Water Wise education Centre. This centre focusses on the teaching of water wise living methods. It assist one to become aware of the little water resources we have available and ultimately teaches one how to live in a self sustaining manner. It focuses on a sensory experience of water and creates a space or 'shell' were interactive learning can take place. / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Architecture / unrestricted

What is the experience like for individuals residing in a community solely composed of gas stations and corner stores? How does the constant presence of these establishments, which primarily offer packaged and unhealthy food options, affect the health of the residents? Food deserts are typically defined as urban areas where it is challenging to access affordable and high-quality fresh food. According to the USDA, a food desert is an area where 100 households are located more than half a mile away from a supermarket. In 2010, approximately 19 million people lived in areas with limited supermarket access. While these statistics provide insight into the impact of food deserts, they fail to convey the personal experiences of those affected. In the wake of the pandemic, Washington DC ranks second in the country for food insecurity, with over 75% of food deserts located in Wards 7 and 8. This thesis explores the pressing need for healthier food options in urban environments and proposes the development of a farm-to-table community in Marshall Heights, a vibrant neighborhood in Washington DC's Ward 7. By incorporating livestock and public garden spaces, this community aims to provide its residents with access to fresh, nutritious food while fostering a deeper connection to the natural world. The design choices implemented in this community will enable individuals to witness the growth of their food and participate in its preparation, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles and sustainable practices within an urban setting. Through a multidisciplinary approach that considers the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of Marshall Heights, this thesis offers a blueprint for an alternative way of life that prioritizes health and well-being. / Master of Architecture / This thesis explores the pressing need for healthier food options in urban environments and proposes the development of a farm-to-table community in Marshall Heights, a vibrant neighborhood in Washington DC's Ward 7. By incorporating livestock and public garden spaces, this community aims to provide its residents with access to fresh, nutritious food while fostering a deeper connection to the natural world. The design choices implemented in this community will enable individuals to witness the growth of their food and participate in its preparation, thereby promoting healthier lifestyles and sustainable practices within an urban setting. Through a multidisciplinary approach that considers the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of Marshall Heights, this thesis offers a blueprint for an alternative way of life that prioritizes health and well-being.

When the pandemic hit, and grocery stores and other necessities started to shut down and create havoc amongst the general public, it became clear that having the ability to rely on a self-sufficient homestead might be the only way to survive and thrive. As a graduate student who has studied architecture and sustainability, this idea seems possible. As an average human with no prior architectural or homesteading knowledge, this idea is daunting. This thesis is asking, is there a systematic way to develop a tool to evaluate, and aid in the design of, a self-sustaining, off-grid homestead? Can this tool make homesteading and living a self-sufficient, off-grid lifestyle more attainable to any person who wishes to try it out? With these questions in mind, the Homestead Helper Handbook: A Guide to Help Start a Self-Sufficient, Off-Grid Homestead in New England from the Ground Up has been developed to offer a cohesive approach, detailing the components that could go into the makeup of the homestead. Suggestions regarding the site, livestock, crops, and built structures will be made based off of specific input values of the future homesteader, leaving the reader with a well-rounded, precise breakdown and understanding of what might go into the homestead, allowing it to successfully function off-grid and self-sufficiently. Thus, it makes the idea of living a self-sufficient and off-grid life in New England more attainable to any human who wishes to do so.

[pt] Os laboratórios analíticos de universidades e instituições de pesquisa privadas sem fins lucrativos estão expostos a um ambiente competitivo bem como à descontinuidade e contingenciamento de recursos financeiros oferecidos pelos órgãos de fomento. Objetivando a auto-sustentabilidade operacional, esses laboratórios estão buscando fontes de recursos próprios com a oferta crescente de prestação de serviços especializados a diferentes setores industriais. Contudo, as atividades de prestação de serviço são distintas quando comparadas às atividades de P&D&I, pois as primeiras são caracterizadas pela necessidade imediata ou de curto prazo e as últimas são caracterizadas pelo longo prazo. Neste contexto, torna-se necessário avaliar o trade-off entre ambientes competitivos e cooperativos (serviços e pesquisa) e estabelecer estratégias competitivas sustentáveis, além de práticas e técnicas de gestão que garantam a eficiência operacional sem prejuízo da qualidade e do nível de atendimento do laboratório analisado. O objetivo geral deste trabalho é, portando, analisar o desempenho do LabDRX da PUC-Rio em um cenário auto-sustentável através de um modelo de simulação de eventos discretos. Conclui-se que em tal cenário o desempenho do Laboratório atende a política de atendimento acordada com as categorias de clientes, desde que se faça a implementação conjunta de limitação dos pedidos de urgência na disciplina de fila do sistema e do aumento de capacidade com uma proposta de inovação em processo, o Distance Rietveld. A metodologia apresentada neste trabalho pode ser adaptada para outros laboratórios semelhantes que procurem sustentabilidade operacional através de prestação de serviços tecnológico para indústria. / [en] Private non-profit universities and research institutes have their analytical laboratories exposed to a competitive environment, as well as to discontinuity and limitation of financial resources offered by funding agencies. Aiming to operational self-sustainability, these laboratories are searching complementary resources by increasing the offer of specialized services to different industrial sectors. However, service activities are distinct from R&D&I activities, because the former are characterized by immediate or short-term need and the latter, by long-term need. In this context, it becomes necessary to evaluate the trade-off between competitive and cooperative environments (services and research), and to establish sustainable competitive strategies, as well as management practices and techniques that assure operational efficiency without quality losses or decrease in the service level. The objective of this work is, therefore, to analyze the performance of LabDRX at PUC-Rio in a self-sustainable scenario through discrete-event simulation. It was found that, in the self- sustainable scenario considered, the performance of the Laboratory satisfies the contracting policy agreed with the customer categories, as long as one makes simultaneous implementation of a limited urgent queue discipline and a capacity increase through an innovation proposal: Distance Rietveld. The methodology presented in this work can be adapted for many other similar laboratories searching for operational sustainability by offering technological services to industry.

El desarrollo de la presente tesis tiene como objetivo disminuir el déficit de la infraestructura educativa primaria, mediante el desarrollo de módulos autosustentables en el distrito de Asunción de la provincia y departamento de Cajamarca; la cual forma parte de los sectores rurales del Perú con una altitud superior a los 2200 msnm de la sierra peruana del departamento de Cajamarca. En la tesis propuesta se plantea el desarrollo de módulos educativos que se adapten a los requerimientos y a la geografía del lugar, adecuándose a las condiciones climáticas y a la difícil accesibilidad. Este proyecto está destinado a beneficiar a la población del Distrito de Asunción, dotándola de infraestructura educativa cuya principal característica será la de ofrecer espacios adecuados para el desarrollo de las actividades propias de su función mediante módulos de fácil instalación. Estos módulos tendrán una vida útil de 10 años aproximadamente y estarán equipados para aprovechar los recursos naturales de la zona (captación de agua pluvial y también energía solar) de tal manera que sean edificaciones amigables con el entorno; aprovechando e integrándose al medio ambiente. / The objective of this thesis is to reduce the deficit of the primary educational infrastructure, through the development of self-sustaining modules in the Asunción district of the province and department of Cajamarca; which is part of the rural sectors of Peru with an altitude higher than 2200 meters above sea level in the Peruvian highlands of the department of Cajamarca. The thesis proposes the development of educational modules that adapt to the requirements and geography of the place, adapting to climatic conditions and difficult accessibility. This project is intended to benefit the population of the Asunción District, providing with educational infrastructure whose main characteristic will be to offer adequate spaces for the development of the activities of its function through easy-to-install modules. These modules will have a useful life of approximately 10 years and will be equipped to take advantage of the natural resources of the area (rainwater collection and solar energy) so that they are buildings that are friendly to the environment; taking advantage and integrating into the environment. / Tesis

Wall-bounded turbulent flows such as plane Couette flow, channel, pipe flows and boundary layer flows are fundamental problem of interest that we often meet in many scientific and engineering situations. The goal of the present thesis is to investigate the origin of large-scale streaky motions observed in the wall-bounded turbulent flows. Under a hypothesis that the large-scale streaky motions sustain with a process similar to the well-known near-wall self-sustaining cycle, the present thesis have pursued on four separate subjects: (i) non-modal amplification of streaks, (ii) the secondary instability of the finite amplitude streaks, (iii) existence of a self-sustaining process at large scale and (iv) turbulent skin friction reduction by forcing streaks. First, using a linear model with turbulent mean flow and the related eddy viscosity, it is shown that the streaks are largely amplified by harmonic and stochastic forcing. The largely amplified streaks undergo the secondary instability and it has been associated with the formation of the large-scale motions (bulge). The existence of a self-sustaining process involving the amplification and instability of streaks at large scale is proved by quenching the smaller-scale energy carrying eddies in the near-wall and logarithmic regions. Finally, it is shown that artificially forcing of large-scale streaks reduce the turbulent skin friction up to 10\% by attenuating the near-wall streamwise vortices.

No description available.

Das Enzym Tryptophan Synthase ist ein ausgezeichnetes Beispiel einer molekularen Fabrik auf der Nanoskala mit zwei katalytischen Zentren. Der katalytische Zyklus des Moleküls beruht zudem auf zahlreichen allosterischen Wechselwirkungen sowie der Übertragung des Intermediats Indol durch einen intramolekularen Tunnel. In dieser Arbeit wird das erste kinetische Modell eines einzelnen Tryptophan Synthase Moleküls konstruiert und analysiert. Simulationen zeigen starke Korrelationen zwischen den Zuständen der Katalysezentren sowie die Ausbildung von Synchronisation. Mit stochastischer Thermodynamik wird die experimentell unzugängliche Reaktionskonstante für die Rückübertragung des Indols aus Messdaten rekonstuiert. Methoden, die den Informationsaustausch in bipartiten Markovnetzwerken charakterisieren, werden auf beliebige Markovnetzwerke verallgemeinert und auf das Modell angewendet. Der abschließende Teil befasst sich mit chemischen Reaktionsnetzwerken von Metaboliten und Enzymen. Es werden algebraische Modelle (Halbgruppen) konstruiert, welche aufeinanderfolgende und simultane katalytische Funktionen von Enzymen und von Unternetzwerken erfassen. Diese Funktionen werden genutzt, um eine natürliche Dynamikum sowie hinreichende und notwendige Bedingungen für seine Selbsterhaltung zu formulieren. Anschließend werden die algebraischen Modelle dazu genutzt, um eine Korrespondenz zwischen Halbgruppenkongruenzen und Skalenübergängen auf den Reaktionsnetzwerken herzustellen. Insbesondere wird eine Art von Kongruenzen erörtert, welche dem Ausspuren der globalen Struktur des Netzwerkes unter vollständiger Beibehaltung seiner lokalen Komponenten entspicht. Während klassische Techniken eine bestimmte lokale Komponente fixieren und sämtliche Informationen über ihre Umgebung ausspuren, sind bei dem algebraischen Verfahren alle lokalen Komponenten zugleich sichtbar und eine Verknüpfung von Funktionen aus verschiedenen Komponenten ist problemlos möglich. / The channeling enzyme tryptophan synthase provides a paradigmatic example of a chemical nanomachine with two distinct catalytic subunits. It catalyzes the biosynthesis of tryptophan, whereby the catalytic activity in a subunit is enhanced or inhibited depending on the state of the other subunit, gates control the accessibility of the reactive sites and the intermediate product indole is directly channeled within the protein. The first single-molecule kinetic model of the enzyme is constructed. Simulations reveal strong correlations in the states of the active centers and the emergent synchronization. Thermodynamic data is used to calculate the rate constant for the reverse indole channeling. Using the fully reversible single-molecule model, the stochastic thermodynamics of the enzyme is closely examined. The current methods describing information exchange in bipartite systems are extended to arbitrary Markov networks and applied to the kinetic model. They allow the characterization of the information exchange between the subunits resulting from allosteric cross-regulations and channeling. The final part of this work is focused on chemical reaction networks of metabolites and enzymes. Algebraic semigroup models are constructed based on a formalism that emphasizes the catalytic function of reactants within the network. A correspondence between coarse-graining procedures and semigroup congruences respecting the functional structure is established. A family of congruences that leads to a rather unusual coarse-graining is analyzed: The network is covered with local patches in a way that the local information on the network is fully retained, but the environment of each patch is not resolved. Whereas classical coarse-graining procedures would fix a particular patch and delete information about the environment, the algebraic approach keeps the structure of all local patches and allows the interaction of functions within distinct patches.

Zur Verminderung der Kosten und zur Erhöhung der Zuverlässigkeit ist es zukünftig erforderlich, den Verkabelungsaufwand bei Sensoren im Kraftfahrzeug zu senken. Ein Ansatz ist der so genannte autarke Sensor, der seine Hilfsenergie drahtlos aus dem Umfeld gewinnt und seine gewonnen Messdaten ebenfalls drahtlos an einen Kommunikationspunkt überträgt. In der vorliegenden Dissertation wurde die autarke Energiegewinnung für Sensoren anhand mechanisch / elektrischer Energiewandlersysteme untersucht, die eine von Kabelverbindungen unabhängige Energieversorgung des Sensors ermöglichen sollen. Für ein System, welches aus einem translatorischen Schwinger mit magnetischer Federung und einer Anordnung von Induktionsspulen ohne Eisenkreis besteht, wurden theoretische und praktische Untersuchungen durchgeführt. Ausgehend von der, die Bewegung des Systems beschreibenden Differentialgleichung wurden die Einflüsse verschiedener Federungs- und Dämpfungskräfte untersucht. Daraus wurde eine effektive Schwingungsgleichung abgeleitet und hinsichtlich der Amplitude und der Phase gelöst. Die umgesetzte elektrische Leistung des Wandlers wurde aus dem Realteil des Stromflusses abgeleitet. Mit einem realen Fahrzeug wurden Testfahrten durchgeführt, um verschiedene signifikante Fahrbahndaten zu erhalten. Mit diesen Prozessparametern erfolgten später Messungen im Labor. Dafür wurde ein Schwingprüfstand aufgebaut und mehrere Funktionsmuster von Energiewandlersystemen untersucht. / In the future a decrease in sensor cabling inside vehicles becomes of greater importance to reduce cost and increase reliability. One approach is the so called autarkic sensor that generates energy wireless from the sensor's environment and transmits the derived measuring data also wireless to a communication node. Purpose of this dissertation is to discuss the autarkic energy recovery sensors based on a mechanical to electrical conversion which should allow a cable less energy supply. Theoretical and practical tests where made for a system which consists out of a translatory vibration with magnetic suspension and coreless coils. Starting from the differential equations describing the movement of the system, the influence of different ways of suspension and damping forces where investigated. As a result, the actual equation of oscillation was derived and solved with respect to amplitude and phase. The gained electrical power was derived from the real part of the current. Multiple test runs inside a car where performed to obtain some realistic measurement values. Based on those measurements, a test stand was set up inside the laboratory which should simulate normal road conditions. Using this test stand, multiple functional models of energy converting systems were investigated.

Un jet heurtant une plaque fendue peut générer, dans certaines configurations, des nuisances sonores. En effet, l’interaction de l’écoulement et de l’obstacle au niveau de la fente, sous certaines conditions, donne naissance à une perturbation remontant l’écoulement et pouvant contrôler son détachement à sa naissance. La perturbation produite par cette boucle de rétroaction optimise le transfert d’énergie du champ aérodynamique du jet vers le champ acoustique rayonné. Afin d’appréhender la dynamique tourbillonnaire, d’analyser les couplages entre cette dernière et les émissions sonores générées et de mieux comprendre les phénomènes responsables de ces nuisances, un dispositif expérimental basé sur de la métrologie laser a été réalisé. Ce système permet, d’une part, la génération de l’écoulement et la maitrise de ses paramètres (confinement, vitesse, forme,…) et d’autre part, la réalisation de plans lasers et de mesures par imagerie de particules (PIV). Ainsi le travail présenté dans ce manuscrit concerne les couplages qui existent entre la dynamique de l’écoulement heurtant une plaque fendue et les champs acoustiques générés. Les mesures de champs cinématiques d’un jet plan heurtant une plaque fendue par Vélocimétrie par Images de Particules (PIV) sont réalisées simultanément avec des mesures de champs acoustiques. Après avoir caractérisé les écoulements étudiés, on présente par des graphes spatio-temporels, les corrélations entre les signaux acoustiques et les vitesses de l’écoulement depuis la sortie du jet jusqu’à son arrivée à la plaque fendue. Ces corrélations sont calculées de deux manières : à partir de signaux bruts dans un premier temps, puis, dans un second temps, avec une méthode de pré-blanchiment (terme anglo-saxon : ‘’pre-whitening’’). Cette méthode vise à mettre en exergue l’existence d’une instabilité globale du jet qui existe dans les signaux analysés. Cette instabilité est importante pour la boucle de rétroaction des sons auto-entretenus, mais quasiment masquée devant les phénomènes principaux dominants (tourbillons primaires) dans le calcul des inter-corrélations. / Self-sustaining sounds related to aero-acoustic coupling occurs in impinging jets when a feedback loop is present between the jet exit and a slotted plate: the downstream-convected coherent structures and upstream-propagating pressure waves generated by the impingement of the coherent structures on the plate are phase locked at the nozzle exit. The upstream-propagating waves excite the thin shear layer near the nozzle lip and result in periodic coherent structures. The period is determined by the convection speed of the coherent structures and the distance between the nozzle and the plate. Simultaneous measurements of the velocity fields and the acoustic waves in a plane jet impinging a slotted plate were performed using time-resolved particle image velocimetry (PIV) and a microphone. A better understanding of the flow physics and the aero-acoustic coupling are obtained thanks to spatio-temporal cross-correlations between the transverse velocity and the acoustic signals. Cross-correlations are calculated using two different methods: classical analysis of the original signals and by developing a pre-whitening technique. The latter method is useful for analyzing small random signals superimposed on a high amplitude pure tone.