This study investigates how well the Regional Atmospheric Modelling System (RAMS) simulates the sea breeze from False Bay (False Bay sea breeze) at a small resolution of 200m. It describes the influence of the sea breeze in the Stellenbosch wine growing district focusing on temperature, relative humidity and wind speed and direction through three case studies, using three different synoptic conditions. The RAMS simulations are verified against measurements done by automatic weather stations in the study area for all three case studies. The first synoptic condition investigated is when light onshore flow occurred over the south-western Cape. The RAMS model simulated the vertical and horizontal structure of the sea breeze from False Bay very well. However RAMS predicted the onset of the sea breeze 3 hours earlier than the AWS data predicted. The flow was off-shore in the second case study. The RAMS simulations as well as the observed data from the automatic weather stations, showed the two sea breezes influencing the study area, one from Table Bay, west of Stellenbosch, and one from False Bay. In this case study the model simulated the flatter head and stronger False Bay sea breeze. The third case study investigated the influence of strong onshore synoptic conditions, in which the model and observed values showed that no sea breeze developed from False Bay. From the three case studies it was found that the sea breeze is influenced by the synoptic flow and that the sea breeze causes cooling of between 3°C and 16°C and relative humidity (RH) increase of between 16 – 57% depending on the synoptic flow. RAMS was able to simulate the sea breeze theoretically correct and has the potential to be used to identify climatological areas in the wine growing areas of the Western Cape. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / Unrestricted

Les filtres plissés à Très Haute Efficacité (THE) sont utilisés pour le maintien du confinement des substances radioactives dans les installations nucléaires ; ils constituent ainsi un des éléments sensibles de la sûreté nucléaire. Certains scénarios accidentels, comme l’apparition d’une brèche sur une tuyauterie avec relâchement de vapeur, peuvent conduire à une forte augmentation de l’humidité relative de l’effluent gazeux filtré. Ces travaux permettent de pallier le manque de données analytiques dans la littérature concernant le comportement des filtres plissés THE, en termes de variations de leur perte de charge et de leur efficacité, en cas d’exposition à un débit d’air humide non saturé. Des expériences de colmatage de filtres ont été réalisées sur un banc d’essais à l’aide de deux aérosols : un aérosol non-hygroscopique micronique d’alumine et un aérosol hygroscopique submicronique de chlorure de sodium. Les résultats ont mis en évidence que l’influence de l’humidité durant le colmatage d’un filtre THE dépend de plusieurs paramètres : la géométrie du filtre (plane ou plissée), la granulométrie et la nature hygroscopique de l’aérosol de colmatage et enfin, le temps d’interaction entre l’aérosol et l’air humide. Des mesures d’efficacité des filtres plissés vierges et à différents degrés de colmatage, réalisées avec l’aérosol normalisé d’uranine, se sont également révélées sensibles à la présence plus ou moins importante d’humidité relative dans l’air. Enfin, l’ensemble des résultats a permis d’élaborer une approche empirique d’estimation de l’évolution de la perte de charge d’un filtre THE ; le modèle qui en résulte est applicable durant la formation sous humidité d’un gâteau de particules sans réduction de la surface de filtration / Pleated High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are used for maintaining the containment of radioactive substances in nuclear plants; thus, they are sensitive elements of nuclear safety. Some accidental situations, such as the emergence of a hole on a pipe with release of steam, can lead to a high increase of the air humidity. This work can overcome the lack of analytical data in the literature regarding the behaviour of pleated HEPA filters, in terms of changes in pressure drop and efficiency, in presence of humidity (unsaturated air). Experimental clogging tests have been performed on a test bench with two aerosols: non-hygroscopic micronic alumina particles and hygroscopic submicronic sodium chloride particles. The results showed that the influence of humidity during the clogging of a HEPA filter depends on several parameters: the geometry of the filter (plane or pleated), the size distribution and hygroscopicity of the aerosol clogging and finally the interaction time between the aerosol and humid air. Measurements of efficiency of clean and clogged filters (at different degrees of clogging), performed with the normalized soda fluorescein aerosol, are also sensitive to the presence of more or less relative humidity in the air. Finally, all results helped to develop an empirical model for estimating the evolution of the pressure drop of HEPA filters; this model is applicable during the formation of the particulate cake in presence of humidity without reducing of the surface area filtration

Ce travail de thèse est scindé en 4 parties. La première partie est une approche originale en odontologie par modélisation de la pénétration de colorants à l'interface des matériaux pour obturation radiculaire. Les deux situations extrêmes ont été envisagées. Lorsque l'interface est remplie uniquement par de l'air à pression atmosphérique, la pénétration s'effectue par capillarité. Lorsque l'interface est remplie d'eau, la pénétration s'effectue par diffusion. Les différentes équations physiques qui régissent ces phénomènes ont été déterminées. Les différents paramètres d'influence ont été quantifiés. La seconde partie et la troisième partie est une revue de littérature critique concernant l'influence de l'humidité relative et de la température du milieu buccal sur l'adhérence et l'étanchéité des matériaux adhésifs pour obturation coronaire. Une corrélation a été recherchée entre les études de laboratoire et les études cliniques. La quatrième partie est la mise au point d'un modèle permettant d'évaluer la pénétration de l'eau liquide et de l'eau gazeuse à la surface des matériaux adhésifs utilisés en odontologie. L'analyse de surface est réalisée par Spectroscopie Raman et le degré de conversion de ces résines méthacryliques est quantifié. La couche d'inhibition par l'oxygène de l'air est caractérisée en épaisseur et en degré de conversion. Une comparaison est effectuée entre les composites d'obturation, les composites flow et différents systèmes adhésifs amélo-dentinaires. / This thesis is divided into 4 partsThe first part is an original approach in dentistry by modeling the penetration of dyes at the interface of root filling materials. The two extreme situations were considered. When the interface is filled only with air at atmospheric pressure, the penetration is by capillary action. When the interface is filled with water, the penetration is by diffusion. The different physical equations governing these phenomena have been determined. The influence of the various parameters were quantified. The second part and third part are a review of critical literature on the influence of relative humidity and temperature of the oral environment on adhesion and sealing material for sealing coronary adhesives. A correlation was sought between laboratory studies and clinical trials.The fourth part is the development of a model to assess the penetration of liquid water and water vapor on the surface of the adhesive materials used in dentistry. Surface analysis is carried out by Raman spectroscopy and the degree of conversion of the methacrylate resins is quantified. Layer inhibition by oxygen is characterized by thickness and degree of conversion. A comparison is made between the composite filling, the composite flow and various adhesive systems enamel-dentin.

Orientador: Paulo Ademar Martins Leal / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-24T08:15:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ferrari_DiegoLuis_M.pdf: 2952607 bytes, checksum: fdc4b751b2836dc065f70c5e44f8f67b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Em regiões tropicais, ambientes protegidos com filmes de polietileno de baixa densidade (PEBD) podem atingir facilmente temperaturas acima da faixa ótima recomendada para as culturas hortícolas como o tomateiro. Quando a ventilação natural não é capaz de reduzir a carga térmica do ambiente, outros níveis tecnológicos de controle microclimático podem ser empregados, como o sombreamento por meio de telas termorrefletoras que visam restringir o aumento excessivo da temperatura do ar por meio da reflexão de parte da radiação solar. No entanto, o uso da técnica deve ser feito com cautela e manejo, pois a redução excessiva da radiação solar pode ter reflexos negativos sobre o crescimento, desenvolvimento e produção do tomateiro. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo comparar os efeitos de diferentes coberturas (PEBD e PEDB associado à tela temorrefletora empregada somente em dias de céu claro) sobre os microclimas dos respectivos ambientes protegidos e o efeito destes sobre a qualidade da produção e o crescimento de plantas de tomateiros dos grupos minitomate, italiano e caqui ... Observação: O resumo, na íntegra, poderá ser visualizado no texto completo da tese digital / Abstract: In tropical climates, air temperature inside greenhouses covered with low density polyethylene (LDPE) can exceed the optimum range recommended for horticultural crops like tomato. In the cases which natural ventilation is not capable of reducing the greenhouse thermal load, other kind of microclimatic control technology like shading with thermal screen may be employed, which restrain the excessive increase of air temperature by reflecting part of solar radiation. However, the use of this technique must be done carefully with appropriate handling since excessive reduction of solar radiation may lead negative effects on growth, development and yield of tomatoes. The objective of this study was to compare the effect of two different coverings (LDPE and LDPE with thermal screen employed only in clear sky days) on the microclimates of greenhouses and their effects on vegetative growth and fruit quality of Minitomato, Italian and Kaki tomato groups ... Note: The complete abstract is available with the full electronic document / Mestrado / Construções Rurais e Ambiencia / Mestre em Engenharia Agrícola

This work explores the blending of e-textile technology with the porous electrode of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and with smart wound patches to allow monitoring and in-situ diagnostics. This work includes contributions to understanding water transport and conductivity in the carbon cloth gas diffusion layer (GDL), and further developing thread-based relative humidity (RH) and temperature sensors, which can be sewn on a cloth GDL in PEMFCs. We also explore the application of the developed RH and temperature sensors in wearable biomonitoring. First, an experimental prototype is developed for evaluating water transport, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity of carbon cloth GDLs under different hydrophobic coatings and compressions. Second, we demonstrate the addition of external threads to the carbon cloth GDL to (1) facilitate water transport and (2) measure local RH and temperature with a minimal impact on the physical, microstructural and transport properties of the GDL. We illustrate the roll-to-roll process for fabricating RH and temperature sensors by dip-coating commodity threads into a carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suspension. The thread-based sensors response to RH and temperature in the working environment of PEMFCs is investigated. As a proof-of-concept, the local temperature of carbon cloth GDL is monitored in an ex-situ experiment. Finally, we optimized the coating parameters (e.g. CNTs concentration, surfactant concentration and a number of dipping) for the thread-based sensors. The response of the thread-based sensors in room conditions is evaluated and shows a linear resistance decrease to temperature and a quadratic resistance increase to RH. We also evaluated the biocompatibility of the sensors by performing cell cytotoxicity and studying wound healing in an animal model. The novel thread-based sensors are not only applicable for textile electrochemical devices but also, show a promising future in wearable biomonitoring applications. / Graduate

This thesis presents a study of wireless sensor networks applied in monitoring the curing process of concrete building structure. To replace the massive user intervention of the traditional monitoring methods with automated data acquisition, various types of sensors are developed for different concrete tests, including compressive strength measurement, maturity test, and relative humidity test. The main purpose of the thesis is to provide an analysis of existing commercial sensors as well as research prototypes, comparing different test methods and communication models. Distribution of sensors, future potential in millimeter-wave, and simulation environments are also discussed.

A Nephelometry camera (NephCam) and Humidity Controlled Cavity Ring-Down Transmissometer (HC-CRDT) were developed for the determination of aerosol optical properties. The NephCams use a reciprocal geometry relative to an integrating nephelometer; a diode laser illuminates a scattering volume orthogonal to a charge coupled device (CCD). The use of a CCD allows for measurement of aerosol scattering in 2 dimensions; scattering coefficients and size information can be extracted. The NephCam's optics were characterized during a set of imaging experiments to optimize the images collected by the camera. An aperture setting of 1.6 was chosen because it allowed for the most light intensity to reach the CCD - albeit with significant vignetting - and also had a constant modular transfer function (MTF) across the image; approximately 0.3. While this MTF value is approaching the minimum usable MTF of 0.2, other aperture settings did not exhibit constant MTF. While the effects of vignetting can be corrected in image post processing, the effects of non-constant MTF cannot. An optical response model was constructed to simulate images collected by the NephCams as a function of particle type and size. Good agreement between modeled and measured images was observed after the effects of contrast on image shape were considered. The image shapes generated by the model also pointed towards the use of polynomial calibration for particle sizes less than 400 nm as a result of multiple charge-to-size effects present from the sizing mechanism of the differential mobility analyzer. Initial calibration of the NephCams using size-selected dry Ammonium sulfate (AS) showed that calibration slopes are a function of particle size which is also in agreement with the model. Calibration slopes decreased as particle size increased to 400 nm; after 400 nm calibration slope oscillated around a common value. This effect is directly related to the forward shift of scattered intensity as particles grow in size and the collection efficiency of the NephCam as particle size increases. The single scattering albedo (SSA) of Nigrosin was calculated using the NephCam; extinction was measured by the HC-CRDT. Good agreement between the SSA and size was noticed for larger particle sizes; particles smaller than 200 nm in diameter over-measured the SSA of Nigrosin because of the multiple charge-to-size effect. In this size regime, light scattering by particles increases much more quickly than absorption; the presence of larger particles causes scattering to be artificially high. The HC-CRDT is a 4 channel, 3 wavelength instrument capable of measuring the extinction coefficients of aerosols at high (> 80%), low (< 10%) and ambient relative humidity. Extinction coefficients as a function of RH were determined for AS, NaNO3, NaCl, and Nigrosin; these particles represent surrogates of the strongly scattering ionic salts and black carbon, respectively. A model was developed to calculate the changes in refractive index and extinction coefficients of these water soluble particles as a function of RH; these particle types were chosen because core-shell morphologies could be avoided. Volume mixing, Maxwell-Garnett and partial molar refraction mixing rules were used to calculate effective refractive indices as a function of water uptake. Particle growth was calculated based upon the Kelvin equation. Measured and modeled results of f(RH) - relative change in extinction between high or ambient RH and dry RH - agree well for all particle types except Nigrosin. This disagreement is thought to stem directly from an incomplete parameter set for Nigrosin; growth parameters were assumed to be identical to NaNO3, density assumed to be 1 g/mL and molecular weight 202 g/mole, which may not be true in reality (different suppliers of Nigrosin quote different molecular weights). The NephCam was not used during these experiments, so the addition of a scattering measurement to better characterize the growth by Nigrosin is necessary. The f(RH) data for NaNO3 showed excellent agreement between measured and modeled data; however particle size information collected by an SMPS does not agree with the theory. This stems from the fact that NaNO3 does not show prompt deliquescence upon drying; instead an amorphous solid forms which exhibits a kinetically limited loss of water.

No description available.

The objectives of this research were to study the gas transport properties of proton exchange membranes (PEM), namely disulfonated poly(arylene ether sulfone) (BPSH-35), post sulfonated diels-alder poly(phenylene) (SDAPP), and poly(perfluoro sulfonic acid) (Nafion). The O2 gas permeabilities were found to be lower in BPSH and SDAPP as compared to poly(perfluoro sulfonic acid) because of difference in Tg (TgBSPH= 250 oC, TgSDAPP= 330 oC versus TgNafion=150 oC). Higher Tg polymers have a more rigid, inflexible polymer segments causing a reduction in gas permeability. In comparison to SDAPP, BPSH has a lower O2 gas permeability because of the bulky side groups in the SDAPP backbone. O2 sorption measurements were carried out both under non-humidified and humidified conditions as a function of relative humidity and temperature at a normal PEM operating pressure of 1 atm. Under non-humidified conditions, BPSH, SDAPP, and Nafion 112 exhibited Henry's Law sorption, consistent with dilute dissolution of O2 into the polymer matrix. The enthalpies of sorption were calculated to determine the interaction of O2 with each membrane. The sorption enthalpies in BPSH and SDAPP increased with increasing pressure indicating the formation of more O2-O2 interactions. The enthalpies in Nafion 112 were relatively constant with increasing pressure. In the presence of moisture, the sorption behavior changed from Henry's Law to Type IV sorption behavior, which is common in hydrophilic polymers. The SDAPP membrane was found to have the highest percent wet O2 mass uptake because of a higher number of sulfonic acid groups interacting with the water/O2 system. Finally the O2 sorption for various porous catalyst powders, consisting of platinum supported on carbon was measured in the non-humidified and humidified state. The catalysts were found to have Knudsen diffusion in the non-humidified state with 20 wt% Pt-C having the largest O2 sorption. In the humidified state, the highest O2 mass uptake was achieved with 40 wt% Pt-C. These results are explained in terms of the trade-off between catalyst dispersion and catalyst size. Furthermore, O2 sorption measurements were utilized for membrane electrode assemblies containing 40 wt% Pt-C and hot pressed at 210 oC for BPSH-35 (25 and 80K) and Nafion 112 membranes. The same sorption behavior occurred in the MEAs as in the neat membrane, but at a lower capacity. This is because the electrode introduces a more tortuous path to the gas molecules permeating across the membrane. / Ph. D.

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet killing about a million people a year. These insects are competent vectors of multiple pathogens (e.g., Plasmodium sp, filarial worms, and arboviruses). In most species, females are blood feeders, and must consume a blood meal to complete a gonotrophic cycle. Extensive research has been conducted on hematophagy and host-seeking behaviors, but relatively little is known about phytophagy. Sugar feeding is an essential aspect of mosquito biology. Both male and female mosquitoes must consume sugar as a primary fuel source. Mosquitoes use olfactory and visual cues among other cues to find suitable food sources. Abiotic factors, such as temperature and humidity, have been shown to impact mosquito behaviors, including sugar feeding. Recently, sugar feeding has been identified as a promising control target for multiple species of mosquitoes. Attractive toxic sugar baits (ATSBs) attract both male and females through the use of plant derived volatiles. In this work, we first examined the effects of temperature and humidity on the survival of sugar fed Aedes aegypti. We showed that sugar feeding greatly increases longevity in optimal conditions and that humidity impacted survival while temperature less so. Second, we aimed at developing an ATSB for controlling Aedes j. japonicus mosquitoes. Overall, this work sheds light on the importance of abiotic factors and sugar feeding on mosquito survival and lays the groundwork for controlling an invasive mosquito species. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Mosquitoes are the deadliest organisms on the planet killing about a million people each year due to the multitude of pathogens they may transmit (e.g., malaria parasites, Zika virus, dengue virus). Female mosquitoes transmit pathogens by taking blood meals to obtain essential nutrients needed to develop eggs. If knowledge on host-seeking behavior and blood-feeding is extensive, comparatively less is known about sugar feeding. Sugar feeding is an important behavior displayed by both male and female mosquitoes to obtain energy for flying, reproduction, and survival. Mosquitoes feed on a variety of sugar sources including plant nectar and decaying fruits. They use multiple different cues in order to locate suitable meals including olfaction and vision. Environmental factors such as temperature and humidity affect mosquito activity, dehydration, and sugar feeding. In the present work, we first examined the effects of temperature and humidity on survival in the major disease vector species, Aedes aegypti. As the global temperatures are increasing, it is essential to better understand how mosquitoes adapt and deal with environmental stressors in a changing world. We then aimed at exploiting sugar feeding behavior by developing a novel method of control for another invasive mosquito species, Aedes j. japonicus. Together, these results help us have a better understanding of mosquito biology and ecology which is crucial for predicting future distribution of invasive species and designing new control strategies.