Encoding behaviorally relevant stimuli in a noisy background is critical for animals to survive in their natural environment. We identify core biophysical and synaptic mechanisms that permit the encoding of low frequency signals in pyramidal neurons of the weakly electric fish Apteronotus leptorhynchus, an animal that can accurately encode miniscule (0.1%) amplitude modulations of its self-generated electric field. We demonstrate that slow NMDA-R mediated EPSPs are able to summate over many interspike intervals of the primary electrosensory afferents (EAs), effectively eliminating the EA spike train serial correlations from the pyramidal cell input. This permits stimulus-evoked changes in EA spiking to be transmitted efficiently to downstream ELL pyramidal cells, where a dynamic balance of NMDA-R and GABA-A-R currents is critical for encoding low frequency signals. Interestingly, AMPA-R activity is depressed and plays a negligible role in the generation of action potentials; instead, cell intrinsic membrane noise implements voltage-dependent stochastic resonance to amplify weak sensory input and appears to drive a significant proportion of pyramidal cell spikes. Together, these mechanisms may be sufficient for the ELL to encode signals near the threshold of behavioral detection.

The thesis pursue the design and calculation of illumination at Šternberk railway station. Components of this thesis are sizing and securing of supply cables, design and documentation of NN cable trains, comparison of current and proposed status in terms of energetical intensity, list of sampled work and financial costs of implementation.

This dissertation investigates the role of Architecture in promoting participation, interaction and awareness of the public in sporting activities, specifically with regard to the underprivileged community of Hammanskraal. The problems with the existing sports facilities are the following: * the location of the facilities; and * the fact that even though they are public facilities, they do not necessarily act as public spaces. They are fenced off and cover a vast area of land without providing proper shade for the players and spectators. The proposed intervention addresses these problems through the introduction of sports facilities into the public realm. This is achieved through locating of these facilities next to a new railway station and pedestrian and vehicle route that crosses over the railway line (Fig 3). The proposal intends to create a threshold space for members of the community in which to interact through sport, trade, social and cultural activities. The programme will provide sports training fields, a multi -functional hall, a gymnasium, a station and retail facilities. The architectural response is informed by the following : * the amalgamation of sports facilities with the public space; * programmatic requirements; and * responses to contextual conditions. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Architecture / Unrestricted

High speed trains have become an integral part of the transportation systems around the world. With increasing speed, very high velocities are generated in the region around the train known as slipstream. Experimental studies have been conducted over the last few decades to study the effect of these phenomena. Slipstream velocities have been measured using anemometers placed near real trains running on the tracks and model trains running on rigs like moving model rig and rotating rail rig. However, most of these studies are quite expensive to conduct. The purpose of this thesis is to find an alternative way to measure the slipstream. Detached Eddy Simulation is used to simulate the flow around a 1:15 scaled model of an ETR500 high speed train with different configurations similar to tests conducted on the track and in the wind tunnel. The results from the simulations are compared with the data obtained from experimental tests conducted on the Torino-Novara high speed line. A wind tunnel test is also carried out to validate the CFD data. It is concluded from the results that the wind tunnel setup with a slip floor in front of the train can be used to find out if the train produces slipstream velocities that are within the limits indicated by the TSI standards.

Dellner couplers AB is a developer and producer of railway coupling systems. This project is a master thesis that focuses on improving the quality, quantity and efficiency of their test department. This project details the design and development of a multi functional test rig that would serve as a basis for expansion decisions of the test department at Dellner. The resulting design was developed using the product development process by Ulrich and Eppinger with different phases. The phases being project planning, concept development, system-level design, detail design, testing and refinement and production ramp-up. However, some phases as described by the method would be altered or skipped for this project because of the limitations of the project and the nature of the product. The resulting design is able to perform four different tests that Dellner utilises today. This shows the potential of replacing four large test rigs with one of the new design. The design also has many different configuration options that enables an expansion of different types of tests. Simulations and calculations were made in order to verify the strength and functionality of the design.

This dissertation delineates the ways in which the political vicissitudes, economic restructuring and cultural fissures of the 1960s and 1970s shaped the commemoration of the Bicentennial of American Independence and elucidates how, in turn, the Bicentennial helped catalyze the eventual emergence of the cultural formations and political economy of neoliberalism. Using cultural studies frameworks to analyze archival policy memoranda, planning, curatorial and design records, journalistic accounts, photographs and audio-visual recordings, I demonstrate that the Bicentennial became a crucible in which Americans across the political spectrum reframed historical narratives, reconceived national identity and debated the proper role of the federal government. This study argues that political, economic and cultural elites mounted events that answered social movement demands for inclusiveness but contained their potential to effect radical change. The corporate sponsorships devised for Bicentennial projects profoundly expanded the role of corporations within the cultural sphere, enabling museums to adapt to the dismantling of the "welfare state" and laying the groundwork for the public-private partnerships that became the cornerstones of neoliberalism in the1980s. Chapter 1 examines a traveling Smithsonian exhibition, "Workers and Allies: Female Participation in the American Trade Union Movement 1824-1876," to illuminate the challenges of conducting public history in a moment when national narratives are highly contested. Chapter 2 argues that the Nixon administration imposed its overriding policy agenda of New Federalism upon the Bicentennial planning process to help engender a conservative realignment of American values and the electorate. Chapter 3 chronicles the transformation of the Smithsonian Festival of American Folklife from a small celebration of deep-rooted folkways with counterhegemonic aims into a grand multicultural Bicentennial spectacle that advanced the ideological and economic prerogatives of the Smithsonian's liberal leadership, of conservative politicians, and its major corporate sponsors. Chapter 4 explores the launch and exhibition design of the American Freedom Train, which marshaled substantial economic and political resources of the federal government and four American corporations - Pepsico, Prudential, Kraftco, and General Motors. This single most widely-circulated project reasserted a teleological narrative of steady economic, technological, and social progress and affirmed the cultural authority of its corporate stewards and the success of privatization. / 2019-04-30T00:00:00Z

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(情報学) / 甲第19864号 / 情博第615号 / 新制||情||107(附属図書館) / 32900 / 京都大学大学院情報学研究科通信情報システム専攻 / (主査)教授 岩間 一雄, 教授 永持 仁, 教授 五十嵐 淳 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Informatics / Kyoto University / DGAM

The Norrbotnia Line Dance project focuses on the expansion and densification of Piteå, a small city in northern Sweden. To accommodate the expected population growth, the thesis explores interventions to urban sprawl by reorganizing existing buildings along Kyrkbrogatan, a main street in the city. The interventions proposed are: "Repurposing," which integrates a train station within a supermarket; "Addition," involving a shift and addition of a public building to enhance its urban presence; and "Relocation," relocating a villa to a new site and utilizing its space for apartment buildings. Through the exploration of architectural expressions and the integration of dualities, the interventions propose innovative solutions that contribute to the city's future growth and development while preserving its unique identity. By seeing buildings as free of its site the project aims to counter urban sprawl and promote a sustainable urban fabric. Drawing inspiration from Piteå's history, including its Roman-influenced city plan and previous relocations of buildings. From residential, the relocation, my thesis Norrbotnia Line Dance moves along Kyrkbrogatan through Public Offices, shifting and adding towards the beginning and end of the city at the Train Station, with its repurposing, while facing the issues of continuity as we go down the line.

Understanding how the human brain works can lead to new discoveries and improved treatments for brain related diseases and disabilities such as Alzheimer's and autism. One method for studying brain activity is through electrophysiological recordings, particularly through the use of in vivo recording techniques. While these techniques have advanced significantly over the years, data analysis tools have not kept pace, making it difficult to isolate the activity of individual neurons from the recordings. In this thesis, we propose a unified protocol for isolating the spike activity of a neuron from an electrophysiology recording. Additionally, we conducted customized spike train analysis on the recorded cells in a pattern separation task. Preliminary results suggest that changes in the neural activity of mossy cells was not significant. However, for granule cells and interneurons, responses to punishment and reward were observed.

The displacement of the flow by a passing freight train can often result in dangerous conditions for railway equipment and people standing in the vicinity of the train. In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are performed to study the flow development around a moving freight train comprised of a Class 66 locomotive and four container wagons. The results will give a better insight into the effects that each flow structure can have in the flow within the train's slipstream. Both two- and three-dimensional simulations are carried out around the freight train using three different RANS turbulence models: the Spalart-Allmaras, the SST k-ω and the W&J EARSM. Two cases of 10o and 30o crosswinds are also considered and compared to the no-crosswind case, as side-winds characterize the majority of real-life situations and are known to amplify the slipstream effects. The results are validated against available experimental and numerical data and they are thoroughly presented and discussed. The 30o crosswind case is also computed using a DDES simulation. A meshing strategy which involves the assembly of different mesh blocks with a non-matching interface boundary condition to create the complete domain is used and assessed, as an alternative meshing approach that can simplify and accelerate the set-up of different case-studies. Additionally, the two-dimensional study is used to assess the influence of different parameters on the solution, such as the grid resolution and the moving-ground boundary condition.