Atmospheric turbulence results taken on the Antarctic plateau are presented in this thesis. Covering two high sites: South Pole and Dome C, this work describes their seeing and meteorological conditions. Using an acoustic sounder to study the turbulence profile of the first kilo- metre of the atmosphere and a Differential Image Motion Monitor (DIMM) to investigate the integrated seeing we are able to deduce important at- mospheric parameters such as the Fried parameter (r0) and the isoplanatic angle (??0). It was found that at the two sites, the free atmosphere (above the first kilometer) was extremely stable and contributed between 0.2" and 0.3" of the total seeing with no evidence of jet or vortex peaks of strong turbulence. The boundary layer turbulence is what differentiates the two sites. Located on the Western flank of the plateau, the South Pole is prone to katabatic winds. Dome C on the other hand is on a local maximum of the plateau and the wind conditions are amongst the calmest in the world. Also linked to the topography is the vertical extent of the temperature in- version that is required to create optical turbulence. At the South Pole the inversion reaches 300 m and only 30 m at Dome C. This difference results in relatively poor seeing conditions at the South Pole (1.8") and excellent at Dome C (0.27"). The strong correlation between the seeing and the ground layer meteorological conditions indicates that even better seeing could be found at Dome A, the highest point of the plateau. Having most of the turbulence near the ground is also incredibly ad- vantageous for adaptive optics. The isoplanatic angle is respectively 3.3" and 5.7" for the South Pole and Dome C. This is significantly larger than at temperate sites where the average isoplanatic angle rarely exceeds 2". This means that wider fields can be corrected without the complication of conjugation to specific layers. For such purpose the potential is even more interesting. We show that ground conjugated adaptive optics would decrease the natural seeing to 0.22" for a wide field of 10 and 0.47" for a field of 1" at the South Pole. At Dome C the results are less impressive due to the already excellent seeing, but a gain of 0.1&quote can still be achieved over 1&quote. These results show that high angular resolution observations can be done better on the Antarctic plateau than any other known site.

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the quantification of the effect of limited site investigations on the design and performance of pile foundations. Limited site investigation is one of the main causes of structural foundation failures. Over the last 30 years, most site investigations conducted for infrastructure projects have been dictated by minimum cost and time of completion, rather than meeting the need to appropriately characterise soil properties (Institution of Civil Engineers 1991; Jaksa et al. 2003). As a result, limited site investigations remain common, resulting in a higher risk of structural foundation failure, unforeseen additional construction, and/or repair costs. Also, limited site investigations can result in over-designing foundations, leading to increased and unnecessary cost (ASFE 1996). Based on the reliability examination method for site investigations introduced by Jaksa et al. (2003) and performed by Goldsworthy (2006), this research investigated the effect of limited site investigations on the design of pile foundations. This was achieved by generating three-dimensional random fields to obtain a virtual site consisting of soil properties at certain levels of variability, and by simulating various numbers of cone penetration tests (CPTs) and pile foundations on the generated site. Once the site and the CPTs were simulated, the cone tip resistance (qc) was profiled along the vertical and horizontal axes. The simulated qc profiles yielded by the CPTs were then used to compute axial pile load capacity termed the pile foundation design based on site investigations (SI). In parallel, the axial pile load capacity of the simulated pile foundation utilising the “true” cone tip resistance along the simulated pile was also determined. This is termed “the true” design, or the benchmark pile foundation design, and referred to as pile foundation design based on complete knowledge (CK). At the end of this process, the research compared the pile foundation designs based on SI and those based on CK. The reliability of the foundation design based on SI was analysed with a probabilistic approach, using the Monte Carlo technique. The results indicated that limited site investigations have a significant impact on the design of pile foundations. The results showed that minimum sampling efforts result in a high risk of over- or under-designing piles. More intensive sampling efforts, in contrast, led to a low risk of under- or over-design. The results also indicated that the levels of spatial variability of the soil are notable factors that affect the effectiveness of site investigations. These results will assist geotechnical engineers in planning a site investigation in a more rational manner with knowledge of the associated risks. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1375097 / Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, 2009

The research presented in this thesis focuses on the quantification of the effect of limited site investigations on the design and performance of pile foundations. Limited site investigation is one of the main causes of structural foundation failures. Over the last 30 years, most site investigations conducted for infrastructure projects have been dictated by minimum cost and time of completion, rather than meeting the need to appropriately characterise soil properties (Institution of Civil Engineers 1991; Jaksa et al. 2003). As a result, limited site investigations remain common, resulting in a higher risk of structural foundation failure, unforeseen additional construction, and/or repair costs. Also, limited site investigations can result in over-designing foundations, leading to increased and unnecessary cost (ASFE 1996). Based on the reliability examination method for site investigations introduced by Jaksa et al. (2003) and performed by Goldsworthy (2006), this research investigated the effect of limited site investigations on the design of pile foundations. This was achieved by generating three-dimensional random fields to obtain a virtual site consisting of soil properties at certain levels of variability, and by simulating various numbers of cone penetration tests (CPTs) and pile foundations on the generated site. Once the site and the CPTs were simulated, the cone tip resistance (qc) was profiled along the vertical and horizontal axes. The simulated qc profiles yielded by the CPTs were then used to compute axial pile load capacity termed the pile foundation design based on site investigations (SI). In parallel, the axial pile load capacity of the simulated pile foundation utilising the “true” cone tip resistance along the simulated pile was also determined. This is termed “the true” design, or the benchmark pile foundation design, and referred to as pile foundation design based on complete knowledge (CK). At the end of this process, the research compared the pile foundation designs based on SI and those based on CK. The reliability of the foundation design based on SI was analysed with a probabilistic approach, using the Monte Carlo technique. The results indicated that limited site investigations have a significant impact on the design of pile foundations. The results showed that minimum sampling efforts result in a high risk of over- or under-designing piles. More intensive sampling efforts, in contrast, led to a low risk of under- or over-design. The results also indicated that the levels of spatial variability of the soil are notable factors that affect the effectiveness of site investigations. These results will assist geotechnical engineers in planning a site investigation in a more rational manner with knowledge of the associated risks. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1375097 / Thesis (M.Eng.Sc.) - University of Adelaide, School of Civil, Environmental and Mining Engineering, 2009

Zugl.: Diplomarbeit.

Zugl.: Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2006

Thesis (Ph.D. in Anthropology)--S.M.U., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed Mar. 18, 2008). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-04, Section: A, page: 1519. Adviser: David Freidel. Includes bibliographical references.

Zugl.: Hannover, Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Frankfurt (Main), Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2003 u.d.T.: Klossek, Martin: Optimierung der Personalisierung im Internet durch kollaboratives Filtern

Teilw. zugl.: Berlin, Univ., Diss., 1986. / Includes bibliographical references. - Accompanied by 4 folded leaves of plans in pocket inside back cover. - Also published online. - Originally presented as the author's thesis (doctoral)--Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 1986.

Thesis (M.S.)--Youngstown State University, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-126). Also available via the World Wide Web in PDF format.