Corals, the foundation species of tropical reefs, are in rapid global decline as a result of anthropogenic disturbance. On many reefs, losses of coral have coincided with the over-harvesting of reef herbivores, resulting in ecosystem phase-shifts from coral to macroalgal dominance. It is hypothesized that abundant macroalgae inhibit coral recovery and recruitment, thereby generating ecological feedback processes that reinforce phase-shifts to macroalgae and further diminish reef function. Notwithstanding, the extent to which macroalgae directly outcompete coral, the mechanisms involved, and the species-specificity of algal-coral competition remains debated. Moreover the capacity for herbivores to prevent vs. reverse ecosystem phase-shifts to macroalgae and the roles of herbivore diversity in such phenomena remain poorly understood. Here I demonstrate with a series of field experiments in the tropical Pacific and Caribbean Sea that multiple macroalgae common to degraded reefs directly outcompete coral using chemical warfare, that these interactions are mediated by hydrophobic secondary metabolites transferred from algal to coral surfaces by direct contact, and that the outcomes of these allelopathic interactions are highly species-specific. Using field observations and experiments in the tropical Pacific, I also demonstrate that the process of herbivory attenuates the competitive effects of allelopathic algae on corals by controlling succession of algal communities, and that the herbivore species responsible for macroalgal removal possess complementary tolerances to the diversity of chemical defenses deployed among algae, creating an essential role for herbivore diversity in reversing ecosystem phase-shifts to macroalgae. Lastly, I demonstrate with field experiments in the tropical Pacific that algal-coral competition simultaneously induces allelochemicals and suppresses anti-herbivore deterrents in some algae, likely due to trade-offs in the productions of defense metabolites with differing ecological functions. Together, these studies provide strong evidence that chemically mediated competitive and consumer-prey interactions play principal roles in coral reef degradation and recovery, and should provide resource managers with vital information needed for effective management of these ecologically and economically important but threatened ecosystems.

This thesis presents a parallel-series two-bridge DC/DC converter topology with the ability to operate with ZVS over a wide input and load range. The intended application is power conditioning systems (PCS) of photovoltaic (PV) arrays used in hybrid renewable energy system architectures. The proposed topology provides two degrees of freedom which allows the PV-PCS to regulate the DC-link voltage, while tracking the maximum power point (MPP) of the PV array. This topology distributes the main power into two bridges and the phase-shift between the two bridges and provides another degree of freedom for the PCS to track the MPP. The proposed topology is also able to achieve soft-switching over a wide range. The power conditioning system shows a modular structure to efficiently transfer the power to the load as the main power is divided between two bridges. In addition, the proposed control scheme provides complete decoupling between the input side controller from the output side controller in order to perform MPPT and regulate the the DC-link voltage simultaneously. A 2kW Experimental prototype has been provided to validate the feasibility and performance of the converter. Experimental results prove that the converter is able to regulate the DC-link voltage and track the maximum power extracted from the PV array simultaneously. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2012-04-18 19:51:43.405

Le travail de nuit est associé avec plusieurs problèmes de santé. Le désalignement entre la phase circadienne et le cycle éveil-sommeil cause une désynchronie interne considérée comme la principale source de ces problèmes. L’ajustement circadien au travail de nuit est proposé comme contremesure. Normalement, l’ajustement circadien complet n’est pas recommandé puisqu’il engendre un désalignement circadien lors du retour à l’horaire de jour, causant des changements de phase répétés et la désynchronie interne. L’ajustement circadien partiel est alors proposé comme compromis afin de stabiliser les rythmes circadiens des travailleurs de nuit. Cependant, l’ampleur de l’ajustement circadien partiel nécessaire à l’amélioration du sommeil et de la vigilance demeure vague. Les ajustements partiels obtenus par délai ou avance de phase sont quantifiés non seulement par la phase du début de la sécrétion de mélatonine en lumière tamisée, mais également par le recoupement de l’épisode de sécrétion de mélatonine avec les périodes d’éveil et de sommeil. Les effets sur le sommeil et la vigilance d’un petit ajustement circadien partiel significatifs sont investigués dans une simulation de travail de nuit en laboratoire pour déterminer leurs implications cliniques. Les effets modestes suggèrent qu’un petit délai de phase peut réduire l’accumulation de la dette de sommeil, alors que l’avance de phase améliore subjectivement la vigilance et l’humeur nocturne. L’ampleur absolue du changement de phase est associée à une amélioration subjective de la vigilance et de l’humeur nocturne. Des études en milieux de travail permettraient de déterminer si ces stratégies sont applicables et bénéfiques aux travailleurs de nuit. / Night work is associated with many short and long term health problems. Misalignment between the circadian phase and the sleep-wake schedule causes a state of internal desynchrony considered as the main cause of these health problems. Circadian adjustment to night work is proposed as a countermeasure. Usually, complete circadian adjustment is not recommended because night workers experience circadian misalignment when returning on a day-active schedule, causing repeated circadian phase shifts and internal desynchrony. Therefore, partial circadian realignment was proposed as a compromise to stabilize circadian rhythms in night workers. However, the extent of partial circadian adjustment necessary to improve sleep and vigilance quality is still unclear. Here, partial adjustments obtained by phase delay or advance were quantified not only by the phase shift of dim light salivary melatonin onset, but also by the overlap of the melatonin production episode with the sleep-wake cycle during simulated night work. The effects of small but statistically significant partial circadian adjustments on sleep and vigilance quality were assessed in a laboratory simulation of night work to determine their clinical significance. Effects on daytime sleep and night-time vigilance quality were modest. They suggest that even small phase delays may decrease the accumulation of sleep debt, whereas the advance strategy improves subjective night work alertness and mood. Absolute phase shifts, by advance or delay, were associated with improved subjective night work alertness and mood. Field studies are needed, to determine whether these strategies can be adapted to real-life situations and provide effective support to night workers.

Dans la majeure partie des cas, la séparation en taille de molécules d'ADN, étape primordiale lors d'un séquençage, est réalisée par électrophorèse sur gels, inadaptée à la séparation de longues molécules : la recherche de techniques de séparation alternatives est donc primordiale. Nous avons utilisé une technologie de fabrication alternative, la Lithographie par Décalage de Phase, pour fabriquer des matrices d'obstacles de 80 à 500 nm de diamètre, de formes cylindrique ou ellipsoïdale. Ces matrices nous ont permis de mener une étude des dynamiques de collision ADN-obstacle à l'échelle de la molécule individuelle, par la caractérisation des effets de l'actionnement (électrophorétique ou hydrodynamique), de la dimension et de la forme des obstacles sur ces dynamiques, impliquées dans le processus de séparation en taille. Nous montrons enfin la première séparation hydrodynamique de fragments d'ADN dans des réseaux d'obstacles nanométriques.

Since their discovery in 1978 by Hill et al. and the development of the transverse holographic technique for their fabrication by Meltz et al. in 1989, fiber Bragg gratings (FBG) have become an important device for applications in optical communications, optical signal processing and fiber-optical sensors. A superstructured fiber Bragg grating (SFBG), also called a sampled fiber Bragg grating, is a special FBG that consists of a several small FBGs placed in close proximity to one another. SFBGs have attracted much attention in recent years with the discovery of techniques allowing the creation of equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts. The biggest advantage of an SFBG with equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts is the possibility to design and fabricate gratings with greatly varying phase and amplitude responses by adjusting the spatial profile of the superstructure. The realization of SFBGs with equivalent chirp or equivalent phase shifts requires only sub-millimeter precision. This is a relief from the sub-micron precision required by traditional approaches. In this thesis, the mathematical modeling of FBGs and SFBGs is reviewed. The use of SFBGs for various applications in photonic microwave signal processing is considered. Four main topics are presented in this thesis. The first topic is the use of SFBG as a photonic true-time delay (TTD) beamformer for phased array antennas (PAAs). The second topic addresses non-linearities in the group delay response of an SFBG with equivalent chirp in its sampling period. An SFBG with an equivalent chirp using only a linear chirp coefficient may yield a group delay response that deviates from the linear response required by a TTD beamformer. In the thesis, a technique to improve the linearity of the group delay response is proposed and an adaptive algorithm to find the optimal linear and non-linear chirp coefficients to produce the best linear group delay response is described. Since no closed-form solution exists to represent the amplitude and phase responses of an SFBG, we rely on a Fourier transform analogy under a weak grating approximation as a starting point in the design of an SFBG. Simulations are then used to refine the response of the SFBG. The algorithm proposed provides an optimal set of chirp coefficients that minimizes the error in the group delay response. Four gratings are fabricated using the optimized chirp coefficients and their application in a TTD PAA system is discussed. The third topic discusses the use of an SFBG with equivalent phase shifts in its sampling period as a means to realize optical single sideband (SSB) modulation. SSB modulation eliminates the power penalty caused by chromatic dispersion experienced by an optical signal traveling through a long length of optical fiber. By introducing two π phase shifts through equivalent sampling to the SFBG, two ultra-narrow transmission bands are created in the grating stop band of the +/- 1st spectral orders. In the proposed system, a double-sideband plus carrier (DSB+C) modulated optical signal is sent to the input of an optical SSB filter based on the equivalent phase-shift SFBG in order to select the optical carrier and a single sideband, effectively blocking one sideband from propagating. Finally, the fourth topic focuses on the implementation of a photonic microwave bandpass filter based on an SFBG with equivalent chirp. Photonic microwave filters are used to process microwave signals in the optical domain. By using a technique called phase-modulation to intensity-modulation (PM-IM) conversion, a two-tap delay line filter is created with one negative tap. A single SFBG with a chirp in its sampling period is used as a means to achieve the PM-IM conversion for the two taps. Two phase modulated optical carriers are used to generate the two taps, each entering a different port of the SFBG and thus experiencing an opposite dispersion value. The two optical signals are then recombined before being sent to a photodetector (PD) where the filtered microwave signal is recovered.

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This thesis investigates orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) as a viable modulation technique for an ultrasonic acoustic underwater modem. The underwater environment provides a challenging setting for acoustic communications. Long delay spreads due to multipath propagation, severe Doppler frequency shifts, frequency dependent absorption and very limited bandwidth are but some of the challenges to overcome. OFDM essentially provides the parallel transmission of symbols in the frequency domain by simultaneously modulating many closely spaced orthogonal subcarriers. The resulting long parallel symbol rate together with the cyclic extension of symbols render the signal robust against intersymbol interference (ISI) caused by multipath propagation. Intercarrier interference (ICI) between the overlapping frequency responses of subcarriers is mitigated by their property of orthogonality. Doppler spread contributes to the loss of orthogonality and can result in severe ICI. A method of measuring the Doppler shift by means of including a preamble and postamble symbol with each data frame is proposed. The detected frequency offset is corrected by resampling the frame at the desired sample rate. Not only do the ambles serve as a mechanism for timing and frequency synchronisation, but they are also applied in the channel estimation process. The equalisation of channel response is required for the coherent demodulation of the received symbols. An investigation into different phase shift keying (PSK) and quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) constellations reveal optimal arrangements for minimal symbol errors. The optimised QAM constellations do not lend themselves to Gray-coding, so that an efficient interleaving scheme is needed to mitigate the non-uniform distribution of bit errors among symbol errors. Forward error correction is provided via a Bose Chaudhuri Hocquenghem (BCH) block code. Variable code rates, together with the ability to switch between different constellations, enable the modem to perform so-called variable modulation in an attempt to maximise the throughput under specific channel conditions. The modulation/demodulation scheme is wholly defined in software as to provide flexibility and facilitate experimentation with different signal processing methods. The accompanying hardware platform allows for the transmission of a pre-generated signal and the recording of a received signal for off-line processing. The prototype design serves as a proof of concept and thus provides only simplex communication. Field tests over limited distances demonstrate the successful operation of the prototype modem. We conclude that OFDM is indeed a suitable modulation technique for acoustic underwater communication. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie tesis ondersoek die toepassing van ortogonale frekwensiedeling multipleksering (OFDM) as modulasie tegniek op ʼn onderwater kommunikasie modem. Die onderwater omgewing bied vele uitdagings vir akoestiese kommunikasie. Lang vertraging-verstrooiings as gevolg van multipad voortplanting, Doppler frekwensieskuif, frekwensieafhanklike absorpsie, en beperkte bandwydte is van die uitdagings wat oorkom moet word. In essensie bied OFDM die parallelle versending van ʼn aantal simbole deur die gelyktydige modulasie van verskeie nou-gespasieerde subdraers in die frekwensiegebied. Die gevolglike lang parallelle simboolperiodes, tesame met die sikliese uitbreiding van simbole, verleen immuniteit teen intersimbool steurnisse (ISI) wat ontstaan as gevolg van multipad voortplanting. Die ortogonaliteit van naburige draers in die frekwensiegebied beperk interdraer steuring (ICI) tussen hul oorvleuelende frekwensie weergawes. Doppler frekwensieskuif kan egter lei tot die verlies aan ortogonaliteit en bydra tot ernstige interdraer steurings. ʼn Metode wat gebruik maak van aanhef en slot simbole, ingesluit by elke raam, word voorgestel om die Dopplerskuif te meet. Die bepaalde frekwensieafset word gekorrigeer deur die monstertempo van die raam aan te pas na die verlangde tempo. Buiten die tyd- en frekwensie-sinkronisasie funksies van die aanhef en slot simbole, speel dit ook ʼn belangrike rol in die ontrekking van die frekwensie weergawe van die kanaal. Die effening van die kanaal se frekwensieweergawe is noodsaaklik vir die koherente demodulasie van die ontvangde simbole. ʼn Ondersoek na verskillende fase verskuif sleuteling (PSK) en kwadratuur amplitude modulasie (QAM) konstellasies het optimale rangskikkings opgelewer vir minimale simboolfoute. Hierdie optimale QAM konstellasies verleen hulself egter nie na Gray-kodering nie. ʼn Effektiewe invlegtegniek is nodig om die nie-uniforme verspreiding van bisfoute tussen simboolfoute te beperk. Fout korrigering funksionaliteit word gebied deur ʼn Bose Chaudhuri Hocquenghem (BCH) blokkode. Verstelbare koderingstempo’s en die vermoë om tussen verskillende konstellasies te skakel, stel die modem in staat om sogenaamde verstelbare modulasie te gebruik in ʼn poging om die data deurset te optimeer onder spesifieke kanaal kondisies. Die modulasie en demodulasie skema is volledig in sagteware gedefinieer. Dit verleen buigbaarheid en vergemaklik eksperimentering met verskeie seinverwerkingstegnieke. Die meegaande hardeware platvorm stel die modem in staat om vooraf opgewekte seine uit te saai en rou ontvangde siene op te neem vir na-tydse verwerking. Die prototipe ontwerp dien as ʼn konseptuele bewys en bied dus slegs simplekse kommunikasie. Die suksesvolle werking van die modem is gedemonstreer deur toetsing oor beperkte afstande. Hieruit word afgelei dat OFDM inderdaad geskik is vir akoestiese onderwater kommunikasie.

Depuis quelques années, d'importants efforts ont été réalisés sur l'amélioration de la performance énergétique des bâtiments qui représentent le premier poste de consommation énergétique en France. Les exigences de la nouvelle réglementation thermique 2012 illustrent bien ces évolutions avec une consommation conventionnelle d'énergie primaire comprenant l'ensemble des postes (chauffage, climatisation, éclairage, ventilation, eau chaude sanitaire), déduction faite de l'électricité produite sur place, qui devra être inférieure à 50 kWh.m2.an-1 d'énergie primaire. La réponse à cette nouvelle exigence se fera par l'adoption de technologies constructives conduisant à une consommation pour le chauffage équivalente aux constructions dites « passives » (environ 15 kWh.m2.an-1) et dont le recours à la climatisation est limité voir inexistant. Il s'agit pour cela de limiter toutes les contributions à l'échauffement du bâtiment et éventuellement de lui adjoindre un système de rafraichissement à coefficient de performance élevé. Après avoir montré par l'exemple qu'un bâtiment à ossature à faible inertie en métropole, par sa capacité de stockage thermique limitée, est prédisposé à des problèmes de surchauffe, nous avons construit cette thèse autour de deux axes d'amélioration, dédiés aux constructions à ossature, que sont : - La limitation des charges solaires transmises au travers de l'enveloppe en faisant appel à une spécificité des constructions à ossature qu'est la présence d'un espace naturellement ventilé en sous-face du parement extérieur que nous utiliserons afin d'extraire une partie des charges solaires incidentes; - Le couplage de ces bâtiments « légers » à un échangeur air/masse qui contient l'inertie nécessaire au maintien des conditions de confort estivales lorsque la réduction de température nocturne le permet. Basée sur une approche numérique et expérimentale en vrai grandeur et en conditions réelles, nous proposons d'aborder tour à tour chacune de ces stratégies d'amélioration du confort qui trouvent leurs applications aussi bien en climat chaud et sec qu'en climat tropical. / Building sector is the most important energy consumer in France, and one of the field where there is the highest potential for improvement. In recent years, building energy consumption has been the subject of continuously up-dated regulations aimed at reducing its impact. As an example, the latest national thermal regulation (RT 2012) makes it compulsory to respect the limits previously introduced by RT 2005 as a voluntary label, corresponding to the definition of guil{Low energy consumption buildings} (BBC); in order to get such a label, a building should have a primary energy consumption lower than 50 kWh.m2.an-1, calculated by making a balance between consumptions (heating, cooling, domestic hot water, lighting, ventilation) and local electricity production. In order to respond to this new requirement, appropriate architectural and technological solutions have to be used. As a results, heating needs should be limited to approximately 15 kWh.m2.an-1 - by improving the building insulation or by adopting passive solar techniques - and summer thermal comfort should be achieved with a minimum primary energy waste. Therefore, internal heat gains and external solar transmission must be limited and, if necessary, low energy cooling systems could be used. In the present work, we firstly studied the case of a low thermal inertia building. The simulation results show that this construction typology is subject to uncomfortable temperature swing. Afterwards, two propositions leading to the improvement of summer thermal comfort were developed. The first, dedicated to warm and humid climates, consists in limiting solar transmission through the wall by using a gap, generally integrated in a timber frame structure, to eliminate part of the absorbed heat by means of natural ventilation. Then, the increase of the building thermal inertia through the association of an air/mass storage system was assessed, which is especially suitable in warm and dry climates. Both propositions were based both on numerical studies and on experimentation performed on a full-scale test rig installed at CSTB (Scientific and Technical Centre for Building research).

No description available.

Orientador: Carlos Alberto Canesin / Resumo: Esta tese apresenta uma forma inédita para o carregamento de veículos elétricos (VE) puros em movimento, sem fios e sem acoplamentos mecânicos (dynamic Wireless Power Transfer - dynamic WPT), considerando a transferência indutiva de energia (Induced Power Transfer - IPT), a partir de uma proposta sem sensores (WPT sensorless), combinando um arranjo de elementos transmissores, especialmente desenvolvidos para um estudo de caso. A estrutura de potência emprega um conversor ressonante LLCC série-paralelo operando em modo contínuo com modulação com frequência fixa e deslocamento de fase, com controle realimentado indiretamente para a corrente de saída. Além da metodologia utilizada para a proposta deste trabalho, o texto apresenta um projeto de carregamento estático compatível com o sistema de carregamento dinâmico e, também, uma comparação entre possíveis estruturas ressonantes de terceira e quarta ordens compatíveis com os elementos IPT, apresentando-se as vantagens e as desvantagens para cada estrutura. O carregador dinâmico foi aplicado experimentalmente para um veículo elétrico (VE) puro, em pequena escala de potência (mini baja elétrico), constituído por oito elementos IPTs associados em série como emissor, resultando em um acoplamento mútuo constante para o receptor IPT no VE por uma extensão de 1150 mm, a uma distância entre emissor e receptor, de 35 mm. Os resultados experimentais obtidos apresentam elevado rendimento médio (86,4 %) para o processo de transferência de po... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This thesis proposes a novel design to pure electrical vehicle (EV) dynamic charging electrical contactless and without mechanical coupling (dynamic Wireless Power Transfer - dynamic WPT), considering the induced power transfer, by a propose WPT sensorless, combining a transmitter element arrangement particularly designed for this study case. The power structure uses a LLCC series-parellel resonant converter, in continuous conduction mode with phase shift modulation and fixed frequency, applying a feedback indirect control for the output current. In addition to methodology in the present proposal, this paper shows a static wireless power transfer project works with the dynamic charging, and also a potential structure comparation of third and fourth order resonant compatible with the IPT elements, showing the advantages and disadvantages for each resonant tank. The dynamic charging is presently being piloted in a pure electrical vehicle, in small scale power (mini electric baja), it is made up of eight IPT elements in series association as emitter, resulting in a constant mutual coupling with IPT receiver in the EV, by a range of 1150 mm, with a distance between emitter and receiver of 35 mm. The experimental results obtained show a high average efficiency (86.4%) for the wireless power transfer process over the entire length of the loader, for the nominal input power condition of 1300 W. / Doutor

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T12:14:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1974687 bytes, checksum: 8f624027533ea389c076529b9f422cb9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / In the limit of low energy, graphene can be described by a theory of free massless Fermions. In this work, we write a non-Euclidean metric that represents graphene and introduce a non-Abelian gauge field due to the presence of topological defects (disclinations). Furthermore, in this background, we study the elastic scattering of Fermions by these defects. Afterwards, we obtain the phase shift angle and the scattering amplitude. We also discuss the influence of these results to transport properties. In this approach, we apply a uniform magnetic field perpendicular to the graphene sheet. Thus, the system also becomes described by an Abelian gauge field and we observe that occurs the break of the degeneracy of Landau levels with possible physical implications for the study of the quantum Hall effect in graphene. In addition, we study the dynamics of Dirac spinors in the presence of a confining potential, as the Dirac oscillator, and the spatial confinement of electrons in a graphene structure in the shape of a ring with topological defects. Finally, we find that the dynamics of spinors is affected by this geometry and the disclination. / No limite de baixas energias, o grafeno pode ser descrito por uma teoria de férmions livres sem massa. Neste trabalho, escrevemos uma métrica não-Euclidiana que representa o grafeno e introduzimos um campo de gauge não-Abeliano devido a presença de defeitos topológicos (desclinações). Neste pano de fundo, estudamos o espalhamento elástico de férmions por esses defeitos. Depois, obtemos o ângulo de mudança de fase e a amplitude de espalhamento. Discutimos também a influência destes resultados em propriedades de transporte. Nesta abordagem, aplicamos um campo magnético uniforme e perpendicular a folha de grafeno. Assim, o sistema também passa a ser descrito por um campo de gauge Abeliano e observamos que ocorre a quebra da degenerescência dos níveis de Landau com possíveis implicações físicas para o estudo do efeito Hall quântico no grafeno. Além disso, estudamos a dinâmica dos spinores de Dirac na presença de um potencial confinante, como o Oscilador de Dirac, e o confinamento espacial dos elétrons em uma estrutura de grafeno no formato de um anel com defeito topológico. Finalmente, encontramos que a dinâmica dos spinores é afetada por esta geometria e pelas desclinações.