Previous studies on complex chemical systems, approximating enriched ultramafic compositions, have shown that the stability fields of certain phyllosilicate minerals may be shifted through solid solution. This project focuses on three hydrous phases predicted to play an important role in water transfer and storage during subduction. Talc, and at higher pressures the 10 A phase, are expected form in enriched abyssal peridotite within the cold interior of a lithospheric slab, whilst the sodic amphibole eckermannite is expected to be present in the overlying hydrated basalt. Multi-anvil and piston cylinder press experiments in the FeO-MgO-SiO2-H2O (FMSH), NaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (NMASH), and MgO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (MASH) systems have sought to determine the effect of solid solution on the stability on talc and the 10 A phase, with comparison to the end-member MgO-SiO2-H2O (MSH) system. The reaction talc + H2O = 10 A phase has been bracketed in the MSH system at 4.8 GPa/560 ˚C and 5 GPa/640 ˚C, confirming the estimated reaction position from Pawley et al. (2011). Previously unknown values for the entropy and enthalpy of formation of the 10 A phase have been calculated as DeltaHf = -6172.02 kJ and DeltaSf = 320.075 JK-1. At 2 GPa talc containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+ breaks down in the divariant field talc + anthophyllite + quartz + H2O from ~550 ˚C, initiating talc dehydration at temperatures ~270 ˚C lower than in the MSH system. At 4 GPa Fe-bearing talc breaks down in the divariant field talc + enstatite + coesite. A run at 5.2 GPa and 555 ˚C produced 10 A phase containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+. Between 575 ˚C and 600 ˚C at 6.5 GPa phase reversal experiments bracketed the initiation of Fe-bearing 10 A phase dehydration in the divariant field 10 A phase + enstatite + coesite + H2O, corresponding to a reduction in thermal stability of around ~100 ˚C compared to the end-member. The relative positions of the talc and 10 A phase dehydration reactions suggest the latter is able to accommodate greater Fe substitution, and is therefore more stable in the FMSH system. The assemblages 10 A phase + enstatite + coesite + jadeite and 10 A phase + enstatite + pyrope + coesite, were synthesised in the NMASH and MASH systems, respectively. Compositional analysis indicates that the 10 Å phase in these samples contains < 1 weight % Al2O3, with negligible Na. This suggests that Al3+ substitution in talc and the 10 Å phase is unlikely to exert the same stabilising effect observed in a number of other phyllosilicates. Eckermannite was produced in further NMASH experiments at 6.2 GPa. Compositional and structural analysis indicates near-full A-site occupancy and a composition close to that of the end-member, deviating through a minor binary exchange towards Mg-katophorite. This exchange is proposed to stabilise eckermannite to high pressures, beyond previously published limits for sodic amphibole stability. Updated stability fields for talc, the 10 Å phase, and eckermannite were applied to a thermal model for subduction. This predicts that 10 Å phase containing 0.48 apfu Fe2+ may be stable to depths of ~260 km, compared to ~280 km for the end-member. With increasing pressure and temperature Fe-bearing 10 Å phase will dehydrate across a depth range, resulting in either total de-volatilisation, or transfer to other stable high pressure hydrous phases enabling the transport of water to the deeper regions of the mantle.

The Highveld region of South Africa contributes substantially to the aerosol loading over southern Africa because of its importance as an industrial, mining and farming base. Aerosols affect climate by absorbing or reflecting incoming solar radiation, and by affecting cloud microphysics, cloud albedo and precipitation. The physical and optical properties of industrial/urban aerosols over the Highveld region of South Africa were analysed during a 32-day winter sampling period (21 May to 21 June) in 2002; a 32-day summer sampling period (21 October to 21 November) in 2002, and a second 32-day winter sampling period (19 May to 19 June) in 2003. Synoptic circulation systems were examined in as far as they affect the horizontal transport of aerosols over the Highveld region. Measurements of aerosol optical thickness (AOT) from the ground to the top of the atmosphere and aerosol size distribution characteristics over the Highveld region were taken using hand-held hazemeters and a CIMEL sun photometer. The AOT observed over the region during the winter 2002 and 2003 sampling periods and during the summer 2002 sampling period indicated high turbidity. In the 2002 winter sampling period, the AOT530nm ranged between 0.05 to 0.7 with an average of 0.14. In the 2002 summer sampling period, the AOT530nm ranged between 0.05 to 0.6, with an average of 0.24. In the 2003 winter sampling period, the AOT500nm ranged between 0.06 to 0.6, with an average of 0.21. The Ångström exponent value had a wide range, 0.8 to 2.4 in the 2002 winter and summer sampling periods and also in the 2003 winter sampling period, indicating that a range of particle sizes was present over the Highveld region. The Ångström exponent values obtained were derived from the influences of Aeolian dust, coarse-mode industrial particles and, to a small extent, fine-mode biomassburning aerosols. Case studies, based on trajectory analysis and meteorology of the sampling area, were made of the aerosols emanating from the township sites during each of the three sampling periods to observe the build-up and dispersion of aerosols at that time.

MSc., Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, 2011 / Atmospheric aerosols have direct and indirect impacts on the earth’s radiation budget and the radiative forcing on the climate system. A large uncertainty exists regarding aerosols and the effect they have on the earth’s radiation budget and global change. The distribution, concentration and types of aerosols are therefore of great importance regarding global warming and climate change. The purpose of this study is to present the atmospheric aerosol characteristics found over the South Atlantic, Southern Ocean and Antarctic continent as well as identify their origin. The aerosol optical properties over the South Atlantic and Southern Ocean region is analysed during the South African National Antarctic Expedition 2007/2008 (SANAE 47) take over cruise on board the M/V S.A. Agulhas. Very low aerosol optical thickness (AOT) values were obtained for the Antarctic Coastal region with a mean AOT500nm of 0.03 and a mean Angstrom exponent of 1.78. The South Atlantic region showed a mean AOT500nm of 0.06 and a mean Angstrom exponent of 0.72. AOT values for the South African coastal region had a mean AOT500nm of 0.07 and a mean Angstrom exponent of 0.76. Data comparisons confirm that the data acquired during the study are consistent with previous research from the study region. Comparisons were made between the dataset and the MODIS satellite aerosol product. A discrepancy was shown to exist between the MODIS aerosol product and the acquired dataset using the Microtops II Sunphotometer. Both MODIS TERRA and AQUA overestimate AOT at 550nm.

Submitted by MAURÍCIO BRUNO PRADO DA SILVA null (mauricio.prado19@hotmail.com) on 2016-04-14T21:18:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_Mauricio com ficha.pdf: 839383 bytes, checksum: d8cae8991d7bfed483f452706bf3cd66 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-04-18T17:08:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_mbp_me_bot.pdf: 839383 bytes, checksum: d8cae8991d7bfed483f452706bf3cd66 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-18T17:08:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 silva_mbp_me_bot.pdf: 839383 bytes, checksum: d8cae8991d7bfed483f452706bf3cd66 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-22 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / No presente trabalho é descrito o estudo comparativo de métodos de estimativas da irradiação solar global (HG) nas partições diária (HGd) e mensal (HGm): geradas pela técnica de Angstrom-Prescott (A-P) e duas técnicas de Aprendizado de Máquina (AM), Máquinas de Vetores de Suporte (MVS) e Redes Neurais Artificiais (RNA). A base de dados usada foi medida no período de 1996 a 2011, na Estação Solarimétrica em Botucatu. Por meio da regressão entre a transmissividade atmosférica (HG/HO) e razão de insolação (n/N), o modelo estatístico (A-P) foi determinado, obtendo equações lineares que permitem estimar HG com elevados coeficientes de determinação. As técnicas, MVS e RNA, foram treinadas na mesma arquitetura de A-P (modelo 1). As técnicas MVS e RNA foram treinadas ainda em mais 3 modelos com acréscimos, uma a uma, das variáveis temperatura do ar, precipitação e umidade relativa (modelos 2, 3 e 4). Os modelos foram validados usando uma base de dados de dois anos, denominadas de típico e atipico, por meio de correlações entre os valores estimados e medidos, indicativos estatísticos rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE e d de Willmott. Os indicativos estatísticos r das correlações mostraram que o modelo (A-P) pode estimar HG com elevados coeficientes de determinação nas duas condições de validação. Já indicativos estatísticos rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE e d de Willmott indicam que o modelo (A-P) pode ser utilizado na estimativa de HGd com exatidão e precisão. Os indicativos estatísticos obtidos pelos 4 modelos das técnicas MVSd e RNAd (diária) e MVSm e RNAm (mensal) podem ser utilizadas nas estimativas de HGd com elevadas correlações e com precisão e exatidão. Entre os modelos foram selecionadas por comparação entre os indicativo estatisticos as redes MVS4d e RNA4d (diária) e MVS1m e RNA1m (mensal). A comparação dos indicativos estatísticos rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE, d de Willmott, r e R2 obtidos na validação entre os modelos (A-P), MVS e RNA mostrou que: a técnica MVS apresentou melhor resultado que o modelo estatístico de (A-P); esta técnica apresentou melhor resultado que a RNA; o modelo estatístico (A-P), apresentou no geral melhor resultado que a RNA. / In this paper describes the comparative study of different methods for estimating global solar irradiation (HG) in the daily partitions (HGd) and monthly (HGm): generated by Angstrom-Prescott (AP) and two machine learning techniques (ML), Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). The used database was measured from 1996 to 2011, in Solarimetric station in Botucatu. Through regression between atmospheric transmissivity (HG / HO) and insolation ratio (n / N), the statistical model (A-P) was determined, obtaining linear equations that allow estimating HG with high coefficients of determination. The techniques, svm and ANN, were trained on the same architecture of A-P (model 1). The SVM and ANN techniques were further trained on the most models with 3 additions, one by one, the variable air temperature, rainfall and relative humidity (model 2, 3 and 4 ). The models were validated using a database of two years, called of typical and atypical, with correlation between estimated and measured values, statistical indications: rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE, and d Willmott. The statistical indicative of correlations coefficient (r) showed that the model (A-P) can be estimated with high HG determination coefficients in the two validation conditions. The rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE Willmott and d indicate that the model (A-P) can be used to estimate HGD with accuracy and precision. The statistical indicative obtained by the four models of technical SVMd and ANNd (daily) and SVMm and ANNm (monthly) can be used in the estimates of HGD with high correlations and with precision and accuracy. Among the models were selected by comparing the indicative statistical SVM4d and ANN4d networks (daily) and SVM1m and ANN1m (monthly). The comparison of statistical indicative rMBE, MBE, rRMSE, RMSE, d Willmott, r and R2 obtained in the validation of the models (A-P), SVM and ANN showed that: the SVM technique showed better results than the statistical model (A-P); this technique showed better results than the ANN; the statistical model (A-P) showed overall better result than ANN.

Submitted by Emanuel Varela Cardoso (emanuel.varela@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-17T17:30:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JOSÉ RICARDO FERREIRA OLIVEIRA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEM) 2017.pdf: 2648257 bytes, checksum: 5e08d81aaa5973d7c6fd8bac23c313cc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T17:30:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOSÉ RICARDO FERREIRA OLIVEIRA – DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEM) 2017.pdf: 2648257 bytes, checksum: 5e08d81aaa5973d7c6fd8bac23c313cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-30 / CNPq / A caracterização termofísica dos materiais utilizados na Engenharia é de grande importância para realização de projetos nas mais diversas áreas de conhecimento onde os fenômenos ligados aos processos de transferência de calor exercem um papel fundamental. A difusividade térmica é uma propriedade termofísica importantíssima na análise de problemas de difusão de energia térmica. Este trabalho teve como proposta a determinação desta propriedade utilizando um campo de temperatura periódico. Para isto, foi construído um dispositivo experimental com princípio de funcionamento no método de Angstrom, o qual faz uso de um fluxo de calor periódico de uma fonte controlada, gerando assim, um campo de temperatura periódico na amostra em teste. Termopares foram instalados nas amostras para captar os sinais de temperatura gerados pelo fluxo de calor periódico. A amplitude e a fase destes sinais foram obtidas por meio de um software de análise gráfica. O termopar mais próximo da fonte de calor foi adotado como referência, ao passo que a razão de amplitudes e a defasagem, entre os sinais térmicos registrados pelos demais termopares em relação ao registrado por àquele termopar , foram calculadas. Estes resultados foram utilizados em modelos matemáticos para determinar a difusividade térmica, que pode ser identificada ou atra vés da razão de amplitudes ou através da defasagem entre os perfis de temperatura. As amostras utilizadas neste trabalho foram de aço inox AISI 304, aço inox AISI 316 e de uma liga de memória de forma de níquel-titânio. Os valores de difusividade térmica identificados para estes materiais, quando foram comparados com valores disponíveis na literatura, obtiveram uma boa concordância, tendo em vista a faixa de incerteza apresentada. / Thermophysical characterization of materials used in engineering is very important for realization of projects in the most diverse areas of knowledge where the phenomena related to the process of heat transfer play an important role. Thermal diffusivity is a very important thermal property on the analysis of problems of diffusion of thermal energy. This work proposes the determination of this property using a periodic temperature field. For this, an experimental device was built with principle of operation in Angstrom’s method, which makes use of a periodic heat flow from a controlled source, thereby generating a periodic temperature field in the test sample. Thermocouples were installed on the samples for capture of signals generated by the periodic heat flow. Amplitude and phase of these signals were obtained by means of graphic analysis software. The thermocouple closest to the heat source was adopted as reference, and the ratio and phase lag, between the thermal signals registered by other thermocouples in relation to that registered by that thermocouple, were calculated. These results were utilized in mathematical models to determine the thermal diffusivity, whose identification can be performed either through the amplitude ratio or through the phase lag between the temperature profiles. Samples utilized in this work were stainless steel AISI 304, stainless steel AISI 316 and a shape memory alloy of nickel-titanium. Identified values of thermal diffusivity of these materials, when compared whit values available in literature obtained a good agreement, considering the range of uncertainty presented.

MSc. thesis deals with mobile digital assistant T-Mobile MDA II running Linux operating system. The first part presents device identification and parameters' specification of the MDA II. The second part focuses on selection of GNU distribution with Linux bootloader and Linux kernel support comparison. The subject of the last part is MDA II component code implementation and its merging into Linux kernel.

Aerosols are small, micrometer-sized particles, whose optical effects coupled with their impact on cloud properties is a source of large uncertainty in climate models. While their radiative forcing impact is largely of a cooling nature, there can be significant variations in the degree of their impact, depending on the size and the nature of the aerosols. The radiative and optical impact of aerosols are, first and foremost, dependent on their concentration or number density (an extensive parameter) and secondly on the size and nature of the aerosols (intensive, per particle, parameters). We employed passive (sunphotmetry) and active (backscatter lidar) measurements to retrieve extensive optical signals (aerosol optical depth or AOD and backscatter coefficient respectively) and semi-intensive optical signals (fine and coarse mode OD and fine and coarse mode backscatter coefficient respectively) and compared the optical coherency of these retrievals over a variety of aerosol and thin cloud events (pollution, dust, volcanic, smoke, thin cloud dominated). The retrievals were performed using an existing spectral deconvolution method applied to the sunphotometry data (SDA) and a new retrieval technique for the lidar based on a colour ratio thresholding technique. The validation of the lidar retrieval was accomplished by comparing the vertical integrations of the fine mode, coarse mode and total backscatter coefficients of the lidar with their sunphotometry analogues where lidar ratios (the intensive parameter required to transform backscatter coefficients into extinction coefficients) were (a) computed independently using the SDA retrievals for fine mode aerosols or prescribed for coarse mode aerosols and clouds or (b) computed by forcing the computed (fine, coarse and total) lidar ODs to be equal to their analog sunphotometry ODs. Comparisons between cases (a) and (b) as well as the semi-qualitative verification of the derived fine and coarse mode vertical profiles with the expected backscatter coefficient behavior of fine and coarse mode aerosols yielded satisfactory agreement (notably that the fine, coarse and total OD errors were <~ sunphotometry instrument errors). Comparisons between cases (a) and (b) also showed a degree of optical coherency between the fine mode lidar ratios.

La radiación solar que alcanza la superficie de la Tierra tras su paso por la atmósfera es medida y analizada por el hombre de muy diversas formas dada su importancia como fuente de energía para nuestro planeta. Los procesos físicos que se producen entre está y la atmósera en su interacción se han modelado para su comprensión y para ello es preciso el tratamiento espectral, pues su interacción con la atmósfera depende de la longitud de onda. A partir de la modelización espectral se han construido modelos integrados de toda la banda, o de banda ancha, que explican las transformaciones que sufre el conjunto de toda la energía del espectro solar. La banda ancha a su vez ha sido ampliamente medida y observada, y la variabilidad que ésta experimenta entre sus componentes global y difusa, han servido con la aplicación de dichos modelos para conocer a través de medidas radiométricas el estado de la atmósfera, la mayor o menor presencia de aerosoles, las condiciones de visibilidad o de nubosidad, entre otras. No obstante, determinadas bandas del espectro solar por su importancia para el hombre y para los seres vivos en general, especialmente algunas de la zona ultravioleta y la banda visible, o de Chappuis, centran la atención de los investigadores y son ampliamente medidas y analizadas. En las estaciones de medidas radiométricas es frecuente archivar datos de radiación instantánea, o irradiancia, de banda ancha, y junto con los de ésta, a menudo, los de bandas parciales del espectro solar. También se mide en muchas estaciones irradiancia espectral, aunque no de forma tan extendida como la irradiancia de banda, total o parcial. La medida espectral o incluso la que podríamos denominar monocromática de la radiación es más precisa y da más información de los procesos que ha experimentado la radiación, pues si interacción con cada componente atmosférico es diferente en función de la logitud de onda. No obstante, la irradiancia de toda la banda al atravesar la atmósfera, se ha / Serrano Jareño, MA. (2007). Estudio de irradiancia de bandas del espectro solar. Factores de banda para la caracterización de condiciones atmosféricas en Valencia [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/27595 / Palancia