Le captage et le stockage du dioxyde de carbone est la solution pour réduire les émissions de CO2 des grandes sources fixes. Le captage du CO2 par « Antisublimation » consiste à refroidir les fumées sous le point triple du CO2 qui passe alors directement de la phase vapeur à la phase solide. La variation de la concentration de CO2 induit une variation de la température d'environ 20 K à travers l'échangeur de chaleur. Son optimisation exergétique est une nécessité pour améliorer la séparation du CO2 et la performance énergétique du procédé.De nouvelles équations sont proposées pour calculer les propriétés thermodynamiques du CO2 à l'équilibre solide-vapeur qui sont jusqu'alors mal définies. Un diagramme psychrométrique CO2-N2 est développé pour représenter le glissement de température. L'étude du transfert de chaleur et de masse côté fumées nécessite la compréhension de l'antisublimation. La théorie classique de la nucléation est adoptée pour identifier les paramètres qui influent sur le transfert de masse et de la morphologie du givre. Une étude expérimentale qualitative et quantitative est effectuée pour étudier la formation de givre et sa dépendance vis-à-vis de la sursaturation et de la concentration du soluté. L'observation du CO2 solide sous 200x de grossissement prouve que l'antisublimation se fait par nucléation hétérogène. Un modèle CFD transitoire multi-phase et multi-composant est proposé pour simuler la formation du givre et sa croissance en fonction de la structure de l'échangeur et des conditions d'écoulement. / The carbon dioxide capture and storage is the solution to reduce CO2 emissions from large stationary sources. CO2 capture by "Antisublimation" consists in cooling flue gases under the CO2 triple point, which goes then directly from vapor to solid phase. The CO2 concentration variation induces a temperature variation of about 20 K through the heat exchanger. The exergy optimization of the heat exchanger is a necessity to improve the CO2 separation and the process energy performance.Since the CO2 properties under the triple point are not defined, new equations are proposed to calculate CO2 thermodynamic properties for solid-vapor equilibrium. A CO2-N2 psychrometric chart is developed to represent the flue-gas gliding temperature. The study of the flue–gas side heat and mass transfer requires antisublimation understanding. The classical nucleation theory is adopted to identify parameters that affect the mass transfer and frost morphology. A qualitative and quantitative experimental investigation is performed to study the frost formation and its dependence on the supersaturation and solute concentration. The solid CO2 observation under 200x magnification ratio proves that antisublimation occurs by heterogeneous nucleation. A CFD multiphase and multi-component transient model able to predict the frost formation and growth as a function of the heat-exchanger structure and flow conditions is proposed.

Neurodegenerative diseases have become one of the most common causes of death worldwide over the last couple of decades, with increasing tendency. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the most common neurodegenerative disease affecting specifically spinal (lower) and cortical (upper) motor neurons in the spinal cord and brainstem, respectively. It is usually a late onset disorder (average age of onset in Germany is 61 years) and leads to death within 2-5 years after symptoms onset due to respiratory failure. To date, there is no cure for ALS and only two drugs have been approved for its treatment, which prolong the lifespan for up to six months or slow down disease progression in a subpopulation of patients. About 90 % of ALS cases are sporadic, while about 10 % are familial and hence caused by mutations in specific genes, among them fused in sarcoma (FUS), a DNA- and RNA-binding protein. Mutations in FUS account for roughly 5 % of familial cases and occur predominantly in its nuclear localization sequence (NLS), such as the FUS-P525L mutation. Neurons expressing this variant display a strong cytoplasmic mislocalization of FUS and hence a loss of its nuclear function. Among other pathological events, defects in axonal transport along microtubules have been observed early in disease progression in several models of FUS-ALS, indicating its role as a major hallmark of the disease. However, the mechanism of how transport is impaired within these neurons remains unknown to date. This study aimed at investigating two possible mechanisms how the FUS-P525L mutant variant affects microtubule-based axonal transport. First, it was analyzed whether FUS directly interacts with microtubules or motors and if the mislocalized, mutant variant alters this interaction. Secondly, cytoplasmic mislocalized FUS-P525L can no longer fulfil its regular role in the splicing of pre-mRNAs, among them the mRNA coding for the microtubule-associated protein tau. This reportedly leads to an increased ratio of translated tau isoforms containing four microtubule binding repeats (4R) to those containing three repeats (3R). 4R tau isoforms are known to have a stronger binding affinity towards microtubules and may hence impair transport more severely by acting as a roadblock for motor proteins. Towards this end, this study investigated whether an increase in 4R:3R tau isoform ratio is sufficient to impair microtubule based transport. Axonal transport was reconstituted in vitro using a kinesin-1-dependent microtubule gliding assays, in which microtubules are propelled by surface-immobilized kinesin-1 motors. The assay was modified and optimized to operate sensitively and robust in the presence of complex solutions such as whole cell lysates and the microtubule gliding velocity analyzed as a measure for motility of the underlying motors. To determine the direct interaction of FUS variants with kinesin-1 or microtubules, recombinant human wildtype FUS-GFP and FUS-P525L-GFP was added to the assay. In addition, ALS patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) expressing the same FUS variants were differentiated towards spinal motor neurons and their cell lysates applied to this assay in order to determine whether FUS variants need endogenous adaptors or interaction partners to interfere with kinesin-1 motility on microtubules. Further, to investigate the interference of tau isoforms with kinesin-1 motility, recombinant human 2N3R tau-GFP and 2N4R tau-mScarlet was purified from insect cells and added to the modified kinesin-1-dependent microtubule gliding assay, either individually or combined at different ratios. In addition, the binding of these tau variants to microtubules was assessed. The kinesin-1-dependent microtubule gliding assays was modified to operate sensitively and robustly in the presence of β-glycerophosphate (to inhibit endogenous phosphatases in whole cell lysates), and methylcellulose (to prevent microtubule detachment from kinesin-1 motors due to presence of β-glycerophosphate). Under these conditions, neither recombinant human FUS-GFP nor endogenous FUS-GFP variants in lysates of spinal motor neurons bound to microtubules or interfered with kinesin-1 motility. In contrast, both tau isoforms used in the present study bound to microtubules and impaired kinesin-1 motility, while 2N4R tau-mScarlet was a much more potent inhibitor of microtubule gliding and displayed a 20-fold stronger binding affinity to microtubules compared to 2N3R tau-GFP. Interestingly, increasing ratios of 4R:3R tau isoforms impaired kinesin-1-dependent microtubule gliding. In addition, the presence of 2N4R tau-mScarlet strongly prevented 2N3R tau-GFP from binding to microtubules. This study provides evidence that neither wildtype FUS nor the FUS-P525L variant directly interfere with axonal transport by interacting with kinesin-1 motors or microtubules. Further, the present data suggests that neither FUS variant impedes kinesin-1 motility on microtubules by interacting with endogenous adaptor proteins present in cell lysates of iPSC-derived spinal motor neurons. Therefore, it is proposed that axonal transport defects are not directly caused by interaction of cytoplasmic mislocalized FUS with the motors or microtubules, but rather arise as a consequence of other pathological events triggered by mutant FUS variants. In particular, this study demonstrates that an increased ratio of 4R:3R tau isoforms is sufficient to impair kinesin-1 motility on microtubules due to increased decoration of microtubules with 4R tau isoforms, preventing 3R tau isoforms from binding to microtubules. This strongly suggests that an increased ratio of 4R:3R tau isoforms, since FUS no longer regulates splicing of tau pre-mRNA upon its cytoplasmic mislocalization, may be sufficient to cause or contribute to the axonal transport defects observed early in FUS-ALS pathology. / Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen sind in den letzten Jahrzehnten mit zunehmender Tendenz zu einer der häufigsten Todesursachen weltweit geworden. Amyotrophe Lateralsklerose (ALS) ist die häufigste neurodegenerative Erkrankung, die spezifisch spinale (untere) und kortikale (obere) Motoneuronen im Rückenmark bzw. im Hirnstamm betrifft. Es handelt sich in der Regel um eine spät einsetzende Krankheit (das mittlere Erkrankungsalter in Deutschland beträgt 61 Jahre) und führt innerhalb von 2-5 Jahren nach Auftreten der Symptome zum Tod aufgrund von Atemversagen. Bisher gibt es keine Heilung für ALS und es wurden nur zwei Medikamente für die Behandlung zugelassen, die die Lebensdauer um bis zu sechs Monate verlängern oder das Fortschreiten der Krankheit bei einer Subpopulation von Patienten verlangsamen. Ungefähr 90% der ALS-Fälle sind sporadisch, während ungefähr 10% familiär sind und daher durch Mutationen in bestimmten Genen verursacht werden, darunter fused in sarcoma (FUS), einem DNA- und RNA-bindenden Protein. Mutationen in FUS machen etwa 5% der familiären Fälle aus und treten überwiegend in der Kernlokalisierungssequenz (NLS) auf, wie beispielsweise die FUS-P525L Mutation. Neuronen, die diese Mutante exprimieren, zeigen eine starke zytoplasmatische Fehllokalisierung von FUS und damit einen Verlust seiner Funktionen im Zellkern. Neben anderen pathologischen Ereignissen wurden in mehreren FUS-ALS Modellsystemen Defekte im Mikrotubuli-basierenden axonalen Transport früh im Krankheitsverlauf beobachtet, was auf seine Rolle als eines der Hauptmerkmale dieser Krankheit hindeutet. Der Mechanismus, wie der Transport innerhalb dieser Neuronen beeinträchtigt wird, ist jedoch bis heute unbekannt. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, zwei mögliche Mechanismen zu untersuchen, wie das mutierte FUS-P525L Protein den axonalen Transport entlang von Mikrotubuli beeinflusst. Zunächst wurde analysiert, ob FUS direkt mit Mikrotubuli oder Motorproteinen interagiert und ob zytoplasmatische fehllokalisierte FUS-P525L Protein diese Interaktion verändert. Ferner kann zytoplasmatische fehllokalisiertes FUS-P525L seine reguläre Rolle beim Spleißen von Prä-mRNAs nicht mehr erfüllen, darunter die mRNA, die für das mit Mikrotubuli-assoziierte Protein Tau kodiert. Dies führt zu einem erhöhten Verhältnis von translatierten Tau-Isoformen, die vier Mikrotubuli-Bindestellen (4R) enthalten, zu solchen mit drei Bindestellen (3R). Es ist bekannt, dass 4R-Tau-Isoformen eine stärkere Bindungsaffinität zu Mikrotubuli im Vergleich zu 3R-Tau-Isoformen aufweisen und daher den Transport stärker beeinträchtigen können, indem sie als Hindernis für Motorproteine agieren. In dieser Studie wurde daher untersucht, ob eine Erhöhung des Verhältnisses von 4R:3R-Tau-Isoform ausreicht, um den Mikrotubuli-basierenden Transport zu beeinträchtigen. Der axonale Transport wurde in vitro unter Verwendung eines Kinesin-1-gestuerten Mikrotubuli Motilitätsassay rekonstruiert, bei welchem Mikrotubuli von darunterliegenden oberflächenimmobilisierte Kinesin-1 Motorproteinen transportiert werden, also über die Oberfläche gleiten. Der Assay wurde modifiziert und optimiert, um in Gegenwart komplexer Lösungen wie Ganzzelllysaten sensitiv und robust zu funktionieren, und die Gleitgeschwindigkeit der Mikrotubuli wurde als Maß für die Motilität der darunterliegenden Motoren analysiert. Um die direkte Wechselwirkung von FUS-Varianten mit Kinesin-1 Motorproteinen oder Mikrotubuli zu bestimmen, wurde dem Assay rekombinantes menschliches Wildtyp-FUS-GFP und FUS-P525L-GFP hinzugegeben. Zusätzlich wurden ALS-patientenspezifische, induzierte pluripotente Stammzellen (iPSCs), welche dieselben FUS-Varianten exprimieren, zu spinalen Motoneuronen differenziert und ihre Zelllysate in diesem Assay angewendet, um zu bestimmen, ob FUS-Varianten endogene Adapter oder Interaktionspartner für die Interaction mit Kinesin-1 oder Mikrotubuli benötigen. Um den Einfluss von Tau-Isoformen auf die Kinesin-1 Motilität zu untersuchen, wurde rekombinantes menschliches 2N3R Tau-GFP und 2N4R Tau-mScarlet aus Insektenzellen aufgereinigt und dem modifizierten Kinesin-1-gesteuerten Mikrotubuli Motilitätsassay entweder einzeln oder in unterschiedlichen Verhältnissen kombiniert hinzugegeben. Zusätzlich wurde die Bindung dieser Tau-Varianten an Mikrotubuli analysiert. Der Kinesin-1-gesteuerte Mikrotubuli Motilitätsassay wurden so modifiziert, dass er in Gegenwart von β-Glycerophosphat (zur Hemmung endogener Phosphatasen in Ganzzelllysaten) und Methylcellulose (zur Verhinderung der Ablösung von Mikrotubuli von Kinesin-1 Motoren aufgrund von β-Glycerophosphat) empfindlich und robust funktioniert. Unter diesen Bedingungen zeigten weder rekombinantes menschliches FUS-GFP noch endogene FUS-GFP-Varianten in Lysaten von spinalen Motoneuronen eine Wechselwirkung mit Mikrotubuli und beeinträchtigten auch nicht die Kinesin-1 Motilität. Im Gegensatz dazu banden beide in der vorliegenden Studie verwendeten Tau-Isoformen an Mikrotubuli und beeinträchtigten die Kinesin-1-Motilität, wobei 2N4R Tau-mScarlet das Gleiten von Mikrotubuli viel stärkerer beeinträchtigte und eine 20-fach stärkere Bindungsaffinität zu Mikrotubuli im Vergleich zu 2N3R Tau-GFP zeigte. Ferner beeinträchtigten steigende Verhältnisse von 4R:3R Tau-Isoformen über Kinesin-1 gleitende Mikrotubuli, während die Präsenz von 2N4R Tau-mScarlet die Bindung von 2N3R Tau-GFP an Mikrotubuli stark verminderte. Diese Studie liefert Hinweise darauf, dass weder Wildtyp-FUS noch die FUS P525L-Variante den axonalen Transport direkt beeinflussen, da sie nicht mit Kinesin-1 Motorproteinen oder Mikrotubuli interagieren. Ferner legen die vorliegenden Daten nahe, dass keine der FUS-Varianten die Kinesin-1 Motilität auf Mikrotubuli durch Wechselwirkung mit endogenen Adapterproteinen behindert, die in Zelllysaten von iPSC-differenzierte spinalen Motoneuronen vorhanden sind. Dies legt nahe, dass axonale Transportdefekte nicht durch direkte Wechselwirkung von zytoplasmatisch fehllokalisiertem FUS Protein mit Motorproteinen oder Mikrotubuli verursacht werden, sondern als Folge anderer pathologischer Ereignisse auftreten, die durch mutierte FUS-Varianten entstehen. Insbesondere zeigt diese Studie, dass ein erhöhtes Verhältnis von 4R:3R Tau-Isoformen ausreicht, um die Kinesin-1 Motilität auf Mikrotubuli zu behindern. Dies geschieht vermutlich aufgrund der erhöhten Bindung von 4R Tau-Isoformen an Mikrotubuli, weil dadurch die Bindung von 3R Tau-Isoformen an Mikrotubuli verhindert wird. Dies deutet stark darauf hin, dass ein erhöhtes Verhältnis von 4R:3R Tau-Isoformen, verursacht durch die fehlende regulatorische Beteiligung von FUS am Spleißen von Tau-Prä-mRNA aufgrund der zytoplasmatischen Fehllokalisation von FUS, wahrscheinlich zu den axonalen Transportdefekten beiträgt, die früh in der FUS-ALS-Pathologie beobachtet wurden.

4AbstractA pre-filled syringe consists of a number of different components and materials e.g. glass, polymer and silicone oil, which will, in various degrees, interact with the pharmaceutical protein and excipients contained within. In addition to soluble protein loss due to adsorption to silicone droplets, silicone oil (SO) have also been reported to form complexes with pharmaceutical proteins that potentially provoke early and late-stage immune responses. The objective of this project was to investigate the impact of 10 different syringe barrel and plunger combination on the quality on pharmaceutical X and the performance of the syringe (syringeability). This is an explorative study and the purpose of this study was to investigate what options there were rather than to make firm recommendations. pH measurements indicated all chosen combinations were within acceptance criteria. Similarly, subvisible particle with reference standards and USP <788> tests indicated that all chosen combinations were within acceptance criteria. Analysis of visible particles without reference standards indicated that all combinations except 1B and 1C were within acceptance criteria. In terms of syringeability, functional testing revealed that combination 8A was a very poor choice and combination 1B a very good choice. In all of the tests, the currently used combination 1A was within the acceptance criteria. With respect to both the pharmaceutical quality and syringeability, it was considered to be equally preferred as many other combinations. Therefore, there is no real urgency to exchange the currently used syringe. Further investigation of plunger B, and possible other plunger combinations is recommended as they might play a bigger role than the syringe barrel with regard to the syringeability. Additionally, placebo suspension can only be used as a representative alternative for testing pH. / En förfylld spruta består av många olika komponenter och material så som glas, polymer, silikon olja, vilka, till olika grad, kommer reagera med proteiner och hjälpämnen i läkemedlet. Utöver förlust av protein (som följd av adsorption till silikon droppar), har det även rapporterats att silikon olja (SO) bildar komplex med proteinerna i läkemedlet vilka kan framkalla en immunologisk reaktion. Syftet med detta projekt var att undersöka effekten av 10 olika kombinationer av sprut-höljen samt kolvar på kvalitén på läkemedel X samt sprutans prestationsförmåga. Detta är en explorativ studie och syftet var att undersöka vilka alternativ som finns samt få en indikation för hur de uppför sig snarare än att ge tydliga rekommendationer. pH mätningar indikerade att alla valda kombinationer var inom acceptanskriterier. Liknande, både mätning av synliga och mikroskopiska partiklar med hjälp av referenslösningar samt metod USP 788 indikerade att alla valda kombinationer var inom acceptanskriterier. Mätning av synliga och mikroskopiska partiklar utan referenslösningar indikerade att alla kombinationer utom 1B och 1C var inom acceptanskriterier. Gällande sprutkombinationernas funktionalitet (prestationsförmåga) visade det sig att kombination 8A var ett dåligt val och kombination 1B ett attraktivt val. I alla tester, den nuvarande använda kombinationen (1A) var inom acceptanskriterier. Med avseende på både läkemedlets kvalité samt funktionalitet visade sig 1A vara ett likvärdigt alternativ till de andra kombinationerna. Detta innebär att det i dagsläget inte finns ett akut behov av att byta ut det nuvarande sprutkombinationen. Fortsatt utredning av kolv B, samt andra kolvar, är att rekommendera då de kan ha större påverkan funktionaliteten än höljet. Vidare kan placebolösning enbart användas som ett representativt alternativ för att testa pH.

Space exploration drives the human expansion inthe universe. Succeeding in this challenge demands familiarityof the near earth space environment, achieved through soundingrocket experiments that often are lost upon return from space. Afuture proof solution is needed and this study aims to investigatethe aerodynamics of a modular self returning glider attachment.To aid conceptual design, simulations were first performedusing potential theory in the software XFLR5. The resultingdesign was then analysed further using Computational FluidDynamics (CFD) in Simscale after which a glider prototype wasbuilt and tested.The study shows that while it is possible to fulfill the projectrequirements when only modelling the wing surfaces, the gliderfuselage contributes to a destructive drag and pitching moment.Consequently, future prototypes demand increasing the lift orreducing the drag, as well as ensuring longitudinal stability. Moreresources need to be invested into further CFD modelling andprototype testing. / Utforskning av rymden driver denmänskliga expansionen ut i universum. För att lyckas meddet krävs dock kunskap om rymden närmast oss, vilketuppnås genom experiment i sondraketer som ofta förlorasvid återkomst. En framtidssäker metod behövs och därförundersöks aerodynamiken av en modulär och självåtervändande glidarlösning.För att underlätta genomförandet av den konceptuella designen så gjordes först simuleringar i XFLR5 med potentialteori.Den resulterande glidaren analyserades sedan vidare iflödesmekaniska beräkningsprogram (CFD), vartefter en prototypbyggdes och testades i verkligheten.Studien visar att det är möjligt att uppfylla projektkravengenom att modellera vingarna, men glidarens flygkropp bidraremellertid till ett destruktivt luftmotstånd och longitudinelltvridmoment. Därför måste framtida prototyper designas föratt uppnå större lyftkraft, minska flygkroppens dragkraft ochsamtidigt uppnå longitudinell stabilitet. Mer resurser måsteläggas på djupare CFD-modellering och prototyptestning. / Kandidatexjobb i elektroteknik 2021, KTH, Stockholm

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:58:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JoaoDBS_DISSERT.pdf: 2950294 bytes, checksum: b123f316a60d2e367696c4d97c359a71 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-13 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / The development of non-linear controllers gained space in the theoretical ambit and of practical applications on the moment that the arising of digital computers enabled the implementation of these methodologies. In comparison with the linear controllers more utilized, the non -linear controllers present the advantage of not requiring the linearity of the system to determine the parameters of control, which permits a more efficient control especially when the system presents a high level of non-linearity. Another additional advantage is the reduction of costs, since to obtain the efficient control through linear controllers it is necessary the utilization of sensors and more refined actuators than when it is utilized a non-linear controller. Among the non-linear theories of control, the method of control by gliding ways is detached for being a method that presents more robustness, before uncertainties. It is already confirmed that the adoption of compensation on the region of residual error permits to improve better the performance of these controllers. So, in this work it is described the development of a non-linear controller that looks for an association of strategy of control by gliding ways, with the fuzzy compensation technique. Through the implementation of some strategies of fuzzy compensation, it was searched the one which provided the biggest efficiency before a system with high level of nonlinearities and uncertainties. The electrohydraulic actuator was utilized as an example of research, and the results appoint to two configurations of compensation that permit a bigger reduction of the residual error / O desenvolvimento de controladores n?o lineares ganharam espa?o nos ?mbitos te?rico e de aplica??es pr?ticas no momento que o surgimento de computadores digitais possibilitou a implementa??o destas metodologias. Em compara??o aos controladores lineares mais utilizados, os controladores n?o lineares apresentam a vantagem de n?o necessitarem da lineariza??o do sistema para determinar os par?metros de controle, o que permite um controle mais eficiente principalmente quando o sistema apresenta elevado grau de n?o linearidade. Outra vantagem adicional ? a redu??o dos custos, uma vez que para obter o controle eficiente atrav?s dos controladores lineares ? necess?ria a utiliza??o de sensores e atuadores mais refinados do que quando se utiliza um controlador n?o linear. Dentre as teorias de controle n?o linear, o m?todo de controle por modos deslizantes se destaca por ser um m?todo que apresenta maior robustez frente ?s incertezas. J? ? comprovado que a ado??o de t?cnicas de compensa??o na regi?o do erro residual permite melhorar ainda mais o desempenho desses controladores. Assim, neste trabalho ? descrito o desenvolvimento de um controlador n?o linear que busca a associa??o da estrat?gia de controle por modos deslizantes com a t?cnica de compensa??o fuzzy. Mediante a implementa??o de algumas estrat?gias de compensa??o fuzzy, buscou-se aquela que proporcionasse maior efici?ncia frente a um sistema com elevado grau de n?o linearidades e incertezas. O atuador eletrohidr?ulico foi utilizado como exemplo de estudo, e os resultados apontam para duas configura??es de compensa??o que permitem uma maior redu??o do erro residual

This diploma thesis focuses on quinine solutions and quality of these solutions after applying plasma discharge. These electric discharges can be used to destroy some substances from the water. The theoretical part is focused on description of electric discharges in liquids and on the properties of quinine. In the experimental part, the properties of quinine solutions containing different electrolytes were analysed by UV-VIS spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectroscopy. Two different types of configurations of plasma discharges in liquids were used. Solutions were compared on the base of different concentration of quinine, different electrolytes, different configurations of plasma discharges and pH values of the solutions. Furthermore, the experimental work focuses on quinine solutions with the sodium nitrate. The time instability of the solutions was analysed. Also, the influence of the solution age and different types of the plasma discharge on the excitation and emission spectra of quinine were investigated.

Thermals are regions of rising hot air formed on the ground through the warming of the surface by the sun. Thermals are commonly used by birds and glider pilots to extend flight duration, increase cross-country distance, and conserve energy. This kind of powerless flight using natural sources of lift is called soaring. Once a thermal is encountered, the pilot flies in circles to keep within the thermal, so gaining altitude before flying off to the next thermal and towards the destination. A single thermal can net a pilot thousands of feet of elevation gain, however estimating thermal locations is not an easy task. Pilots look for different indicators: color variation on the ground because the difference in the amount of heat absorbed by the ground varies based on the color/composition, birds circling in an area gaining lift, and certain types of cloud formations (cumulus clouds). The above methods are not always reliable enough and pilots study the weather for thermals by estimating solar heating of the ground using cloud cover and time of year and the lapse rate and dew point of the troposphere. In this paper, we present a Machine Learning based solution for assisting in forecasting thermals. We created a custom dataset using flight data recorded and uploaded to public databases by soaring pilots. We determine where and when the pilot encountered thermals to pull weather and satellite images corresponding to the location and time of the flight. Using this dataset we train an algorithm to automatically predict the location of thermals given as input the current weather conditions and terrain information obtained from Google Earth Engine and thermal regions encountered as truth labels. We were able to converge very well on the training and validation set, proving our method with around a 0.98 F1 score. These results indicate success in creating a custom dataset and a powerful neural network with the necessity of bolstering our custom dataset.