The communication range between a civilian Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and a Ground Control Station (GCS) is affected by the government regulations that determine the use of frequency bands and constrain the amount of power in those frequencies. The application of multiple UAVs in search and rescue operations for example demands a reliable, long-range inter-UAV communication. The inter-UAV communication is the ability of UAVs to exchange data among themselves, thus forming a network in the air. This ability could be used to extend the range of communication by using a decentralized routing technique in the network. To provide this ability to a fleet of autonomous dirigible UAVs being developed at the University of Ottawa, a new communication framework was introduced and implemented. Providing a true mesh networking based on a novel routing protocol, the framework combines long-range radios at 900 MHz Industrial, Scientific and Medical (ISM) band with the software integrated into the electronics platform of each dirigible. With one radio module per dirigible the implemented software provides core functionalities to each UAV, such as exchanging flight control commands, telemetry data, and photos with any other UAV in a decentralized network or with the GCS. We made use of the advanced networking tools of the radio modules to build capabilities into the software for route tracing, traffic prioritization, and minimizing self-interference. Initial test results showed that without acknowledgements, packets can be received in the wrong order and cause errors in the transmission of photos. In addition, a transmission in a presence of a third broadcasting node slows down by 4-6 times. Based on these results our software was improved to control to flow of transmit data making the fragmentation, packetization, and reassembly of photos more reliable. Currently, using radios with half-wavelength dipole antennas we can achieve a one-hop communication range of up to 5 km with the radio frequency line-of-sight (RF LOS). This can be extended further by adding as many radio nodes as needed to act as intermediate hops.

Femoro-Acetabular Impingement (FAI) is a hip joint disease which affects and impairs the range of hip motion during performing activities of daily living, jogging, walking, or climbing stairs due to the bony abnormalities of the joint. Ballet dancers and athletes (e.g. gymnasts and hockey players) put their hips at the risk of FAI by extremely moving the hip mainly by excessively rotating the joint. In this research, we introduce a visualization system which helps surgeons to analyze the range of hip motions as well as to have a better communication with patients. These goals are achieved by presenting three dimensional (3D) visualizations of motion envelope by examining the maximum possible rotation of the digital hip bones. Our computer simulation system estimates, analyzes and visualizes the maximum hip range of motion (ROM) for the constructed 3D bone models that are extracted from Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) after segmenting the bones. These tasks are accomplished by first calculating Hip Joint Center (HJC) which is center of rotation of femoral head on the 3D segmented MRI models followed by simulating hip motions with examining impingement between the femur and the acetabulum using our collision detection system. In our collision detection system, surfaces of femoral head and acetabulum bones are sampled in the spherical coordinates based on rasterization and interpolation. Then, the distance between the femoral head and acetabulum are computed to prevent impingement between them. The maximum motion degree of femur bone within depression of acetabulum in every direction during the digital simulation shows the ROMs of the inputted MRI of the hip joint. Six primary plane motions (flexion/extension, abduction/adduction and internal/external rotation) as well as various combinations of these motions (maximum rotation of the hip between every two rotational movements) and successive movements (maximum rotational movement of the hip per another rotational movement) are simulated and analyzed along with 3D visualization of estimated range of these motions. Generally, the ROM differs by some factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, and geographic location. For instance, newborns up to age two have considerably greater motion in hip flexion and hip abduction than adults. Our system by 3D visualization of motion envelope will provide a platform to understand quicker and better the effect of bony morphology of the hip joint on the possible ROM. We also examine the long-standing question about moving center of rotation related to ROM. We found out the ROM becomes bigger especially when the center moves outward to the direction of acetabulum axis. This thesis does not consider the effect of muscle and other surrounding connective tissue on the hip ROM since they can be altered significantly by physical training to show the potential of maximum ROM. For example a ballerina has a bigger ROM leading a bigger motion envelope compared with non-dancers. Hence we visualize the range of joint motions and their envelopes that are obtained from the osseous anatomy of the hip joint. The osseous anatomy of the joint is the most fundamental and permanent factor of ROM which indicates the maximum motion that the joint can achieve if the muscle and other connective tissues are perfectly trained.

A set of observations from a random process which exhibit correlations that decay slower than an exponential rate is regarded as long-range dependent. This phenomenon has stimulated great interest in the scientific community as it appears in a wide range of areas of knowledge. For example, this property has been observed in data pertaining to electronics, econometrics, hydrology and biomedical signals.There exist several estimation methods for finding model parameters that help explain the set of observations exhibiting long-range dependence. Among these methods, maximum likelihood is attractive, given its desirable statistical properties such as asymptotic consistency and efficiency. However, its computational complexity makes the implementation of maximum likelihood prohibitive.This thesis presents a group of computationally efficient estimators based on the maximum likelihood framework. The thesis consists of two main parts. The first part is devoted to developing a computationally efficient alternative to the maximum likelihood estimate. This alternative is based on the circulant embedding concept and it is shown to maintain the desirable statistical properties of maximum likelihood.Interesting results are obtained by analysing the circulant embedding estimate. In particular, this thesis shows that the maximum likelihood based methods are ill-conditioned; the estimators' performance will deteriorate significantly when the set of observations is corrupted by errors. The second part of this thesis focuses on developing computationally efficient estimators with improved performance under the presence of errors in the observations.

More than 1100 debris flows were mobilized from shallow landslides during a rainstorm from 9 to 13 September 2013 in the Colorado Front Range, with the vast majority initiating on sparsely vegetated, south facing terrain. To investigate the physical processes responsible for the observed aspect control, we made measurements of soil properties on a densely forested north facing hillslope and a grassland-dominated south facing hillslope in the Colorado Front Range and performed numerical modeling of transient changes in soil pore water pressure throughout the rainstorm. Using the numerical model, we quantitatively assessed interactions among vegetation, rainfall interception, subsurface hydrology, and slope stability. Results suggest that apparent cohesion supplied by roots was responsible for the observed connection between debris flow initiation and slope aspect. Results suggest that future climate-driven modifications to forest structure could substantially influence landslide hazards throughout the Front Range and similar water-limited environments where vegetation communities may be more susceptible to small variations in climate.

No description available.

Predicting the location and timing of rainfall events has important social and economic impacts. It is also important to have the ability to predict the amount of rainfall accurately. In operational centres forecasters use deterministic model output data as guidance for a subjective probabilistic rainfall forecast. The aim of this research is to determine the skill in an objective multi-model, multi-institute objective probabilistic forecast system. This was done by obtaining the rainfall forecast of two high-resolution regional models operational in South Africa. The first model is the Unified Model (UM) which is operational at the South African Weather Service. The UM contributed three members which differ in physics, data assimilation techniques and horisontal resolution. The second model is the Conformal-Cubic Atmospheric Model (CCAM) which is operational at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research which in turn contributed two members to the ensemble system differing in horisontal resolution. A single-model ensemble was constructed for the UM and CCAM models respectively with each of the individual members having equal weights. The UM and CCAM single-model ensemble prediction models have been used in turn to construct a multi-model ensemble prediction system, using simple un-weighted averaging. The multi-model system was used to predict the 24-hour rainfall totals for three austral summer half-year seasons of 2006/07 to 2008/09. The forecast of this system was rigorously tested using observed rainfall data for the same period. From the multi-model system it has been found that the probabilistic forecast has good significant skill in predicting rainfall. The multi-model system proved to have skill and shows discrimination between events and non-events. This study has shown that it is possible to make an objective probabilistic rainfall forecast by constructing a multi-model, multi-institute system with high resolution regional models currently operational in South Africa. Thus, probabilistic rainfall forecasts with usable skill can be made with the use of a multi-model short-range ensemble prediction system over the South African domain. Such a system is not currently operational in South Africa. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / Unrestricted

Invasive range expansion is correlated to life- history variation, boldness and dispersal behavior. The invasion of the African Jewelfish in Everglades National Park provides an opportunity to test life-history trait variation, boldness and dispersal behavior in the invasion success of this species. My study examined variation in somatic traits, boldness, and dispersal of jewelfish across their invaded range. Life histories were examined on wild individuals. Boldness and dispersal were tested in outdoor experimental tanks. Tested populations from the invasion front have higher somatic traits, but they were not bolder than longer established populations. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of invasions are key for the development of strategies looking to contain invaders and prevent their spread.

Asclepiadoideae está entre os táxons mais promissores para o desenvolvimento de estudos em sistemática vegetal. Pensando nisso, foi elaborado o projeto "Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) da Cadeia do Espinhaço de Minas Gerais". A tese conta com seis capítulos-satélites independentes (capítulos I-IV e VI-VII) relacionados ao tema central (capítulo V). Os capítulos são manuscritos submetidos para publicação e estão de acordo com os padrões de cada revista. I. O Paradoxo da Sistemática II. Apocynaceae III. Asclepiadaceae ou Asclepiadoideae? Conceitos Distintos de Agrupamento Taxonômico IV. Estudos Taxonômicos em Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) do Novo Mundo V. Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) da Cadeia do Espinhaço de Minas Gerais, Brasil VI. Cadeia do Espinhaço, Minas Gerais, Brasil. Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) VII. Riqueza e Endemismo de Asclepiadoideae (Apocynaceae) na Cadeia do Espinhaço de Minas Gerais, Brasil – Uma Visão Conservacioniosta O capítulo I aborda a equivalência entre unidades evolutivas e taxonômicas, apresentando algumas colocações sobre conceitos básicos em sistemática. O capítulo II sintetiza em um trabalho de divulgação o conhecimento atual sobre Apocynaceae, com ênfase para as plantas americanas. O capítulo III explica a inclusão de Asclepiadaceae como subfamília (Asclepiadoideae) de Apocynaceae, procurando desmistificar a importância dos resultados cladísticos e moleculares nessa classificação. O capítulo IV discute a artificialidade dos gêneros americanos de Asclepiadoideae (em especial aqueles representados no Espinhaço), justificando algumas novidades taxonômicas propostas. O tratamento das Asclepiadoideae da Cadeia do Espinhaço de Minas Gerais (99 espécies e 20 gêneros) é apresentado no capítulo V e vem acompanhado de um guia de campo (capítulo VI). O capítulo VII demonstra a disparidade no esforço de coleta ao longo do Espinhaço de Minas Gerais, fornecendo uma avaliação preliminar sobre o conhecimento da flora do Espinhaço e sua possível influência na conservação da biodiversidade dessa região.

O gênero Paepalanthus (Eriocaulaceae) conta atualmente com cerca de 400 espécies, distribuídas principalmente nas Américas Central e do Sul, com centro de diversidade localizado na Cadeia do Espinhaço, em Minas Gerais e Bahia. É o gênero de Eriocaulaceae mais complexo do ponto de vista taxonômico e a carência de estudos floristicos dificulta o aprimoramento de sua circunscrição. Nesse contexto, foi efetuado o levantamento de Paepalanthus do Parque Estadual do Biribiri, que está inserido no Planalto de Diamantina, Minas Gerais, (18°00\' - 18°15\'S, 43°30\' - 43°40\'W). O gênero está representado no Parque por 33 espécies. São apresentadas chaves de identificação para os gêneros de Eriocaulaceae e para as espécies de Paepalanthus ocorrentes na área de estudo, descrições e ilustrações, bem como comentários sobre morfologia, habitat, distribuição geográfica e fenologia / The genus Paepalanthus Mart. comprises ca. 400 species, mainly distributed in South and Central America, with center of diversity located in the Espinaço Range, in Minas Gerais and Bahia. In a taxonomic view, Paepalanthus is the most complex genus of Eriocaulaceae and the lack of floristic studies hinders the improvement of its species circumscription. In this context, it was carried out the Paepalanthus flora of Biribiri State Park, which is located in Diamantina Plateau, in Minas Gerais, (18°00\' - 18°15\'S; 43°30\' - 43°40\'W). In the area, the genus is represented by 33 species. Identification keys to Eriocaulaceae genera and Paepalanthus species ocurring in the study area, descriptions and illustrations, as well as comments about morphology, habitat, geographic distribution and phenology are provided

In this dissertation, I study critical phenomena and phase transitions in systems with long-range interactions, in particular, the ferromagnetic Ising model with quenched site dilution and the asset exchange model with growth. In the site-diluted Ising model, I focus on the effects of quenched disorder on both critical phenomena and nucleation. For critical phenomena, I generalize the Harris criterion for the mean-field critical point and the spinodal, and find that they are not affected by dilution, whereas pseudospinodals are smeared out. For nucleation, I find that dilution reduces the lifetime of the metastable state. I also investigate the structure of nucleating droplets in both nearest-neighbor and long-range Ising models. In both cases, nucleating droplets are more likely to occur in spatially more dilute regions. I also modify the asset exchange model to include different types of economic growth, such as constant growth and geometric growth. For constant growth, one agent eventually gets almost all the wealth regardless of the growth rate. For geometric growth, the wealth distribution depends on the way that the growth is distributed among agents, which is represented by the parameter 𝛾. For the evenly distributed growth, 𝛾=0, and as 𝛾 increases, the growth in the total wealth is distributed preferentially to richer agents. For 𝛾=1, the wealth of every agent grows at a rate that is linearly proportional to his/her wealth. I find a phase transition at 𝛾=1. For 𝛾<1, there is an rescaled steady state wealth distribution and the system is effectively ergodic. In this state, the wealth at all ranks grows exponentially in time and inequality stays constant. For 𝛾>1, one agent eventually obtains almost all the wealth, and the system is not ergodic. For 𝛾=1$, the dynamics of the poor agents' wealth is similar to that of a geometric random walk. In addition, I elucidate the effects of unfair trading, inhomogeneity in agents, modified growth which only depends on richest $1% agents' wealth, and a finite range of wealth exchange.