Architectural curvilinear form has been on the scene since the time of the first building shelters. Curve is the most common form in nature. This phenomenon inspired human beings while they are building structures. Curvilinear form has developed over centuries, via structural enhancements and aesthetic tenets. A symbolic meaning is tailored to curvilinear structures such as use of domes in religious buildings. However, the difficulties in the construction process of these forms have been a challenge for people throughout the history. Today, introduction of computer aided design and manufacturing technologies into building industry encourages the use of curvilinear forms in architecture. This study intends to explore the relationship between structure and architectural curvilinear form. The curvilinear form will be examined basically according to its structural potentials through its geometrical configuration. A computer model of the roof of Channel Tunnel Railway Terminal at Waterloo is generated and with some geometrical modifications for the configuration of the roof, new schemes of structures are obtained. An analytical comparison of structural behavior and efficiency is made via the computer model of the roof and these modified configurations.

No description available.

While the extent of grasslands in Southern Ontario has been greatly reduced, urban and suburban areas provide numerous potential sites for their restoration. Grassland restoration in cities can provide ecological and cultural benefits, but soil conditions may be less than optimal for native species recovery. This thesis explores the use of soil amendments in order to address nutrient deficiency on old-field meadow restoration sites. Five treatments were tested, namely the addition of (1) nitrogenous fertilizer, (2) native legume species, (3) biochar, (4) a combination of the previous three, and (5) an unaltered control. Each treatment was replicated four times on two different test plots in Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada (Huron Natural Area and Springbank Farm), for a total of 40 subplots. The experimental plots were tilled in the fall of 2011, a randomly selected treatment was applied to each subplot, and then all were seeded with a mix of five native meadow species (2 grass, 2 forb, 1 sedge). Soil samples were taken from each subplot both before treatment application and also at the end of the growing season in 2012, and tested for nutrient levels (N, P, K), pH and organic matter. Species richness, as well as soil temperature and moisture, were regularly monitored over the growing season. In the fall of 2012, above-ground vegetation was harvested to assess accrued biomass. In order to detect differences in means, results were tested using one-way and repeated-measures ANOVAs, where appropriate. Pearson???s product-moment correlations were also employed to test for linear dependence between variables. There were no significant differences between treatments in terms of soil nutrients or pH at either site. At Huron Natural Area, post-treatment biochar-treated subplots had slightly higher levels of organic matter than controls (p=0.095). Values for species richness, above-ground biomass, soil temperature and soil moisture did not vary significantly between treatments. Species richness at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 N (r=0.42; p=0.07) and organic matter (r=0.52; p=0.02) levels, while at Springbank Farm it was negatively correlated with 2012 N levels (r=-0.67; p<0.001). Above-ground biomass at Huron Natural Area was positively correlated with 2011 and 2012 P levels (both r=0.52; p=0.02), while at Springbank Farm it was positively correlated with 2011 N, P, K and organic matter, and 2012 N, P and K (all r>0.44; p<0.05). At Huron Natural Area, above-ground biomass was negatively correlated with soil temperature (r=-0.64; p<0.0001) and positively correlated with soil moisture (r=0.38; p=0.1). This study uncovered a strong, but variable, relationship between N concentration and species richness in old-field meadows. Furthermore, productivity was tightly correlated with different soil nutrient concentrations at each study site. The results demonstrate the need for restoration approaches to address local soil conditions on order to be effective. To date, there have been very few studies on meadow restoration, particularly in North America. More, and longer-term, multivariate studies are needed in order to test the effectiveness of different techniques.

This thesis evaluates how municipal transit ridership in mid-sized cities is influenced by external factors. External factors are forces outside a municipality’s direct control but potentially affect the municipality in some way, in particular its transit ridership. The thesis also determines the appropriateness of municipal levels of response to each factor. Two mid-sized municipalities in Ontario, Canada – the City of Kingston and Region of Waterloo – were studied. The evaluation, first, identifies the trends or “current conditions” between the municipalities and five sets of external factors to determine influence on ridership. The factors are 1. Population Growth and Density; 2. Demographics (Seniors, Students and Immigrants); 3. Regional Location; 4. Federal/Provincial Impacts; and 5. Fuel Prices. Second, the municipality’s level of response was measured in three ways. Staff awareness of the factor and its influence was gauged using key informant interviews and municipal councillor surveys conducted by the researcher. Internal policy and guidance documents measured whether policies relating to each factor are appropriate. Finally, observations of implemented initiatives determined whether they appropriately deal with each factor. The study finds that more external factors act on Waterloo than Kingston. Therefore, Waterloo has strong incentives to prioritize – among many municipal responsibilities – its transit system and to focus on increasing ridership. The strongest incentives for Waterloo are population growth, the student demographic and federal/provincial impacts. Kingston has only one strong incentive: the senior demographic. The study also finds that Waterloo has appropriate levels of response to more of the external factors than does Kingston. Recommendations for Kingston and Waterloo are provided for improving their levels of response to each set of factors. The paper concludes that municipal size is an important driver, but internal levels of response are critical success factors. The data analysis matrix developed for this study can be used by other municipalities to help identify appropriateness of internal responses as they relate to the influence of external factors within their municipality.

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Christian Seminary, 1987. / Typescript. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [98]-100).

It was the purpose of this study (1) to throw light upon specific speech needs of pupils in one of the elementary schools in Stockton; (2) to throw light on the status of speech in a school population among which the factors of low I.Q. retarded academic progress, exceptionally limited economic background, and racial and national differences, and relatively small; (3) by extension, to indicate something more generally regarding the speech needs of such children of whom the pupils surveyed tended to be a representative group; (4) to find indication of the influence of the factor of chronological age upon articulatory accuracy; (5) to throw light upon the question of the extent to which maturation, rather than training, can be relied upon for the elimination of speech errors in children; (6) to find indication of the influence of the factor of sex upon articulatory accuracy; (7) to discover, among students manifesting inaccuracies, to what extent the inaccuracies tended to be manifested in a relatively large number of sounds, and to what extent they tended to be limited to relatively few sounds; (8) to find indications as to which sounds are most difficult, i.e., most frequently inaccurate, and which sounds are least difficult, i.e., least frequently inaccurate, among primary school children; and (9) to find indications as to the relative frequency of errors in the initial, medial, and final positions of words, respectively.

No description available.

Syfte: Motviktad enbenscykling är en ny träningsmetod som kan användas för att öka intensiteten. Tidigare studier har påvisat att det finns skillander mellan dominant och icke-dominant ben vid cykling med två ben. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka fysiologiska assymetrier vid motviktad enbenscykling. Metod: Åtta undersökningsdeltagare (ålder 24,1 ± 4,2 år, längd 177,0 ± 5,5 cm, vikt 74,6 ± 9,0 kg, vo2max 69,0 ± 6,4 ml/kg/min) deltog i studien. Undersökningsdeltagarna delades in slumpmässigt i två grupper (dominant eller icke-dominant). För att bestämma undersökningsdeltagarens dominanta ben användes Waterloo Footedness Questionnaire. Den dominanta gruppen utförde första intervallen vid testtillfälle två med sitt dominanta ben och den icke-dominanta gruppen med sitt icke-dominanta ben.Vid testtillfälle ett utfördes ett standardiserat nivåtest till utmattning på cykel. Testtillfälle två, som utfördes minst 48 timmar senare, bestod av fyra stycken tio minuters intervaller av motviktad enbenscykling, varannat ben. Testtillfälle två kördes blint. Resultat: Skillnader kunde observeras men dock inga signifikanta skillnader. Tendensen var att man uppmätte en högre effekt med dominant ben (dominant ben 168 ±18,9 W, icke-dominant ben 162 ±18,1W), men en högre kadens med icke-dominant ben (dominant ben 93 ± 12,7 rpm, icke-dominant ben 95 ± 10,3 rpm). Slutsats: Skillnader finns mellan dominant och icke-dominant ben vid motviktad enbenscykling, dock inga signifikanta skillnader. Vår slutsats är att inlärningseffekten påverkade resultatet i denna studie. För att motverka detta i framtida studier angående motviktad enbenscykling bör undersökningsdeltagarna genomgå en invänjningsperiod med träningsmetoden. / Purpose: Counterweighted single-leg cycling is a new training method that can be used to increase intensity. Studies have shown differences between dominant and non-dominant leg during normal cycling. The purpose of this study was to analyse physiological assymetries during counterweighted single-leg cycling. Method: Eight volunteers (age 24,1 ± 4,2 years, height 177,0 ± 5,5 cm , weight 74,6 ± 9,0 kg, vo2max 69,0 ± 6,4 ml/kg/min) participated in this study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups (dominant or non-dominant). Waterloo Footedness Questionnaire was used to decide participants dominant leg. The dominant group used their dominant leg in the first interval at the second test, and the non-dominant group used their non-dominant leg in the first interval. At the first test a standarized incremental cycling test was performed until exhaustion. The second test , &gt;48 hours later, consisted of four ten-minute intervals of counterweighted single-leg cycling, alternating legs.The second test was blinded. Results: Differences were observed, but no significant differences. Tendencies showed a higher power-output with the dominant leg (dominant leg 168 ±18,9 W, non-dominant leg 162 ±18,1W), but a higher cadence with the non-dominant leg (dominant leg 93 ± 12,7 rpm, non-dominant leg 95 ± 10,3 rpm). Conclusion: Differences exist between dominant and non-dominant leg in counterweighted single-legged cycling, but no significant differences. Our conclusion is that the learning effect affected the results in this study. To counteract this in future studies concerning counterweighted single-legged cycling the studies should include a learning period with the training method.

Accessibility to consistent subsurface hydrostratigraphic information is crucial for the development of robust groundwater flow and contaminant transport models. However, full three-dimensional understanding of the subsurface geology is often the missing link. Construction of watershed-scale hydrostratigraphic models continues to be limited by the quality and density of borehole data which often lack detailed geologic information. This can become a serious problem where rapid sediment facies changes and intricate sediment architecture occur. This research is motivated by the idea that if we can understand more about the distribution of sediments and structures of complex deposits, we learn more about depositional processes and how they affect the internal geometry of a deposit and the distribution of hydraulic properties. One approach is to study surficial excavations (e.g. sand and gravel pits) that often punctuate shallow aquifers. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a method of integrating high-resolution georeferenced stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from sand and gravel pits as a means to better document sedimentologic data and improve understanding of the depositional environments. The study area is located within the Waterloo Moraine, in southwestern Ontario, and is an unconsolidated shallow aquifer system with a complex internal architecture and sediment heterogeneity. The method involves the integration of high-resolution field data with borehole and geophysical information in a computer-based 3D environment. A total of fourteen virtual sedimentary sections were constructed by georegistering digital photographs within a framework of georeferenced positions collected using a reflectorless total station and GPS. Fourteen sediment facies have been described in the field. These include crudely stratified gravel beds, planar and cross-laminated sandy strata (ripple and dune scales), along with laminated and massive silty and clayey beds. Calculated hydraulic conductivities span over seven orders of magnitude. The analysis of a single excavation has shown contrasting sediment assemblages from one end of the pit to the other, highlighting the complexity of the Waterloo Moraine. The heterogeneous and deformed layers of gravel, sand, and mud may be the product of an ice-contact to ice-proximal environment, whereas the extensive sandy assemblages may reflect an intermediate subaqueous fan region. The results also suggest that the borehole database overestimates the amount of fine-grained material in the study area. Finally, this research demonstrates that it is possible to build in a timely manner a 3D virtual sedimentologic database. New emerging technologies will lead to increased resolution and accuracy, and will help streamline the process even further. The possibility of expanding the 3D geodatabase to other excavations across the region in a timely manner is likely to lead to improved hydrostratigraphic models and, by extension, to more efficient strategies in water resources planning, management and protection.

Accessibility to consistent subsurface hydrostratigraphic information is crucial for the development of robust groundwater flow and contaminant transport models. However, full three-dimensional understanding of the subsurface geology is often the missing link. Construction of watershed-scale hydrostratigraphic models continues to be limited by the quality and density of borehole data which often lack detailed geologic information. This can become a serious problem where rapid sediment facies changes and intricate sediment architecture occur. This research is motivated by the idea that if we can understand more about the distribution of sediments and structures of complex deposits, we learn more about depositional processes and how they affect the internal geometry of a deposit and the distribution of hydraulic properties. One approach is to study surficial excavations (e.g. sand and gravel pits) that often punctuate shallow aquifers. The purpose of this study is to develop and test a method of integrating high-resolution georeferenced stratigraphic and sedimentologic information from sand and gravel pits as a means to better document sedimentologic data and improve understanding of the depositional environments. The study area is located within the Waterloo Moraine, in southwestern Ontario, and is an unconsolidated shallow aquifer system with a complex internal architecture and sediment heterogeneity. The method involves the integration of high-resolution field data with borehole and geophysical information in a computer-based 3D environment. A total of fourteen virtual sedimentary sections were constructed by georegistering digital photographs within a framework of georeferenced positions collected using a reflectorless total station and GPS. Fourteen sediment facies have been described in the field. These include crudely stratified gravel beds, planar and cross-laminated sandy strata (ripple and dune scales), along with laminated and massive silty and clayey beds. Calculated hydraulic conductivities span over seven orders of magnitude. The analysis of a single excavation has shown contrasting sediment assemblages from one end of the pit to the other, highlighting the complexity of the Waterloo Moraine. The heterogeneous and deformed layers of gravel, sand, and mud may be the product of an ice-contact to ice-proximal environment, whereas the extensive sandy assemblages may reflect an intermediate subaqueous fan region. The results also suggest that the borehole database overestimates the amount of fine-grained material in the study area. Finally, this research demonstrates that it is possible to build in a timely manner a 3D virtual sedimentologic database. New emerging technologies will lead to increased resolution and accuracy, and will help streamline the process even further. The possibility of expanding the 3D geodatabase to other excavations across the region in a timely manner is likely to lead to improved hydrostratigraphic models and, by extension, to more efficient strategies in water resources planning, management and protection.