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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
411

Análise da aeração em escoamentos de altas velocidades em calhas de vertedores / Analysis of aeration on the high speed flows in channels of spillways

Brito, Romualdo José Romão 21 February 2011 (has links)
A inserção de ar em escoamentos de altas velocidades ao longo de estruturas hidráulicas é uma técnica bastante eficiente para prevenir a cavitação. A sua importância é majorada quando se considera os custos econômicos e as questões de segurança que estão associadas à estabilidade de uma barragem. No presente trabalho são apresentados equacionamentos para quantificar a entrada de ar em vertedores através de aeradores de fundo. Essas equações foram obtidas utilizando princípios físicos de conservação de massa, energia e quantidade de movimento nos escoamentos de ar e água que ocorrem no aerador, permitindo organizar informações advindas de cada fase. Ressalta-se que buscou-se tornar o equacionamento independente da subpressão do jato, uma vez que esta subpressão é um parâmetro de difícil determinação a priori pelo projetista. Entretanto, toda formulação é direcionada justamente para melhor representar este parâmetro utilizando os princípios físicos clássicos e as variáveis decorrentes da sua utilização. Buscou-se a validação de modelos teóricos obtidos por meio de formulações baseadas nas leis de conservação de massa, quantidade de movimento e energia para aeradores de fundo. Neste contexto, comparam-se os resultados dos equacionamentos propostos e os dados experimentais encontrados na literatura, tendo se verificado boas correlações. Este tipo de quantificação essencialmente teórica de incorporação do ar em aeradores de fundo ainda é raro e o presente trabalho visa contribuir na validação de modelos com estas características. Adicionalmente, efetua-se a comparação com as equações empíricas e semi-empíricas encontradas na literatura. A experiência adquirida na área mostra que esta é a forma mais adequada de abordar o problema. / The introduction of air in flows around bottom aerators in spillways of dams is an efficient technique to prevent cavitation. Its importance is increased when one considers the costs involved and the safety issues that are associated with the stability of a large dam. Equations are presented in this study to quantify the air inlet through bed aerators in flows along spillways. The equations were obtained using the physical principles of conservation of mass, energy and momentum in both the flows of air and water in the aerator, allowing to organize the information obtained from each phase. It was possible to show the parameters that are relevant for quantifying the induced air flow in bed aerators. In addition, a comparison was conducted between the equations resulting from this analysis and empirical and semi-empirical expressions found in the literature. It is noteworthy to mention that one of the objectives of this study was to obtain a final equation independent of the relative pressure under the jet, since this low pressure is a parameter difficult to determine a priori by the designer. However, the entire formulation was directed precisely to better represent this parameter using the principles of classical physics and the variables arising from their use. The experience acquired in this area shows that this is the most appropriate way to address this problem.
412

Estimativa de impacto de mudanças climáticas nos níveis do aquífero livre em zona de recarga do sistema Aquífero Guarani / Climate change impact assessment on unconfined aquifer levels in the Guarani Aquifer System outcrop zone

Melo, Davi de Carvalho Diniz 03 July 2013 (has links)
A exploração acelerada das águas subterrâneas pode acarretar em problemas de disponibilidade de água. Esse problema tende a ser acentuado devido as mudanças no clima previstas para as próximas décadas. Nesse contexto, este trabalho buscou avaliar os possíveis impactos das mudanças climáticas e do uso do solo sobre níveis de água subterrânea em zona de afloramento do Sistema Aquífero Guarani. Foram utilizadas simulações de Modelos de Circulação Global (MCG) como dados de entrada para um modelo transiente de fluxo hídrico subterrâneo, visando avaliar o comportamento dos nveis de água sob diferentes condições climáticas. Este modelo foi calibrado utilizando dados de níveis freáticos em seis poços localizados na bacia do Ribeirão da Onça (BRO). A partir de dados climáticos observados, estimou-se a recarga, usada como input no modelo matematico, em diversos tipos de cultura por meio do balanço hídrico. As maiores alterações nas médias pluviométricas mensais foram projetadas, pela maioria dos modelos climáticos, para ocorrer no perodo seco. No perodo chuvoso, as previsões indicaram que essas médias devem diminuir em torno de 50%. Quase 70% dos cenários climáticos geraram, no modelo transiente, variações dos nveis freáticos abaixo daqueles medidos no monitoramento entre 2004 e 2011. Em setores da área de estudo, o rebaixamento da superfície potenciométrica, simulada sob condições climáticas mais extremas previstas por alguns modelos, ultrapassou 10 m. Os cenários mais otimistas, embora tenham resultado em elevações dos níveis de água em mais metade da BRO, também geraram rebaixamentos de até 5 m. Os resultados reforçam a necessidade do contínuo monitoramento hidrogeológico, principalmente em áreas de recarga do SAG, e do desenvolvimento de outros trabalhos que quantiquem os impactos das mudanças climáticas, aplicando diferentes métodos de estimativa de recarga e downscaling. / The unsustainable use groundwater in many countries might cause water availability restrictions. Such issues are likely to worsen due to changes in climate, predicted for the incoming decades. In this context, the objective of this work was to assess possible climate and land use changes impacts on groundwater levels in the Guarani Aquifer System\'s (GAS) outcrop zone. Global Climate Models\' (GCM) outputs were used as inputs in a transient ux groundwater model. Thus, groundwater table uctuation could be evaluated under distinct climatic conditions. Six monitoring wells, located in the Ribeir~ao da Onca basin (ROB), provided water table measurements to calibrate the groundwater model. Using observed climatic data, a water budget method was applied to estimate recharge in dierent types of land uses. Statistically downscaled future climate scenarios were used as inputs in that same recharge model, which provided the inputs for SPA. Most of the GCMs used here predict temperature arises over 2°C. Major monthly rainfall mean changes are projected by the GCM great majority to take place in the dry season. During wet seasons, the predictions indicate those means might experience around 50% decrease. Water table variations, derived from the transient model under almost 70% of the climate scenarios, were below of those measured between 2004 and 2011. Few GCM predicted more extreme climate scenarios. In some regions of the study area and under these conditions, groundwater surface would decline more than 10 m. Although more optimistic scenarios resulted in an increase of groundwater levels in more than half of ROB, these would cause up to 5 m water table decline. The results reinforce the need for a permanent hydrogeological monitoring, mainly in the GAS recharge areas, along with the development of other climate change impacts assessment works using dierent downscaling and recharge estimates methods.
413

Determinação da dinâmica de nitrogênio no solo por coluna de lixiviação resultante do descarte de efluentes provenientes de uma indústria de nitrocelulose da Região do Vale do Rio Paraíba do Sul / Determination of soil nitrogen dynamic in leaching columns due to the discharging of a nitrocellulose wastes of an industry at the region valey of the Paraíba do Sul river

Garcia, William Vilar 19 June 2009 (has links)
A aplicação de efluentes industriais no solo não pode ser feita de modo indiscriminado. Dependendo dos processos utilizados pela indústria, os efluentes resultantes podem ocasionar efeitos indesejáveis ao meio ambiente de uma maneira geral. Efluentes nitrocelulósicos gerados por indústrias de explosivos contém nitrogênio em diferentes formas. O nitrogênio aplicado ao solo se desloca com facilidade para além da zona radicular, podendo atingir águas subterrâneas e causar sérios riscos ao ambiente. Mais especificamente, a movimentação do nitrogênio foi estudada considerando-se a influência de diferentes tipos de solo, pH do solo, adição de fosfatos ao solo e pH do efluente. Também foi aplicado o modelo matemático STANMOD aos dados obtidos para simulação da movimentação. A recuperação de N foi semelhante nos horizontes A e B de ambos os solos. A diminuição do pH do solo resultou em menores quantidades de nitrogênio recuperado. Na coluna LA-B ACID foi recuperado seis vezes menos nitrogênio quando comparado ao LA-B BASE. A adição de fosfato ao solo não resultou em maior recuperação de nitrogênio na maioria das colunas. Porém, na coluna LA-B ACID+FOSF, a quantidade recuperada foi aproximadamente duas vezes maior em relação ao LAB ACID. A correção do pH do efluente não resultou alterações substanciais nas quantidades de nitrogênio recuperadas em relação às colunas que receberam efluente sem correção de pH. A DQO do efluente aplicado no topo da coluna aumentou de 86 mg O2 L-1 para valores entre 200 a 800 mg O2 L-1 quando percolado pelo solo. A correção do pH do efluente para 7,0, resultou em diminuição de aproximadamente 3 vezes da DQO do líquido percolado na maioria das colunas. Porém, na coluna quando se adicionou carbonato ao solo (LA-B BASE), houve aumento da DQO em relação ao LA-B efluente pH 7,0. Esse resultado é preocupante em condições práticas de utilização agrícola desses efluentes, uma vez que a adição de carbonatos é um manejo amplamente empregado na agricultura. As análises de DNA do solo LA-B demonstraram uma baixa quantidade de DNA. A aplicação da modelo matemático STANMOD resultou em bom ajuste entre as curvas de transposição simuladas e obtidas experimentalmente para a maioria das colunas analisadas (significância de 1%). Tais resultados indicam o STANMOD como uma ferramenta promissora na quantificação da movimentação de nitrogênio no solo. / The application of industrial effluents in the soil cannot be done indiscriminately. Depending on the processes used by the industry, the resulting effluents may cause undesirable effects on the environment in general. Nitrocellulosic effluents generated by explosive industries contain different forms of nitrogen. When it is applied on the soil, it easily shifts over the radicular zone, which allows it to reach underground waters, so causing serious damages to the environment. More specifically, the nitrogen movement will be studied taking into consideration the influence of the different kinds of soil, the soil pH, phosphate addition and the effluent pH. It was also applied the STANMOD mathematical model to the obtained data to simulate the nitrogen movement. The nitrogen recovering was similar for A and B horizons of both soils. The soil pH decrease resulted in low quantities of nitrogen recovered. At the LA-B ACID column, it was recovered six fold less nitrogen than at the LA-B BASE column. The addition of phosphate to the soil did not increase the nitrogen recover in most of the columns. However, at the LA-B ACID+FOSF column, the recovered nitrogen quantities were two fold higher than at the LA-B ACID. The correction of the effluent pH did not result in substantial changes in recovered nitrogen quantities compared with the columns that received effluents without pH correction. The DQO of the effluent applied on the column top increased from 86 mg O2 L-1 to values between 200 and 800 mg O2 L-1 when leachate by the soil. The effluent pH correction to 7.0, resulted in DQO decrease of about tree fold in the leachate liquid in the most of the columns. But at the column where carbonate was added (LA-B BASE), there was a DQO increase, compared with LA-B pH 7.0 effluent. This result is worrying in practical conditions of agricultural use of those effluents, since the carbonate addiction is a widely used practice. The LA-B soil DNA analysis showed a low quantity of this nucleic material. The SANMOD mathematical model application resulted in good fit between simulated and experimentally obtained breakthrough curves data for the most of the analyzed columns (1% of significance). Those results indicate the STANMOD mathematical model as a promising tool in nitrogen movement quantification in soil.
414

Mathematical Programming Approach for the Design of Satellite Power Systems

Flath, Allen, III 01 January 2019 (has links)
Satellite power systems can be understood as islanded dc microgrids supplied by specialized and coordinated solar cell arrays augmented by electrochemical battery systems to handle high-power loads and periods of eclipse. The periodic availability of power, the limited capacity of batteries, and the dependence of all mission service on power consumption create a unique situation in which temporal power and energy scarcity exist. A multi-period model of an orbital satellite power system’s performance over a mission’s duration can be constructed. A modular power system architecture is used to characterize the system’s constraints. Using mathematical programming, an optimization problem can be posed such that the optimal power and energy ratings for the power system are determined for any load schedule imposed by a given mission’s requirements. The optimal energy trajectory of the electrical power system over a mission’s duration is also determined when the mathematical programming problem is solved. A generic set of mission requirements is identified to test this approach, but the objective function of the resulting optimization problem can be modified to return different results. These results can provide a clear illustration of the trade-offs that designers of such power systems consider in the design process.
415

Modeling and methods of biomechanical heart signals processing using the conditional cyclic random process / Modélisation et méthodes de traitement des signaux biomécaniques cardiaques en utilisant le processus conditionnel cyclique aléatoire

Lutsyk, Nadiia 20 September 2016 (has links)
Ce travail a été réalisé en cotutelle entre l'Université Nationale de Technologie de Ternopil Ivan Pul'uj (TNTU, Ukraine) et l’Université Blaise Pascal (France). Il appartient au domaine scientifique de la biomécanique et de l'informatique. Le but de l'étude est de développer les modèles et les méthodes de traitement des signaux biomécaniques cardiaques par les systèmes de diagnostic assisté par ordinateur avec une précision accrue, informativité et de la complexité de calcul inférieure. La méthode d'analyse statistique du rythme cardiaque a été mise au point. Cette méthode possède une plus grande précision et informativité par rapport aux méthodes connues d'analyse du rythme cardiaque. Dans cette thèse, le logiciel existant de l'analyse des signaux cardiaques biomécaniques a été améliorée par l'ajout de nouveaux modules logiciels, qui mettent en œuvre les nouvelles méthodes de l'analyse du rythme cardiaque et de l'analyse morphologique des signaux cardiaques biomécaniques. / This work has been performed under the co-tutelle agreement between Ternopil Ivan Pul’uj National Technical University in Ternopil (TNTU, Ukraine) and the University Blaise Pascal in Clermont-Ferrand (France). It belongs to the scientific field of biomechanics and informatics. The aim of the study is to develop the mathematical models and methods of the processing of biomechanical heart signals in computer-based diagnostic systems with increased accuracy, informativeness and lower computational complexity. The method of statistical analysis of heart rhythm was developed, which is characterised by higher accuracy and informativeness compared with the known methods of heart rhythm analysis. In this thesis, the existing software of the analysis of biomechanical heart signals was improved by means of adding new software modules that implement the new methods of the analysis of heart rhythm and morphologic analysis of biomechanical heart signals.
416

A study of the cutting performance in multipass abrasive waterjet machining of alumina ceramics with controlled nozzle oscillation

Zhong, Yu, Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, UNSW January 2008 (has links)
An experimental investigation has been undertaken to study the depth of cut in multipass abrasive waterjet (AWJ) cutting of an 87% alumina ceramic with controlled nozzle oscillation. The experimental data have been statistically analysed to study the trends of the depth of cut with respect to the process parameters. It has been found that multipass cutting with controlled nozzle oscillation can significantly increase the depth of cut. Within the same cutting time and using the same cutting parameters other than the jet traverse speed, it has been found that multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation can increase the depth of cut by an average of 74.6% as compared to single pass cutting without nozzle oscillation. Furthermore, a multipass cutting with higher nozzle traverse speeds can achieve a larger depth of cut than a single pass cutting at a low traverse speed within the same cutting time. A recommendation has been made for the selection of appropriate process parameters for multipass cutting with nozzle oscillation. In order to estimate the depth of cut on a mathematical basis, predictive models for the depth of cut in multipass cutting with and without nozzle oscillation have been developed using a dimensional analysis technique. The model development starts with the models for single pass cutting which are then extended to multipass cutting where considerations are given to the change of the actual standoff distance after each pass and the variation of kerf width. These predictive models has been numerically studied for their plausibility by assessing their predicted trends with respect to the various process variables, and verified qualitatively and quantitatively based on the experimental data. The model assessment reveals that the developed models correlate very well with the experimental results and can give adequate predictions of this cutting performance measure in process planning.
417

Design, Development And Flight Control Of Sapthami - A Fixed Wing Micro Air Vehicle

Satak, Neha 12 1900 (has links)
Two micro air vehicles, namely Sapthami and Sapthami-flyer, are developed in this thesis. Their total weight is less than 200grams each. They fit inside a 30cm and 32cm sphere respectively and carry the commercially available Kestrel autopilot hardware. The vehicles have an endurance of around 20-30 minutes. The stall speed of Sapthami is around 7m/s and that of Sapthami-flyer is around 5m/s as found by nonlinear modeling. The low stall speed makes it possible for them to be launched by hand. This enhances their portability as they do not require any launching equipment. The vehicle installed with Kestrel autopilot system is capable of many modes of operations. It is capable of fully autonomous flight with the aid of a variety of sensors like the GPS unit, heading sensor, 2-axis magnetometer, 3-axis accelerometer and 3-axis gyros. The vehicle carrying the Kestrel autopilot hardware is capable of autonomous and semi-autonomous flights after installation and tuning of feedback loops. Sapthami, is a tailless flying wing with an inverse zimmermann profile. A flying wing is a preferred configuration for the MAV as it maximizes the lifting area for a given size constraint. For a maximum size constraint of 30cm and aspect ratio around 1, the vehicle operates at Reynolds number between 100,000 to 250,000, at flight velocity 7 m/s to 15 m/s. The Inverse Zimmerman profile has a higher lift coefficient, CL, in comparison to the other planforms such as rectangular, elliptical and Zimmermann, for aspect ratio 1 to 1.25 and tested at Reynolds number of 100,000. The configuration of Sapthami is clean as there is no fuselage and all the components like autopilot hardware and battery are housed inside the wing. A thick reflex Martin Hepperle (MH) airfoil MH18 is chosen which gives sufficient space to place the components. This airfoil is specially used for tailless configurations due to its negative camber at the trailing edge. This negative camber helps in reducing the negative pitching moment of the wing, since no separate horizontal tail is available on a tailless aircraft to compensate for it. The vehicle is fabricated using the blue foam, having a density of 30kg/m3 . The wing is fabricated by CNC machining after which slots are cut manually to embed the electronics. The vehicle is found to have stable flying characteristics. Limited flight trials are done for Sapthami. It takes large time to fabricate the vehicle due to limited availability of CNC machining facility. Therefore, a new tailless, wing-fuselage configuration, which can be fabricated with balsa wood, is designed. Sapthami-flyer is the second vehicle designed in this thesis. Its wing span is slightly more than Sapthami. Since it is a wing-fuselage configuration, therefore there is no need for a thick airfoil. Mark drela’s AG airfoils are found to have better lift than MH airfoils for the inverse Zimmerman profile. The thickness of the airfoils is reduced to 1% so that the wing can be made by a 1.5mm thick balsa sheet to reduce weight. The inverse Zimmermann profile wing with the AG09 airfoil is found to have best lift-to-drag ratio when compared to AG36, MH45 and MH18. The analysis is done using commercially available AVL software. AG09 with 1% thickness is used in the final configuration. This configuration has better short period damping than Sapthami. It also has slower modes of operation than Sapthami. The operating modes of most of the MAVs, including Sapthami and Sapthami-flyer, are lowly damped but fast. This makes it difficult for the pilot to fly the vehicle. To improve the flying qualities of the vehicle artificial stabilization is required. The feedback is implemented on the Kestrel autopilot hardware. It allows only PID based feedback structures to be implemented, hence gives no choice to the designer to implement higher order control. The digital integrator and differentiator implementation for feedback are non-ideal. This further reduces the effectiveness of control. The problem is dealt with by incorporating the additional dynamics introduced by these implementation while formulating the control problem. Further the modeling of the micro air vehicle is done by using vortex lattice simulation based softwares. The fidelity of the obtained dynamics is low. Therefore, there is high uncertainty in the plant model. The controller also needs to reject the wind gust disturbances which are of the order of the flight speed of the vehicle. All the above stated requirements from the control design can be best addressed by a robust control design. Sapthami-flyer uses aileron and elevator for control. There is no rudder in the configuration in order to reduce weight. In the longitudinal dynamics, pitch rate and pitch error feedback to elevator are used to increase the short period and phugoid damping respectively. In the lateral dynamics, a combination of roll rate, yaw rate and roll error feedback is given to aileron to improve the dutch roll damping and stabilize the spiral mode. The feedback loops for both longitudinal and lateral dynamics are multi-output single input design problems, therefore simultaneous tuning of loops is beneficial. The PID control is designed by first converting the actual plant to a static output feedback equivalent plant. The dynamics introduced by non-ideal differentiator and integrator implementation on the autopilot hardware are incorporated in the open loop static output feedback formulation. The robust pole placement for the SOF plant is done by using the modified iterative matrix inequality algorithm developed in this thesis. It is capable of multi-loop, multi-objective feedback design for SOF plants. The algorithm finds the optimal solution by simultaneously putting constraints on the H2 performance, pole placement, gain and phase margin of the closed loop system. The pole placement is done to minimize the real part of largest eigenvalue. A single controller is designed at a suit-able operating point and constraints are put on the gain and phase margin of the closed loop plant at other operating points. The designed controller is tested in flight on board Sapthami-flyer. The vehicle is also capable of tracking commanded pitch and roll attitude with the help of pitch error, roller or feedbacks. This is shown in the flight when the pilot leaves the RC stick and the vehicle tracks the desired attitude. The vehicle has shown improved flying characteristics in the closed loop mode.
418

Modeling Of Dust Loaded Electrical Characteristics And Collection Efficiency Of Industrial Electrostatic Precipitators

Jayan, M V 07 1900 (has links)
With the increase in population and industrial growth, the need for power has increased manifold. A major share of India’s power generation is coal-based generation. Thermal power generation through coal combustion produces minute particles of ash that causes serious environmental problems. Most of the thermal power stations in India use bituminous coal and produce large quantities of fly ash. Fly ash is produced primarily by thermal power plants and, to a lesser extent, by cement and steel plants and railways. This poses problems in the form of land use, health hazards, and environmental dangers. Today the fly ash from thermal power plants is utilized to make cement. Cement industry needs fly ash with more fine particles. If these fine particles (of diameter in micro-meter range) are left out to atmosphere, it will be easily breathed into lungs, creating health hazard to human as well as animal life. If properly collected, it forms a valuable by product. Hence collecting fly ash is important to reduce pollution and also to increase revenue. Even though there are many devices like cyclones, fabric filters etc. the Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) is the most efficient device to capture the fly ash. It is at this juncture a need for such a simple ESP model was felt to facilitate prediction of the V-I characteristics of dust loaded precipitators, be it cement dust or fly ash. Given the fact that 99% of Indian ESPs are operated under DC energization and most of them are running inefficiently due to lack of proper diagnostic tools and also due to lack of interest to invest on an ESP. In such circumstances, the free availability of a simple model that combines the V-I curves with collection efficiency serves to improve the ESP performance in our Indian industries. In an ESP Voltage-Current (V-I) characteristics are used to diagnose any electrical problems occurring in it. Mathematical model of V-I characteristics under clean air and dust laden conditions will be helpful in diagnosing the ESP problems as well as in designing the ESP. The model will also indirectly reflect upon the collection efficiency of the ESP. The collection efficiency should be as high as possible not only to prevent pollution but also to collect maximum fly ash which is a valuable by-product. The modeling of collection efficiency will help the industries to design a new precipitator as well as to improve the performance the collection efficiency to meet the changing restrictions set by the government to reduce pollution. In this thesis a mathematical model of ESP based on Finite Difference Method is developed. The modeling is done in three sections. 1. Simulation of clean air V-I characteristics. 2. Simulation of dust laden V-I characteristics. 3. Simulation of collection efficiency. Simulation of clean air V-I characteristics is done by iteratively solving the Poisson’s equation and current continuity equation, using FDM in one quarter region of the ESP. Just by introducing the effect of particle charge into this solution the dust laden V-I characteristics are simulated. Finally, the collection efficiency is calculated using average charge density at the plates obtained from the above solution. The developed model is validated at first against published experimental and simulated data and then, with the data obtained through conduction of experiments, by the author, on commercial precipitators situated at a thermal power station and a cement plant, in India. The thesis discusses in detail these theoretical and experimental studies.
419

Mathematical models for the control of Argulus foliaceus in UK stillwater trout fisheries

McPherson, Nicola J. January 2013 (has links)
Species of Argulus are macro-, ecto-parasites known to infect a wide variety of fish, but in the UK mainly cause problems in rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and brown trout (Salmo trutta). Argulus foliaceus is estimated to have caused problems in over 25% of stillwater trout fisheries in the UK. While A. foliaceus does not usually cause high levels of mortality, the parasite affects fish welfare, and also makes fish harder to catch due to morbidity and reduced appetite. This can cause severe economic problems for the fishery, resulting in reduced angler attendance due to poor capture rates and the reduced aesthetic appearance of fish; in the worst-case scenario this can result in the closure of the fishery. Current methods of control include chemical treatment with chemotherapeutant emamectin benzoate (Slice), physical intervention with egg-laying boards which are removed periodically and cleaned in order to reduce the number of parasites hatching into the environment, and the complete draining and liming of the lake to remove all free-living and egg stages of the parasite. While these treatments have all been shown to reduce parasite numbers, none are known to have resulted in permament eradication of the parasite. There is evidence to suggest that A. foliaceus will eventually develop resistance to Slice - the only currently available chemical treatment against the infection - and egg-laying boards and the draining and liming of the lake are both time- and labour-intensive. Previous studies have shown that slow fish turnover is a risk factor with respect to A. foliaceus infections, and with a wide variety of stocking practices occurring in the UK one of the first aims of this project was to determine their impact on the host-parasite dynamics. Mathematical models provide a cost-effective way of examining the impact of such practices, and after a literature review (chapter one), in chapter two a three-compartment mathematical model was adapted for use in the A. foliaceus-trout system. Four generalised stocking methods were then incorporated and analysed, and a minimum threshold host density was found to be necessary to sustain the parasite. Including a function which reduced the capture rate as the parasite burden increased allowed the parasite to survive at a lower host density, as susceptible fish were removed from the water at a slower rate, and attached parasites also remained in the water for longer. This resulted in hysteresis in the model, as the invasion threshold for the parasite remained the same, but once established the parasite became harder to eradicate, requiring significant reductions in the host density. In chapter three the model was further developed in order to improve its biological real- ism. Several features were added and these included: natural host mortalities, a separate compartment for the parasite egg population, and parasite survival after the natural or parasite-induced mortality of its host. In chapter four seasonality was added by incorporating temperature-dependent egg-laying rates and an over-wintering period during which the parasite was unable to reproduce. The model was then fit to the available data, and estimates for the rate of parasite-induced host mortalities and the parasite’s rate of attachment to a host were found. In chapter five we returned to stocking methods, this time looking at the frequency and timing of stocking events and the impact of imposing a rod limit (whereby anglers are only permitted to capture four fish per visit); it was concluded that while current guidelines suggest that very frequent trickle stocking is recommended when dealing with Argulus spp. infections, monthly stocking does not appear to worsen the infection, and if the fish capture rate is high then less-frequent stocking may also be permissable - particularly if stocking occurs towards the end of the year when the parasite is no longer active. This practice may, however, be detrimental to the fishery due to low fish densities in the summer months. In chapter six treatment with Slice was included in the model, and it was demonstrated that with constant treatment, and in the absence of reservoir hosts and a withdrawal period from the drug prior to stocking treated fish into the fishery, the parasite was eradicated. Under current veterinary cascade guidelines, however, trout are required to undergo a withdrawal period of 500 degree days prior to being made available for human consumption. When this was included in the model the drug still decreased parasite abundance, but did not eradicate it - this is in agreement with results reported by communications with fishery managers currently treating fish with Slice. A reduction in the withdrawal period of 25% was shown to further decrease parasite abundance, but still did not result in parasite extinction. As constant treatment with Slice is not advisable due to the potential for resistance build-up, we then sought to find time at which to apply a single treatment of Slice, and found that this was in August when the temperature was highest and the parasite was reproducing and attaching to hosts quickly. Egg-laying boards were also incorporated into the model and similarly to findings by Fenton et al. [11] the success of this treatment was mostly dependent on the proportion of eggs being laid on the boards (as opposed to natural substrates). In contrast with the A. coregoni system, however, the boards would have to be cleaned and replaced more frequently that once per year, as several cohorts of A. foliaceus emerge during a single year.
420

Transporto priemonių poreikio modeliavimas krovinių vežimo logistikos grandyje / Modelling the demand for vehicles in the logistic chain of freight transportation

Lingaitienė, Olga 11 December 2006 (has links)
The present work focusses on the rational and complex use of land and water transport, depending on the type of goods, technical charakteristics of particular transport facilieties (speed, capacity, environmental pollution, fuel consumption, etc.) and the particular means of transport (automobiles, rail transport or ships).

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