Thesis (M. Sc.)--Carleton University, 1996. / Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

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Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / The focus of the thesis is conceptually-based and problematizes the notion of a transformed society while addressing and evaluating its meaning in the multicultural post-apartheid neighbourhood of Observatory, Cape Town. Confluent concepts such as ‘multilingualism’, ‘hybridity’ and ‘community’ are discussed within the historical and contemporary context of a newly established democratic South Africa. Through a poststructuralist discourse analysis, the study endeavours to explore discourses of language and identity in the previously predominantly English-speaking community of Observatory. It is hoped that this research will build upon knowledge of inter alia social interaction, translocations and community membership, identity, language and integration in Observatory. Focus therefore rest on issues such as hybridity, identity options, translocal and transnational cultural flows, localization and globalization. All these issues fall under the broader theme of discourse of transformation and integration in multilingual spaces. The study strictly works within the framework of a qualitative approach with the focus resting on a discourse analysis of generated narratives supplied by informants during interviews and temporal and spatial descriptions of research sites. Arising from this study it is hoped that a deeper understanding of migration, transnational and transcultural flows, hybridity and identity will be reached. Critically, this study delves into two ‘new’ areas which subsume sociolinguistics, specifically semiotic landscape and place branding. Exploration into the appropriation of space by ‘newcomers’ and the subsequent reimaginings of space into place are of keen interest here. In this respect, this study aims at shedding light on recurrent, contesting and and new imaginings of diversity in post-apartheid living.

This study investigates the software automation and control framework for the MMT thermal system. Thermal-related effects on observing and telescope behavior have been considered during the entire software development process. Regression analysis of telescope and observatory subsystem data is used to characterize and model these thermal-related effects. The regression models help predict expected changes in focus and overall astronomical seeing that result from temperature variations within the telescope structure, within the primary mirror glass, and between the primary mirror glass and adjacent air (i.e., mirror seeing). This discussion is followed by a description of ongoing upgrades to the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system and the associated software controls. The improvements of the MMT thermal system have two objectives: 1) to provide air conditioning capabilities for the MMT facilities, and 2) to modernize and enhance the primary mirror (M1) ventilation system. The HVAC upgrade necessitates changes to the automation and control of the M1 ventilation system. The revised control system must factor in the additional requirements of the HVAC system, while still optimizing performance of the M1 ventilation system and the M1's optical behavior. An industry-standard HVAC communication and networking protocol, BACnet (Building Automation and Control network), has been adopted. Integration of the BACnet protocol into the existing software framework at the MMT is discussed. Performance of the existing automated system is evaluated and a preliminary upgraded automated control system is presented. Finally, user interfaces to the new HVAC system are discussed.

As part of the effort to increase the reliability of the MMT Observatory (MMTO) 6.5m Primary Mirror Coating System, the specified filament has changed from a configuration in which the aluminum charge is hand wound around a tungsten filament to a configuration in which the aluminum is integrally wound with the tungsten at the time of filament manufacture. In the MMTO configuration, this filament consists of the three strands of tungsten wire and one strand of aluminum wire. In preparation of a full system test utilizing two hundred filaments fired simultaneously, an extensive testing program was undertaken to characterize these filaments using a four filament configuration in the MMTO small coating chamber (0.5m) and then a forty filament configuration in the University of Arizona Steward Observatory coating chamber (2m). The testing using the smaller coating chambers has shown these filaments provide very predicable coatings from test to test, and with the proper heating profile, these filaments greatly reduce the likelihood of aluminum drips. The initial filament design was modified during the course of testing by shortening the unwound filament length to closer match the aluminum load required in the MMTO coating chamber. This change increased the aluminum deposition rates without increasing the power delivered of the filament power supplies (commercial welders). Filament power levels measured at the vacuum chamber feedthroughs, currents, and deposition rates from multiple coating tests, including a full system test, are presented.

La population de galaxies poussiéreuses ayant un fort taux de formation stellaire (Dusty Star Forming Galaxies, DSFGs) joue un rôle très important dans l’histoire de l’univers, avec des taux de formation d’étoiles allant de quelques centaines à quelques milliers de masses solaires par an. Les sondages infrarouges, comme ceux entrepris à l’aide du satellite Herschel, nous offrent l’opportunité de recenser de manière approfondie ces DSFGs jusqu’à de grands décalages spectraux. Cependant, jusqu’à présent seul un petit nombre de DSFG détecté par Herschel ont été confirmés pour être à des décalages spectraux supérieurs à 4. Les modèles de formation et d’évolution des galaxies stipulent généralement que la population de DSFG à z > 4 sont les progéniteurs des galaxies elliptiques, observées dans les amas les plus massifs de l’univers local. L’abondance des DSFGs à z > 4 se révèle donc être décisive pour contraindre ces modèles ainsi que pour vérifier notre compréhension globale de l’univers lointain. Le premier objectif de mon travail de recherche est d’identifier les candidates galaxies à z > 4 détectées sur des champs les plus larges possibles observés par Herschel et l’instrument SPIRE et d’examiner les propriétés statistiques de celles-ci. A cette fin, j’ai créé un nouvel algorithme de sélection dans le but d’augmenter substantiellement le nombre de candidates et de comprendre leur nature. / Over the last few decades, great progress has been made in our understanding of the star formation history of the Universe. With the discovery of distant, dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) it has become apparent that observing at rest-frame UV and optical wavelengths is insufficient as a large fraction of the star formation is dust obscured. Thanks to the extensive observational studies carried out during the last two decades, we learn that DSFGs have a redshift peak at z ∼ 2, matching the cosmic time where galaxies have formed most of their young, massive stars. However, it remains extremely challenging to use the Herschel space observatory for identifying a tail extending towards much higher redshifts (z > 4). As a result, until recently only a small number of infrared-selected DSFGs at z > 4 were known, most of them strongly gravitationally lensed. One of the main goals of this Thesis is to assemble candidate z > 4 galaxies detected in a large area survey observed by Herschel-SPIRE and to examine the statistical properties and environments of these systems.

Magister Artium - MA / This study explores the nuances around gendered dynamics, attitudes, ideologies, values and knowledge that exist within astronomy and astrophysics institutions paying specific attention to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) as study site. This study investigated implicit and explicit ways in which SAAO spaces and practices are gendered and hierarchized, and the extent to which 'astronomy as a specific discipline within science' remains highly masculinized. By focusing on studies on power, feminist critiques of science and institutional culture in other South African sectors, especially higher education, the study deconstructs a field that has been relatively neglected in South African feminist studies of gendered institutional culture. This thesis makes use of feminist qualitative methodological approaches and fuses mixed methods to collect data. The use of participant observation enabled a broader understanding of the context and to gain an understanding of how gendered, classed and raced subjects construct and navigate social meanings in the hierarchized and symbolically marked space of the SAAO. / National Research Foundation (NRF)

The paper deals with recent morphogenetic processes in the Geodynamic Observatory Pecný (GOPE) area and their influence on the evolution of landforms. Evaluation of their impact was based on selected geomorphological phenomena. Special attention is emphasized intense weathering, hillslope processes, erosion and antropogenic impact. Analysis of microclimatic conditions, humidity and temperature conditions of soil and ground water level in the area GOPE are also presented.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brigham Young University. Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 377-382).