Wars are moments of significant rupture for states, societies, and economies. Wars where one state suffers significant territorial losses can be particularly challenging for states, their power structures, and the prevailing visions and identities in their geopolitical cultures. How states react to territorial losses is a compelling area for research. The recent experiences of the Republic of Armenia present a rich case study in how states adjust to territorial change. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an independent Armenian state was accompanied by war over a disputed territory with neighbouring Azerbaijan. By the time of the cease-fire of the First Karabakh War in 1994, Armenia held its own territory and strongly supported the Armenian-populated unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. "Karabakh is ours", which served as a long-standing slogan of the geopolitical culture of Armenia, was shattered as a result of the Second Karabakh War of 2020, during which Azerbaijani forces gained control over considerable territory. The status quo after the war had notable impact on the province of Siunik in southern Armenia as well. This dissertation is a study in the aftermath of territorial shock, looking to the framework of geopolitical culture and the category of the geo-body to account for the developments in Armenia generally and in Siunik in particular since 2020. Drawing on the literature of critical geopolitics as well as fieldwork conducted in Armenia, the dissertation argues that the shock and trauma of the war has caused deep disruption and fragmentation in the geopolitical culture of Armenia, which remains in crisis. There are disputed and competing territorial visions of the country, some of which are manifested as centre-periphery distinctions between the capital Yerevan and the province of Siunik. The strong local identity of the province serves as a basis to look to ideological tropes of nationalist imaginations as a coping mechanism while facing precarious circumstances. Material geographical realities and discursive or ideological imaginations continue to be in tension in Armenia, especially in Siunik. / Doctor of Philosophy / Wars are moments of significant disruption for states and societies. Wars in which a state suffers significant territorial losses can be particularly challenging for governments and the people, and how they think of themselves. How states react to territorial losses is a compelling area for research. The recent experiences of the Republic of Armenia present a rich case study in how states adjust to territorial change. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of an independent Armenian state was accompanied by war over a disputed territory with neighbouring Azerbaijan. At the time of the cease-fire of 1994, the Armenian side emerged with consolidated territorial gains. Following years of peace negotiations and some escalations, Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale offensive in 2020, as a result of which much territory changed hands. The status quo after the war had notable impact on the province of Siunik in southern Armenia as well. This dissertation is a study in the aftermath of territorial changes. It looks to how states and societies think about themselves and their territories. To say that a territory is disputed between two or more parties is a straightforward observation. But it is worth asking more nuanced questions: how is territory framed, how does that framing inform disputes, and how might a better understanding of those framings help resolve them? In the case of Armenia, this dissertation argues that the government and people remain in a state of shock and trauma two years after the end of the war. There is a disconnect between framings, future visions, and prospects as expressed by the central government of Armenia and the experiences and expectations of people on the ground in Siunik. Many studies of conflicts focus on politics, diplomacy, and international affairs. They may bring to the surface humanitarian issues, questions of public international law, art, justice, or history. This dissertation invites the reader to think more about the geography of conflicts, both as a material reality and as an ideological value.

Ground-coupled ventilation (GCV) is a system that exchanges heat with the soil. Because ground temperatures are relatively higher during the cold season and lower during the hot season, the system takes advantage of this natural phenomenon. This research focused on designing a ground-coupled ventilation system evaluation tool of many factors that affect system performance. The tool predicts the performance of GCV system design based on the GCV system design parameters including the location of the system, pipe length, pipe depth, pipe diameter, soil type, number of pipes, volume flow rate, and bypass system. The tool uses regression equations created from many GCV system design simulation data using Autodesk Computational Fluid Dynamics software. As a result, this tool helps users choose the most suitable GCV system design by comparing multiple GCV systems' design performances and allows them to save time, money, and effort. / Doctor of Philosophy / Ground-coupled ventilation (GCV) is a system that exchanges heat with the soil. Because ground temperatures are relatively higher during the cold season and lower during the hot season, the system takes advantage of this natural phenomenon. This research focused on designing a ground-coupled ventilation system evaluation tool of many factors that affect system performance. The tool predicts the performance of GCV system design based on the GCV system design parameters including the location of the system, pipe length, pipe depth, pipe diameter, soil type, number of pipes, volume flow rate, and bypass system. The tool uses equations created from many GCV system designs’ simulation data using simulation software. As a result, this tool helps users choose the most suitable GCV system design by comparing multiple GCV system designs’ performance and allows them to save time, money, and effort.

Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC) are not only one of the most energy consuming components in buildings but also contribute to green house gas emissions. As a result often environmental design strategies are focused on the performance of these systems. New HVAC technologies such as Geothermal Heat Pump systems have relatively high performance efficiencies when compared to typical systems and therefore could be part of whole-building performance design strategies. In collaboration with the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, Inc., this research studies the energy consumption and cost benefits of the Geothermal Heat Pump System that has been integrated and operated in the KnowledgeWorks I and II buildings located on the Virginia Tech campus. The purpose of this thesis is to understand the energy and cost benefits of the Geothermal Heat Pumps System when compared to the conventional package variable air volume (VAV) with hot water coil heating and air-source heat pump systems using computer simulation and statistical models. The quantitative methods of building energy performance and life-cycle cost analyses are applied to evaluate the results of simulation models, the in-situ monitoring data, and the associated documents. This understanding can be expanded to the higher level of architectural systems integration. / Master of Science

Gravel-bed braided rivers are distinctive natural environments that provid a wide range of key environmental, economic and recreational services. There is, however,a growing concern that over the twentieth century, an increasing number of braided rivers have metamorphosed into wandering or single thread channels, representing a loss of key habitats, geodiversity and amenity. While in some situations, shifts in channel pattern may be unambiguously linked to abrupt changes in flow or sediment supply, the lack of a theoretical basis underpinning the development and maintenance of braiding makes identification of the cause and effect of channel metamorphosis hazardous. A growing body of research has suggested that the transition between channelpatterns may depend on the poorly understood interaction between the flow regime,sediment supply and vegetation colonisation. Such interactions are governed by critical thresholds, due to changes in flow resistance and bank strength associated with the distribution, form and intensity of vegetation colonisation. Subtle changes in flow or sediment supply that promote vegetation growth or indeed remove itthrough inundation or attrition. This can lead to complex non-linear shifts in the balance of forces that govern sediment transport and bedform morphodynamics, ultimately resulting in one-way changes in channel morphology. There is, therefore, a critical need to develop a quantitative understanding of these feedbacks in orderto design sustainable river management programmes that seek to optimize the ecological and socio-economic benefits these rivers offer. In summary, this thesis aims to advance our understanding of the morphodynamics of braided rivers and the role numerical models may have in helping to interrogate their behavior and governing controls.

This research focuses on the Israeli town of Sderot and the rocket attacks it experienced since 2001. Sderot is a unique case study because it represents a group of individuals in a democratic country that lived with terrorism for almost a decade before the state took major defensive action. The situation in Sderot is one which has lacked attention in the media and in Political Science research. By analyzing the level of attention by multiple actors to the crisis in Sderot, the reasons for the perpetual insecurity of its population are discussed. The crisis is analyzed on four main levels: the experience of individuals in Sderot, the response of the Israeli government, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and the role of the United Nations. The preliminary chapter examines the impact of living with rocket fire while exploring methods by which Sderot residents have engaged in activism to improve their quality of life. The following chapter discusses Israeli national defense policy and examines where Sderot has ranked on the State's list of priorities. The third chapter consists of two main sections: an analysis of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, an explanation of Barnas' rise to power in Gaza. The latter section consists of an exploration of the politics surrounding the United Nation's level of attention to the crisis in Sderot. As one transitions from the individual level of analysis to the state level, the voices of Sderot residents become much quieter, and the realities of a state that is constantly attacked from beyond its borders can be understood. By analyzing the past failings of peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, lessons for future attempts at negotiations are discussed, and the ever-present link between peace and security is emphasized. Overall, the realities of daily life in a state which pursues a policy of security over diplomacy are illuminated.

The irrigated agriculture in the Lower Chenab Canal (LCC) of Pakistan is characterized by huge water utilization both from surface and groundwater resources. Need of utilization of water from five rivers in Punjab province along with accelerated population growth has forced the construction of world’s largest irrigation network. Nevertheless, huge irrigation infrastructure, together with inappropriate drainage infrastructure, led to a build-up of shal-low groundwater levels, followed by waterlogging and secondary salinization in the soil profile. Following this era, decreased efficiency of irrigation supply system along with higher food demands had increased burdens on groundwater use, which led to a drop in groundwater levels in major parts of LCC. Previous studies in the study region revealed lacking management and maintenance of irrigation system, inflexible irrigation strategies, poor linkages between field level water supply and demands. No future strategy is present or under consideration to deal with this long time emerged groundwater situation particularly under unchanged irrigation water supply and climate change. Therefore, there is an utmost importance to assess the current profile of water use in the irrigation scheme and to device some workable strategies under future situations of land use and climate change. This study aims to investigate the spatio-temporal status of water utilization and performance of irrigation system using remote sensing data and techniques (SEBAL) in combination with other point data. Different irrigation performance indicators including equity, adequacy and reliability using evaporation fraction as main input parameter are utilized. Current profiles of land use/land cover (LULC) areas are assessed and their change detections are worked out to establish realistic future scenarios. Spatially distributed seasonal net recharge, a very important input parameter for groundwater modeling, is estimated by employing water balance approaches using spatial data from remote sensing and local norms. Such recharge results are also compared with a water table fluctuation approach. Following recharge estimation, a regional 3-D groundwater flow model using FEFLOW was set up. This model was calibrated by different approaches ranging from manual to automated pilot point (PP) approach. Sensitivity analysis was performed to see the model response against different model input parameters and to identify model regions which demand further improvements. Future climate parameters were downscaled to establish scenarios by using statistical downscaling under IPCC future emission scenarios. Modified recharge raster maps were prepared under both LULC and climate change scenarios and were fed to the groundwater model to investigate groundwater dynamics. Seasonal consumptive water use analysis revealed almost double use for kharif as compared to rabi cropping seasons with decrease from upper LCC to lower regions. Intra irrigation subdivision analysis of equity, an important irrigation performance indicator, shows less differences in water consumption in LCC. However, the other indicators (adequacy and reliability) indicate that the irrigation system is neither adequate nor reliable. Adequacy is found more pronounced during kharif as compared to rabi seasons with aver-age evaporation fraction of 0.60 and 0.67, respectively. Similarly, reliability is relatively higher in upper LCC regions as compared to lower regions. LULC classification shows that wheat and rice are major crops with least volatility in cultivation from season to season. The results of change detection show that cotton exhibited maximum positive change while kharif fodder showed maximum negative change during 2005-2012. Transformation of cotton area to rice cultivation is less conspicuous. The water consumption in upper LCC regions with similar crops is relatively higher as compared to lower regions. Groundwater recharge results revealed that, during the kharif cropping seasons, rainfall is the main source of recharge followed by field percolation losses, while for rabi cropping seasons, canal seepage remains the major source. Seasonal net groundwater recharge is mainly positive during all kharif seasons with a gradual increase in groundwater level in major parts of LCC. Model optimization indicates that PP is more flexible and robust as compared to manual and zone based approaches. Different statistical indicators show that this method yields reliable calibration and validation as values of Nash Sutcliffe Efficiency are 0.976 and 0.969, % BIAS are 0.026 and -0.205 and root mean square errors are 1.23 m and 1.31 m, respectively. Results of model output sensitivity suggest that hydraulic conductivity is a more influential parameter in the study area than drain/fillable porosity. Model simulation results under different scenarios show that rice cultivation has the highest impact on groundwater levels in upper LCC regions whereas major negative changes are observed for lower parts under decreased kharif fodder area in place of rice, cotton and sugarcane. Fluctuations in groundwater level among different proposed LULC scenarios are within ±1 m, thus showing a limited potential for groundwater management. For future climate scenarios, a rise in groundwater level is observed for 2011 to 2025 under H3A2 emission regime. Nevertheless, a drop in groundwater level is expected due to increased crop consumptive water use and decreased precipitations under H3A2 scenario for the periods 2026-2035 and 2036-2045. Although no imminent threat of groundwater shortage is anticipated, there is an opportunity for developing groundwater resources in the lower model regions through water re-allocation that would be helpful in dealing water shortages. The groundwater situation under H3B2 emission regime is relatively complex due to very low expectation of rise in groundwater level through precipitation during 2011-2025. Any positive change in groundwater under such scenarios is mainly associated with changes in crop consumptive water uses. Consequently, water management under such situation requires revisiting of current cropping patterns as well as augmenting water supply through additional surface water resources.

Esta tese tem como objetivo investigar a emergência de uma escola brasileira de Geografia cujas bases foram lançadas pelo geógrafo francês Pierre Monbeig. Seus anos de formação na Sorbonne, os anos em que viveu no Brasil, até os anos em que publicou suas principais contribuições sobre este país (1925-1957) demarcam o período do processo de formação da geografia brasileira sob sua liderança, visto como um percurso ao mesmo tempo material e simbólico. Uma geo-história dos saberes, que tem como eixos de análise as esferas das lentidões, da circulação e das rupturas, foi o método mobilizado para apreender uma trajetória que é atingida por movimentos profundos da constituição das ciências, bem como em conjunturas de eclipsam as longas tendências na primeira metade do século XX. Tais movimentos de longa duração são aqui caracterizados como a erosão dos valores literários, que dominaram as ciências francesas em fins do século XIX; a tentação à ação e ao engajamento, numa forma tendencial que caminha para uma crescente aplicação das ciências; e uma progressiva explicitação dos métodos científicos. Face à conjuntura e a determinismos específicos do Brasil, da formação do Estado nacional, da crise das oligarquias e do avanço do capitalismo tardio, as respostas a estas tendências, de uma ciência em contexto de recuperação de suas heranças, mas também de deslocamento, são singulares, e as transformações que a geografia de Pierre Monbeig vai sofrer nesse espaço são institucionais, teóricas e temporalmente específicas. Assim Monbeig elabora raciocínios que, sem negar as heranças e as tensões latentes, estão permeados por resultados diretos em torno da compreensão dos processos geográficos da modernização e da lógica espacial de subdesenvolvimento dos territórios em processo de colonização, e, indiretos, em torno de uma teoria geográfica adaptada às condições do capitalismo brasileiro, que nós denominados como géo-histórica do capitalismo periférico, com base em raciocínios sistêmicos. Por fim, será necessário ressaltar que tais contribuições epistemológicas, se não se anunciaram como uma ruptura às heranças da vertente da geografia francesa que ele adota, constituem, para as ciências humanas, uma fortuna crítica da Geografia desenvolvida no Brasil, pouco reconhecida nos debates historiográficos. / This thesis aims at investigating the emergence of a Brazilian school of Geography whose foundation was built by the French geographer Pierre Monbeig. His years studying at Sorbonne, his yeas spent in Brazil, and even the year in which he published his first contributions on this country (1925-1957) define the period in which Brazilian geography came to be, under his leadership; this was, at the same time, a material and a symbolic process. This research used a geohistory of knowledge that analyses the spheres of slowness, circulation, and ruptures to study a trajectory that is influenced by deep movements of the constitution of the sciences, as well as circumstances of the sciences that eclipse the long-lasting tendencies in the first half of the twentieth century. These long-lasting movements are characterized here as: erosion of literary values, which dominated French sciences in the end of the nineteenth century; temptation to action and engagement, in the form of a tendency towards a growing application of sciences; and a progressive clarification of the scientific method. In face of the situation and of Brazil-specific determinisms, the formation of the national State, the crises of oligarchies, and the advancement of late capitalism, the answers of a science in context of recovering its inheritances, but also of displacement, to these trends are singular and the transformations that Pierre Monbeig\'s geography goes through in this space are institutional, theoretical and temporally specific to that time. Thereby, Monbeig elaborates reasonings that, without denying latent heritage and tension, are direct results of understanding geographical processes of modernization and of the spacial logic of underdevelopment in territories in process of colonization, and by indirect results of a geographical theory adapted to the conditions of Brazilian capitalism, which we denominate a geohistory of the peripheral capitalism based on systemic reasoning. Finally, it is important to point out that these epistemological contributions were not announced as a break with the French geography the author adopts; they constitute, to the humanities, a critical source of information for Geography as it was developed in Brazil, which gets little recognition in historiographic debates.

La première partie de cette thèse est consacrée au problème de partage de ressources réseaux entre les flux multicast. Tout d'abord, nous proposons MFQ (Multicast Fair Queuing), un mécanisme simple de gestion active de files d'attente qui passe à l'échelle et permettant le partage équitable de la bande passante entre les flux multicast et ceci en utilisant une fonction d'équité configurée à l'avance. Ensuite, nous décrivons SBQ (Service Based Queuing), un ordonnanceur simple utilisant deux files d'attentes afin d'améliorer le partage de ressources entre les flux unicast et multicast. Une nouvelle méthode de re-marquage de paquets multicast dans un réseau DiffServ en se basant sur le nombre de membres est également proposée. Les performances de tous ces mécanismes sont évalués pour plusieurs configurations et trafics réels. Les résultats montrent que MFQ permet d'obtenir le partage de la bande passante entre les flux multicast attendu et que SBQ garantie une allocation équitable de ressources réseaux entre les flux unicast et multicast. Enfin, nous décrivons une extension du service multicast permettant le comptage de nombre de membres dans un groupe multicast aussi bien au niveau de la source multicast qu'au niveau des routeurs intermédiaires. La deuxième partie de cette thèse examine le problème de support de l'IP multicast dans les réseaux intégrant des supports de transmission hétérogènes. Dans une première étape, nous considérons les satellites GEO transparent et nous déterminons les adaptations qui doivent être ajoutées aux différents protocoles de routage multicast. Dans une deuxième étape, nous nous focalisons sur le déploiement de l'IP multicast dans la nouvelle génération de satellites GEO supportant les technologies des multiples sopt-beams et de la commutation à bord. Nous proposons une nouvelle méthode d'encapsulation optimisée pour l'IP multicast et nous développons deux approches permettant la commutation des paquets à bord du satellite: l'approche self-routing et l'approche label switching. Nous présentons le protocole SMRP (Satellite Multicast Routing Protocol) qui traite les messages PIM-SM messages reçus par le entités du système. À la fin de cette thèse, nous présentons et nous montrons les avantages d'un nouveau mécanisme de commutation entre les deux modes du protocole PIM-SM. Ce mécanisme utilise une coordination entre les membres concernés par la commutation. De plus, il prend en compte les contraintes réseaux et les besoins de membres.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden verschiedene Randwertprobleme zur Beschreibung der Ausbreitung magnetotellurischer Felder mit Hilfe der Finite-Elemente-Methode numerisch gelöst. Die zwei- und dreidimensionalen Randwertprobleme zur Simulation des elektrischen oder des magnetischen Feldes, des magnetischen Vektorpotentials und des elektrischen Skalarpotentials, des magnetischen Vektorpotentials allein oder des anomalen magnetischen Vektorpotentials werden aus den Maxwell-Gleichungen hergeleitet. Auf Grundlage von Anwendung der Konvergenztheorie auf die Finite-Elemente-Lösung werden Konvergenzstudien für zweidimensionale Modelle des homogenen und des geschichteten Halbraums sowie für das dreidimensionale COMMEMI 3-D-2-Modell durchgeführt. Diese werden genutzt, um die Randwertprobleme hinsichtlich ihrer Effizienz zu bewerten. Außerdem liefern Konvergenzstudien eine Abschätzung des lokalen Fehlers der numerischen Lösung für ein realitätsnahes Modell des Vulkans Stromboli und seiner Umgebung, welches digitale Geländedaten enthält. / This thesis presents the numerical finite-element solution of different formulations of the magnetotelluric boundary value problem. Based on Maxwell\'s equations, the two-dimensional and three-dimensional boundary value problems are derived in terms of the electric or the magnetic field, the magnetic vector and the electric scalar potential, the magnetic vector potential only, or the anomalous magnetic vector potential. To evaluate their efficiency, convergence studies are performed for the two-dimensional models of the homogeneous and the layered halfspace as well as for the COMMEMI-3-D-2 model. Moreover, convergence studies yield estimates of the local error of the numerical solution for a close-to-reality model of Stromboli volcano incorporating digital terrain data.

Das Ziel der Diplomarbeit bestand darin eine Testumgebung zur Orchestrierung von Geo Web Services aufzubauen. Dabei diente die Diplomarbeit "Orchestrierung von Web Services" von Jäger/Weidenhagen als Grundlage. Um ein Verständnis für dieses Gebiet zu bekommen, werden zu Beginn die Grundlagen betrachtet. Rechtliche Aspekte zum Thema Orchestrierung werden angegeben, um die Wichtigkeit des Themas zu unterstreichen. Eingängige Standards wie SOAP und WSDL werden in ihren Kernpunkten erläutert. Insbesondere bei SOAP wird näher darauf eingegangen. Neben den OWS besteht auch die Möglichkeit Geo-Datenbanken in Diensteketten einfließen zu lassen. Dafür werden exemplarisch Dienste aufgesetzt, die dies ermöglichen. Weiterhin werden die Benutzerschnittstellen von Web Services (und auch Diensteketten) untersucht. Die Option eines Clients mittels Scriptsprachen wird beschrieben. Dabei erwies sich PHP am geeignetsten. Auf diese Weise kann für jede Dienstekette eine dynamische Webseite gestaltet werden, die eine graphische Schnittstelle für den Nutzer bietet.