Architectural form offers an expression and an observer receives an impression. This interaction exists at both intellectual (mind) and physical (body) levels. Through designing a sculpture pavilion in a forest, this thesis explores different means of empathetic expression in modern architectural form. / Master of Architecture

Yes / As the EU and UK negotiate a new relationship, this paper explores the welfare implications of this policy change and its interaction with major trade policy initiatives. We evaluate five Brexit scenarios, based on different assumptions regarding Brexit, TTIP and various free trade deals the UK may attempt to broker with the US or Commonwealth countries. We also consider the dynamics of welfare changes over a period of two decades. Our estimates suggest that the impact of Brexit is negative in all policy scenarios, with lower welfare losses under a soft Brexit scenario. The losses are exacerbated if TTIP comes into force, demonstrating the benefits of being a member of a large trade bloc. However, they occur gradually and can be partially compensated by signing new free trade agreements. To further minimise losses, the UK should avoid a hard Brexit.

Yes / This paper explores the effects of non-tariff measures (NTM) on extensive and intensive margins of global exports of seafood in 1996-2011. The main result of this study is the differential and opposite effect of SPS and TBT measures. While SPS measures largely increase extensive margins of export and reduce intensive margins, TBTs mostly reduce exports at extensive margins and increase exports at intensive margins. Specific trade concerns (STC) have larger effect on exports than SPS and TBT notifications, both economically and statistically. Finally, there is substantial heterogeneity of response of exports to NTMs across HS six digit product lines, but the central tendency remains the same as for aggregated data.

Yes / Purpose: To determine whether human ocular lens position is influenced by gravity. Methods: Anterior chamber depth and lens thickness were determined with a Haag-Streit Lenstar LS900 for right eyes of participants in two age groups, with a young group of 13 participants aged 18 to 21 years (mean 21 years, SD 1 year) and an older group of 10 participants aged 50 to 63 years (58 years, 4 years). There were two sessions for each participant separated by at least 48 hours, with one session for the usual upright head position and one session for a downwards head position. In a session, testing was done for minimum accommodation followed by testing at maximum accommodation. A drop of 2% pilocarpine nitrate was instilled, and testing was repeated after 30 minutes under minimum and maximum accommodation conditions. Results: Gravity, manipulated through head posture, affected anterior chamber depth for both young adult and older adult groups but mean effects were only small, ranging from 0.04 to 0.12mm, and for the older group required the instillation of an accommodation-stimulating drug. Gravity had a weakly significant effect on lens thickness for the young group without accommodation or a drug, but the effect was small at 0.04±0.06mm (mean±SD, p = 0.04). Conclusion: There is a small but real effect of gravity on crystalline lens position, manifested as reduction in anterior chamber depth at high levels of accommodative effort with the head in a downwards position. This provides evidence of the ability of zonules to slacken during strong accommodation.

The main goal of this study is the use of polynomial chaos expansion (PCE) to analyze the uncertainty in calculating the lateral and longitudinal center of gravity for a vehicle from static load cell measurements. A secondary goal is to use experimental testing as a source of uncertainty and as a method to confirm the results from the PCE simulation. While PCE has often been used as an alternative to Monte Carlo, PCE models have rarely been based on experimental data. The 8-post test rig at the Virginia Institute for Performance Engineering and Research facility at Virginia International Raceway is the experimental test bed used to implement the PCE model. Experimental tests are conducted to define the true distribution for the load measurement systems' uncertainty. A method that does not require a new uncertainty distribution experiment for multiple tests with different goals is presented. Moved mass tests confirm the uncertainty analysis using portable scales that provide accurate results. The polynomial chaos model used to find the uncertainty in the center of gravity calculation is derived. Karhunen-Loeve expansions, similar to Fourier series, are used to define the uncertainties to allow for the polynomial chaos expansion. PCE models are typically computed via the collocation method or the Galerkin method. The Galerkin method is chosen as the PCE method in order to formulate a more accurate analytical result. The derivation systematically increases from one uncertain load cell to all four uncertain load cells noting the differences and increased complexity as the uncertainty dimensions increase. For each derivation the PCE model is shown and the solution to the simulation is given. Results are presented comparing the polynomial chaos simulation to the Monte Carlo simulation and to the accurate scales. It is shown that the PCE simulations closely match the Monte Carlo simulations. / Master of Science

Bouguer gravity anomalies at 1870 locations on the central Piedmont of Virginia from 37° 37' N to 37° 52' N and 77° 44' W to 78° 23' W display patterns of variation produced by upper crustal density contrasts and thickening of the crust in a WNW direction. No other deep sources are evident. Upper crustal density contrasts are associated with rock units known from geologic mapping. ‘The subsurface distribution of these rock units interpreted from seismic reflection data was confirmed by measured variations in gravity. A two-dimensional model analysis indicates the following average in situ density values for the principal formations: Arvonia Formation-2.77 gm/cc, Columbia Granitoid-2.75 gm/cc (tonalite) and 2.73 gm/cc (pegmatite), Chopawamsic Volcanics- 2.77 gm/cc (felsic units), and 2.79 gm/cc (mafic units}, Catoctin/ Lynchburg-2.815 gm/cc, Maidens Gneiss-2.775 gm/cc, Grenville Basement- 2.71 gm/cc. Gravity and seismic data are consistent with the existence of a major thrust fault at depths between 9 km and 16 km that separates Grenville Basement rocks from younger Catoctin/Lynchburg rocks. The slight eastward dip of this thrust fault beneath the western part of the area increases significantly east of 78° 05' W. Gravity anomalies suggest the existence of several mafic inclusions within the Columbia Granitoid that were not identified by geologic mapping. / Master of Science

This thesis estimates the impact of non-tariff measures (NTMs) notified by the importing countries on agricultural trade. The non-tariff measures constitute the technical measures notified under the SPS and TBT agreements and the non-technical measures to trade. Two approaches are used; the inventory approach and the econometric approach which makes use of the gravity model. The inventory results suggest that African countries face more restrictions on their exports than what they impose on their imports. Also, Uganda, Senegal and Mali are among the top twenty most affected importers. The empirical results suggest that the impact of the overall group on non-tariff measures is ambiguous but when measures are disaggregated into technical and non-technical measures, the results show that the technical measures promote agricultural trade and that the non-technical measures restrict trade. Also, imports of industrialized nations from fellow industrialized nations are promoted by the technical measures but are restricted by non-technical measures, while those from non-industrialized countries are affected negatively by both technical and non-technical measures. Out of the five regions considered, Africa faces the largest negative impact by both technical and non-technical measures. / Master of Science

A new fine-coal cleaning circuit, with potential near-term applications, has been evaluated for treating fine coal (i.e., 28 mesh x 0). This circuit combines a surface-based separator known as Microcel™ column flotation with an enhanced gravity separator known as the Multi-Gravity Separator (MGS). The synergistic effect of combining both processes in a single circuit resulted in improved ash and pyritic sulfur rejection with minimal losses in energy recovery. In addition, technical and economic analyses of this processing scheme suggest it compares favorably with existing post-combustion desulfurization techniques. A detailed study of the MGS included the development of a model based on fundamental principles of fluid mechanics and mineral processing. The theoretical analyses identified drum speed as the most important MGS operating parameter. To validate these findings, a detailed parametric test program was conducted using coal samples from the Pittsburgh No. 8 and Illinois No. 6 seams. A statistical analysis of the test data also showed that drum speed was the most important variable in controlling the performance of the MGS. The other controlling parameters, i.e., feed percent solids, feed rate and wash-water addition rate, were found to be of lesser importance. The experimental test results were found to be in good agreement with the theoretical predictions obtained using the model. / Ph. D.

Inertial navigation systems require a precise knowledge of gravity to function properly. The inability of models to account for the small amplitude, short wavelength components of the gravity field leads to errors which are frequently viewed as random; these random errors can introduce a significant cumulative impact on system performance. A model is studied which, in the context of an appropriate scaling, consists of a gravity field having a known deteministic long scale behavior and an unknown random short scale behavior. The short wavelength random fluctuations are assumed to satisfy a strong mixing (asymptotic independence) property; no a priori stationary or isotropy assumptions are made. Results of Khas'minskii (Theory of Probability and Its Applications, Vol. XI, No. 2, 1966, pp 211-228) are extended and applied. In an appropriate asymptotic limit, the vehicle motion is approximated by the sum of a deterministic trajectory and a Gauss-Markov fluctuation process. / Ph. D.

An appropriate accounting for thinning effects on growth rate and wood quality requires a clear understanding and quantification of these effects. In this regard, four basic interrelated issues were addressed in this study: 1) thinning effects on ring specific gravity 2) thinning effects on ring width distribution 3) thinning effects on stem form, and 4) prediction models for these quantities. The study showed that thinning does not significantly affect ring specific gravity, whereas its effects on ring width distribution and stem form were significant. Thinning increases ring width significantly over most of the tree bole and increases the earlywood and latewood components proportionally maintaining an approximately constant latewood proportion. As a consequence, thinning effects on latewood proportion is not significant; confirming the results obtained in the specific gravity study and further dispelling the concern that thinning may substantially reduce wood specific gravity. Thinning affects stem form by increasing the form exponent especially near the tree base accentuating the neiloid form expected in that area. High up in the stem, the form exponent changes little within a tree and among thinning treatments, with a general tendency towards a paraboloid shape. Differences due to thinning intensities, in general, were not significant indicating the applicability of results within a wide range of densities. Prediction models for ring specific gravity, ring width, latewood proportion and stem profile based on ring, tree, stand and site factors were developed Influences of stand level factors, density measures in particular, in prediction models are minor probably because tree level factors such as, stem diameter at breast height, crown ratio, etc. themselves manifest stand conditions. The mixed-effects analysis technique was used in data analysis to account for correlation among observations from the same subject. Direct covariance modeling yielded better fits than accounting for correlation indirectly using random effects covariates in many cases; however, both could not be accommodated simultaneously. Structures which assume decreasing correlation with increasing distance between observations, such as the first-order autoregressive structure, performed better than alternative specifications. Results consistently showed that accounting for correlation among observations substantially improves the fits over ignoring correlation; effectively addressing the issue of bias in the standard errors of estimates. / Ph. D.