Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Douglas Goodin / In this thesis, I proposed a new surface dryness index based on the slope of soil moisture isolines in the Land Surface Temperature/Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (LST/NDVI) feature space. This index, referred to here as Dryness Slope Index (DSI), overcomes the problem of Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI) having different basis when calculating TVDI values across different images. This problem is rooted in the definition of TVDI whose calculation depends on the position of the “dry edge” and “wet edge” of pixels’ values in the LST/NDVI space of a specific image. The “wet edge” has a fairly stable physical meaning, which represents soil at field capacity or above, and it remains stable across a time series of images. However, the position of “dry edge” represents the driest condition in the image, which does not necessarily mean that the soil is completely dry. Therefore, the value of TVDI calculated from different images is not based on an invariant dry edge value as its baseline, and it is therefore likely to lead to incorrect conclusion if used without extra examination. This problem manifests itself when comparing TVDI values from different images with meteorological data. Results from similar analyses done with DSI showed more reasonable match with the validation data, indicating DSI is a more robust surface dryness index than TVDI. Having verified DSI can be effectively used in estimating soil moisture, I applied DSI on Landsat5 TM to study the relationship between soil moisture and land cover, slope, aspect, and relative elevation. Results showed that land cover accounts the most for variations of estimated soil moisture. I also applied DSI on a long time-series (2000 to 2014) of MODIS data trying to explore the temporal evolution of soil moisture in the entire Flint Hills ecoregion. Results showed little correlation between time and estimated soil moisture, indicating that no noticeable changes in soil moisture has been found through all these years.

The assessment of ventilatory efficiency (VE/VCO2 slope) is increasingly being utilized to complement traditional cardiorespiratory fitness testing during graded exercise. The purpose of this study was to compare cardiorespiratory responses and ventilatory efficiency in obese children during a progressive exercise test to volitional fatigue performed on a treadmill and a cycle ergometer. Fifteen obese male (N=3) and female (N=12) adolescents aged 10 to 18 years were recruited in the study and completed both the treadmill and cycle ergometer trials. Mean age and BMI of the sample was 13.3 years and 38.0 kg/m2, respectively. Maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max) and ventilatory efficiency were determined during both exercise trials. Subsequently, overall VE/VCO2 slope and the slope below and above AT for ventilatory efficiency were compared between the two exercise modes. VO2max was significantly (p<0.05) greater during the treadmill trial (26.09±5.11 ml/kg/min) compared to the cycle ergometer trial (20.71± 4.31 ml/kg/min). The VO2 at anaerobic threshold (AT) was significantly (p<0.05) higher during the treadmill trial, however, the percentage of VO2max at AT was not significantly different between the two modes (treadmill-63.41± 6.29% and cycle ergometer (67.25± 6.99%). While there was no significant difference in the overall VE/VCO2 slope or the VE/VCO2 slope above anaerobic threshold obtained from the two modes, the VE/VCO2 slope below anaerobic threshold was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the treadmill trial (25.06±2.10) compared to the cycle ergometer trial (23.34± 2.12). In our small sample of obese adolescents, we observed a greater VE response for a given VCO2 during treadmill exercise below the anaerobic threshold. The differences observed may be related to a greater activation of muscle afferents during weight bearing exercise in obese adolescents.

This thesis deals with constructing engineering geological 1:1000 map of Dobkovičky landslide, collecting of reconstituted soil samples, their laboratory CIUP triaxial testing and subsequent modeling of wall stability of the landslide after the excavation of collapsed soil material. Mapping was done during spring of 2014. Outcome of this thesis is hand drawn map, plotted on the map are all the elements of the landslide including 38 documentation points. Legend of the maps is attached. Collection of reconstituted soil samples was done during drilling investigation, executed by company AZ Consult, spol.s.r.o., during summer of 2014. Three samples of all that were collected were subjected to laboratory CIUP triaxial testing. The result of the testing is critical friction angel, which was used during modeling of wall stability of the landslide after excavation of all collapsed soil material. For the actual modeling, PC software Plaxis 2D was used.

Garden Banks field 236, known as Pimento, is part of a lower middle Pleistocene submarine-fan deposit in the north central Gulf of Mexico. Pimento field represents a classic example of a prograding fan across the continental shelf continuing across the continental slope filling and spilling minibasins. Channel complexes cut through the field as sediment migrated across the shelf and slope to the basin floor. This thesis consists of two papers which utilized donated 3D seismic data on six of the blocks in Pimento field. Public domain data was incorporated with these data to explore the producing reservoir sand in the field. Mapped horizons revealed the overall structural elements of the field including the fill and spill facies of the minibasin that directly influences the deposition of the field. In these papers, channel complexes have been resolved using seismic geomorphological techniques and cross sections. Two potential drilling targets have also been discovered and one has been initially investigated as a drilling target.

[pt] Movimentos de terra em encostas frequentemente causam grandes prejuízos econômicos, ambientais, sociais e, com freqüência, perda de vidas humanas. O mecanismo que desencadeia o processo de movimentação geralmente ocorre em períodos de chuvas intensas, principalmente nas encostas com pouca cobertura vegetal ou naquelas que sofreram mudanças recentes na topografia, geralmente pela execução de cortes. Neste trabalho foram realizadas análises de estabilidade da um trecho da encosta da BR-376, que liga as cidades de Curitiba a Joinville no km 55+800 do oleoduto OSPAR da Transpetro. Em 1995, cortes executados para duplicação da rodovia provocaram instabilidade em certa área da encosta. Em janeiro de 1997, durante um período de fortes chuvas, um novo escorregamento da porção inferior do talude provocou a ruptura do muro existente e uma série de escorregamentos sucessivos, que chegaram a atingir a faixa dos oleodutos. Diante desse cenário, utilizou-se primeiramente o programa de elementos finitos PLAXIS para as análises de estabilidade e posteriormente, a fim de comparação, o programa Slope/W e Sigma/W. Para as análises no PLAXIS foi utilizado o hardening soil model para o solo, com os parâmetros sendo determinados através de ensaios triaxiais com amostras obtidas de dois blocos de solo coletados das encosta. Os efeitos da movimentação da encosta no oleoduto OSPAR foram analisados por programa 3D de elementos finitos, dando-se ênfase às tensões e deformações para se a fim de verificar a integridade do duto. / [en] In densely populated urban areas, landslides generally cause large economic, social and environmental damages as well as, quite frequently, the loss of human lives. The main triggering factor for soil slope failures is the occurrence of heavy rainfalls and the most affected slopes are those with little vegetal covering or that had suffered recent changes in topography, generally due to the execution of cuts and excavations. In this work, stability analyses of a soil slope located at km 55+800 of the Transpetro’s OSPAR oil pipeline were carried out In 1995, the works for the duplication of the BR-376 highway, connecting the cities of Curitiba and Joinville, caused some instability in certain area of the soil slope. Later, in January 1997, during a period of heavy rainfall, a new landslide near the slope toe provoked the failure of the existing retaining wall and triggered a series of successive slides that reached the protected area were the oil pipeline was buried. In order to better understand the mechanics involved in this process, numerical analyses were carried out using the computational programs Slope/W, Sigma/W and Plaxis v.8. The soil behavior was simulated considering the hard soil model, whose constitutive parameters were estimated from triaxial tests. The influence of soil movements on the OSPAR oil pipeline were investigated through a 3D finite element analysis, with emphasis on stress and strain distributions in order to check the pile line structural integrity.

Deslizamentos em solos tropicais são frequentemente resultados do avanço de uma frente de umedecimento devido às águas das chuvas. O avanço desta frente de umedecimento provoca elevação da poro-pressão de água ou redução da sucção, e consequentemente, perda de resistência do solo. Este trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a resistência ao cisalhamento dos solos não saturados, abrangendo uma fase experimental envolvendo ensaios de caracterização, resistência e obtenção das propriedades hidráulicas dos solos e um estudo numérico, com o objetivo de verificar o comportamento da poro-pressão no interior de um talude e a influência na sua estabilidade. Os ensaios de resistência foram realizados no aparato de cisalhamento direto, para a condição inundada, e no aparato de compressão simples com medida direta de sucção, por meio do tensiômetro de alta capacidade (TAC), para a condição não saturada. O equipamento TRIFLEX 2 foi utilizado para se determinar os coeficientes de permeabilidade na condição saturada, e as curvas de retenção foram obtidas utilizando-se a placa de sucção, o TAC e o método do papel filtro. A partir dos resultados obtidos na fase experimental, avaliou-se a influência das características das precipitações (duração e intensidade), condições inicias de sucção no talude e das propriedades hidráulicas dos solos na variação da poro-pressão de água, no interior do talude, ao longo do tempo. Paralelamente à variação da poro-pressão de água, foi obtida a variação do fator de segurança durante e após a precipitação. / Landslides in tropical soils are often the result of advance of the wetting due to rainfall. This advance results from an increase in pore water pressure, reduction in present soil matric suction, reduction in the shear strength of the soil. This work will present a study related to the shear strength of unsaturated soils, including an experimental study, involving characterization, shear strength tests and obtaining hydraulic characteristics of the soils. There is also a numeric study with the aim to analyze the pore water pressure behavior in slopes and its influence in the slope stability. The shear strength tests were carried out in the direct shear test device, for the flooded condition, and concerning the unconfined compression with direct measured matric suction using a high capacity tensiometer (HCT) placed at the base of the sample, for the unsaturated condition. The permeability tests were carried out with TRIFLEX 2 device, and the retention curves were determined using suction plate, HCT and filtered paper. The experimental data permitted the evaluation of the influence of the characteristics of the rainfall (duration and intensity), initial conditions of the slope and of the hydraulic characteristics of the soils in the pore-pressure change of water in the slope, during the test time. In parallel to the pore pressure change of water, the variations of the safety factors during and after the rainfall were obtained.

Taludes formados por solos na condição não saturada são muito comuns no Brasil. Nestes casos a poro-pressão de água contribui para a estabilidade desses taludes. Este trabalho pretende avaliar o efeito do tipo de revestimento superficial na alteração do perfil de poro-pressão de água provocado por fluxos gerados a partir de precipitações, evaporação e evapo-transpiração, e conseqüentemente na estabilidade de talude experimental. São apresentadas aqui as características geológico-geotécnica, geomorfológica, climática e pluviométrica de campo experimental implantado na zona leste de São Paulo/SP, onde foram instalados e monitorados tensiômetros, pluviômetro e medidor de nível dágua por um período oito meses. Resultados de ensaios de caracterização, resistência e obtenção das propriedades hidráulicas dos solos que compõem o maciço estudado são analisados, assim como ensaios realizados com a argamassa de revestimento do talude, ensaios para a análise do funcionamento dos tensímetros e tubos tensiométricos utilizados no monitoramento, e outros ensaios realizados in situ. O monitoramento realizado indicou coerência entre precipitações e variação da poropressão de água, e variação do nível dágua do terreno, em ambos os tipos de revestimento superficial, vegetação natural e argamassa, nos dois tipos de solo presentes no maciço. Análises de estabilidade do talude indicaram o efeito do tipo de revestimento superficial e das variações sazonais de poro-pressão de água no fator de segurança ao escorregamento do talude. / Slopes formed by unsaturated soils are very common in Brazil. In these cases porewater pressure contribute for the slope stability behavior. This work aims at evaluating the effects of types of superficial coating on the profile of pore-water pressure changes, due to flow generated by precipitation, evaporation and evapotranspiration, and consequently on the stability of a experimental slope. It is presented here the geological-geotechnical, geomorfological, climatic and pluvial characterizations of the experimental field located in the east zone of São Paulo/SP, where have been installed and monitored tensiometers, pluviometer and groundwater level measurer during eight months. Results of tests of characterization, shear strength, and for obtaining the hydraulic properties of the in situ soils are analyzed, as well as the tests carried out with de mortar applied over the slope, as well as the functionality tests for the tensimeters and tensiometric tubes used on the monitoring, as well as other in situ tests. Monitoring indicated coherence between precipitation and change in pore-water pressure profile, and groundwater level, in both types of superficial coatings, natural vegetation and mortar, and in both types of in situ soils. Stability analyzes indicated the effect of the type of superficial coating and of the variation of pore-water pressure profile, during the experiment, on the factor of safety of the experimental slope.

O presente trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre o cálculo dos fatores de segurança de taludes utilizando o campo de tensões obtido pelo método dos elementos finitos. São discutidas diferentes definições para o fator de segurança global do maciço. Considerações sobre a definição do fator de segurança, em termos de deslocamentos, também são traçadas. Foi desenvolvido um pós-processador gráfico, para a visualização dos resultados das análises por elementos finitos. Estudos de um talude estável e de um caso de ruptura foram realizados. Os fatores de segurança obtidos mostraram-se coerentes com os resultados dos métodos de equilíbrio limite convencionais. No caso do talude estável, a influência da deformabilidade relativa do maciço foi analisada. / The present work shows a study about computation of slope stability safety factors using stress fields generated by finite element method analysis. Differents definitions of the global safety factor are discussed. Considerations about the definition of the safety factor in terms of nodal displacements are addressed too. A graphical software for visualizing the results of finite element method analysis was developed for this study. Studys of a stable slope and a failure case are performed. Safety factors values were both consistent with results of conventional limit equilibrium methods. Influence of relative deformability is analyzed in the stable case.

Introduction. Les capacités et les possibilités de déplacement en fauteuil roulant manuel (FRM) sont déterminantes pour l'intégration sociale et professionnelle des usagers. Objectifs. Approfondir la connaissance des contraintes de déplacement en FRM à travers 2 études. La 1ère pour identifier les habitudes et préciser les difficultés des usagers ; la 2nde, induite par les résultats de la 1ère, pour évaluer les effets du dévers, encore méconnus, sur les astreintes cardiaques, énergétiques, musculaires et subjectives. Méthodes. La 1ère étude a été menée par questionnaire complété par 118 sujets paraplégiques en FRM. La 2nde étude, en laboratoire avec 25 hommes paraplégiques, comporte 2 tests : un test d?effort sur ergocycle à bras et un test de propulsion de 300 m et 8 conditions combinant 4 dévers (0, 2, 8 et 12 %) et 2 vitesses (0,97 m.s-1 et une vitesse choisie "de confort"). Résultats. La 1ère étude révèle un environnement peu adapté, avec des moyens de transport et des bâtiments souvent inaccessibles sans aide, et des gènes limitant les sorties des usagers parmi lesquelles figure le dévers. La 2nde étude indique des astreintes cardiaques, énergétiques et musculaires significativement modifiées par le dévers et par la vitesse (p < 0,01). L'astreinte subjective n'est pas modifiée par la vitesse. Des différences entre 0 et 2 % sont faibles mais existent. Un dévers de 12 % est difficilement réalisable. Les équilibres des activités musculaires changent dès 2 % de dévers. Le niveau lésionnel modifie de façon très importante les stratégies de déplacements et les niveaux d'astreintes mesurées ou perçues. Discussion-Conclusion. Les effets du dévers sont perceptibles dès 2 % et sont nets et délétères à 8 %. Ce travail permet de proposer de façon plus argumentée un modèle d'astreintes qui conforte le seuil de dévers fixé réglementairement à 2 % permettant à la grande majorité des usagers de FRM de se déplacer de façon autonome et de rester actifs / Introduction. Displacement capacities and possibilities in manual wheelchair (MWC) are strong determinants of social and occupational integration of MWC users. Objectives. Improve the knowledge of the strains involved by displacement in MWC through 2 studies; the first one to identify habits and difficulties of MWC users. The second one, induced by the results of the first one, has assessed the poorly known cardiac, energetic, muscular and subjective strains of the displacement of MWC users on a cross slope. Methods. The first study was a survey answered by 118 paraplegics habitual MWC users. The second one, a laboratory study conducted with 25 paraplegic men, includes 2 tests: a sub maximal arm-cranking test and a 300 m propulsion test with 8 conditions combining 4 cross slopes (0, 2, 8 et 12%) and 2 velocities (0,97 m.s-1 and a "comfortable" chosen one). Results. The first study shows an adverse environment, with many places unreachable without help and disturbances, like cross slope, which hinders users' displacements. The second study demonstrates the increases of cardiac, energetic, muscular and subjective strains with cross slope. Differencies between 0 and 2% cross slopes are low but quantified. Displacement on a 12% cross slope is very difficult. The balance of muscles activities is changing at 2% cross slope. The injury level makes deep changes in the displacements strategies and in as well perceived as measured strain levels. Discussion-Conclusion. Effects of cross slope are perceived for as low as 2% and onwards values. They are high and deleterious at 8%. This work allows to construct a model of cross slope strains which confirms that the regulatory 2% cross slope limit is well chosen because it allows most MWC users to move without help and remain active

Euthanasia has been subject of controversy since antiquity, but 3000 years later it still seems to be highly debated among contemporary ethicists and philosophers. The main purpose of this essay is to investigate under which circumstances euthanasia could be morally permissible, by highlighting and discussing the most debated objections against it. The first objection brings up the problem of how we can be sure that a wish to die is confident and final. This objection is followed by a discussion about the risks of administering euthanasia incorrectly. The second objection concerns whether voluntary euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide really is necessary. Here, the main question is whether people about to die would be harmed rather than helped if they had euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide available as an alternative. The third section discusses the doctrine of double effect. Here, the main purpose is to investigate where DDE stands in relation to cases of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide. Furthermore, the final two objections concern the parallel between killing and letting die, and second of all the slippery-slope argument in connection with euthanasia. The essay concludes with a discussion about the ways in which practicing euthanasia can be harmful, as well as a more detailed debate about the sustainability of the objections mentioned above.