Cone penetration in sands is a complex process: it contains several challenges that geomechanicians face, such as large displacements, large strains, strain localization, and microscale phenomena such as particle crushing and sand fabric evolution. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the penetration process and the mechanisms controlling penetration resistance, capturing these displacement and strain fields and microscale phenomena is necessary. Furthermore, as more sophisticated theoretical models become available for the simulation of the cone penetration problem, the experimental validation of those methods becomes vital.<br><div><br></div><div>This dissertation presents a multiscale study of the cone penetration process in silica sands. The penetration problem is investigated using a combinational approach consisting of calibration chamber experiments, digital image correlation (DIC) analysis, and X-ray computed Tomography (XCT) scans. Three silica sands with different particle characteristics are used in the experimental program. These three sands have similar particle size distributions; however, they differ in particle morphologies and particle strengths. These differences allow a study of the effect of microscale sand properties on the macroscale response of the sands to the cone penetration process. The three silica sands used in this research are fully characterized using laboratory experiments to obtain particle size distributions, particle morphologies, particle crushing strengths, minimum and maximum packing densities, and critical-state friction angles. Subsequently, both dense and medium-dense samples of the three sands are compressed in a uniaxial loading device placed inside an X-ray microscope (XRM) and scanned at multiple stress levels during uniaxial compression. Results from uniaxial compression experiments indicate that: (1) the compressibility of the sands is closely tied to particle morphology and strength, and (2) the anisotropy in the orientations of interparticle contact normals generally increases with axial stress; however, this increase is limited by the occurrence of particle crushing in the sample.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Subsequently, cone penetration experiments are performed under different confinement levels on dense samples of the three sands in aspecial half-cylindrical calibration chamber equipped with DIC capabilities. For each penetration experiment, incremental displacement fields around the cone penetrometer are obtained using DIC analysis, and these incremental displacement fields are further analyzed to compute the incremental strain fields. A novel methodology is developed to obtain the shear-band patterns that develop around the penetrometer automatically. Furthermore, differences in the shear-band patterns in deep and shallow penetration environments are also investigated. Results show that strain fields tend to localize intensely near the penetrometer tip, and the shear bands tend to develop along the inclined face and near the shoulder of the penetrometer. Significant differences in the shear band patterns in deep and shallow penetration environments are also observed.<br></div><div><br></div><div>After each cone penetration experiment, a specially developed agar-impregnation technique is used to collect minimally disturbedsand samples from around the penetrometertip. These agar-impregnated sand samples are scanned in the XRM to obtain 3D tomography data, which are further analyzed to quantify particle crushing around the penetrometer tip. The results show that: (1) for a given sample density, the amount of crushing around the cone penetrometer depends on the confinement and the sand particle characteristics, (2) the level of crushing is not uniform around the penetrometer tip, with more severe crushing observed near the shoulder of the penetrometer, and (3) the regions with more severe particle crushing around the penetrometer approximately overlap with regions of high shear strain and volumetric contraction. A framework is also proposed to obtain the ratio of penetration resistance in more crushable sands to penetration resistance in less crushable sands. Furthermore, a novel resin-impregnation technique is also developed to collect undisturbedsand samples from around the penetrometer tip. The resin-impregnated sand sample collected after one of the penetration experiments is scanned in the XRM to obtain the 3D tomography data, which is then analyzed to obtain the distribution of interparticle contact normal orientations at multiple locations around the penetrometer tip. These analyses indicate that the interparticle contact normals tend to orient themselves with the incremental principal strains around the penetrometer: below the penetrometer tip, the interparticle contact normals orient vertically upwards, while closer to the shoulder of the penetrometer, the interparticle contact normals become more radially inclined.<br></div><div><br></div><div>Data presented in this dissertation on penetration resistance, incremental displacement fields, incremental strain fields, particle crushing, and interparticle contact normal orientations around the cone penetrometer are aimed to be useful to researchers working on the multiscale modeling of penetration processes in granular materials and aid in the further development of our understanding of penetration processes in sands.<br></div>

Robot mapping is a major field of research in robotics. Its basic task is to combine (register) spatial data, usually gained from range devices, to a single data set. This data set is called global map and represents the environment, observed from different locations, usually without knowledge of their positions. Various approaches can be classified into groups based on the type of sensor, e.g. Lasers, Microsoft Kinect, Stereo Image Pair. A major disadvantage of current methods is the fact, that they are derived from hardly scalable 2D approaches that use a small amount of data. However, 3D sensing yields a large amount of data in each 3D scan. Autonomous mobile robots have limited computational power, which makes it harder to run 3D robot mapping algorithms in real-time. To remedy this limitation, the proposed research uses mid-level geometric features (lines and ellipses) to construct 3D geometric primitives (planar patches, cylinders, spheres and cones) from 3D point data. Such 3D primitives can serve as distinct features for faster registration, allowing real-time performance on a mobile robot. This approach works in real-time, e.g. using a Microsoft Kinect to detect planes with 30 frames per second. While previous approaches show insufficient performance, the proposed method operates in real-time. In its core, the algorithm performs a fast model fitting with a model update in constant time (O(1)) for each new data point added to the model using a three stage approach. The first step inspects 1.5D sub spaces, to find lines and ellipses. The next stage uses these lines and ellipses as input by examining their neighborhood structure to form sets of candidates for the 3D geometric primitives. Finally, candidates are fitted to the geometric primitives. The complexity for point processing is O(n); additional time of lower order is needed for working on significantly smaller amount of mid-level objects. The real-time performance suggests this approach as a pre-processing step for 3D real-time higher level tasks in robotics, like tracking or feature based mapping. In this thesis, I will show how these features are derived and used for scene registration. Optimal registration is determined by finding plane-feature correspondence based on mutual similarity and geometric constraints. Our approach determines the plane correspondence in three steps. First step computes the distance between all pairs of planes from the first scan to all pair of planes from the second scan. The distance function captures angular, distance and co-planarity differences. The resulting distances are accumulated in a distance matrix. The next step uses the distance matrix to compute the correlation matrix between planes from the first and second scan. Finally plane correspondence is found by finding the global optimal assignment from the correlation matrix. After finding the plane correspondence, an optimal pose registration is computed. In addition to that, I will provide a comparison to existing state-of-the-art algorithms. This work is part of an industry collaboration effort sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), aiming at performance evaluation and modeling of autonomous navigation in unstructured and dynamic environments. Additional field work, in the form of evaluation of real robotic systems in a robot test arena was performed. / Computer and Information Science / Accompanied by two .mp4 files.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第25088号 / 理博第4995号 / 新制||理||1713(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科数学・数理解析専攻 / (主査)教授 入谷 寛, 教授 塚本 真輝, 教授 吉川 謙一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第25251号 / 工博第5210号 / 新制||工||1994(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科社会基盤工学専攻 / (主査)教授 安原 英明, 准教授 橋本 涼太, 准教授 澤村 康生 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

No / Physiological studies of colour vision have not yet resolved the controversial issue of how chromatic opponency is constructed at a neuronal level. Two competing theories, the cone-selective hypothesis and the random-wiring hypothesis, are currently equivocal to the architecture of the primate retina. In central vision, both schemes are capable of producing colour opponency due to the fact that receptive field centres receive input from a single bipolar cell ¿ the so called `private line arrangement¿. However, in peripheral vision this single-cone input to the receptive field centre is lost, so that any random cone connectivity would result in a predictable reduction in the quality of colour vision. Behavioural studies thus far have indeed suggested a selective loss of chromatic sensitivity in peripheral vision. We investigated chromatic sensitivity as a function of eccentricity for the cardinal chromatic (L/M and S/(L + M)) and achromatic (L + M) pathways, adopting stimulus size as the critical variable. Results show that performance can be equated across the visual field simply by a change of scale (size). In other words, there exists no qualitative loss of chromatic sensitivity across the visual field. Critically, however, the quantitative nature of size dependency for each of the cardinal chromatic and achromatic mechanisms is very specific, reinforcing their independence in terms of anatomy and genetics. Our data provide clear evidence for a physiological model of primate colour vision that retains chromatic quality in peripheral vision, thus supporting the cone-selective hypothesis.

This trans-disciplinary and [trans-modal] dissertation practices the work of inclusive design that students of music (do or do not) encounter as part of their music education. Using inclusive design practices focused on the domains of the written word, the auditory-aural artifact, and the artistic-visual artifact, this work reflects upon three schools of pedagogy and philosophy within the broader academy, primarily not found in the musical academy. The schools of humanism, liberation, and transformation are considered as objects-subjects of reflection utilizing four authors (James Cone, Paolo Freire, Jack Mezirow, and Bertrand Russell); this work is rooted in the practice of critical reflection as understood through the lens of the author Stephen Brookfield. The authors’ assets were collected through analog and digital booksellers and analog and digital library available databases; the author consumed accessibility and accommodative digital programs to aid the researcher. Three themes emerged as follows: one, humanity has largely been excluded from the study of music education, resulting in an intensely human invention often resulting in inhumane practices and theories; two, transformation is a fundamental component of musical education, in that it studies humans transforming both words and music, as well as subsequent performances being transformations of what was to what can be (again); and, three, liberation is the implicit goal at the center of musical education, in that being a music educator is an attempt to liberate the musicianship innate to the human existence from the oppression the body has consumed. Each of these themes written as separate chapters closes with a pedagogy-philosophy of the chapter’s theme. The dissertation concludes with a reflection on music education in light of the pedagogies and philosophies examined. Keywords: Music, ethnography, reflection, philosophy, pedagogy, Humanity, liberation, transformation

Two taxa of amphibians, five taxa of reptiles, and eighteen taxa of mammals were collected by screen-washing sediments from the upper Bidahochi Formation at White Cone peak, northeastern Arizona. Five new species of mammals were recovered. They include Perognathoides bidahochiensis (Heteromyidae), Bensonomys yazhi (Cricetidae), Bensonomys bradyi (Cricetidae), Paronychomys alticuspis (Cricetidae), and Martes (Plionictis) repenningi (Mustelidae). Bensonomys yazhi and Bensonomys bradyi are close to the stem of Central and South Americal hesperomyine radiation. The radiation began in the southwest United States and Mexico during the Hemphillian. The middle member of the Bidahochi Formation is dated at 6.7 m. y. by a basalt from Roberts Mesa. The paleomagnetic data and the White Cone local fauna support this middle Hemphillian date.

The purpose of the thesis is to study completeness of abstract spaces. In particular, we study completeness in partial metric spaces, partial metric type spaces, dislocated metric spaces, dislocated metric type spaces and symmetric spaces that are generalizations of metric spaces. It is well known that complete metric spaces have a wide range of applications. For instance, the classical Banach contraction principle is phrased in the context of complete metric spaces. Analogously, the Banach's xed point theorem and xed point results for Lipschitzian maps are discussed in this context, namely in, partial metric spaces and metric type spaces. Finally, xed point results are presented for symmetric spaces / Mathematical Sciences / Ph. D. (Mathematics)

The purpose of the thesis is to study completeness of abstract spaces. In particular, we study completeness in partial metric spaces, partial metric type spaces, dislocated metric spaces, dislocated metric type spaces and symmetric spaces that are generalizations of metric spaces. It is well known that complete metric spaces have a wide range of applications. For instance, the classical Banach contraction principle is phrased in the context of complete metric spaces. Analogously, the Banach's xed point theorem and xed point results for Lipschitzian maps are discussed in this context, namely in, partial metric spaces and metric type spaces. Finally, xed point results are presented for symmetric spaces. / Geography / Ph. D. (Mathematics)

Le but de cette thèse est d'étudier les trois problèmes suivantes : 1) On s'intéresse à la stabilité des cônes normaux et des sous-différentiels via deux types de convergence d'ensembles et de fonctions : La convergence au sens de Mosco et celle d'Attouch-Wets. Les résultats obtenus peuvent être vus comme une extension du théorème d'Attouch aux fonctions non nécessairement convexes sur des espaces de Banach localement uniformément convexes. 2) Pour une bornologie β donnée sur un espace de Banach X, on étudie la validité de la formule suivante (…). Ici Tβ(C; x) et Tc(C; x) désignent le β -cône tangent et le cône tangent de Clarke à C en x. On montre que si, X x X est ∂β-« trusted » alors cette formule est valable pour tout ensemble fermé non vide C ⊂ X et x ∈ C. Cette classe d'espaces contient les espaces ayant une norme équivalent β-différentiable, etplus généralement les espaces possédant une fonction "bosse" lipschitzienne et β-différentiable). Comme conséquence, on obtient que pour la bornologie de Fréchet, cette formule caractérise les espaces d'Asplund. 3) On examine la convexité des ensembles de Chebyshev. Il est bien connu que, dans un espace normé réflexif ayant la propriété Kadec-Klee, tout ensemble de Chebyshev faiblement fermé est convexe. On démontre que la condition de faible fermeture peut être remplacée par la fermeture faible locale, c'est-à-dire pour tout x ∈ C il existe ∈ > 0 tel que C ∩ B(x, ε) est faiblement fermé. On montre aussi que la propriété Kadec-Klee n'est plus exigée lorsque l'ensemble de Chebyshev est représenté comme une union d'ensembles convexes fermés. / The aim of this thesis is to study the following three problems: 1) We are concerned with the behavior of normal cones and subdifferentials with respect to two types of convergence of sets and functions: Mosco and Attouch-Wets convergences. Our analysis is devoted to proximal, Fréchet, and Mordukhovich limiting normal cones and subdifferentials. The results obtained can be seen as extensions of Attouch theorem to the context of non-convex functions on locally uniformly convex Banach space. 2) For a given bornology β on a Banach space X we are interested in the validity of the following "lim inf" formula (…).Here Tβ(C; x) and Tc(C; x) denote the β-tangent cone and the Clarke tangent cone to C at x. We proved that it holds true for every closed set C ⊂ X and any x ∈ C, provided that the space X x X is ∂β-trusted. The trustworthiness includes spaces with an equivalent β-differentiable norm or more generally with a Lipschitz β-differentiable bump function. As a consequence, we show that for the Fréchet bornology, this "lim inf" formula characterizes in fact the Asplund property of X. 3) We investigate the convexity of Chebyshev sets. It is well known that in a smooth reflexive Banach space with the Kadec-Klee property every weakly closed Chebyshev subset is convex. We prove that the condition of the weak closedness can be replaced by the local weak closedness, that is, for any x ∈ C there is ∈ > 0 such that C ∩ B(x, ε) is weakly closed. We also prove that the Kadec-Klee property is not required when the Chebyshev set is represented by a finite union of closed convex sets.