No description available.

No description available.

Clothing is the primary means that wilderness backpackers have to protect themselves from injuries and illnesses that can occur while hiking in the cold. The current method of layering clothing may not meet backpackers' needs for both thermal insulation and heat dissipation, particularly in areas of the body that produce greater sweat, and during times of high physical exertion. No previous studies have addressed backpackers' needs for thermal and moisture comfort in different body areas within a single layer garment. The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate a single-layer garment of different textiles, to improve the physiological comfort of male backpackers hiking in cold winter weather conditions. The objectives of this study were to identify the physiological comfort needs of male backpackers hiking in the cold, to design a prototype backpacking shirt to improve comfort, and to evaluate the comfort and performance of the prototype over time, in comparison to a control. Male backpackers were recruited from a wilderness therapy company in Bend, Oregon, where subjects' employment duties included regularly backpacking in the cold. Qualitative data was collected by interviewing the subjects about their physiological comfort needs, types of garments and materials worn, dissatisfactions and preferences with hiking clothing, and locations on the body that need better attention to thermal and moisture comfort. Information provided by the qualitative interviews was used to develop design criteria. From the guarded hot plate and moisture management testing, results were used to select one thermal insulation, moisture management, and control fabric for the garment design. Based on the design criteria, a prototype shirt was developed. A prototype garment was constructed using the combination of the thermal, moisture, and control fabrics; while a control garment was constructed in an identical style using only the control fabric. The prototype and control garments were worn and tested by subjects while they backpacked. Additionally, comparisons of thermal insulation data between the prototype and control garment were collected on a thermal manikin. Major findings from the qualitative interviews were that subjects preferred base layer shirts made with synthetic fibers and style features that helped retain body heat. Subjects preferred to have greater thermal insulation in the chest and the arms, and less thermal insulation in the underarms and upper back area. Additionally, subjects were concerned about durability. A polyester fleece pile-knit was selected for the thermal insulation fabric and located in the arms and chest of the prototype. The moisture management fabric selected was a polyester fiber mesh knit fabric and was located in the upper back, underarms, and side seams of the garment. The control fabric was a brushed polyester double knit fabric and was located in all other body areas of the prototype and in the entire control garment. The wear test data indicated that both the control and prototype garments were perceived to be comfortable. The prototype had slightly better overall comfort than the control, and there were significant differences found between the prototype and the control in the areas of overall comfort, combined thermal comfort, and combined moisture comfort. The prototype did not consistently have better comfort performance than the control in each trial and for each subject. It was found that the prototype and control shirts could be worn without additional layers when the temperatures were above 35 ��F and 40 ��F, respectively. Thermal manikin testing results confirmed that the overall thermal insulation of both test shirts was equal, but that the prototype had greater or less thermal insulation than the control in specific body areas, depending on the placement of the thermal insulation or moisture management fabric. In summary, the prototype shirt designed in this study has accomplished the goal of providing backpackers' physiological comfort needs identified in the qualitative interviews.�� The design prototype, when worn alone, is able to keep backpackers comfortable when hiking in cold conditions, particularly in temperatures above 35��F. Although not intended to be worn as part of a layer system, the prototype also keeps backpackers comfortable when they are wearing multiple clothing layers. The use of different fabrics in different body areas satisfies the backpackers' needs of both retaining and dissipating body heat with changes in physical activity. Although both the prototype and the control shirts were found to have good thermal, moisture, and overall comfort, the prototype had slightly higher overall comfort ratings than the control.�� In addition, both the prototype and the control were perceived to be better than the subjects' own base layer shirts, and all subjects were willing to recommend the shirts to other hikers. / Graduation date: 2013

Arctic regions are thought to be more sensitive to climate change fluctuations, making weather data from these regions more valuable for climate modeling. Scientists have expressed an interest in deploying a robotic sensor network in these areas, minimizing the exposure of human researchers to the harsh environment, while allowing dense, targeted data collection to commence. For any such robotic system to be successful, a certain set of base navigational functionality must be developed. Further, these navigational algorithms must rely on the types of low-cost sensors that would be viable for use in a multi-agent system. A set of vision-based processing techniques have been proposed, which augment current robotic technologies for use in glacial terrains. Specifically, algorithms for estimating terrain traversability, robot localization, and terrain reconstruction have been developed which use data collected exclusively from a single camera and other low-cost robotic sensors. For traversability assessment, a custom algorithm was developed that uses local scale surface texture to estimate the terrain slope. Additionally, a horizon line estimation system has been proposed that is capable of coping with low-contrast, ambiguous horizons. For localization, a monocular simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) filter has been fused with consumer-grade GPS measurements to produce full robot pose estimates that do not drift over long traverses. Finally, a terrain reconstruction methodology has been proposed that uses a Gaussian process framework to incorporate sparse SLAM landmarks with dense slope estimates to produce a single, consistent terrain model. These algorithms have been tested within a custom glacial terrain computer simulation and against multiple data sets acquired during glacial field trials. The results of these tests indicate that vision is a viable sensing modality for autonomous glacial robotics, despite the obvious challenges presented by low-contrast glacial scenery. The findings of this work are discussed within the context of the larger arctic sensor network project, and a direction for future work is recommended.

Nationally, there is increasing interest in energy efficient homes due to growing energy costs and increased awareness. However, many builders haven't yet incorporated energy saving products and practices into homes. Many builders don't have the resources to evaluate available options and prefer to rely on the experiences of other builders. The purpose of this study was to create energy efficiency benchmarks for cold-weather, high-end custom homes and evaluate current building practices. A list of energy-efficient products and practices was created through a review of relevant literature. A group of expert builders was formed into a committee to help determine energy inefficiencies in cold-weather, high-end custom homes. The committee also helped establish criteria used to evaluate building products and practices. Finally, the committee helped create a survey that was sent to a larger community of builders. Energy Star Builders in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming were selected to take part in the survey. They were asked to evaluate their experience with energy-efficient products and practices and give recommendations in overcoming specific inefficiencies of cold-weather, high-end custom homes. Payback calculations were performed on the products and practices identified in the survey to further evaluate their importance. From the review of literature, interviews with the committee of experts, the builders' survey responses, and the payback calculations, a list of 22 energy efficiency benchmarks was created for building cold-weather, high-end custom homes.

This study deals with weather symbolism in DBZ Ntuli's literature. Chapter one describes the aim, biography of DBZ Ntuli, definition of important literary concepts, the scope and the methodology. Chapter two considers the symbolic use of mist, fog, overcast weather and clouds. Each of these aspects is defined and is studied under each genre, i.e. in terms of its use by Ntuli in prose, drama and poetry. Chapter three explores the symbolic usage of rain, thunder and the rainbow in all the genres in which Ntuli writes. Chapter four deals with the imagery of the sun. The sun is shown as exhibiting three distinct levels of heat: mild, hot and extremely hot. Chapter five deals with the symbol of cold weather. Its aspects can be perceived on two levels: cold weather and extremely cold weather. Chapter six is a general conclusion that reveals the outcome of the research, observations and the recommendations. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

<p>Detta arbete handlar om den tekniska utbildningen i Försvarsmakten, närmare beskrivet hur en kursbeskrivning för systemmekaniker och tornmekaniker genomförs praktiskt och hur den skall genomföras teoretiskt. Uppsatsen kommer inte att behandla hela utbildningen. Den kommer bara behandladen minsta delen av utbildningen - den del som innefattar soldatutbildningen. Syftet med att skriva detta arbete är att komma fram till om den tekniska utbildningen genomförs på ett kvalitativt sätt och kontrollera om en mekaniker kan agera i subarktisk miljö efter sin genomförda utbildning. Denna uppsats är uppbyggd på följande sätt. Först genomförde jag en kvalitativ innehållsanalys för att få en grundstomme i arbetet. Detta följdes av kvalitativa intervjuer för att få veta hur utbildningen genomförs i praktiken. Avslutningsvis diskuterades de frågor jag ställde för att kunna avrunda arbetet ur mina egna synvinklar samt att göra subjektiva bedömningar. Slutsatserna som dragits i denna uppsats är att det finns brister i utbildningen och i kursplaner av tornsystemmekaniker. Bristerna i utbildningen som blev uppenbara är att utbildare inte alltid utbildar på det som skall utbildas som är i detta fall ”kallt väder” utbildning. Detta på grund av att utbildare ser denna del av utbildning som tidstjuv och hellre fokuserar på den tekniska utbildningen. De brister i kursbeskrivningen som kom fram under min rapport är att torn- och systemmekanikerutbildningarna inte är i synk med varandra. Det innebär att utbildningarna inte alltid strävar mot samma mål. Tornmekanikerna genomför enligt kursplan en ”kall väder”-utbildning men inte systemmekanikerna och på grund av detta kan det vara svårt för dessa att samarbeta efter sin genomförda utbildning.</p> / <p>This work is about the technical training of the Armed Forces. It is a closer description how a course description for system mechanics and turret mechanics are implemented in practice and how it should be done theoretically. The essay will not treat the full training, it will only deal with the smaller part of the training, the soldier training. The purpose of writing this work is to show how the technical training is conducted in a qualitative way and check whether a mechanic can operate in a subarctic environment after the training is completed. This paper will be structured as follows. First, I conduct a qualitative content analysis to provide a foundation, this will be followed by qualitative interviews to discover how training is conducted in practice. Finally, I will discuss the issues I have set out, from my own points of view. The conclusions which have been drawn from this paper are that there are gaps in training and in curricula of turret-system mechanics. The shortcomings of the education that became obvious are that educators do not always deliver, "cold weather". This is because the trainer views this part of the training as taking away time, and would rather focus on the technical training. The shortcomings in the course description that developed from my report are that the turret and system mechanic training are not in sync with each other, it means that courses are not always pursuing the same objectives. Turret mechanics implement curriculum as a "cold weather" training, but not the system mechanics and for this reason it may be difficult for them to cooperate after their education is complete.</p>

Detta arbete handlar om den tekniska utbildningen i Försvarsmakten, närmare beskrivet hur en kursbeskrivning för systemmekaniker och tornmekaniker genomförs praktiskt och hur den skall genomföras teoretiskt. Uppsatsen kommer inte att behandla hela utbildningen. Den kommer bara behandladen minsta delen av utbildningen - den del som innefattar soldatutbildningen. Syftet med att skriva detta arbete är att komma fram till om den tekniska utbildningen genomförs på ett kvalitativt sätt och kontrollera om en mekaniker kan agera i subarktisk miljö efter sin genomförda utbildning. Denna uppsats är uppbyggd på följande sätt. Först genomförde jag en kvalitativ innehållsanalys för att få en grundstomme i arbetet. Detta följdes av kvalitativa intervjuer för att få veta hur utbildningen genomförs i praktiken. Avslutningsvis diskuterades de frågor jag ställde för att kunna avrunda arbetet ur mina egna synvinklar samt att göra subjektiva bedömningar. Slutsatserna som dragits i denna uppsats är att det finns brister i utbildningen och i kursplaner av tornsystemmekaniker. Bristerna i utbildningen som blev uppenbara är att utbildare inte alltid utbildar på det som skall utbildas som är i detta fall ”kallt väder” utbildning. Detta på grund av att utbildare ser denna del av utbildning som tidstjuv och hellre fokuserar på den tekniska utbildningen. De brister i kursbeskrivningen som kom fram under min rapport är att torn- och systemmekanikerutbildningarna inte är i synk med varandra. Det innebär att utbildningarna inte alltid strävar mot samma mål. Tornmekanikerna genomför enligt kursplan en ”kall väder”-utbildning men inte systemmekanikerna och på grund av detta kan det vara svårt för dessa att samarbeta efter sin genomförda utbildning. / This work is about the technical training of the Armed Forces. It is a closer description how a course description for system mechanics and turret mechanics are implemented in practice and how it should be done theoretically. The essay will not treat the full training, it will only deal with the smaller part of the training, the soldier training. The purpose of writing this work is to show how the technical training is conducted in a qualitative way and check whether a mechanic can operate in a subarctic environment after the training is completed. This paper will be structured as follows. First, I conduct a qualitative content analysis to provide a foundation, this will be followed by qualitative interviews to discover how training is conducted in practice. Finally, I will discuss the issues I have set out, from my own points of view. The conclusions which have been drawn from this paper are that there are gaps in training and in curricula of turret-system mechanics. The shortcomings of the education that became obvious are that educators do not always deliver, "cold weather". This is because the trainer views this part of the training as taking away time, and would rather focus on the technical training. The shortcomings in the course description that developed from my report are that the turret and system mechanic training are not in sync with each other, it means that courses are not always pursuing the same objectives. Turret mechanics implement curriculum as a "cold weather" training, but not the system mechanics and for this reason it may be difficult for them to cooperate after their education is complete.

This study deals with weather symbolism in DBZ Ntuli's literature. Chapter one describes the aim, biography of DBZ Ntuli, definition of important literary concepts, the scope and the methodology. Chapter two considers the symbolic use of mist, fog, overcast weather and clouds. Each of these aspects is defined and is studied under each genre, i.e. in terms of its use by Ntuli in prose, drama and poetry. Chapter three explores the symbolic usage of rain, thunder and the rainbow in all the genres in which Ntuli writes. Chapter four deals with the imagery of the sun. The sun is shown as exhibiting three distinct levels of heat: mild, hot and extremely hot. Chapter five deals with the symbol of cold weather. Its aspects can be perceived on two levels: cold weather and extremely cold weather. Chapter six is a general conclusion that reveals the outcome of the research, observations and the recommendations. / African Languages / M.A. (African Languages)

Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur TencelTM och merinoull bäst kombineras i en stickad frottéstruktur ämnad för en lager-2 produkt. Den stickade strukturen har funktionella krav gällande god fukttransport, nötningsbeständighet och antipilling. Funktionskraven kommer att prövas med standardiserade tester. Ytterligare kommer studien undersöka om hållbarheten för lager-2-tyg skulle kunna förbättras. En design research method används för att skapa tre frottéstickade trikåstrukturer, alla med olika kombinationer av lyocell och merinoull. Resultaten visade att alla strukturer hade relativt goda förmåga att transportera fukt, dock stod S-M-T ut som bäst, tätt följt av T-M. Bra nötningsbeständighet utmärktes i M-T och T-M, medan S-M-T presterade sämst. Slutligen visade ett pillingstest ett jämnt resultat mellan alla stickade strukturer, T-M fick dock ett något högre snitt än de andra två. Resultaten i relation till hållbarhet visade att ingen av de stickade strukturerna var ensamt signifikant bättre än de andra. Däremot ger studien ett förslag för framtida forskning när det gäller att samspunna garnet placeras på ena sidan, medan merinoull på den andra. / This study aims to investigate how TencelTM and merino wool are best combined in a knitted terry structure modified for layer-2. The knitted structure has functional requirements, which are in regards to good moisture transport (wicking) capacity, abrasion resistances and anti-pilling. The functional requirements will be tested and with the help of the result the study will further investigate if the sustainability of layer-2 fabric could improve. A design research method is applied to create three terry knitted fabric structures, all with different combinations of lyocell and merino wool. The three fabric structures are then assets for the functional requirements through ISO Standards and AATCC tests. The results showed that all structures had relatively good wicking properties, however S-M-T stood out as the best, closely followed by T-M. Good abrasion resistance was noticeable mostly in M-T and T-M, whereas S-M-T performed worst. Lastly, a pilling test showed an even result between all knitted structures, T-M received however a slightly higher average than the other two. The results in relation to sustainability showed that none of the knitted structures were significantly better than the others alone. However, a suggestion for future research is made in regards to the co-spun yarn being placed on one side, while merino wool on the other.