Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Cost zone'

Ground source heat pump (GSHP) systems are gaining recognition as a cost effective and green heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) alternative in the United States. Still, this technology is not highly utilized due to factors such as high initial investment, lack of confidence and uncertainties in cost items. This study focuses on the reflection of the variations in cost items on the feasibility and life-cycle cost of a typical GSHP system. For this purpose, life-cycle costs were calculated for a typical GSHP system and cost data was gathered for several projects. Possible variations on cost variables are defined. Then, the effect of these variations on life cycle cost is analyzed on a comparative basis with a conventional system. It was concluded that the GSHP systems may not be economically favorable over a conventional HVAC systems without current incentives in hot and humid climate regions.

This thesis encompasses a feasibility study of using low-cost materials to manufacture microfluidic chips that can perform the same functions as chips manufactured using traditional methods within an acceptable range of efficiency of chips created with more exotic methods and materials. The major parts of the project are the selection and characterization of the fabrication methods for creating the channels for fluid flow, the methods for sealing the channels to create a usable chip and the electrophoretic separations of carboxylated microspheres of different potentials. In this work we seek to answer the question if laser-etched PMMA microfluidic chips are comparable in functionality to microfluidic chips created with PDMS or glass. In the process of answering this question we will touch on FEA modeling, characterization of the manufacturing process and multiple prototype designs while keeping within the low-cost theme. The purpose of capillary electrophoresis is to separate proteins based on their inherent electric charge. Capillary electrophoresis is a standard chip design used in the microfluidics world to prove a new fabrication method or chip material before branching out to other experiments because it is a fairly simple and robust design. Common problems associated with the manufacturing methods and materials were taken into account such as electroosmotic flow and chip sealing. CZE designs from literature were referenced to create a chip that would separate carboxylated microbeads with reasonable resolution. Wire electrodes were affixed to the chip to induce electric fields for the electrophoresis experiments. The goal of this thesis is to prove the manufacturing methods and attain results within 70% of literature standards.

Submitted by Washington Paulo Gomes null (wpg_ubatuba@hotmail.com) on 2017-11-09T19:37:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação_vs_final_Washington Paulo Gomes.pdf: 31161181 bytes, checksum: 1bdff42bfc10a710583e66dc5c3401ad (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Luiz Galeffi (luizgaleffi@gmail.com) on 2017-11-21T14:25:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gomes_wp_me_prud.pdf: 31161181 bytes, checksum: 1bdff42bfc10a710583e66dc5c3401ad (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-21T14:25:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gomes_wp_me_prud.pdf: 31161181 bytes, checksum: 1bdff42bfc10a710583e66dc5c3401ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-10-06<br>Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)<br>Os estudos sobre clima urbano realizados até o momento deram maior relevância às cidades de grande porte, supostamente pelo maior comprometimento da qualidade de vida de seus habitantes e pelo agravamento dos problemas ambientais. Atualmente, no Brasil, há avanços em relação aos trabalhos realizados em cidades de pequeno e médio porte, sendo fundamentais para planificação e o ordenamento territorial. Considerando-se a carência de estudos sobre a qualidade do ambiente urbano, sobretudo, em cidades de pequeno e médio porte em zonas costeiras no Brasil, e a necessidade de se realizar pesquisas que se referem à qualidade ambiental necessária para o desenvolvimento da vida humana, foi proposto o estudo do clima urbano em Ubatuba-SP. Este trabalho buscou compreender até que ponto a dimensão de uma cidade pode gerar um clima urbano específico e, também, quais seriam as formas de espacialização das ilhas de calor em uma cidade localizada na zona costeira. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi compreender e analisar o clima urbano de Ubatuba-SP, buscando identificar os níveis de interferência humana no ambiente, caracterizar as temperaturas de acordo com os sistemas atmosféricos atuantes e sua distribuição no espaço geográfico, levando em consideração os diferentes padrões construtivos e as características do relevo. A pesquisa teve como aporte teórico o Sistema Clima Urbano com ênfase no subsistema termodinâmico. Buscou-se trabalhar as relações entre os atributos geoecológicos do sítio, a morfologia e as funções urbanas. Os procedimentos metodológicos realizados se basearam na coleta de dados por medidas móveis, por pontos fixos e imagens de satélites. Os transectos móveis para a coleta de dados de temperatura foram realizados nos períodos da manhã (9h), tarde (15h) e noite (21h), em três episódios, durante os dias 11, 18 e 27 de novembro de 2015, totalizando nove medidas simultâneas em dois trajetos S-N e O-L. Foram instalados 15 miniabrigos meteorológicos (pontos fixos) distribuídos pela malha urbana para a coleta dos dados de temperatura e umidade relativa do ar no mês de novembro de 2015, neste caso, também foram utilizados os dados das estações meteorológicas automáticas do Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) e do Instituto Oceanográfico da Universidade de São Paulo (IOUSP), totalizando 17 pontos de registro. Os dados das estações meteorológicas também foram utilizados para realizar a caracterização da direção e velocidade predominante dos ventos e na identificação das brisas marítimas e terrestres. Também foram utilizadas técnicas de sensoriamento remoto com o objetivo de realizar a modelagem da ilha de calor urbana, considerando as características de uso e a ocupação da terra. Os resultados apontaram diferenças de até 5,4ºC nas medidas móveis e diferenças de até 6ºC nas medidas fixas. A modelagem foi capaz de explicar cerca de 50% da variabilidade das temperaturas com a formação de ilha de calor bem definida na área central da cidade, apresentando intensidade de 5°C em relação ao entorno rural. O sistema de brisas contribuíram, em alguns casos, para o deslocamento da temperatura, sendo mais eficiente durante o dia sob efeitos das brisas marítimas com o deslocamento do calor da área central para o interior do continente e menos frequente durante a noite sob atuação da brisa terrestre. De modo geral as áreas mais quentes da cidade com a geração de ilhas de calor se apresentaram como resultados dos processos de ocupação desigual do espaço, sendo as áreas densamente construídas, com baixo padrão construtivo e baixa vegetação arbórea, e sobretudo, localizadas fora das áreas de interesse turístico, de valorização cênica e forte especulação imobiliária dos espaços residenciais fechados nas orlas das praias.<br>Les études sur le climat urbain effectuées jusqu'à présent ont donné une plus grande importance aux grandes villes, supposément en raison d’une plus grande attention accordée à la qualité de vie de ses habitants et par l'aggravation des problèmes environnementaux. Actuellement, au Brésil, des avancées ont permis d’améliorer les connaissances au cours d’études menées sur les petites et moyennes villes, fondamentales pour la planification de l’aménagement du territoire. Compte tenu de l'absence d'études sur la qualité de l'environnement urbain, en particulier dans les petites et moyennes villes des zones côtières du Brésil, le cas du climat urbain de la ville d'Ubatuba-SP a été étudié en profondeur afin de répondre à cette nécessité. Le but de ce travail est de chercher à comprendre dans quelle mesure la dimension d'une ville peut générer un climat urbain spécifique, et aussi, quelles seraient les formes de spatialisation de l’îlot de chaleur dans une ville située en zone côtière. L'objectif principal de cette étude était de comprendre et d'analyser le climat urbain de la ville d'Ubatuba-SP, pour tenter d’identifier les niveaux d'interférences humaines avec l'environnement, de caractériser les températures selon les systèmes atmosphériques et leur distribution dans l'espace géographique, tout cela tenant compte desdifférents standards établis en matière de construction et des carctéristiques du relief. Cette recherche est nourrie par l’apport théorique le Système Climat Urbain dont notamment le sous-système thermodynamique. On a cherché à travailler les relations entre les attributs géoécologiques du site, la morphologie et les fonctions urbaines. Les procédures méthodologiques réalisées se basent sur la collecte de données par mesures mobiles, par mesures fixes et par images de satellites. Les transects mobiles pour la collecte des données de température ont été effectués le matin (9h), l'après-midi (15h) et la nuit (21h), en trois épisodes, lors des 11, 18 et 27 novembre 2015, totalisant neuf mesures simultanées sur deux axes S-N et O-E. Quinze points de mesures fixes ont été répartis en divers secteurs de la ville pour procéder à la collecte des donneés, à savoir sur la température et l'humidité relative au mois de novembre 2015. Les données des stations météorologiques automatiques de l'Institut Agronomique de Campinas (IAC) et de l'Institut Océanographique de l'Université de São Paulo (IOUSP), totalisant 17 points d'enregistrement, ont aussi été exploitées. Les données des stations météorologiques ont également été utilisées pour caractériser la direction et la vitesse prédominante des vents ainsi que pour l’identification des brises maritimes et terrestres. La modélisation de l’îlot de chaleur urbain, qui considère les caractéristiques d'occupation et d'usage du sol, a nécessité l’emploi de techniques de télédétection. Les résultats ont montré des différences de 5,4°C dans les mesures mobiles et des différences de 6ºC dans les mesures fixes. Le modéle a permis d'expliquer environ 50% de la variabilité des températures avec la formation d'un îlot de chaleur bien défini dans la zone centrale de la ville, présentant une température supérieure de 5°C par rapport au milieu rural. Le système de brise a contribué, dans certains cas, au brassage de la température, à effacer pendant la journée sous les effets des brises de mer avec le déplacement de chaleur de la zone centrale vers l'intérieur du continent mais moins fréquent pendant la nuit sous l’effet de la brise terrestre. En général, les zones plus chaudes de la ville, où est généré l’îlot de chaleur ont seraient le résultats de processus d'occupation inégale de l'espace. Ces zones correspondent aux secteurs densément construits, avec des standards établis en matière de construction, un faible taux de végétation arborée et particulièrement en dehors des zones d'intérêt touristique, de l'évaluation scénique et de la forte spéculation immobilière des espaces résidentiels fermés dans les rives des plages.<br>The studies on urban climate carried out so far have given greater importance to large cities, presumably because the greater quality of life of its inhabitants and the aggravation of environmental problems. Currently, in Brazil, there are advances related to works carried out in small and medium-sized cities, being fundamental territorial planning. Considering the lack of studies on the quality of the urban environment, especially in small and medium-sized cities in coastal areas in Brazil, and the need to carry out research that refers to the environmental quality necessary for the development of human life it was proposed the study of the urban climate of the city of Ubatuba-SP. This study aimed to understand how the extent size of a city can generate a specific urban climate and, even, which would be the forms of spatialization of the heat islands in a city located in the coastal zone. The main objective of this study was to understand and analyze the urban climate of the city of Ubatuba, looking for to identify the levels of human interference in the environment, to characterize the temperatures according to the atmospheric systems and their distribution in the geographic space, taking into account the different constructive patterns and the characteristics of the relief. The research had as theoretical contribution the Urban Climate System with emphasis in the thermodynamic subsystem. It was aimed to work the relations between the geoecological attributes of the site, the morphology and the urban functions. The methodological procedures were based on the collection of data by mobile measurements, by fixed points and satellite images. The mobile transects for the collection of temperature data were performed in the morning (9 A.M.), afternoon (3 P.M.) and night (9 P.M.), in three episodes, during November 11th, 18th and 27th of the year of 2015, totaling nine simultaneous measurements on two routs S-N and W-E. Fifteen fixed measurement points were installed in the urban network of the city to collect data on temperature and relative humidity in the month of November 2015, in this case, were also used data from automatic weather stations of the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC) and the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo (IOUSP), totaling 17 registration points. The data of the meteorological stations were also used to characterize the direction and the predominant velocity of the winds and in the identification of the maritime and terrestrial breezes. Were also used remote sensing techniques in order to carry out the modeling of the urban heat island, considering the use and occupation of land characteristics. The results showed differences of up to 5,4ºC in mobile measurements and differences of up to 6°C in fixed measures. The modeling was able to explain about 50% of the temperature variability with the formation of a well defined heat island in the central area of the city, presenting intensity of 5°C in relation to the rural environment. The system of breezes contributed, in some cases, to the displacement of the temperature, being more efficient during the day under effects of the sea breezes with the displacement of the heat of the central area to the interior of the continent and less frequent during the night under the action of the terrestrial breeze. In general, the hottest areas of the city with the generation of heat islands were presented as results of the processes of uneven occupation of space, being the areas densely constructed, with low constructive pattern and low tree vegetation, and mainly, localized outside the areas of tourist interest, of scenic valuation and strong real estate speculation of the residential spaces closed in the borders of the beaches.<br>FAPESP: 2015/04784-1<br>FAPESP: 2016/06880-0

While regular maintenance of roads and bridges are essential to ensure a high level of service for road users, road users typically do not prefer having to drive through a construction zone because of the lower speed and increased possibilities of crashes. These road user inconveniences are typically ignored or not given much weight while planning, developing, and awarding construction and maintenance projects. Typically, a contractor with the lowest bid is awarded a construction project irrespective of whether the project will be completed in a shorter or longer duration if the duration is within a provided limit. Such a decision-making process, known as "the apparent lowest bidder," is the most common method for selecting the best contractor for construction projects, even though quicker completion of a construction project results in reduced inconvenience to the road users. To overcome this limitation, state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have started to use the monetary quantification of the road user inconveniences, known as the road user cost, while selecting the best contractor for a project. However, monetary quantification of the road user cost is a significant challenge to state DOTs. Many state DOTs lack a systematic methodology to compute the road user cost or have inconsistent methodologies within the same state DOT. Currently, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) does not have a systematic methodology to compute the road user cost. This study aims to review existing methodologies from other state DOTs across the U.S. to identify the best practices for calculating the road user cost. To achieve this, the study reviewed existing literature on the subject and conducted a nationwide survey questionnaire covering all 50 state DOTs. The survey result shows that 34 out of 37 responding state DOTs are currently calculating the road user cost. More than half of the state DOTs have developed their state-specific methodologies for various purposes, including A+B contract evaluation, incentives/disincentives determination, and benefit-cost analysis for alternative project evaluation. The delay cost and the vehicle operating costs are the two most common components to compute the road user costs. As the road user cost calculation requires additional time and effort, it is calculated only for a limited number of construction projects based on the project's duration, location, and complexity. Most state DOTs prefer and use a spreadsheet-based tool to ease the calculation process. The survey results provide the most extensive and detailed information about the current practices of calculating the road user costs in the U.S. The survey results will be used to develop a new methodology to compute road user costs for TDOT. Other state DOTs can also use the study's findings to improve their road user cost calculation methodologies. Such improved methodology will help state DOTs make more informed contract-management decisions and reduce inconveniences to road users. Keywords: Road User's Cost, Department of Transportation, Work Zone, A+B Bidding

Submitted by Alisson Mota (alisson.davidbeckam@gmail.com) on 2015-06-17T19:17:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Josino da Silva Malagueta.pdf: 890418 bytes, checksum: e3392c49fb234dd03df8cfb84473d328 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-06-18T17:57:02Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Josino da Silva Malagueta.pdf: 890418 bytes, checksum: e3392c49fb234dd03df8cfb84473d328 (MD5)<br>Approved for entry into archive by Divisão de Documentação/BC Biblioteca Central (ddbc@ufam.edu.br) on 2015-06-18T18:00:49Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Josino da Silva Malagueta.pdf: 890418 bytes, checksum: e3392c49fb234dd03df8cfb84473d328 (MD5)<br>Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-18T18:00:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Josino da Silva Malagueta.pdf: 890418 bytes, checksum: e3392c49fb234dd03df8cfb84473d328 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-09-12<br>Não Informada<br>The history of economic occupation of the Amazon and the State of Amazonas, in particular, is marked by great moments or cycles of development. The first one is the beginning of rational economic exploitation of the colony, started by Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo better known as Marquis of Pombal. The second is the extraction of latex from rubber trees, when the rubber produced from the latex of rubber trees was the great bulwark in the generation of wealth in the region. The third period is related to the historic moment of deploying "Great Projects" desenvolvimentistas for the region commanded by the federal government and up to the present day. This period, which also was known as the "Recent Occupation." It is this period the Bill of Manaus Free Zone (ZFM), emerged in the midst of the so-called "Operation Amazon." The Project ZFM has provided economic benefits to the region, particularly for Amazonas State and especially for Manaus city, because with the advent of the Manaus Free Zone, the state significantly increased its revenue. This study investigates the actions of state government to develop public policies to optimize these resources primarily on the generation of knowledge from the investment in education, particularly in high school and Vocational Education. Only a serious investment in education, not the perspective of economic theory of Human Capital, or the optics of Neoliberalism, but in view of the unitary school and polytechnic, you can leverage the development for the Amazon region in general and the Amazon in particular. Because despite the enormous financial resources by raising the state lacks public policies geared to the expansion of access to knowledge, especially through education.<br>A história da ocupação econômica da Amazônia e do Estado do Amazonas, em particular, está marcada por grandes momentos ou ciclos de desenvolvimento. O primeiro deles corresponde ao início da exploração econômica racional da colônia, iniciada por Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo mais conhecido como Marquês de Pombal. O segundo corresponde à extração do látex da seringueira, período em que a borracha produzida a partir do látex da seringueira foi o grande baluarte na geração de riquezas na região. O terceiro período está relacionado ao momento histórico da implantação de “Grandes Projetos” desenvolvimentistas para a região capitaneados pelo governo federal e que se estende até os dias atuais. Período esse, que também ficou conhecido como da “Ocupação Recente”. É desse período o Projeto Zona Franca de Manaus (ZFM), surgido no bojo da chamada “Operação Amazônia”. O Projeto ZFM tem proporcionado vantagens econômicas para a região, sobremaneira para o Estado do Amazonas e principalmente para a cidade de Manaus, visto que com o advento da Zona Franca de Manaus o Estado elevou significativamente sua arrecadação. Este trabalho investiga as ações do governo estadual no sentido de desenvolver políticas públicas para otimização desses recursos principalmente na geração de conhecimento a partir do investimento em educação; particularmente no Ensino Médio e na Educação Profissional. Somente um investimento sério em educação, não na perspectiva economicista da Teoria do Capital Humano, nem na ótica do Neoliberalismo, mas na perspectiva da escola unitária e da politecnia, poderá alavancar o desenvolvimento para a Amazônia em geral e para o Amazonas em particular. Pois apesar dos vultosos recursos financeiros via arrecadação o Estado carece de Políticas Públicas voltadas para a ampliação do acesso ao conhecimento, principalmente via escolarização.

The monetary quantification of inconveniences caused to the road users by ongoing construction activities is known as the Road Users Costs (RUCs). While the importance of RUCs is widely known, some highway agencies lack an appropriate methodology to compute RUCs. Thus, there is a need to develop a framework to compute RUCs that can be adopted quickly by highway agencies. This study reviewed existing literature and conducted a nationwide survey to identify and summarize the current practices of computing RUCs. It developed an enhanced framework and tool to compute RUCs that balances the effort required to calculate RUCs and the accuracy of the results. This enhanced framework accounts for the spatiotemporal variation of RUCs. The results of the study are expected to enable highway agencies to quickly and accurately compute RUCs to make better project management decisions, such as selecting the best contractor that minimizes the agency costs and RUCs.

Under the growing demand for marine fish resources, and the apparent and expected impacts of global climate change, there is a need to conduct long-term monitoring (LTM) to ensure effective management of resources and conservation of biodiversity. However LTM programmes often suffer from design deficiencies and fail to achieve their objectives. These deficiencies stem from the fact that insufficient consideration is afforded to the design phase, with programmes selecting methods that are not suitable to address the objectives, or are not cost-efficient, compromising the sustainability of the LTM. To facilitate the establishment of LTM programmes along the southern coast of South Africa, background research needed to be conducted to identify which methods were most appropriate for LTM of reef fish. This study presents a detailed field-based assessment of the suitability and cost-efficiency of monitoring methods for long-term monitoring of reef fish in the Agulhas Ecoregion of South Africa. The approach adopted to identify the method, or suite of methods most suited for LTM, involved (i) the selection of methods considered suitable for LTM, (ii) the individual assessment and optimisation of method performance, and (iii) the comparative assessment of the fish community sampled by the different methods. The most suited method(s) were then identified as those that provide the most comprehensive assessment of the fish community and had the highest cost-efficiency. The research was conducted between January 2008 and 2011 in the Tsitsikamma and Table Mountain National Park (TNP and TMNP, respectively) marine protected areas (MPAs) within the Agulhas Ecoregion. The methods selected included fish traps (FT), controlled angling (CA), underwater visual census (UVC), remote underwater video (RUV), baited RUV (BRUV) and remotely operated vehicles (ROV). The individual assessment and optimisation was conducted with the FT, UVC, RUV and BRUV methods. The assessment of the FT method aimed to identify the optimal soak time, and whether or not the size of the funnel entrance to the trap affected the catch. The results identified that larger funnel entrances caught more fish and soak times of 80 minutes produced the highest catches per unit effort. However the data were highly variable and the method detected few of the species typical of the region. Fish traps were also associated with high levels of mortality of fish post-release. The assessment of UVC strip transect method involved directly comparing the precision of data collected by researchers and volunteers using a novel double-observer technique (paired-transects). The results showed considerable error in both the volunteers and researchers data, however the researchers produced significantly higher precision data, compared to the volunteers. The distinction between researchers and volunteers was not evident in the data for the dominant species of fish. For all observers, the abundance of a species in the sample had a significant influence on its detectability, with locally scarce or rare species poorly detected. UVC was able to sample the majority of species typical of reefs in the region, however it appeared plagued by observer and detectability biases. The assessments of RUV and BRUV were conducted simultaneously which enabled the assessment of the effect of bait on the observed fish community. In addition the optimal deployment time for both methods to maximise species richness and abundance was determined. The results showed that BRUV, and to a lesser degree RUV, were able to effectively survey the reef fish community for the region with a 50 minute and 35 minute deployment time, respectively. Baited remote underwater video was especially good at detecting the invertebrate and generalist carnivores, and cartilaginous species. On the other hand, RUV was more effective at surveying the microinvertebrate carnivores. Remote underwater video was characterised by higher data variability, compared to BRUV, and was ultimately considered a less cost-efficient monitoring method. Comparative methods assessments were conducted during two field experiments with the FT, UVC and BRUV methods in the TMNP MPA, and the FT, CA, UVC, RUV, BRUV and ROV methods compared in the TNP MPA. The objectives of the comparison were to investigate differences in the fish communities observed with the different methods, and to determine the power of the data to detect an annual 10% growth in the fish populations over a period of five years. The results from the method comparison were in turn used to conduct the cost-benefit analysis to determine the efficiency of the different methods at achieving monitoring objectives requiring population data from multiple trophic and functional groups with the community, and from species of fisheries importance. The results indicated that FT, CA and ROV were ineffective at monitoring the reef fish community, although CA appeared to provide valuable data for the dominant fisheries species. Both CA and FT required minimal initial investment however, the variability in the data translated into high annual monitoring costs, as the required sampling effort was great. The ROV required the highest initial investment and was identified as the least cost-efficient method. Underwater visual census was able to adequately survey the bony fish within the community, however it did not detect the cartilaginous species. Underwater visual census required a large initial investment and was not cost-efficient, as a many samples were required to account for the variability in the data. Remote underwater video provided a comprehensive assessment of the reef fish community, however it too was associated with high levels of variability in the data, compared to BRUV, reducing its cost-efficiency. BRUV provided the most comprehensive assessment of the reef fish community and was associated with the highest cost-efficiency to address the community and fisheries species monitoring objectives. During the course of this research stereo-BRUV has gained considerable support as an effective reef fish monitoring method. Although not tested during this research, stereo-BRUV is preferred to BRUV as it provides accurate data on the size of fish. However, the initial investment of stereo-BRUV is over three times that required for the BRUV. Although it is recommended that a baited video technique be used for LTM in the Agulhas Ecoregion, the choice between BRUV and stereo-BRUV will depend on the specific objectives of the programme and the available budget at the implementing agency.

Évaluation d'une politique publique et mise en œuvre d'une méthodologie supplémentant le calcul du « Net Social Benefit » : cas de l'expérimentation de la Ville de Paris d'une Zone d'Actions Prioritaires pour l'Air (ZAPA)<br>No English summary available

When roadworks are performed, one of the impacts is delays in the traffic. Partly because of reduced speed limits past the work zones but mainly because of the facility's limited quality of service. This could result in significant delays for the road users with lost work and spare time as a consequence. The lost time in congestions could have been used more efficiently. It is therefore of interest to estimate these delays for different types of roadworks to calculate its macro economical impact. The estimations may be a factor in different types of planning, for example in roadwork planning, in work zone scheduling or in life cycle assessments. The estimations can be conducted using different methods, such as analytical, queuing theory or macrosimulation. However, to include the details of specific work zones an analysis method of higher detail is required. First to include varying geometric details, secondly due to the higher level of detail in the representation of the traffic. Therefore may microsimulation be a suitable analysis method. The purpose of this master thesis was to investigate microsimulations suitability for work zone analysis, by using the software AIMSUN. AIMSUN were different work zone types modeled, first of highways. Later was a 2-lane road modeled for which the traffic control was a fixed signal, then controlled by a simpler extension developed in C++ that simulated a flagger control. Using a developed helper program, the work zone models could be simulated for a large set of daily flow levels and heavy vehicle ratios. Together with corresponding results for normal conditions, it was possible to calculate the delays. The results were relationships between the total delays, for various heavy vehicle ratios. A concern with the results was deviations of the delays for different daily flows and heavy vehicle ratios. Even if the deviations will not have any greater impact on the total cost, they may be unwanted in decision models. Processing of the result may therefore be necessary. This master thesis has showed that microsimulation may be a suitable method to analyze work zone impacts. Using the high level of detail, work zones special character can be captured. Possible future work is to improve the reliability of results by performing validations of results with real work zone data to compare speeds, headways and queue lengths. Additional work may include to consider the diversion delays.<br>När vägarbeten utförs uppkommer fördröjningar i trafiken. Delvis på grund av reducerade hastigheter förbi arbetsområdet men i huvudsak på grund av minskad framkomlighet. Det kan resultera i betydande fördröjningar för trafikanterna med förlorad arbets- och fritid som följd.  Den förlorade tiden i köer kunde då ha använts effektivare. Det är då av intresse att kunna uppskatta fördröjningarna vid olika typer av vägarbeten för att beräkna dess samhällsekonomiska påverkan. Uppskattningarna kan då vara en faktor vid beslut inom olika typer av planering, till exempel vid vägarbetsplanering, schemaläggning eller livscykelanalyser. För att göra dessa uppskattningar kan olika metoder användas, till exempel analytiskt, med köteori eller makrosimulering. Men för att kunna inkludera detaljerna vid olika vägarbeten krävs en analysmetod med högre detaljnivå. Dels för att få med geometriska detaljer, dels detaljnivån i representation av trafiken. Då kan mikrosimulering vara en lämplig metod. Syftet med det här examensarbetat var att undersöka mikrosimulerings användbarhet vid vägarbetesanalyser, det genom att använda programvaran AIMSUN. I AIMSUN modellerades olika typer av vägarbeten, först för motorvägar. Sedan modellerades en 2-fältsväg där trafikkontrollen dels sköttes av en skyttelsignal, sedan utvecklades ett enklare tillägg i C++ som simulerade en flaggvakt som istället skötte trafikkontrollen. Med hjälp av ett utvecklat program kunde modellerna simuleras för en stor mängd olika dygnsflöden och andel tung trafik. Tillsammans med motsvarande grundscenario kunde fördröjningarna beräknas. Resultaten blev samband mellan totala fördröjningen under dagen beroende på dygnsflödet, det för olika andelar tung trafik. Ett bekymmer med resultaten var variationer i fördröjningarna mellan olika dygnsflödesnivåer och andelar tung trafik. Även om variationerna inte ger så stort utslag på totala kostnaden, så kan variationerna vara icke önskvärda i till exempel beslutsmodeller. En viss bearbetning av resultaten kan då vara nödvändig. Det här examensarbetet har visat att mikrosimulering kan vara en lämplig metod för att analysera vägarbetens påverkan. Med dess höga detaljnivå har vägarbetenas olika karaktär kunnat återskapas. Möjligt framtida arbete är att öka pålitligheten i resultaten genom validation med trafikdata från verkliga vägarbeten med jämförelser mellan hastigheter, avstånd och kölängder. Ytterligare arbete kan vara att uppskatta fördröjningar av att fordon väljer omvägar för att undvika vägarbetenas köer.

This diploma thesis deals with the assessment of the influence of the location in the historic zone on the price of a commercially usable building. The thesis includes the elaboration of the current legal regulations influencing the property valuation, the definition of basic concepts related to the valuation of a selected real estate, and the determination of methods usable in the process of commercial object valuation. Furthermore, the cities of Třebíč, in which the valued property is located, and Žďár nad Sázavou, that is used for comparison, are described in detail. The selected method is a combination of the cost and income approach for valuation according to the price regulation, and in the case of market valuation of seloected real estate, the method of direct comparison is used. Finally, the influences that may have an impact on the object value are assessed.

In the doctoral thesis is an analysis of comparative method for family houses according to the valuation regulations. The analysis focuses on individual characteristics and qualitative zones and their impact on set price. The analysis is made by specially created database of offer prices of family houses and by comparing with the cost method according to the valuation regulations. Based on the results of the analysis is designed a new form of characters and qualitative zones. The thesis is concluded by summarizing and discussion of results and their contribution.

Coastlines are particularly susceptible to the necessary trade-offs which occur between different ecosystem services. Should the areas be managed for biodiversity or for people? Where sandy beaches are found there is usually a management decision to be made between managing for recreation or for biodiversity. Many popular tourist beaches (particularly those with a Beach Award) are often groomed with mechanical equipment to remove any stranded seaweed and associated litter which can get entangled in the wrack. This is likely to be having a negative impact on coastal biodiversity, with wide ranging implications for the entire habitat, including the intertidal zone, sand dunes and shorebirds. Beached wrack should be allowed to naturally decompose providing a habitat for numerous species of macro-invertebrates. These macro-invertebrate communities not only include many endemic species found exclusively along the strandline but they also provide a very rich source of food for shorebirds. The re-mineralised nutrients resulting from the decomposed macrophytes should then become available to provide a rich source of nutrients to dune, strandline and marine ecosystems populations of the strandline. In previous studies grooming has been shown to have a negative impact on the invertebrates of the strandline and this study reveals that tidal range has an effect on the impacts of grooming with a higher tidal range having a more negative impact on the invertebrates. A study to observe the impacts of grooming on both adult plant and seed bank communities of the sand dunes found that grooming is having a negative impact on these populations. Grooming is predominantly driven by beach managers who aspire to gain Beach Awards in order to attract tourists to their beaches. Using non-market valuation in the form of a stated preference choice experiment and a travel cost model, it was observed that Beach Awards are not valued by beach goers but are instead influenced to visit a particular beach by good bathing water quality, high levels of biodiversity and low levels of litter. It was also shown that stranded seaweed on the beach does not deter visitors. Future management suggestions include attempting to reduce the confusion arising from the presence of multiple beach awards by either removing them altogether or by making their criteria more clear and direct with consistency in their design and designation. Bathing water quality should be completely removed from the Beach Award system and real-time information in the form of electronic signage and a publicly available App should replace it.

Este trabalho teve como objetivo o estudo dos hábitos alimentares de três espécies de peixes da família Carangidae, da zona de surf da enseada de Caraguatatuba, São Paulo. Amostras de Selene setapinnis, Selene vomer e Oligoplites saliens foram obtidas com rede de arrasto de porta, mensalmente, entre maio de 2003 e outubro de 2004, em duas áreas previamente selecionadas na enseada, com profundidade variando entre 1 e 5 metros. Foram medidos e pesados 3022 exemplares, e 1367 estômagos foram retirados para a análise de conteúdo estomacal. A composição da dieta foi analisada por meio das frequências de ocorrência, numérica, gravimétrica, e volumétrica, e de índices alimentares. Todos os exemplares eram jovens e a sua dieta foi composta principalmente por Crustacea. Outros grandes grupos presentes foram Chaetognatha e Teleostei. Dentre os crustáceos, destacaramse as larvas de Decapoda, os misidáceos, os camarões Acetes americanus e os copépodes calanóides Labidocera fluviatilis e Acartia lilljeborgii. As variações intraespecíficas da dieta, bem como as relações interespecíficas, foram avaliadas através de análises de agrupamento. Foi observada uma tendência de aumento do tamanho da presa com o aumento do tamanho do peixe. Embora A. americanus tenha sido importante na dieta em todos os tamanhos, nas três espécies, houve maior destaque desse item nos peixes maiores, enquanto Lucifer faxoni e larvas de Decapoda foram mais importantes nos menores. Avaliando-se o comportamento alimentar, há indicações de que as três espécies tendem a ser generalistas e a explorar o hábitat de maneira semelhante. Em relação à variabilidade temporal, as espécies diferiram entre si: S. vomer, não apresentou diferença intra-anual significativa, ao contrário de S. setapinnis e O. saliens.<br>The purpose of this work was to study the food habits of three Carangidae juvenile fish species, from the surf zone in Caraguatatuba sound, São Paulo. Samples were taken monthly, with an otter trawl, from May 2003 to October 2004, in two areas previously selected in the bay, between 1 and 5 meters deep. Weight and length of 3002 specimens were taken, and 1367 stomach contents were examined. The diet composition was analyzed through frequencies of occurrence, number, weight and volume, and feeding indexes. The main food item was Crustacea, particularly Decapoda larvae, Mysidae, the shrimp Acetes americanus, and the calanoid copepods Labidocera fluviatilis and Acartia lilljeborgii. Chaetognatha and Teleostei were also present. Seasonal and ontogenetic variations of the diet and interspecific interactions were performed by similarity measures. Ontogenetic changes in diet were recognized; smaller fish consumed smaller prey, and the prey size increased with the body size. Though Acetes americanus were the main item of all sizes, it was more important in bigger fish, while Lucifer faxoni and Decapoda larvae were more important in smaller ones. Selene setapinnis and Oligoplites saliens showed temporal food variability, but Selene vomer did not. The three species were considered as generalists showed similarity in feeding habits.

The northern Cascadia subduction zone involves convergence of the Explorer Plate and northern part of the Juan de Fuca Plate with the North American Plate along a margin lying west of Vancouver Island, Canada. A wide accretionary complex which underlies the continental slope and shelf has been formed. Two allochthonous terranes, the Crescent Terrane of Eocene oceanic crustal volcanics and the Pacific Rim Terrane of Mesozoic melange sedimentary rocks and volcanics, lie against the Wrangellia Terrane backstop beneath the west coast of Vancouver Island and outcrop on the southern tip of the island. The intrusive Coast Plutonic Complex underlies the westernmost part of the British Columbia mainland east of Vancouver Island and marks the location of the historic and modern volcanic arcs. An integrated interpretation of geophysical and geological data has been conducted for the northern Cascadia subduction zone. Regionally extensive gravity and magnetic anomaly data have formed the basis of the interpretation, while surface geology, physical properties, and seismic reflection, refraction, heat flow, borehole, magnetotelluric, and seismicity data have provided constraints on structure and composition. Horizontal gradient and vertical derivative maps of the potential field data were calculated to provide additional control on the locations of major faults and lithologic boundaries. Iterative forward modelling of the gravity and magnetic anomaly data was conducted along three offshore multichannel seismic reflection lines and their onshore extensions. The two-and-a-half-dimensional (2.5-D) models extended from the ocean basin across the accretionary complex and Vancouver Island to the mainland along lines perpendicular to the major structural trends of the margin and revealed lateral changes in the location of several structural components along the length of the margin. The interpretations were extended laterally by moving the original models to adjacent parallel positions and perturbing them to satisfy the new anomaly profile data and other constraints. The models thus formed were moved to the next position and the process repeated until a total of eleven models was developed across the margin. A twelfth line across a gravity anomaly high on southern Vancouver Island was independently modelled to examine the source of this feature. An average density model for the southern half of the convergent margin was constructed by averaging the models and profiles for seven lines at 10 km spacings. This process removed anomalies due to small source bodies and concentrated on the larger features. Finally, a regional density structural model was developed by linearly interpolating between all eleven cross-margin lines to construct a block model which could then be 'sliced' open to examine the internal structure of the margin at any location. The final models allow the Pacific Rim and Crescent Terrane positions to be extended along the offshore margin from their mapped locations. The Pacific Rim Terrane appears to be continuous and close to the coastline along the length of Vancouver Island, while the Crescent Terrane either terminates halfway along the margin or is buried at a depth great enough to suppress its magnetic signature. The location of the Westcoast Fault, separating the Pacific Rim and Wrangellia Terranes, has been interpreted to lie west of Barkley Sound at a position 15 km west of its previously interpreted position. Beneath southern Vancouver Island and Juan de Fuca Strait, the Crescent Terrane appears to have been uplifted into an anticlinal structure, bringing high density lower crustal or upper mantle material close to the surface and thereby causing the observed gravity anomaly high. The western part of the Coast Plutonic Complex has been interpreted as a thin lower density layer extending from its surface contact with Wrangellia to a position 20 to 30 km further east where the unit rapidly thickens and represents the main bulk of the batholith. The complexity of the thermal regime and its effects on density in this region allows for other interpretations. Finally, a comparison of the models along the length of the margin reveals that the crust of Vancouver Island appears to thin toward the north above the shallower Explorer Plate and the complex low - high density banding used in the southern Vancouver Island models is replaced with a single high density unit on the northernmost line.<br>Science, Faculty of<br>Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of<br>Graduate

In Australia, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICM) is the policy framework adopted by government to manage the coastal zone. Amongst other principles, ICM contains an explicit mandate to include local communities in the management of the coastal zone. In Australia, the Coastcare program emerged in response to international acceptance of the need to involve local communities in the management of the coastal zone. This dissertation is a critical cultural investigation of the Coastcare program to discover how the program and the coastal zone generally, is understood and negotiated by three volunteer groups in SE Queensland. There is a paucity of data surrounding the actual experiences of Coastcare volunteers. This dissertation begins to fill this gap in our knowledge of local community involvement in coastal management. My dissertation considers the culture of Coastcare and broadly, community participation initiatives. Coastcare participants, government policymakers, environmental scientists, etc bring to their encounter a specific ‘way of seeing’ the coast – a cultural framework – which guides their actions, ideas and priorities for the coastal zone. These cultural frameworks are established and maintained in the context of unequal relations of power and knowledge. The discourses of environmental science and economics – as evidenced in the chief ICM policy objective, Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) – are powerful knowledges in the realm of community participation policy. This arrangement has serious consequences for what governments and experts can expect to achieve via community participation programs. In short, the quest for ‘power-sharing’ with communities and ‘meaningful participation’ is impeded by dominant scientific and economic cultures which act to marginalise and discredit the cultures of communities (and volunteers). Ironically enough, the lack of consideration of these deeper relations of power and knowledge means that the very groups (such as policymakers, environmental scientists, etc) who actively seek the participation of local communities, contribute disproportionately to the relative failure of community participation programs. At the very least, as those in a position of power, policymakers and associated experts do little to enhance communication with local communities. To this situation add confusion wrought by changes in the delivery of the Coastcare program and a lack of human and financial resources. From this perspective, the warm and fuzzy sentiment of Coastcare can be understood as the ‘Coastcare of neglect’. However, the emergence of community participation as ‘legitimate’ in environmental policymaking indicates a fissure in the traditional power relations between communities and experts. Indeed the entry of ‘community participation policy’ is relatively new territory for the environmental sciences. It is this fissure which I seek to explore and encourage via the application of a cultural studies framework which offers another ‘way of seeing’ community participation in coastal and marine management and thereby, offers avenues to improve relations between communities and experts. My fieldwork reveals a fundamental mismatch between the cultural frameworks which communities bring to the coast and those frameworks embodied and implemented by the Coastcare program. Upon closer examination, it is apparent that the Coastcare program (and community participation programs generally) are designed to introduce local ‘lay’ communities to environmental science knowledge. Local coastal cultures are relegated to the personal and private realm. An excellent example of this is the scientifically oriented ‘eligible areas for funding’ of the Coastcare program. The volunteers consulted for this project emphasized their motivation in terms of ‘maintaining the natural beauty of the coast’ and ‘protecting a little bit of coast from the rampant development of the coastal zone’. Their motivations were largely the antithesis of ESD. They understood their actions as thwarting the negative impacts of coastal development – this occurred within a policy framework which accepted development as fait d’accompli. Australia’s nation of coastal dwellers may not know a lot about ‘coastal ecologies’ but they do know the coast in other ways. Community knowledge of the coast can be largely accounted for in the phrase, ‘Australian beach culture’. Serious consideration of Australian beach culture in environmental policy is absent. The lack of attention to this central tenet of the Australian way of life is because, as a concept and in practice, beach culture lacks the ‘seriousness’ and objectivity of environmental science knowledge – it is about play, hedonism, holidays, spirituality, emotion and fun. The stories (including Indigenous cultural heritage) which emerge when Australians are asked about their ‘beach cultural knowledge’ – historical and contemporary experiences of the Australian coast – await meaningful consideration by those interested in communicating with Australian communities living on the coast. This ‘cultural geography’ is an avenue for policymakers to better communicate and engage with Australian communities in their quest to increase participation in, or motivate interest in community coastal management programs.

After compiling an appropriate list of beach criteria from established award programs and experts, the research landscape architect observed the Virginia Beach Resort Zone for areas of intense beach user activity.  The resulting analysis of these "hot-spots" indicated that urban resort beach users visiting the recreational beach during high-use times tended to gravitate toward locations on the resort beach which were close to three needs:  public parking, public restrooms, and inexpensive refreshments.  This pattern shows the apparent preferences of many beach users for certain amenities.<br>Master of Landscape Architecture

The Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica is unusually close to the Middle America Trench (MAT), such that interface locking along the megathrust is observable under land. Here, rapid convergence between the downgoing Cocos and the over-riding Caribbean plates at ~85mm/yr allows for observable high strain rates, frequent large earthquakes and ongoing micro-seismicity. By taking advantage of this ideal location, a network of 20 on-land broadband seismometers was established in cooperation between UC Santa Cruz, Georgia Tech, and OVSICORI, with most stations operating since 2008. To evaluate what seismicity tells us about the ongoing state of coupling along the interface, we must consistently evaluate the location and magnitude of ongoing micro- seismicity. Because of large levels of anthropogenic, biologic, and coastal noise, automatic detection of earthquakes remains problematic in this region. Thus, we resorted to detailed manual investigation of earthquake phases. So far, we have detected nearly 7,000 earthquakes below or near Nicoya between February and August 2009. From these events we evaluate the fine-scale frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD) along the subduction megathrust. The results from this b-value mapping‟ are compared with an earlier study of the seismicity 9 years prior. In addition, we evaluate them relative to the latest geodetically derived locking. Preliminary comparisons of spatial and temporal variations of the b-values will be reported here. Because ongoing manual detection of earthquakes is extremely laborious and some events might be easily neglected, we are implementing a match-filter detection algorithm to search for new events from the continuous seismic data. This new approach has been previously successful in identifying aftershocks of the 2004 Parkfield earthquake. To do so, we use the waveforms of 858 analyst-detected events as templates to search for similarly repeating events during the same periods that have been manually detected. Preliminary results on the effectiveness of this technique are reported. The overall goal of this research is to evaluate the evolution of stress along the megathrust that may indicate the location and magnitude of potentially large future earthquakes. To do so, I make the comparison between the FMD and the interface locking. Only positive correlations are observed in the Nicoya region. The result is different from the one derived from the seismic data set that was recorded 9 years before our data. Therefore, to substantiate the causes for the different relationships between the b-value and the coupling degree, we need additional data with more reliable magnitudes.

The Bella Coola area geographically straddles two zones of known Early to mid-Cretaceous sinistral ductile strain; the Grenville, Kitkatla, and Principe-Laredo shear zones to the northwest located near Prince Rupert, B.C., and the Tchaikazan fault system to the southeast. At the latitude of Bella Coola in west-central B.C., the Pootlass High Strain Zone (PHSZ) is a ductile, subvertical, shear zone system at least 2 km wide and at least 30 km long. The purpose of this study is to determine the age, kinematics, and tectonic significance of the PHSZ, and to investigate whether or not it was active as a kinematic link to Early to mid-Cretaceous sinistral ductile strain zones in the western Canadian Cordillera. This thesis reports recent observations from field mapping and new geochronological, microstructural, and petrological data, from which the PHSZ is characterized and placed into a regional tectonic framework. U-Pb and 40Ar/39Ar isotopic geochronology indicate that regionally extensive, southwest-vergent folding in the PHSZ area was active prior to 114 Ma and persisted until at least 73 Ma. High-temperature, ductile, sinistral non-coaxial strain in the PHSZ was accommodated between 76 (or earlier) and 62 Ma. Localization of high strain is associated with the emplacement of plutonic rock and abundant intrusive sills, which likely acted as a strain-softening mechanism. L-tectonites within the deformed plutonic rocks attest to the weakness of the rocks during deformation and support syn-kinematic magmatism. Geothermometric and petrological data suggest that deformation occurred at temperatures of 537 to 731°C and at crustal depths of —23 km. The PHSZ is interpreted to be kinematically related to the Talchako Fault to the east, which was active as a sinistral mylonitic shear zone between 70 and 65 Ma. A kinematic relationship between the PHSZ and the Grenville, Kitkatla and Principe-Laredo shear zones near Prince Rupert imply a protracted history of sinistral transpression in the Coast Mountains of British Columbia that persisted in the Bella Coola region through Late Cretaceous time.

Libya has an economy over dependent on hydrocarbon and the petroleum industry. In a bid to diversify, the Libyan government is looking at Free Economic Zones (FEZ) as a viable option versus other avenues, like Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). This thesis explores FEZ as a tool to fetch investment for the development of Libya's economy. Some of the factors in favour of FEZ are believed to be employment opportunities for local labour, enhancing their skills and knowledge, as well as bringing new technology along with management styles, thereby boosting not only the national economy, but overall growth of society. This thesis examines these arguments by comparing existing FEZ in various parts of the world, particularly Al-Ameria FEZ in Alexandria, Egypt. The case study revolves around this FEZ, as it has geographical and cultural similarity to that of Libya. In stimulating a potential decision making process, cost-benefit analysis is carried out to evaluate financial return against benefits envisaged. Finally, the study recommends the perceived best way forward in establishing successful FEZ to achieve desired sustainable economic growth in Libya. This is the first study of its kind in the Arab world that covers cost-benefit analysis of different industries within FEZ, and could prove to be a guideline for academics and business communities working in this field.

Beach shoreline retreat induced by coseismic subsidence in the Cascadia subduction zone is an important post-earthquake hazard. Sand on a beach acts as a buffer to wave attack, protecting dunes, bluffs and terraces. The loss of sand from a beach could promote critical erosion of the shoreline. This study was initiated in order to estimate the potential amount of post subsidence shoreline retreat on a regional scale in the Central Cascadia Margin. The study area is a 331 km stretch of coastline from Copalis, Washington to Florence, Oregon. Several erosion models were evaluated, and the Bruun model was selected as the most useful to model shoreline retreat on a regional scale in the Central Cascadia Margin. There are some factors that this model does not address, such as longshore transport of sediment and offshore bottom shape, but for this preliminary study it is useful for estimating regional retreat. The range of parameter input values for the Bruun model include: the depth of closure (h) range from 15 m to 20 m water depth; the cross-shore distance (L) range from 846 m to 5975 m; and the estimated subsidence amount (S) range from O m to 1.5 m. The minimum to maximum range of post-subsidence shoreline retreat is 142 to 531 m in the Columbia River cell, 56 to 128 m in the Cannon Beach cell, 38 to 149 m in the Tillamook cell, 25 to 91 m in the Pacific City cell, 11 to 126 m in the Lincoln City cell, 30 to 147 m in the Otter Rock cell, 0 to 165 m in the Newport cell, 0 to 76 m in the Waldport cell, and 0 m in the Winchester cell. Results of the study suggest that many of the beaches in the study area are at risk of beach and personal property loss. Beach communities could limit the amount of potential damage in these areas through coastal zone planning.

The Pampean flat slab subduction in west-central Argentina (latitude 30-33S) and the steeply dipping Northern Costa Rica subduction zone (latitude 9-11N) show significant along-trench variations in both the subducting and overriding plates. This dissertation contains the results of three seismological studies using broadband instruments conducted in these subduction zones, with the aim of understanding the structure of the lithosphere and the correlation between the variability observed in the downgoing and the overriding plates. In the Costa Rica region, by analyzing teleseismic receiver functions we investigate the variability in the hydration state of the subducting Cocos Plate and the nature of three distinct crustal terranes within the overriding Caribbean Plate: the Nicoya and Chorotega terranes that display an oceanic character, and the Mesquito Terrane, which is more compatible with continental crust.In the Pampean region of Argentina, we apply a regional-scale double-difference tomography algorithm to earthquake data recorded by the SIEMBRA (2007-2009) and ESP (2008-2010) broadband seismic networks to obtain high-resolution images of the South America lithosphere. We find that most of the upper mantle has seismic properties consistent with a depleted lherzolite or harzburgite, with two anomalous regions above the flat slab: a higher Vp/Vs ratio anomaly consistent with up to 10% hydration of mantle peridotite and a localized lower Vp/Vs ratio anomaly consistent with orthopyroxene enrichment. In addition, we study the geometry and brittle deformation of the subducting Nazca Plate by determining high-quality earthquake locations, slab contours, and focal mechanisms. Our results suggest that the subduction of the incoming Juan Fernandez Ridge controls the slab geometry and that ridge buoyancy and slab pull are key factors in the deformation of the slab. The spatial distribution of the slab seismicity suggests variability in the hydration state of the subducting Nazca Plate and/or in strain due to slab bending. These observations support the hypothesis that the along-trench variability in bathymetric features and hydration state of the incoming plate has profound effects in the subducting slab geometry and the upper plate structure in both flat and steeply dipping subduction zones.

Arc magmatism is sustained by the complex interactions between the subducting slab, the overriding plate, and the mantle wedge. Partial melting of mantle peridotite is achieved by fluid-induced flux melting and decompression melting due to upward flow. The distribution of melting is sensitive to temperature, the pattern of flow, and the pressure in the mantle wedge. The arc front is the surface manifestation of partial melting in the mantle wedge and is characterized by a narrow chain of active volcanoes that migrate in time. The conventional interpretation is that changes in slab dip angle lead to changes in the arc front position relative to the trench. We explore an alternative hypothesis: evolution of the overlying plate, specifically thickening of the arc root, causes arc front migration. We investigate the effects of varying crustal morphology and viscous decoupling of the shallow slab-mantle interface on melt production using 2D numerical models involving a stationary overriding plate, a subducting plate with prescribed motion, and a dynamic mantle wedge. Melt production is quantified using a hydrous melting parameterization. We conclude: 1) Localized lithospheric thickening shifts the locus of melt production trenchward while thinning shifts melting landward. 2) Inclined LAB topography modulates the asthenospheric flow field, producing a narrow, well-defined arc front. 3) Thickening of the overriding plate exerts increased torque on the slab, favoring shallowing of the dip angle. 4) Viscous decoupling produces a cold, stagnant forearc mantle but promotes arc front melting due to reduction in the radius of corner flow, leading to higher temperatures at the coupling/decoupling transition.

<p>Recent studies of agricultural watersheds have indicated that vegetated filter zones (VFZ) maynot function optimally because of channelized surface runoff through the zone. One proposedsolution has been to disperse channelized surface runoff in the receiving portion of the filter zonewith level spreaders. An initial feasibility study demonstrated that level spreaders substantiallyimproved filter strip performance and reduced non-point source pollution (NPSP) outputs tosurface water. However, widespread adoption of level spreaders as a best management practicerequires designs that are both functional and cost effective over a range of site characteristicsincluding filter zone (FZ) condition and with varying sources of NPSP and under differing ratesof loading.The main objective of this research was to evaluate different level spreader designs andconfigurations for dispersing channelized agricultural runoff and to evaluate them for enhancingFZ effectiveness on several sites with greatly differing watershed characteristics. Otherobjectives included estimating construction and maintenance costs and developingrecommendations for level spreaders for specific watershed and FZ conditions. Level spreaders with associated instrumentation were constructed on eight watersheds from 1989to 1997 representing a wide variety of watershed and FZ conditions. Spreaders withoutassociated instrumentation were constructed on three watersheds. Source areas included cropsunder both conventional and conservation tillage, a pasture, a dry-lot for dairy cattle, and a pavedand partly-roofed cattle containment area. All spreaders tested were designed to be permanentinstallations. Designs tested included commercial galvanized gutters, treated wood, fabric-linedditches with gravel just above and below the ditch, and vegetated berm and trench. Reductions in NPSP through-puts were a function of filter zone size, input concentration, runoffvolume, and season. Filter zones where FZ area was greater than two percent of source-area sizegenerally removed a least a third of each analyte. Of the six sites with dispersed flow which didnot have large unaccounted contributions to the FZ, only one failed to reduce N by 30 percent.All spreader designs improved FZ performance. Level spreaders with larger cross-sectional areaswere more effective for high peak-flow events. However, spreaders with limited cross sectionalsuch as above-ground gutters have potential where excavation of ditches or shaping of spreaderswith large equipment is a problem such as in forests or on steep slopes. The most easilymaintained design is a vegetated berm and trench spreader shaped from soil. However, its use ispractical only where tree roots are minimum and where farm equipment can maneuver duringinstallation. This design also allows limited vehicle traffic over the spreader.<P>

There is ongoing global concern over unwanted regime shifts in marine systems. Shifts from diverse and productive algal-dominated ecosystems to less productive urchin and coralline-dominated temperate reefs are becoming increasingly common. Kelp forests found along South Africa's south-west coast between Cape Point and Cape Agulhas occur in a region of biogeographical overlap. They are commonly referred to as transition zone kelp forests and are dynamic ecosystems that are particularly susceptible to grazing influence from species such as sea urchins. This study (1) explores the uniformity of these transition zone kelp forests along the western side of False Bay, with a focus on macroalgae and urchins, (2) identifies a threshold in urchin density above which algal abundance declines and (3) seeks to identify relationships between attached and drift algal abundance. Twenty replicate quadrats were sampled in six kelp forests along the western side of False Bay. Within each quadrat, urchins (Parechinus angulosus) and kelps (Ecklonia maxima) were counted, percentage covers of various understorey algal species were recorded and drift algae were collected. Although there was significant variability in algal and urchin cover across the six sites, kelps generally increased from north to south, while urchins did the opposite. Urchins were negatively correlated with algal communities, and a localised threshold of 1.43kg/m² (50 urchins/m²) was identified, above which attached kelp density failed to increase above 10/m² and percentage cover of understorey algae usually remained below 20%. Surprisingly, no relationship was discovered between abundance of drift kelp and attached kelp, understorey algae or urchin density. This result was likely distorted by the naturally turbulent conditions of South African waters. Results highlight the complexity of these cool-water environments. To better understand the role of urchins in this system, experimental research into the feeding behaviour and effect of P. angulosus on kelps and understorey seaweeds in the presence/absence of drift algae is advised.

This thesis analyzed the new parameter hydrodynamic demand representing the damage of tsunami waves on structures and coastlines,maximum positive amplitudes and current velocities occurred during tsunami inundation by using the numerical model TUNAMI-N2. Regular shaped basins were used with two different bottom slopes in analyses in order to understand the behaviour of tsunami wave and investigate the change of important tsunami parameters along different slopes during tsunami inundation. In application, different initial conditions were used for wave profiles such as solitary wave, leading elevation single sinusoidal wave and leading depression sinusoidal wave. Three different initial wave amplitudes were used in order to test the change of distribution of the hydrodynamic demand. The numerical results were compared and discussed with each other and with the results of existing analytical and experimental studies.

In this thesis, it has been aimed to analyse the efforts undertaken by the European Union (EU) to stimulate and enhance Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) in the European coastal zone, within the context of the EU Environmental Policy. ICZM was formally accepted in the international community during the 1990s as an alternative to traditional sectoral coastal zone management approaches. It aims to establish an integrated management mechanism among different sectors to minimise resource use conflicts in coastal zones. Sustainable development constitutes the underlying idea of ICZM, the overall goal of which is to achieve sustainable development in coastal zones. Therefore, ICZM is founded on the internationally accepted principles of sustainable development. Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, which is a formal output of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, made an explicit statement of the need for integrated management of coastal and ocean areas to achieve their sustainability and called the participating nations to take the necessary steps. The EU, being at the forefront of such international developments and embraced sustainable development as a broader policy objective, is devoted to take concerted action in terms of protecting the European coastal zone and fostering ICZM action at the EU and the Member States (MSs) level. Since the early 1990s, the EU institutions began to put substantial effort to achieve this goal, and initiated dedicated actions. Those existing and the foreseen EU actions are elaborated within the context of this thesis. For the time being, the EU ICZM action is a flexible one without a regulatory binding instrument for ICZM. The ongoing EU ICZM action is based upon the existing EU policies and legislation. Within this framework, the central aim of the EU is laid down as to ensure the coordination and integration of these diversified policy objectives and legislative instruments to contribute to sustainable management of the European coastal zone. Since they constitute the backbone of the current EU ICZM efforts, those policies and legislation are also investigated within the scope of this study. This thesis accentuates the importance of concerted EU action in terms of stimulating ICZM action in Europe and the probability of a future EU level devotion towards a more regulatory approach in the longer term.

La presente tesis doctoral se realizó en Costa Rica, país del Istmo Centroamericano que ocupa el tercer lugar en extensión entre los siete países que lo integran, con un territorio de 51.100km2 y una población de 3.824.593 habitantes. De su extensión terrestre, por lo menos el 26% (13 286km2), cuenta con algún tipo de figura legal de protección ya sea ambiental o de los recursos naturales. <br/><br/>El área específica de la investigación se localiza en la Zona Protectora de los Cerros de Escazú; que conforma una unidad de paisaje ubicada a unos 12km al suroeste de la ciudad capital de Costa Rica, San José y abarca aproximadamente el 0,24% de la extensión total del país, es decir, unos 120km2 aproximadamente. <br/><br/>El conjunto de la tesis está dividido en siete partes. En la primera parte, se expusieron aspectos introductorios asociados al país de procedencia del tema, se analizaron los contenidos relacionados a las motivaciones y las justificaciones que posibilitaron la ejecución del trabajo de investigación, así como los objetivos, las hipótesis y la metodología empleada en la realización de la misma.<br/><br/>En la segunda parte, se analizaron una serie de posiciones y corrientes ambientalistas relacionadas con el tema de la protección de la naturaleza y los recursos naturales y entre las cuales se plantea, la estrecha interrelación establecida entre los distintos elementos que componen el medio y cómo esta interrelación es necesaria para perpetuar la vida en el planeta Tierra. Finalmente, se analiza el redescubrimiento del paisaje en la época actual como herramienta indispensable en la planificación y ordenación del territorio.<br/><br/>En la tercera parte se analizó el tema de la conservación de los recursos naturales específicamente para el caso de Costa Rica y se describe el papel que desempeña el Sistema Naciona de Áreas de Conservación (SINAC), en la conservación de los espacios protegidos del país.<br/><br/>Los recursos naturales y humanos de los Cerros de Escazú, se analizaron en la cuarta parte dentro de una concepción geosistémica. Dicha idea se fundamentó en criterios sistémicos globales, biofísicos y antrópicos que condujeron a la definición de las unidades de paisaje que los conforman y de los múltiples problemas que afrontan los recursos naturales que contienen. <br/><br/>En la quinta parte se analiza el paisaje de los Cerros de Escazú estableciendo comparaciones entre áreas de protección, profundizando en el conocimiento de las estructuras del área de estudio y los beneficios derivados de la misma para finalmente llegar a definir diferentes unidades de paisaje. Se deja claro que el problema con la categoría de zona protectora como espacio protegido, radica en que en dichas áreas está permitido el aprovechamiento de los recursos que estas contienen.<br/><br/>Asimismo en este apartado, se pone en evidencia que los Cerros de Escazú constituyen una de las pocas áreas verdes cercanas al Area Metropolitana de San José, donde aún se puede disfrutar de bellos paisajes o admirar desde sus alturas el Valle Central y su acelerado crecimiento urbano.<br/><br/>Los problemas e impactos ambientales sobre los paisajes del área de estudio fueron analizados en la sexta parte.<br/><br/>En la séptima parte se exponen en primer lugar, una serie de conclusiones que resumen el proceso de investigación y reflejan los posibles logros o desaciertos alcanzados con la misma. En segundo término, se relatan las propuestas elaboradas por el autor que buscan la protección y adecuada gestión de los recursos naturales de los Cerros de Escazú y finalmente, se presente a manera de colofón, la tesis final de la investigación doctoral.

The forest floor represents the uppermost organic and organicenriched mineral soil horizons. They have been formed by the deposition of organic material and the subsequent biologically mediated decomposition. The forest floor influences rooting-zone temperature, aeration, moisture, and nutrient conditions, and hence, forest productivity. Considering the importance of the forest floor, and the fact that it is exposed to disturbance (being the surface layer), we need to assess the potential impacts our logging practices may have. Clearcutting, one of the contentious silvicultural practices used in British Columbia, is imputed to most adversely affect ecosystems and sustainability. We assessed the long-term impact of clearcutting on the forest floor by documenting changes in the thickness, chemical and biotic properties of the humus form across a chronosequence of forest stands. The study was located in the largest and most representative portion of the coastal rainforest the Very Wet Maritime Coastal Western Hemlock (CWHvm) subzone.

Subduction zone megathrusts produce the majority of the world's largest earthquakes. To understand the processes that control seismicity here, it is important to improve our knowledge on the subduction interface characteristics and its spatial variations. Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, extends the continental landmass ~50 km towards the trench, making it a very suitable place to study interface activity from right on the top of the seismogenic zone of the Middle America Subduction Zone (MASZ). We contribute to and utilize an earthquake catalog of 8765 analyst-picked events to determine the spatial variability in the earthquake frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD) in this region. After initial detection, magnitude determination and location, the events are precisely relocated using a locally derived 3-D seismic compressional and shear wave velocity model (DeShon et al., 2006). After restricting the dataset to events nearest the interface and with low formal error (horizontal location error < 5 km), we retain a subset of 3226 events that best resolves interface activity. Beneath Nicoya, we determine the spatial variability and mean FMD of the interface, and focus on the relative relationship of small-to-large earthquakes, termed b-value. Across the region, the overall b-value (1.18 ± 0.04) is higher than the global average (b~1), and much larger than the global subduction zone average (b~0.6). Significant variation in b-value is observed along the active plate interface. A well resolved zone of lower b is observed at and offshore central Nicoya coast, in a previously determined locked patch using deformation observed from Global Positioning System (GPS). Conversely, high b-values prevail over the subducted portion of the Fisher ridge, which likely ruptured in the 1990 Gulf of Nicoya Mw 7.0 earthquake. Observed regions of low b-value approximately corresponds to more strongly-locked segments of the subduction interface resulting in higher differential stress, which may be released in the next large interface earthquake in this part of the MASZ. Across the region the b-value is found to vary inversely with the degree of interface locking. Thus, it is proposed that if sufficient data exist, spatial b-value mapping can be used as a proxy to determine interface locking. This method is especially useful along the subduction megathrust, which is generally offshore making geodetic measurements difficult.

A basin analysis was conducted at the Conway Flat coast (Marlborough Fault Zone, South Island, New Zealand) to investigate the interaction of regional and local structure in a transpressional plate boundary and its control on basin formation. A multi-tiered approach has been employed involving: (i) detailed analysis of sedimentary deposits; (ii) geomorphic mapping of terraces, fault traces and lineaments; (iii) dating of deposits by 14C and OSL and (iv) the integration of data to form a basin-synthesis in a sequence stratigraphy framework. A complex thrust fault zone (the Hawkswood Thrust Fault Zone), originating at the hinge of the thrust-cored Hawkswood anticline, is interpreted to be a result of west-dipping thrust faults joining at depth with the Hundalee Fault and propagating eastwards. The faults uplift and dissect alluvial fans to form terraces along the Conway Flat coast that provide the necessary relief to form the fan deltas. These terrace/fan surfaces are ~9 km long and ~3 km wide, composite features, with their upper parts representing sub-aerial alluvial fans. These grade into delta plains of Quaternary Gilbert-style fan deltas. Uplift and incision have created excellent 3D views of the underlying Gilbert-style fan delta complexes from topsets to prodelta deposits. Erosive contacts between the Medina, Rafa, Ngaroma and modern Conway fan delta deposits, coupled with changes in terrace elevations allow an understanding of the development of multiple inset terraces along the Conway Flat coast. These terraces are divided into five stages of evolution based on variations in sedimentary facies and geomorphic mapping: Stage I involves the uplift of the Hawkswood Range and subsequent increased sedimentation rate such that alluvial fans prograded to the sea to form the Medina fan delta Terrace. Stage II began with a period of incision, from lowering sea level or changes in the uplift and sedimentation rate and continued with the deposition of the Dawn and Upham fan deltas. Stage III starts with the incision of the Rafa Terrace and deposition of aggradational terraces in the upper reaches. Stage IV initiated by a period of incision followed by deposition of estuarine facies at ~8ka and Stage V began with a period of incision and continues today with the infilling of the incised valley by the modern fan delta of the Conway River and its continued progradation. New dates from within the Gilbert-type fan deltas along the Conway Flat coast are presented, using OSL and 14C dating techniques. Faulting at the Conway Flat coast began ~ 94 ka, based on the development of the Medina Terrace fan delta with uplift rates ~1.38~1.42 m/ka. The interplay of tectonics and sea level fluctuations continued as the ~79 ka Rafa Terrace fan deltas were created, with uplift rates calculated at ~1.39 m/ka. Detailed 14C ages from paleoforest (~8.4-~6.4 ka) in the Ngaroma Terrace and from the mouths of smaller streams have established uplift rates during the Holocene ~1-3 m/ka, depending on sea level.

En la actualidad, las decisiones en la ingeniería de costas y la gestión costera se apoyan, cada vez más, en los modelos numéricos predictivos de los procesos costeros, que por otra parte, se basan en modelos conceptuales simplificados que no reproducen de manera adecuada todos los procesos físicos relacionados en la dinámica costera. Buena parte de este problema se debe a la gran cantidad de incertidumbres que a día de hoy siguen existiendo en lo referente a la complejidad de la hidrodinámica, la transferencia de energía del oleaje a distintas escalas hidrodinámicas, la interacción de los flujos con el fondo marino y el transporte de sedimento y evolución del fondo resultantes. A pesar de esto y de su creciente demanda, raramente estos modelos se comparan (y validan) con datos de campo reales tomados en la zona de interés. Sin la adecuada calibración, la utilización de los resultados del modelado numérico de los procesos hidromorfodinámicos y de evolución costera a situaciones reales es, como mínimo, ambiguo y en ciertos casos podría ser hasta contraproducente. <br/><br/> Para mejorar los planteamientos conceptuales de los modelos, es necesario realizar medidas de campo para mejorar el conocimiento de los procesos hidromorfodinámicos y que a su vez, sirvan para validar las predicciones numéricas. Dado que la mayor parte de los datos de campo disponibles se han tomado en playas en Estados Unidos, su utilidad para calibrar modelos en playas de otras partes del mundo es limitada. Para cubrir esta carencia, recientemente se han realizado importantes esfuerzos de investigación en este campo en Europa. En ésta tesis se presentan tres campañas de campo a nivel Europeo encaminadas, por una parte, a mejorar el conocimiento de los procesos físicos hidrodinámicos (Delta'93 y Delta'96 en el Delta del Ebro), y por otra, a la obtención de información esencial para la simulación numérica de los procesos morfodinámicos (Egmond, Holanda). El análisis de los datos obtenidos de las campañas Delta'93 y Delta'96 se ha centrado en la separación de las distintas escalas hidrodinámicas presentes en la zona cercana a la costa, la cuantificación de la transferencia de energía del oleaje a dichas escalas, la caracterización de la estructura vertical de las corrientes inducidas por la rotura del oleaje, la fricción con el fondo y la evolución batimétrica resultante. Los datos obtenidos de la campaña de Egmond se han utilizado para la calibración y validación del campo de oleaje, corrientes inducidas por la rotura y la evolución del perfil de playa predichas por un modelo hidromorfodinámico desarrollado en el LIM-UPC.

Tesis para optar al grado de Magíster en Políticas Públicas<br>Los cambios gestados en el entorno económico internacional, tales como la liberalización de los mercados y los crecientes avances tecnológicos, han intensificado lo que los teóricos llaman, la “globalización de la producción”, en otras palabras la fragmentación de la producción internacional (UNIDO, 2004). Ante dicho panorama, las firmas se enfrentan a una intensa competencia que implica el desarrollo de estrategias para mantener y mejorar constantemente su competitividad internacional. Para Gereffi et al (2005), esto ha llevado a las compañías multinacionales (MNEs) a redefinir sus competencias básicas, enfocándose en los procesos de innovación, especialmente en los segmentos de alto valor agregado dentro de sus cadenas de producción. Asimismo, a reducir su propiedad sobre funciones no básicas como servicios genéricos o producción en masa, a través de una mayor confianza en socios externos, en diversas ubicaciones geográficas (UNCTAD, 2001). La existencia de redes transfronterizas de producción, podría constituir una fuente de beneficios positivos para los países en desarrollo, especialmente aquellos que dependen de forma importante de la atracción de Inversión Extranjera Directa (IED), dada la posibilidad de que las empresas locales se vinculen a las cadenas globales de producción de las MNEs y, a la oportunidad de beneficiarse de derrames tecnológicos, siendo esto último un dinamizador importante del desarrollo económico. Dichos beneficios serán solo posibles sin embargo, cuando se establezcan políticas que tomen en cuenta las dinámicas de producción internacional. Como lo señaló la UNCTAD en el World Investment Report del 2001, ya no es suficiente simplemente con abrir la economía, hay una necesidad imperante de configurar políticas de desarrollo que mejoren las ventajas competitivas de los países receptores. (UNCTAD, 2001). En esta línea, diversas investigaciones se refieren al caso de Costa Rica, país que logró una transformación productiva en las últimas décadas, fruto de la aplicación de una agresiva estrategia de atracción de IED, de un régimen de incentivos fiscales atractivos (Zonas Francas) y, de una extensa política de apertura comercial. (Paus & Gallagher, 2008, Monge, 2009; Bamber & Gereffi, 2013, Bullón & Moore, 2012, Flores, 2012) Producto de lo anterior, hoy en día uno de los sectores productivos más dinámicos es el sector de manufactura de dispositivos médicos. El grueso de las empresas de esta industria se ubica en Zonas Francas, desde donde se producen bienes básicos hasta productos de alta tecnología como lo son, las válvulas cardiacas biológicas, los implantes estéticos, y los sistemas quirúrgicos. (CINDE, 2016). Las exportaciones del sector alcanzaron los US$2.185,2 millones en el 2015 (una variación del 21% con respecto al 2014), además de representar en la actualidad un 4% del PIB. De su crecimiento se desprenden importantes externalidades, especialmente en términos de generación de empleo y mejores salarios (CINDE, 2016) Pese a lo anterior, varios especialistas llaman la atención sobre los tímidos resultados en términos de vinculaciones, entre las MNEs de alta y mediana tecnología y las empresas locales, además de subrayar una heterogeneidad productiva y tecnológica entre ambos. Los estudios demuestran que el nivel de encadenamientos productivos es aún muy bajo, que no se están supliendo productos críticos para estas industrias y, que los principales bienes suplidos pertenecen a sectores de bajo valor agregado, como el de empaque y embalaje exterior. (Paus & Gallagher 2008, Monge, 2009; Bamber & Gereffi, 2013, Bullón & Moore, 2012, Flores, 2012) Esta tendencia refleja que el país ha carecido de una política productiva y científicotecnológica articulada a la política comercial y de atracción de IED. Diversos estudios señalan importantes fallas de coordinación, dada la carencia de un órgano público-privado de alto nivel, que conduzca una Política Nacional Productiva con visión de largo plazo y que incentive el desarrollo empresarial e innovador. Por esta razón en la actualidad no se hace frente, de forma eficiente, a ciertas deficiencias del mercado tales como la inversión sub-optima en innovación y desarrollo tecnológico del sector privado local, y a la escasez de recursos financieros en el mercado, para fomentar la innovación y el emprendimiento. (Paus & Gallager, 2008; Monge, 2013) El objetivo de esta investigación es presentar evidencia cualitativa y empírica para determinar si la atracción de empresas de mediana y alta tecnología, en especial la industria de manufactura más dinámica dentro del régimen de Zonas Francas (RZF), la industria de equipo y dispositivos médicos (DM), ha contribuido de forma sostenida a la generación de encadenamientos productivos locales. Además, determinar cuáles factores podrían estarlos limitando. Se enfatizará en las características de esta industria, tales como las estrategias productivas y los patrones de compra, lo que permitirá analizar si estas afectan la capacidad de profundizar en la generación de encadenamientos productivos locales.