação nos 325 nm, sendo que noutro será usado o laser de KrF com operação nos 248 nm. Os resultados mostrarão a capacidade de gravar redes de Bragg em POF em apenas alguns segundos, contrariamente às várias dezenas de minutos necessários com o laser de 325 nm. Com base no sucesso dos resultados, o sistema de gravação que opera nos 248 nm será usado para fabricar redes de Bragg noutros tipos de fibras, incluindo as de índice em degrau, micro-estruturadas e sem bainha. A gravação de redes de Bragg de excelente qualidade em POFs de elevada birrefringência também será apresentada. A separação entre picos de ressonância irá ser usada para estimar a birrefringência de fase, que será então comparada com a obtida por simulações numéricas e com recurso ao método de varredura de comprimento de onda. As redes de Bragg produzidas pelos métodos anteriores serão então caracterizadas à deformação, temperatura, pressão, humidade e índice de refracção. Os resultados serão comparados com a literatura e com aqueles encontrados teoricamente. Um dispositivo de interferência multimodal feito pela conexão de duas fibras ópticas monomodo de vidro a uma fibra óptica multimodo de polímero, será usado para demonstrar a medição de deformação e temperatura. As capacidades de absorção de água, oferecidas pelo material à base de polimetilmetacrilato serão usadas para medir humidade. No final desta dissertação, um sensor híbrido composto por um dispositivo de interferência multimodal, baseado em POF e contendo uma rede de Bragg, demonstrará a capacidade de medir deformação, temperatura e índice de refracção. A propriedades de baixa absorção de água por parte do material que compõe a fibra polimérica será usada para demonstrar insensibilidade à humidade por parte do sensor.
Nowadays, fiber optic technology is being widely employed in communication and sensing areas. Historically, the qualities of polymer optical fibers (POFs) have been overwhelmed by the popularity of the silica optical fibers. This has been mainly due to the POFs higher transmission loss. However, in last years, POF materials are improving their performance. Therefore, the emergence of new devices and techniques have been demonstrated. Considering the communications field, POFs are growing rapidly in fiber to the home applications. Additionally, the advent of single mode operation and fiber Bragg gratings in POFs are being widely explored in several sensing applications. Consequently, this technology will tend to be a reality in a near future. Due to the need of a low loss connection between silica and polymer optical fibers, it will be demonstrated a new technique capable to produce POF terminals of high quality in an easy, fast and semi-automated process. The connectorization of these types of fibers will be then analysed in this dissertation. The development of two Bragg grating inscription systems for POFs will also be explored in this thesis. One of the systems will employ the traditional HeCd laser operating at 325 nm, while the other will use the KrF laser operating at 248 nm. Results will show the capability to write Bragg gratings in a POF in few seconds, contrary to the several tens of minutes reported for the 325 nm radiation. Based on the success of the results, the 248 nm inscription setup will be used to inscribe Bragg gratings in other types of POFs, including step-index, microstructured, and unclad POFs. The inscription of a high quality Bragg grating in a high-birefringence POF will also be presented and the phase birefringence arising from the Bragg peak separation will be compared with the numerical simulations togheter with the wavelength scanning method. The fiber Bragg gratings produced through the previous methods will be characterized to strain temperature, pressure, humidity and refractive index. Results will be compared with literature and with the ones found theoretically. A multimode interference device made by sandwiching a multimode POF between two single mode silica fibers will be used to demonstrate the ability to measure strain and temperature. The water absorption capabilities offered by the polymethylmethacrylate material will be used to measure humidity. At the end of this dissertation, a hybrid sensor composed of a POF based multimode interference device, comprising a fiber Bragg grating, will demonstrate the capability to measure strain, temperature and refractive index. The low water absorption properties of the material that composes the POF will be used to demonstrate a POF sensor with humidity insensitiveness.

Kyoto University (京都大学)
0048
新制・課程博士
博士(工学)
甲第13791号
工博第2895号
新制||工||1427(附属図書館)
26007
UT51-2008-C707
京都大学大学院工学研究科合成・生物化学専攻
(主査)教授 青山 安宏, 教授 森 泰生, 教授 濵地 格
学位規則第4条第1項該当

This research has successfully developed a novel synthetic structural health monitoring system model that is cost-effective and flexible in sensing and data acquisition; and robust in the structural safety evaluation aspect for the purpose of long-term and frequent monitoring of large-scale civil infrastructure during their service lives. Not only did it establish a real-world structural monitoring test-bed right at the heart of QUT Gardens Point Campus but it can also facilitate reliable and prompt protection for any built infrastructure system as well as the user community involved.

Thesis advisor: Willie J. Padilla
This thesis will describe the implementation of novel imaging applications with electromagnetic metamaterials. Metamaterials have proven to be host to a multitude of interesting physical phenomena and give rich insight electromagnetic theory. This thesis will explore not only the physical theory that give them their interesting electromagnetic properties, but also the many applications of metamaterials. There is a strong need for efficient, low cost imaging solutions, specifically in the longer wavelength regime. While this technology has often been at a standstill due to the lack of natural materials that can effectively operate at these wavelengths, metamaterials have revolutionized the creation of devices to fit these needs. Their scalability has allowed them to access regimes of the electromagnetic spectrum previously unobtainable with natural materials. Along with metamaterials, mathematical techniques can be utilized to make these imaging systems streamlined and effective. Chapter 1 gives a background not only to metamaterials, but also details several parts of general electromagnetic theory that are important for the understanding of metamaterial theory. Chapter 2 discusses one of the most ubiquitous types of metamaterials, the metamaterial absorber, examining not only its physical mechanism, but also its role in metamaterial devices. Chapter 3 gives a theoretical background of imaging at longer wavelengths, specifically single pixel imaging. Chapter 3 also discusses the theory of Compressive Sensing, a mathematical construct that has allowed sampling rates that can exceed the Nyquist Limit. Chapter 4 discusses work that utilizes photoexcitation of a semiconductor to modulate THz radiation. These physical methods were used to create a dynamic THz spatial light modulator and implemented in a single pixel imaging system in the THz regime. Chapter 5 examines active metamaterial modulation through depletion of carriers in a doped semiconductor via application of a bias voltage and its implementation into a similar single pixel imaging system. Additionally, novel techniques are used to access masks generally unobtainable by traditional single pixel imagers. Chapter 6 discusses a completely novel way to encode spatial masks in frequency, rather than time, to create a completely passive millimeter wave imager. Chapter 7 details the use of telecommunication techniques in a novel way to reduce image acquisition time and further streamline the THz single pixel imager. Finally, Chapter 8 will discuss some future outlooks and draw some conclusions from the work that has been done
Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2015
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Physics

In this thesis we evaluate the use of Wii, Kinect and Move for use in physical rehabilitation. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate the feasibility of these low-cost commercially available motion-sensing devices for rehabilitation and to explore what strengths, weaknesses and challenges exist in that use. This is guided by two perspectives, the technical feasibility and the feasibility as viewed by physical therapists, on this basis we construct some high level guidelines for the implementation of games for physical rehabilitation.This thesis uses the interpretive approach and qualitative methods, this is instantiated with the use of Research Through Design. Some qualitative methods applied were a focus group, interviews, questionnaire and prototyping. The prototype artifacts are used to provide concrete embodiments of theory and technical opportunities, these artifacts also serve as a conduit for transfer of the research. The prototypes are used to evaluate the technical feasibility of the Wii, Kinect and Move based upon specified requirements in physical rehabilitation. The author presents a set of high level quality attributes for evaluating the capabilities of the various sensors and libraries in the context of two games developed for physical rehabilitation. The Wii, Kinect and Move all have different strengths and weaknesses for the usage scenarios specified.Next, the prototypes are used as starting point for evaluation by the expert panel in a focus group, the focus group consisted of three physiotherapists. The physiotherapists found the motion-sensing technology very promising but could not determine on a general basis which device is the most suitable since each patient have very different individual requirements to his therapy depending on the level of injury. The experts also stated some of the most promising areas of this augmented rehabilitation was the motivational, social and tactile facets. The experts found some of the typical commercial games to be too focused on the fun aspect, lacking in concise direction of exercises, and, lacks the needed adjust-ability to the difficulty.Based upon the technical evaluation and the expert panels feedback, the author suggest a list of guidelines for aiding construction of serious games for rehabilitation.

Thesis: S.M. in Engineering and Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, System Design and Management Program, 2018.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-47).
The US healthcare system is looked at from the point of view of various stakeholders and how its current structure has emerged over the years. With the shifting demographics, change in disease mix, ICT revolution and other factors at play, the system is in a state of flux. Sensor technology on the other hand has also progressed over the years to reach a point where low-cost mass-produced smart sensors are becoming omnipresent. A variety of such sensors are now available, and new ones are being developed for specific needs, like for continuous health monitoring systems. New wireless sensing technologies are redefining the care services, processes and customer expectations. This is especially true for chronic disease management and eldercare. We develop a view point to understand at a broad level how the US healthcare system is currently evolving and what role could new technologies, like wireless sensing, play in shaping its near future. These new technologies are slowly gaining foothold in the market and could possibly reach a point of inflection soon where the population starts to adopt them in masses. By creating a new mental model of how various parts in the system interact with each other, we try and develop an understanding of which factors might affect the speed of adoption of these new technologies into the system.
by Kanishka Nohria.
S.M. in Engineering and Management

Advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) paved the way for decentralized Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) HVAC operations. It has been envisioned that development of personal thermal comfort profiles leads to accurate predictions of each occupant's thermal comfort state and such information is employed in context-aware HVAC operations for energy efficiency. This dissertation has three key contributions in realizing this envisioned HVAC operation. First, it presents a systematic review of research trends and developments in context-aware HVAC operations. Second, it contributes to expanding the feasibility of the envisioned HVAC operation by introducing novel sensing technologies. Third, it contributes to shedding light on viability and potentials of comfort-aware operations (i.e., integrating personal thermal comfort models into HVAC control logic) through a comprehensive assessment of energy efficiency implications. In the first contribution, by developing a taxonomy, two major modalities – occupancy-driven and comfort-aware operations – in Human-In-The-Loop (HITL) HVAC operations were identified and reviewed quantitatively and qualitatively. The synthesis of previous studies has indicated that field evaluations of occupancy-driven operations showed lower potentials in energy saving, compared to the ones with comfort-aware operations. However, the results in comfort-aware operations could be biased given the small number of explorations. Moreover, required data representation schema have been presented to foster constructive performance assessments across different research efforts. In the end, the current state of research and future directions of HITL HVAC operations were discussed to shed light on future research need. As the second contribution, moving toward expanding the feasibility of comfort-aware operations, novel and smart sensing solutions have been introduced. It has been noted that, in order to have high accuracy in predicting individual's thermal comfort state (≥90%), user physiological response data play a key part. However, the limited number of applicable sensing technologies (e.g., infrared cameras) has impeded the potentials of implementation. After defining required characteristics in physiological sensing solutions in context of comfort-aware operations (applicability, sensitivity, ubiquity, and non-intrusiveness), the potentials of RGB cameras, Doppler radar sensors, and heat flux sensors were evaluated. RGB cameras, available in many smart computing devices, could be a ubiquitous solution in quantifying thermoregulation states. Leveraging the mechanism of skin blood perfusion, two thermoregulation state quantification methods have been developed. Then, applicability and sensitivity were checked with two experimental studies. In the first experimental study aiming to see applicability (distinguishing between 20 and 30C with fully acclimated human bodies), for 16 out of 18 human subjects, an increase in their blood perfusion was observed. In the second experimental study aiming to evaluate sensitivity (distinguishing responses to a continuous variation of air temperature from 20 to 30C), 10 out of 15 subjects showed a positive correlation between blood perfusion and thermal sensations. Also, the superiority of heat flux data, compared to skin temperature data, has been demonstrated in predicting personal thermal comfort states through the developments of machine-learning-based prediction models with feature engineering. Specifically, with random forest classifier, the median value of prediction accuracy was improved by 3.8%. Lastly, Doppler radar sensors were evaluated for their capability of quantifying user thermoregulation states leveraging the periodic movement of the chest/abdomen area induced by respiration. In an experimental study, the results showed that, with sufficient acclimation time, the DRS-based approach could show distinction between respiration states for two distinct air temperatures (20 and 30C). On the other hand, in a transient temperature without acclimation time, it was shown that, some of the human subjects (38.9%) used respiration as an active means of heat exchange for thermoregulation. Lastly, a comprehensive evaluation of comfort-aware operations' performance was carried out with a diverse set of contextual and operational factors. First, a novel comfort-aware operation strategy was introduced to leverage personal sensitivity to thermal comfort (i.e., different responses to temperature changes; e.g., sensitive to being cold) in optimization. By developing an agent-based simulation framework and thorough diverse scenarios with different numbers and combinations of occupants (i.e., human agents in the simulation), it was shown that this approach is superior in generating collectively satisfying environments against other approaches focusing on individual preferred temperatures in selection of optimized setpoints. The energy implications of comfort-aware operations were also evaluated to understand the impact from a wide range of factors (e.g., human and building factors) and their combinatorial effect given the uncertainty of multioccupancy scenarios. The results demonstrated that characteristics of occupants' thermal comfort profiles are dominant in impacting the energy use patterns, followed by the number of occupants, and the operational strategies. In addition, when it comes to energy efficiency, more occupants in a thermal zone/building result in reducing the efficacy of comfort-driven operation (i.e., the integration of personal thermal comfort profiles). Hence, this study provided a better understanding of true viability of comfort-driven HVAC operations and provided the probabilistic bounds of energy saving potentials. These series of studies have been presented as seven journal articles and they are included in this dissertation.
Doctor of Philosophy
With vision of a smart built environment, capable of understanding the contextual dynamics of built environment and adaptively adjusting its operation, this dissertation contributes to context-aware/decentralized HVAC operations. Three key contributions in realization of this goal include: (1) a systematic review of research trends and developments in the last decade, (2) enhancing the feasibility of quantifying personal thermal comfort by presenting novel sensing solutions, and (3) a comprehensive assessment of energy efficiency implications from comfort-aware HVAC operations with the use of personal comfort models. Starting from identifying two major modalities of context-aware HVAC operations, occupancy-driven and comfort-aware, the first part of this dissertation presents a quantitative and qualitative review and synthesis of the developments, trends, and remaining research questions in each modality. Field evaluation studies using occupancy-driven operations have shown median energy savings between 6% and 15% depending on the control approach. On the other hand, the comfort-aware HVAC operations have shown 20% energy savings, which were mainly derived from small-scale test beds in similar climate regions. From a qualitative technology development standpoint, the maturity of occupancy-driven technologies for field deployment could be interpreted to be higher than comfort-aware technologies while the latter has shown higher potentials. Moreover, by learning from the need for comparing different methods of operations, required data schemas have been proposed to foster better benchmarking and effective performance assessment across studies. The second part of this dissertation contributes to the cornerstone of comfort-aware operations by introducing novel physiological sensing solutions. Previous studies demonstrated that, in predicting individual's thermal comfort states, using physiological data in model development plays a key role in increasing accuracy (>90%). However, available sensing technologies in this context have been limited. Hence, after identifying essential characteristics for sensing solutions (applicability, sensitivity, ubiquity, and non-intrusiveness), the potentials of RGB cameras, heat flux sensors, and Doppler radar sensors were evaluated. RGB cameras, available in many smart devices, could be programmed to measure the level of blood flow to skin, regulated by the human thermoregulation mechanism. Accordingly, two thermoregulation states' quantification methods by using RGB video images have been developed and assessed under two experimental studies: (i) capturing subjects' facial videos in two opposite temperatures with sufficient acclimation time (20 and 30C), and (ii) capturing facial videos when subjects changed their thermal sensations in a continuous variation of air temperature from 20 to 30C. Promising results were observed in both situations. The first study had subjects and 16 of them showed an increasing trend in blood flow to skin. In the second study, posing more challenges due to insufficient acclimation time, 10 subjects had a positive correlation between the level of blood flow to skin with thermal sensation. With the assumption that heat flux sensing will be a better reflection of thermoregulation sates, a machine learning framework was developed and tested. The use of heat flux sensing showed an accuracy of 97% with an almost 4% improvement compared to skin temperature. Lastly, Doppler radar sensors were evaluated for their capability of quantifying thermoregulation states by detecting changes in breathing patterns. In an experimental study, the results showed that, with sufficient acclimation time, the DRS-based approach could show distinction between respiration states for two distinct air temperatures (20 and 30C). However, using a transient temperature was proven to be more challenging. It was noted that for some of the human subjects (38.9%), respiration was detected as an active means of heat exchange. It was concluded that specialized artifact removal algorithms might help improve the detection rate. The third component of the dissertation contributed by studying the performance of comfort-driven operations (i.e., using personal comfort preferences for HVAC operations) under a diverse set of contextual and operational factors. Diverse scenarios for interaction between occupants and building systems were evaluated by using different numbers and combinations of occupants, and it was demonstrated that an approach of addressing individual's thermal comfort sensitivity (personal thermal-comfort-related responses to temperature changes) outperforms other approaches solely focusing on individual preferred temperatures. The energy efficiency implications of comfort-driven operations were then evaluated by accounting for the impact of human and building factors (e.g., number of thermal zones) and their combinations. The results showed that characteristics of occupants' thermal comfort profiles are dominant in driving the energy use patterns, followed by the number of occupants, and operational strategies. As one of the main outcomes of this study, the energy saving and efficiency (energy use for comfort improvement) potentials and probabilistic bounds of comfort-driven operations were identified. It was shown that keeping the number of occupants low (under 6) in a thermal zone/building, boosts the energy saving potentials of comfort-driven operations. These series of studies have been presented as seven journal articles, included in this dissertation.

Tests have been performed to determine whether electromagnetic shielding of fine wires for electrophysiological sensing is a possible way to reduce the external noise in recording of nervous signals. By shielding the wires with a layer of silver, forming a coaxial cable, a reduction of the received power on the lead of 11.8-33 dBm was shown over the 10 – 10 000 Hz range when the test wire was subject to an electromagnetic field from an injection cable.  When putting the performance on the interval 50-100 Hz aside the same performance was measured to 25-33 dBm lower received power, which can be explained by 50 Hz noise from the electrical grid interfering with the measurements. However, when the shield was not grounded or grounded through a resistor worse performance was shown. The difference in received power between the unshielded and shielded configuration without grounding the shield was close to 0 dBm. Following this, the type of shielding investigated in this project has the potential to substantially shield thin wires from external interference under the condition that sufficient grounding is provided.

This research was a step forward towards understanding the application and suitability of sensing technologies to improve construction performance, and to discover the rationale behind the slow adoption of such technologies in construction. A governance framework was developed, serving as a reference of factors affecting the adoption of sensing technologies in construction, ranging from motivations towards a wider use, to barriers preventing from the uptake of such technologies in construction.

This project contributed towards advancement of low-cost air quality sensor networks. Two sensor networks were deployed with the aid of local communities, and data were collected via the 3G network to a cloud-based server. Data analysis involved using least square regression lines to determine temporal changes in air quality, and students t-tests to determine how air quality differed over space. The thesis investigated air quality results of two campaigns and evaluated the success of installing these networks with community aid. The methods demonstrated the robustness of a new low-cost sensor network and quantified how cruise ships deteriorate local air quality.

Master of Science
Department of Agronomy
Antonio R. Asebedo
Sensor technology has become more important in precision agriculture, by real time sensing for site specific management to monitor crops during the season especially nitrogen (N). In Kansas N available in the soils can vary year to year or over a course of a year. The objective of this study was to compare current available passive (PS) and active optical sensor technologies (AOS) performance in regards to sky conditions effects and derive the NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) relationship to wheat yield, as well as evaluate KSU optical sensor-based N recommendations against KSU soil test N recommendation system and sUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) based recommendation algorithms with the PS and AOS platforms. Each year (2015-2016 & 2016-2017) five field trails across Kansas were conducted during the winter wheat crop year in cooperation with county ag agents, farmers, and KSU Agronomy Experiment Fields. Treatments consisted of N response curve, 1st and 2nd generation KSU N recommendation algorithms, sUAS based recommendation algorithms, and KSU soil test based N recommendations applied in the spring using N rates ranging from 0 to 140 kg ha⁻¹. Results indicate the Holland Scientific Rapid Scan and MicaSense RedEdge NDVI data was strongly correlated and generated strong relationships with grain yield at 0.60 and 0.57 R² respectively. DJI X3 lacks an NIR band producing uncalibrated false NDVI and no relationship to grain yield at 0.03 R². Calibrated NDVI from both sensors are effective for assessing yield potential and could be utilized for developing N recommendation algorithms. However, sensor based treatments preformed equal to higher yields compared the KSU soil test recommendations, as well as reduced the amount of fertilizer applied compared to the soil test recommendation. The intensive management algorithm was the most effective in determining appropriate N recommendations across locations. This allows farmers to take advantage of potential N mineralization that can occur in the spring. Further research is needed considering on setting the NUE (nitrogen use efficiency) in KSU N rec. algorithms for effects of management practice, weather, and grain protein for continued refinement.

Collecting load tickets is an example of an antiquated practice that puts inspectors in harm’s way either adjacent to traffic, in close proximity to moving or backing equipment, or at times requires climbing onto trucks to reach tickets. Technology exists to collect this information electronically allowing for safer, efficient inspection methods. Departments of Transportation are charged with inspecting an increasing work load with a diminishing number of inspection staff. Recently, doing more with less has led to the prioritization of inspection activities and resulted in less collection of data and visual inspection on projects. Technology advancements are available to improve data collection and provide for more efficient inspection. Using GPS and GIS technology tied into electronic scale report-out systems, a fleet tracking system traces haul routes, reports travel time and tonnage, and even assists contractors with equipment matching and balancing. Data from this system coupled with other technologies remote monitoring of temperature, intelligent compaction, and network enabled cameras provide an opportunity to enhance inspection and increase construction inspection productivity all the while enriching detail of project records. The contribution of this paper is to provide a framework in which to combine these technologies into a multi-faceted, enhanced inspection approach.

The goals of this study were to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing technologies to gain a better understanding of habitat requirements of a population of ocelots in south Texas, and then apply this knowledge to form a predictive model to locate areas of suitable habitat in Willacy and Cameron counties, Texas. Satellite imagery from August 1991 and August 2000 were classified into four land cover types: closed canopy, open canopy, water, and urban/barren. These classified images were converted into digital thematic maps for use in resource utilization studies and modeling. Location estimates (762 from 1991 and 406 from 2000) were entered into a GIS in order to extract information about home range and resource selection. Each animal's home range was calculated using both Minimum Convex Polygon (MCP) and Kernel home range estimators (95% and 50%). Habitat parameters of interest were: soil, land cover, human density, road density, and distance to closest road, city and water body. Ocelots were found to prefer closed canopy and avoid open canopy land cover types. Ocelots preferred soils known to support thorn scrub, an indication of the importance of this habitat. Landscape metrics associated with habitat used by ocelots were determined through the use of Patch Analyst, an extension for ArcView 3.2. Contrary to expectations, ocelots utilized areas with greater fragmentation than random areas available for use. However, this use of highly fragmented areas was an indication of the degree of fragmentation of suitable habitat in the area. Further investigation of patch size selection indicated that ocelots used large sized patches disproportionately to availability, indicating a preference for larger patches. A model was created using the resource selection and habitat preference GIS database from 1991. This model was used to identify areas of “optimal”, ”sub-optimal”, and “unsuitable” habitat for ocelots in 2000. This resultant map was compared to known locations of ocelots in 2000. Ocelots were found to prefer optimal habitat and avoid unsuitable habitat, an indication that the model created was valid.

Native palms, such as the Sabal palmetto, play an important role in maintaining the ecological balance in Florida. As a side-effect of modern globalization, new phytopathogens like Texas Phoenix Palm Decline have been introduced into forest systems that threaten native palms. This presents new challenges for forestry managers and geographers. Advances in remote sensing has assisted the practice of forestry by providing spatial metrics regarding the type, quantity, location, and the state of heath for trees for many years. This study provides spatial details regarding the general palm decline in Florida by taking advantage of the new developments in deep learning constructs coupled with high resolution WorldView-2 multispectral/temporal satellite imagery and LiDAR point cloud data. A novel approach using TensorFlow deep learning classification, multiband spatial statistics and indices, data reduction, and step-wise refinement masking yielded a significant improvement over Random Forest classification in a comparison analysis. The results from the TensorFlow deep learning were then used to develop an Empirical Bayesian Kriging continuous raster as an informative map regarding palm decline zones using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index Change. The significance from this research showed a large portion of the study area exhibiting palm decline and provides a new methodology for deploying TensorFlow learning for multispectral satellite imagery.

Accelerated soil erosion in Malawi, Southern Africa, increasingly threatens agricultural productivity, given current and projected population growth trends. Previous attempts to document soil erosion potential have had limited success, lacking appropriate information and diagnostic tools. This study utilized geomatics technologies and the latest available information from topography, soils, climate, vegetation, and land use of a watershed in southern Malawi. The Soil Loss Estimation Model for Southern Africa (SLEMSA), developed for conditions in Zimbabwe, was evaluated and used to create a soil erosion hazard map for the watershed under Malawi conditions. The SLEMSA sub-models of cover, soil loss, and topography were computed from energy interception, rainfall energy, and soil erodibility, and slope length and steepness, respectively. Geomatics technologies including remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provided the tools with which land cover/land use, a digital elevation model, and slope length and steepness were extracted and integrated with rainfall and soils spatial information. Geomatics technologies enable rapid update of the model as new and better data sets become available. Sensitivity analyses of the SLEMSA model revealed that rainfall energy and slope steepness have the greatest influence on soil erosion hazard estimates in this watershed. Energy interception was intermediate in sensitivity level, whereas slope length and soil erodibility ranked lowest. Energy interception and soil erodibility were shown by parameter behavior analysis to behave in a linear fashion with respect to soil erosion hazard, whereas rainfall energy, slope steepness, and slope length exhibit non-linear behavior. When SLEMSA input parameters and results were compared to alternative methods of soil erosion assessment, such as drainage density and drainage texture, the model provided more spatially explicit information using 30 meter grid cells. Results of this study indicate that more accurate soil erosion estimates can be made when: (1) higher resolution digital elevation models are used; (2) data from improved precipitation station network are available, and; (3) greater investment in rainfall energy research.

Abstract This thesis explores different ways of leveraging mobile sensing to understand how end users use and interact with their smart technologies, namely smartphones and smartwatches. These topics are extensively explored in other parallel research; however, numerous gaps still exist within the literature. The use of mobile sensing to collect quantified ground-truth information of device use in-the-wild is critical to collect unbiased experiences and usage traces. This thesis covers three main themes: (a) the way our affect influences our smartphone use, and how our smartphone usage can also be analysed from our usage habits; (b) revealing quantified exploration of smartwatch usage traits, and how these relate to smartphone use, and (c) novel ways to mitigate interruptions during smartphone or smartwatch use. The thesis begins by explaining the related work and the overall theme of mobile sensing and how device usage influences attention; it then proceeds to elaborate on the contribution of each included article to the overall scope of the thesis. The thesis then concludes with a summary of how the presented articles tie together in a broader scope. Considering the vast amount of research in this field by this thesis’ author as well as other researchers, this type of work can potentially improve the use of novel wearable technologies in the future. By the end of the thesis, the reader should have a broad understanding of what mobile sensing is, and how it can be applied to comprehensively uncover technology use as well as leveraging mobile sensing to enhance the use of technology
Tiivistelmä Tässä väitöskirjassa tarkastellaan erilaisia tapoja hyödyntää mobiilikäytön tunnistamista ymmärtääkseen, miten loppukäyttäjät käyttävät ja ovat vuorovaikutuksessa älykkäiden teknologioidensa, esimerkiksi älypuhelimien ja älykellojen kanssa. Näitä aiheita tutkitaan laajasti muissa rinnakkaisissa tutkimuksissa, mutta kirjallisuudessa on vielä lukuisia aukkoja. Matkaviestinnän käytöstä kerätään kvantitatiiviset tiedot, jotka koskevat laitteen käyttöä luonnossa. Tämän tiedon kerääminen on kriittistä jotta voidaan kerätä puolueettomia kokemuksia ja käyttöjälkiä. Tässä työssä käsitellään kolmea pääteemaa; i) miten älypuhelinkäyttöömme vaikuttaa meidän mielialamme ja miten älypuhelinkäyttöämme voidaan analysoida käyttötapojen perusteella, ii) paljastaa älykellon käyttöominaisuuksien määrälliset tutkimukset ja miten nämä tulokset heijastuvat älypuhelimen käyttöön ja iii) uusia tapoja lieventää katkoksia älypuhelimen tai älykellon käytön aikana. Työ aloittaa selittämällä siihen liittyvää työtä ja mobiilin tunnistamisen yleistä teemaa ja sitä, miten laitteen käyttö vaikuttaa huomiokykyyn, ja jatkuu sitten yksityiskohtaisesti jokaisen mukana tulevan artikkelin osuuden yleiseen käsittelyyn. Työssä päädytään yhteenvetoon siitä, miten esitetyt artikkelit sitovat yhteen laajemman kokonaisuuden ja ottavat huomioon tämän alan tekijän ja muiden tutkijoiden tämän alan tutkimukset, ja miten tällaista työtä voitaisiin mahdollisesti parantaa edelleen tulevaisuudessa käyttämällä uusia tekniikoita. Työn päätyttyä lukijalla on laaja käsitys siitä, mitä mobiili-tunnistaminen on ja miten sitä voidaan soveltaa sekä teknologian käytön kattavaan paljastamiseen että mobiilidatan tunnistuksen hyödyntämiseen teknologian käytön tehostamiseksi

Dynamic spectrum access (DSA) wireless networks focus on using RF spectrum more efficiently and dynamically. Significant progress has been made during the past few years. For example, many measurements of current spectrum utilization are available. Theoretical analyses and computational simulations of DSA networks also abound. In sharp contrast, few network systems, particularly those with a decentralized structure, have been built even at a small scale to investigate the performance, behavior, and dynamics of DSA networks under different scenarios. This dissertation provides the theory, design, and implementation of a software radio-based decentralized DSA network prototype, and its enabling technologies: software radio, signal detection and classification, and distributed cooperative spectrum sensing. By moving physical layer functions into the software domain, software radio offers an unprecedented level of flexibility in radio development and operation, which can facilitate research and development of cognitive radio (CR) and DSA networks. However, state-of-the-art software radio systems still have serious performance limitations. Therefore, a performance study of software radio is needed before applying it in any development. This dissertation investigates three practical issues governing software radio performance that are critical in DSA network development: RF front end nonlinearity, dynamic computing resource allocation, and execution latency. It provides detailed explanations and quantitative results on SDR performance. Signal detection is the most popular method used in DSA networks to guarantee non-interference to primary users. Quickly and accurately detecting signals under all possible conditions is challenging. The cyclostationary feature detection method is attractive for detecting primary users because of its ability to distinguish between modulated signals, interference, and noise at a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, a key issue of cyclostationary signal analysis is the high computational cost. To tackle this challenge, parallel computing is applied to develop a cyclostationary feature based signal detection method. This dissertation presents the methodâ s performance on multiple signal types in noisy and multi-path fading environments. Distributed cooperative spectrum sensing is widely endorsed to monitor the radio environment so as to guarantee non-interference to incumbent users even at a low SNR and under hostile conditions like shadowing, fading, interference, and multi-path. However, such networks impose strict performance requirements on data latency and reliability. Delayed or faulty data may cause secondary users to interfere with incumbent users because secondary users could not be informed quickly or reliably. To support such network performance, this dissertation presents a set of data process and management schemes in both sensors and data fusion nodes. Further, a distributed cooperative sensor network is built from multiple sensors; together, the network compiles a coherent semantic radio environment map for DSA networks to exploit available frequencies opportunistically. Finally, this dissertation presents the complete design of a decentralized and asynchronous DSA network across the PHY layer, MAC layer, network layer, and application layer. A ten-node prototype is built based on software radio technologies, signal detection and classification methods, distributed cooperative spectrum sensing systems, dynamic wireless protocols, and a multi-channel allocation algorithm. Systematic experiments are carried out to identify several performance determining factors for decentralized DSA networks.
Ph. D.

This thesis develops a scientific basis for the use of low-cost sensing technologies for quantitative assessment of air pollution and its sources. It has extensively identified the capabilities and limitations of low-cost sensors in laboratory and field environments. Essentially, it has demonstrated that low-cost sensors are capable of monitoring air quality with a high degree of accuracy in different locations (e.g., highly polluted areas) and for different purposes (e.g., citizen science projects for raising environmental awareness).

This study proposes an approach for land degradation assessment for an abandoned coal mine by using geospatial information technologies. The land degradation assessment focuses on two major changes: topographical and Land Use and Land Cover (LULC). For this purpose, stereo aerial photos, Worldview-1, Landsat and ASTER images, Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data, Global Positioning System (GPS) data, and ancillary maps were used for abandoned Ovacik surface coal mine. Volume of excavations and fillings, drainage network deviations, and slope instabilities were the investigated topographical disturbances by comparison of the Digital Elevation Models (DEM) for pre- and post-mining stages. Using aerial photos and Worldview-1 satellite image, LULC maps were prepared based on the same time period. Then areal extent and spatial pattern of the LULC change was calculated and mapped by post classification comparison method. The results of land degradation assessment show that there was a significant topographical disturbance and LULC change in the research area. Particularly, three dump areas with a total volume of 2,334,878 m3 were identified by DEM subtraction. It was found that stream network around the primary dump site shifted towards south with a maximum displacement of 60m. Slope analysis reveals that slopes higher that 60 degrees were mainly observed in excavation area with 81 percent. LULC change study showed that the forest area decreased an amount of 106,485 m2 from 1951 to 2008. However
by means of the forestation efforts in dump sites, an amount of 106,012 m2 forest land was recovered.

Traffic signs, which transportation agencies must inventory and manage, are one of the most important roadway assets because they are used to ensure roadway safety and provide important travel guidance/information. Traffic sign inventory and condition assessment are two important components that are essential for establishing a cost-effective and sustainable traffic sign management system. Traditionally, state departments of transportation (DOTs) have conducted traffic sign inventory and condition assessment manually, a process that is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and sometimes hazardous to field engineers in the roadway environment. Methods have been developed to automate sign inventory and condition assessment using video log images in previous studies. However, the performance of these methods still needs to be improved. Based on the need to inventory signs and manage them more effectively, this study has two focuses. The first focus is to develop an enhanced traffic sign detection methodology to improve the productivity of an image-based sign inventory for state DOTs. The proposed methodology includes two enhanced algorithms: a) a lighting dependent statistical color model (LD-SCM)-based color segmentation algorithm that is robust to different image lighting conditions, especially adverse lighting and b) an ordinary/partial differential equation (ODE/PDE)-based shape detection algorithm that is immune to discontinuous sign boundaries in a cluttered background. The second focus of the study is to explore a new traffic sign retroreflectivity condition assessment methodology to develop a mobile method that uses emerging computer vision and mobile light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technologies to assess traffic sign retroreflectivity conditions. The proposed methodology includes a) an image-LiDAR registration method employing camera calibration and point co-planarity to register the 3D LiDAR point cloud with 2D video log images, b) a theoretical-empirical normalization scheme to adjust the magnitude of the LiDAR retro-intensity values with respect to LiDAR beam distance and incidence angle based on the radiometric responses, and c) a population-based retroreflectivity condition assessment method to evaluate the adequacy of a traffic sign retroreflectivity condition based on the correlation between the normalized LiDAR retro-intensity and the retroreflectivity values. For the proposed traffic sign detection methodology, comprehensive tests using representative datasets (e.g. with different road functions, data collection sources, and data qualities) were conducted to validate the performance of the two enhanced algorithms and the complete methodology. For the proposed retroreflectivity condition assessment methodology, the fundamental behavior of LiDAR retro-intensity was comprehensively tested and simulated under a controlled lab and roadway environment to quantify the impact of beam distance and incidence angle. A preliminary test on Type 1 engineer grade stop signs was conducted in the field to validate the performance of the proposed sign retroreflectivity condition assessment method. The results from both of the proposed methodologies are promising.

Physiotherapy is a key part of treatment for neurological and musculoskeletal disorders, which affect millions in the U.S. each year. Physical therapy treatments typically consist of an initial diagnostic session during which patients’ impairments are assessed and exercises are prescribed to improve the impaired functions. As part of the treatment program, exercises are often assigned to be performed at home daily. Patients return to the clinic weekly or biweekly for check-up visits during which the physical therapist reassesses their condition and makes further treatment decisions, including readjusting the exercise prescriptions. Most physical therapists work in clinics or hospitals. When patients perform their exercises at home, physical therapists cannot supervise them and lack quantitative exercise data reflecting the patients’ exercise compliance and performance. Without this information, it is difficult for physical therapists to make informed decisions or treatment adjustments. To make informed decisions, physical therapists need to know how often patients exercise, the duration and/or repetitions of each session, exercise metrics such as the average velocities and ranges of motion for each exercise, patients’ symptom levels (e.g. pain or dizziness) before and after exercise, and what mistakes patients make. In this thesis, I evaluate and work towards a solution to this problem. The growing ubiquity of mobile and wearable technology makes possible the development of “virtual rehabilitation assistants.” Using motion sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes that are embedded in a wearable device, the “assistant” can mediate between patients at home and physical therapists in the clinic. Its functions are to:  use motion sensors to record home exercise metrics for compliance and performance and report these metrics to physical therapists in real-time or periodically;  allow physical therapists and patients to quantify and see progress on a fine-grain level;  record symptom levels to further help physical therapists gauge the effectiveness of exercise prescriptions;  offer real-time mistake recognition and feedback to the patients during exercises; One contribution of this thesis is an evaluation of the feasibility of this idea in real home settings. Because there has been little research on wearable virtual assistants in patient homes, there are many unanswered questions regarding their use and usefulness: Q1. What patient in-home data could wearable virtual assistants gather to support physical therapy treatments? Q2. Can patient data gathered by virtual assistants be useful to physical therapists? 3 Q3. How is this wearable in-home technology received by patients? I sought to answer these questions by implementing and deploying a prototype called “SenseCap.” SenseCap is a small mobile device worn on a ball cap that monitors patients’ exercise movements and queries them about their symptoms. A technology probe study showed that the virtual assistant could gather important compliance, performance, and symptom data to assist physical therapists’ decision-making, and that this technology would be feasible and acceptable for in-home use by patients. Another contribution of this thesis is the development of a tool to allow physical therapists to create and customize virtual assistants. With current technology, virtual assistants require engineering and programming efforts to design, implement, configure and deploy them. Because most physical therapists do not have access to an engineering team they and their patients would be unable to benefit from this technology. With the goal of making virtual assistants accessible to any physical therapist, I explored the following research questions: Q4. Would a user-friendly rule-specification interface make it easy for physical therapists to specify correct and incorrect exercise movements directly to a computer? What are the limitations of this method of specifying exercise rules? Q5. Is it possible to create a CAD-type authoring tool, based on a usable interface, that physical therapists could use to create their own customized virtual assistant for monitoring and coaching patients? What are the implementation details of such a system and the resulting virtual assistant? Q6. What preferences do PTs have regarding the delivery of coaching feedback for patients? Q7. What is the recognition accuracy of a virtual rehabilitation assistant created by this tool? This dissertation research aims to improve our understanding of the barriers to rehabilitation that occur because of the invisibility of home exercise behavior, to lower these barriers by making it possible for patients to use a widely-available and easily-used wearable device that coaches and monitors them while they perform their exercises, and improve the ability of physical therapists to create an exercise regime for their patients and to learn what patients have done to perform these exercises. In doing so, treatment should be better suited to each patient and more successful.

A population survey was conducted from April through September 2002 on mosquito species occurring on the Ray Roberts Greenbelt, a riparian corridor used for public recreation on the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, in Denton County, Texas. ArcGIS software was used to set up a stratified random sampling design based on habitat parameters. Multivariate analyses of sampling data and climatic variables were used to describe spatial and temporal patterns of mosquito species. A total of 33 species were collected during this study belonging to the following genera: Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Culex, Mansonia, Ochlerotatus, Orthopodomyia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites, and Uranotaenia. Seasonal distributions of the dominant species revealed population fluctuations. Aedes vexans was the primary species collected in April and May, occurring in low numbers throughout the rest of the sampling period. Psorophora columbiae reached its highest population density in June, with a smaller peak occurring in late July. Present from May through the end of September, Culex erraticus was the most abundant species collected with major peaks in mid-June and the end of July. Abundance of Culex salinarius followed the same general trend as that for Cx. erraticus, but with smaller numbers. The specimens were tested for a variety of arboviruses by the Texas Department of Health. One pool of Cx. erraticus and Cx. salinarius, collected in August 2002, tested positive for West Nile virus. Variables that were important factors for determining dominant species abundance were temperature, wind speed, rain accumulation occurring one-week and two-weeks prior to sampling, number of day since last rain event, dew point, and average canopy coverage.

Dengue is currently the most important arboviral disease globally and is usually associated with built environments in tropical areas. Control measures are currently focused on community participation in control of the vector Aedes aegypti and larval source reduction. In Costa Rica, dengue fever is a relatively recent re-emerging disease and has become a serious public health problem. Remotely sensed information can facilitate the study of urban mosquito-borne diseases like dengue by providing multiple temporal and spatial resolutions appropriate to investigate urban structure and ecological characteristics associated with infectious disease. Initial studies showed that although dengue is a serious public health problem in Costa Rica, there is a need for interdisciplinary scientific research to guide vector control. Therefore, the dengue situation in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and applications of remote sensing to study infectious diseases like dengue within urban environments was analyzed. Satellite imagery of high and medium spatial resolution was obtained to evaluate relationships between urban structure and incidence of dengue fever at the locality level. Using the satellite imagery, a geographical sampling method was developed and applied for seasonal entomological field surveys in Puntarenas. Very high resolution imagery from QuickBird was utilized to determine the relationships between Ae. aegypti larval habitat abundance and tree cover or built areas. Results showed that the most relevant Ae. aegypti larval habitats in Puntarenas were outdoor miscellaneous containers, cans and plastic food containers that fill with rain water in the wet season, while washtubs were the most productive habitats in the dry season. Dengue incidence and abundance of larval habitats in the urban environment were directly associated with tree cover and inversely associated with built areas. Environmental conditions and urban structure, as well as human behavior were related in different ways to dengue incidence and Ae. aegypti larval habitats. Overall, remotely sensed information was useful in developing sampling strategies for field surveys and determining factors within the urban environment that may promote persistence of mosquito larval habitats and increased dengue risk. The geographical methods and relationships revealed will be useful in determining target areas for more efficient vector control.

Future nuclear fission reactors (GEN IV) are designed to include fast breeder reactor technologies, which can accept transuranics (elements heavier than uranium) as fuel. This has the potential of being more fuel efficient but requires the closing of the nuclear fuel cycle: full recycling of existing and newly generated nuclear waste to extract uranium and transuranic elements which can be reused as fuel. In the UK a system being investigated is electrochemical pyroprocessing which uses molten LiCl-KCl eutectic (LKE), which aims to recover uranium by electrodeposition on an inert (steel) electrode and the transuranics by electrodeposition as alloys with an active metal electrode (bismuth, cadmium or aluminium). Of the three active metal candidates, aluminium has the best separation efficiency of actinides and lanthanides, which is important as lanthanides are neutron poisons and so are not to be extracted. The development of pyroprocessing requires fundamental understandings of electrochemical alloy formation, as well as on-line monitoring tools to ensure the reprocessing occurs safely and efficiently. To that end, this thesis investigates cerium-aluminium alloying (a non-radioactive model system for plutonium-aluminium) on macro- and microelectrodes to understand the limiting factors during the alloying reaction at each electrode scale and also the circumstances under which the Ce3+ concentration can be reliably determined for on-line monitoring. On a bulk aluminium macroelectrode one cerium-aluminium alloying reaction was observed. This reaction was kinetically limited by the phase change from cerium insertion into the aluminium, and resulted in lattice expansion and progressive roughening of the electrode surface. These factors made it difficult to reliably calculate the Ce3+ concentration. Li+ from the solution was also able to reduce and form alloys with aluminium, approximately 0.3 V more negative than the first cerium-aluminium alloying peak. Since lithium atoms are smaller than cerium, and there is an abundance of Li+ in the salt, lithium-aluminium alloy was found to form preferentially to cerium-aluminium alloy at these more negative potentials. By co-depositing Al3+ and Ce3+ together on a tungsten electrode which is inert under these conditions (it does not alloy), the kinetic barrier to alloy formation by cerium insertion was decreased, which is beneficial to studying the thermodynamics of alloying. Studies of pure aluminium plating and pure cerium plating showed each individual reaction was diffusion limited, with an increased contribution of convection to the mass transport at slow scan rates. Co-deposition on macroelectrodes with a low ratio of [CeCl3]:[AlCl3] showed only one cerium-aluminium alloying peak. The co-deposition currents, and ratio of oxidation peaks charges, showed that co-deposition was occurring with both species under diffusion control, resulting in an amorphous alloy with a Ce:Al ratio that smoothly varied with the [CeCl3]:[AlCl3] ratio. This was in contrast to the alloying behaviour of cerium with liquid bismuth, in which co-deposition occurred at specific ratios determined by the crystal phases that could be formed at the applied potentials, with higher co-deposition ratios being achieved at more negative potentials. Co-deposition on macroelectrodes with a high ratio of [CeCl 3]:[AlCl3] could result in up to five cerium-aluminium alloy peaks, corresponding to all five CexAly crystalline phases predicted by the phase diagram. This phase change from amorphous to crystalline was promoted by the high Ce:Al ratio in the amorphous alloy resulting from the high [CeCl3]:[AlCl3] ratio and by plating pure cerium on the surface, which could then insert into the alloy. Charge analysis of these peaks confirmed the expected stoichiometries of the crystal phase from these in-situ measurements which is important for rapid analysis, whereas all previous literature has relied on ex-situ techniques which cooled the alloy, possibly changing its composition and structure. In all circumstances of alloy formation on macroelectrodes, the rate of reduction of Ce3+ was time dependent and sensitive to convection. This significantly complicated analysis of the electrochemical signal, making it very difficult to reliably calculate the concentration of Ce3+, which is required for on-line monitoring. Co-deposition on in-house microfabricated tungsten microelectrodes resulted in steady state currents for both pure aluminium deposition and cerium-aluminium co-deposition (up to the beginning of lithium-aluminium alloying). Thus, unlike on macroelectrodes, the deposition rate occurred at the flux ratio of each species from solution and only one oxidation peak was observed corresponding to the amorphous cerium-aluminium phase, even at high [CeCl3]:[AlCl3] ratios. The steady state alloying current meant that calculating the Ce3+ concentration was relatively simple from co-deposition on microelectrodes. Co-deposition was highly beneficial for studying alloying, however to avoid the addition of Al3+ to the molten salt, in-house microfabricated thin film aluminium microelectrodes were also used to study alloying. Alloying on microfabricated thin film aluminium microelectrodes was hampered by the formation of a native aluminium oxide layer, which prevented cerium insertion into the aluminium. The oxide layer could be disrupted by reduction of lithium, which showed steady state currents (albeit with significant capacitance) could be achieved for alloying by cerium insertion. However, the full surface area of the microelectrode could not be attained and all microelectrodes lost their aluminium layer after multiple lithiation/de-lithiation cycles. These devices need further development to overcome the oxide layer, or prevent its formation, in order to study alloying in greater detail with aluminium microelectrodes to fully realise their advantages for sensing and monitoring in pyroprocessing.

The objective of the proposed research is to present a compact system-on-package (SOP)-based passive front-end solution for millimeter-wave wireless communication/sensor applications, that consists of fully integrated three dimensional (3D) cavity filters/duplexers and antenna. The presented concept is applied to the design, fabrication and testing of V-band transceiver front-end modules using multilayer low temperature co-fired (LTCC) technology. The millimeter-wave front-end module is the foundation of 60 GHz (V-band) wireless systems for short-range multimedia applications, such as high-speed internet access, video streaming and content download. Its integration poses stringent challenges in terms of high performance, large number of embedded passive components, low power consumption, low interference between integrated components and compactness. To overcome these major challenges, a high level of integration of embedded passive functions using low-cost and high-performance materials that can be laminated in 3D, such as the multilayer LTCC, is significantly critical in the module-level design. In this work, various compact and high-performance passive building blocks have been developed in both microstrip and cavity configurations and their integration, enabling a complete passives integration solution for 3D low-cost wireless millimeter-wave front-end modules. It is worthy to note that most of the designs implemented comes away with novel ideas and is presented as the first extensive state-of-art components, entirely validated by measured data at 60 GHz bands.

The interest in breaking the historical dependence on fossil energy and begin moving towards more renewable energy sources is rising worldwide. This is largely due to uncertainties in the future supply of fossil fuels and the rising concerns about humanity’s role in the currently ongoing climate changes. One renewable energy source is ocean waves and Uppsala University has since the early 2000s been performing active research in this area. The Uppsala wave energy concept is centered on developing linear generators coupled to point absorbing buoys, with the generator situated on the seabed and connected to the buoy on the sea surface via a steel wire. The motion of the buoy then transfers energy to the generator, where it is converted into electricity and sent to shore for delivery into the electrical grid. This thesis will mainly focus on the development and evaluation of technologies used to automate the manufacturing of the translator, a central part of the linear generator, using industrial robotics. The translator is a 3 m high and 0.8 m wide three sided structure with an aluminum pipe at its center. The structure consists of alternating layers of steel plates (pole-shoes) and ferrite magnets, with a total of 72 layers per side. To perform experiments on translator assembly and production, a robot cell (centered on an IRB6650S industrial robot) complimented with relevant tools, equipment and security measures, has been designed and constructed. The mounting of the pole-shoes on the central pipe, using the industrial robot, proved to be the most challenging task to solve. However, by implementing a precise work-piece orientation calibration system, combined with selective compliance robot tools, the task could be performed with mounting speeds of up to 50 mm/s. Although progress has been made, much work still remains before fully automated translator assembly is a reality. A secondary topic of this thesis is the development of stand-alone measurement systems to be used in the linear generator, once it has been deployed on the seabed. The main requirements of such a measurement system is robustness, resistance to electrical noise, and power efficiency. If possible the system should also be portable and easy to use. This was solved by developing a custom measurement circuit, based on industry standard 4–20 mA current signals, combined with a portable submersible logging unit. The latest iteration of the system is small enough to be deployed and retrieved by one person, and can collect data for 10 weeks before running out of batteries. Future work in this area should focus on increasing the usability of the system. The third and final topic of this thesis is a short discussion of an engineering approach to kinetic energy storage, in the form of high-speed composite flywheels, and the design of two different prototypes of such flywheels. Both designs gave important insights to the research group, but a few crucial design faults unfortunately made it impossible to evaluate the full potential of the two designs.

The need to consider groundwater and surface water as a single resource has fostered the interest of the scientific community on the interactions between surface water and groundwater. The region below and alongside rivers where surface hydrology and subsurface hydrology concur is the hyporheic zone. This is the region where water exchange determines many biogeochemical and ecological processes of great impact on the functioning of rivers. However, the complex processes taking place in the hyporheic zone require a multidisciplinary approach. The combination of innovative point and distributed techniques originally developed in separated disciplines is of great advantage for the indirect identification of water exchange in the hyporheic zone. Distributed techniques using temperature as a tracer such as fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing can identify the different components of groundwater-surface water interactions based on their spatial and temporal thermal patterns at the sediment-water interface. In particular, groundwater, interflow discharge and local hyporheic exchange flows can be differentiated based on the distinct size, duration and sign of the temperature anomalies. The scale range and resolution of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing are well complemented by geophysics providing subsurface structures with a similar resolution and scale. Thus, the use of fiber-optic distributed temperature sensing to trace flux patterns supported by the exploration of subsurface structures with geophysics enables spatial and temporal investigation of groundwater-surface water interactions with an unprecedented level of accuracy and resolution. In contrast to the aforementioned methods that can be used for pattern identification at the interface, other methods such as point techniques are required to quantify hyporheic exchange fluxes. In the present PhD thesis, point methods based on hydraulic gradients and thermal profiles are used to quantify hyporheic exchange flows. However, both methods are one-dimensional methods and assume that only vertical flow occurs while the reality is much more complex. The study evaluates the accuracy of the available methods and the factors that impact their reliability. The applied methods allow not only to quantify hyporheic exchange flows but they are also the basis for an interpretation of the sediment layering in the hyporheic zone. For upscaling of the previous results three-dimensional modelling of flow and heat transport in the hyporheic zone combines pattern identification and quantification of fluxes into a single framework. Modelling can evaluate the influence of factors governing groundwater-surface water interactions as well as assess the impact of multiple aspects of model design and calibration of high impact on the reliability of the simulations. But more importantly, this modelling approach enables accurate estimation of water exchange at any location of the domain with unparalleled resolution. Despite the challenges in 3D modelling of the hyporheic zone and in the integration of point and distributed data in models, the benefits should encourage the hyporheic community to adopt an integrative approach comprising from the measurement to the upscaling of hyporheic processes.

This study deals with the insertion of the use of technologies of information and communication (TIC) and of geotechnological resources in the primary school. The aim of the research was to analyze the importance of the geotechnologies resources and of the (TIC) in the context of primary school. Specifically this work intend to: a) verify if the teachers of the area use the resources in their daily professional routine, b) present arguments that justify the importance of the use of these resources to improve the pedagogical practice in the primary school, c) propose pedagogical actions that use the geotechnological resources to develop content in the preschool. Methodologically, the study came from a bibliographic research to identify works already developed in the primary school where technological resources were used. Then, it was applied a questionnaire to seven teachers of public school which work with primary school to know if they use technologies in their teaching routine. From these data it was carried out an argumentative analyzes to present the elements necessary to insert the (TIC) and the geotechnologies resources in this level of teaching. In the work already done it was observed that some teachers already use the resources in class, as tablet or computer, digital blackboard and geotechnologies resource as the cartography, not just in the public school. From de seven teachers interviewed in Santa Maria, few use some kind of resource to improve their pedagogical routine. The use of new resources is fundamental in the primary school once these kids have contact with different kinds of technologies which facilitate their interaction with these and others resources. The biggest difficulty to the use of the (TIC), in the education, still is the resistance and teachers not prepared for that.
Este estudo trata da inserção e do uso das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC) e dos recursos geotecnológicos na Educação Infantil. O objetivo da pesquisa foi analisar a importância dos recursos geotecnológicos e das TIC no contexto da Educação Infantil. Especificamente, este trabalho objetivou: a) verificar se professores da área utilizam os recursos no seu cotidiano profissional; b) apresentar argumentos que justifiquem a importância do uso destes recursos para melhorar a prática pedagógica na Educação Infantil; c) propor ação pedagógica que utiliza recursos geotecnológicos para desenvolver conteúdos na Pré-Escola. Metodologicamente, o estudo partiu de pesquisa bibliográfica para identificar trabalhos já desenvolvidos na Educação Infantil e que recursos tecnológicos eram utilizados; após, aplicou-se um questionário para sete professores da rede pública de ensino que atuam na Educação Infantil, para conhecer se utilizam tecnologias no seu cotidiano pedagógico. A partir destes dados, procedeu-se uma análise argumentativa, no sentido de apresentar elementos que tratam da importância de inserir as TIC e os recursos geotecnológicos neste nível de ensino. Em relação aos trabalhos já realizados, observou-se que há professores que utilizam recursos em sala de aula como o tablet ou computador, a lousa digital e recursos geotecnológicos como a cartografia, mas essas experiências não estão restritas às escolas públicas. Dos sete professores entrevistados em Santa Maria, poucos são aqueles que utilizam algum recurso para melhorar o seu fazer pedagógico. A utilização de novos recursos é fundamental desde a educação infantil, tendo em vista que o público (crianças) já nasceu em meio às tecnologias, o que facilita a interação delas com esses e outros recursos. A grande dificuldade, para maior inserção e uso das TIC na educação, ainda é a resistência e a falta de preparo de muitos professores.

Accurate and frequent construction progress tracking provides critical input data for project systems such as cost and schedule control as well as billing. Unfortunately, conventional progress tracking is labor intensive, sometimes subject to negotiation, and often driven by arcane rules. Attempts to improve progress tracking have recently focused mainly on automation, using technologies such as 3D imaging, Global Positioning System (GPS), Ultra Wide Band (UWB) indoor locating, hand-held computers, voice recognition, wireless networks, and other technologies in various combinations. Three dimensional (3D) imaging technologies, such as 3D laser scanners (LADARs) and photogrammetry have shown great potential for saving time and cost for recording project 3D status and thus to support some categories of progress tracking. Although laser scanners in particular and 3D imaging in general are being investigated and used in multiple applications in the construction industry, their full potential has not yet been achieved. The reason may be that commercial software packages are still too complicated and time consuming for processing scanned data. Methods have however been developed for the automated, efficient and effective recognition of project 3D BIM objects in site laser scans. This thesis presents a novel system that combines 3D object recognition technology with schedule information into a combined 4D object based construction progress tracking system. The performance of the system is investigated on a comprehensive field database acquired during the construction of a steel reinforced concrete structure, Engineering V Building at the University of Waterloo. It demonstrates a degree of accuracy that meets or exceeds typical manual performance. However, the earned value tracking is the most commonly used method in the industry. That is why the object based automated progress tracking system is further explored, and combined with earned value theory into an earned value based automated progress tracking system. Nevertheless, both of these systems are focused on permanent structure objects only, not secondary or temporary. In the last part of the thesis, several approaches are proposed for concrete construction secondary and temporary object tracking. It is concluded that accurate tracking of structural building project progress is possible by combining a-priori 4D project models with 3D object recognition using the algorithms developed and presented in this thesis.

碩士
明志科技大學
機電工程研究所
95
This thesis presents a system combines the Microsensor, Wireless transmission technologies(Zigbee), micro controller, and a monitor system to install a platform of wireless sensor network and application to Telehomecare and animal husbandry. In this research, we use a barometric sensor and a color sensor to build wireless transmission technologies and a platform of monitor. Then, expand to detect system of temperature or something else. Finally, it will apply to agriculture, fishery, husbandry or home care services. The planning of the whole system is low cost and stability transmission situation. We also want to develop a circuit of multi-function chip that combines USB, A/D and zigbee. In our initial design, the circuit of A/D Converter is manly 8-12 bits, so as to ensure exactness and accuracy of delivering data. The wireless delivers system to draw up to take the chip of Microchip or Zigbee as to develop a platform, this platform has many channels to input / output in order to offer each detect usage. The Windows supervision is an interface for receiving and recoding data by transmitting, it’s a simple platform that operated by diagram control. With the preliminary research of this thesis, it can develop a simple platform for detect and wireless deliver technique, if we apply this technology to some application, for example, home care services for nursing or detect the temperature or salt degree of water for aquaculture, it will quite beneficial to the development of many industry.