Rotary wing aircrafts in any flight conditions suffer from excessive vibration which makes the passengers feel uncomfortable and causes fatigue failure in the structure. The main sources of vibration are the rotor harmonic airloads which originate primarily from the rapid variation of flow around the blade due to the vortex wake. In this thesis, a mathematical model is developed for rotor blades to compute the harmonic airloads at rotor blades for two flight conditions vertical takeoff and landing, and forward flight. The sectional lift, drag, and pitching moment are computed at a radial blade station for both flight conditions. The lift at a particular radial station is computed considering trailing and shed vortices and summing over each blade. The results for airloads are obtained after considering zeroth, first, and second harmonics. The calculated results for airloads are compared to the experimental flight-test data.

La maladie d'Alzheimer est la forme de démence la plus répandue au monde. Dans cette maladie, la toxicité est, entre autres, causée par l’interaction entre les oligomères du peptide Aß et la protéine prion cellulaire (PrP[indice supérieur C]). Étant ancrée à la membrane plasmique, PrP[indice supérieur C] doit passer dans la voie de sécrétion cellulaire où elle peut subir un clivage endoprotéolytique nommé clivage ?. Ce clivage libère dans le milieu extracellulaire un fragment N-terminal de PrP[indice supérieur C] nommé PrPN1. Un domaine hydrophobe de PrP[indice supérieur C] est indispensable au clivage ? ainsi qu’à sa dimérisation, mais l’effet de la dimérisation de PrP[indice supérieur C] sur le clivage ? n'a toujours pas été vérifié. À la membrane plasmique, PrP[indice supérieur C] peut également être relâché (shed PrP[indice supérieur C]). Une des fonctions attribuées aux formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C] (PrPN1 et shed PrP[indice supérieur C]) est d’inhiber la toxicité causée par les oligomères de Aß dans la maladie d'Alzheimer. En effet, plusieurs évidences in vitro montrent le potentiel neuroprotecteur de rPrPN1 et de rshed PrP[indice supérieur C] contre des oligomères de Aß synthétiques. Par contre, aucunes évidences physiologiques ne confirment le potentiel neuroprotecteur des formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C] contre Aß. De plus, il n'existe toujours aucunes évidences in vivo de l’interaction entre les formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C] et Aß. Ma première étude a permis de démontrer que la dimérisation de PrP[indice supérieur C] dans la voie de sécrétion cellulaire augmente son transport vers la membrane plasmique. Le transport accru de PrP[indice supérieur C] à travers la voie de sécrétion cellulaire se traduit par une augmentation de la sécrétion de PrPN1 et shed PrP[indice supérieur C]. L'augmentation des formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C] sous des conditions de dimérisation permet de réduire significativement la toxicité causée par Aß in cellulo. Ces résultats sont particulièrement intéressants puisqu’ils ouvrent la voie à une thérapie axée sur l’utilisation de protéines endogènes en l’occurrence PrPN1 et shed PrP[indice supérieur C] contre la maladie d'Alzheimer. Ma deuxième étude a permis de démontrer qu’une interaction physiologique entre Aß et les formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C] est possible in vivo. Ces interactions induisent un changement conformationnel important et rapide menant à la formation d'agrégats amorphes. In vivo, j'ai constaté que PrPN1 et A[beta] co-agrège dans une fraction soluble au chlorure de guanidinium. J'ai aussi observé que le clivage ? de PrP[indice supérieur C] est favorisé chez les patients atteints de la maladie d'Alzheimer. Ces résultats suggèrent que les formes sécrétées de PrP[indice supérieur C], et plus particulièrement PrPN1 issu du clivage ? de PrP[indice supérieur C], sont parties intégrantes d’un mécanisme de défense endogène et inductible contre les oligomères de Aß détournant ces espèces toxiques vers une voie alternative non-toxique.[symboles non conformes]

This work is dedicated to development of city furniture (station shed, bench, litter box). The first part contains the analysis of city furniture (historical, technical and design). Second part is dedicated to the design decision in particular. The main goal was to contemplate the design of station shed, which will be totally defending from bad weather; bench design, which would be impossible to be used as a ‘bed for homeless’; litter box, which would be aesthetically matching the shed and the bench. Additional task was to contemplate canopies of various sizes, enabling the city to install same type of canopies regardless of the size. The suggested design has been influenced by aesthetics, ergonomics, technology and other important aspects of industrial design.

This dissertation is based on the premise that design, no matter how intricate or complex in nature, arises from something as basic and rudimentary as a ‘need’. It is a process of retrospection into how interior design answers the needs of human beings in the environment. The aim of the project is celebrate the act of waiting and the experience of the ‘every-day’ world. Interior design is used to acts as ‘mediator’ between people, their needs and the environment. The project sheds light on the ‘every-day' life world by investigating the activities and interactions of people within the context of a public transport facility. The ‘status-quo’ of such facilities in South Africa is questioned by investigating the extent to which interior design acts as mediator to facilitate the user. The main activities of ‘waiting’ and ‘foodvending’ form the basis of the design project. The proposed site (Spaza Shed) is located in Scheiding Street at the north-western edge of the Pretoria Station precinct in the central business district (CBD) of Pretoria. Originally used as an office building, it underwent radical alteration when it was converted into a bus terminal by Stauch and Vorster Architects in 1993. This typological change rendered the building isolated from the rest of the site context. In addition, following the upgrading of what is today the new bus station building (south of the building) the Spaza Shed was abandoned and used for storage. Today, the building houses several steel kiosks of which only a few are occupied by food-vendors who prepare and sell ‘traditional’ meals. Lack of facilities and systems mean that the building presents a health risk to both tenants and customers. The northern edge of the building consists of a series of small shops and inadequate benches where bus commuters clamour while waiting. The proximity of the Spaza Shed relative to the bus station provides the potential for the Spaza Shed to serve as an active waiting station for bus commuters as well as pedestrians moving past the building. The proposed program rests on the basis of mediation and interaction by connecting the Spaza Shed building with the bus station as well as the CBD. An active waiting area is proposed which will house seating (based on ergonomic principles and postures), public restroomand shower facilities, food kiosks, interior green spaces, free wifi access and interactive information stations. A proposal is made for a a play area and a day care center. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

This work is dedicated to development of bus shelter. The first part contains the analysis of city furniture (technical and design). Second part is dedicated to the design decision in particular. The main goal was to contemplate the design of bus shelter, which will be totally defending from bad weather. Additional task was to contemplate canopies of various sizes, enabling the city to install same type of canopies regardless of the size. The suggested design has been influenced by aesthetics, ergonomics, technology and other important aspects of industrial design.

This work is dedicated to development of city furniture (station shed, bench, litter box). The first part contains the analysis of city furniture (historical, technical and design). Second part is dedicated to the design decision in particular. The main goal was to contemplate the design of station shed, which will be totally defending from bad weather; bench design, which would be impossible to be used as a ‘bed for homeless’; litter box, which would be aesthetically matching the shed and the bench. Additional task was to contemplate canopies of various sizes, enabling the city to install same type of canopies regardless of the size. The suggested design has been influenced by aesthetics, ergonomics, technology and other important aspects of industrial design.

Shed antler hunting has increased in popularity during the past decade, but little is known about how this recreational activity affects ungulate movements and space use. We placed geographic positioning system (gps)-collars on 133 bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), bison (Bison bison), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) to quantify their movements, space use, and resource selection during shed antler hunts on Antelope Island Utah, USA, from 2012 to 2015. In Chapter 1, we calculated means and 95% confidence intervals for distance moved during 90-minute segments (16 points/day); pre-event (control, seven consecutive days prior to event), event (one to two days), and post-event (seven consecutive days after event) for shed hunts and helicopter surveys. We also compared each species use of space during these events. Female bighorn sheep did not increase distance moved or substantially change space use during shed hunts and helicopter surveys. Male bighorn sheep increased distance moved 41% on average during shed hunts and by 2.02 times during helicopter surveys but did not change space use during those events. Female bison increased distance moved 15% on average during shed hunts and 30% during helicopter surveys. Mule deer increased distance moved and altered space use the most during shed hunts; females increased distance moved 97%, and 54% of females moved a mean distance of 742 ± 642 (SD) m outside of their home ranges during those hunts for a mean of 9.2 ± 9.4 hours (range = 1.5 to 41 hr). Male mule deer increased distance moved by 2.10 times on average during shed hunts, and 82% of males moved a mean distance of 1,264 ± 732 m outside of their home ranges during those hunts for a mean of 12.6 ± 7.6 hours. In Chapter 2, we analysed 177,138 gps locations to quantify space use and movements of 12 mule deer and 25 bighorn sheep in response to shed hunting. Twenty-five percent of mule deer and 44% of bighorn sheep responded differently to shed antler hunting across two years. We tracked four mule deer for three and four consecutive years, and all those deer responded to shed hunting differently across subsequent years. Mule deer increased movement (paired t-test = -3.9, p < 0.001) during shed hunts compared to pre-event movement. Bighorn sheep increased movement (paired t-test = -6.9, p < 0.001) during shed hunts compared to pre-event movement. In Chapter 3, we placed gps-collars on 27 mule deer and 29 bighorn sheep to quantify habitat selection during shed hunts compared with resources selection seven days prior and seven days following these hunts. Mule deer (n = 6) remained in the same area (response 1), moved to another area within their home range (n = 7; response 2), or moved beyond their home range boundaries (n = 14; response 3). Bighorn sheep (n = 17) remained in the same area (response 1), moved to another area within their home range (n = 11; response 2), or moved beyond their home range boundaries (n = 1; response 3). Shifts in resource selection by mule deer and bighorn sheep were detected during shed hunts regardless of the initial response of the individual animal during those hunts.

This project deals with a transformation of a park to an entity of a urban scale. Context; Stockholm is growing but have many spaces that could connect areas but doesn’t. They often connect with small gestures but have big spaces of nothing which is experienced as unsafe and uninviting borders. I would like to propose a change for one of those areas. Minor architecture; I would like to do minor insertions in this park to unify and clarify it. To do this I propose a concrete path that spans the full lenght of the park and with some structures along the way to activate the parts that lacks it today. The main idea of the path is to establish something constant and durable so that it gives upportunity for the activities and functions to evolve around it without dissolving the base structure of the park.

The objectives of this project were:<br />1.����To compare the drying cost and drying time for oak and poplar pallets for the following mold mitigation strategies for hardwood pallets: air drying, forced air drying (fan shed), kiln drying to 25% moisture content and chemical treatment, and<br />2.����Develop and evaluate a procedure for preventing and controlling mold growth on heat treated hardwood pallets<br />Twenty red oak pallets and twenty yellow-poplar pallets were tested for each drying method to compare costs and to determine drying times. �Additional pallets were obtained to conduct a more thorough air drying procedure. �Drying data was extrapolated to allow estimates of the drying time from green (83% moisture content for poplar and 64% moisture content for oak) to 25%. �<br />After the pallets reached the desired 25% moisture content, they were placed in a 40�" enclosed trailer, inoculated with mold (Aspergillus, Stachybotrys, and Penicillium) and were left undisturbed for a period of 14 days. �After the 14 day incubation period, the pallets were inspected for mold using the ASTM D-4445 Standard Test Method for Fungicides for Controlling Sapstain and Mold on Unseasoned Lumber. �<br />A comparison of drying costs was then conducted to determine which method was the most cost efficient based on the data obtained in this study. �The cost to treat the pallets with each treatment was calculated including electrical cost, labor, and tax values. �In addition to the cost comparison, a Net Present Value (NPV) was calculated to determine which method produced the best outcome over a longer period of time.<br />Two heat treatment and drying schedules were then developed to meet both IPPC-ISPM #15 requirements and achieve the desired 25% moisture content with minimal degrade. �This was accomplished by testing several HT/drying schedules on green yellow-poplar and white oak pallets until the pallets met the criteria for being heat treated and had minimal degrade. �The schedules developed are a modified oak HT/KD schedule that required 30 hours to complete and a modified poplar HT/KD schedule that required 16 hours to complete.<br />The results demonstrated that that mold would not grow on the pallets stored in an enclosed container when the dew point is not reached. Air-drying pallets, chemical application in conjunction with air-drying pallets, fan shed drying pallets and kiln drying pallets to a 19-24% moisture content was demonstrated to prevent mold growth on oak and yellow poplar pallets. Estimates for the time required to dry yellow-poplar and oak pallets to 19% and 25% moisture content were developed for air-drying, forced air-drying and kiln drying for the conditions experienced in Blacksburg, VA between 7/30/2008 and 11/10/2008. Air-drying pallets was found to have the lowest daily operational cost but not the lowest total drying cost. �Fan shed drying had the lowest drying cost to achieve 25% moisture content. �Kiln drying was the most expensive daily and total cost, but yielded the fastest method of drying pallets to 25% moisture content. A NPV cost comparison showed that over a 3 year (36 month) time period, fan shed drying is the most cost effective method of drying pallets based on the values used in this study. Given the environmental conditions experienced between 7/30/2008 and 11/10/2008, no mold grew on the air-dried, fan shed, and kiln dried pallets during the drying process. <br /> / Master of Science

<p> Exposure to traffic-related air pollutants has been found to be damaging to human health. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, commonly used to indicate traffic-related pollution levels, vary significantly over small areas with higher levels found near sources such as major roads and industrial areas. The temporal and spatial variability in NO2 levels is partly caused by fluctuations in meteorological variables, and better understanding of these: meteorological influences can be used to enhance exposure assessment in health effects models.</p> <p> In this study, the interaction between measured hourly NO2 concentrations and climate variables at 11 locations in the Toronto-Hamilton Urban Airshed (THUAS) is examined. Analysis of meteorological data shows that two large urban heat islands (UHI) are present in the THUAS, centred on the downtown areas of Toronto and Hamilton. Lake breezes are found to occur frequently in the region, on up to 50% of summer days at lakeshore locations. These temperature and wind patterns influence NO2 and pollutant distributions. NO2 concentrations are highest in the early morning and late evening. Mean concentrations are highest in winter, although individual 1-hour NO2 concentrations are found to be highest in summer because of higher production rates. Wind direction is the strongest control on hourly NO2 concentration, and temperature and wind speed also have an effect. Seasonal variations in meteorology and emissions mean that the degree of spatial variability in NO2 concentrations changes from season-to-season in the THUAS resulting in variable exposure of urban populations.</p> <p> An attempt to improve an existing Land Use Regression (LUR) model, used for predicting nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations and estimating human exposure, was made by incorporating high resolution interpolated observed up- and downwind effects of wind transport on NO2 concentrations around major roadways. Incorporation of observed wind direction effects in the LUR model slightly improved the accuracy of NO2 concentration estimates in densely populated, high traffic, and industrial/business areas in both Toronto and Hamilton. However the short-term nature of initial NO2 concentration data limits the utility of the model in light of the significant seasonal variation in climate parameters in the THUAS and their influence on NO2 transport and distribution.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)