The boundary layer equations for a quasi-equilibrium flow of dissociating air past a flat plate have been solved on an electronic digital computer. The solution is based upon a modification of Crocco's method, which takes into consideration the variation of the Prandtl, Schmidt and Lewis numbers. The thermodynamic and transport properties of dissociating air have been evaluated utilizing the closed form expressions evolved by Hansen for approximate partition functions. This method of analysis permits the use of the most valid variations available for dissociating air properties with temperature. Air is treated as a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen in the ratio of one to four. The calculated shear function for dissociation air exceeds, by a maximum of 7.1 percent, the values obtained by Van Driest for non-dissociating air. The calculated enthalpy distribution varies considerably from that computed by Van Driest for a Prandt number of 0.75; the maximum variation being 10.6 percent greater than the calculated value. Results obtained here indicate that the enthalpy distribution is virtually independent of the variation of the product µρ, viscosity times density, with enthalpy. / M.S.

Since plants utilize CO��� as the substrate for photosynthesis, terrestrial plants may be directly affected by increasing levels of CO��� in the atmosphere. Plants native to the sagebrush steppe are predicted to increase in growth in response to elevated CO��� through increased water use efficiency and higher photosynthetic rates. This study examined the interactions between edaphic factors and CO��� in order to determine how species native to the sagebrush steppe may respond to elevated CO���. The objectives of these experiments were to: 1. determine if Sitanion hystrix, Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis, and Stipa thurberiana alter their growth and physiology in response to CO��� and soil temperature. 2. determine if Sitanion hystrix and Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis alter their growth and physiology in response to CO��� and water stress. Two experiments were conducted using environmentally controlled chambers. In the first experiment, Sitanion hystrix, Artemisia tridentata and Stipa thurberiana were exposed to ambient (374 ppm) or high (567 ppm) CO��� conditions and low (13��C) or high (18��C) soil temperature. After four months in the chambers, plants were harvested and plant material was divided into shoots, roots, and leaves. Results from the first experiment demonstrated that carbon dioxide and soil temperature modified the growth of these species. Sitanion hystrix increased its shoot and root weights at elevated CO��� when grown under low soil temperatures. Artemisia tridentata had lower plant weights under elevated CO��� and 18 ��C soil temperature than plants grown at ambient CO��� and 13��C. Shoots of Stipa thurberiana were responsive to soil temperature and roots were responsive to CO��� at 18��C. In the second experiment, Sitanion hystrix and Artemisia tridentata were exposed to ambient (371 ppm) or high (569 ppm) CO��� and well-watered or water stressed conditions. Results indicated that there were no interactive effects betweeen CO��� and water stress with respect to plant growth or physiology. CO��� increased water use efficiency in S. hystrix and increased water use efficiency of A. tridentata at the beginning of the experiment but had no interactive effects with water stress on growth or photosynthesis. Results suggested that the effect of CO��� on plant growth and productivity of the sagebrush steppe is dependent upon the soil temperature to which the plants are exposed. Differences between species in their response to CO���, soil temperature, and water stress were also apparent in this experiment. These controlled environment studies should pave the way for field studies in the sagebrush steppe in order to determine if differences in carbon allocation, resulting from changes in CO��� and soil temperature, are realized in the field. Alterations in carbon allocation may potentially alter the competitive relationships between species and influence successional processes in the sagebrush steppe. / Graduation date: 1997

Many organisms, especially animals like insects, which depend on the environment for body heat, have growth stages and life cycles that are highly dependent on temperature. To better understand and model how insect life history events progress, for example in the emergence and initial growth of the biogeographical research subjects, we must first understand he relationship between temperature, heat accumulation, and subsequent development. The measure of the integration of heat over time, usually referred to as degree-days, is a widely used science-based method of forecasting, that quantifies heat accumulation based on measured ambient temperature. Some popular methods for calculation of degreedays are the traditional sinusoidal method and the average method. The average method uses only the average of the daily maximum and minimum temperature, and has the advantage that it is very easy to use. However, this simplest method can underestimate the amount of degree-day accumulation that is occurring in the environment of interest, and thus has a greater potential to reduce the accuracy of forecasting insect pest emergence. The sinusoidal method was popularized by Allen (1976, [1]), and gives a better approximation to the actual accumulation of degree-days. Both of these degree-day accumulators are independent of typical heating and cooling patterns during a typical day cycle. To address possible non-symmetrical effect, it was deemed prudent to construct degree-day accumulators to take into account phenomena like sunrise, sunset, and solar noon. Consideration of these temporal factors eliminated the assumption that heating and cooling in a typical day during the growth season is symmetric. In some tested cases, these newer degree-day integrators are more accurate than the traditional sinusoidal method, and in all tested cases, these integrators are more accurate than the average method. After developing the newer degree-day accumulators, we chose to investigate use of a logistic phenology model similar to one used by Onsager and Kemp (1986, [54]) when studying grasshopper development. One reason for studying this model is that it has parameters that are important when considering pest management tactics, such as the required degree-day accumulations needed for insects in immature stages (instars) to be completed, as well as a parameter related to the variability of the grasshopper population. Onsager and Kemp used a nonlinear regression algorithm to find parameters for the model. I constructed a simplex algorithm and studied the effectiveness when searching for parameters for a multi-stage insect population model. While investigating the simplex algorithm, it was found that initial values of parameters for constructing the simplex played a crucial role in obtaining realistic and biologically meaningful parameters from the nonlinear regression. Also, while analyzing this downhill simplex method for finding parameters, it was found there is the potential for the simplex to get trapped in many local minima, and thus produce extraneous or incorrectly fitted parameter estimates, although Onsager and Kemp did not mention this problem. In tests of my methods of fitting, I used an example of daily weather data from Onefour, AB, with a development threshold of 12 ±C and a biofix day of April 1st, as an example. The method could be applied to larger, more extensive datasets that include grasshopper population data on numbers per stage, by date, linked to degree accumulations based on the non-symmetrical method, to determine whether it would offer significant improvement in forecasting accuracy of spring insect pest events, over the long term. / xii, 106 leaves ; 29 cm

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1934 N31 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 X56 / Master of Science

Mitochondria were extracted from seedling radicles of Pima S-5 and Pima E-14 cottons and the state 3 respiration, state 4 respiration, ADP:O ratio and respiratory control (RC) ratio were measured in vitro over a range of temperatures from 6 to 18C. Mitochondria from E-14 seedlings exhibited a mean state 3 respiration rate of 13.42 μMO₂/min/gm tissue while mitochondria from S-5 seedlings showed a mean state 3 rate of 17.94 μMO₂/min/gm tissue. Mean state 4 respiration exhibited a similar trend with measurements of 73.4 μMO₂/min/gm tissue and 11.73 μMO₂/min/gm tissue for E-14 and S-5. Mitochondria from E-14 seedlings exhibited a mean ADP:O ratio of 3.73 compared to an ADP:O of 3.28 for S-5, across all assay temperatures. Mean respiratory control ratio was 1.79 for E-14 and 1.53 for S-5. These lower respiration rates of E-14 coupled with higher ADP:O ratios and RC ratios support a greater respiratory efficiency at low temperatures of this variety compared to S-5. Additionally, the E-14 mitochondrial membranes exhibited an ability to remain in a fluid state to a lower temperature than Pima S-5 mitochondrial membranes as judged by Arrhenius plots of respiration. Since mitochondrial respiration is considered to be regulated by membrane-bound enzymes, any change in membrane fluidity would conceivably affect mitochondrial enzyme activity and thus alter respiration rates. Changes in respiration rates will be reflected as a break in an Arrhenius plot. The mean break point temperature of state 3 respiration was 10.7C for E-14 and 13.4C for S-5. The mean break point temperature for state 4 respiration was 10.9C for E-14 and 13.6C for S-5. The ability of E-14 to withstand a greater degree of chilling under field conditions can be attributed, in part, to the greater fluidity of seedling mitochondrial membranes at low temperatures and concomitant conservation of respiratory energy through a lower rate of respiration. Assays of mitochondrial respiration and Arrhenius plots of mitochondrial respiration versus temperatures could be used to select cotton lines more tolerant to chilling temperatures.

No description available.

The hydraulic conductance of a plant is a significant factor in determining the / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.

CTMinimum and CTMaximum were measured in 620 goldfish to determine if biotic factors, in particular starvation, condition factor and size, affect temperature tolerance. Twenty-eight days of starvation adversely affected both upper and lower temperature tolerance. Condition factor was related to upper but not lower temperature tolerance.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in ful lment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. Johannesburg, April 2016 / An explosive event in an industrial gas transmission pipe stresses the pipe and can result in pipe rupture and separation at weak points. A shock wave results propagating from the high pressure section of the pipe, through the gap and to the low pressure section. The present study simulates numerically and experimentally the resulting ow eld at the position of pipe separation and propagation conditions in both pipe sections. The e ects of gap width, gap geometry and shock Mach number variation are investigated. Shock Mach numbers of 1.34, 1.45,1.60 and 2.2, gap widths of 40mm to 310mm were used. All variations of boundary conditions were found to have an e ect on the propagation conditions as well as the development of the ow features within the gap. The variation of the gap geometry was done for a pipe gap and a anged gap experimentally. Extended geometries were simulated numerically. For the pipe gap, the incident shock wave accelerated the gas in the upstream pipe to high subsonic speeds and continued in the downstream pipe at a much reduced strength. A strong expansion propagated into the ow in the upstream pipe causing a signi cant pressure drop from the initial post-shock pressure. Expansion waves at the out ow resulted in supersonic speeds as the ow entered the gap for Mach 1.45 and 1.6. A notable feature was the formation of a standing shock at the inlet to the downstream pipe. In addition to the standing shock, shock cells of alternating shocks and expansions developed within the gap essentially controlling the propagation conditions in the downstream pipe. For the lower Mach number of 1.3, no sharp discontinuities were noticed. The e ect of the gap width was found on the nature of the shock cells within the gap. The propagation conditions in the downstream pipe showed that the pressure is initially unsteady but becomes more uniform, controlled by the developed wave system in the gap. For the anged gap case, the ow within the gap is con ned for much longer and hence produced much more intense and complex ow feature interactions and an earlier transition of the ow to turbulence. Numerical investigations for a burst pipe gap, for a gap with a di erent diameter downstream pipe and a gap with a 90-degree bend downstream pipe produced peculiar ow features. / MT2016