Auditory neurons selectively respond to frequency and amplitude of sound. In the auditory midbrain, duration-tuned neurons (DTNs) are subsets of neurons that selectively respond to the duration of sound. DTNs may help further understand the neural mechanism underlying temporal processing in the central nervous system. Temporal processing has been shown to play important roles in speech, discriminating species-specific signals, and echolocation. The goal of this thesis is to explore the role of DTNs through single-unit electrophysiological recordings in the auditory midbrain of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Monotic and dichotic paired-tone stimulation was used to evoke excitatory and inhibitory responses from DTNs. Two stimuli consisted of best duration (BD) excitatory and non-excitatory (NE) tones. In the monotic condition, both tones were presented to the contralateral ear, and when they were close in time, the NE tone always suppressed spikes evoked by the BD tone. In the dichotic condition, the BD tone was presented to the contralateral ear. The NE tone was presented to the ipsilateral ear and suppressed BD tone evoked spiking in ~50% of cells. Properties of the ipsilaterally-evoked inhibition were investigated by varying the frequency of the NE tone from the best excitatory frequency (BEF), throughout a cell’s excitatory bandwidth (eBW). We measured the inhibitory frequency response area, best inhibitory frequency (BIF), and inhibitory bandwidth (iBW) of each cell. We found inhibition became weaker as the frequency of the NE tone moved further from the middle of the eBW. We found that a DTN’s BEF and BIF closely matched, but the eBW was broader than the iBW and overlapped the iBW measured from the same cell. This suggests temporal selectivity of midbrain DTNs are created by monaural inputs, with binaural inputs playing a lesser role in shaping duration selectivity. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This thesis reports on an extensive investigation into the intrinsic frequency response of various MQW lasers as determined from parasitic-free relative intensity noise (RIN) measurements. Eleven structures were designed, grown and fabricated at Nortel Technology's Advanced Technology Laboratory in Ottawa. Five of the laser structures had active regions containing 10 QWs. The barrier layer composition for these structures was varied such that the emission wavelength corresponding to the barrier band-gap increased from 1.0 pm to 1.2 pm in 0.05 pm steps. The remaining six structures had a constant barrier layer emission wavelength of 1.1 pm but the number of quantum wells was varied from 5, 7, 8 to 14 in 2 well steps. In all structures the QWs were embedded in a graded- index-separate-confinement-heterostructure waveguiding region and were strained to 1.0 percent in compression. The devices processed from these structures were Fabry-Perot type lasers having cavity lengths ranging from 254 pm to 1016 pm. Resonance frequency and damping values as a function of injection current and single facet optical power, as well as optical spectra just below threshold, were obtained for over one hundred devices. From this data the response coefficient D, K factor, group velocity (vg), photon energy (hv), mirror loss (am), and internal absorption (aint) were characterized. Using these characterized parameters dg/dN, dg/ds, and the maximum theoretical intrinsic 3 dB bandwidth (fmax) were calculated. The effects of varying QW number, barrier height, and cavity length on all these parameters was investigated. Limitations with using the single mode rate equation model for these characterizations is discussed. As well, potential limitations with the basic design of the structures studied in this thesis as revealed by the results are explored. / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

Detailed knowledge of mass transport and adsorption is one of the key factors in the development of novel high-performance porous materials for a wide range of technical applications. In the course of an optimization process, a quick conclusion on the properties of the pore system and its accessibility for certain sample molecules is crucial. On the other hand, predictions about the pore system can save steps in material development.

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Lean premixed combustors have been designed to lower NOx and other pollutant levels in land based gas turbines. These combustors are often susceptible to thermo-acoustic instabilities, which manifest as pressure and heat release oscillations in the combustor. To be able to predict and control these instabilities, it is required that both the acoustics of the system, and a frequency-resolved response of the combustion process to incoming perturbations be understood. Currently, a system-level approach is being used widely to predict the thermoacoustic instabilities. This approach requires simple, yet accurate models which would describe the behavior of each dynamic block within the loop. The present study is directed toward using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) as a tool in developing reduced order models for the dynamics of laminar flat flames and swirl stabilized turbulent flames. A finite-volume based approach is being used to simulate reacting flows in both laminar and turbulent combustors. The study has been divided into three parts -- the first part involves the modeling of a self-excited combustor (the acoustics of the combustor are coupled with the unsteady heat release); the second part of the research aims to study the effect of velocity perturbations on the unsteady heat release rate from a burner stabilized laminar flat flame; the third and final part of work involves an extension of the laminar flat flame study to turbulent reacting flows in a swirl stabilized combustor, and study the effects on the turbulent heat release due to the velocity perturbations. A Rijke tube combustor was selected to study self-excited combustion phenomenon. A laminar premixed methane-air flat flame was stabilized on a honeycomb flame-stabilizer. The flame stabilizer was placed at the center of the 5 feet vertical tube. The position of the flame at the center of the tube leads to a thermoacoustic instability of the 2nd acoustic mode. The fundamental thermoacoustic frequency was predicted accurately by the CFD model and the amplitude was reasonably matched (for a flow rate of Q = 120 cc/s and equivalence ratio phi = 1.0). Other characteristics of the pressure power spectrum were captured to a good degree of accuracy. This included the amplitude modulation of the fundamental and the harmonics due to a subsonic pulsating instability. The flat flame study has been being conducted for Q = 200 cc/s and equivalence ratio phi = 0.75. The objective has been to obtain a frequency response function (FRF) of the unsteady heat release rate (output) due to incoming velocity perturbations (input). A range of frequencies (15 Hz - 500 Hz) have been selected for generating the FRF. The aim of this part of the study has been to validate the computational model against the experimental results and propose a physics based interpretation of the flame response. Detailed heat transfer modeling (including radiation heat transfer) and two-step chemistry models have been implemented in the model. The FRF generated has been able to reproduce the experimentally observed phenomena, like the low frequency pulsating instability occurring at 30 Hz. A heat transfer study has been conducted to explain the pulsating instability and a fuel variability study has been performed. Both the heat transfer study and the fuel variability study proved the role of heat transfer in creating the pulsating instability. The final part of the study involves simulation of reacting flow in a turbulent swirl stabilized combustor. The effect of velocity perturbations on the unsteady heat release has been studied by creating an FRF between the unsteady velocity and the unsteady heat release rate. A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approach has been selected. A swirl number of S = 1.19 corresponding to a flow rate of Q = 20 SCFM with an equivalence ratio of phi = 0.75 have been implemented. Reduced reaction chemistry modeling, turbulence-chemistry interaction and heat transfer modeling have been incorporated in the model. The LES of reacting flow has shown vortex-flame interaction occurring inside the combustor. This interaction has been shown to occur at 255 Hz. The FRF obtained between unsteady velocity and unsteady heat release rate shows good comparison with the experimentally obtained FRF. / Ph. D.

We desire an algorithm to classify a physical object in ``real-time" using an easily portable probing device. The probe excites a given object at frequencies from 100 MHz up to 800 MHz at intervals of 0.5 MHz. Thus the data used for classification is the 1400-component vector of these frequency responses. The Interdisciplinary Center for Applied Mathematics (ICAM) was asked to help develop an algorithm and executable computer code for the probing device to use in its classification analysis. Due to these and other requirements, all work had to be done in Matlab. Hence a significant portion of the effort was spent in writing and testing applicable Matlab code which incorporated the various statistical techniques implemented. We offer three approaches to classification: maximum log-likelihood estimates, correlation coefficients, and confidence bands. Related work included considering ways to recover and exploit certain symmetry characteristics of the objects (using the response data). Present investigations are not entirely conclusive, but the correlation coefficient classifier seems to produce reasonable and consistent results. All three methods currently require the evaluation of the full 1400-component vector. It has been suggested that unknown portions of the vectors may include extraneous and misleading information, or information common to all classes. Identifying and removing the respective components may be beneficial to classification regardless of method. Another advantage of dimension reduction should be a strengthening of mean and covariance estimates. / Master of Science

In this thesis a piezo-electro-mechanical system, constituted of an aluminum beam with five piezoelectric patches glued on it, each of them shunted with an RL electrical circuit, has been numerically and experimentally investigated, in order to determine the optimal electric tuning parameters for vibration damping. A numerical code based upon Galerkin weighted-residual method is developed and the complete piezo-electro-mechanical system is designed, realized and finally tested by a standard modal testing technique. Comparisons between different shunting configurations of the system are given and finally the experimental data are compared with ones obtained by the developed numerical code in order to verify the accuracy of the latter. / Master of Science

The impressive kinematic capabilities and structural adaptations presented by bio-locomotion continue to inspire some of the advancements in today's small-scaled flying and swimming vehicles. These vehicles operate in a low Reynolds number flow regime where viscous effects dominate flow interactions, which makes it challenging to generate lift and thrust. Overcoming these challenges means utilizing non-conventional lifting and flow control mechanisms generated by unsteady flapping body motion. Understanding and characterizing the aerodynamic phenomena associated with the unsteady motion is vital to predict the unsteady fluid loads generated, to implement control methodologies, and to assess the dynamic stability and control authority of airborne and underwater vehicles. This dissertation presents experimental results for forced oscillations on multi-element airfoils and hydrofoils for Reynolds numbers between Re=104 and Re=106. The document divides the work into four main sections: The first topic presents wind tunnel measurements of lift forces generated by an oscillating trailing edge flap on a NACA-0012 airfoil to illustrate the effects that frequency and pitching amplitude have on lift enhancement. The results suggest that this dynamic trailing edge flap enhances the mean lift by up to 20% in the stalled flow regime. Using frequency response approach, it is determined that the maximum enhancement in circulatory lift amplitude occurs at stalled angles of attack for lower pitching amplitudes. The second topic presents wind tunnel measurements for lift and drag generated by a sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal oscillations of a NACA-0012 airfoil. The results show that 'trapezoidal' pitching enhances the mean lift and the RMS lift by up to 50% and 35% in the pre-stall flow regime, respectively, whereas the 'reverse sawtooth' and sinusoidal pitching generate the most substantial increase of the lift-to-drag ratio in stall and post-stall flow regimes, respectively. The third topic involves a study on the role of fish-tail flexibility on thrust and propulsive efficiency. Flexible tails enhance thrust production in comparison to a rigid ones of the same size and under the same operating conditions. Further analysis indicates that varying the tail's aspect ratio has a more significant effect on propulsive efficiency and the thrust-to-power ratio at zero freestream flow. On the other hand, changing the material's property has the strongest impact on propulsive efficiency at non-zero freestream flow. The results also show that the maximum thrust peaks correspond to the maximum passive tail amplitudes only for the most flexible case. The final topic aims to assess the unsteady hydrodynamic forces and moments generated by a three-link swimming prototype performing different swimming gaits, swimming speeds, and oscillatory frequencies. We conclude that the active actuation of the tail's first mode bending produces the most significant thrust force in the presence of freestream flow. In contrast, the second mode bending kinematics provides the most significant thrust force in a zero-freestream flow. / Doctor of Philosophy / It is by no surprise that animal locomotion continues to inspire the design of flying and swimming vehicles. Although nature produces complex kinematics and highly unsteady flow characteristics, simplified approximations to model bio-inspired locomotion in fluid flows are experimentally achievable using low degrees of freedom motion, such as pitching airfoils and trailing edge flaps. The contributions of this dissertation are divided into four primary foci: (a) wind tunnel force measurements on a flapped NACA-0012 airfoil undergoing forced pitching, (b) wind tunnel measurements of aerodynamic forces generated by sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal pitching of a NACA-0012 airfoil, (c) towing tank measurements of thrust forces and torques generated by a one-link swimming prototype with varying tail flexibilities, and (d) towing tank measurements of hydrodynamic forces and moments generated by active tail actuation of a multi-link swimming prototype. From our wind tunnel measurements, we determine that lift enhancement by a trailing edge flap is achieved under certain flow regimes and oscillating conditions. Additionally, we assess the aerodynamic forces for a sinusoidal and non-sinusoidal pitching of an airfoil and show that 'trapezoidal' pitching produces the largest lift coefficient amplitude whereas the sinusoidal and 'reverse sawtooth' pitching achieve the best lift to drag ratios. From our towing tank experiments, we note that the role of tail flexibility enhances thrust generation on a swimming device. Finally, we conclude that different kinematics on an articulating body strongly affect the hydrodynamic forces and moments. The results of the towing tank measurements are accessible from an online public database to encourage research and contribution in underwater vehicle design through physics-based low-order models that can accommodate hydrodynamic principles and geometric control concepts.

No / Cone isolating stimuli were used to assess the temporal frequency response characteristics of L- and M-cone electroretinograms (ERGs) in nine trichromatic and four dichromatic human observers. The stimuli comprised sinusoidal temporal modulations varying from 5 to 100 Hz. ERGs were recorded using corneal fiber electrodes and subjected to fast Fourier transform analysis. At low temporal frequencies (<10  Hz<10  Hz) the L- and M-cone ERGs had similar amplitude and exhibited minimal differences in apparent latency. At higher flicker rates (>20  Hz>20  Hz) L-cone ERGs had greater amplitudes and shorter apparent latencies than the M-cone responses. These differences between the L- and M-cone ERGs are consistent with their mediation by chromatic and luminance postreceptoral processing pathways at low and high temporal frequencies, respectively.

In this work, the feasibility to perform substructuring technique with experimental data is demonstrated. This investigation examines two structures with different additional mass‑loads, i.e. transmission simulators (TSs). The two structures are a single blade and the hub together with two blades from an Ampair 600 wind turbine. Simulation data from finite element models of the TSs are numerically decoupled from each of the two structures. The resulting two structures are coupled to each other. The calculations are made exclusively in the frequency domain. A comparison between the predicted behavior from this assembled structure and measurements on the full hub with all three blades is carried out. The result is discouraging for the implemented method. It shows major problems, even though the measurements were performed in a laboratory environment.