Speciation can be viewed as the formation of reproductive barriers between different populations. This thesis investigates patterns of natural and sexual selection shaping reproductive barriers between two hybridizing flycatchers (i.e. collared – and pied flycatchers). Behaviorally driven sexual isolation depends on both the availability of conspecific mates and on discrimination ability of individuals. My results demonstrate that these two factors may also interact. Discrimination abilities may change in response to the relative frequency of two interbreeding species. The underlying reason appears to be that male pied flycatchers have a song that incorporates more elements of the song characteristics of male collared flycatchers into their own song repertoires when occurring in areas inhabited predominantly by collared flycatchers. I investigated selection pressures acting on hybrids. In migratory species, hybrid fitness might be reduced as a consequence of intermediate suboptimal migration routes (extrinsic post zygotic isolation). Comparison of stable isotope signatures of revealed that parental species have separate wintering grounds, but hybrids appear to winter at the same location as pied flycatchers. A possible dominance effect in the inheritance of migration direction may hence reduce this potential cost. This interpretation is supported by the absence of a reduction in juvenile to adult survival of hybrids. By further comparing male hybrid fitness to that of the parental species, using lifehistory data, I demonstrate that hybrid males experience a moderate reduction in fitness (mainly through a sexually selected disadvantage). Sexual selection acting on male hybrids can play a major role in the speciation process because when the same characters affect assortative mating as well as hybrid fitness, reinforcement of reproductive barriers becomes more likely. Even when reproductive isolation is completed- the fate of newly formed species may be uncertain since they may strongly compete for ecological space. Long-term persistence of ecologically similar, species requires that there are spatial or temporal variation in their relative fitness. The growth of nestling pied flycatchers is less affected by harsh environmental conditions. We suggest that a regional co-existence of the two flycatcher species is due to a lifehistory trade-off between interference competitive ability and robustness to a harsh conditions. Overall, the studies in this thesis reveal the complexity of the interactions between mate choice and competition in shaping sexual signals. Furthermore, it suggests that natural selection is moderate on hybrid males and that sexual selection may have strong implications for the maintenance of species integrity.

A single-stage high-power-factor electronic ballast is designed for fluorescent lamps with dimming capability. The circuit configuration is originated from the integration of the half-bridge resonant inverter and the buck-boost converter. The buck-boost converter is designed to operate in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) to provide nearly unit power factor at a fixed switching frequency. With asymmetrical pulse-width-modulation (APWM), the lamp power can be effectively regulated. The power switches of the inverter exhibit either zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) or zero-current-switching (ZCS) over the whole dimming range. Design equations are derived and computer analyses are performed based on a power-dependent lamp model and fundamental approximation. Design guidelines for determining circuit parameters are provided. A prototype circuit for a T8-36W fluorescent lamp is built and tested to verify the analytical predictions.

To minimize the size of the electronic ballast, a half-bridge load- resonant inverter with a cascading Rosen-type piezoelectric transformer (PT) is designed for cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs). The electrical characteristics of the PT are investigated to obtain a higher voltage gain by adapting the load impedance to the interposed network. The circuit parameters are selected under the considerations of (1) the minimum inductor size, (2) the higher circuit efficiency, (3) the rated current of the PT, and (4) the stable lamp operation. The electronic ballasts are designed for operating the lamp at the rated lamp power and with dimming control by asymmetrical pulse-width-modulation (APWM),respectively. Laboratory circuits are assembled and, experimental tests are carried out to validate the theoretical analyse

The main purpose of this research - to investigate the mechanical and working characteristics of single - phase induction motor with asimmtrical stator. The other purpose - to evaluate single phase motor use with frequensy transformer.

The objective of this thesis is to examine the nature of federal bargaining in post-Soviet Russia by comparing Moscow&rsquo / s negotiations with Russia&rsquo / s two oil-rich republics in the Middle Volga: Tatarstan and Bashkortostan. In particular, the thesis attempts to explain how Bashkortostan was able to gain autonomy from Moscow that is very close to the level of autonomy enjoyed by Tatarstan, despite the fact that Bashkortostan is clearly in a disadvantageous position when compared to Tatarstan and the Bashkorts form only the third largest ethnic group in the Republic after the Russians and the Tatars. The central hypothesis of this thesis is that sometimes the relatively disadvantageous party in federal bargaining might be given more autonomy not because of its bargaining power, but because of the general bargaining strategy of the federal center. Therefore this thesis is an attempt to understand how Moscow, fearing that Tatarstan might emerge as the hegemonic power in the Middle Volga, sought to strengthen the position of Bashkortostan against Tatarstan, and how the success of the Bashkort political elite to manipulate the weaknesses of Moscow in the post-Soviet arena provided Bashkortostan with more or less same degree of autonomy compared to that of Tatarstan&rsquo / s.

No description available.

No description available.

The aim of this project was to develop a passive optical compensating arrangement that would allow the formation and continued stability of interference patterns over a long timescale and also to investigate optical wave scattering in thick gratings at extreme angles of scattering. A novel passive arrangement based on a Sagnac interferometer is described that produces interference patterns more stable than those produced by a conventional arrangement. An analysis of the arrangement is presented that shows it to be an order of magnitude more stable than an equivalent conventional approach. The excellent fringe stability allowed holographic gratings with small periods (~ 0.5 μm) to be written in photorefractive lithium niobate with low intensity writing fields (~mW/cm2) produced by a He:Ne laser, despite long grating fabrication times (~ 1000 s). This was possible because the optical arrangement compensated for phase shifts introduced by translational and rotational mirror motion caused by environmental perturbations. It was shown that the rapid introduction of a phase shift in one of the writing fields can change the direction of energy flow in the two-wave mixing process. It was found that the improvement in stability of the modified Sagnac arrangement over a conventional interferometer decreased when the crossing angle was increased and that the point about which the mirrors are rotated greatly affects the stability of the arrangement. For a crossing angle of 12 degrees, the modified Sagnac arrangement is more than twice as stable when the mirrors are rotated about their midpoints, rather than their endpoints. Investigations into scattering in the extremely asymmetrical scattering (EAS) geometry were undertaken by scattering light from a 532nm Nd:YAG laser off gratings written in photorefractive barium titanate and lithium niobate. Despite the difficulties posed by background noise, there was very good agreement between the observed scattered field and that predicted by a previously established theoretical model. Thus, this work represents the first experimental observation of EAS in the optical part of the spectrum.

Este trabalho propõe uma avaliação quantitativa do efeito do desequilíbrio nos índices de operação do sistema de distribuição de energia elétrica. Os cenários apresentados contemplam os desequilíbrios existentes nos circuitos de média tensão e, também, os desequilíbrios na carga. Os desequilíbrios da rede consideram os efeitos da assimetria dos circuitos que provocam acoplamentos diferenciados entre os condutores. Para tanto, foram empregados dois sistemas, sendo um deles teórico e constituído por apenas um circuito e outro uma rede de distribuição padrão do IEEE. A primeira etapa da avaliação é realizada utilizando um modelo que reproduz um trecho fictício de linha de distribuição aérea trifásica com geometria e condutores típicos de redes de distribuição de energia de média tensão a cinco condutores, sendo um deles o condutor fictício de retorno pela terra. Os desequilíbrios de carga foram gerados aleatoriamente através do método de Monte Carlo, considerando variados índices de desequilíbrio. O desequilíbrio das correntes e as perdas do sistema foram determinados com o objetivo de quantificar o impacto das variações realizadas no trecho de linha. Para o sistema teste IEEE 34 Node Test Feeder, foram avaliados os erros decorrentes da consideração do acoplamento médio no cálculo das perdas de potência ativa e reativa, bem como os desequilíbrios de corrente, com o uso do software OpenDSS. Chega-se à conclusão de que o modelo que considera o acoplamento médio é capaz de determinar com muita fidelidade o desequilíbrio das correntes e das perdas para um circuito típico de distribuição em média tensão, não sendo necessária a representação exata das assimetrias dos condutores. / This Master Thesis proposes a quantitative evaluation of the effect of unbalance in the operational indexes of distribution networks. The scenarios comprehend the unbalance of medium voltage circuits and the unbalance in the load. The unbalances consider the effects of the asymmetry of circuits, that cause different couplings between the conductors. Therefore, two systems were implemented, one theoretical and the other a distribution network following the IEEE standard. The first stage of the evaluation is performed using a model that reproduces a fictitious section of a three-phase aerial distribution power line with five conductors considering earth return path, with geometry and typical conductors used in medium voltage energy distribution. The load unbalances were randomly produced using the Monte Carlo method, considering different unbalance rates. The current unbalance factor and the system losses were determined to quantify the impact of the variations in the line section. For the IEEE 34 Node Test Feeder system, the errors from considering the average coupling in the calculation of active and reactive power losses were evaluated, as well as the current unbalance factor. In conclusion, the model that considers the average coupling can successfully determine with a high degree of accuracy the imbalance of currents and the losses for a typical medium-voltage distribution circuit without the need of an exact representation of the asymmetries of the conductors.

Este trabalho propõe uma avaliação quantitativa do efeito do desequilíbrio nos índices de operação do sistema de distribuição de energia elétrica. Os cenários apresentados contemplam os desequilíbrios existentes nos circuitos de média tensão e, também, os desequilíbrios na carga. Os desequilíbrios da rede consideram os efeitos da assimetria dos circuitos que provocam acoplamentos diferenciados entre os condutores. Para tanto, foram empregados dois sistemas, sendo um deles teórico e constituído por apenas um circuito e outro uma rede de distribuição padrão do IEEE. A primeira etapa da avaliação é realizada utilizando um modelo que reproduz um trecho fictício de linha de distribuição aérea trifásica com geometria e condutores típicos de redes de distribuição de energia de média tensão a cinco condutores, sendo um deles o condutor fictício de retorno pela terra. Os desequilíbrios de carga foram gerados aleatoriamente através do método de Monte Carlo, considerando variados índices de desequilíbrio. O desequilíbrio das correntes e as perdas do sistema foram determinados com o objetivo de quantificar o impacto das variações realizadas no trecho de linha. Para o sistema teste IEEE 34 Node Test Feeder, foram avaliados os erros decorrentes da consideração do acoplamento médio no cálculo das perdas de potência ativa e reativa, bem como os desequilíbrios de corrente, com o uso do software OpenDSS. Chega-se à conclusão de que o modelo que considera o acoplamento médio é capaz de determinar com muita fidelidade o desequilíbrio das correntes e das perdas para um circuito típico de distribuição em média tensão, não sendo necessária a representação exata das assimetrias dos condutores. / This Master Thesis proposes a quantitative evaluation of the effect of unbalance in the operational indexes of distribution networks. The scenarios comprehend the unbalance of medium voltage circuits and the unbalance in the load. The unbalances consider the effects of the asymmetry of circuits, that cause different couplings between the conductors. Therefore, two systems were implemented, one theoretical and the other a distribution network following the IEEE standard. The first stage of the evaluation is performed using a model that reproduces a fictitious section of a three-phase aerial distribution power line with five conductors considering earth return path, with geometry and typical conductors used in medium voltage energy distribution. The load unbalances were randomly produced using the Monte Carlo method, considering different unbalance rates. The current unbalance factor and the system losses were determined to quantify the impact of the variations in the line section. For the IEEE 34 Node Test Feeder system, the errors from considering the average coupling in the calculation of active and reactive power losses were evaluated, as well as the current unbalance factor. In conclusion, the model that considers the average coupling can successfully determine with a high degree of accuracy the imbalance of currents and the losses for a typical medium-voltage distribution circuit without the need of an exact representation of the asymmetries of the conductors.