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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
61

Thermal signature reduction through liquid nitrogen and water injection

Guarnieri, Jason Antonio 17 February 2005 (has links)
The protection of aircraft against shoulder fired heat seeking missiles is of growing concern in the aviation community. This thesis presents a simple method for shielding the infrared signature of a jet engine from heat seeking missiles. The research efforts investigated two approaches to shield the thermal signature of the Noel Penny Type 401 turbojet at the Texas A&M University Propulsion Lab Test Cell. First, liquid nitrogen was injected through a manifold at a flow rate equivalent to the flow rate of exhaust gases, producing a small temperature reduction in the exhaust but no infrared shielding. Second, water was injected at a flow rate of 13% of the flow of exhaust gases, producing a greater temperature reduction and some shielding. Water was then injected through a manifold at a flow rate of 118% of the flow rate of exhaust gases, producing a substantial reduction in temperature and complete shielding of the infrared signature. Additionally, numerical simulations were performed using FLUENT to support these experiments. Results are presented in the form of thermocouple data and thermal images from the experiments, and in the form of temperature contours and streamtraces from the simulations.
62

Connectivity and runoff dynamics in heterogeneous drainage basins

Phillips, Ross Wilson 16 March 2011
A drainage basins runoff response can be determined by the connectivity of generated runoff to the stream network and the connectivity of the downstream stream network. The connectivity of a drainage basin modulates its ability to produce streamflow and respond to precipitation events and is a function of the complex and variable storage capacities along the drainage network. An improved means to measure and account for the dynamics of hydrological connectivity at the basin scale is needed to improve prediction of basin scale streamflow. The overall goal of this thesis is to improve the understanding of hydrological connectivity at the basin scale by measuring hydrological connectivity at the Baker Creek Research Basin during 2009. To this end, the objectives are to 1) investigate the dynamics of hydrological connectivity during a typical water year, 2) define the relationship between the contributing stream network and contributing area, 3) investigate how hydrological connectivity influences streamflow, and 4) define how hydrological connectivity influences runoff response to rainfall events. At a 150 km2 subarctic Precambrian Shield catchment where the poorly-drained heterogeneous mosaic of lakes, exposed bedrock, and soil filled areas creates variable contributing areas, hydrological connectivity was measured between April and September 2009 in 10 sub-basins with a particular focus on three representative sub-basins. The three sub-basins, although of similar relative size, vary considerably in the dominant typology and topology of their constituent elements. At a 10 m spatial resolution, saturated areas were mapped using both multispectral satellite imagery and in situ measurements of storage according to land cover. To measure basin scale hydrological connectivity, the drainage network was treated as a graph network with stream reaches being the edges that connect sub-catchment nodes. The overall hydrological connectivity of the stream network was described as the ratio of actively flowing relative to potentially flowing stream reaches, and the hydrological connectivity of the stream network to the outlet was described as the ratio of actively flowing stream reaches that were connected to the outlet relative to the potentially flowing stream reaches. Hydrological connectivity was highest during the spring freshet but the stream network began to disintegrate with its passing. In some drainage basins, large gate keepers were able to maintain connectivity of the stream network downstream during dry periods. The length of the longest stream was found to be proportional to contributing area raised to a power of 0.605, similar to that noted in Hacks Law and modified Hacks Law relationships. The length of the contributing stream network was also found to be proportional to contributing area raised to a power of 0.851. In general, higher daily average streamflows were noted for higher states of connectivity to the outlet although preliminary investigations allude to the existence of hysteresis in these relationships. Elevated levels of hydrological connectivity were also found to yield higher basin runoff ratios but the shape of the characteristic curve for each basin was heavily influenced by key traits of its land cover heterogeneity. The implications of these findings are that accurate prediction of streamflow and runoff response in a heterogeneous drainage basin with dynamic connectivity will require both an account of the presence or absence of connections but also a differentiation of connection type and an incorporation of aspects of local function that control the flow through connections themselves. The improved understanding of causal factors for the variable streamflow response to runoff generation in this environment will serve as a first step towards developing improved streamflow prediction methods in formerly glaciated landscapes, especially in small ungauged basins.
63

Individuation: A Heroic Journey through the Canadian Shield

Singh, Somya January 2008 (has links)
The thesis explores how elemental architecture in collaboration with the Shield can manifest a threshold condition in which a modern day hero myth can be enacted in the Canadian wilderness. Through the lens of Joseph Campbell, Tom Thomson and the archetypal structures of the Finns and Algonkians, a design proposal is derived for a Waterway Park in the Algonquin region that expands the mandate of the Ontario Parks System. In the realm of psychology, Carl Gustav Jung defines individuation as a universal quest that encourages facing and overcoming ones internal demons in order to live a more integrated existence. Located in Oxtongue River Ragged Falls Provincial Park, this proposed experimental pilgrimage retreat connects a series of primary and secondary paths to cabins, a sweat lodge and a chapel. This model illustrates a method of inhabiting a protected wilderness site that can be applied to existing and future Parks to inspire a condition of corporeal and spiritual rejuvenation in Ontario’s near North.
64

Individuation: A Heroic Journey through the Canadian Shield

Singh, Somya January 2008 (has links)
The thesis explores how elemental architecture in collaboration with the Shield can manifest a threshold condition in which a modern day hero myth can be enacted in the Canadian wilderness. Through the lens of Joseph Campbell, Tom Thomson and the archetypal structures of the Finns and Algonkians, a design proposal is derived for a Waterway Park in the Algonquin region that expands the mandate of the Ontario Parks System. In the realm of psychology, Carl Gustav Jung defines individuation as a universal quest that encourages facing and overcoming ones internal demons in order to live a more integrated existence. Located in Oxtongue River Ragged Falls Provincial Park, this proposed experimental pilgrimage retreat connects a series of primary and secondary paths to cabins, a sweat lodge and a chapel. This model illustrates a method of inhabiting a protected wilderness site that can be applied to existing and future Parks to inspire a condition of corporeal and spiritual rejuvenation in Ontario’s near North.
65

The Evolving Muskoka Vacation Experience 1860-1945

Shifflett, Geoffrey January 2012 (has links)
This dissertation examines the development of tourism in Muskoka in the Canadian Shield region from 1860 to 1945. Three key themes are examined: the tourists, the resorts and projected image of the area. When taken together, they provide insight into the origin and evolution of the meanings attached to tourist destinations in the Canadian Shield. The Muskoka Lakes region provides the venue in which continuity and change in each of these elements of the tourism landscape are explored. This dissertation uses previously underutilized primary source materials ranging from hotel ledgers, financial reports, personal correspondence, period brochures, guidebooks, and contemporary newspaper articles to reconstruct the Muskoka tourist experience over an extended period of time. The volume of literature pertaining to American tourism history significantly outweighs similar work conducted on Canadian destinations. This dissertation, therefore, begins with an overview of key works related to the historical development of tourism in the United States followed by a survey of corresponding Canadian literature. The lack of an analytical structure in many tourist historical works is identified as a methodological gap in the literature. A framework is developed to guide data acquisition. Utilizing this framework, the tourists, resorts and images that were projected of Muskoka are examined through five stages of development, from the opening of the region to tourists to the immediate postwar era. The findings from this analysis are used to build an understanding of the changes and continuities in the meanings, or essence, of the Canadian Shield tourist experience. While significant changes are observed in the nature of the tourists, the form and function of tourist lodgings, and the content of projected images, the meaning of the Canadian Shield tourist experience exhibits substantial continuity. From the beginning of tourist development, two opposing perspectives emerge: those of the insider and the outsider. Insiders were thought to be more unpretentious, cognizant of tradition, with a greater sense of belonging in the landscape than the outsiders who were perceived to be pretentious, conscious of societal norms, and a threat to the established traditions of the resort region. The meanings of the destination are informed by the dialogue and tensions between these two perspectives on what a Canadian Shield vacation experience should entail. These meanings, which reflect perceptions of a lifestyle that has been and is continuously under threat from outside forces, persists throughout the stages of tourism development in Muskoka and can be observed in the contemporary period.
66

Connectivity and runoff dynamics in heterogeneous drainage basins

Phillips, Ross Wilson 16 March 2011 (has links)
A drainage basins runoff response can be determined by the connectivity of generated runoff to the stream network and the connectivity of the downstream stream network. The connectivity of a drainage basin modulates its ability to produce streamflow and respond to precipitation events and is a function of the complex and variable storage capacities along the drainage network. An improved means to measure and account for the dynamics of hydrological connectivity at the basin scale is needed to improve prediction of basin scale streamflow. The overall goal of this thesis is to improve the understanding of hydrological connectivity at the basin scale by measuring hydrological connectivity at the Baker Creek Research Basin during 2009. To this end, the objectives are to 1) investigate the dynamics of hydrological connectivity during a typical water year, 2) define the relationship between the contributing stream network and contributing area, 3) investigate how hydrological connectivity influences streamflow, and 4) define how hydrological connectivity influences runoff response to rainfall events. At a 150 km2 subarctic Precambrian Shield catchment where the poorly-drained heterogeneous mosaic of lakes, exposed bedrock, and soil filled areas creates variable contributing areas, hydrological connectivity was measured between April and September 2009 in 10 sub-basins with a particular focus on three representative sub-basins. The three sub-basins, although of similar relative size, vary considerably in the dominant typology and topology of their constituent elements. At a 10 m spatial resolution, saturated areas were mapped using both multispectral satellite imagery and in situ measurements of storage according to land cover. To measure basin scale hydrological connectivity, the drainage network was treated as a graph network with stream reaches being the edges that connect sub-catchment nodes. The overall hydrological connectivity of the stream network was described as the ratio of actively flowing relative to potentially flowing stream reaches, and the hydrological connectivity of the stream network to the outlet was described as the ratio of actively flowing stream reaches that were connected to the outlet relative to the potentially flowing stream reaches. Hydrological connectivity was highest during the spring freshet but the stream network began to disintegrate with its passing. In some drainage basins, large gate keepers were able to maintain connectivity of the stream network downstream during dry periods. The length of the longest stream was found to be proportional to contributing area raised to a power of 0.605, similar to that noted in Hacks Law and modified Hacks Law relationships. The length of the contributing stream network was also found to be proportional to contributing area raised to a power of 0.851. In general, higher daily average streamflows were noted for higher states of connectivity to the outlet although preliminary investigations allude to the existence of hysteresis in these relationships. Elevated levels of hydrological connectivity were also found to yield higher basin runoff ratios but the shape of the characteristic curve for each basin was heavily influenced by key traits of its land cover heterogeneity. The implications of these findings are that accurate prediction of streamflow and runoff response in a heterogeneous drainage basin with dynamic connectivity will require both an account of the presence or absence of connections but also a differentiation of connection type and an incorporation of aspects of local function that control the flow through connections themselves. The improved understanding of causal factors for the variable streamflow response to runoff generation in this environment will serve as a first step towards developing improved streamflow prediction methods in formerly glaciated landscapes, especially in small ungauged basins.
67

Thermal signature reduction through liquid nitrogen and water injection

Guarnieri, Jason Antonio 17 February 2005 (has links)
The protection of aircraft against shoulder fired heat seeking missiles is of growing concern in the aviation community. This thesis presents a simple method for shielding the infrared signature of a jet engine from heat seeking missiles. The research efforts investigated two approaches to shield the thermal signature of the Noel Penny Type 401 turbojet at the Texas A&M University Propulsion Lab Test Cell. First, liquid nitrogen was injected through a manifold at a flow rate equivalent to the flow rate of exhaust gases, producing a small temperature reduction in the exhaust but no infrared shielding. Second, water was injected at a flow rate of 13% of the flow of exhaust gases, producing a greater temperature reduction and some shielding. Water was then injected through a manifold at a flow rate of 118% of the flow rate of exhaust gases, producing a substantial reduction in temperature and complete shielding of the infrared signature. Additionally, numerical simulations were performed using FLUENT to support these experiments. Results are presented in the form of thermocouple data and thermal images from the experiments, and in the form of temperature contours and streamtraces from the simulations.
68

Responses of zooplankton community structure and ecosystem function to the invasion of an invertebrate predator, Bythotrephes longimanus

Strecker, Angela Lee 20 July 2007 (has links)
Freshwater ecosystems face unprecedented levels of human-induced stresses and it is expected that the invasion of non-indigenous species will cause the greatest loss of biodiversity in lakes and rivers worldwide. Bythotrephes longimanus is a predatory invertebrate that invaded North America in the early 1980s, first being detected in the Great Lakes, and then moving to a number of inland lakes in Ontario and the northern United States. Using experimental and survey-based approaches, I tested several hypotheses concerning the effects of Bythotrephes on native zooplankton community structure and function. My results indicate that Bythotrephes reduces total abundance, biomass, and richness of zooplankton, especially cladoceran taxa, throughout the ice-free season. As a result of high predation pressure by the invader, total seasonal and epilimnetic zooplankton production was also substantially reduced in invaded lakes, which may have important consequences for the transfer of energy to fish and other taxa that feed on zooplankton. Interestingly, there was some evidence that zooplankton shifted their reproduction in time and space to avoid Bythotrephes, which may buffer the effects of the invader on food web functioning. Other measures of ecosystem function were relatively unaffected by the invasion of Bythotrephes. In addition, Bythotrephes may interact in unexpected ways with other anthropogenic stressors, and act to slow down the process of recovery by preying on species that maintain community abundance during acidification, but also affecting species attempting to recolonize historically acidified lakes. Although dispersal of zooplankton may maintain some of the ecosystem functions provided by zooplankton communities, loss of biodiversity may be a permanent result of invasion. The effects of the continued spread of invasive species across the landscape may be profound, as the invader Bythotrephes has demonstrably altered zooplankton communities and may reduce the ability of freshwater ecosystems to respond to future environmental change and maintain ecosystem functioning. / Thesis (Ph.D, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2007-07-19 14:56:57.102
69

THE EFFECT OF THE INVASIVE MACROINVERTEBRATE, BYTHOTREPHES LONGIMANUS, ON THE GROWTH OF CISCO (COREGONUS ARTEDII) IN ONTARIO SHIELD LAKES

James, LEAH 20 July 2010 (has links)
Bythotrephes longimanus is an invasive, macroinvertebrate from Eurasia that was introduced into the Great Lakes region in the mid 1980s. Bythotrephes introductions into lake ecosystems have resulted in substantial changes in zooplankton communities, including declines in species richness, abundance, biomass and production. Changes in zooplankton communities may alter the quantity and quality of prey to other predators such as cisco (Coregonus artedii), a pelagic forage fish. Here, I conduct a current day comparison of cisco populations to determine if prey consumption by cisco differs in the presence of Bythotrephes, and whether changes in diet result in energetic consequences (changes in growth and condition) for cisco. Effects of Bythotrephes on native zooplankton communities have resulted in substantial changes in the variety and proportion biomass of zooplankton and macroinvertebrate prey types in cisco stomachs, which have in turn modified growth of cisco. Cisco taken from invaded lakes achieve greater total lengths but changes in condition were not detected. This effect may be driven by improved growth in the second and subsequent growing seasons, suggesting that growth consequences for young fish (that do not feed on Bythotrephes) are different than for older individuals. Length-at-structure age data indicate that by the end of the first growing season (age 1) cisco achieve comparable total body lengths in invaded and reference lakes, suggesting that food consumption by young cisco remains unchanged by Bythotrephes. Alternatively, young cisco forage may be reduced in the presence of Bythotrephes, resulting in decreased survival and similar growth among individuals that survive to age 1. In contrast, despite changes in the zooplankton community; growth of older fish (≥ age 2) was enhanced in lakes that have Bythotrephes. Improved growth among older cisco (≥ age 2) in invaded lakes may be related to the presence of a newly attainable, high energy prey source (Bythotrephes). Alternatively, enhanced growth may be explained by lower competition due to reduced recruitment of young cisco (≤ age 1) in invaded lakes. Increased knowledge regarding the effects of Bythotrephes on growth of cisco is important in furthering our understanding of its impact on lake ecosystems. / Thesis (Master, Biology) -- Queen's University, 2010-04-28 22:46:07.756
70

Imaging Heterogeneous Objects Using Transport Theory and Newton's Method

Fredette, Nathaniel 2011 December 1900 (has links)
This thesis explores the inverse problem of optical tomography applied to two-dimensional heterogeneous domains. The neutral particle transport equation was used as the forward model to simulate how neutral particles stream through and interact within these heterogeneous domains. A constrained optimization technique that uses Newton's method served as the basis of the inverse problem. The capabilities and limitations of the presented method were explored through various two-dimensional domains. The major factors that influenced the ability of the optimization method to reconstruct the cross sections of these domains included the locations of the sources used to illuminate the domains, the number of separate experiments used in the reconstruction, the locations where measurements were collected, the optical thickness of the domain, the amount of signal noise and signal bias applied to the measurements, and the initial guess for the cross section distribution. All of these factors were explored for problems with and without scattering. Increasing the number of sources, measurements and experiments used in the reconstruction generally produced more successful reconstructions with less error. Using more sources, experiments and measurements also allowed for optically thicker domains to be reconstructed. The maximum optical thickness that could be reconstructed with this method was ten mean free paths for pure absorber domains and two mean free paths for domains with scattering. Applying signal noise and signal bias to the measured fluxes produced more error in the reconstructed image. Generally, Newton's method was more successful at reconstructing domains from an initial guess for the cross sections that was greater in magnitude than their true values than from an initial guess that was lower in magnitude.

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