Golden-mantled ground squirrels (Citellus lateralis Say) typically inhabit coniferous forest regions, but they occasionally occur in desert shrub habitats. The principal purpose of this study was to observe activities of mantled squirrels in a sagebrush community, and to ascertain factors which contribute to their success in an unusually arid habitat. Squirrels of this community belong to the subspecies C. l. lateralis; however, intergradation between typical C. l. lateralis and C. l. castanurus is evident. This community is in the Wasatch Mountains at an elevation of 5,750 feet, and in the Upper Sonoran Zone. These three conditions were not previously recorded for members of this subspecies.

Banded iron formations (BIFs) are iron oxide- and silica-rich chemical sedimentary rocks and the principal source of high-grade (HG) iron ore. Magnetic survey methods are commonly applied in the exploration for BIF-hosted iron ore deposits but the interpretation of total magnetic intensity (TMI) data is often complicated by the presence of strong remanent magnetization and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). This study evaluated a tri-axial fluxgate vector magnetometer system for ground-based high-resolution mapping of BIF-hosted HG iron ore deposits at a 16 ha site near Mary River, Baffin Island. Magnetometer orientation was measured using a MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical System) accelerometer and dual D-GPS receivers. 12-oriented block samples were collected for analysis of rock magnetic properties and supplemented with outcrop measurements using a hand-held susceptibility probe. The large (3 Gauss) dynamic range of the tri-axial vector magnetometer permitted mapping of HG magnetite ore zones, with TMI in excess of 400,000 nT. A 20 m-wide W-E trending HG zone and a narrow (<10 m) BIF zone were identified in RMV maps with distinctive dipole signatures. Within the HG zone a northwest-southeast oriented magnetic fabric was defined by linear magnetic lows that offset the strike of the HG ore zone and were interpreted as brittle faults or shear zones. The RMV orientation indicated the presence of strong bedding parallel magnetization, while its signal amplitude showed a wide variation between ore types and provided basis for ore grade differentiation. Paleomagnetic measurements revealed high Q ratios for hematite ores and strong AMS for BIF. The results from Mary River demonstrate that remanence and AMS effects are important in BIF-hosted iron ores and cannot be neglected in magnetic interpretation and inversion modelling of magnetic source bodies. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

<p> The thaw rates of the active layer above the permafrost zone from a series of sites along the Hudson Bay coastline at lat. 56° have been examined with respect to temperature and moisture gradients, the characteristics of the surface layer and the bulk thermal properties for each profile. The thermal properties have been examined using firstly a Fourier approach with the parameter of degree days and using secondly a graphical approach employing thermal relationships obtained in the laboratory analyses by Kersten (1949).</p> <p> It was found that thaw rates are controlled by the interaction of a number of environmental factors of which vegetation appears to be the most important.</p> <p> The two approaches to the derivation of thermal properties give quite different results, such that the graphical approach is deemed to be unsuitable to field application.</p> / Thesis / Bachelor of Science (BSc)

Little is known about how healthy aging impacts figure-ground (FG) perception, which is critical in organizing complex visual input into coherent figures. Inhibitory-suppression is thought to be critical in resolution between competing FG interpretations. Given the age-related changes to inhibitory cortical mechanisms, my thesis investigated the hypothesis that processes underlying FG organization are impaired in aging. We explored the effects of age on the convexity context effect (CCE): the tendency to perceive convex regions as figural [i.e., P(Convex=Figure)] increases with surrounding convex and concave regions. In Chapter 2, we observed that adding context by increasing region number, increased P(Convex=Figure) in younger and older observers, but this CCE was significantly reduced in older adults. Reducing competition between perceptual interpretations by heterogeneously colouring convex regions, thereby invalidating the alternative {Concave=Figure} stimulus interpretation, greatly increased P(Convex=Figure) in older observers. These results supported the notion that aging impairs FG organization, particularly in relatively high competition contexts. In Chapter 3, we explored the possibility that reduced presumption of depth in our stimuli might explain the reduced the CCE in older observers by adding texture motion to region fills consistent with depth in the stimulus. The results were inconsistent with the hypothesis, but supported the reduced inhibitory-suppression hypothesis of the age effect. In Chapter 4, we explored the neural activation associated with the processing mechanisms underlying the resolution of FG competition. The results indicated that the N250 in younger observers but not older observers is sensitive to high vs. low competition contexts. Furthermore, individual differences in this N250-competition effect were correlated with the behavioural effect of competition. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the processing underlying FG organization is impaired in senescence, which may stem from reduced efficacy of the neural architecture supporting this ability. Various implications of this work are discussed. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The analysis of human movement is important for diagnosis of as wellas planning and evaluating treatments of disorders or injuries affectingmovement. Optical motion capture combined with force plates provideaccurate measurements, but are confined to laboratory settings limiting theirpotential usefulness in clinical applications. Efforts are made to movemeasurements out of the laboratory making them more accessible, cheaperand easier to use for healthcare providers. This work aimed to assess thefeasibility of doing motion analysis with a wearable system consisting ofIMUs and pressure insole sensors, while also developing a methodology thatcould be used for subsequent validation. Six subjects performed walking, sideskipping, squats, chair stands and a balance exercise, while data was collectedsimultaneously from the wearable system and optical motion capture withforce plates. For demonstration, data from one example subject was analysedand included in this work. The wearable system showed promising results formeasuring ground reaction force. Center of pressure errors were relativelyhigh, likely influenced by the choice of method for coordinate transformationbetween the systems. Joint angle errors varied from low to very high fordifferent trials. Ankle dorsiflexion angle showed low errors and pelvis tiltangle high errors for all motion types. There is a need to investigate thecause for these high errors before more measurements are conducted. Themethodology presented in this work can, with a few recommended changes,be used for future validation of the wearable motion analysis system.

Inledning: Löpning är en effektiv träningsform som blir alltmer populär, tyvärr är skaderisken relativ hög med en incidens på 37% per år. Låg stegfrekvens samt en hög vertical ground reaction force, vGRF, vilket betyder den vertikala kraften kroppen utsätts för i fotisättningen är associerad med en ökad skaderisk. Löpstegskorrigering används idag som en behandlingsintervention vid löprelaterade skador och det råder idag konsensus i forskningen om att olika typer av muntliga instruktioner är ett effektivt sätt att korrigera löpteknik för att minska skaderisken. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka två olika instruktioner för löpstegskorrigering hos unga kvinnor. Metod: Sex kvinnliga löpare fick springa på löpband med kraftmätningssulor på sig och erhålla de två olika instruktionerna “Spring tyst” samt “Sträck på dig och försök att inte böja i höften” där kadens och kraftisättning jämfördes mellan de båda instruktionerna. Resultat: Resultatet visade inte på någon förändring gällande kadens för någon av instruktionerna. Gällande kraftimpuls sågs en ökning av kraft vid instruktionen “Sträck på dig och försök att inte böja i höften” och en marginell minskning i kraftimpuls vid instruktionen “Spring tyst”. Konklusion: Ingen av instruktionerna visade sig vara effektiva för att minska vGRF eller öka kadens. Den minskning som sågs i vGRF med instruktionen ”Spring tyst” är för liten för att dra någon slutsats från och mer forskning krävs därför på området. Med förslag på justeringar skulle studieupplägget från denna pilotstudie kunna fungera för en fullskalig studie.

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There is a lack of precise and universally accepted approach in the quantification of carbon sequestered in aboveground woody biomass using remotely sensed data. Drafting of the Kyoto Protocol has made the subject of carbon sequestration more important, making the development of accurate and cost-effective remote sensing models a necessity. There has been much work done in estimating aboveground woody biomass from spectral data using the traditional multiple linear regression analysis approach and the Finnish k-nearest neighbor approach, but the accuracy of these methods to estimate biomass has not been compared. The purpose of this study is to compare the ability of these two methods in estimating above ground biomass (AGB) using spectral data derived from Landsat ETM+ imagery.

Mobility modeling is a critical step in the ground vehicle acquisition process for military vehicles. Mobility modeling tools, and in particular the NATO Reference Mobility Model (NRMM), have played a critical role in understanding the mission-level capabilities of ground vehicles. This understanding via modeling supports not only developers during early vehicle design but also decision makers in the field previewing the capabilities of ground vehicles in real-world deployments. Due to decades of field testing and operations, mobility modeling for traditional ground vehicles is well-understood; however, mobility modeling tools for evaluating autonomous mobility are sparse. Therefore, this dissertation proposes and derives a Reference Autonomous Mobility Model (RAMM). The RAMM leverages cutting-edge modeling and simulation tools to build a mobility model that serves as the mission-level mobility modeling tool currently lacking in the unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) community, thereby filling the current analysis gap in the autonomous vehicle acquisition cycle. The RAMM is built on (1) a thorough review of theories of verification and validation of simulations, (2) a novel framework for validating simulations of autonomous systems and (3) the mobility modeling framework already established by the NRMM. These building blocks brought to light the need for new, validated modeling and simulation (M&S) tools capable of simulating, at a highidelity, autonomous unmanned ground vehicle operations. This dissertation maps the derivation of the RAMM, starting with a history of verification of simulation models and a literature review of current autonomous mobility modeling methods. In light of these literature reviews, a new framework for V&V of simulations of autonomous systems is proposed, and the requirements for and derivation of the RAMM is presented. This dissertation concludes with an example application of the RAMM for route planning for autonomous UGVs. Once fully developed, the RAMM will serve as an integral part in the design, development, testing and evaluation, and ultimate fielding of autonomous UGVs for military applications.

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