Opportunistic data collection and routing in segmented wireless sensor networks

La surveillance régulière des opérations dans les aires de manoeuvre (voies de circulation et pistes) et aires de stationnement d'un aéroport est une tâche cruciale pour son fonctionnement. Les stratégies utilisées à cette fin visent à permettre la mesure des variables environnementales, l'identification des débris (FOD) et l'enregistrement des statistiques d'utilisation de diverses sections de la surface. Selon un groupe de gestionnaires et contrôleurs d'aéroport interrogés, cette surveillance est un privilège des grands aéroports en raison des coûts élevés d'acquisition, d'installation et de maintenance des technologies existantes. Les moyens et petits aéroports se limitent généralement à la surveillance de quelques variables environnementales et des FOD effectuée visuellement par l'homme. Cette dernière activité impose l'arrêt du fonctionnement des pistes pendant l'inspection. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons une solution alternative basée sur les réseaux de capteurs sans fil (WSN) qui, contrairement aux autres méthodes, combinent les propriétés de faible coût d'installation et maintenance, de déploiement rapide, d'évolutivité tout en permettant d'effectuer des mesures sans interférer avec le fonctionnement de l'aéroport. En raison de la superficie d'un aéroport et de la difficulté de placer des capteurs sur des zones de transit, le WSN se composerait d'une collection de sous-réseaux isolés les uns des autres et du puits. Pour gérer cette segmentation, notre proposition s'appuie sur l'utilisation opportuniste des véhicules circulants dans l'aéroport considérés alors comme un type spécial de nœud appelé Mobile Ubiquitous LAN Extension (MULE) chargé de collecter les données des sous-réseaux le long de son trajet et de les transférer vers le puits. L'une des exigences pour le déploiement d'un nouveau système dans un aéroport est qu'il cause peu ou pas d'interruption des opérations régulières. C'est pourquoi l'utilisation d'une approche opportuniste basé sur des MULE est privilégiée dans cette thèse. Par opportuniste, nous nous référons au fait que le rôle de MULE est joué par certains des véhicules déjà existants dans un aéroport et effectuant leurs déplacements normaux. Et certains nœuds des sous- réseaux exploiteront tout moment de contact avec eux pour leur transmettre les données à transférer ensuite au puits. Une caractéristique des MULEs dans notre application est qu'elles ont des trajectoires structurées (suivant les voies de circulation dans l'aéroport), en ayant éventuellement un contact avec l'ensemble des nœuds situés le long de leur trajet (appelés sous-puits). Ceci implique la nécessité de définir une stratégie de routage dans chaque sous-réseau, capable d'acheminer les données collectées des nœuds vers les sous-puits et de répartir les paquets de données entre eux afin que le temps en contact avec la MULE soit utilisé le plus efficacement possible. Dans cette thèse, nous proposons un protocole de routage remplissant ces fonctions. Le protocole proposé est nommé ACME (ACO-based routing protocol for MULE-assisted WSNs). Il est basé sur la technique d'Optimisation par Colonies de Fourmis. ACME permet d'assigner des nœuds à des sous-puits puis de définir les chemins entre eux, en tenant compte de la minimisation de la somme des longueurs de ces chemins, de l'équilibrage de la quantité de paquets stockés par les sous-puits et du nombre total de retransmissions. Le problème est défini comme une tâche d'optimisation multi-objectif qui est résolue de manière distribuée sur la base des actions des nœuds dans un schéma collaboratif. Nous avons développé un environnement de simulation et effectué des campagnes de calculs dans OMNeT++ qui montrent les avantages de notre protocole en termes de performances et sa capacité à s'adapter à une grande variété de topologies de réseaux.The regular monitoring of operations in both movement areas (taxiways and runways) and non-movement areas (aprons and aircraft parking spots) of an airport, is a critical task for its functioning. The set of strategies used for this purpose include the measurement of environmental variables, the identification of foreign object debris (FOD), and the record of statistics of usage for diverse sections of the surface. According to a group of airport managers and controllers interviewed by us, the wide monitoring of most of these variables is a privilege of big airports due to the high acquisition, installation and maintenance costs of most common technologies. Due to this limitation, smaller airports often limit themselves to the monitoring of environmental variables at some few spatial points and the tracking of FOD performed by humans. This last activity requires stopping the functioning of the runways while the inspection is conducted. In this thesis, we propose an alternative solution based on Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) which, unlike the other methods/technologies, combines the desirable properties of low installation and maintenance cost, scalability and ability to perform measurements without interfering with the regular functioning of the airport. Due to the large extension of an airport and the difficulty of placing sensors over transit areas, the WSN might result segmented into a collection of subnetworks isolated from each other and from the sink. To overcome this problem, our proposal relies on a special type of node called Mobile Ubiquitous LAN Extension (MULE), able to move over the airport surface, gather data from the subnetworks along its way and eventually transfer it to the sink. One of the main demands for the deployment of any new system in an airport is that it must have little or no interference with the regular operations. This is why the use of an opportunistic approach for the transfer of data from the subnetworks to the MULE is favored in this thesis. By opportunistic we mean that the role of MULE will be played by some of the typical vehicles already existing in an airport doing their normal displacements, and the subnetworks will exploit any moment of contact with them to forward data to the sink. A particular characteristic of the MULEs in our application is that they move along predefined structured trajectories (given by the layout of the airport), having eventual contact with the set of nodes located by the side of the road (so-called subsinks). This implies the need for a data routing strategy to be used within each subnetwork, able to lead the collected data from the sensor nodes to the subsinks and distribute the data packets among them so that the time in contact with the MULE is used as efficiently as possible. In this thesis, we propose a routing protocol which undertakes this task. Our proposed protocol is named ACME, standing for ACO-based routing protocol for MULE-assisted WSNs. It is founded on the well known Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) technique. The main advantage of ACO is its natural fit to the decentralized nature of WSN, which allows it to perform distributed optimizations (based on local interactions) leading to remarkable overall network performance. ACME is able to assign sensor nodes to subsinks and generate the corresponding multi-hop paths while accounting for the minimization of the total path length, the total subsink imbalance and the total number of retransmissions. The problem is defined as a multi-objective optimization task which is resolved in a distributed manner based on actions of the sensor nodes acting in a collaborative scheme. We conduct a set of computational experiments in the discrete event simulator OMNeT++ which shows the advantages of our protocol in terms of performance and its ability to adapt to a variety of network topologie

Tool development to understand rural resource users’ land use and impacts on land type changes in Madagascar

A majority of Madagascar’s rural people depend on the primary sector. The countrie’s agricultural hub, the Alaotra-Mangoro region, is mainly tied to fisheries and rice production. Increasing human population and decreasing output from fisheries and agriculture are pushing the rural resource users further into the protected marshlands. Understanding rural farmers’ decisions can help developing improved management plans to support long-term functioning of (socio-) ecological systems. We present here an example of inter- and transdisciplinary research which uses a participatory modelling approach to develop a shared vision of the Alaotra socio-ecological system. The purpose of this study is to introduce the used gaming approach in detail by documenting the process of co-construction of the Alaotra wetlands’ conceptual model. We then describe how the model is transcribed into a table-top role-playing game that will help researchers and stakeholders alike explore and understand decisions and management strategies. We finally report on first outcomes of the game including land use decisions, reaction to market fluctuation and landscape change. RésuméLa majorité des populations rurales de Madagascar dépendent du secteur primaire. Le centre agricole du pays, la région d'Alaotra-Mangoro, est principalement lié à la pêche et à la production de riz. L'accroissement de la population humaine et la diminution de la production de la pêche et de l'agriculture poussent les utilisateurs des ressources rurales vers les marais protégés. Comprendre les décisions des agriculteurs peut aider à développer de meilleurs plans de gestion pour soutenir le fonctionnement à long terme des systèmes (socio-) écologiques. Nous présentons ici un exemple de recherche interdisciplinaire et transdisciplinaire qui utilise une approche de modélisation participative pour développer une vision partagée du système socio-écologique d'Alaotra. Le but de cette étude est de présenter en détail l'approche des jeux utilisée ici, en documentant le processus de co-construction du modèle conceptuel pour les zones humides d'Alaotra. Nous décrivons ensuite comment le modèle est transcrit dans un jeu de rôle sur plateau qui aidera les chercheurs et les parties prenantes à explorer et à comprendre les décisions et les stratégies de gestion. Nous présentons enfin les premiers résultats du jeu, y compris les décisions d'utilisation des terres, la réponse aux fluctuations du marché et aux changements de paysages

Tool development to understand rural resource users’ land use and impacts on land type changes in Madagascar

A majority of Madagascar’s rural people depend on the primary sector. The country’s agricultural hub, the Alaotra-Mangoro region, is mainly tied to fisheries and rice production. Increasing human population and decreasing output from fisheries and agriculture are pushing the rural resource users further into the protected marshlands. Understanding rural farmers’ decisions can help developing improved management plans to support long-term functioning of (socio-) ecological systems. We present here an example of inter- and transdisciplinary research which uses a participatory modelling approach to develop a shared vision of the Alaotra socio-ecological system. The purpose of this study is to introduce the used gaming approach in detail by documenting the process of co-construction of the Alaotra wetlands’ conceptual model. We then describe how the model is transcribed into a table-top role-playing game that will help researchers and stakeholders alike explore and understand decisions and management strategies. We finally report on first outcomes of the game including land use decisions, reaction to market fluctuation and landscape change.RÉSUMÉLa majorité des populations rurales de Madagascar dépendent du secteur primaire. Le centre agricole du pays, la région d'Alaotra- Mangoro, est principalement lié à la pêche et à la production de riz. L'accroissement de la population humaine et la baisse de la production agricole et de la pêche poussent les utilisateurs des ressources rurales vers les marais protégés. Comprendre les décisions des agriculteurs peut aider à développer de meilleursplans de gestion pour soutenir le fonctionnement à long terme des systèmes (socio-) écologiques. Nous présentons ici un exemple de recherche interdisciplinaire et transdisciplinaire qui utilise une approche de modélisation participative pour développer une vision partagée du système socio-écologique d'Alaotra. Le but de cette étude est de présenter en détail l'approche des jeux utilisée, en documentant le processus de co-construction du modèle conceptuel pour les zones humides d'Alaotra. Nous décrivons ensuite comment le modèle est transcrit dans un jeu de rôle sur plateau qui aidera les chercheurs et les parties prenantes à explorer et à comprendre les décisions et les stratégies de gestion. Nous présentons enfin les premiers résultats du jeu, y compris les décisions d'utilisation des terres, la réponse aux fluctuations du marché et aux changements des paysages.

Juegos didácticos de clasificación y seriación para potenciar el pensamiento lógico matemático en niños de cuatro años

La presente investigación tuvo como objetivo proponer un programa de juegos didácticos de clasificación y seriación para potenciar el pensamiento lógico matemático. Según su modalidad la investigación es de tipo cuantitativo – descriptiva, la cual se pudo describir el nivel del pensamiento lógico matemático de 18 niños de 4 años de una Institución Educativa Particular, se elaboró con el diseño no experimental, ya que es investigación que se realiza sin la necesidad de manipular variables. Para la caracterización se aplicó una prueba diagnóstica compuesto por dos dimensiones clasificación y seriación. Como resultado se evidenció en el grupo de niños un nivel no logrado en la clasificación y seriación. Del total de 50 ítems evaluados para el pensamiento lógico matemático. En clasificación 14(78%) tiene un nivel no logrado, 3 (17%) con un nivel semilogrado y 1(5%) tiene un nivel logrado. En seriación 11(72%) corresponde un nivel no logrado, 6(33%) tiene un nivel semilogrado y 1(5%) un nivel logrado. Para ello es necesario formular un conjunto de juegos didácticos para fortalecer el desarrollo de esta, finalmente se concluyó la existencia de un bajo nivel de pensamiento lógico matemático en el grupo de niños, lo que corresponde un bajo nivel de clasificación y seriación

Prenatal diagnosis in severe cases: a new gain in Portuguese neonatal

Introduction The expansion of the Portuguese neonatal screening since 2004, based on MS/MS technology, allows the tracing of 25 diseases in all Portuguese newborns in one single laboratory. Following this expansion, the molecular study was also implemented for most diseases, thus allowing confirmation and prenatal diagnosis in severe cases. Methods Five prenatal diagnoses were made in pregnant women who had children affected with severe forms of CPT2 deficiency, ARG1 deficiency, MAD deficiency and LCHAD deficiency. Disease-causing mutations were previously identified in the index patients. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood, cultured amniotic fluid cells or chorionic villous tissue by standard methods. Mutations were detected through direct sequencing of PCR products, performed on an automatic sequencer. Results Three prenatal diagnoses were performed on mothers with affected children, found through neonatal screening: CPT2D, MADD and LCHADD. Two other prenatal diagnoses for ARG1D were requested from Italy and France Centers. Results revealed two affected fetus and two heterozygous carriers. One of the studies is still in progress. Discussion Molecular prenatal diagnosis for severe forms can establish the diagnosis in the first trimester of pregnancy. Nevertheless, this procedure is conditioned by prior knowledge of responsible mutations in the index cases

SILICON APPLICATION AND MYCORRHIZA INOCULATION PROMOTED LEUCAENA LEUCOCEPHALA GROWTH IN A SOIL HIGHLY CONTAMINATED BY MANGANESE

ABSTRACT: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase the acquisition of silicon (Si) and, therefore, alleviate the problems caused by metallic toxicity in plants, but this effect remains poorly understood. The objective was to evaluate the influence of Si application on the growth of Leucaena leucocephala inoculated with AMF (Claroideoglomus etunicatum) in a soil contaminated by manganese (Mn). We exposed plants to increasing levels of Si (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg kg-1) in the soil for 90 days. Intermediate levels of Si and AMF inoculation significantly increased shoot and root dry mass, the number of sheets, root system length and mycorrhizal colonization. The abundance of AMF spores decreased linearly with increasing levels of Si applied to the soil, suggesting a low correlation with mycorrhizal colonization. In addition to the higher Mn contents in the shoots and, mainly, in the roots, the combined application of Si and inoculation with AMF significantly reduced foliar toxicity by more than 40%, when compared to the absence of Si and AMF inoculation. Our results demonstrated a synergistic effect of AMF and Si in improving the growth and tolerance of L. leucocephala plants in soil contaminated by Mn. Keywords: heavy metals; stress; remediation; AMF; Mn toxicity.   Aplicação de silício e inoculação de micorriza promove crescimento de Leucaena leucocephala em solo altamente contaminado por manganês   RESUMO: Os fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMA) podem aumentar a aquisição de silício (Si) e, portanto, amenizar os problemas causados ​​pela toxidez metálica nas plantas, mas esse efeito ainda é pouco conhecido. O objetivo foi avaliar a influência da aplicação de Si no crescimento de Leucaena leucocephala inoculada com FMA (Claroideoglomus etunicatum) em solo contaminado por manganês (Mn). Expusemos as plantas a níveis crescentes de Si (0, 100, 200 e 400 mg kg-1) no solo por 90 dias. Níveis intermediários de Si e inoculação de FMA aumentaram significativamente a massa seca da parte aérea e radicular, o número de folhas, o comprimento do sistema radicular e a colonização micorrízica. A abundância de esporos de FMA diminuiu linearmente com o aumento dos níveis de Si aplicados ao solo, sugerindo uma baixa correlação com a colonização micorrízica. Além dos maiores teores de Mn na parte aérea e, principalmente, nas raízes, a aplicação combinada de Si e inoculação com FMA reduziu significativamente a toxidez foliar em mais de 40%, quando comparada à ausência de Si e inoculação de FMA. Nossos resultados demonstraram um efeito sinérgico de FMA e Si na melhoria do crescimento e tolerância de plantas de L. leucocephala em solo contaminado por Mn. Palavras-chave: metais pesados; estresse; remediação; FMA; toxidez por Mn.ABSTRACT: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase the acquisition of silicon (Si) and, therefore, alleviate the problems caused by metallic toxicity in plants, but this effect remains poorly understood. The objective was to evaluate the influence of Si application on the growth of Leucaena leucocephala inoculated with AMF (Claroideoglomus etunicatum) in a soil contaminated by manganese (Mn). We exposed plants to increasing levels of Si (0, 100, 200 and 400 mg kg-1) in the soil for 90 days. Intermediate levels of Si and AMF inoculation significantly increased shoot and root dry mass, the number of sheets, root system length and mycorrhizal colonization. The abundance of AMF spores decreased linearly with increasing levels of Si applied to the soil, suggesting a low correlation with mycorrhizal colonization. In addition to the higher Mn contents in the shoots and, mainly, in the roots, the combined application of Si and inoculation with AMF significantly reduced foliar toxicity by more than 40%, when compared to the absence of Si and AMF inoculation. Our results demonstrated a synergistic effect of AMF and Si in improving the growth and tolerance of L. leucocephala plants in soil contaminated by Mn. Keywords: heavy metals; stress; remediation; AMF; Mn toxicity.   Aplicação de silício e inoculação de micorriza promove crescimento de Leucaena leucocephala em solo altamente contaminado por manganês   RESUMO: Os fungos micorrízicos arbusculares (FMA) podem aumentar a aquisição de silício (Si) e, portanto, amenizar os problemas causados ​​pela toxidez metálica nas plantas, mas esse efeito ainda é pouco conhecido. O objetivo foi avaliar a influência da aplicação de Si no crescimento de Leucaena leucocephala inoculada com FMA (Claroideoglomus etunicatum) em solo contaminado por manganês (Mn). Expusemos as plantas a níveis crescentes de Si (0, 100, 200 e 400 mg kg-1) no solo por 90 dias. Níveis intermediários de Si e inoculação de FMA aumentaram significativamente a massa seca da parte aérea e radicular, o número de folhas, o comprimento do sistema radicular e a colonização micorrízica. A abundância de esporos de FMA diminuiu linearmente com o aumento dos níveis de Si aplicados ao solo, sugerindo uma baixa correlação com a colonização micorrízica. Além dos maiores teores de Mn na parte aérea e, principalmente, nas raízes, a aplicação combinada de Si e inoculação com FMA reduziu significativamente a toxidez foliar em mais de 40%, quando comparada à ausência de Si e inoculação de FMA. Nossos resultados demonstraram um efeito sinérgico de FMA e Si na melhoria do crescimento e tolerância de plantas de L. leucocephala em solo contaminado por Mn. Palavras-chave: metais pesados; estresse; remediação; FMA; toxidez por Mn

Co-evolutionary dynamics in strategic alliances : the influence of the industry lifecycle

This study examines the application of the co-evolution literature to strategic alliance formation in SME’s in the UK and Australia in two differing industries at different stages of the industry life-cycle. Extending the framework developed by Das and Teng (2002) and that of Wilson and Hynes (2009), it engages with wider industry and environmental characteristics present in these two countries, specifically examining whether different theories of alliance formation are better suited to different stages of an industry life cycle. The issues discussed above are explored and developed through the use of a qualitative case study approach. Findings indicate strong resource-based drivers for alliance formation in both industries, with firms dependent on the co-evolution of their alliances and indeed selected by the results of their alliance participation. However, differences emerged in the strategic use of alliances in these two industries. The influence of the stage of the industry life cycle on this is discussed

Robust Design of Machine Learning based GNSS NLOS Detector with Multi-Frequency Features

The robust detection of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals is of vital importance for land-based and close-to-land safe navigation applications. Their reception and use without adapted mitigation may induce unacceptable inaccuracy and loss of safety. Due to the complex signal conditions in urban environments, the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence techniques and algorithms have recently shown as potential tools to classify GNSS LOS/NLOS signals. The design of machine learning algorithms with GNSS features is an emerging approach that must however, be tackled carefully to avoid biased estimation results and guarantee generalized algorithms for different scenarios, receivers, antennas and their specific installations and configurations. This work has provided new options to guarantee a proper generalization of trained algorithms by means of a pre-normalization of features with models extracted in open-sky (nominal) scenarios. The second main contribution focused on designing a branched (or parallel) machine learning process to handle the intermittent presence of GNSS features in certain frequencies. This allows to exploit measurements in all available frequencies as compared to current approaches in the literature based only on single frequency features. The detection by means of logistic regression not only provides a binary LOS/NLOS decision, but also an associated probability which can be used in the future as a mean to weight specific measurements. The detection with the proposed branched logistic regression with pre-normalized multi-frequency features has shown better results than the state of the art, reaching more than 90% detection accuracy in the validation scenarios evaluated

Time course, factors related to, and prognostic impact of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane flow in cardiogenic shock

Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is currently one of the most used devices in refractory cardiogenic shock. However, there is a lack of evidence on how to set the 'optimal' flow. We aimed to describe the evolution of VA-ECMO flows in a cardiogenic shock population and determine the risk factors of 'high-ECMO flow'. A 7 year database of patients supported with VA-ECMO was used. Based on the median flow during the first 48 h of the VA-ECMO run, patients were classified as 'high-flow' or 'low-flow', respectively, when median ECMO flow was ≥3.6 or <3.6 L/min. Outcomes included rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia, ECMO-related complications, days on ECMO, days on mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit and hospitalization lengths of stay, and in-hospital and 60 day mortality. Risk factors of high-ECMO flow were assessed using univariate and multivariate cox regression. The study population included 209 patients on VA-ECMO, median age was 51 (40-59) years, and 78% were males. The most frequent aetiology leading to cardiogenic shock was end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy (57%), followed by acute myocardial infarction (23%) and fulminant myocarditis (17%). Among the 209 patients, 105 (50%) were classified as 'high-flow'. This group had a higher rate of ischaemic aetiology (16% vs. 30%, P = 0.023) and was sicker at admission, in terms of worse Simplified Acute Physiology Score II score [40 (26-58) vs. 56 (42-74), P < 0.001], higher lactate [3.6 (2.2-5.8) mmol/L vs. 5.2 (3-9.7) mmol/L, P < 0.001], and higher aspartate aminotransferase [97 (41-375) U/L vs. 309 (85-939) U/L, P < 0.001], among others. The 'low-flow' group had less ventilator-associated pneumonia (40% vs. 59%, P = 0.007) and less days on mechanical ventilation [4 (1.5-7.5) vs. 6 (3-12) days, P = 0.009]. No differences were found in lengths of stay or survival according to the ECMO flow. The multivariate analysis showed that risk factors independently associated with 'high-flow' were mechanical ventilation at cannulation [odds ratio (OR) 3.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1-7.1] and pre-ECMO lactate (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.2). In patients with refractory cardiogenic shock supported with VA-ECMO, sicker patients had higher support since early phases, presenting thereafter higher rates of ventilator-associated pneumonia but similar survival compared with patients with lower flows