Дисертації з теми "+ 621.314"

Cette etude a pour but d'etudier l'effet des parametres et de la composition chimique sur la constitution du bain de fusion en soudage tig. L'influence du courant, de la vitesse de soudage, de la vitesse de fil, etc. Sur les caracteristiques geometriques du cordon (penetration, p, largeur, l, et le rapport p/l) est etudiee en soudage de l'inconel 625. L'influence des parametres sur la structure de solidification est aussi etudiee. Une modelisation statistique est egalement elaboree pour prevoir la variation des aspects morphologiques du cordon en fonction des parametres de soudage. L'influence du soufre est etudiee en soudage des aciers inoxydables 304 et 316. Les differents mouvements du liquide en fonction de la teneur en soufre sont visualises en soudage en courant pulse. L'effet du soufre sur la penetration et sur le rapport p/l est etudie en relation avec les parametres de soudage; il en est de meme pour les defauts de cordon et pour la topologie de surface. L'interaction entre les parametres de soudage est egalement etudiee en soudage de ces aciers. L'ensemble des resultats de ce travail fait ressortir l'importance des parametres de soudage et de la teneur en soufre en ce qui concerne la constitution du bain de fusion. L'interaction etroite entre les parametres de soudage est egalement identifiee

The aim of this thesis is to model the extrusion process conditions for some aluminium alloys using Finite Element Modelling (FEM) program. All the simulations were performed with the implicit finite element code FORGE20 (2-D) and FORGE3® (3-D). In this work only the alloys AA2024, AA2014, Al-1 %Cu and AA6063 where experimental work is available were considered. The FORGE2® program was used to investigate and select an appropriate flow stress constitutive equation to describe the material behaviour to model the process conditions. The extrusion pressure and the temperature rise were predicted and the pressure-displacement trace and the events which take place in the deformed material during the extrusion process were also simulated. The effect of the initial billet temperature on friction, and the extent of the surface zone affected by surface friction and the consequence changes in material flow were investigated. The changes in the subgrain size during quasi-static deformation were predicted. This allows a construction of velocity-displacement profiles which would ensure consistent properties over the length of the extrudate. The FORGE3® program was used to simulate the effect of changing the die geometry on material flow during extrusion for rod, shapes and tube extrusion and the effect of the initial temperature on the deformation zone. The load required, temperature evolution, surface formation of the extrudate and material flow during the process, were also predicted. These included solid sections and the production of tubes using bridge die. Two most commonly used constitutiveflow stress equations,the Zener-Hollomon and the Norton-Hoff were analysed and compared with experimental results. It was found that the Zener-Hollomon relationship provided a better representation of the experimental flow stress under high working conditions than the Norton-Hoff relationship. FEM has been successfully applied to model the deformation patterns in the load/displacement traces and temperature evolution during the extrusion cycle. The effect of the initial billet temperature on the deformation zone pattern and its consequent effect on friction using both numerical simulation and experimental work are presented. A specific function relationship to measure directly interfacial friction under conditions approaching those encountered in the quasi-static deformation process is described. The results revealed that the friction factor increases with increase in initial billet temperature and varies during the extrusion cycle. The dead metal zone (DMZ) is observed to vary in form and has a greater volume at high temperatures. FEM proved to be a very effective and efficient way to design the ram speed profile to control the extrudate properties. The control of the properties of the extrudate under a constant (Z) parameter resulted in a more uniform distribution of the subgrain size across and along the extrudate cross-section. Furthermore, the speed profile under constant Z conditions resulted in an improved extrusion speed and hence greater productivity coupled with better control of the subgrain size and the exit temperature. This new extrusion process is termed iso-Z Extrusion, and is considered an improvement on Iso-Thermal extrusion. The usefulness and the limitation of FEM when modelling complex shapes are discussed. Methods to assess the difficulty of hollow and section shapes are presented. The work also illustrates the essentials of numerical analysis in the comprehension of the thermo-mechanical events occurring during extrusion through bridge and shape dies. Results are presented for velocity distribution in the extrusion chamber, Iso-temperature contours and pressure/displacement traces. It is shown that for most of the shapes investigated, the material making up the extrudate cross-sections originated from virgin material within the billet. The outside surface of the extrudate originates from the material moving along the DMZ and the core of the extrudate from the central deformation zone. When simulating tube extrusion, it is shown that the FE program is able to predict the pressure requirements: the pressure/displacement trace showing a double peak for tube extrusion which is discussed in some detail. The FE program appears to predict all the major characteristics of the flow observed macroscopically.

This work concerns some problems in the area of survival analysis that arise in real clinical or epidemiological studies. In particular, we approach the problem of estimating the survival function based on interval-censored data or doubly-censored data. We will start defining these concepts and presenting a brief review of different methodologies to deal with this kind of censoring patterns.
Survival analysis is the term used to describe the analysis of data that correspond to the time from a well defined origin time until the occurrence of some particular event of interest. This event need not necessarily be death, but could, for example, be the response to a treatment, remission from a disease, or the occurrence of a symptom

Materials need to be designed under certain conditions to withstand high thermal gradients to operate at high temperature environments. Many advanced gas cooled reactor (AGR) power plant components with operating temperatures in the range of 500-650 °C undergo creep-fatigue loading conditions. These components may be subject to isothermal low cycle fatigue (LCF) and thermo mechanical fatigue (TMF) damages due to the cyclic operation of power plant caused by the start-up and shutdown processes and due to the fluctuation of energy demand in daily operation. Hence, the influence of these cyclic loads induced mechanically and thermally, on the different structural components need to be carefully monitored and analysed in order to prevent failure and ensure safe operating conditions of critical units. The material Type 316 SS with cast number S7646, widely used in this type of components, is investigated in this project. The aim of this research is to conduct experimental tests to obtain quality stress-strain data for the material under investigation under cyclic plasticity in isothermal and an-isothermal tests using the available testing machine systems in the University of Imperial College London. The data obtained from experimental results are then utilised to develop advanced novel finite element damage models in a creep/fatigue loading environment in order to predict the cyclic behaviour under LCF conditions. Finally, the results of cyclic data derived from isothermal tests were used to predict the thermo mechanical fatigue behaviour for this alloy. The LCF-TMF testing unit, Instron 8801 with a temperature uniformity of less than ±10°C within the gauge section of the specimens were employed to conduct the experimental tests. Fully-reversed, strain-controlled isothermal tests were conducted at 500°C and 650°C for the strain ranges of ∆ɛ=±0.4%, ±0.8%, ±1.0% and ±01.2%. Strain-controlled in-phase (IP) thermo-mechanical fatigue tests were conducted on the same material and the temperature was cycled between 500°C and 650°C. Additionally, the creep-fatigue interactions were investigated with the introduction of symmetrical hold time at maximum strains in tension and compression under both LCF-TMF tests. From the investigation and the analysis of the experimental stress-strain data, three phases are observed when the cyclic stress responses are plotted; cyclic hardening, stabilisation and damage evolution. In the final stage of the behaviour of the material, a nonlinear decrease of the peak stress level was observed which was initiated by the presence of micro-crack and the failure occurred as the crack propagated. The evolution of inelastic strain energy density, ∆w, against the number of cycles, N, was used to determine the number of cycles at which the material stabilised, N_sta , the damage initiated, N_i and the failure occurred,N_f. The introduction of the hold time in both tension and compression strains in the LCF and TMF tests, produced an increase in the plastic strain range which subsequently increased the inelastic strain energy density and slightly reduced the peak flow stress when compared with the continues cyclic tests. The stress relaxation was observed when the hold time was introduced. The amount of stress relaxation was dependent on the test temperature and the imposed strain amplitude and the same trend was found when different strain ranges were examined. The cyclic behaviour of the Type 316 steel was further studied by analysing and performing microstructural investigations using the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The metallographic and the fractographic studies revealed that in all LCF-TMF tests the cracks mostly initiated in transgranular mode and propagated in either transgranular (under continuous cyclic loading) or in a mixed mode (under symmetric dwell period). The comparison of the metallographic and the fractographic studies of the LCF and TMF tests under both conditions (i.e. with and without dwell period) highlighted that the proportion of intergranular cracking increases with decrease in frequency, i.e. from 0.01Hz to 0.001Hz. Furthermore, the transgranular fatigue process dominates at high frequencies whereas the intergranular time dependent mechanism governs at low frequencies, low imposed mechanical strain amplitude and they both act together at intermediate frequencies and imposed mechanical strain amplitude. A constitutive model based on isotropic and nonlinear kinematic hardening rules was used to replicate numerically the cyclic structural behaviour of the material. A user-defined subroutine was developed and implemented in the finite element software, ABAQUS to predict the cyclic hardening, the stress relaxation during hold time and finally to demonstrate the damage evolution once the damage initiated. The final stage of the material behaviour (i.e. failure) was simulated numerically for both LCF and TMF tests conducted with and without hold time where for the tests with continuous cyclic loading (without hold time) a hysteresis energy-based phenomenological model was implemented in a USDFLD subroutine. Further, this model in combination with the creep damage model based on the time-fraction law were employed simultaneously to replicate the experimental results in which the hold time was introduced. In the end, the FE results were compared with the experimental results and the minor deviations observed in e.g. the first and stabilised hysteresis loops under TMF conditions or in the FE hysteresis damages, could be minimised by conducting further isothermal tests to define additional material properties at intermediate temperatures and performing tests at various strain ranges respectively.

The thesis focuses on the scope, content, sources and applicability of the obligation aut dedere aut judicare pertaining to certain international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, the prohibition of torture, drug trafficking, hijacking of civil aviation and terrorist bombing and financing of terrorism in international law. The general framework of the thesis focuses on the legal base of the obligation aut dedere aut judicare, the scope and content of the obligation, the triggering mechanisms of the duty, and state responsibility for preaches of the obligation. The relevant core crimes and transnational crimes are examined in relation to the obligation, based on and formulated in various multilateral, widely-ratified conventions and state practice. State practice and opinio juris indicate that a customary aut dedere aut judicare duty has formed or crystallized for certain international crimes such as the prohibition of torture, genocide, grave breaches of international humanitarian law, including war crimes, and crimes against humanity. As regards the offences against the safety of civil aviation and hijacking, terrorism-related crimes, international drug trafficking, and crimes against UN personnel, the evidence is mixed and it is more appropriate to conclude that an emerging custom of the obligation 'extradite-or-prosecute' for these crimes is forming.

The Hydraulic Fracturing process and its engineering applications have been studied and reported in this thesis. The Distinct Element Method (DEM) was adopted as the main and preferred numerical technique because of its distinctive features and advantages. This method allows the phenomenon to be modelled and viewed microscopically at the inter-particle level by conceptualising the rock mass as an assembly of discrete particles interacting with each other via contacts. This method allows for a more detailed and dynamic monitoring of the hydraulic fracturing process. Sequel to a detailed review on the study of the hydraulic fracturing phenomenon, the research was extended to investigate specific cases of applications of hydraulic fracturing in geo-mechanical and environmental problems. Examples of such cases include carbon dioxide injection and storage in a reservoir system, and the behaviour of naturally occurring faults subjected to hydrostatic fluid pressures. The key factors governing the geo-mechanical responses of porous media (rocks), including reservoir formations were identified and further examined to ascertain the following: the role and inter-relationship between operating and material/fluid variables such as injection flow rate, fluid pressure, and interstitial velocity; type and pattern of fracture propagation; influence of environmental conditions as well as the configuration of the well-reservoir system, amongst others. Because of broad similarities in enabling conditions, analyses and applications of the phenomenon were also extended to study the sand production process. However, since the emphasis of the study was on identifying and examining the controlling variables as well as establishing patterns of sanding production rates rather than the study of the cavitation process, investigations were conducted using a finite element procedure; moreover, the limit of computational capacity has prevented a large scale DEM model for such problems. Modelling results show that fracturing mode, pattern and intensity are highly dependent on operating and environmental conditions; the reservoir erosion processes also indicate likewise tendencies. The numerical modelling techniques adopted and results obtained facilitate an improved understanding of geo-mechanical mechanisms at sub-surface systems, and could be further improved for industrial applications, such as site evaluation and assessment of the efficiency of stimulation techniques.

The knee joint is a key structure of the human locomotor system. The knowledge of how each single anatomical structure of the knee contributes to determine the physiological function of the knee, is of fundamental importance for the development of new prostheses and novel clinical, surgical, and rehabilitative procedures. In this context, a modelling approach is necessary to estimate the biomechanic function of each anatomical structure during daily living activities. The main aim of this study was to obtain a subject-specific model of the knee joint of a selected healthy subject. In particular, 3D models of the cruciate ligaments and of the tibio-femoral articular contact were proposed and developed using accurate bony geometries and kinematics reliably recorded by means of nuclear magnetic resonance and 3D video-fluoroscopy from the selected subject. Regarding the model of the cruciate ligaments, each ligament was modelled with 25 linear-elastic elements paying particular attention to the anatomical twisting of the fibres. The devised model was as subject-specific as possible. The geometrical parameters were directly estimated from the experimental measurements, whereas the only mechanical parameter of the model, the elastic modulus, had to be considered from the literature because of the invasiveness of the needed measurements. Thus, the developed model was employed for simulations of stability tests and during living activities. Physiologically meaningful results were always obtained. Nevertheless, the lack of subject-specific mechanical characterization induced to design and partially develop a novel experimental method to characterize the mechanics of the human cruciate ligaments in living healthy subjects. Moreover, using the same subject-specific data, the tibio-femoral articular interaction was modelled investigating the location of the contact point during the execution of daily motor tasks and the contact area at the full extension with and without the whole body weight of the subject. Two different approaches were implemented and their efficiency was evaluated. Thus, pros and cons of each approach were discussed in order to suggest future improvements of this methodologies. The final results of this study will contribute to produce useful methodologies for the investigation of the in-vivo function and pathology of the knee joint during the execution of daily living activities. Thus, the developed methodologies will be useful tools for the development of new prostheses, tools and procedures both in research field and in diagnostic, surgical and rehabilitative fields.

Psychophysiological Insomnia (PI) is characterized by morbid fear of insomnia, mental arousal and heightened somatic tension in bed (ICSD- 2). The most widely reported epidemiological study reports a prevalence of insomnia as between 9% and 15% (Ohayon 2002) and most studies conducted to date looking at prevalence report similar numbers. Espie and colleagues (2006) in their review paper outlined a pathway into PI with three main components; selective attention to sleep, explicit intention to sleep and sleep effort. This model moves forward from Espie’s (2002) Psychobiological Inhibition Model of insomnia which considered both the psychological and physiological states of normal sleep and how these are affected in insomnia. The Attention-Intention-Effort (A-I-E) Model further addresses the loss of automaticity and flexibility in insomnia but moves towards specifically outlining the processes which are present in PI as compared to the good sleeper (GS). The first step in the A-I-E is selective attention to sleep, more commonly reported as attention bias to sleep. The University of Glasgow have pioneered the work establishing this attention bias towards sleep as an indicator in insomnia by using several cognitive probe paradigms presenting neutral and sleep related words and images to PI and GS (Jones et al 2005, Marchetti et al 2006, MacMahon et al 2006, Woods et al 2009). The various paradigms applied to understanding attention bias in PI have confirmed that PI will selectively attend to sleep related stimuli compared to neutral and to GS. We now find ourselves at the juncture of wanting to further understand the underlying mechanism to this attention bias as the previous research has mainly attributed it to an anxiety provoked response. This has its basis in Harvey’s (2002) cognitive model of insomnia which makes comparisons with insomnia and anxiety disorder as well as the absence of de-arousal, both physiological and cognitive, in insomnia as outlined in Espie’s (2002) Psychobiological Inhibition Model. This thesis aims to further our understanding and answer our questions regarding the underlying mechanisms of attention bias in insomnia by addressing the time course, specificity and valence of attention bias in insomnia. Four experiments are used to address these three factors. Firstly, the specificity of AB is examined and compares the performance of GS and those going through a period of acute insomnia on a modified pictorial Posner paradigm in Experiment 1. Experiments 2 and 3 move on from Woods et al (2009) looking at AB to sleep and day times presented on an alarm clock using another modified Posner paradigm. By adding day times into the experiment and adjusting the presentation time of the salient stimuli we address the time course and valence questions. Finally, in experiment 4, an eye tracking experiment, which is new to insomnia research, has been developed where positive sleep, negative sleep and neutral words are presented to PI and GS. . This definitive experiment addresses factors of time course and valence by experimentally manipulating the saliency of the stimuli presented as well as monitoring over a continuous period of presentation. Overall, the findings of this thesis confirm that PI will selectively attend to salient stimuli at shorter presentation times but this attention bias changes into a performance deficit as presentation time increases. This prompts consideration on how the nature of the tasks are exposing elusive performance impairments in insomnia. Also, the saliency of stimuli representing the day presented to PI opens discussion into the 24 hour nature of PI.

A detailed investigation was made to study the shear transfer between precast prestressed beams and in-situ concrete in a relatively new method of construction of continuous bridge decks where the ends of precast beams are connected to an integral in-situ crosshead away from the supports. Two series of tests were carried out. In the first series 1/3 scale models of the M. o. T, C&CA M-8 sections were used, and these were modified in the second series to study the effect of the beam's top flanges within the connection. One of the most important mechanisms of shear transfer proved to be the top flanges of the precast beam. For the precast beams with top flanges (first series), and with a 300mm beam embedment length, it was discovered that: a) The shear force is transferred from a small length at the end of the beam. b) The in-situ concrete nibs (concrete surrounding the web) can take this shear force without stirrups. c) There is no need either to project all the bars from the precast into the in-situ concrete or to prestress the connection transversely as a means of improving shear transfer. d) It was possible to transfer the whole shear force at the connection with a reduced embedment length of 100mm with nib stirrups. For the precast beam without top flanges, the transfer of the shear force at the connection required other improving details. In this respect transverse prestressing and web shear connectors were utilized effectively. The effect of projecting bars was also examined. In the general behaviour of composite continuous beams subjected to shear a detailed comparison was made between different Code predictions for the web cracking shear and web crushing strength. A mathematical model is also proposed to predict the stirrup stress according to shear span, effective depth and stirrup ratio when failure is controlled by web crushing. Stirrup stress measurement in the vicinity of continuous support made it possible to predict the enhanced shear strength and a design method is proposed for the continuous beams. A comparion is also made between different Code predictions in this respect. To obtain more information about the strength of web shear connectors used in the secod series, a separate dowel shear specimen was designed. Different interface conditions including bond, dowel bar size and strength and the effect of shrinkage were examined. A design method is proposed together with a comparison with different Code predictions.

Damage accumulation in glass fibre woven reinforced epoxy laminates manufactured from two different fabrics have been investigated under three different loading conditions. One of the woven fabrics was non-hybrid glass using E-glass fibre yams in both warp and weft (fill) directions, the second fabric was a hybrid woven fabric using E-glass fibre yams in the warp direction and R-glass fibre yams in the weft direction. Destructive tests such as interlaminar shear, flexural and uniaxial tension tests were carried out on two different categories. In the first category four different fibre volume fractions of nonhybrid E-glass woven fabric reinforced epoxy resin laminates have been investigated. In the second category hybrid and non-hybrid woven fabric reinforced epoxy resin laminates for similar fibre volume fractions have been investigated. Acoustic Emission (AE) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) were employed as nondestructive tools to predict and characterise the damage events in the composites. All laminates were fabricated using the wet hand lay-up process to laminate the fabric layers prior to curing. Epoxy resin (L20-SL set) was the sole matrix used for all composites. Test results showed higher mechanical performance for the hybrid composites and improvements in mechanical properties for higher fibre volume fraction in the non-hybrid composites. DMTA tests were carried out on the laminates of the categories mentioned above, the test results indicated the effect of fibre surface treatment concentration on the performance of mechanical properties of woven composites. DMTA data has been used to correlate the results of ILSS, flexural and tensile tests. A model was developed in this study based on the damage event sequential process of glass woven fabric reinforced epoxy resin composites. The model is an experimental analysis model, supported by DMTA, AE, SEM and visual examination of specimen fracture surface.

Water injection has been commonly used to maintain reservoir pressure and improve oil recovery in many oil fields. The equilibrium between reservoir rock and formation brine at initial reservoir conditions would be disturbed by the introduction of a non-native water, which mixes and reacts with the formation brine and interacts with minerals present in the formation. A series of brine/brine and/or brine/rock interactions would then take place in the flow paths from the injection well to the production well, potentially leading to dissolution and/or precipitation of minerals; knowledge of these interactions is crucial for the evaluation and the management of oilfield scale problems. In this thesis, thermodynamic models, reactive transport models and reservoir simulation models are used to identify the geochemical reactions occurring in the reservoir and investigate how the reservoir interactions affect the produced water composition. Brine composition data have been collected from 26 fields, and examples from four selective fields provide the basis for the analysis in this thesis. For Field X, a typical sandstone reservoir located in the North Sea region, a thermodynamic prediction model was used to calculate the risk of scale precipitation based on a series of individual produced water samples, thus providing an evaluation of the actual scaling risk in these samples, which is then compared with the usual theoretical estimate based on endpoint formation and injection brine compositions, and the erroneous assumption that no reactions in the reservoir impact the produced water composition. The occurrence of barium sulphate precipitation and calcium magnesium ion exchange reaction are identified by the modelling results. The Cation Exchange Capacity was identified as a modest 0.05 mol/kgw (50 meq/L) for this field. Since ion exchange capacity is an important parameter for some chemical EOR method, this a promising technique for EOR evaluation. An available history matched streamline reservoir simulation model of the Miller Field was then integrated with produced water chemical data. Streamline simulation is applied to better model brine mixing through reducing the numerical dispersion which cannot be effectively controlled in finite difference simulation. A simplified model of barite scale precipitation was included in the streamline simulation, and the calculation results with and without considering barite precipitation were compared with the observed produced water chemical data. The streamline simulation model assumes scale deposition is possible everywhere in the formation, whereas in reality the near production well zones were generally protected by squeezed scale inhibitor, and thus the discrepancies between modelled and observed barium concentrations at these two given wells diagnose the effectiveness of the chemical treatments to prevent formation. 1D and 2D reactive transport models were developed to identify the geochemical reactions occurring in the Gyda Field where there is a high reservoir temperature and formation water is high salinity. Anhydrite and barite precipitation are identified as the two dominant mineral reactions taking place deep within the reservoir. Anhydrite is deposited due to mixing of formation and injection waters in the area before this zone is cooled, and the precipitated anhydrite is gradually dissolved as the local reservoir temperature is lowered by cool injection water. The dissolved anhydrite then re-precipitates downstream in the at high temperature zones since the propagation of the temperature front is much slower than the brine mixing front. This creates a risk of late life anhydrite deposition in the producer. Finally, a carbonate reservoir study was performed for Ekofisk field where seawater flooding has been implemented. The 1D reactive transport model provides a good match with observed produced water chemistry data when the primary calcite mineral phase, calcium magnesium carbonate precipitation, temperature change and initial source of CO2 were modelled. In Ekofisk Field, calcite dissolution drives anhydrite and calcium magnesium carbonate precipitation. The modelled combination of calcium magnesium carbonate precipitation and ion exchange remove magnesium from the brine, also as observed from the produced water data. Simulation results also demonstrate that calcite dissolves quickly at first due to CO2 partitioning from the hydrocarbon phase into the brine. It was also shown that calcite dissolution is promoted by an increase in sulphate concentration in the injection water due to the coupled anhydrite precipitation. This body of work develop a methodology for systematically storing and analyzing produced brine data, and using modelling tools to identify what geochemical reactions have taken place. The methodology is then applied to various reservoir scenarios, leading to insights that impact scale management in these systems, and may also have a bearing on chemical EOR methods.

Water flooding and gas injection are two widely used improved oil recovery techniques that can be applied individually or combined as water alternating gas (WAG) or simultaneous gas and water (SWAG) injection. Laboratory data on WAG and SWAG injections for non-water-wet systems are very limited especially for near-miscible (very low IFT) gas-oil systems. Near-miscible gas injection represents a number of processes of great importance to reservoir engineers including high pressure hydrocarbon gas injection and CO2 flooding. Simulation of these processes (WAG and SWAG injections) requires three-phase relative permeability (kr) data. Most of the existing three-phase relative permeability correlations (such as Stone-I, Stone-II or Baker) have been developed for water-wet conditions and are unable to adequately account for all the complex multi-phase and multi-physics processes involved in these oil recovery techniques. Another major problem in the prediction of the performance of Water Alternating Gas (WAG) process is the uncertainty associated with the changes in three-phase relative permeability (kr) values of oil, gas and water in different cycles, which is known as cyclic hysteresis. The current approach in the industry (except hysteresis model proposed by Larsen and Skauge) is to use two-phase bounding imbibition and drainage relative permeabilities along with a two-phase hysteresis model (such as Land, Carlson or Killough to generate two-phase scanning curves) and input the result into a three-phase correlation (Stone-I, Stone-II, Baker etc) to simulate hysteresis in WAG injection. The other approach in the industry to account for hysteresis in WAG injection is the WAG-hysteresis model (proposed by Larsen and Skauge) coupled with Stone-I correlation. None of these models and approaches is developed and assessed based for low oil/gas IFT and/or nonwater- wet system. Nevertheless, the majority of oil reservoirs are believed to be mixedwet and hence, prediction of the performance of WAG injection in these reservoirs is associated with significant uncertainties. Accurate determination of relative permeability values and their hysteresis behaviour is crucial for obtaining a reliable prediction of the performance of water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection in oil reservoirs. Performing reliable laboratory experiments is the key to evaluating the performance of these oil recovery techniques under different reservoir and operational conditions. The experimental data can be also used for assessment of different relative permeability and hysteresis models, and developing new methodologies for reliable simulation of WAG and SWAG injections (if required). The content of the thesis can be divided into two sections: a) two-phase flow and b) three-phase flow. I present the results of comprehensive series of two-phase and three-phase (WAG injections) coreflood experiments for a gas/oil system at near-miscible (IFT= 0.04 mN.m-1) conditions. Two different cores; a high-permeability (1000 mD) and a lower permeability (65 mD) core were used in the experiments and both water-wet and mixedwet conditions were examined. Experimental data have been used to obtain reliable relative permeabilities and investigate their cyclic hysteresis behavior. In the first section of the thesis (two-phase flow), effects of different parameters such as permeability, wettability (water-wet and mixed-wet), immobile water and saturation history on two-phase flow of oil and gas at near-miscible condition have been investigated. Contrary to the open literature reports which are based on high IFT oil/gas, the results (for very-low oil/gas IFT) showed the importance of the wettability and immobile water saturation on the recovery profiles and estimated relative permeabilities. In addition contrary to the near-miscible liquid-liquid systems, it was observed significant hysteresis effect in the gas-liquid system. I have also investigated different two-phase systems (gas-oil, gas-water and oil-water) in mixed-wet systems. This is crucial, considering the importance of the two-phase systems as a backbone to better understand three-phase flow as well as their importance as an input to two-phase hysteresis models (for simulation of WAG including hysteresis). The investigation in this study shows that currently available two-phase hysteresis models in simulators (Carlson and Killough) are not able to capture the observed cyclic hysteresis behavior in these systems. The results suggest that for mixed-wet systems, it is necessary to consider irreversible hysteresis loops for both the wetting and non-wetting phases. Such capability currently does not exist in reservoir simulators due to lack of appropriate predictive tools. Results highlight the differences between cyclic hysteresis behaviors of the relative permeabilities in these three systems. In the second section of the thesis, I first evaluated the performance of different injection scenarios in the mixed-wet system. These processes include primary waterflooding (WF), primary gasflooding (GF), WAG injection (either starting with water injection or gas injection), and SWAG injection (with different gas/water ratios). For some of these processes (WF, GF and WAG injection started with primary WF) the effect of wettability was also investigated. The results show that in both the water-wet and mixed-wet cores, the performance of WAG injection is better than water injection and gas injection alone. The results show that in mixed-wet core, oil recovery by the WAG test which had started with water injection was higher than the WAG test started with gas injection. WAG injections had superior performance over SWAG injections. SWAG performed better compared to primary gas injection. However, surprisingly, SWAG resulted in lower oil recovery compared to primary waterflood in the mixed-wet system. Compared to the other injection strategies, a very high pressure drop across the core was observed during SWAG injection indicating injectivity problems with the application of the process in mixed-wet rocks. Using results of the WAG injection experiments, I also investigated the cyclic hysteresis effect on three-phase relative permeabilities of each phase (gas, oil and water). The results show the importance of properly accounting for irreversible kr hysteresis loops in the processes involving cyclic injection under three-phase flow conditions. Gas relative permeability (krg) dropped in successive cycles under both water-wet and mixed-wet conditions. krg hysteresis was larger in the water-wet system compared to the mixed-wet case. The results also reveal saturation history dependency for oil relative permeability (kro), which tends to increase in successive gas injection periods. The improvement in kro was larger in the water-wet system. In both water-wet and mixed-wet systems, the largest krw hysteresis happens for the transition from two-phase (oil/water system) to three-phase system (from 1st water injection into 1st gas injection) and the subsequent WAG cycles does not show much hysteresis for krw in the experiments. I addressed some serious shortcomings of the existing reservoir simulators for reliable simulation of oil recovery processes involving three-phase flow and flow reversal.

The current state of wireless sensing technologies possesses a good reliability in terms of time response and sensing on movable parts or in embedded structures. Nevertheless, these tech- nologies involve energy supply such as battery and suffer from low resolution and bulky signal conditioning system for data processing. Thus, a RFID passive wireless sensor is a good candidate to overcome these issues. The feasibility of implementing microstrip patch antennas for sensing application were successfully investigated; however, low sensitivity was always a big issue to be concerned. Sensors based on nanocomposites attracted a lot of attention because of their excellent performance in term of light weight, high sensitivity, good stability and high resistance to corrosion but it lacks the capability of high conductivity, which limit their implication into RFID applications. This work introduces a novel high sensitive passive wireless strain and temperature sensors based on nanocomposites as sensing layer. To accomplish this, intrinsically conductive polymer based on carbon nanofillers nanocomposites are deeply studied and characterized. Then it’s performance is evaluated. Among them a novel tertiary nanocomposite is introduced, which opens the gate to new nanocomposite applications and thus broad- ens the application spectrum. Understanding the transport mechanism to improve the conductivity of the nanocomposite and extracting individually different models based on physical explanation of their piezoresistivity, and behavior under temperature and humidity have been developed. Afterwards, selected nanocomposites based on their high sensitivity to either strain or temperature are chosen to be used as sensing layer for patch antenna. The fabricated patch antenna has only one fundamental frequency, by determining the shift in its resonance frequency as function of the desired property to be measured; the wireless sensor characteristics are then examined. For strain sensing, the effect of strain is tested experimentally with the help of end-loaded beam measurement setup. For temperature sensing, the sensors are loaded in a controlled temperature/humid chamber and with the help of a vector network analyzer, the sensitivity of the antennas are extracted by acquiring the shift in the resonance frequency. The fabricated wireless sensors based on patch antenna are fabricated on very low lossy material to improve their gain and radiation pattern. This approach could be expanded also to include different type of substrates such as stretchable substrates i.e. elastomer polymer, very thing substrates such as Kapton, paper-based substrates or liquid crystal polymer.

The vulnerability of riverside wells in the Thames Basin to pollution by contaminated river water has been assessed by a programme of field characterisation and modelling. The Chalk, Quaternary river gravels and the modern streambed sediments control groundwater flow and solute transport in these stream-aquifer systems. The Chalk is a fissured aquifer, In which matrix diffusion is an important cause of pollutant retardation. On the basis of new field evidence, it is proposed that the distribution of permeability within the Chalk reflects the configuration of Quaternary permafrost. Flow in the highly permeable Quaternary river gravels is intergranular, and adsorption by organic matter and hydroxides may cause retardation of reactive contaminants. The streambed sediments comprise lowly permeable carbonaceous muddy silts and peats. Slow advection and sorption of contaminants makes the sediments an effective barrier to pollution. A mathematical model for flow and solute transport in stream - aquifer systems has been developed. Groundwater velocities are obtained by the solution of coupled flow equations (written in finite difference form) for up to three superposed aquifer layers. Vertical velocities are approximated using an interpolation scheme based upon the transmlssivity of the constituent horizons of each layer. A 3-D particle tracking formulation (including a simple representation of matrix diffusion) is used for solute transport. Hypothetical river spills of various duration were modelled for two sites (Dorney and Gatehampton). It was predicted that no wells would experience pollutant concentrations In excess of EC limits after 20 - minute spills, although the Gatehampton wells would probably succumb after a 7—day event. Well water at both sites would breach EC limits after a 28—day event. Travel times to wells varied from 12 hours (chloride at Gatehampton) to many years (lindane at Dorney). Model performance was more sensitive to streambed paraieters (permeability and sorption coefficient) than to aquifer parameters.

The halophytes invading roads are mostly from maritime habitats and their invasion appears to be a response to the heavy use of de-icing salt which began in the 1960"s. The most widespread species, Puccinellia distans now occurs extensively in the north and east of England and Wales. Other maritime species occur mostly near the coast and include Aster tripoli , Cochlearia officinalis, Puccinellia rraritirna and Sperqularia marina. Experiments and observations indicated that seed of invading populations is carried from the coast to roadsides on vehicles and once there is swept along in vehicular slipstreams. Rates of invasion, estimated by comparing the present distribution with that in 1975, were highest for species adapted to disturbed saline sites. Levels of salt in roadside soils varied between sites. Well drained soils had lower salinities than clay soils, some of which had salinities higher than previously recorded on roadsides in Britain. There were peaks in winter during salt application and at some sites in early summer due to evaporation. Soil salinity levels proved to be significantly correlated with salt application rates, site exposure to the prevailing wind and traffic volume. Species occured in distinct zones with maritime species confined to the saline road margin. This confinement was partly due to canpetition as glycophytes eliminated mritime species from non-saline experiRental plots but was also due to a requirement for salt by the maritirre species when growing on roadside soil. 2 Salt affected the resistance of maritime species to stress. For example the application of salt increased the freezing resistance of four of the species but decreased it in one. In trials using roadside soil protection from drought increased the survival of maritime species not treated with salt. Treatment with nutrients and other solutions containing ions easily assimilated by plants overcame the requirement f or salt. Two of the maritime grasses, Puccinellia distans and P. maritima proved to be suitable for reclaiming areas of roadside verge damaged by de-icing salt.

In terms of sustainability, traffic is currently a significant challenge for urban areas, where the pollution, congestion and accidents are negative externalities which have strongly impacted the health and economy of cities. The increasing use of private vehicles has further exacerbated these problems. In this context, the development of new strategies and policies for sustainable urban transport has made transport planning more relevant than ever before. Mathematical models have helped greatly in identifying solutions, as well as in enriching the process of making decisions and planning. In particular, dynamic network models provide a means for representing dynamic traffic behavior; in other words, they provide a temporally coherent means for measuring the interactions between travel decisions, traffic flows, travel time and travel cost. This thesis focuses on dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) models. DTA has been studied extensively for decades, but much more so in the last twenty years since the emergence of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). The objective of this research is to study and analyze the prospects for improving this problem. In an operational context, the objective of DTA models is to represent the evolution of traffic on a road network as conditions change. They seek to describe the assignment of the demand on different paths which connect every OD pair in a state of equilibrium. The behaviour following each individual decision during a trip is a time-dependent generalization of Wardrop's First Principle, the Dynamic User Equilibrium (DUE). This hypothesis is based on the following idea: When current travel times are equal and minimal for vehicles that depart within the same time interval , the dynamic traffic flow through the network is in a DUE state based on travel times for each OD pair at each instant of time ([ran-1996]). This work begins with the time-continuous variational inequalities model proposed by [friesz-1993] for solving the DUE problem. Different solutions can be used on the proposed DUE formulation. On the one hand, there are the so-called analytical approaches which use known mathematical optimization techniques for solving the problem directly. On the other hand, there are simulation-based formulations that approximate heuristic solutions at a reasonable computational cost. While analytical models concentrate mainly on deriving theoretical insights, simulation-based models focus on trying to build practical models for deployment in real networks. Thus, because the simulation-based formulation holds the most promise, we work on that approach in this thesis. In the field of simulation-based DTA models, significant progress has been made by many researchers in recent decades. Our simulation-based formulation separates the proposed iterative process into two main components: - A method for determining the new time dependent path flows by using the travel times on these paths experienced in the previous iteration. - A dynamic network loading (DNL) method, which determines how these paths flow propagate along the corresponding paths. However, it is important to note that not all computer implementations based on this algorithmic framework provide solutions that obtain DUE. Therefore, while we analyze both proposals in this thesis we focus on the preventive methods of flow reassignment because only those can guarantee DUE solutions. Our proposed simulation-based DTA method requires a DNL component that can reproduce different vehicle classes, traffic light controls and lane changes. Therefore, this thesis develops a new multilane multiclass mesoscopic simulation model with these characteristics, which is embedded into the proposed DUE framework. Finally, the developed mesoscopic simulation-based DTA approach is validated accordingly. The results obtained from the computational experiments demonstrate that the developed methods perform well.
En los últimos tiempos, el problema del tráfi co urbano ha situado a las áreas metropolitanas en una difícil situación en cuanto a sostenibilidad se refi ere (en términos de la congestión, los accidentes y la contaminación). Este problema se ha visto acentuado por la creciente movilidad promovida por el aumento del uso del vehículo privado. Además, debido a que la mayor parte del trá fico es canalizada a través de los modos de carretera, el tiempo perdido por los usuarios al realizar sus viajes tiene un importante efecto económico sobre las ciudades. En este contexto, la plani cación de transporte se vuelve relevante a través del desarrollo de nuevas estrategias y políticas para conseguir un transporte urbano sostenible. Los modelos matemáticos son de gran ayuda ya que enriquecen las decisiones de los gestores de trá fico en el proceso de plani ficación. En particular podemos considerar los modelos de trá fico para la predicción, como por ejemplo los modelos de asignación dinámica de tráfi co (ADT), los cuales proveen de una representación temporal coherente de las interacciones entre elecciones de trá fico, fl ujos de trá fico y medidas de tiempo y coste. Esta tesis se centra en los modelos ADT. Durante las últimas décadas, los modelos ADT han sido intensamente estudiados. Este proceso se ha acelerado particularmente en los últimos veinte años debido a la aparición de los Sistemas Inteligentes de Transporte. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar y analizar diferentes posibilidades de mejorar la resolución del problema. En un contexto operacional, el objetivo de los modelos ADT es representar la evolución de la red urbana cuando las condiciones de trá fico cambian. Estos modelos tratan de describir la asignación de la demanda en los diferentes caminos que conectan los pares OD siguiendo un estado de equilibrio. En este caso se ha considerado que el comportamiento de los conductores en cada una de sus decisiones individuales tomadas durante el viaje es una generalización dependiente del tiempo del Primer Principio de Wardrop, denominada Equilibrio Dinámico de Usuario (EDU). Esta hipótesis se basa en la siguiente idea: para cada par OD para cada instante de tiempo, si los tiempos de viaje de todos los usuarios que han partido en ese intervalo de tiempo son iguales y mínimos, entonces el ujo dinámico de trá fico en la red se encuentra en un estado de EDU basado en los tiempos de viaje (Ran and Boyce (1996)). El presente trabajo toma como punto de partida el modelo de inecuaciones variacionales continuo en el tiempo propuesto por Friesz et al. (1993) para resolver el problema de equilibrio dinámico de usuario. Por un lado, se encuentran los denominados enfoques analíticos que utilizan técnicas matemáticas de optimización para resolver el problema directamente. Por otro lado, están los modelos cuyas formulaciones están basadas en simulación que aproximan soluciones heurísticas con un coste computacional razonable. Mientras que modelos analíticos se concentran principalmente en demostrar las propiedades teóricas, los modelos basados en simulación se centran en intentar construir modelos que sean prácticos para su utilización en redes reales. Así pues, debido a que las formulaciones basadas en simulación son las que se muestran más prometedoras a la práctica, en esta tesis se ha elegido este enfoque para tratar el problema ADT. En los últimos tiempos, el campo de los modelos ADT basados en simulación ha sido de especial interés. Nuestra formulación basada en simulación consiste en un proceso iterativo que consta de dos componentes principales, sistematizadas por Florian et al. (2001) como sigue: Un método para determinar los nuevos ujos (dependientes del tiempo) en los caminos utilizando los tiempos de viaje experimentados en esos caminos en la iteración previa. Un procedimiento de carga dinámica de la red (CDR) que determine cómo esos fl ujos se propagan a través de sus correspondientes caminos. Los algoritmos de reasignación de flujo pueden ser agrupados en dos categorías: preventivos y reactivos. Es importante notar aquí que no todas las implementaciones computacionales basadas en el marco algorítmico propuesto proporcionan una solución EDU. Por lo tanto, aunque en esta tesis analizamos ambas propuestas, nos centraremos en los métodos preventivos de reasignación de flujo porque son los que nos garantizan alcanzar la hipótesis considerada (EDU). Además, nuestro modelo ADT basado en simulación requiere de una componente de CDR que pueda reproducir diferentes clases de vehículos, controles semafóricos y cambios de carril. Así, uno de los objetivos de esta tesis es desarrollar un nuevo modelo de simulación de trá fico con dichas características (multiclase y multicarril), teniendo en cuenta que será una de las componentes principales del marco ADT propuesto.

Three dimensional scaffolds were created from a biodegradable polymer (polylactide) and the mineral silica utilising supercritical fluid (SCF) gas foaming. The effect of silica on the scaffold pore architecture was investigated through X-ray computed microtomography (microCT); the scaffolds were shown to be up to 60% porous with pore diameters in the range of 0.088-0.924 mm (0% silica) to 0.044 – 0.342 mm (33.3% silica), demonstrating that silica controlled both pore size and overall scaffold porosity; Silica was found to enhance connectivity of the pores and pore wall thickness and pore connectivity were found have an inverse relationship. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to investigate the effect of silica on the Tm, Tg and crystallinity of the PLA pre and post SCF processing; increases in ΔHf (4J/g) Tg (1oC) and crystallinity (3%) showed that silica had a beneficial effect pre-SCF but post-SCF the PLA reverted to an amorphous state; An isothermal conditioning process was found to restore the previous levels of crystallinity. Mechanical strength testing of the scaffolds showed that silica incorporation increased the load tolerated at yield by up to 60N and the strength by up to 1.5 mPa. The scaffolds were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF), where the presence of silica was found to enhance mineral deposition by up to 10%; they were also subjected to degradation experiments in physiological saline solution and enzyme buffer solution, where degradation was found to occur most rapidly in the amorphous regions of the polymer (0% and 9.1% silica). The formation of degradation products (lactic acid, isopropanol and lactate) were monitored through HPLC. In conclusion, addition of silica up to a loading of 9.1-16.7% was found to have many beneficial effects on the PLA scaffolds but no observable benefit was found with additions higher than this.

Water and sanitation improvements together with good hygiene (WaSH) have well-known positive impacts on human development and poverty alleviation. However, universal access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation remains a huge challenge in many low income countries, where vast numbers of people lack these basic services. To help end this appalling state of affairs, the Millennium Development Goals and other international initiatives have been launched to reduce the proportion of underserved people. These efforts, however, have been hampered by the lack of meaningful indicators to measure coverage and to establish progress towards the goals and targets set out by the international community. From an institutional viewpoint, the competences for many sector-related responsibilities have been delegated to lower administrative levels of government. It has come to be widely accepted that such decentralization process can help to reduce poverty because local governments are assumed to be more knowledgeable about and responsive to the needs of the poor. The sector also calls for greater transparency and accountability. In all, local decision-makers are being increasingly challenged by the need to take informed decisions and give an objective account of their actions, which rely crucially on adequate monitoring and reporting systems. Amongst others, available data may be employed to i) measure progress and performance; ii) improve transparency in budgetary procedures; and iii) allocate resources to deliver services where they are most needed. Today, reliable information on key WaSH-related variables at the local level is often missing, but even when it is available, the uptake and usage of such data by policymakers is, at best, challenging. Limited capacity of recipient governmental bodies, an inadequate monitoring and reporting framework, and lack of data updating mechanisms are common reasons that hamper an adequate appropriation and continued use of the data for planning and monitoring purposes. In an effort to address the shortcomings cited above, this thesis discusses methodologies for routine data collection and develops tools and processes to support local planning. In doing so, it covers the monitoring cycle of data collection, data analysis and data dissemination. In Chapter 1, an improved approach for data collection is presented. It combines two different information sources: the water point and the household, and thus provides a more complete picture of the context in which the services are delivered. Chapter 2 reviews four different approaches that are commonly adopted for monitoring purposes: i) health impact indicators; ii) the Joint Monitoring Programme; iii) one multidimensional, water-focused composite indicator; and iv) easy-to-use planning indices designed locally on an ad hoc basis. From a policy-making perspective the usefulness of outcomes produced by each approach is discussed. Chapter 3 introduces a variety of policy tools that may be used to promote decision-making: i) composite indices; ii) a small set of simple thematic indicators; and iii) object oriented Bayesian networks (ooBn). Chapter 4 presents different alternatives to enhance data interpretation and disemination, which is crucial to promote evidence-based and equity-oriented planning. Overall, results indicate that accurate and comprehensive data, if adequately collected, exploited and visualized through simple instruments, can serve as the basis for effective targeting and prioritization, both central to sector planning. The actual application and implementation of the proposed monitoring and reporting tools and processes in the real world, however, is to a certain extent elusive; and this has been pointed out as a major weakness of this research. Two specific challenges that remain unaddressed, namely the upgrading of decision support systems, and the design of data updating mechanisms, suggest the way forward.
Assegurar l'accés a l'aigua, promoure la higiene i facilitar l'accés al sanejament ajuda a prevenir la transmissió de malalties relacionades amb una deficient provisió d’aquests serveis i reduir el risc d'epidèmies. No obstant, l'accés universal a l'aigua potable i als serveis bàsics de sanejament segueix sent un enorme desafiament en molts països en vies de desenvolupament, on un gran nombre de persones continuen sense tenir cobertes unes necessitats bàsiques. En aquest context, el sector ha vist com es posaven en marxa vàries iniciatives, com els Objectius de Desenvolupament del Mil·lenni, per tal de reduir la proporció de persones desateses. Aquests esforços, però, s'han vist obstaculitzats per la falta d'indicadors fiables alhora d’avaluar el nivell de cobertura i de mesurar els avenços envers les metes i els objectius establerts per la comunitat internacional. En els darrers anys, les competències sectorials s'han delegat a les administracions locals, sota el supòsit de que els processos de descentralització ajudarien a reduir la pobresa en base a un millor coneixement, per part de les autoritats locals, sobre les necessitats reals de la població. Així mateix, també ha anat creixent la demanda de més transparència i una millor rendició de comptes. Per tots aquests motius, cada vegada s’ha anat qüestionant més el fet de que els processos de presa de decisió no es fonamentin en informació actualitzada i basada en evidències, i no depenguin per tant d’un marc adequat que permeti el correcte seguiment, avaluació i la presentació periòdica d'informes. Entre altres coses, la informació disponible s’hauria de poder utilitzar per i) mesurar els avenços i el progrés assolit; ii) millorar la transparència i el control pressupostari; i iii) assignar els recursos disponibles de manera equitativa. Dissortadament, la informació sobre el sector és generalment escassa, però fins i tot quan és accessible, el seu ús per part dels governants és limitat. Amb la voluntat d’abordar aquest accés i ús deficient de la informació, aquesta tesi desenvolupa eines i processos per donar suport a la planificació local dels servies d’aigua i sanejament. En síntesi, es pretén cobrir tot el cicle de la informació, que integra la recollida, l’anàlisi i la seva posterior difusió. En el capítol 1 es presenta una metodologia millorada per a la recopilació de dades. Aquesta combina dues fonts d'informació: el punt d'aigua i la llar; i en conseqüència proporciona una visió més completa del context en què es proveeixen els serveis. El Capítol 2 presenta quatre enfocaments diferents a l’hora d’avaluar el nivell de servei: i) indicadors d'impacte sobre la salut; ii) el Programa Conjunt de Seguiment de la OMS i UNICEF; iii) un indicador agregat multidimensional; i iv) una bateria d’índexs de planificació dissenyats ad hoc per respondre a les necessitats locals. Es discuteix la utilitat de cada alternativa i la seva pertinença des d’una òptica de política pública. El Capítol 3 introdueix varis instruments dissenyats per a promoure la presa de decisions: i) índexs agregats; ii) indicadors temàtics senzills; i iii) les xarxes bayesianes. El Capítol 4 presenta diferents alternatives per millorar la interpretació i disseminació de la informació, que esdevenen activitats necessàries per a promoure una planificació basada en l'evidència i orientada a l'equitat. Per concloure, els resultats indiquen que l’accés a la informació, si aquesta es compila correctament, s’explota i es visualitza a través d’instruments i processos senzills, pot revertir en una correcta priorització d’accions i de grups beneficiaris i, per tant, millorar la planificació sectorial. És cert, però, que l'aplicació real i la posada en pràctica d’aquestes eines i processos no és en cap cas trivial. Es plantegen, en aquest sentit, dos reptes que suggereixen el camí a seguir: la millora dels sistemes de suport a les decisions i el disseny de mecanismes adequats per a l'actualització de dades.

Class IA phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of enzymes with key roles in the regulation of signalling pathways, many of which are mediated through Akt. The PI3K/Akt pathway has a critical role in the regulation of key cellular functions such as cell survival, growth, proliferation, migration and metabolism and is involved in several diseases. Advances in mass spectrometry and separation sciences have revolutionized the field of proteomics. Techniques based on mass spectrometry are now the first choice for protein identification and are increasingly important for their quantitative analysis. The development of phosphoproteomics has also permitted the global quantitative analysis of signalling activity. The aim of this project was to contribute to our understanding of the activity and regulation of the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway from a proteomics perspective. Novel approaches based on mass spectrometry were designed, developed and applied to the investigation of this signalling pathway. Firstly, we investigated the hypothesis that PI3K activity may be regulated by dynamic protein interactions. We designed an affinity purification mass spectrometry strategy to identify proteins interacting dynamically with PI3K. Our study revealed that calpain small subunit 1 interacts dynamically with PI3K. Further investigation demonstrated that active calpain heterodimers associate dynamically with PI3K, thereby regulating PI3K stability and activity. Secondly, we characterized phosphorylation events downstream of Akt, a major downstream effector of PI3K. We used global shotgun phosphoproteomics of a cell line expressing an inducible construct encoding constitutively active Akt to identify phosphorylation events downstream of Akt in vivo. In addition, we also developed an in vitro kinase assay which, when coupled to global shotgun phosphoproteomics, enables the quantification of Akt1 activity in addition to the identification of downstream phosphorylation sites. Furthermore, we found that this in vitro approach may be used as a method suitable for the global profiling of endogenous kinase activities.

L'objectiu principal d'aquesta tesi ha estat l'estudi de l'efecte de les condicions ambientals d'il.luminació en què un animal ha crescut sobre la manifestació dels seus ritmes circadiaris, que són els mecanismes que els éssers vius utilitzen per a adaptar-se a l'alternància entre el dia i la nit.

El treball s'ha estructurat en dues parts: la primera on s'ha estudiat, en animals sans, els efectes de les condicions ambientals rebudes durant les primeres setmanes de vida en el desenvolupament i funcionalitat del sistema circadiari, i una segona on s'ha treballat amb rates hipertenses de la soca TGR(mREN2)27, amb la mateixa finalitat.

This thesis presents results of a successful simulation study using CO2-EOR technique to enable production from an offshore heavy oil field, named here as Omega, which is located offshore West Africa at a water depth around 2000 m. The findings and contributions to knowledge are outlined below: 1. Long distance CO2 transportation offshore – The solution to the space and weight constraints offshore with respect to CO2-EOR, is a tie-back via long distance CO2 dense phase transportation from onshore to offshore. 2. Cold heavy oil production (CHOP) using CO2-EOR technique - Based on conditions investigated, Miscible Displacement was found to be more efficient for deepwater production. However, Immiscible Displacement can offer greater reliability with regards to CO2 sequestration. 3. CO2 sequestration during CHOP using CO2-EOR technique – Lower CO2 may be released post start-up operation, followed by gradual decline of CO2 retention after the production peak. CO2 retention increases with increasing reservoir pressure, starting with 17.7 % retention at 800 psig to 32.8 % at 5000 psig, based on peak production analysis. 4. Techno-economic Evaluation – Miscible displacement is asssociated with higher cash flow stream that extend throughout the lifetime of the asset due to continuous production while Immiscible Displacement has a longer payback period (in order of 22 years) due to the time lag between the CO2 injection and the incremental heavy oil production. 5. Mathematical Modelling – Improved mathematical models based on existing theories are proposed, to estimate the CO2 requirement and heavy oil production during CHOP using CO2-EOR technique, and to provide an operating envelope for a wide range of operating conditions. As part of further work, the proposed models will require more refinement and validation across a broad range of operating conditions, could be adapted and modified to increase its predictive capability over time.

This PhD thesis investigated solid and liquid waste treatment systems for Sureclean, a waste Management company based in the North of Scotland. Sureclean receives a diverse range of waste streams and the increasing need for sustainable development as well as stringent environmental legislation motivated this research to develop an integrated waste treatment system. Waste characterisation was conducted using a range of analytical instrumentation to identify the TPH, COD, heavy metals content, TOC, and particle size of Sureclean waste streams. From there, four treatment systems were investigated utilising Sureclean waste streams: mechanical separation, chemical treatment, electro-coagulation and the advanced oxidation process. Laboratory and field trials were conducted using these different treatment techniques and the analysis was performed to verify the treatment results. The result of these trials led to the development of four modular waste treatment units, that form the outcome of this research: the Sureclean Water Treatment System (SWTS), a filtration based mechanical separation system was shown to reduce the TSS, BOD and TOC content of an oily wastewater; the Sureclean Sludge Separation System (SSSTS), a chemical-enhanced filtration based system was demonstrated to reduce 52.6 % of the sewage sludge volume; the Sureclean Electro-coagulation Water Treatment System (SEWTS), a system that agglomerates colloid particles and demulsifies oil removed 99.9 % of TPH from Sureclean interceptor effluent; and the Sureclean Advanced Water Treatment System (SAWTS), an advanced oxidation process which was demonstrated to reduce the TPH of a contaminated groundwater collected from an ex-gas work. The treated effluent could be discharged to Sureclean interceptor. The four treatment units developed in this research expanded Sureclean waste treatment capabilities and an integrated system was developed to treat different waste streams and to improve the treatment efficiency thus increasing the revenue and future waste stream options for Sureclean.

El objetivo de esta tesis es hacer un estudio analítico de la realidad sociológica de la gente de mar y su entorno.
Como marco de referencia teórico se ha tomado el concepto de "institución total" elaborado por el sociólogo norteamericano Erwing Goffman.
Una vez definida la problemática y explicitado el modelo de análisis en el cual queda fundamentado el trabajo, la tesis intenta mostrar una visión panorámica, objetiva y detallada de los diversos factores que configuran el peculiar estilo de vida de la gente de mar: las tripulaciones, sus roles respectivos y el tipo de relaciones que se establecen entre los distintos miembros que las constituyen; la influencia que sobre estas relaciones ejerce el carácter cada vez más reducido e internacional de los integrantes de la tripulación; las motivaciones del marino; los condicionamientos que la vida a bordo suponen en lo que respecta a la preservación de su esfera privada, a sus actividades de ocio, a la dialéctica entre la comunicación y la soledad, entre el aburrimiento, la tensión y la fatiga.
Completa esta parte central del análisis un capítulo sobre las relaciones sociales del marino con el mundo exterior, problemáticas como consecuencia del carácter de la vida a bordo, desde un enfoque que considera al buque como una institución total. Además de la situación del barco en puerto, se hace especial hincapié en la cuestión de las relaciones familiares, en los problemas de la integración del marino en la célula de la familia y en aquellos que se derivan de su reincorporación a la vida de familia y a la sociedad de tierra en general.
La tesis se divide en cinco capítulos:
1) El barco mercante y su adecuación al concepto de institución total: en este primer capítulo se define lo que es una institución total, se habla de distintos tipos de tales instituciones y finalmente se especifica, cómo y por qué podemos considerar el barco mercante como una institución total.
2) Vida interna de la institución barco: aquí se estudia la tripulación como grupo social, analizando los distintos roles que se encuentran y sus características, las relaciones entre mandos y subalternos, los subgrupos, las tripulaciones internacionales y las reducidas.
3) El tripulante: en este capítulo se enfoca el estudio desde la perspectiva del interno de la institución barco, contemplando el porqué de su embarque, su integración en el mundo de la tripulación, la identidad del marino y la búsqueda de su propio espacio.
4) La relación del marino con el mundo exterior: aquí se presta atención a cómo condiciona la profesión marinera la relación con la sociedad en general y con la familia en particular. Las actitudes del marino ante las personas de tierra, los problemas típicos de las familias en las que el esposo y padre es marino y la "crisis" del retorno al hogar.
5) Conclusiones: En este último capítulo se extraen las conclusiones pertinentes a los capítulos previos y se pretende sintetizar una serie de puntos básicos en la vida dentro de la institución barco, así como de presentar una visión de futuro y plantearse qué criterios deberán tenerse en cuenta a la hora de proyectar una tripulación o al definir las características apropiadas para el ejercicio de la profesión marinera.
The main object of this thesis is a sociological study on living conditions aboard merchant ships.
The theoretical reference framework is the notion of the "total institution", as developed by the American sociologist Erwing Goffman.
After defining the problems and explaining the analytical model upon which his work rests, the thesis offers an objective, detailed panoramic view of the various factors at work in shaping the distinct life-style of the men - and occasionally the women - who make the sea their profession: the crews, the roles within the crew, and the kind of relations that arise between its various members; how these relations are influenced by the smaller size and international composition of the crews; what motivates sailors; the implications of life aboard in attempting to maintain a private sphere, in leisure activities, and in the dialectic between communication and solitude, between boredom and tension and fatigue.
This central part of the analysis is rounded off with an essential chapter on the social relations of the seafarer with the world outside, relations that are difficult precisely as a result of the character of life on board from a standpoint that sees the ship as a total institution. In addition to the situation of ships in ports and the particular case of passenger ships, the thesis places special emphasis on the issues of family relations, the problems sailors have in integrating into the family cell, and the problems arising from their return to family life, and to on-shore society in general.

Structure of the thesis
1) The merchant vessel as a form of total institution: this first chapter gives a definition of a total institution, discusses the various types of such institutions, and goes on to specify how and why we can regard the merchant ship as a total institution.
2) The inner life of the ship institution: here the crew is studied as a social group, analysing the various roles found and their characteristics, the relations between officers and ratings, subgroups, international crews and downsized crews.
3) The crew member: this chapter approaches the study from the point of view of the individual inside the ship institution, considering his reasons for going aboard, his integration in the world of the crew, the identity of the sailor and his search for his own space.
4) The relations of crew members with the outside world: here we turn to how being a seafarer affects relations with society in general and with the family in particular - the sailor's attitude to people on shore, the typical problems of families in which the husband and father is a seaman, and the "crisis" of returning home.
5) Conclusions: this last chapter seeks to summarise a number of basic points concerning life inside the ship institution and to use them in seeking valid criteria for designing crews in the current context of the merchant marine. For this purpose, a number of studies produced in various countries are drawn on, concerning the physical and psychological characteristics that a person intending to pursue the seafaring life should possess.

This thesis presents a new approach to fabricate high precision micro machine components from stainless steel and stainless steel ceramic composite materials, using Softlithography and powder metallurgy processes. Three different 316-L stainless steel powders, including 5, 10 and 16 μm in size, and two different ceramics powders, including 400 nm alumina and 320 nm titania, were tested. The PhD research process can be divided into three main stages. In the first stage, high quality SU-8 master moulds and their negative replicas soft moulds are produced using Softlithography technique. The second stage includes preparing the stainless steel slurries, filling the soft micro moulds, obtaining the green micro components, de-binding and sintering. In the third stage, the fabrication process has been developed further to produce stainless steel-ceramic composite micro components. Fabrication process in each stage was investigated in detail and the optimum properties were produced. Dispersant acrylic-based binder is adopted in this research successfully in producing damage-free green micro components. A cold isostatic pressing technique is also adopted to improve the densities and linear shrinkages of the stainless steel green and sintered micro components. A new mixing method is used to improve the homogeneity of the ceramic inclusions in the stainless steel matrix of the composite micro components. Characterization of the sintered stainless steel and composite micro components in terms of shape retention, density, linear shrinkage, internal structure, hardness and surface roughness were investigated in detail. The resultant stainless steel and composite micro components retain the same high geometric quality as the SU-8 master moulds.

One of the most meaningful technical innovations in cycling over the past two decades was the development of mobile power meters. With the ability to measure the physical strain under “real world” outdoor conditions, the knowledge of the demand during cycling has improved enormously. Power output has been described as the most direct measure of intensity during cycling and consequently power meters becomes a popular tool to monitor the training and racing of cyclists. However, only limited research data are available on the utilisation of power meters for performance assessment in the field or the analysis of training data. Therefore, the aims of the thesis were to evaluate the ecological validity of a field test, to provide an extensive insight into the longitudinal training strategies of world-class cyclists and to investigate the effects of interval training in the field at difference cadences. The first study aimed to assess the reproducibility of power output during a 4-min (TT4) and a 20-min (TT20) time-trial and the relationship with performance markers obtained during a laboratory graded exercise test (GXT). Ventilatory and lactate thresholds during a GXT were measured in competitive male cyclists (n = 15; VO2max 67 ± 5 mL . min−1 . kg−1; Pmax 440 ± 38 W ). Two 4- min and 20-min time-trials were performed on flat roads. Strong intraclass-correlations for TT4 (r = 0.98; 95 % CL: 0.92-0.99) and TT20 (r = 0.98; 95 % CL: 0.95-0.99) were observed. TT4 showed a bias ± random error of −0.8 ± 23W or −0.2 ± 5.5%. During TT20 the bias ± random error was −1.8 ± 14 W or 0.6 ± 4.4 %. Both time-trials were strongly correlated with performance measures from the GXT (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed between power output during TT4 and GXT measures (p < 0.001). No significant differences were found between TT20 and power output at the second lactate-turn-point (LTP 2) (p = 0.98) and respiratory compensation point (RCP) (p = 0.97). In conclusion, TT4 and TT20 mean power outputs are reliable predictors of endurance performance. TT20 was in agreement with power output at RCP and LTP 2. Study two aimed to quantify power output (PO) and heart rate (HR) distributions across a whole season in elite cyclists. Power output and heart rate were monitored for 11 months in ten male (age: 29.1 ± 6.7 y; VO2max: 66.5 ± 7.1 mL . min−1 . kg−1) and one female (age: 23.1y; VO2max: 71.5 mL . min−1 . kg−1) cyclist. In total, 1802 data sets were sampled and divided into workout categories according to training goals. The PO at the RCP was used to determine seven intensity zones (Z1-Z7). PO and HR distributions into Z1-Z7 were calculated for all data and workout categories. The ratio of mean PO to RCP (intensity factor, IF) was assessed for each training session and for each interval during the training sessions (IFINT). Variability of PO was calculated as coefficient of variation (CV ). There was no significant difference in the distribution of PO and HR for the total season (p = 0.15), although significant differences between workout categories were observed (p < 0.001). Compared with PO, HR distributions showed a shift from low to high intensities. IF was significantly different between categories (p < 0.001). The IFINT was related to performance (p < 0.01), although the overall IF for the session was not. Also, total training time was related to performance (p < 0.05). The variability in PO was inversely associated with performance (p < 0.01). In conclusion, HR accurately reflects exercise intensity over a total season or low intensity workouts but is limited when applied to high intensity workouts. Better performance by cyclists was characterised by lower variability in PO, greater training volume and the production of higher exercise intensities during intervals. The third study tested the effects of low-cadence (60 rev . min−1) uphill (Int60) or high-cadence (100 rev . min−1) flat (Int100) interval training on PO during 20 min uphill (TTup) and flat (TTflat) time-trials. Eighteen male cyclists (VO2max: 58.6 ± 5.4 mL . min−1 . kg−1) were randomly assigned to Int60, Int100 or a control group (Con). The interval training comprised of two training sessions per week over four weeks, which consisted of 6 bouts of 5 min at the PO at RCP. For the control group, no interval training was conducted. A two-factor ANOVA revealed significant increases on performance measures obtained from GXT (Pmax: 2.8 ± 3.0 %; p < 0.01; PO and VO2 at RCP: 3.6 ± 6.3 % and 4.7 ± 8.2 %, respectively; p < 0.05; and VO2 at ventilatory threshold: 4.9 ± 5.6 %; p < 0.01), with no significant group effects. Significant interactions between group and the uphill and flat time-trials, pre vs. post-training on time-trial PO were observed (p < 0.05). Int60 increased PO during both, TTup (4.4 ± 5.3 %) and TTflat (1.5 ± 4.5 %), whereas the changes were − 1.3 ± 3.6 %; 2.6 ± 6.0 % for Int100 and 4.0 ± 4.6 %; − 3.5 ± 5.4 % for Con, during TTup and TTflat, respectively. PO was significantly higher during TTup than TTflat (4.4 ± 6.0 %; 6.3 ± 5.6 %; pre and post-training, respectively; p < 0.001). These findings suggest that higher forces during the low-cadence intervals are potentially beneficial to improve performance. In contrast to the GXT, the time-trials are ecologically valid to detect specific performance adaptations.

En esta tesis se abordará el estudio antropológico de una comunidad local perteneciente al pasado. Concretamente nos referimos al municipio de Mazarrón durante la Revolución Industrial en España y la investigación del impacto que tuvo la industria minera en dicha población desde su inicio a principios del año 1840, hasta que alcanzó el máximo apogeo en 1890. Un estudio que implicará buscar analogías y diferencias en la estructuración de aquella sociedad a lo largo de dicho periodo, conocer sus modos de vida, creencias, sistema de valores y formas de reproducción social. OBJETIVOS El objetivo general es analizar los cambios socioculturales que afectaron a la comunidad de Mazarrón durante la segunda mitad del siglo XIX, dentro del intenso proceso de industrialización llevado a cabo en su distrito minero. Para presentar la investigación nos apoyaremos en fundamentos epistemológicos propios de las disciplinas de Antropología e Historia, pues ambas comparten la búsqueda de conocimiento por el ser humano en cuanto que éste forma parte de la sociedad. Como primer objetivo específico planteamos el estudio de la población que surgió a partir de 1572, justamente cuando fue creada la villa de Almazarrón. En segundo lugar, evaluaremos los dos factores primordiales que incidieron en el cambio social, a saber: la llegada masiva de trabajadores desplazados desde otras provincias españolas y la consolidación de un nuevo modelo laboral. En tercer lugar, debemos investigar los aportes culturales más trascendentes surgidos a lo largo del periodo de referencia, porque estos serán la piedra angular sobre la que se construya el paradigma de la futura sociedad. METODOLOGÍA La investigación buscará recomponer aspectos significativos de una sociedad ya desaparecida, lo que comporta inevitablemente fundamentar nuestra metodología de trabajo en el análisis de testimonios del pasado que custodian archivos históricos, hemerotecas y fototecas. Sumergirnos en el paisaje sociocultural de Mazarrón a lo largo del siglo XIX implica estudiar las circunstancias que incidieron en su estructuración como grupo humano, examinar las prácticas sociales y entender su evolución colectiva desde dos perspectivas: la subjetividad interpretativa de la Antropología y la objetividad empírica de la Historia. CONCLUSIONES Una vez establecidos los principales adelantos materiales que simbolizaban el progreso de la Revolución Industrial, la población comenzó a vivir en constante disyuntiva; por un lado, se aferró a la utopía del «esplendor minero» y, por otro, tuvo que soportar los perjuicios derivados de su propia industrialización. Así surgió un paisaje de luces y sombras donde destacó negativamente la explotación generalizada de la clase proletaria. Así, al analizar el desequilibrio social, debemos distinguir tanto los nocivos efectos que producían el desarraigo o las malas infraestructuras, como las reacciones humanas surgidas ante dichas adversidades y puntos débiles donde pudo fragmentarse la convivencia. En especial influyó el intrincado mundo laboral de los mineros, sus dramáticos accidentes y todas las humillaciones que padecieron, incluida la masificación como una característica sociodemográfica que favorecía la comisión de delitos. Aunque, desde otro punto de vista, cabe afirmar que la plena industrialización del distrito minero de Mazarrón vino a enderezar el rumbo decreciente de una comunidad muy quebrantada por la continua esterilidad de los tiempos, malas cosechas, ciclos de hambruna, epidemias y despoblamiento. Bajo su influjo la población pasó de vivir encerrada en un contexto geográfico de «insularidad», a situarse sólo por detrás de ciudades como Murcia, Cartagena o Lorca, promoviéndose una sinergia de carácter tecnológico, socioeconómico y cultural.
This thesis will address the study of a local community belonging to the past. We specifically refer to the town of Mazarrón during the Industrial Revolution in Spain and the investigation of the impact that had the mining industry in that town since its inception at the beginning of the year 1840, until it reached the peak in 1890. A study that will involve seek analogies and differences in the structure of society during that period to know their ways of life, beliefs, values and forms of social reproduction system. OBJECTIVES The overall objective is to analyze the social and cultural changes that affected the community of Mazarrón in the second half of the nineteenth century, within the intense industrialization process conducted in the mining district. To present the research we will rely on epistemological foundations of the disciplines of Anthropology and History, as both shares the pursuit of knowledge by humans as it is part of society. As a first propose specific objective of the study population that emerged after 1572, just when the town was created in Almazarrón. Second, evaluate the two primary factors affecting social change, namely the influx of displaced workers from other Spanish provinces and the consolidation of a new labor model. Third, we investigate the most significant cultural contributions made throughout the reference period, because these will be the cornerstone on which the paradigm of the future society is built. METHODOLOGY The research will seek to rebuild significant aspects of an extinct population, which inevitably leads to base our methodology on the analysis of evidence from the past that guard historical records, archives and libraries. Immerse themselves in the cultural landscape of Mazarrón along the XIX century involves studying the circumstances that influenced its structure as a human group, examine the social practices and understand their collective evolution from two perspectives: the interpretive anthropology of subjectivity and objectivity of empirical history. CONCLUSIONS Once established the major material advances that symbolized the progress of the Industrial Revolution, the population began to live in constant dilemma; on the one hand, it clung to the utopia of the «mining splendor' and, on the other hand, had to endure the damage resulting from its own industrialization. Thus arose a landscape of light and shadow where negatively highlighted the widespread exploitation of the working class. Thus, when analyzing the social imbalance, we must distinguish the harmful effects that produced the uprooting or poor infrastructure, both human reactions arising before such adversities and weak points where the living could shatter. In particular influenced the intricate world of work of the miners, their dramatic accidents and all the humiliations they suffered, including overcrowding as a partner-demographic feature favouring the Commission of crimes. Although, from another point of view, one can say that the full industrialization of the mining district of Mazarrón came to straighten the downward course of a broken community by continued sterility of time, crop cycles of famine, epidemics and depopulation. Under his influence the population went from live enclosed in a geographical context of «island», to sit just behind cities such as Murcia, Cartagena and Lorca, promoting a synergy of technological, socio-economic and cultural.

In this work, we demonstrate an inimitable liquid crystalline template strategy for the preparation of water dispersible electrically conducting poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanospindles (PEDOTSs). PEDOTSs were formed during the polymerization of the spindle shaped liquid crystalline phase of “EDOT–PDPSA” which was formed by the specific interactions of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) with 3-pentadecyl phenol-4-sulphonic acid (PDPSA). Liquid crystalline phases were characterized by Polarized Light Microscopic (PLM) analyses, rheology and XRD. Morphology and solid state ordering of conducting nanospindles were characterized by SEM, TEM and XRD. PEDOTSs exhibited an electrical conductivity of ~2.79 S cm⁻¹ and a good thermal stability (~300 °C), which suggests their applicability in fabricating high temperature electronic devices. Furthermore, electrochemical studies of PEDOTS modified glassy carbon electrodes (GCEs) showed an oxidation peak of ascorbic acid at a lower potential of 0.046 V with a peak current about 10 times (91.68 µA) higher than that of the bare GCE with excellent electrode stability, proposing that it can be used as a steady electrode for the electro-catalytic oxidation of similar molecules.

This PhD thesis presents a methodology to detect, estimate and localize water leaks (with the main focus in the localization problem) in water distribution networks using hydraulic models and machine learning techniques. The actual state of the art is introduced, the theoretical basis of the machine learning techniques applied are explained and the hydraulic model is also detailed. The whole methodology is presented and tested into different water distribution networks and district metered areas based on simulated and real case studies and compared with published methods. The focus of the contributions is to bring more robust methods against the uncertainties that effects the problem of leak detection, by dealing with them using the self-similarity to create features monitored by the change detection technique intersection-of-confidence-interval, and the leak localization where the problem is tackled using machine learning techniques. By using those techniques, it is expected to learn the leak behavior considering their uncertainty to be used in the diagnosis stage after the training phase. One method for the leak detection problem is presented that is able to estimate the leak size and the time that the leak has been produced. This method captures the normal, leak-free, behavior and contrast it with the new measurements in order to evaluate the state of the network. If the behavior is not normal check if it is due to a leak. To have a more robust leak detection method, a specific validation is designed to operate specifically with leaks and in the temporal region where the leak is most apparent. A methodology to extent the current model-based approach to localize water leaks by means of classifiers is proposed where the non-parametric k-nearest neighbors classifier and the parametric multi-class Bayesian classifier are proposed. A new data-driven approach to localize leaks using a multivariate regression technique without the use of hydraulic models is also introduced. This method presents a clear benefit over the model-based technique by removing the need of the hydraulic model despite of the topological information is still required. Also, the information of the expected leaks is not required since information of the expected hydraulic behavior with leak is exploited to find the place where the leak is more suitable. This method has a good performance in practice, but is very sensitive to the number of sensor in the network and their sensor placement. The proposed sensor placement techniques reduce the computational load required to take into account the amount of data needed to model the uncertainty compared with other optimization approaches while are designed to work with the leak localization problem. More precisely, the proposed hybrid feature selection technique for sensor placement is able to work with any method that can be evaluated with confusion matrix and still being specialized for the leak localization task. This last method is good for a few sensors, but lacks of precision when the number of sensors to place is large. To overcome this problem an incremental sensor placement is proposed which is better for a larger number of sensors to place but worse when the number is small.
Aquesta tesi presenta una nova metodologia per a localització de fuites en xarxes de distribució d'aigua potable. Primer s'ha revisat l'estat del art actual i les bases teòriques tant de les tècniques de machine learning utilitzades al llarg de la tesi com els mètodes existents de localització de fuites. La metodologia presentada s'ha provat en diferents xarxes d'aigua simulades i reals, comparant el resultats amb altres mètodes publicats. L'objectiu principal de la contribució aportada és el de desenvolupar mètodes més robustos enfront les incerteses que afecten a la localització de fuites. En el cas de la detecció i estimació de la magnitud de la fuita, s'utilitza la tècnica self-similarity per crear els indicadors es monitoritzen amb la tècnica de detecció de canvis ("intersection-of-confidence-intervals"). En el cas de la localització de les fuites, s'han fet servir les tècniques de classificadors i interpoladors provinents del machine learning. A l'utilitzar aquestes tècniques s'espera captar el comportament de la fuita i de la incertesa per aprendre i tenir-ho en compte en la fase de la localització de la fuita. El mètode de la detecció de fallades proposat és capaç d'estimar la magnitud de la fuita i l'instant en que s'ha produït. Aquest mètode captura el comportament normal, sense fuita, i el contrasta amb les noves mesures per avaluar l'estat de la xarxa. En el cas que el comportament no sigui el normal, es procedeix a comprovar si això és degut a una fuita. Per tenir una mètode de detecció més robust, es fa servir una capa de validació especialment dissenyada per treballar específicament amb fuites i en la regió temporal en que la fuita és més evident. Per tal de millorar l'actual metodologia de localització de fuites mitjançant models hidràulics s'ha proposat l'ús de classificadors. Per una banda es proposa el classificador no paramètric k-nearest neighbors i per l'altre banda el classificador Bayesià paramètric per múltiples classes. Finalment, s'ha desenvolupat un nou mètode de localització de fuites basat en models de dades mitjançant la regressió de múltiples paràmetres sense l'ús del model hidràulic de la xarxa. Finalment, s'ha tractat el problema de la col·locació de sensors. El rendiment de la localització de fuites està relacionada amb la col·locació de sensors i és particular per a cada mètode de localització. Amb l'objectiu de maximitzar el rendiment dels mètodes de localització de fuites presentats anteriorment, es presenten i avaluen tècniques de col·locació de sensors específicament dissenyats ja que el problema de combinatòria no es pot manejar intentant cada possible combinació de sensors a part de les xarxes més petites amb pocs sensors per instal·lar. Aquestes tècniques de col·locació de sensors exploten el potencial de les tècniques de selecció de variables per tal de realitzar la tasca desitjada.
Esta tesis doctoral presenta una nueva metodología para detectar, estimar el tamaño y localizar fugas de agua (donde el foco principal está puesto en el problema de la localización de fugas) en redes de distribución de agua potable. La tesis presenta una revisión del estado actual y las bases de las técnicas de machine learning que se aplican, así como una explicación del modelo hidráulico de las redes de agua. El conjunto de la metodología se presenta y prueba en diferentes redes de distribución de agua y sectores de consumo con casos de estudio simulados y reales, y se compara con otros métodos ya publicados. La contribución principal es la de desarrollar métodos más robustos frente a la incertidumbre de los datos. En la detección de fugas, la incertidumbre se trata con la técnica del self-similarity para la generación de indicadores que luego son monitoreados per la técnica de detección de cambios conocida como intersection-of-confidece-interval. En la localización de fugas el problema de la incertidumbre se trata con técnicas de machine learning. Al utilizar estas técnicas se espera aprender el comportamiento de la fuga y su incertidumbre asociada para tenerlo en cuenta en la fase de diagnóstico. El método presentado para la detección de fugas tiene la habilidad de estimar la magnitud y el instante en que la fuga se ha producido. Este método captura el comportamiento normal, sin fugas, del sistema y lo contrasta con las nuevas medidas para evaluar el estado actual de la red. En el caso de que el comportamiento no sea el normal, se comprueba si es debido a la presencia de una fuga en el sistema. Para obtener un método de detección más robusto, se considera una capa de validación especialmente diseñada para trabajar específicamente con fugas y durante el periodo temporal donde la fuga es más evidente. Esta técnica se compara con otras ya publicadas proporcionando una detección más fiable, especialmente en el caso de fugas pequeñas, al mismo tiempo que proporciona más información que puede ser usada en la fase de la localización de la fuga permitiendo mejorarla. El principal problema es que el método es más lento que los otros métodos analizados. Con el fin de mejorar la actual metodología de localización de fugas mediante modelos hidráulicos, se propone la utilización de clasificadores. Concretamente, se propone el clasificador no paramétrico k-nearest neighbors y el clasificador Bayesiano paramétrico para múltiples clases. La propuesta de localización de fugas mediante modelos hidráulicos y clasificadores permite gestionar la incertidumbre de los datos mejor para obtener un diagnóstico de la localización de la fuga más preciso. El principal inconveniente recae en el coste computacional, aunque no se realiza en tiempo real, de los datos necesarios por el clasificador para aprender correctamente la dispersión de los datos. Además, el método es muy dependiente de la calidad del modelo hidráulico de la red. En el campo de la localización de fugas, se a propuesto un nuevo método de localización de fugas basado en modelos de datos mediante la regresión de múltiples parámetros sin el uso de modelo hidráulico. Este método presenta un claro beneficio respecto a las técnicas basadas en modelos hidráulicos ya que prescinde de su uso, aunque la información topológica de la red es aún necesaria. Además, la información del comportamiento de la red para cada fuga no es necesario, ya que el conocimiento del efecto hidráulico de una fuga en un determinado punto de la red es utilizado para la localización. Este método ha dado muy buenos resultados en la práctica, aunque es muy sensible al número de sensores y a su colocación en la red. Finalmente, se trata el problema de la colocación de sensores. El desempeño de la localización de fugas está ligado a la colocación de los sensores y es particular para cada método. Con el objetivo de maximizar el desempeño de los métodos de localización de fugas presentados, técnicas de colocación de sensores específicamente diseñados para ellos se han presentado y evaluado. Dado que el problema de combinatoria que presenta no puede ser tratado analizando todas las posibles combinaciones de sensores excepto en las redes más pequeñas con unos pocos sensores para instalar. Estas técnicas de colocación de sensores explotan el potencial de las técnicas de selección de variables para realizar la tarea deseada. Las técnicas de colocación de sensores propuestas reducen la carga computacional, requerida para tener en cuenta todos los datos necesarios para modelar bien la incertidumbre, comparado con otras propuestas de optimización al mismo tiempo que están diseñadas para trabajar en la tarea de la localización de fugas. Más concretamente, la propuesta basada en la técnica híbrida de selección de variables para la colocación de sensores es capaz de trabajar con cualquier técnica de localización de fugas que se pueda evaluar con la matriz de confusión y ser a la vez óptimo. Este método es muy bueno para la colocación de sensores, pero el rendimiento disminuye a medida que el número de sensores a colocar crece. Para evitar este problema, se propone método de colocación de sensores de forma incremental que presenta un mejor rendimiento para un número alto de sensores a colocar, aunque no es tan eficaz con pocos sensores a colocar.

The present thesis aims at the analysis of the fragmentation of rockfalls. The fragmentation is a complex phenomenon poorly understood with a lack of tools to reproduce it on rockfall simulators. The effect of fragmentation on the hazard assessment and mapping is significant and it may substantially modify the risk scenario. The analysis of the empirical data acquired in a series of inventoried natural rockfalls and real-scale drop tests, clearly suggests that fragmentation displays a fractal behavior. Based on these observations, a fractal fragmentation model is proposed heare, adapting the basics of Perfect (1997) to the specific case of rockfalls. An important development of the thesis presented is the procedure to characterize the rockfall mass before and after the fragmentation, which include the methodology to measure the block size distributions of the deposit, the use of Unmaned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) equipped with digital camera digital, and the photogrammetric analysis to reconstruct the detached block volumes based on 3D models and discrete joint characterization. The block size distributions before and after the fragmentation are related with the proposed model, using the real data to calibrate the model parameters by back analysis. The methodologies and the model proposed contribute to the understanding of the fragmentation phenomenon and have the capability to reproduce the entire block size distribution and the calculation of the number and volume of the fragments. They also allow the quantification of the areas of the fresh faces created due to breakage, which may be related to the required fragmentation energy. The final goal of the ongoing research is the implementation of fragmentation behavior on a rockfall simulator which is currently under developed within the Rockmodels project (https://rockmodels.upc.edu/es), and modify the criteria to calculate the probability of impact used in hazard mapping and in quantitative risk assessment studies. The results of the fragmentation model may also contribute to the analysis of the efficiency and to the design of the rockfall protection systems.
La present tesis es centra en el fenomen de la fragmentació en despreniments rocosos. La fragmentació és un fenomen complex de difícil caracterització i de la que ens manquen eines per a la seva modelació en programes de simulació de caiguda de blocs. Tanmateix, els efectes de la fragmentació sobre les prediccions i els conseqüents mapes de perill poden comportar modificacions en l’escenari de risc. A partir d’un conjunt de dades empíriques obtingudes mitjançant l’inventari de despreniments naturals, s’ha observat un clar comportament fractal. A partir d‘aquestes observacions, s’ha proposat un model de fragmentació fractal adaptant la descripció de Perfect (1997) al cas específic del despreniment rocós. Una part important del desenvolupament de la tesi són les metodologies utilitzades per a la caracterització de la massa rocosa abans i després de la fragmentació, des de metodologia per mesurar distribucions de volums de blocs al dipòsit, fins a la utilització de drons i fotogrametria digital per reconstruir el volums dels blocs abans de caure a partir de models 3D i de la caracterització discreta de les discontinuïtats del massís. Les distribucions de volums de blocs abans i després de la fragmentació és relaciones mitjançant el model de fragmentació proposat, utilitzant les dades reals per calibrar els paràmetres del model per retro anàlisis. La utilització de les metodologies proposades i del model de fragmentació ajuden a la comprensió del fenomen, permeten la reproducció de la distribució de blocs sencera amb una estimació del nombre de blocs i el seus volums. També permet una quantificació de la superfície nova creada en cares fresques degut a la ruptura, que es vincula amb l’energia dedicada a la fragmentació. L’objectiu final d’aquesta recerca és la implementació de la fragmentació en un simulador de caiguda de blocs que es troba en desenvolupament en el marc del projecte Rockmodels (https://rockmodels.upc.edu), així com modificar els criteris de càlcul de probabilitat d’arribada que s’utilitzen per elaborar els mapes de perill i els estudis quantitatius del risc. Les conclusions poden canviar la manera com es dissenyen els sistemes de protecció contra despreniments.
La presente tesis se centra en el fenómeno de la fragmentación en desprendimientos rocosos. La fragmentación es un fenómeno complejo de difícil caracterización y de la que nos faltan herramientas para su modelación en programas de simulación de caída de bloques. Sin embargo, los efectos de la fragmentación sobre las predicciones y los consecuentes mapas de peligro pueden conllevar modificaciones en el escenario de riesgo. A partir de un conjunto de datos empíricos obtenidos mediante el inventario de desprendimientos naturales, se ha observado un claro comportamiento fractal. A partir de estas observaciones, se ha propuesto un modelo de fragmentación fractal adaptando la descripción de Perfect (1997) en el caso específico del desprendimiento rocoso. Una parte importante del desarrollo de la tesis son las metodologías utilizadas para la caracterización de la masa rocosa antes y después de la fragmentación, desde metodología para medir distribuciones de volúmenes de bloques en el depósito, hasta la utilización de drones y fotogrametría digital para reconstruir el volúmenes de los bloques antes de caer a partir de modelos 3D y de la caracterización discreta de las discontinuidades del macizo. Las distribuciones de volúmenes de bloques antes y después de la fragmentación se relacionan mediante el modelo de fragmentación propuesto, utilizando los datos reales para calibrar los parámetros del modelo mediante retro análisis. La utilización de las metodologías propuestas y del modelo de fragmentación ayudan a la comprensión del fenómeno, permiten la reproducción de la distribución de bloques entera con una estimación del número de bloques y sus volúmenes. También permite una cuantificación de la superficie nueva creada en caras frescas debido a la ruptura, que se vincula con la energía dedicada a la fragmentación. El objetivo final de esta investigación es la implementación de la fragmentación en un simulador de caída de bloques que se encuentra en desarrollo en el marco del proyecto Rockmodels (https://rockmodels.upc.edu), así como modificar los criterios de cálculo de probabilidad de alcance que se utilizan para elaborar los mapas de peligro y los estudios cuantitativos del riesgo. Las conclusiones pueden cambiar la forma en que se diseñan los sistemas de protección contra desprendimientos.

Esta tesis presenta los siguientes modelos estadístico-matemáticos originales: - Dos modelos estáticos de asignación de tráfico con usuarios heterogéneos que permiten obtener los flujos de las rutas y los arcos, conocidos los flujos entre pares origen-destino. Dichos modelos consideran distintas clases de usuarios según su deseo de puntualidad y adelantamiento, respectivamente. - Un modelo bayesiano de estimación de matrices origen-destino basado en técnicas de optimización jerárquica. Las estimaciones se obtienen a partir de la información ofrecida por arcos escaneados. - Se calcula el mínimo conjunto de arcos que debe ser equipado con sensores para obtener observabilidad total a partir de los flujos en arcos. - Un modelo continuo para el problema dinámico de recarga de red incluyendo adelantamientos que proporciona los flujos y tiempos de viaje en los arcos de la red en cualquier instante del intervalo de tiempo en estudio. - Algunos métodos gráficos para analizar trayectorias de tráfico con y sin adelantamiento, que permiten analizar el estado de una red (velocidad, aceleración, etc.) a partir de las características físicas de los gráficos de trayectorias (pendiente, curvatura, etc.). Todos los modelos han sido evaluados en redes de tráfico ficticias y reales (las ciudades españolas de Cuenca y Ciudad Real), con el fin de analizar sus características y evaluar la validez de los resultados. Asimismo, se incluye una revisión de la literatura que permite contextualizar los modelos originales propuestos en esta tesis.
In this thesis, the following original statistical and mathematical models are presented: - Two static traffic assignment model with heterogeneous users that permits obtaining the link and path flows from the flow on the origin-destination pairs. These models consider different users classes by their punctuality and overtaking desire, respectively. - A Bayesian origin-destination matrix estimation model based on hierarchical optimization. The estimates are obtained by means of counted links. - The minimum number of sensors to be installed on links for total link observability is derived. - A continuous dynamic network loading problem considering overtaking that gives link travel times and flows all over the network at any time of the period under study. - Some graphical methods to analyze trajectory plots with and without overtaking that lead to an evaluation of the system state (speed, acceleration, etc.) by means of the trajectories physical characteristics (slope, curvature, etc.). All these models have been tested in fictitious and real traffic networks (the Spanish cities of Cuenca and Ciudad Real), with the aim of analyzing its characteristics and performance. Furthermore, a literature review about existing traffic problems and the most widely used models to solve them is done.

During the last decades, urban mobility has become the main concern for city councils and transportation operators. The main problem is the traffic congestion that easily appears in urban networks, producing negative economic impacts for the associated cost and, what is becoming more relevant from the sustainability point of view. In this context, the transportation operators and planners make use of traffic simulation models that assist their strategic decisions aiming at improving the mentioned problems. The dynamic OD matrices estimation problem is a crucial step in transportation modeling and simulation because they contain the total number of vehicles that are circulating throughout the city, including their origins, destinations, and their departing time and describe the associated mobility patterns in terms of trip distributions. As this information is not directly observable in reality, this problem has been widely studied and many different methodologies have been proposed in order to obtain the suitable OD matrices that reflect the urban mobility of the studied area. The common approach is to use the counting stations data sets to estimate, using a minimization problem, the OD matrices that produce them. This is called the bi-level optimization approach. However, the main problem of this approach is that it is mathematically underdetermined, because many different OD matrices can produce the same traffic counts on certain links of the urban network, but presenting totally different trip distributions that could not correspond to the socio-demographic structure originating them. In this thesis, we address the different studies measuring the structural similarity between the estimated OD matrix and the reliable OD matrices, which are the ground truth OD matrix in synthetic experiments or the historical OD matrix in the real ones. The appearance of new sources of traffic data from the growth of the information and communication technologies (ICT) appeals to the researchers to use it for reducing such underdetermination, adding it to the OD estimation problem. GPS devices are increasingly used by vehicles and a huge volume of data is generated every day that, implicitly, contains information of the traffic state under real conditions. These data can be analyzed and processed in order to clean, filter and extract this information and can be then introduced into the OD estimation problem. Most of the theoretical research since the ICT technologies are available assume implicitly or explicitly that GPS tracking data can be done through a controlled collection process. However, in the practical world, GPS data are supplied by companies that use different data collection policies and constraints imposed by privacy policies, which invalidate some of these theoretical hypotheses. One of the main research aspects of this thesis is to investigate how these commercial data can be used for the OD estimation problem. However, the introduction of such information in the bi-level optimization problem is not direct and many alternatives arise. This thesis proposes a data-driven estimation of the dynamic assignment matrix to introduce the GPS data information to an analytical model, reducing the underdetermination of the problem. Moreover, such estimation replaces the dynamic traffic assignment reducing also the computational effort of the OD estimation problem. As this thesis results from the collaboration between the simulation software company PTV Group and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, all the experiments of this thesis have been carried out in PTV Visum and using the already existing products. Moreover, the results have been analyzed both from the computational performance and from the quality aspect.
Durant les últimes dècades, les externalitats que es deriven de la mobilitat urbana han estat una de les principals preocupacions dels ajuntaments, gestors metropolitans i operadors de transport. El principal problema és la congestió, que fàcilment apareix en infraestructures urbanes i que impacta negativament en la nostra economia i, el que és més greu, en la sostenibilitat del planeta en que vivim. La contaminació i el soroll provocats per la congestió no només afecten nocivament a la qualitat de l’aire, sinó que també afecten la salut ciutadana i mediambiental. En aquest context, els operadors i planificadors de trànsit utilitzen models de planificació i simulació de trànsit que els aporten coneixement per dur a terme decisions estratègiques i operatives que mitiguin els problemes associats a la mobilitat urbana. El problema d’estimació de les matrius origen-destinació (OD) és un tema crucial en la modelització i simulació del trànsit. Aquestes contenen el nombre total de vehicles que circulen per la ciutat, incloent informació sobre els l’origen, destinació i temps de sortida de cadascun en un horitzó temporal. D’aquesta manera, la distribució de viatges definida en les matrius OD descriu el patró de mobilitat de la xarxa. No obstant això, aquesta informació no és directament observable en un cas pràctic real i, per aquest motiu, es tracta d’un problema profundament estudiat. S’han desenvolupat diferents metodologies que procuren obtenir matrius OD apropiades, és a dir, que reprodueixin correctament la mobilitat de la zona estudiada. L’enfoc més comú consisteix en usar dades recollides per sensors de trànsit que compten vehicles en certs punts de la xarxa per estimar les matrius OD mitjançant la resolució d’un problema de minimització. De tota manera, aquest problema complex és altament indeterminat i diferents matrius OD, que representen realitats sociodemogràfiques i patrons de mobilitat diferents, poden reproduir els mateixos comptatges de vehicles en les vies de la xarxa dotades de sensors. Per tant, moltes línies de recerca han usat diferents tipus de dades de transport addicionals, com ara velocitats mitjanes i densitats de flux, per reduir els graus de llibertat del problema. L’estructura d’una matriu OD descriu el nombre de viatges i la forma com es distribueixen espaialment en la xarxa urbana, des del seu origen a la seva destinació, traçant així el patró de mobilitat global de la xarxa d’estudi. Com que dues matrius OD poden generar els mateixos comptatges, és absolutament necessari fer un estudi exhaustiu de la similaritat de les seves estructures. En aquesta tesi, enfoquem les diferents propostes mesurant sempre el grau de similaritat estructural entre la matriu OD estimada i una matriu OD de referència, sent aquesta la matriu OD històrica en casos reals o la matriu fonamental en el cas dels experiments sintètics. L’aparició de noves fonts de dades de trànsit degut al creixement de les tecnologies de la informació i comunicació (TIC) obre noves línies de recerca adreçades a reduir la indeterminació del problema d’estimació de les matrius OD. L’ús d’aparells GPS en vehicles va en augment, fet que contribueix a la generació diària de grans volums de dades. Aquestes contenen, de manera implícita, informació de l’estat del trànsit en condicions reals. Mitjançant un procés de neteja, filtratge i extracció es pot derivar informació del trànsit per a després introduir-la al problema de l’estimació de matrius OD. El conjunt de dades GPS de tipus comercials no permet conèixer el procediment de recol·lecció de dades i, sovint, està subjectes a polítiques de protecció i privacitat que no permeten assumir certes hipòtesis de qualitat i control en relació als orígens i destinacions. En aquesta tesi, investiguem el valor que poden afegir aquests conjunts de dades comercials per a l’estimació de matrius OD. La introducció d’aquestes dades al problema d’optimització binivell no és directa i existeixen diverses alternatives. Els enfocs analítics no permeten introduir directament aquestes dades perquè la relació entres les dades GPS i els fluxos OD no és elemental. Per altra banda, la versatilitat dels mètodes de simulació-optimització permeten usar-los directament, però l’inconvenient és l’esforç computacional associat. Aquesta tesi proposa un model de la matriu dinàmica d’assignacions basat en dades (data-driven) per aprofitar la informació implícita de les dades GPS i reduir, així, la indeterminació del problema. A més, aquesta tècnica substitueix la necessitat de recórrer a un model de simulació y redueix l’esforç computacional del problema. Aquesta tesi és fruit de la col·laboració entre l’empresa de software de simulació PTV Group i la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Tots els experiments d’aquesta tesi han estat implementats en PTV Visum i usant els productes existents. A més, els resultats de la tesi han estat sempre analitzats des d’una doble perspectiva: computacional i de la qualitat. Aquesta última té com a objectiu analitzar la matriu OD pel que fa a la seva similaritat estructural amb la matriu de referència.
Durante las últimas décadas, las externalidades que se derivan de la movilidad urbana han sido una de las principales preocupaciones de los ayuntamientos, gestores metropolitanos, y operadores de tráfico. El principal problema es la congestión, que fácilmente aparece en infraestructuras urbanas y que impacta de forma negativa en nuestra economía y, lo que es más grave, en la sostenibilidad del planeta que habitamos. La contaminación y el ruido provocados por la congestión no solo afectan nocivamente a la calidad del aire, sino que también perjudican la salud ciudadana y medioambiental. En este contexto, los operadores y planificadores de transporte usan modelos de planificación y simulación de tráfico que les aportan conocimiento para tomar decisiones estratégicas y operativas que mitiguen los problemas asociados a la movilidad urbana. El problema de la estimación de las matrices origen-destino (OD) es un tema crucial en la modelización y simulación de tráfico. Éstas contienen el número total de vehículos que circulan por la ciudad, incluyendo información sobre el origen, destino y tiempo de salida de cada uno de los vehículos en un horizonte temporal. De esta manera, la distribución de viajes definida en las matrices OD describe el patrón de movilidad de la red. Aun así, esta información no es directamente observable en un caso práctico real y, por este motivo, se trata de un problema extensamente estudiado. Se han desarrollado diferentes metodologías con el fin de obtener las matrices OD más apropiadas, es decir, aquellas que reproducen adecuadamente la movilidad de la zona estudiada. El enfoque más común consiste en usar datos recogidos por sensores de tráfico que cuentan vehículos en ciertos puntos de la red para estimar las matrices OD mediante la resolución de un problema de minimización. Aun así, este complejo problema es altamente indeterminado y diferentes matrices OD, que representan realidades sociodemográficas y patrones de movilidad distintos, pueden reproducir los mismos conteos de vehículos en las vías de la red dotadas de sensores. Por consiguiente, muchas líneas de investigación han utilizado de forma adicional diferentes tipos de datos de tráfico, como velocidades medias y densidades de flujo, para reducir los grados de libertad del problema. La estructura de una matriz OD describe el número de viajes y la forma como se distribuyen espacialmente en la red urbana, desde su origen hasta su destino, trazando, así, el patrón de movilidad global de la red de estudio. Como dos matrices OD pueden reproducir los mismos conteos, es absolutamente necesario hacer un análisis exhaustivo de la similitud de sus estructuras. En esta tesis, abordamos las diferentes propuestas midiendo siempre el grado de similitud estructural entre la matriz OD estimada y una matriz OD de referencia, siendo ésta la matriz OD histórica en casos reales o la matriz fundamental en el caso de los experimentos sintéticos. La aparición de nuevas fuentes de datos de tráfico debido al crecimiento de las tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) abre nuevas líneas de investigación dirigidas a reducir la indeterminación del problema de estimación de las matrices OD. El uso de aparatos GPS en vehículos va en aumento, hecho que contribuye a la generación diaria de grandes volúmenes de datos. Éstos contienen, de manera implícita, información del estado del tráfico en condiciones reales. Mediante un proceso de limpieza, filtrado, y extracción se puede derivar información del tráfico para luego introducirla en el problema de estimación de matrices OD. El conjunto de datos GPS de tipo comercial no permite conocer el procedimiento de recolecta de datos y, a menudo, está sujeto a políticas de protección y privacidad que no permiten asumir ciertas hipótesis de calidad y control en relación a los orígenes y destinos. En esta tesis, investigamos el valor que pueden añadir estos conjuntos de datos comerciales para la estimación de matrices OD. La introducción de estos datos en el problema de optimización binivel no es directa y existen diferentes alternativas. Los enfoques analíticos no permiten incorporar directamente estos datos puesto que la relación entre los datos GPS y los flujos OD no es elemental. Por otro lado, la versatilidad de los métodos de simulación-optimización permiten usarlos directamente, pero el inconveniente es el esfuerzo computacional asociado. Esta tesis propone un modelo de la matriz dinámica de asignaciones basado en datos (data-driven) para aprovechar la información implícita de los datos GPS y reducir, así, la indeterminación del problema de estimación. Además, esta técnica reemplaza la necesidad de recurrir a un modelo de simulación y reduce el esfuerzo computacional del problema. Esta tesis es fruto de la colaboración entre la empresa de software de simulación PTV Group y la Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Todos los experimentos de la tesis han sido implementados en PTV Visum y usando los productos existentes. Además, los resultados de la tesis han sido siempre analizados desde una doble perspectiva: computacional y de calidad. Esta última tiene como objetivo analizar la matriz OD estimada respeto la similitud estructural con la matriz de referencia..
Estadística i investigació operativa

Le Chasseur adroit, Le Langage des animaux et la femme curieuse et Les Trois Langages, contes de littérature orale, forment, lorsqu'on les embrasse d'un même regard, une sorte de triptyque de l'initiation masculine. Nous offrant des points de vue complémentaires sur les rites de passage qui conduisent les petits garçons à la maturité, ils nous instruisent sur un certain nombre de pratiques populaires dont ils conservent la trace et qui leur donnent tout leur sens. La présente thèse se penche sur quatre-vingt-neuf versions, francophones ou non, de ces contes, empruntées à vingt-trois peuples. L'étude, adoptant une démarche comparative et interdisciplinaire, croise nécessairement des domaines extérieurs au folklore, d'autres genres littéraires, par exemple, ou d'autres formes d'expression artistique qu'elle éclaire par contrecoup. Elle côtoie parfois aussi le parcours initiatique des jeunes filles, dont l'évolution vers l'âge adulte se révèle en fin de compte indissociable du cheminement du garçon
The Hunter, The Animal Languages and The Three Languages (also called, in English, The Boy who learned many things, or Vaticinium), tales of oral literature, form, when one considers ail of them in one look, a kind of triptych of male initiation. Offering us complementary points of view on the rites of passage which lead little boys to maturity, they inform us about quite a few popular practices of which they hold traces and from which they draw an important part of their significance. The present thesis looks into eighty-nine versions - some in French, some in other tongues - of these tales, borrowed from twenty-three peoples. The study, adopting a comparative and interdisciplinary approach, crosses necessarily fields outside folklore, other literary genres for example, or other forms of artistic expression that it illuminates by repercussion. It meets sometimes also the initiatory course of young girls, whose evolution towards the adulthood eventually appears inseparable from the boy's progress

Les matériaux à propriétés thermoélectriques sont utilisés pour des applications de récupération d'énergie thermique, de génération de froid ou encore de détection de flux de chaleur. L'efficacité de ces matériaux, caractérisée par les facteurs de mérite et de puissance thermoélectriques, est optimale lorsque le coefficient Seebeck, la conductivité électrique, et la résistivité thermique sont élevés. Aux températures ambiantes, les meilleurs rendements sont atteints pour des alliages basés sur le tellurure de bismuth Bi2Te3 dont le coût et la toxicité sont des verrous pour le développement d'applications à grande échelle. Dans l'optique du développement d'alternatives à ces matériaux, les polymères conjugués sont envisagés depuis quelques années. Leurs propriétés sont toutefois largement inférieures à celles du Bi2Te3.Cette thèse a pour objectif l'étude et l'amélioration des performances thermoélectriques de matériaux basés sur le poly(3,4-éthylènedioxythiophène) ou PEDOT. Elle s'organise principalement autour de trois axes de travail. La première partie présente l'étude de propriétés thermoélectriques de formulations commerciales de PEDOT. L'influence de divers paramètres (l'ajout d'inclusions, l'utilisation d'un dopant secondaire, la modification de son taux d'oxydation…) sur les propriétés thermoélectriques est mesurée. Notamment, l'efficacité du dopage secondaire pour améliorer le facteur de puissance du matériau, ainsi que la relation entre le taux d'oxydation et le coefficient Seebeck du matériau, sont mis en évidence.Dans un second temps, le PEDOT est synthétisé avec des contre-ions à faible encombrement stérique et peu coordinants. Les propriétés thermoélectriques des matériaux obtenus sont supérieures à celles offertes par les formulations commerciales. La forte dépendance entre le transport de charge et la structure du matériau est mise en évidence. De plus, une méthode de dopage primaire du matériau permettant une forte augmentation de la conductivité électrique a été étudiée.Enfin, des pistes de réflexion pour l'intégration des matériaux développés dans cette thèse ont été explorées. Dans ce cadre, des méthodes de mises en forme originales ont notamment été démontrées.Cette thèse a permis d'apporter des éléments de compréhension sur les relations entre les propriétés thermoélectriques des polymères conjugués, leur taux d'oxydation, la nature de leurs dopants, et leur structure. Les résultats obtenus laissent envisager plusieurs voies d'optimisation des propriétés des matériaux organiques qui devront faire l'objet de futurs travaux
Thermoelectric materials are useful for applications such as heat waste recovery, cold production or heat flux detection. The factor of merit and the power factor of the materials characterize their efficiency. These factors are optimal for high Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductivity, and thermal resistivity. The higher yields for room-temperature applications are achieved with materials based on bismuth telluride alloys, but the cost and the toxicity of these materials prevent the development of large-scale applications. In recent years, conjugated polymers have been contemplated as alternatives for Bi2Te3, however, their thermoelectric properties are significantly lower.This thesis aims at studying and improving the thermoelectric performances of materials based on poly3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) or PEDOT. It consists of three areas of work. In the first part the thermoelectric properties of commercial formulations of PEDOT is presented. The influence of various parameters (such as additional loads, secondary doping species or redox reactions) on the thermoelectric properties is studied. Notably, the propensity of secondary doping to improve the power factor of the material, and the relationship between the oxidation and the Seebeck coefficient of the material rate, are set evidences.In a second part of the work, PEDOT is synthetized with less sterically hindered, poorly coordinating counter-ions. Thermoelectric properties of the resulting materials are higher than those offered by commercial formulations and the strong dependence of the charge transport and the material structure are highlighted. Moreover, a method of doping the primary material allowing great increases of the electrical conductivity was also studied.Finally, several routes for the integration of the above mentioned materials in thermoelectric modules are explored. Original shaping methods have been demonstrated.This thesis provides understandings on the relationship between the thermoelectric properties, the oxidation rate and the structure of conjugated polymers. The results suggest that several ways can be considered in order to improve the thermoelectric efficiency of these materials. These routes will be the subject of future work

The work provides an overview of different integrated optical amplifiers. Semiconductor optical amplifiers and fiber amplifiers are described, as well as devices that utilize non-linear effects, nanocrystalline materials, or photonic crystals. Dielectric materials that are doped with rare-earth ions are considered more thoroughly. After a review of the principles of their optical activity the general mechanisms of excitation and emission are described. Materials aspects regarding the spectral range, their fabrication and the solubility of the dopants follow. An erbium-doped alumina waveguide amplifier, reported earlier in the literature, is chosen as an example to demonstrate the feasibility of such components. A theoretical model of the population densities of the energy levels is derived for the simulation. By numerical methods the non-linear system of the rate equations is solved and the stability of the steady state is shown. The simulation of the amplifier demonstrates the dependence of the gain of both the excitation energy and the z-coordinate. Moreover, the superiority of an excitation wavelength of 980 nm compared to 1530 nm is shown. With the model the literature data could be reproduced
Die Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über verschiedene Möglichkeiten der Realisierung integriert-optischer Wellenleiterverstärker. Ausgehend von optischen Halbleiter- und Faserverstärkern werden einführend ebenso Anordnungen beschrieben, die nichtlineare Effekte sowie nanokristalline Materialien und photonische Kristalle nutzen. Besondere Bedeutung kommt dielektrischen Materialien zu, die mit optisch aktiven Dotanden, bevorzugt Seltenerdionen, versehen sind. Hierbei werden die Ursachen für die optische Aktivität der Lanthanide sowie die generellen Mechanismen der Anregungs- und Emissionsprozesse beschrieben. Aspekte der Materialauswahl, vor allem hinsichtlich des verwendeten Spektralbereiches sowie bezüglich ihrer Herstellung und der Löslichkeit der Dotanden schließen sich an. Anhand eines Literaturbeispiels wird die Realisierbarkeit eines erbiumdotierten Aluminiumoxid-Wellenleiterverstärkers demonstriert. Hierfür wird ein Modell zur Simulation der Besetzungsdichten der angeregten Energieniveaus abgeleitet und mittels numerischer Methoden das sich ergebende, nichtlineare System der Ratengleichungen gelöst, wobei besonders die Stabilität des stationären Besetzungszustandes herausgearbeitet wird. Die Simulation der Verstärkeranordnung zeigt zum einen die Abhängigkeit der Verstärkung von der z-Koordinate sowie der Pumpleistung; zum anderen wird deutlich, dass die Anregung bei 980 nm der Variante bei 1530 nm überlegen ist. Mit dem verwendeten Modell konnten die Literaturdaten reproduziert werden

En este trabajo, nos hemos propuesto estudiar la concepción de la propiedad rural en la Constitución brasileña de 1988, sobre todo en relación con su función social. Nuestro marco de referencia teórica está constituido por la Constitución Federal de 1988, así como la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos de 1948 que inspira los principios fundamentales, y los tratados internacionales que Brasil ha ratificado, en lo que se refiere a la defensa de los valores, principios y derechos humanos fundamentales. Desde esta perspectiva, estudiamos las decisiones del Poder Judicial en los conflictos que involucran la propiedad rural en Brasil. Hemos examinado el contenido textual de ciento cincuenta procesos de la 1ª Vara Agrária del estado de Paraíba, Brasil, de 1995 a 2007, y otros documentos que atestiguan la actuación, tanto del Poder Judicial, como de los campesinos. Comprobamos que la función social de la propiedad es clave para la eliminación de la concentración injustificable de la tierra y de sus consecuencias para una sociedad que se rige por el estado de derecho, y que el Poder Judicial tiene, en este contexto, un papel insoslayable.
Our aim is to examine, from a Constitutional perspective, whether the law enforcement rulings over conflicts involving rural property in Brazil are adequate to the current model of a democratic rule of law. We have considered the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a series of international agreements, and the 1988 Brazilian Constitution as our theoretical frame of reference. We have then examined a set of 150 lawsuits from the files of the 1ª Vara Agrária of the State of Paraíba, Brazil, issued between 1995 and 2007, together with other documents that bear witness of the proceedings of both lawenforcers and rural workers. We conclude that the social function of property is instrumental in the elimination of poverty and marginalization, and that the law enforcing branch of government has a crucial role to play.

Based on technology and science developments as a way of knowing the world, our way of life and the way we interact with the environment have been transformed, in the last two and a half centuries. These changes imply different ways of social interaction and of assessing benefits; that is to say, personal and social values have changed. Different technologies have been developed by different societies in different historical moments technological developments imply social values and these are transferred to other societies at the same time as the new technology is transferred. This can cause issues if the technological systems are complex and far-reaching, like the railroad and transportation networks, because the way they operate can have adverse effects. As a society, we almost never reflect on technology and technological developments, and that is why we are far from knowing what technology is convenient to satisfy most of the populations needs, and what technology will bring undesirable consequences that will outweigh the potential benefits. The work herein stems from the need to assess the development of the Mexico City-Queretaro high-speed train project from an axiological point of view. In order to solve this problem I established a qualitative comparative analysis tool, which I call an axiological matrix. I think that a technological system can be defined in an axiological way based on six attributes: scale, intensity, intentionality, participation, intelligibility and friendliness; these work on four matters: nature, society, economy and technology; and through three system development stages: implementation, operation and cycle completion. In order to assess the Mexico City-Queretaro train I suggest different scenarios. I think the social matter depends on opening consultation mechanisms to the indigenous population; the technological matter depends on the level of national content internal and external development; the economic matter depends on the return on investment (ROI) and social savings; and the natural matter depends on CO2 emissions that I establish through a CO2 ROI. The natural and economic matters also depend on the number of passenger estimates. There is a scenario that esteems that the train will be developed through a public consultation and an internal decision the consultative-internal scenario and there is another scenario that supposes that the train will be developed through centralized and external decisions the centralized-external scenario; both scenarios were based on two different daily passenger estimates: 11,200 and 22,700. The consultative-internal scenario contains values of regional social development through public consultation processes, increase of internal technological capabilities, decision autonomy and the development of productive chains; it jeopardizes the projects reliability. The centralized-external scenario promotes effectiveness and reliability values but jeopardizes social feasibility because people will be deprived of their land and there will be no technological advance. The project envisions a positive CO2 balance compared to other transportation modes, so it is environmentally feasible but there is no scenario reaching the breakeven point before 20 years, so it is considered economically unfeasible. On the social side, the project does not recognize any indigenous region on the train path, but in fact there is a significant indigenous population in the municipality of Tepeji del Rio, in the state of Hidalgo. Historically, when this kind of projects have been developed, the indigenous population has never been consulted, and this is why consultation mechanisms have to be set; an option is to extend the reach of environmental impact statemen.Technological development has to be considered as a path function that depends on the implementation path, and not as a state function that depends solely on possessing the technology.
En los últimos dos y medio siglos se ha transformado el modo como vivimos e interactuamos con nuestro entorno, sobre la base de adelantos en la tecnología y la ciencia como sistema de conocer el mundo. Estos cambios implican modos diferentes de interacción social y de evaluar lo que es benéfico; es decir, cambio en los valores personales y sociales. Toda tecnología ha sido desarrollada por una sociedad en un momento histórico; los desarrollos tecnológicos contienen valores sociales, que se transfieren a otras sociedades con la tecnología. Esto puede traer problemas si se trata de sistemas tecnológicos complejos y de amplio alcance, como las redes de comunicaciones y transportes, dado que su funcionamiento puede tener efectos adversos. Como sociedad casi nunca reflexionamos sobre la tecnología y los desarrollos tecnológicos, por ello, estamos lejos de poder decidir qué tecnología es conveniente para la satisfacción de necesidades de la mayoría de la población, y qué tecnología tiene aparejadas consecuencias indeseables que superan los beneficios que genera. Así, al día de hoy no existe un marco amplio y probado para realizar evaluaciones axiológicas de desarrollos tecnológicos. Este trabajo nace de la necesidad de evaluar axiológicamente del desarrollo del tren de alta velocidad proyectado entre México y Querétaro. Para dar solución a este problema establezco una herramienta de evaluación cuali-cuanti a la que llamo matriz axiológica. Considero que un sistema técnico puede definirse axiológicamente a partir de seis atributos: escala, intensidad, intencionalidad, participación, inteligibilidad y amigabilidad; éstos operan sobre cuatro aspectos: naturaleza, sociedad, economía y tecnología; a lo largo de tres etapas de desarrollo del sistema: implementación, funcionamiento y fin de ciclo. Para evaluar el Tren México-Querétaro propongo diferentes escenarios. Considero que el aspecto social depende de los mecanismos de consulta pública a la población indígena, que el aspecto tecnológico depende del nivel de contenido nacional -desarrollo interno o externo-, que el aspecto económico depende del retorno de la inversión (ROI) y del ahorro social, y que el aspecto natural depende de las emisiones de CO2 que establezco mediante un ROI de CO2. Los aspectos económico y natural dependen también de la afluencia. Un escenario considera que el tren será desarrollado con consulta pública y de manera interna -escenario consultivo-interno-, otro escenario considera que el tren será desarrollado con decisiones centralizadas y de manera externa -escenario centralistaexterno-; ambos escenarios fueron evaluados para dos afluencias, 11,200 y 22,700 pasajeros diarios. El escenario consultivo-interno contiene valores de desarrollo social regional por procesos de consulta pública, aumento de capacidades tecnológicas internas, autonomía decisional y desarrollo de cadenas productivas; compromete la confiabilidad de la obra. El escenario centralista-externo promueve valores de eficacia y confiabilidad de la obra, pero compromete la viabilidad social al generar despojo de tierras y un pobre desarrollo tecnológico. El proyecto da un balance positivo de CO2 contra otros medios de transporte, por lo que es viable ambientalmente. Ningún escenario llega al punto de equilibrio en un plazo de 20 años, por lo que se considera económicamente inviable. Desde el aspecto social, no hay una región indígena reconocida en el trazo del tren, pero hay presencia indígena importante en el municipio de Tepeji del Río, Hidalgo; la población indígena no ha sido históricamente consultada para este tipo de desarrollos, por lo que es necesario establecer mecanismos a tal efecto; una posibilidad es extender el alcance de las Manifestaciones de Impacto Ambiental. El desarrollo tecnológico debe ser considerado como una función trayectoria que depende de la ruta de implementación, y no como una función de estado que depende del simple hecho de tener la tecnología.

El reconocimiento del Derecho Humano al Agua y Saneamiento (DHAS) a través de las resoluciones de la Asamblea General y del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de Naciones Unidas en 2010 representa un gran avance en el sector del Agua, Saneamiento e Higiene ya que otorga a todos los seres humanos el derecho a la provisión de unos estándares mínimos en relación a estos servicios. Tres hechos sientan las bases que motivan la investigación: i) las instituciones internacionales tienen la potestad de supervisar el cumplimiento del Derecho Humano por parte de los Estados pero las herramientas necesarias para esta tarea aún han sido definidas, ii) este hito influye en la gobernanza y la toma de decisiones a diferentes escalas y iii) la medición del acceso al agua en la nueva era de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible exige tomar en cuenta el marco de los derechos humanos. Esto supone por un lado que su contenido debe ser considerado a la hora de conceptualizar el nivel de servicio a través de indicadores adecuados y por el otro, exige dar seguimiento a la reducción de las desigualdades. Este trabajo contribuye de manera significativa a cada uno de los tres retos presentados. En primer lugar, se identifican las plataformas JMP WHO/UNICEF y GLAAS como mecanismos de especial interés para aquellos que tienen el mandato de vigilar el cumplimiento del derecho, lo cual contribuye de alguna forma al desafío planteado. En este sentido, la información que ofrecen ha sido analizada tomando en consideración el marco de los derechos humanos. Se ha construido una matriz para identificar específicamente de qué manera estos datos se podrían combinar para la vigilancia del DHAS en un sentido amplio. La nueva propuesta de JMP contribuye considerablemente con indicadores de resultados para medir el disfrute de los titulares de derechos y GLAAS añade indicadores estructurales y de proceso para medir la conducta de los titulares de deberes. Sin embargo, todavía quedarían vacíos de información y en este sentido la tesis contribuye con algunas ideas acerca de la forma en que se podrían abordar estas deficiencias. En segundo lugar, se propone una metodología para la medición y el seguimiento del acceso al agua en zonas rurales haciendo uso del marco conceptual del derecho humano al agua. Los diferentes criterios del derecho han sido incluidos en encuestas y entrevistas estructuradas que han sido implementadas en hogares y comités de agua rurales, respectivamente. Se analizan y discuten las ventajas y los retos relacionados con la utilización de este marco. Además, el enfoque proporciona elementos con potencial para la definición de políticas que han sido discutidos. Por último, esta investigación desarrolla y testea una metodología para medir disparidades a nivel intra-comunitario basadas en los criterios normativos del derecho humano al agua. Para ello se lleva a cabo un muestreo estratificado donde se definen dos tipologías de casas; aquellas que consumen agua gestionada por los comités de ahia potable y las que se abastece de agua por sus propios medios. Este enfoque implica tomar en consideración poblaciones muy reducidas y por lo tanto se debe prestar especial atención a los tamaños de muestra y las incertidumbres asociadas a las estimaciones. La metodología propuesta es práctica a la hora de localizar y caracterizar con precisión la situación de sectores minoritarios en el seno de las comunidades rurales y permite ir más allá de lo que ofrecen los estimadores de tendencia central. Esto implica mayores costes para la recolección de datos en terreno que los enfoques tradicionales. Éstos son asumibles dada la relevancia de la propuesta desde una perspectiva de derechos humanos, la cual exige desarrollar instrumentos adecuados para la definición de políticas con enfoque de equidad en el ámbito local. Además la investigación destaca cómo podrían utilizarse los resultados para los procesos de toma de decisiones
The recognition of the Human right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) through UN General Assembly and Human rights Council Resolutions in 2010 represents great progress in the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector as it entitles everyone to the provision of minimum standards of these essential services. Much effort has gone into the recognition of these emerging human rights so it is essential now to shift discussion from legal and conceptual framework to practice. In this sense, three facts give the motivation to this thesis: First, international institutions have the authority to monitor States compliance with the Human right to Water and Sanitation (HRWS) but the necessary tools for this task are not ready yet. Secondly, this milestone influences governance and decision making processes at different scales. And finally, measuring access to water in the Sustainable Development Goals era involves taking into account the human rights framework. Therefore, its content should be considered to conceptualize the level of service through adequate indicators and to follow-up inequities reduction at global, national and local level. Accordingly, this work contributes significantly to each of one the three challenges presented. First, human development sector has a wider experience on using information about progress which provides a perfect opportunity to develop this further. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) and UN Water GLAAS datasets could be used for those with a mandate to monitoring the right, contributing to this challenge. Consequently, the information they offer has been analysed through a human rights lens. A matrix has been constructed to specifically identify in which extend their datasets could be combined to monitoring HRWS in a broad sense. JMP-led post-2015 proposal considerably contributes with outcome indicators to measure right holders' enjoyment of the right and GLAAS adds structural and process ones to measure duty bearers' conduct. However, there are still some critical gaps if both UN Water platforms will be used to report progress on HRWS. The thesis forwards some ideas concerning the way these shortcomings could be addressed.Second, this work proposes a methodology for monitoring access to water in rural areas using the framework of this human right. The practicality of the approach is demonstrated by a case study carried out in Nicaragua. Different criteria of the right to water were included in surveys and structured interviews that were conducted in rural households and water committees, respectively. Discussion analyses advantages and challenges of using this framework. Finally, the approach provides elements for policy making that can be used by different stakeholders from development and human rights sectors. Finally, this research develops and tests a methodology to measure intra-community disparities based on human right to water normative criteria through a stratified sampling, splitting households served by community based organizations and those self-provided. This approach implies considering much reduced populations, thus special care needs to be taken with sample sizes and uncertainty of estimators. The proposed methodology is practical to locate and accurately characterize minority sectors within rural communities and allows moving beyond central-tendency estimators. It implies higher costs for field data collection than traditional approaches, but this can be assumed given the relevance of the approach from a human rights perspective, which calls for adequate tools for equity-oriented policy making at local level. The research point out how results might be used to shape decision-making processes

The dissertation investigates the approach of open source hardware and its potential for a “post-growth” transformation of society, which, from an environmentalist perspective, seems necessary. Hereby it elaborates the paradigm shift attached to the idea of open source, compares them with living systems in nature and practically contributes to the open source movement in the field of rural electrification. By doing so, it compares renewable energy technologies for rural electrification from the perspective of open source applicability. The practical output hereby is the design of an open source licensed hydro power turbine, called “Pico Cross Flow”. The dissertation covers the hydraulic and mechanical design as well as the manufacturing of a prototype and the testing at the hydrodynamic laboratory of the University of Viena
La disertación investiga la idea de “open source hardware” (hardware de código abierto) y su potencial para una transformación social de "post-capitalismo", la cual, desde una perspectiva ambientalista, parece necesaria. Se elabora el cambio de paradigma asociado a las ideas de código abierto, se compara con los sistemas vivos en la naturaleza y prácticamente contribuye al movimiento de fuente abierta (open source) en el campo de la electrificación rural. El resultado práctico es el diseño de una turbina hidroeléctrica licenciado código abierto, denominada "Pico Cross Flow". La parte práctica de la disertación abarca el diseño hidráulico y mecánico, así como la fabricación de un prototipo y las pruebas en el laboratorio hidrodinámico de la Universidad de Viena.