Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1982.

Designing wind driven cross ventilation for a building is challenging due to the dynamic characteristics of wind. While numerous studies have studied various aspects of cross ventilation, few have had an opportunity to examine the topic with a holistic approach utilizing multiple research techniques. Thus, this dissertation combined three different investigation methods: wind tunnel analysis, full scale experiments and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to examine the physics of wind driven cross ventilation. Following the systematic approaches of the three methods, this study first conducted full scale measurements of wind properties, façade pressures, air flow rates through small window openings, and tracer gas concentrations in a multi-zone test house. Secondly, a scaled model of the test house was studied in a boundary layer wind tunnel (BLWT) for its façade pressures and ventilation rate under various wind incident angles. Finally, a CFD model of the test house was simulated under various constraints to determine the factors which affect indoor air distribution during wind driven cross ventilation events. The full scale experimental results showed a strong correlation between the cross ventilation rate and the wind velocity component normal to the inlet openings. This correlation suggested that the cross ventilation flow rate could be estimated from wind conditions alone. A closer examination of the wind characteristics also revealed that the cyclical pattern of changing wind direction could be impacted by obstructions which are kilometers upwind, suggesting that distant landscapes could have an impact on cross ventilation flows. The combination of CFD and full scale measurements also showed that local heat sources can generate significant buoyancy driven flow and affect indoor mixing during wind-driven cross ventilation scenarios. Experimentally validated parametric CFD analyses demonstrated the effect of interior heat loads in driving internal airflow, and suggest that a small source (35W/m2) can increase the indoor mixing from less than 1 ACH to 8 ACH between indoor spaces. Finally, the wind tunnel and CFD coupled analysis was found to predict the cross ventilation flow which was also validated against the full scaled measurements. The prediction, which may only be applicable to similar building types with small openings, showed significant agreement that such method has potential as an innovative design tool for natural ventilation in buildings. / text

Η συγκεκριμένη εργασία ως θέμα της πραγματεύεται τις τεχνικογεωλογικές συνθήκες κατά την διάνοιξη του τμήματος από την Χ.Θ.85+728.57 μέχρι την Χ.Θ.89+247.17 της σήραγγας του Αιγίου. Κατά τη γεωλογική χαρτογράφηση που πραγματοποιήθηκε στο πλαίσιο της γεωλογικής μελέτης της σήραγγας πραγματοποιήθηκαν από τους μελετητές ορισμένες τομές με τη βοήθεια του ηλεκτρομαγνητόμετρου στις θέσεις στις οποίες υπήρχαν ενδείξεις ή καταγραφές άλλων ερευνητών για ρήγματα ή ζώνες διάρρηξης. Μετά την επεξεργασία των μετρήσεων, εντοπίστηκαν τα ίχνη μερικών παλαιών ζωνών διάρρηξης και τοποθετήθηκαν στο γεωλογικό χάρτη και τη γεωλογική μηκοτομή. Κατά την εξέταση των τεχνικογεωλογικών συνθηκών κατά μήκος της χάραξης έγινε ειδική αναφορά σε αυτές τις θέσεις και καθορίστηκαν τα μέτρα αντιμετώπισης των προβλημάτων που αναμένονταν να προκύψουν. / --

Water availability is a common concern in semi-arid regions, such as Southern Arizona, USA. Hydroponic greenhouse crop production greatly reduces irrigation water use, but the study of water use by evaporative cooling has been limited.This project investigated water use by two evaporative cooling systems: pad-and-fan and high-pressure-fog with fan ventilation. All studies were performed in a double-layer polyethylene film-covered greenhouse (28 x 9.8 x 6.3 m) with mature tomato plants (2.9 plants m-2). Water use efficiency (WUE, kg yield per m3 water use) was calculated daily according to ventilation rate, as well as for a 6-month croppipng period, which used temperature-controlled pad-and-fan cooling.Pad-and-fan water use was 3.2, 6.4, 8.5, and 10.3 L m-2 d-1 for ventilation rates of 0.016, 0.034, 0.047, 0.061 m3 m-2 s-1, respectively. High-pressure-fog water use with a single central, overhead line was 7.9, 7.4, and 9.3 L m-2 d-1 for ventilation rates of 0.01, 0.016, 0.034 m3 m-2 s-1, respectively. For pad-and-fan ventilation rates less than 0.034 m3 m-2 s-1, total greenhouse WUE (20 - 33 kg m-3) was similar to field drip irrigation. For the temperature-controlled high-pressure-fog system, total greenhouse WUE (14 - 17 kg m-3) was similar to field sprinkler irrigation.For the 6-month crop cycle, combining water use by closed irrigation and pad-and-fan systems produced a total WUE of 15 kg m-3. Pad-and-fan WUE increased during monsoon conditions due to lower water use rates.Evaporative cooling water use and air temperature were well-predicted by the energy balance model. Predictions of air temperature improved when outside climate the measured conditions at one greenhouse location. Wind tunnel and full-scale studies of natural ventilation demonstrated the value of knowing airflow patterns when designing and operating a high-pressure-fog systemIt is possible for greenhouse tomato production to have a higher WUE than field production, if ventilation rates are not excessive, if closed irrigation is used, and if control methodologies are improved. Water use can be minimized by knowing how the evaporative cooling system affects greenhouse climate and plant responses.

L'??tude fine des fluctuations de courant dans les petites composantes ??lectroniques est un excellent moyen de tester notre compr??hension du transport ??lectronique quantique. Lorsque la fr??quence est suffisamment ??lev??e, ce qui est mesur?? en laboratoire n???est plus un courant d?????lectrons mais un champ ??lectromagn??tique caus?? par l???agitation des ??lectrons. Faire un pont entre l???optique en terme de photons et l?????lectronique quantique est l???objectif dans le laboratoire de Bertrand Reulet. Ce m??moire de ma??trise traite des fluctuations de courant d???une jonction tunnel polaris??e en courant et excit??e avec une tension alternative dans les micro-ondes. La nouveaut?? dans ce projet provient du fait que les fluctuations de courant g??n??r??es par la jonction tunnel ont ??t?? mesur??es en phase et en quadrature avec l???excitation micro-onde envoy??e sur l?????chantillon. Il a ??t?? d??montr?? qu???il est possible de faire un parall??le entre les fluctuations du courant ??lectrique et l???optique quantique pour arriver ?? pr??dire le comportement de ces fluctuations en phase et en quadrature. De plus, la pr??sence d?????tat comprim?? ou ??squeez???? sur l???une des quadratures du courant a ??t?? mesur??e exp??rimentalement. Les r??sultats obtenus sont en parfait accord avec la th??orie d??velopp??e.

To date, most studies investigating the neural signature of pain in humans have focused on the brain, and those studies concerned with more caudal areas (such as the spinal cord (SC) or brainstem) have used only experimental models of pain. The objectives of this study were 1) to determine the neural activity in the human brainstem and SC that is caused by a noxious mechanical stimulus and 2) to compare the neural response to noxious stimuli in healthy controls and a patient population diagnosed with peripheral neuropathic pain. The SC and brainstem contain important synaptic points in several major pain pathways, and comparing the neural response between a control and patient population in these areas provides a more complete picture of healthy and pathological pain processing. Functional MRI studies of the SC and brainstem were carried out in healthy control subjects and patients diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in a 3T Siemens Magnetom Trio. Subjects reported the point at which the pressure (in mmHg, applied to the wrist at the location of the median nerve) corresponded to a pain level of 2, 4, and 6 on a numerical 11 point pain scale. Spatially normalized group results superimposed on anatomical templates in the axial orientation were visually identified using several stereotaxic atlases. We observed consistent signal intensity change in areas implicated in the transmission and modulation of pain in both control and CTS groups. Both groups showed a similar decrease in signal change with increasing pain, as results at pain level 2 are predominantly positive signal change and at pain level 6 are typically negative. This may indicate a reduction in the tonic inhibition of painful sensations. Differences between groups were readily visible in regions anatomically consistent with the dorsal horn (DH) of the cervical SC, rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM), dorsolateral pontine tegmentum (DLPT), and midbrain periaqudectal gray (PAG). The anatomical variation in signal change between groups may represent, for the first time, a visualization of the functional difference between healthy and pathological pain processing in the SC and brainstem using spinal fMRI. / Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2010-08-03 14:46:01.7

Contractors and tunnelling engineers consistently seek to identify techniques and equipment to improve the efficiency and lower the cost of tunnelling projects. Based on the recent successes of rock slope characterization with laser scanning techniques, the author proposes 3D laser scanning (LiDAR) as a new tool for geotechnical assessment in drill and blast tunnels. It has been demonstrated that practical deployment of a phase-based LiDAR system at the face of an active tunnel heading is possible with a simple tripod setup. With data collection requiring only 5 minutes at the tunnel face, it was shown that this technique could be integrated into geotechnical evaluation without interruption of the excavation cycle. Following the successful scanning at two active tunnelling projects and two completed unlined tunnels, the research explored the applications of the data. With detailed geometric data of the heading as it advanced, the author identified applications of interest to the contractor/on-site engineer as well as the geotechnical engineer or geologist responsible for rockmass characterization. Operational applications included the extraction of information about tunnel geometry and installed support, while geomechanical information provided important elements of rockmass characterization. Building on the success of retrieving joint network information, the research investigated the potential for LiDAR-derived structural databases to be the basis for highly-representative 3D discrete element models. These representative models were found to be useful for back-analysis or as predictive tools for future tunnel design. The primary implications of the thesis are that a) LiDAR data collection at the face of a drill and blast tunnel operation is practical and potentially has great value, b) data extraction is possible for a wide range of applications, and c) that discontinuum stability analysis becomes a much more powerful tool with the integration of LiDAR data. The cumulative result of the work presented is a proposed workflow for integrating LiDAR into tunneling operations. / Thesis (Master, Geological Sciences & Geological Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-09-22 19:38:49.401

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Underground tunnels are considered to be a vital infrastructure component in most cities around the world. Careful planning is always necessary to ensure minimum impact on nearby surface and subsurface structures. This thesis describes the experimental and numerical investigations carried out at McGill University to examine the effect of existing pile foundation on the stresses developing in a newly constructed tunnel supported by a flexible lining system. A small scale testing facility was designed and built to simulate the process of tunnel excavation and lining installation in the close vicinity of pre-installed piles. Lining stresses were measured for different separation distances between the tunnel and the existing piles. Significant decrease in circumferential stresses was observed when the lining was installed at a distance that ranges between one to three times the tunnel diameter from the piles. Two-dimensional finite element analyses were also conducted to investigate the different aspects of the pile-soil-lining interaction including lining deformation, axial forces and bending moments. The measured lining stresses agreed with those obtained using finite element analysis. The results presented in this study provided an insight into understanding an important aspect of this soil-structure interaction problem.