The two-point in situ method is a technique for measuring the room constant of a semi-reverberant room and the sound power of a source in that room simultaneously using two measurement positions. Using a reference directivity source, where the directivity factor along any given axis of the source has been measured, one is able to use the Hopkins-Stryker equation to measure both the room constant and the sound power level of another source rather simply. Using both numerical and experimental data, it was found that by using generalized energy density (GED) as a measurement quantity, the results were more accurate than those using squared pressure. The results also improved when one measurement position was near the source and the other measurement position was far from the source. This resulted in strong contribution of both the direct and reverberant fields in each of the measurement positions. Another improvement to the two-point method was the use of a local, spatial average around the measurement position. The assumptions in the Hopkins-Stryker equation rely on this average and it was found that a small local spatial average improved the measurements. However, this improvement was greater for squared pressure than for GED. Several source sound power levels and room constants were measured to show that these measurements are improved by using the suggested techniques.

In this work I have been looking at three small everyday sites that can tell big and unexpected stories of how we live together. These sites appear unremarkable at first glance, but on a second look are filled with contradictions and conflicts of interest. I speculate that these marginalised sites operate like “architectural footnotes” helping break the tempo, rhythm and tone of the city while expanding the scope of the narrative beyond the local and specific reading. I’m interested in how we can make sense of the city and critique it in a meaningful way when it appears so fragmented and seems impossible to define in single terms. I have been testing different approaches ranging from surveying, counting, measuring and mapping, to model making, interviews, drawing, film-making and texts. I have been interested in how these diverse methods can help me understand the city in different ways and what they do when used together.In part one: A Fence I investigate a trend towards the increasing enclosure of private courtyard/gardens and the severing of established pathways that are incredibly important for navigating the area. This led to questioning how ground-floor habitation, different forms of tenure, and regulation, affects public access and passage in the area.In part two: A Drinking Fountain I attempted to map the defunct drinking fountains in Stockholm and trace the origin of their (ubiquitous) design. Instead of finding fountains, however, I found a vacuum of responsibility, and questions were raised around why some infrastructures are more important than others and how shared/societal needs seem to have been increasingly privatised. In part three: Some Planting I looked at a recently built area of “urban-community-farming” in the middle of local park. Here tensions between the public, private and common are brought to the fore, questioning how attempts towards more local and participatory democratic processes affect rights of access to, and use of, public spaces, around flexibility and durability, and how we balance short term demands with long term visions.When seen together these “footnotes” can describe a trend towards withdrawal of the state and municipality through the dismantling of infrastructures, deregulation and outsourcing, resulting in an increasingly individualistic and privatised city. This is perhaps unsurprising in itself, but the work that comes out of these sites has helped reveal (to me at least) some of the surprising ways in which this has happened and continues to do so (albeit in different forms) and how this affects the ways in which we inhabit the everyday city.

Radior är en viktig del av mobiltelefoninätverket. De är kopplade till antenner som trådlöst skickar och tar emot radiovågor. Kraven på inkapslingen av telekommunikationsutrustning ökar kontinuerligt. Ett sätt att minska vikt, storlek, monteringstid och förbättra utseendet av radior kan vara att ersätta skruvar med andra fästprinciper. Detta är något som ska undersökas i detta examensarbete på en radio från Ericsson. I denna rapport presenteras en undersökning av existerande principer och teknologier för förband. Det existerande förbandet studeras och krafter som verkar på förbandet identifieras. Flera koncept för att sätta ihop ytterinkapslingens halvor på en radio utan att använda skruvar presenteras också. Ett av dessa koncept vidareutvecklas sedan efter en konceptutvärdering. Konceptet som vidareutvecklas använder sig av en snäppfästesprincip. Grundläggande Finita Element-analyser görs följt av tillverkning av fysiska prototyper för att testa konceptet. Förslag och idéer på omkonstruktioner förbandets intilliggande geometri undersöks och presenteras. Snäppsprintarna har potential att fungera som ett alternativ till skruvar. Den första iterationen av fysiska prototyper och tester som gjorts visar monteringskrafter och lastbärande kapaciteten av prototyperna. Förbättringar av konstruktionen och vidareutveckling av analysen behövs för att dra vidare slutsatser. Ett flertal kunskapsgap har som behöver undersökas har identifierats. / Radios are a crucial part of the mobile phone network. They are connected to the antenna which wirelessly send and receive radio waves. The requirements on telecommunication enclosures are increasing continuously. One way of improving weight, size, assembly time and appearance of radios could be to replace screws with other fastening principles. This is investigated in this thesis project on an Ericsson radio. In this report a state-of-the-art study of existing joint principles and technologies is presented. The joint between the exterior halves is studied and forces acting on the existing joint are identified. Several concepts for joining the exterior enclosure halves of a radio without using screws are also presented. One of these concepts is then further developed after an evaluation. The concept that is further developed is based on the snap-fit joint principle. Basic Finite Element analyses are made followed by manufacturing of physical prototypes to test the concept. Suggestions and ideas of redesigns of the geometry surrounding the joint are also proposed and investigated. The snap-fit sprints have the potential to work as an alternative to screws on the joint. The tests conducted show the load carrying capacity and insertion forces of the first iteration of physical prototypes. Improvements to the snap design needs to be made and further analysis and tests are needed to draw any further conclusions. Several knowledge gaps that needs to be investigated has been identified.

Acoustic resonators, such as the Helmholtz and quarter-wave resonator, can be used to attenuate unwanted noise in an enclosed space. Classical formulations can be used to approximate resonator performance for a given resonator configuration, but may lack sufficient accuracy for some applications. This research aims to improve the analytical characterization of resonators to provide better correlation to experimental results. Using higher-order approximations and proper end corrections, more accuracy can be obtained in calculating the impedance and resonance frequency of a single resonator, which will then carry over into the overall configuration of the model. The impedance of a system of resonators in parallel is also considered, where the effects of acoustic coupling can be observed. Resonators with complex, non-ideal geometries are explored for applications where space is limited. The effects of tapers and toroidal curves are considered using impedance translation methods. These theoretical predictions are found to compare favorably with empirical data. Coupling between an enclosure and resonator system is explored experimentally. The effects of resonator placement, damping, and relative cavity and enclosure volume are considered. These data are used to design and test a resonator system with 10 dB of attenuation over a bandwidth of 10 Hz.

Architecture is more than mere building. Architecture is a process involving the study, observation, and solution of aesthetic and pragmatic problems. The act of building solves the pragmatic questions, but it is the architect's intellectual commitment and line of inquiry that ultimately produces architecture. This inquiry provided the opportunity to develop and elaborate a position on the thinking and making of architecture. The study of the urban condition, structure, enclosure, multi-functional elements and photography became a base of knowledge from which to begin. The range of ideas presented were the result of a line of inquiry that became this thesis. Quality is not inherent in an object. It must be expressed through the ideas by which it was created. In the same respect, this project does not represent the concepts, it presents them. "...the first imperative is to gain the critical knowledge that will permit the choice of the coordinates within which his or her career will develop; these are the coordinates to which his or her buildings will refer." Raphael Moneo / Master of Architecture

Climate change is exacerbating natural disasters, and extreme weather events increase with intensity and frequency. This requires an in-depth evaluation of locations across the various U.S. climates where natural hazards, vulnerabilities, and potentially damaging impacts will vary. At the local building level within the built environment, private residences are crucial shelter systems to protect against natural disasters, and are a central component in the greater effort of creating comprehensive disaster resilient environments. In light of recent disasters such as Superstorm Sandy, there is an increased awareness that residential buildings and communities need to become more resilient for the changing climates they are located in, or will face devastating consequences. There is a great potential for specific high-performance building technologies to play a vital role in achieving disaster resilience on a local scale. The application of these technologies can not only provide immediate protection and reduced risk for buildings and its occupants, but can additionally alleviate disaster recovery stressors to critical infrastructure and livelihoods by absorbing, adapting, and rapidly recovering from extreme weather events, all while simultaneously promoting sustainable building development. However, few have evaluated the link between residential high-performance building technologies and natural disaster resilience in regards to identifying and prioritizing viable technologies to assist decision-makers with effective implementation. This research developed a framework for a process that prioritizes residential building technologies that encompass both high-performance and resilience qualities that can be implemented for a variety of housing contexts to mitigate risks associated with climate induced natural hazards. Decision-makers can utilize this process to evaluate a residential building for natural disaster risks, and communicate strategies to improve building performance and resilience in response to such risks. / Ph. D.

This thesis uses the recent Bayer-Monsanto acquisition in order to examine historical and contemporary power dynamics found throughout industrial agriculture. With the theoretical aid of Karl Polanyi and Michel Foucault, I examine how the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition is a viable site in order to reflect the interconnectedness of political and economic forces that organize societies and markets across the globe. I briefly introduce the merger-turned-acquisition between these two former 'Big 6' firms that dominated international agricultural input markets. Questions are asked such as how has the history of agriculture led to its current organization, how have these particular firms garnered such market power, and what power structures or historical economic incentives have contributed to the acquisition's manifestation? In order to address these questions I engage in an economic-historical analysis of industrial agriculture, particularly focusing on the role of the U.S. state in drafting agrarian legislation, spreading knowledge regarding production processes, and promoting particular food products to be patented, grown, and consumed across the world. Through an examination of the acquisition itself, potential economic, environmental, and political implications are presented to analyze whether historically visible strategies have appeared to evolve to become invisible overtime. Although the result of this acquisition does involve few firms governing almost entire markets, I contend that there is more at stake than simply few firms monopolizing agriculture. The Bayer-Monsanto acquisition has economic, environmental, and political implications on a host of actors, and it forces us to question the legitimacy of democratic governmental institutions across the world and where power is situated within them. / Master of Arts / Mergers and acquisitions are by no means an emerging trend throughout agricultural markets; however, Bayer’s $66 billion acquisition of Monsanto is a recent development that has garnered attention from politicians, farmers, environmentalists, and public consumers alike. In this thesis I examine how the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition is a viable site in order to show how political and market logics are constantly entangled with one another. I first briefly introduce the mergerturned-acquisition between these two former ‘Big 6’ firms that dominated international agricultural input markets. I then ask how has the history of agriculture led to its current organization, how have these particular firms garnered such market power, and what power structures or historical economic incentives have contributed to the acquisition’s manifestation? After contextualizing the acquisition within a history of legislating land policy, spreading knowledge regarding production processes, and promoting the consumption of particular food products across the world, I present various economic, environmental, and political implications of the acquisition. Although the result of this acquisition does involve few firms with centralized market share, I contend that there is more at stake than simply monopolistic practices. An analysis of the Bayer-Monsanto acquisition reflects why we should question the quality and legitimacy of political institutions across the world, and ask where power lies within them.

No / Excavation at a cropmark enclosure in the Upper Severn Valley was undertaken to try and obtain material from which to provide relative and absolute dating for the site. Lying within an area rich in Neolithic and Bronze Age archaeology and in close proximity to a proven long barrow, the conventional later prehistoric date postulated for the enclosure was questioned. Excavation proved the site to have been a ditched enclosure with internal bank and a possible gate structure. Post-pits ran inside the bank. Finds were few but radiocarbon dates from the floor of the ditch proved the early Neolithic credentials of the monument which seemed to have continued in use for at least some 500 years.

No / Following Wheeler's excavations at Maiden Castle, the multivallate hillforts of Wessex came to be seen as responses to a specific form of warfare based around the massed use of slings. As part of the wider post-processual 'rethink' of the British Iron Age during the late 1980s and 1990s, this traditional 'military' interpretation of hillforts was increasingly subject to criticism. Apparent weaknesses in hillfort design were identified and many of the most distinctive features of these sites (depth of enclosure, complexity of entrance arrangements, etc) were reinterpreted as symbols of social isolation. Yet this 'pacification' of hillforts is in many ways as unsatisfactory as the traditional vision. Both camps have tended to view warfare as a detached, functional, and disembedded activity which can be analysed in terms of essentially timeless concepts of military efficiency. Consideration of the use of analogous structures in the ethnographic record suggests that, far from being mutually exclusive, the military and symbolic dimensions are both essential to a more nuanced understanding of the wider social role of hillforts in Britain and beyond.

The architect, as a coordinator of complex conditions and different disciplines, has a role in the development of the master plan for the entire site, balancing technical innovation with appreciation for cultural inheritance. This thesis attempts to explore approaches to design decision making, as a response to a project's site, its history, and the larger cultural context. The above issues are investigated through the design of a multipurpose building at the east end of the Drillfield on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The building will form a "stage" to accommodate the daily life of the campus. In addition, the proposal was conceived to: a. emphasize both axial and radial geometric features of the site; b. redefine the edge of the oval Drillfield; c. create magnetic force between the proposed building and the existing War Memorial Chapel; d. translate the idea into tectonics. / Master of Architecture