Resistive Embedded Heating for Homogeneous Curing of Composite Damage Repair

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Exercit@rt mobile : monitorização da reabilitação respiratória na DPOC

A prevalência estimada da Doença Pulmonar Obstrutiva Crónica (DPOC) em Portugal é de 14,2% para indivíduos com idade superior a 45 anos (cerca de 800.000 indivíduos), sendo mais prevalente no sexo masculino (Observatório Nacional das Doenças Respiratórias, 2014). Com o aparecimento de soluções baseadas em novas modalidades de eHealth e mHealth surgiram novas formas de acompanhamento e monitorização das doenças crónicas, nomeadamente da DPOC. É neste contexto que foi desenvolvida a aplicação mobile Exercit@rt, em parceria com a Escola Superior de Saúde da Universidade de Aveiro e em continuidade com outros estudos do MCMM anteriormente desenvolvidos. A aplicação permite monitorizar, em tempo real, através da utilização de um oxímetro Bluetooth, os níveis de batimento cardíaco e saturação de oxigénio dos pacientes com DPOC. Com esta aplicação os pacientes podem realizar diversos exercícios de fisioterapia respiratória assim como atividades físicas de vida diária que podem ser monitorizadas, georreferenciadas e avaliadas. Para além do desenvolvimento da aplicação mobile, a presente investigação integrou ainda uma etapa de validação que contou com a participação de dez pacientes com doenças do foro respiratório – cinco utilizadores que utilizam/têm smartphone (UTS) e cinco utilizadores não utilizam/não têm smartphone (NUNTS). A cada um destes foram propostas tarefas a realizar na aplicação mobile, estando previsto que a aplicação estivesse apta para qualquer participante. A totalidade dos participantes reconheceu a utilidade da aplicação no controlo da sua doença.

A Mobile High Sensitivity On-field Organophosphorous Compounds Detecting System for IoT Based Food Safety Tracking

Food safety has always been a social issue that draws great public attention. With the rapid development of wireless communication technologies and intelligent devices, more and more Internet of Things (IoT) systems are applied in the food safety tracking field. However, connection between things and information system is usually established by pre-storing information of things into RFID Tag, which is inapplicable for on-field food safety detection. Therefore, considering pesticide residue is one of the severe threaten to food safety, a new portable, high-sensitivity, low-power, on-field organophosphorus (OP) compounds detection system is proposed in this thesis to realize the on-field food safety detection. The system is designed based on optical detection method by using a customized photo-detection sensor. A Micro Controller Unit (MCU) and a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module are used to quantize and transmit detection result. An Android Application (APP) is also developed for the system to processing and display detection result as well as control the detection process. Besides, a quartzose sample container and black system box are also designed and made for the system demonstration. Several optimizations are made in wireless communication, circuit layout, Android APP and industrial design to realize the mobility, low power and intelligence.

Analyse comparative du fonctionnement sensori-moteur chez des déficients profonds en fonction de la présence ou de l'absence de troubles lésionnels

Grâce à l'élaboration de sa théorie opératoire du développement cognitif, Jean Piaget fut, sans contredit, l'un des auteurs les plus écoutés dans ce domaine. Il a mis en lumière une série de stades du développement cognitif allant du niveau sensori-moteur en passant par le niveau des opérations concrètes pour finalement aboutir à celui des opérations formelles qui obéissent à des lois précises de construction (Piaget, 1964). Parmi celles-ci, Piaget affirme l'universalité du développement de ces stades en ce sens que tous les sujets passent par la même séquence. Il s'est très peu intéressé aux différences inter-individuelles. Ce qui explique que la très grande majorité de ses travaux ont portés sur l'observation de sujets normaux (Inhelder, 1963). Ce fut donc d'autres chercheurs qui ont tenté d'appliquer la pensée piagétienne à des catégories précises de sujets. Dans cette veine, la présente recherche s'intéresse à l'application de cette pensée aux déficients profonds. C'est là un moyen utile de tester l'universalité de la séquence de développement proposée par Piaget. Le relevé de documentation sur cette question proposée par Klein et Safford (1977) permet de constater qu'il est relativement aisé de trouver des recherches s’intéressant à l'étude du fonctionnement cognitif des déficients mentaux légers atteignant la période des opérations concrètes mais qu'il est beaucoup plus difficile d'en trouver qui s'attardent au fonctionnement cognitif des déficients profonds. Il est pourtant possible d'en trouver quelques-unes (Ciccheti et Sroufe, 1976; Inhelder, 1963; Kahn, 1976; Lambert et Vanderlinden, 1977; Rogers, 1977; Silverstein et al., 1975; Wohlueter et Sindberg, 1975; Woodward, 1959). Les résultats divergent. De plus, une analyse approfondie des méthodologies utilisées suffit à convaincre que le débat demeure ouvert sur cette question. Des améliorations méthodologiques sont apportées dans cette recherche. La présente étude analyse donc le fonctionnement sensori-moteur des déficients profonds en le comparant à celui de sujets normaux de même âge mental qu'eux. Les déficients mentaux sont divisés en deux groupes selon qu'il y ait ou non présence de trouble lésionnel. Tous les sujets font face aux items de l'échelle de la poursuite visuelle et de la permanence de l'objet ainsi que celle des relations entre les objets dans l'espace construits par Uzgiris et Hunt (1975). Les résultats sont ensuite tour à tour présentés et interprétés.

Unlinked Embedded Graphs

This paper is a self-contained development of an invariant of graphs embedded in three-dimensional Euclidean space using the Jones polynomial and skein theory. Some examples of the invariant are computed. An unlinked embedded graph is one that contains only trivial knots or links. Examples show that the invariant is sufficiently powerful to distinguish some different unlinked embeddings of the same graph.

Decision making models embedded into a web-based tool for assessing pest infestation risk

Current practices in agricultural management involve the application of rules and techniques to ensure high quality and environmentally friendly production. Based on their experience, agricultural technicians and farmers make critical decisions affecting crop growth while considering several interwoven agricultural, technological, environmental, legal and economic factors. In this context, decision support systems and the knowledge models that support them, enable the incorporation of valuable experience into software systems providing support to agricultural technicians to make rapid and effective decisions for efficient crop growth. Pest control is an important issue in agricultural management due to crop yield reductions caused by pests and it involves expert knowledge. This paper presents a formalisation of the pest control problem and the workflow followed by agricultural technicians and farmers in integrated pest management, the crop production strategy that combines different practices for growing healthy crops whilst minimising pesticide use. A generic decision schema for estimating infestation risk of a given pest on a given crop is defined and it acts as a metamodel for the maintenance and extension of the knowledge embedded in a pest management decision support system which is also presented. This software tool has been implemented by integrating a rule-based tool into web-based architecture. Evaluation from validity and usability perspectives concluded that both agricultural technicians and farmers considered it a useful tool in pest control, particularly for training new technicians and inexperienced farmers.

PREPARATION OF POLYELECTROLYTE MEMBRANES EMBEDDED WITH ZEOLITE NANOPARTICLES FOR ENHANCED PERFORMANCE IN FORWARD OSMOSIS

Water scarcity is a global issue that has already affected every continent. Membrane technology is considered as one of the most promising candidates for resolving this worsening issue. Among all the membrane processes, the emerging forward osmosis (FO) membrane process is osmotically-driven and has unique advantages compared with other traditional pressure-driven membrane processes. One of the major challenges to advancing the FO membrane process is the lack of a suitable membrane. Polyelectrolyte thin film prepared via layer-by-layer (LbL) technique has demonstrated its excellent performance in many applications including electronics, optics, sensors, etc. Recent studies have revealed the potential of polyelectrolyte thin films in acting as the active separation layer of FO membranes, but significant efforts are still needed to improve the membrane performance and understand the transport mechanisms. This dissertation introduces a novel approach to prepare a zeolite-embedded polyelectrolyte composite membrane for enhanced FO performance. This membrane takes advantages of the versatile LbL process to unprecedentedly incorporate high loading of zeolite nanoparticles, which are anticipated to facilitate water transport due to the uniquely interconnected structure of zeolites. Major topics discussed in this dissertation include: (1) the synthesis and evaluation of the polyelectrolyte-zeolite composite FO membrane, (2) the examination of the fouling resistance to identify its technical limitations, (3) the demonstration of the membrane regenerability as an effective strategy for membrane fouling control, and (4) the investigation of crosslinking effects on the membrane performance to elucidate the transport mechanisms involved in the zeolite-embedded polyelectrolyte membranes. Comparative studies have been made between polyelectrolyte membranes with and without zeolite incorporation. The findings suggest that the zeolite-embedded membrane, although slightly more susceptible to silica scaling, has demonstrated enhanced water flux and separation capability, good resistance to organic fouling, and complete regenerability for fouling control. Additionally, the embedded zeolite nanoparticles are proved to be able to create fast pathways for water transport. Overall, this work provides a novel strategy to create zeolite-polymer composite membranes with enhanced separation performance and unique fouling mitigation properties.

Phobos: The design and implementation of embedded software for a low cost radar warning receiver

This portfolio thesis describes work undertaken by the author under the Engineering Doctorate program of the Institute for System Level Integration. It was carried out in conjunction with the sponsor company Teledyne Defence Limited. A radar warning receiver is a device used to detect and identify the emissions of radars. They were originally developed during the Second World War and are found today on a variety of military platforms as part of the platform’s defensive systems. Teledyne Defence has designed and built components and electronic subsystems for the defence industry since the 1970s. This thesis documents part of the work carried out to create Phobos, Teledyne Defence’s first complete radar warning receiver. Phobos was designed to be the first low cost radar warning receiver. This was made possible by the reuse of existing Teledyne Defence products, commercial off the shelf hardware and advanced UK government algorithms. The challenges of this integration are described and discussed, with detail given of the software architecture and the development of the embedded application. Performance of the embedded system as a whole is described and qualified within the context of a low cost system.

A Comparison of Geo-tagging in Mobile Internet Browsing Applications on iOS and Android.

Nowadays there is almost no crime committed without a trace of digital evidence, and since the advanced functionality of mobile devices today can be exploited to assist in crime, the need for mobile forensics is imperative. Many of the mobile applications available today, including internet browsers, will request the user’s permission to access their current location when in use. This geolocation data is subsequently stored and managed by that application's underlying database files. If recovered from a device during a forensic investigation, such GPS evidence and track points could hold major evidentiary value for a case. The aim of this paper is to examine and compare to what extent geolocation data is available from the iOS and Android operating systems. We focus particularly on geolocation data recovered from internet browsing applications, comparing the native Safari and Browser apps with Google Chrome, downloaded on to both platforms. All browsers were used over a period of several days at various locations to generate comparable test data for analysis. Results show considerable differences not only in the storage locations and formats, but also in the amount of geolocation data stored by different browsers and on different operating systems.

Microstructure and tensile properties of carbon-epoxy laminates produced by automated fibre placement: Influence of a caul plate on the effects of gap and overlap embedded defects

Automated fibre placement (AFP) enables the trajectory of unidirectional composite tape to be optimized, but laying down complex shapes with this technology can result in the introduction of defects. The aim of this experimental study is to investigate the influence of gaps and overlaps on the microstructure and tensile properties of carbon-epoxy laminates. First, a comparison between a hand-layup and AFP layup, draped and cured under the same conditions, shows equivalent microstructures and tensile properties. This provides the reference values for the study. Then, gap and overlap embedded defects (more or less severe) are introduced during manufacturing, on two cross-ply layups [(0°/(90°)5/0°] and [(90°/0°)2/90°]. Autoclave cure without a caul plate results in local thickness variation and microstructural changes which depend on the defect type. This has a strong influence on mechanical performance. Use of a caul plate avoids these variations and in this case embedded defects hardly affect tensile properties.

QuasiGeostrophic Diagnosis of Mixed-Layer Dynamics Embedded in a Mesoscale Turbulent Field

A quasigeostrophic model is developed to diagnose the three-dimensional circulation, including the vertical velocity, in the upper ocean from high-resolution observations of sea surface height and buoyancy. The formulation for the adiabatic component departs from the classical surface quasigeostrophic framework considered before since it takes into account the stratification within the surface mixed layer that is usually much weaker than that in the ocean interior. To achieve this, the model approximates the ocean with two constant stratification layers: a finite-thickness surface layer (or the mixed layer) and an infinitely deep interior layer. It is shown that the leading-order adiabatic circulation is entirely determined if both the surface streamfunction and buoyancy anomalies are considered. The surface layer further includes a diabatic dynamical contribution. Parameterization of diabatic vertical velocities is based on their restoring impacts of the thermal wind balance that is perturbed by turbulent vertical mixing of momentum and buoyancy. The model skill in reproducing the three-dimensional circulation in the upper ocean from surface data is checked against the output of a high-resolution primitive equation numerical simulation

Desenvolvimento de protótipo de aplicativo móvel em Android® para o controle e acompanhamento nutricional da saúde óssea em mulheres menopáusicas

Following a drop in estrogen in the period of menopause some women begin to lose bone mass more than 1% per year reaching the end of five years with loss greater than 25%. In this regard, factors such as older age, low calcium intake and premature menopause favor the onset of osteoporosis. Preventive methods such as nutritional counseling to a proper diet and the support of technology through applications that assess dietary intake are essential. Thus, this study aimed to develop an application for Android® platform focused on the evaluation of nutritional and organic conditions involved in bone health and risks for developing osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. To achieve this goal we proceeded to a study of 72 women aged 46-79 years, from the physical exercise for bone health of the Laboratory for Research in Biochemistry and Densitometry the Federal Technological University of Paraná program. Data were collected in the second half of 2014 through tests Bone Densitometry and Body Composition, Blood Tests, Anthropometric data and Nutrition Assessment. The study included women with a current diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis primary, aged more than 45 years postmenopausal. For the assessment of bone mineral density and body composition used the device Absorptiometry Dual Energy X-ray (DXA) brand Hologic Discovery TM Model A. For anthropometric assessment was included to body mass, height, abdominal circumference, Waist circumference and hip circumference. The instrument for assessing food consumption was used Recall 24 hours a day (24HR). The estimated intake of energy and nutrients was carried from the tabulation of the food eaten in the Software Diet Pro 4®. In a sub sample of 30 women with osteopenia / osteoporosis serum calcium and alkaline phosphatase tests were performed. The results demonstrated a group of women (n = 30) average calcium intake of 570mg / day (± 340). The analysis showed a mean serum calcium within the normal range (10,20mg / dl ± 0.32) and average values and slightly increased alkaline phosphatase (105.40 U / L ± 23.70). Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between the consumption of protein and the optimal daily intake of calcium (0.375 p-value 0.05). Based on these findings, we developed an application early stage in Android® platform operating system Google®, being called OsteoNutri. We chose to use Java Eclipse® where it was executed Android® version of the project; choice of application icons and setting the visual editor for building the application layouts. The DroidDraw® was used for development of the three application GUIs. For practical tests we used a cell compatible with the version that was created (4.4 or higher). The prototype was developed in conjunction with the Group and Instrumentation Applications Development (GDAI) of the Federal Technological University of Paraná. So this application can be considered an important tool in dietary control, allowing closer control consumption of calcium and dietary proteins.

Teleoperación de un robot móvil mediante dispositivos Android

Resumen: En el siguiente trabajo se aborda un problema para solventar la comunicación con los robots del departamento MAPIR de la Universidad de Málaga, anteriormente sólo podían ser teleoperados mediante comandos escritos en Skype, así que se procede a diseñar un cliente móvil para Android que nos permite conectarse en tiempo real a un robot, obtener la imagen de lo que su cámara capta y además permitir su teleoperación. Por su parte, el robot corre un servidor que administra esos datos al cliente para trabajar conjuntamente. Dicho trabajo se desarrolla haciendo uso de nuevas tecnologias y protocolos como es WebRTC (de Google) para el intercambio de imágenes y del lado del servidor, se ha usado NodeJS.

Integración de Arbotix, Raspberry Pi y motores Dynamixel Ax-12+ para un robot humanoide que busca y patea pelotas

En este artículo se presenta a DeBuPa (Detección Búsqueda Pateo) un humanoide de tamaño pequeño (38 cm de alto) construido con las piezas del kit Bioloid. Del kit se ha excluido la tarjeta CM-510 para sustituirla por la tarjeta controladora Arbotix, que será la que controle los 16 motores Dynamixel Ax-12+ (para mover al robot) y 2 servomotores analógicos (para mover la cámara). Además se ha agregado un mini computador Raspberry Pi, con su cámara, para que el robot pueda detectar y seguir la pelota de forma autónoma. Todos estos componentes deben ser coordinados para que se logre cumplir la tarea de detectar, seguir y patear la pelota. Por ello se hace necesaria la comunicación entre la Arbotix y la Raspberry Pi. La herramienta empleada para ello es el framework ROS (Robot Operating System). En la Raspberry Pi se usa el lenguaje C++ y se ejecuta un solo programa encargado de captar la imagen de la cámara, filtrar y procesar para encontrar la pelota, tomar la decisión de la acción a ejecutar y hacer la petición a la Arbotix para que dé la orden a los motores de ejecutar el movimiento. Para captar la imagen de la cámara se ha utilizado la librería RasPiCam CV. Para filtrar y procesar la imagen se ha usado las librerías de OpenCV. La Arbotix, además de controlar los motores, se encarga de monitorizar que el robot se encuentre balanceado, para ello usa el sensor Gyro de Robotis. Si detecta un desbalance de un cierto tamaño puede saber si se ha caído y levantarse.