Use of data mining techniques to explain the primary factors influencing water sensitivity of asphalt mixtures

The water sensitivity of asphalt mixtures affects the durability of the pavements, and it depends on several parameters related to its composition (aggregates and binder) and the production and application processes. One of the main parameters used in the European Standards to measure the water sensitivity of asphalt mixtures is the indirect tensile strength ratio (ITSR). Therefore, this work aims to obtain a predictive model of ITSR of asphalt mixtures using several parameters that affect water sensitivity and assess their relative importance. The database used to develop the model comprises thirteen parameters collected from one hundred sixty different asphalt mixtures. Data Mining techniques were applied to process the data using Multiple Regression, Artificial Neural Networks, and Support Vector Machines (SVM). The different metrics analysed showed that SVM is the best predictive model of the ITSR (mean absolute deviation of 0.116, root mean square error of 0.150 and Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.667). The application of a sensitivity analysis indicates that the binder content is the parameter that most influences the water sensitivity of asphalt mixtures (26%). However, this property depends simultaneously on other factors such as the characteristics of the coarse and fine aggregates (24.9%), asphalt binder characteristics (19.3%) and the use of additives (10%).Acknowledgements This work was partly financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R & D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE) , under reference UIDB/04029/2020

A Big Data system architecture to support the monitoring of paved roads

Today, everything is connected, including the exchange of data and the generation of new information. As a result, large amounts of data are being collected at an ever-increasing rate and in a variety of forms, a phenomenon now known as Big Data. Recent developments in information and communication technologies are driving the generation of significant amounts of data from multiple sources, namely sensors. In response to these technological advances and data challenges, this paper proposes a Big Data system architecture for paved road monitoring and implements part of this architecture on a section of road in Portugal as a case study. The challenge in the case study architecture is to collect and process sensor data in real time, at a rate of 500 records per second, producing 15 GBytes of data per day, using a real-time data stream for real-time monitoring and a batch data stream for deeper analysis. This allows users to obtain instant updates on road conditions such as the number of vehicles, loads, weather, and pavement temperatures on the road. They can monitor what is happening on the road in real time, receive alerts, and even gain insight into historical data, such as analysing the condition of structures or identifying traffic patterns.This work was also partly financed by FCT/MCTES through national funds (PIDDAC) under the R&D Unit Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), under reference UIDB/04029/2020, and under the Associate Laboratory Advanced Production and Intelligent Systems ARISE, under reference LA/P/0112/2020. This work was also partly supported by the FCT under the R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

The relevance of space analysis in warehouse management

Customers are becoming increasingly demanding and logistics is gaining more importance in order to assure customer satisfaction in terms of money, quality and time. The goal of this paper is to show that warehouses can be a source of competitive advantage and that a critical approach towards the existing available space may lead to increases in capacity with low investment. To accomplish this, a company is used as a model and suggestions for improvements are carried out. Regarding the capacity, a volume approach is taken into consideration, both in terms of the products and regarding the bins. Moreover, opportunities to achieve better space usage are presented by suggesting additional or different bins. Therefore, it is possible to reduce costs, to increase safety, to increase capacity up to 9,77%, and to help minimizing traveling distances and damages caused to the items.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

After sales service: key settings for improving profitability and customer satisfaction

This paper presents a performed study to develop and improve the process of after sales of a Latvian company specialized in manufacturing fish processing equipment. The project was developed based on an action- research methodology. During the first stage of the study, the current after sales process was analysed to identify the issues and possible improvement opportunities that could be implemented later on. Data were collected through surveys and analysed, resulting in a series of improvement proposals discussed with the board of the company. At a later stage of the study, improvements were implemented such as the introduction of new services, development of new process diagrams and improvements of the spare parts management strategy. To conclude the study, the new services were offered and presented to customers and the trial period for the new after sales methodology was started.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL : A data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in P ortugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with 26% of all species being includedin the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associatedwith habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mam-mals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion formarine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems func-tionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is cru-cial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS INPORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublishedgeoreferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mam-mals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira thatincludes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occur-ring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live obser-vations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%),bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent lessthan 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrowsjsoil moundsjtunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animaljhairjskullsjjaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8),observation in shelters, (9) photo trappingjvideo, (10) predators dietjpelletsjpine cones/nuts, (11) scatjtrackjditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalizationjecholocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and100 m (76%). Rodentia (n=31,573) has the highest number of records followedby Chiroptera (n=18,857), Carnivora (n=18,594), Lagomorpha (n=17,496),Cetartiodactyla (n=11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n=7008). The data setincludes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened(e.g.,Oryctolagus cuniculus[n=12,159],Monachus monachus[n=1,512],andLynx pardinus[n=197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate thepublication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contrib-ute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting onthe development of more accurate and tailored conservation managementstrategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite thisdata paper when the data are used in publications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Mammals in Portugal: a data set of terrestrial, volant, and marine mammal occurrences in Portugal

Mammals are threatened worldwide, with ~26% of all species being included in the IUCN threatened categories. This overall pattern is primarily associated with habitat loss or degradation, and human persecution for terrestrial mammals, and pollution, open net fishing, climate change, and prey depletion for marine mammals. Mammals play a key role in maintaining ecosystems functionality and resilience, and therefore information on their distribution is crucial to delineate and support conservation actions. MAMMALS IN PORTUGAL is a publicly available data set compiling unpublished georeferenced occurrence records of 92 terrestrial, volant, and marine mammals in mainland Portugal and archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira that includes 105,026 data entries between 1873 and 2021 (72% of the data occurring in 2000 and 2021). The methods used to collect the data were: live observations/captures (43%), sign surveys (35%), camera trapping (16%), bioacoustics surveys (4%) and radiotracking, and inquiries that represent less than 1% of the records. The data set includes 13 types of records: (1) burrows | soil mounds | tunnel, (2) capture, (3) colony, (4) dead animal | hair | skulls | jaws, (5) genetic confirmation, (6) inquiries, (7) observation of live animal (8), observation in shelters, (9) photo trapping | video, (10) predators diet | pellets | pine cones/nuts, (11) scat | track | ditch, (12) telemetry and (13) vocalization | echolocation. The spatial uncertainty of most records ranges between 0 and 100 m (76%). Rodentia (n =31,573) has the highest number of records followed by Chiroptera (n = 18,857), Carnivora (n = 18,594), Lagomorpha (n = 17,496), Cetartiodactyla (n = 11,568) and Eulipotyphla (n = 7008). The data set includes records of species classified by the IUCN as threatened (e.g., Oryctolagus cuniculus [n = 12,159], Monachus monachus [n = 1,512], and Lynx pardinus [n = 197]). We believe that this data set may stimulate the publication of other European countries data sets that would certainly contribute to ecology and conservation-related research, and therefore assisting on the development of more accurate and tailored conservation management strategies for each species. There are no copyright restrictions; please cite this data paper when the data are used in publications

Morphodynamic modeling of dredging operations in estuaries

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Engenharia Civil (Especialização Hidráulica e Ambiente)O crescente aumento do volume de negócios das atividades portuárias incluídas no estuário do rio Lima tem vindo a aumentar as exigências de segurança e navegabilidade do canal de navegação existente. Estas exigências são colmatadas através de obras de proteção e de dragagem, realizadas frequentemente no estuário, implicando gastos significativos. Nesta perspetiva mais económica, a monitorização do estuário é fundamental para simultaneamente diminuir as despesas e garantir as condições exigidas. Numa vertente ambiental, os estuários são sistemas complexos que ligam dois ambientes aquáticos sujeitos a processos muito distintos, o que dificulta muito a sua monitorização. A dependência económica do bom estado dos estuários, bem como a preservação dos habitats nele existentes, requer a utilização de tecnologias avançadas, como as desenvolvidas em áreas como a hidroinformática, para uma gestão eficiente destes sistemas. O trabalho desenvolvido nesta dissertação, baseado na aplicação de ferramentas hidroinformáticas, utiliza um programa baseado em métodos numéricos que permite avaliar o impacto de dragagens em estuários, tendo sido aplicado ao estuário do rio Lima. Esse software, Delft3D, foi utilizado, inicialmente, para avaliar a evolução batimétrica do estuário e numa segunda fase, para prever a pluma formada por transbordamento, um dos métodos de descarga utilizado pelas dragas auto-transportadoras. A bacia do rio Lima, não sendo muito ocupada com atividades antropogénicas, situa-se numa região muito pluviosa e as duas barragens que foram construídas alteraram significativamente após a sua construção recente, o modo como o escoamento e o transporte de sedimentos se processa. Neste trabalho foram simulados cenários de escoamento e transporte sedimentar de modo a avaliarem-se padrões morfodinâmicos no estuário. Entre as variáveis analisadas salienta-se a concentração de sedimentos na fronteira de montante, a dimensão característica do sedimento do leito, o caudal fluvial e o tipo de maré. No estudo da pluma gerada pelas descargas por transbordamento associadas a operações de dragagens, foram consideradas descargas compostas por silte e argila, realizadas em duas localizações diferentes no estuário.The growing increase in the business port activities at the river Lima harbor has been increasing the safety and navigability requirements of the existing navigation channel. These requirements are met through protection and dredging works, which are often carried out in the estuary, implying significant expenses. In this more economical perspective, monitoring the estuary is essential to simultaneously reduce expenses and guarantee the required conditions. In an environmental perspective, estuaries are complex systems that link two aquatic environments subject to very different processes, which makes monitoring very difficult. The economic dependence on the good state of the estuaries, as well as the preservation of its habitats, requires the use of advanced technologies, such as those developed in areas such as hydroinformatics, for an efficient management of these systems. The work developed in this dissertation, based on the application of hydroinformatics tools, uses a program based on numerical methods that allows to evaluate the impact of dredging in estuaries, having been applied to the Lima River estuary. This software, Delft3D, was used, initially, to assess the estuarine morphodynamics and in a second phase, to predict the plume formed by overflow, one of the discharge methods used by self-transporting dredges. The Lima River basin, not being very occupied with human activities, is located in a very rainy region and the two relatively recent constructed dams have significantly changed the way the river flows and the transport of sediments takes place. In this work, sediment transport scenarios were simulated in order to evaluate morphodynamic patterns in the estuary. Among the variables analyzed, we highlight the concentration of sediments at the upstream boundary, the characteristic dimension of the bed sediment, the river flow and the type of tide. In the study of the plume generated by overflow discharges associated with dredging operations, discharges composed of silt and clay were considered, occurring in two different areas in the estuary

Laboratory investigation of sensors reliability to allow their incorporation in a real-time road pavement monitoring system

Unlike other engineering structures, road pavements have a greater monitoring complexity due to their heterogeneous composition and the diverse and increasing loads they are subjected to, hindering the preventive maintenance operations. For that reason, real-time monitoring systems are extremely useful to measure strains/displacements and temperature. Most of the currently applied systems use electric sensors, known as strain gauges, but a new monitoring technology has gained popularity in the last decades. Fibre Bragg grating (FBG) is an optical sensor with great potential that has been introduced on monitoring systems. The attempts to include FBG sensors in pavement monitoring have shown that further investigation is needed. Some factors to be studied are the interaction between the sensor and pavement, the use of coatings, the application method, and the influence of external conditions (e.g., temperature). This article presents preliminary laboratory work on FBG optical sensors vs electric sensors as part of the Rev@Construction project that aims to digitalise the construction industry in Portugal. This work will be essential to assure the reliability of FBG sensors before they are installed in a pavement monitoring system for a highway section. Through a series of controlled strain tests in a four-point bending apparatus, it was possible to conclude that the FBG sensors have a better quality signal than electrical strain gauge (SG) sensors. Furthermore, FBG sensors are not affected by magnetic fields, a clear advantage compared to SG sensors. The importance of temperature calibration on FBG sensors was also demonstrated in this work when analysing the data collected.ERDF - European Regional Development Fund(POCI-01–0247-FEDER-046123

Use of fibre-optic sensors in pavement condition monitoring

Like any physical structure, roads require preservation, maintenance, and rehabilitation. Furthermore, the structural analysis of a road pavement is a significantly complex operation due to the variability of its subgrade characteristics and the traffic loads. Nowadays, the growing environmental concerns have directed scientific research to new fields, namely the development of techniques that increase the resilience of pavements. Therefore, the interest in developing sensors capable of precisely measuring strains and displacements has been growing, allowing the establishment of a more reliable relationship between the characteristics of the pavement and the loads to which it is subjected. Thus, the work presented here is part of the research project Rev@Construction, which aims to create a system for monitoring pavement performance in terms of strains and temperatures in real time. Real-time pavement monitoring with sensors can be considered to have a set of conditioning factors: the type of sensor (electrical or optical based); the conditions under which the sensor is incorporated in the pavement; the protection of the sensor system by using coatings and adequate fixing systems; and the influence of external conditions, such as temperature and moisture, on the quality of the results. The use of sensors based on optical fibre technology offers several advantages for real-time pavement monitoring, as observed in some recent applications, mainly with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) technology. This technology ensures immunity to electromagnetic fields and excellent accuracy in measurements, and given the reduced dimensions of the sensors, they may be less intrusive to the pavement. Attempts to include FBG sensors in pavement monitoring systems have shown that the central aspect that needs further investigation is how the sensors should be installed to ensure the maintenance of the sound mechanical condition of the cables and ensure an adequate transmission of stresses between the road pavement and the system itself, with enormous importance of the materials in which the sensors will be embedded. This work will present the results of a laboratory study developed to determine the best way to fix the sensors in asphalt specimens, considering the mentioned problems. Thus, a series of configurations for 4-point bending and wheel-tracking tests were executed to calibrate the system that will later be included in an actual pavement trial. The influence of external conditions on the results was assessed, as well as the configuration that ensures the most reliable stress transmission, according to the type, position, and number of sensors, as well as the effect of using protection materials (e.g., fibreglass coatings) and filling materials (e.g., polymeric resins). The most relevant results obtained and the future work will be presented at the symposium