Detection and inspection of metal surface corrosion in the ballast tanks of U.S. Navy ships has been a long time problem. The adverse climatic conditions to which the ballast tanks are exposed and the uneven geometry of ballast tanks makes the visual inspection process of surface coatings a difficult job. Thousands of tanks are inspected yearly, with the average cost of an individual tank inspection at approximately $8-15 thousand/each. To aid the visual inspection process, this research is conducted to develop a new technique to automate the visual task of metal surface inspection by image acquisition and post processing. The best results of image processing are achieved by the enhanced contrast between the paint defect and the background using a newly developed optically active additive (OAA) used in paints. Thorough investigation of image processing algorithms has been carried out and a background of imaging theory and experiments is illustrated in this work.

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The practicum project addresses the ongoing relationship between interior space and the urban environment. Despite a common perception of the interior and the exterior as being distinct and separate, a study of these spaces reflects a similar spatial continuum to the one that exists between public and private space. These realms are linked to each other spatially and socially. Through the development of an active transportation hub in Winnipeg, the project seeks to explore the potential of interior design to influence the wider urban environment. Placemaking and scale linking will be used to create places of meaning and identity in a mobile environment. The hub will create a place for sustainable transportation, community connection and improved quality of life for the people of Winnipeg. In this way, interiors can have a direct impact on the dynamics of the city.

Active microwave remote sensing is an important tool for classification of sea ice in polar regions. The aim of this research is to improve the understanding of microwave scattering that occurs during the advanced melt season, with a focus on multiyear ice (MYI). This was done using a combination of in situ C-Band scatterometer measurements, geophysical characteristics of ice, and Radarsat-2 data. Results indicate that it is difficult to differentiate between first year ice (FYI) and MYI during advanced melt but combinations of incidence angle and polarization exist that assist with this. It is known that the presence of liquid water governs microwave scattering, therefore further research investigating the variation of microwave backscattered signatures over a diurnal time period was conducted. These results indicate an inverse relationship between temperatures and microwave signatures. The overall results from this research show that summer MYI signatures are extremely variable and difficult to classify.

Syftet med den här uppsatsen är att undersöka hur vårdpersonalen på ett äldreboende resonerar kring äldres behov av aktivitet och social samvaro. I arbetet undersöks hur vårdpersonalens rutiner ser ut och hur social samvaro och aktivering prioriteras för de äldre. Jag använt mig av tidigare forskning, semistrukturerade intervjuer och tre teorier – disengagemangsteorin, aktivitetsteorin och signifikanta andra för att svara på frågeställningarna. Genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med tre personer som arbetar på ett äldreboende fann jag att respondenternas svar överensstämmer med tidigare forskning beträffande att aktivering och social samvaro är viktigt för de äldre. Respondenterna anser att tid för aktivering och social samvaro finns för de äldre och att det måste prioriteras om den äldre själv vill och orkar. Vårdpersonalens resonemang liknar både disengagemangsteorin och aktivitetsteorin, personalen anser att det är den äldre själv som bestämmer i vilken mån aktivering och social samvaro ska prioriteras. / <p>140922</p>

The possible benefits of employing inerters in automotive suspensions are explored for passenger comfort and handling. Different suspension strut designs in terms of the relative arrangement of springs, dampers and inerters have been considered and their performance compared with that of a conventional system. An alternate method of electrically realizing complex mechanical circuits by using a linear motor (or a rotary motor with an appropriate mechanism) and a shunt circuit is then proposed and evaluated for performance. However, the performance improvement is shown from simulations to be significant only for very stiff suspensions, unlike those in passenger vehicles. Hence, the concept is not taken up for prototyping. Variable damping can be implemented in suspension systems in various ways, for example, using magneto-rheological (MR) fluids, proportional valves, or variable shunt resistance with a linear electromagnetic motor. Hence for a generic variable damping system, a control algorithm is developed which can provide more comfort and better handling simultaneously compared to a passive system. After establishing through simulations that the proposed adaptive control algorithm can demonstrate a performance better than some controllers in prior-art, it is implemented on an actual vehicle (Cadillac STS) which is equipped with MR dampers and several sensors. In order to maintain the controller economical so that it is practically viable, an estimator is developed for variables which require expensive sensors to measure. The characteristic of the MR damper installed in the vehicle is obtained through tests as a 3-dimensional map relating suspension speed, input current and damping force and then used as a look-up table in the controller. Experiments to compare the performance of different controllers are carried out on smooth and rough roads and over speed bumps.

This study examined the impact of active layer detachments (ALDs) on seasonal dissolved nitrogen (N) export from continuous permafrost headwater catchments at the Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO), Melville Island, Nunavut. Runoff samples collected throughout the summer of 2012 from an undisturbed catchment (Goose; GS) and from one that was disturbed by ALDs (Ptarmigan; PT) were analyzed for dissolved inorganic ions and species of total dissolved N (TDN), including dissolved organic N (DON) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN; ammonium (NH4+), nitrite (NO2-), and nitrate (NO3-)). Rainfall samples were also collected for dissolved ions analyses. Select runoff and rainfall samples were analyzed for stable isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen in NO3- (δ15N-NO3- and δ18O-NO3-, respectively) to determine its origin streamwater. Data from 2012 were compared to predisturbance data to assess the long-term effects of ALDs on N export. ALDs increased the proportion of DIN/TDN in PT from 4% (predisturbance) to 37% in 2012. The increase in DIN/TDN in PT largely resulted from significantly higher NO3- in runoff. Values of δ18O and δ15N-NO3- as well as correlations between NO3- and major ions indicated that the higher NO3- in PT was due to the exposure of mineral soils in ALDs, which likely reduced NO3- sinks (e.g. plant uptake) and increased inputs of nitrified-NO3-. Values of δ18O-NO3- during initial runoff showed that NO3- supplied from the snowpack overwhelmed NO3- sinks in PT, leading to a twelve-fold higher peak NO3- concentration relative to GS. Low δ18O-NO3- values in runoff during stormflow indicated that inputs of DIN from rainfall (1545 ± 148 and 1838 ± 174 g N-DIN to GS and PT, respectively) supplied less than 30% of the NO3- in both streams, and that exceptionally high NO3- concentrations in PT resulted from flushing of mineralized-NO3- from the mineral soils. Seasonal DIN flux was 95% higher in PT relative to GS, because NO3- export from PT was 27 times that of GS. This is the first study to show that ALDs can have persistent impacts on DIN export from High Arctic watersheds, and that this results from enhanced export of mineralized-NO3-. / Thesis (Master, Geography) -- Queen's University, 2014-05-27 10:30:38.874

The practicum project addresses the ongoing relationship between interior space and the urban environment. Despite a common perception of the interior and the exterior as being distinct and separate, a study of these spaces reflects a similar spatial continuum to the one that exists between public and private space. These realms are linked to each other spatially and socially. Through the development of an active transportation hub in Winnipeg, the project seeks to explore the potential of interior design to influence the wider urban environment. Placemaking and scale linking will be used to create places of meaning and identity in a mobile environment. The hub will create a place for sustainable transportation, community connection and improved quality of life for the people of Winnipeg. In this way, interiors can have a direct impact on the dynamics of the city.

While outdoor recreation resources may be developed as infrastructure to benefit the tourist economy, through community-based planning efforts such developments can achieve a wider range of community benefits. This research project examines the role of outdoor recreation development in urban and regional planning strategies enabling a deeper understanding about how these amenities can enhance our communities and make them more resilient, diverse, and healthy. Stakeholder interviews and user surveys focusing on the implications of the ongoing development of the City of Revelstoke BC bicycle network were conducted to further inform this study. The Integral framework adopted in the analysis proved to be valuable for the inclusion of a broad range of perspectives. Nine recommendations are identified with relevance for the planning profession, suggesting that outdoor recreation can play a significant role in community building, enhancing social equity, and providing a means of urban enhancement. The research findings indicate that collaborative partnerships are vital to the planning process towards creating valued outdoor recreation amenities that align with local community perceptions, while creating a unique community-based experience attractive to tourists.

Active microwave remote sensing is an important tool for classification of sea ice in polar regions. The aim of this research is to improve the understanding of microwave scattering that occurs during the advanced melt season, with a focus on multiyear ice (MYI). This was done using a combination of in situ C-Band scatterometer measurements, geophysical characteristics of ice, and Radarsat-2 data. Results indicate that it is difficult to differentiate between first year ice (FYI) and MYI during advanced melt but combinations of incidence angle and polarization exist that assist with this. It is known that the presence of liquid water governs microwave scattering, therefore further research investigating the variation of microwave backscattered signatures over a diurnal time period was conducted. These results indicate an inverse relationship between temperatures and microwave signatures. The overall results from this research show that summer MYI signatures are extremely variable and difficult to classify.