Results from Cal Poly's recent wind tunnel test, during the Winter of 2011-2012, in the 40- by 80-foot test section at the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) at NASA Ames Research Center are presented. AMELIA, the Advanced Model for Extreme Lift and Improved Aeroacoustics, is the first full-span, cruise efficient, short take-off and landing (CESTOL) model incorporating leading- and trailing-edge blowing wing circulation control and over-the-wing mounted turbine propulsion simulators (TPS) to date. Testing of the 10 foot span model proved successful and was the result of a 5 year NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program Research Announcement. The test generated extensive low-speed experimental aerodynamic and acoustic measurements. All of the results associated with Cal Poly's effort will be available in an open-source validation database with the goal of advancing the state-of-the-art in prediction capabilities for modeling aircraft with next generation technologies, focusing on NASA's N+2 generation goals. The model's modular design allowed for testing of 4 major configurations. Results from all configurations are presented. Out of a total of 292 data runs, 14 repeat run configurations were obtained. Overall repeatability of test data are good. Factors contributing to non-repeatability in the test data were assessed and showed high pressure air line temperature to be a primary factor. Test data shows drastic improvements in performance are obtained when incorporating leading edge blowing: wing stall can be delayed to more than 25 degrees angle-of-attack at lift coefficients exceeding six. Without the introduction of leading edge blowing to increase boundary layer momentum and maintain flow attachment around the leading edge, STOL performance suffers. Similar runs for isolated trailing edge blowing show a reduction in maximum lift coefficient to three with stall occurring at zero angle-of-attack. Testing at two engine pylon heights allowed for the highly coupled propulsion and flow control system to be characterized.

In the past, 2D CFD analysis of Circulation Control technology have shown poor comparison with experimental results. In Circulation Control experiments, typical results show a relationship between lift coefficient, CL, vs blowing momentum coefficient, Cμ. CFD analysis tend to over-predict values of CL due to gridding issues and/or turbulence model selection. This thesis attempted to address both issues by performing Richardson’s Extrpolation method to determine an acceptable mesh size and by using FLUENT’s 2-equation turbulence models. The experimental results and CAD geometry were obtained from Georgia Tech Research Institute for comparison with the CFD analysis. The study showed that 3D CFD analysis of circulation control showed similar results of over-predicting CL, which can also be attributed to gridding issues and turbulence model selection. When compared to the experimental results, the k − ω turbulence model produced the lowest errors in CL of approximately 15-17%. The other turbulence models produced errors within 5% of k − ω. A fully unstructured volume mesh with prismatic cells on the surfaces was used as the grid. The CCW con- figuration was analyzed with and without wind tunnel walls present, which produced errors of 20% and 15% in CL, respectively, when compared to experimental results. Despite the large errors in CL, CFD was able to capture the trend of increasing CL as Cμ was increased. Results reported in this thesis can be further calibrated to allow the CFD model to be used as a predictive tool for other CCW applications.

This thesis examines the evolution of international humanitarian concern culminating in adoption of a Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) banning these weapons in May 2008. It is based on systematic analysis of official documents, extensive interviews, participant-observation, and several bodies of international relations (IR) theory. Part I explains the research methodology and discusses the theoretical context for the thesis. It is argued that several core assumptions of rationalist-materialist approaches to IR theory impede understanding of the CCM's emergence, and thus the thesis adopts an interpretivist framework. The four chapters of Part II analyse international efforts on cluster munitions including prior, failed attempts to restrict cluster munitions, the emergence of an international campaign from 2003, ensuing activity involving states, international organisations and civil society, and the CCM's eventual negotiation involving more than 100 states. Part III marries this empirical account to theoretical analysis of four thesis propositions. It is concluded that non-state actor-engendered processes of evidence collection and analysis, learning and frame alignment were central to the Oslo process's emergence. The Oslo Declaration's particular humanitarian framing (to ban cluster munitions causing unacceptable harm to civilians) and the structure of the subsequent 'define-and-ban' discourse permitted convergence between states over prohibiting these weapons. Nevertheless, they contain implications for other international efforts aimed at controlling means of armed violence.

In this thesis, the role of Legal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS) in the German institutional-political landscape is examined. The effort guiding the thesis is to uncover and understand how LAWS have been constructed in the German institutional-political discourse from 2017-2021. The field of LAWS is comparatively under-researched due to their recent emergence and highly contested spread as a weapon of choice. By trying to answer how securitization is taking place in German political-institutional debates surrounding LAWS, the aim is to better understand the different discursive elements of securitization in the specific German context. Building on the elements of defining the securitizing actor and referent subject, evaluating which discourse elements contribute and limit a securitization of LAWS and how suggested policy measures are tied to other discourses allows for a multileveled understanding of the issue at hand. What is clear is the need to further expand research in this field with the goal of contributing to the larger body of literature within Peace and Conflict Studies, detangling present discourses and suggesting potential policy paths. Finally, the conclusion drawn in this thesis suggests that both a technological discourse and discourse of threat of other actors contribute toward securitization of LAWS while a liberal economic discourse limits the securitization of LAWS.

This thesis examines the evolution of international humanitarian concern culminating in adoption of a Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) banning these weapons in May 2008. It is based on systematic analysis of official documents, extensive interviews, participant-observation, and several bodies of international relations (IR) theory. Part I explains the research methodology and discusses the theoretical context for the thesis. It is argued that several core assumptions of rationalist-materialist approaches to IR theory impede understanding of the CCM¿s emergence, and thus the thesis adopts an interpretivist framework. The four chapters of Part II analyse international efforts on cluster munitions including prior, failed attempts to restrict cluster munitions, the emergence of an international campaign from 2003, ensuing activity involving states, international organisations and civil society, and the CCM¿s eventual negotiation involving more than 100 states. Part III marries this empirical account to theoretical analysis of four thesis propositions. It is concluded that non-state actor-engendered processes of evidence collection and analysis, learning and frame alignment were central to the Oslo process¿s emergence. The Oslo Declaration¿s particular humanitarian framing (to ban cluster munitions causing unacceptable harm to civilians) and the structure of the subsequent ¿define-and-ban¿ discourse permitted convergence between states over prohibiting these weapons. Nevertheless, they contain implications for other international efforts aimed at controlling means of armed violence.

Active pneumatic flow control methods as applied to aerospace applications have shown noteworthy improvements in lift compared to traditional means. The General Aviation Circulation Control (GACC) concept currently under investigation at NASA's Langley Research Center (LaRC) is an attempt at addressing some of the fundamental obstacles related to the successful development and implementation of such techniques. The primary focus of research in the field of high lift pneumatic devices is to investigate ways of obtaining significant improvements in the lift coefficient without resorting to moving surfaces. Though it has been demonstrated that the lift coefficient can be amplified in a variety of ways, the chosen method for the current work is via enhanced circulation stemming from a trailing edge Coanda jet. A secondary objective is to reduce the amount energy expenditure used in these pneumatic techniques by implementing time-variant flow. This paper describes experimental observations of the flow behavior at the trailing edge of a modified water tunnel based supercritical airfoil model that exploits both steady and pulsed Coanda driven circulation control. A total of 10 sets of data, excluding a baseline case of no Coanda jet, were sampled with five cases each for steady and pulsed flow, the latter at a reduced frequency, f+, of 1. Two cases of equal momentum coefficient but with varying forced frequencies were isolated for further study in an attempt to accurately compare the resultant flow dynamics of each method. All measurements were taken at a zero-lift angle of attack by means of a non-invasive time accurate flow visualization technique (DPIV). Vorticity behavior was investigated using Tecplot® and a MATLAB® program was developed to quantify the Strouhal Number of time-averaged velocity fluctuations moving aft of the Coanda surface for each case. / Master of Science

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:09:12Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 5273777 bytes, checksum: 9924b5707aa7b4ece624a8c2820a8cc9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-04 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The civil construction industry is the productive sector which produces the largest amount of solid waste. The reuse of waste generated from construction and destruction by the civil construction industry provokes, both directly and indirectly, a reduction on the use of nonrenewable resources, the generation of new solid waste, the waste of construction materials, the electric energy consumption itself, and also contributes for a considerable reduction on environmental impact, commonly a result of bad disposal of those materials on urban soil. Within these principles and because of the resolution #307 from CONAMA, João Pessoa s prefecture also known as PMJP - located on the state of Paraíba, created the System for the Sustainable Management of Civil Construction and Demolition Waste and the Integrated Plan of Civil Construction Waste Management, through municipal law #11,176/2007, enabling the construction of the Civil Construction Waste Benefiting Plant, or USIBEN, in the year 2007. The plant is capable of processing up to 20 tons of waste per hour. All the aggregate produced by USIBEN is used by the prefecture itself, which is the one in charge of the plant. In this project, more detailed research on the productive process of the plant was developed, trying to assess the enterprise on its financial viability. Many methods of economic analysis were used, with the help of statistics given directly by the plant and by EMLUR/PMJP. It was possible to discover the cost of the recycled waste aggregate, which reached, in 2008, R$17.39 (Seventeen reais and thirty nine centavos) per square meter, being also called profit point. The Net Present Value (NPV) found, considering a planning horizon of 20 years, was R$1,292,424.77 (one million two hundred ninety two thousand four hundred twenty four reais and seventy seven centavos), which is considered to be an effective method using the financial viability calculation for enterprises from this nature. In the same situation, the time spent until the return of investment was 3.24 years, considering, in the calculations, the Net Present Value on the projected period. The Benefit-Cost Rate found resulted in 2.61, whereas the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) was 26.24%, considering a scenario where the contribution for transportation of waste volumes received by the plant was ignored. On a second Scenario, was taken into account the contribution, to the gross income, of the entire avoided estimated costs of transportation of all volume of CCW received by the plant, being, in this case, the economic rates even better, proving the financial viability of the enterprise in the second simulation as well. This study serves as a guiding element to be used by the public manager, helping him to take wise decisions on matters related to the USIBEN and, consequently, to the construction waste management itself, in the city of João Pessoa. / A indústria da construção civil é o setor produtivo que mais gera resíduos sólidos. O reaproveitamento dos resíduos oriundos da construção e demolição pela própria indústria da construção civil provoca, direta e indiretamente, a redução do uso de recursos naturais não renováveis, da geração de novos resíduos sólidos, do desperdício de materiais construtivos, do próprio consumo de energia elétrica, além de contribuir para a redução considerável do impacto ambiental, comumente decorrente da deposição irregular destes materiais no solo urbano. Dentro destes princípios e em decorrência da Resolução Nº. 307 do CONAMA, a Prefeitura Municipal de João Pessoa PMJP, capital do estado da Paraíba, instituiu o Sistema de Gestão Sustentável de Resíduos da Construção Civil e Demolição e o Plano Integrado de Gerenciamento de Resíduos da Construção Civil, através da Lei Municipal No. 11.176/2007, possibilitando a implantação da Usina de Beneficiamento de Resíduos da Construção Civil - USIBEN, no ano de 2007, com capacidade para processar até 20 toneladas/hora de resíduo. Todo agregado reciclado produzido pela USIBEN é utilizado pela própria Prefeitura Municipal, mantenedora da USIBEN. Neste trabalho foram desenvolvidos estudos mais detalhados do processo produtivo da Usina, buscando avaliar o empreendimento quanto a sua viabilidade financeira. Foram empregados vários métodos de análise econômica, utilizando, para tanto, dados obtidos diretamente junto à Usina e à EMLUR/PMJP. Foi possível encontrar o custo de produção do agregado reciclado, que ficou, no ano de 2008, em R$ 17,39 (dezessete reais e trinta e nove centavos) por m3, sendo este também denominado de ponto de lucro. O Valor Presente Líquido - VPL encontrado, considerando um horizonte de planejamento de 20 anos, foi de R$ 1.292.424,77 (hum milhão duzentos e noventa e dois mil quatrocentos e vinte e quatro reais e setenta e sete centavos), sendo um método considerado eficiente no cálculo de viabilidade econômica de empreendimentos desta natureza. Nesta mesma situação, o Tempo de Retorno do Capital empregado ficou em 3,24 anos, considerando, no cálculo, o Valor Presente Líquido do período projetado. O Índice Benefício/Custo - IBC encontrado ficou em 2,61 enquanto que a Taxa Interna de Retorno - TIR foi calculada em 26,24 %, tudo isto considerando um cenário onde foi desprezada a contribuição, na receita bruta, dos custos referentes ao transporte do volume de resíduos recebidos pela Usina. Em um segundo cenário, foi levada em consideração a contribuição, à Receita Bruta, do valor estimado dos custos evitados de transporte de todo o volume recebido de RCC pela Usina, sendo, neste caso, os índices econômicos ainda mais animadores, comprovando a viabilidade econômica do empreendimento também nesta segunda simulação. Este estudo serve como elemento norteador ao Administrador Público nas tomadas de decisão em assuntos diretamente ligados à USIBEN e, por conseguinte, à própria gestão dos resíduos da construção na cidade de João Pessoa.

This thesis addresses the issue of autonomous weapons systems and their potential preventive prohibition with regard to current international discussions at multilateral forums such as the Human Rights Council, First Committee of the General Assembly, and Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons at UN. The aim of this thesis is to provide an extensive empirical account of the substance of those discussions and their most likely outcome, estimating state preferences with use of content analysis and the likely outcome with median voter prediction. From a theoretical standpoint, the thesis draws from defensive realism and contributions of arms control, arms trade as well as institutionalist literature from which it draws the concept of legalization. From a methodological standpoint, the thesis relies on quantitative methods, in particular, content analysis for collection of data and median voter theorem for prediction of the likely outcome. In addition, the thesis uses the method of regression analysis to examine states' activity at the aforementioned fora. In conclusion, the thesis finds that the most likely outcome of discussions on autonomous weapons systems is a moderate-obligation form of hybrid regulation, which includes solutions such as framework convention and moratorium. Further finding of...

臺灣公民團體監督立法院的行動並不罕見，早在1989年就有公民團體發起立委評鑑的活動，然而學界未曾對此做過系統性的研究。2007年公督盟正式成立後，自第七屆起，公督盟每會期結束後定期公布立委評鑑，引發民眾與不少朝野立委的重視，但也引起名列待觀察名單立委的反彈。本文有兩個層次的研究問題，首先，公督盟究竟如何做評鑑以及他們怎麼看立委評鑑這件事，本文除了分析公督盟的檔案資料外，也深度訪談其成員。公督盟做評鑑的目的希望為選民篩選出好立委，淘汰劣立委，也希望透過監督推動立法院更加透明開放。公督盟實際上在評鑑過程相當嚴謹，卻一直受到國民黨立委的抵制。然而，解決資源有限與強化質化評鑑是公督盟未來急迫的目標。 　　其次，什麼樣特質的立委較為關心立委評鑑？立委又是如何去看立委評鑑？為了解答本研究問題，本文使用質化的深入訪談以及量化的調查研究兩者混合的方法進行分析。在質化分析上，作者發現：國民黨立委普遍對公督盟持有敵意，民進黨立委則較為友善；此外，立委不分藍綠對評鑑指標過於量化表示不滿；同時，個人形象以及連任考量是影響立委關心評鑑的主因，因為選舉時可以加以宣傳政績；不過，立委評鑑看似使許多立委對立法問政較為積極認真，但不少立委卻是以做業績方式應付評鑑，諸如增加提案量、質詢次數以及高出席率等。而在量化分析上，統計模型顯示，區域立委、民進黨籍、重視立法問政、高教育程度以及女性的立委較為關心評鑑；而民進黨籍立委以及女性立委則較積極提供評鑑資料給公督盟；最後，立委關心評鑑的程度與其評鑑成績表現有正相關關係。總結來說，這些發現均說明了公督盟對立委的問政行為多少產生影響力，後續效應值得學界繼續追蹤研究。 / The NGO’s activities of supervision on the Legislative Yuan is not rare in Taiwan. As early as 1989, there were campaigns called “legislator-evaluation (hereafter ‘LE’)” held by a few NGOs. However, there are scarce systematic researches on it. In 2007, many NGOs allied into an alliance called “Citizen Congress Watch, CCW”. Since the 7th term, the reports of LE were regularly published by CCW after the end of each session. The reports of LE not only attracted the public and the legislators’ attentions, but also received serious criticism from legislators listed on the ‘watch-list’. This thesis has two levels of research questions: First level question is how the CCW conducts and treats the LE. I analyzed the archives and interviewed with the members of CCW to understand how and why they conducted the LE. The purposes of CCW are not only to filter out excellent legislators and to eliminate infamous legislators through LE for the electorate, but also to promote the transformation of Legislative Yuan to more transparency by supervision. Actually, the process of LE is rigorous, but the CCW still confronts the KMT legislators’ boycotts. However, under the situation of limited resource, it’s CCW’s urgent problem to solve and to reinforce the qualitative indicators. 　The second level questions intend to discern the characteristics of legislators more concerned about the LE, and how the legislators regard the LE. I combined the methods of in-depth interview and survey on legislators and their assistants. From the in-depth interview, I have several findings: First, because of suspicion on the CCW’s stand towards to the DPP, the KMT legislators are hostile to the CCW; in contrast, the DPP legislators are friendly to it. However, both the KMT and the DPP legislators are unsatisfied with the ways of conducting LE because it overly weights on quantitative indicators. In addition, the reasons legislators care about the LE is mainly due to their values on personal image and re-election considerations. Last, it seems that legislators had become more actively participating in the legislative process because of the LE. Actually many legislators purposefully cope with it by “upping grades”—the number of proposals, interrogations, and the attendance rates were magnified or boasted by the legislators. Also, my hypothses are verified. From the statistic model, it shows that district legislators, the DPP legislators, those who emphasize on legislative affairs rather than constituency service, and the females, are more concerned about the LE. Besides, the DPP and the female legislators are more willing to offer documents for LE to the CCW. In addition, there is a positive relationship between the degrees of legislators’ concern and their grades of LE. In conclusion, these findings imply that the CCW has more or less influence on legislators’ legislative behaviors. It worths conducting follow-up studies in the future.