This qualitative research study focuses explicitly on understanding the experiences and perceptions of urban Aboriginal women living with HIV/AIDS. Stigmatizing attitudes and language have serious impacts upon the lives of HIV-positive Aboriginal women. The ways our society presently addresses the women needs to change. With the insights and assistance of four Aboriginal women living with HIV, this project adds to the presently sparse qualitative literature in this research area. Current research indicates that there are many factors associated with urban Aboriginal women being at higher risk for infection and lower physical and mental health, such as race, socio-economic conditions, isolation, oppression and violence, family history, substance abuse, discrimination, and often the responsibilities of childrearing. However, current research analysis and presentation is insufficient, and more in-depth questions arise. Material was collected using semi-structured, open-ended questioning conversations with the participants. Two guiding research questions were asked: 1) What is it like for you, living with HIV right now? and 2) What would you want other people to learn from your experiences? The women’s stories provide an avenue for participants to voice some of their triumphs and challenges about being an Aboriginal woman living with HIV/AIDS. For the community at large, this is also an opportunity to hear first hand, important information such as this. In this work, I have tried to adhere to the tenets of Indigenous methodologies by allowing the life-stories to resonate as holistic representations. Rather than deconstructing the women’s stories through naturalistic analysis (which continues to categorize and to objectify participants), the stories are viewed through a Health Narrative Topography whereby thematic genres such as Restitution, Chaos, and Quest are illuminated, while also being critically aware of some of the limitations to this framework. Three overarching themes are revealed through the women’s stories: 1) the empowerment and resiliency demonstrated by the participants; 2) the need for cultural competency in a society that continues to stigmatize Aboriginal and HIV-positive women; and, 3) the need for a more holistic approach within society when it comes to education, learning, and healing.

The ambition to lower fuel consumption has been a goal for the vehicle industrysince many years.  During the first oil crisis in the seventies this first came intolight and it has become more relevant during the last years climate change debate.Fuel costs are also an issue.  Reducing lifetime costs, in which fuel is 30 %, givesa competitive advantage to the vehicle producer.  Over the years the drive trainhas been made efficient to the point where a reduction in fuel consumption due toimprovements in the drive train is highly expensive to develop.  The fact that thedriver behavior is a big factor in the vehicle’s fuel consumption has recently comeinto attention.  This master thesis has been performed at Scania in Södertälje andpresents a way to give the driver advice in advance of difficult road segments.  Theadvice will help the driver drive in a fuel efficient manner. Focus is put on a specificcase where the vehicle approaches a downhill and advice is given for the driver tolet the vehicle coast up to the start of the downhill so that the vehicle can regainits speed in the downhill.  The detection of the downhill is made with look-aheadtechnology where a GPS and a digital 3D road map makes the topography of theroad segment ahead available.

New and exciting possibilities in vehicle control are revealed by the consideration of topography through the combination GPS and three dimensional road maps. This thesis explores how information about future road slopes can be utilized in a heavy truck with the aim at reducing the fuel consumption over a route without increasing the total travel time. A model predictive control (MPC) scheme is used to control the longitudinal behavior of the vehicle, which entails determining accelerator and brake levels and also which gear to engage. The optimization is accomplished through discrete dynamic programming. A cost function is used to define the optimization criterion. Through the function parameters the user is enabled to decide how fuel use, negative deviations from the reference velocity, velocity changes, gear shifts and brake use are weighed. Computer simulations with a load of 40 metric tons shows that the fuel consumption can be reduced with 2.5% with a negligible change in travel time, going from Link¨oping to J¨onk¨oping and back. The road slopes are calculated by differentiation of authentic altitude measurements along this route. The complexity of the algorithm when achieving these results allows the simulations to run two to four times faster than real time on a standard PC, depending on the desired update frequency of the control signals.

Objectives<p>The geometric configuration of skull is complex and unique to each individual. The main objectives of this study are two fold: 1) to provide a new technique to define the outline of skull profile and 2) to find the common factors defining the ultimate skull configuration in adult population. The secondary objective was to explore the effect of age and sex on skull shape formation.<p>Materials & Methods <p>Ninety-three lateral skull x-ray from the CT scan films were selected and digitized. The lateral skull surface was divided into 3 regions based on the presumed location of coronal and lambdoid sutures. A software program (Canvas 7) was used to match the outer surface of lateral skull with circular curves. Three main curvatures (frontal, parietal, occipital) were consistently identified to overlap the skull periphery. The radius, cord length and inclination of each curvature were measured.. Factor analysis technique was also used to reduce the number of variables explaining the overall shape of skull. Student t-test and regression analysis was also used to explore the effect of sex and age on skull shape. <p>Results <p>There were total of 93 patients in this study (54% male). The average values for three defined curvatures of the skull profile were recorded. Factor analysis produced 3 factors. The first factor explained 32% of total variance and was related to the overall size of the head as represented by total length and the radius of the curvature in vertex and back of the head. The second factor covered 26% of the variance representing the inverse correlation between the angle of the frontal and parietal curves. The third factor revealed the direct correlation of occipital and parietal angle. In all of these factors, the frontal zone variation was independent or opposite of the parieto-occipital zone. A strong direct association between the total length of skull, occipital curve radius and length with the sex was shown. No age related variable was identified.<p>Conclusions <p>There is a large variation in the values of different part of the skull. The skull profile topography can be defined mathematically by two distinct territories: frontal and parieto-occipital zones. These territories hinge on the coronal suture. Therefore, coronal suture may play a dominant role in final skull configuration.

Understanding the hydrological controls on subsurface flow and transport is of considerable importance in the study of reclaimed landscapes in the oil sands region of Canada. A significant portion of the reclaimed landscape will be comprised of a thin veneer (~ 1 m) of clay-rich reclamation soil overlying saline-sodic shale overburden, which is a waste by-product from the mining process. The global objective of this study was to investigate the first-order controls on soil moisture and salt transport dynamics within clay-rich reclamation covers overlying low permeability waste substrates. The study site is located in a cold, semi-arid climate in the oil sands region of northern Alberta. Preferential flow was the dominant mechanism responsible for the development of perched water table conditions on the cover-waste interface during the spring snow melt. Hydrological and geochemical data indicated that snowmelt infiltration occurs via the macroporosity while the ground is still frozen. An isotope hydrograph separation conducted on water collected in a weeping tile confirmed the presence of fresh snowmelt water at the onset of subsurface flow. This water transitions to a chemical signature that is comprised of approximately 80% connate pore water as a result of chemical equilibration between pore water in the soil matrix and fresh water in the macropores.<p>Detailed mapping of the spatial distribution of soil moisture and salts within a reclamation cover indicated the lower-slope positions are wetter due to the accumulation surface run-off and frozen ground infiltration in spring. Increased soil moisture conditions in lower-slope positions accelerate salt ingress, while drier conditions in middle and upper-slope positions attenuate salt ingress. The data indicated that fresh snowmelt water is bypassing the soil matrix higher in the cover profile. Subsurface flow and deep percolation are key mechanisms mitigating vertical salt ingress in lower and upper slope positions. The mesotopography of the cover-waste interface imposes a direct control on the depth of perched water and the downslope routing of water. Undulations in the cover-waste interface cause the depth of perched water to vary considerably (± 20 60 cm) over short distances (< 5 m), while saturated subsurface flow is routed through the lowest elevations in the cover profile. A numerical analysis of subsurface flow was able to simulate both the discharge rate and cumulative volume of flow to a weeping tile. Composite hydraulic functions were used in the simulations to account for the increased hydraulic conductivity and drainable porosity created by the macroporosity at near-saturated conditions. The transient Na+ concentration of discharge water was modelled using the concept of an equivalent porous medium. The good match between measured and modelled data verified the conceptual model, which contends that saturated subsurface flow is dominated by the fracture network and that the concentration of discharge water is function of the depth of perched water. Finally, the results from this study suggest the mesotopography of the cover-waste interface could be used to manage excess water and salts within the landscape.

This study investigates the hydrodynamic variations in the coastal region of Nan-bin, Hualien influence by the topography and water stratification. The data used were collected from four cruises of field observations in 2008/4/29¡B2008/9/5~6¡B2009/3/17~18 and 2009/7/21. Instruments applied include sb-ADCP and CTD. Parameters recorded include flow velocities, water temperature and salinity and tidal elevations. The collected data are analyzed through a variety of time series analysis technique, including buoyancy frequency EOF analysis, potential vorticity and kinetic energy. The results show that (1) the flow field and vorticity in the south side of Hualien Harbor indicate there exist a counterclockwise eddy during flood. The flow pattern reverse to be a clockwise eddy during ebb. The current speed and vorticity is smaller in the surface layer, while the bottom current speed and vorticity is much larger. (2) Currents in transects of along slope, along canyon and along shore all reveal two layers flow separated around 25m, with upper layer flowing eastward and lower layer westward. The current velocity reaches to a maximum at 55m, and the current directions were dominated by the orientation of bottom topography. The baroclinic kinetic energy increase to 0.15m2/s2 along the down slope transect, while the up slope kinetic energy reduced to 0.05m2/s2. (3) The CTD data suggest that the upper layer is warm-fresh water due to river outputs, while the lower layer is dominated by cold-salty open ocean water. (4) The density interface at 25 m is confirmed by buoyance frequency analysis. The EOF analysis of density distribution shows eigenvalue of first mode has maximum at 53m, while the second mode has peaks at 25m and 65m, which match well with the vertical of distribution of flow structures.

This study investigates the effect of topography in ancient city Kerkenes using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Kerkenes, an Iron Age city located on a batholith in Yozgat province, Turkey, was chosen because of its exceptional size, short life and the availability of extensive data. Approximately seven kilometres of city wall in Kerkenes, including towers and seven gates, enclose 2.5 km&sup2 / . The research comprises topographic analysis and settlement data analysis. Elevation values collected by Global Positioning System (GPS) and 1:25000 scaled topographic maps are used to create and analyze elevation, slope and aspect maps. Basic statistics of the city wall, towers and gates are calculated and a procedure is then followed to examine the city wall, towers and gates to understand reasons for the line of the city wall, the uneven distribution of gates, the position of each individual gate, the positions and spacing of towers, and the water catchments. Advantages of the elevated site of Kerkenes for the foundation of a new capital within the region are demonstrated. The GPS data do not show statistically significant differences then the 1:25000 scaled topographic maps in regional scale, especially analyzing the elevation and slope data. Topographic analyses reveal that approximately 75% of the city wall coincides with the topographic divide which shows the city walls may serve both for urban water collection and for defence. City wall has divided into two as East section and West section by a north-south axis from the north end point of the city. There are 41 and 27 towers are detected on the West and East section, respectively. Towers on the West section are more closely spaced than the East section. There are also two and five gates in the West and East section, respectively. The East section of the city wall overlaps with the topographic divide only in the northeastern part. This situation can not be traced along the southeastern part of Kerkenes which may be the reason to include the strategically important two higher altitude areas (Kiremitlik and Kale) inside the city. The city wall in the West section, however, runs along the topographic divide which affects the number and the distribution of the towers.

The solution of the secondary coupled-vector potential formulation of Maxwell??s equations governing the controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) response of an arbitrary, threedimensionalconductivitymodelmust be calculatednumerically.The &#64257;nite elementmethod is attractive, because it allows the model to be discretized into an unstructured mesh, permitting the speci&#64257;cation of realistic irregular conductor geometries, and permitting the mesh to be re&#64257;ned locally, where &#64257;ner resolution is needed. The calculated results for a series ofsimple test problems, ranging from one-dimensionalscalar di&#64256;erentialequations to three-dimensional coupled vector equations match the known analytic solutions well, with error values several orders of magnitude smaller than the calculated values. The electromagnetic &#64257;elds of a fully three-dimensional CSEM model, recovered from the potentials using the moving least squares interpolation numerical di&#64256;erentiation algorithm, compares well with published numerical modeling results, particularly when local re&#64257;nement is applied. Multiple buried conductors in a conductive host interact via mutual induction and current &#64258;ow through the host due to the dissipation of charge accumulated on the conductor boundary. The e&#64256;ect of this interaction varies with host conductivity, transmitter frequency, and conductor geometry, orientation, and conductivity. For three test models containingtwo highly conductive plate-like targets, oriented in various geometries (parallel, perpendicular, and horizontal), mutual coupling ranges as high as twenty times the total magnetic &#64257;eld. The e&#64256;ect of varying host conductivity is signi&#64257;cant, especially at high frequencies. Numerical modeling also shows that the vorticity of the currents density induced in a vertically oriented plate-like conductor rotates from vertical at high frequencies, to horizontal at low frequencies, a phenomenon con&#64257;rmed by comparison with time domain &#64257;eld data collected in Brazos County, Texas. Furthermore, the e&#64256;ect of the presence of a simple horst on the CSEM response of a homogeneous conductive earth is signi&#64257;cant, even when the height of the horst is only a fraction of the skin depth of the model. When the transmitter is placedon topofthe horst, the currents inducedtherein account for nearly all of the total magnetic &#64257;eld of the model, indicating that topography, like mutual coupling must be accounted for when interpreting CSEM data.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 379-383). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

This dissertation presents an investigation of the effects of a stochastic component of sediment transport in sandy rivers in an attempt to gain information about the transport system and its implications for the evolution of Earth's surface topography. First, a method for characterizing the geometries of bed forms is introduced and compared to previously proposed methods. This new method is then implemented on a field dataset as well as laboratory dataset and the results are compared to those obtained by traditional methods. Second, a method for characterizing the dynamic evolution of the bed geometries is demonstrated. It produces a velocity scale, the mean migration rate of the bed topography, and a deformation scale, the evolutionary departures of the bed topography from pure migration. These scales are calculated for the field and laboratory data and are compared. The flux of bed sediment is then shown to depend on the stochastic component of bed evolution. The fluxes for each dataset are calculated, they are related to the environmental conditions causing the transport of sediment, and suggestions are made for the design of field campaigns that attempt to measure sediment transport by repeated surveys of bed topography. Finally, the implications of stochasticity for sediment transport are investigated. A null hypothesis is formulated for topographic change by a stochastic process. Then the effects of measurement and field collection methods on the null hypothesis are evaluated. The most important prediction is non-trivial behaviors in measurable rates of surface change at short timescales. This prediction is then evaluated with field data from a growing sandy channel network whose behaviors can be determined at timescales of decades to centuries (dendrochronology), tens of thousands of years (cosmogenic radiochemistry), and hundreds of thousands to millions of years (age of channel system and sediments through which it cuts). These three investigations create a coherent account of the expressions and implications of variability in the transport of sediment, and therefore the evolution of topography, in sandy river systems that can then be generalized to changes across Earth's surface. / text