The quantum Hall (QH) system---cold electrons in two dimensions in a perpendicular magnetic field---is a striking example of a system where unexpected phenomena emerge at low energies. The low-energy physics of this system is effectively one-dimensional due to the magnetic field. We identify an exactly solvable limit of this interacting many-body problem, and provide strong evidence that its solutions are adiabatically connected to the observed QH states in a similar manner as the free electron gas is related to real interacting fermions in a metal according to Landau's Fermi liquid theory. The solvable limit corresponds to the electron gas on a thin torus. Here the ground states are gapped periodic crystals and the fractionally charged excitations appear as domain walls between degenerate ground states. The fractal structure of the abelian Haldane-Halperin hierarchy is manifest for generic two-body interactions. By minimizing a local k+1-body interaction we obtain a representation of the non-abelian Read-Rezayi states, where the domain wall patterns encode the fusion rules of the underlying conformal field theory. We provide extensive analytical and numerical evidence that the Laughlin/Jain states are continuously connected to the exact solutions. For more general hierarchical states we exploit the intriguing connection to conformal field theory and construct wave functions that coincide with the exact ones in the solvable limit. If correct, this construction implies the adiabatic continuation of the pertinent states. We provide some numerical support for this scenario at the recently observed fraction 4/11. Non-QH phases are separated from the thin torus by a phase transition. At half-filling, this leads to a Luttinger liquid of neutral dipoles which provides an explicit microscopic example of how weakly interacting quasiparticles in a reduced (zero) magnetic field emerge at low energies. We argue that this is also smoothly connected to the bulk state.

<p>HIV and AIDS are disease conditions that have led to high mortality rates in Southern Africa since the late 1970s. The socio-economic system has led to the unequal spread of resources&rsquo / and vulnerability and exposure to HIV is more prevalent in poorer communities. The added burden of life stresses cause for many to be isolated and stigmatised and are often not equipped with the necessary support and coping skills to deal with the magnitude of these circumstances. There is a high prevalence of mental disorders and especially depression amongst individuals infected with either HIV or AIDS. Research shows that stressful life events can impact HIV course progression and impacts the QoL of those infected with HIV or AIDS. Given the social and psychological context of HIV and AIDS, the aim of the study was to examine the relationship between depression and QoL in a sample of adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. This quantitative, cross-sectional study used the Becks Depression Inventory II (BDI II) and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), to measure the variables concerned. This battery of&nbsp / questionnaires was administered to a purposive sample of adult individuals diagnosed with HIV or AIDS residing in a previously disadvantaged area in the Cape Metropole region. Using SPSS,&nbsp / data was analysed and descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted. The study found that there were more women than men with HIV or AIDS that were found to be depressed (mild, moderate and severe depression). Furthermore, the depressive state increased when the progression of the disease increased. There were generally no significant differences in the QoL&nbsp / experienced within various areas of life and overall life satisfaction experienced. However, the QoL experienced in work was lower. There was a significant relationship between the depressed state and QoL and life satisfaction experienced in household duties and tasks. The contribution of this study includes informing the larger research project, with regards to future treatment&nbsp / regimes. It will update statistics on the prevalence of depression and QoL of adults diagnosed with HIV or AIDS in the area. This study is framed within a biopsychosocial model and is&nbsp / theoretically underpinned by Beck&rsquo / s theory of depression. Key words: HIV, AIDS, adults, depression, quality of life (QoL), Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI II), Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q), Antiretrovirals (ARV&rsquo / s), prevalence data, correlations.</p>

The rapid depletion of hydrocarbon fields around the world has led the industry to search for these resources in ever increasing water depths. In this context, the large diameter (D > 100mm) vertical riser has become a subject of great interest. In this research work, a major investigation was undertaken to determine the two phase flow hydrodynamics in a 254mm vertical riser. Two types of experiments were performed for range of air-water superficial velocities. The first experimental campaign addresses the issue of the two gas injector’s performances (conventional vs. novel design gas injector) in the large diameter vertical riser. The experimental results show that the novel design gas injector should be the preferential choice. The second set of the experimental work investigates the two phase flow hydrodynamics in the vertical riser in detail. The two phase flow patterns and their transitions were identified by combination of visual observations and statistical features. Based on the results, the experimental flow regime map was developed and compared with the existing vertical upflow regime maps/models. None of the flow regime transition models adequately predicted the flow regimes transitions in large diameter vertical risers as a whole. In this regard, the Taitel et al. (1980) bubble to slug flow transition model has been modified for large diameter vertical upflow conditions, based on the physical mechanism observed. The general trends of modified criteria agreed well with the current and other large diameter experimental results. The effect of upstream conditions on the vertical riser flow behaviour was also investigated in detail by two different inlet configurations (i) near riser base injection and (ii) upstream flowline injection. It was found that no significant differences exist in flow behaviour at low air-water superficial velocities for both the inlet configuration, at high air-water superficial velocities, the intermittent flow behavior in flowline influences the riser flow pattern characteristics and thereby controls the riser dynamics. It is found that liquid slugs from the flowline naturally dissipate to some extent in the riser as a consequence of compression of succeeding bubble that rapidly expands and break through the liquid slug preceding it when it enters the riser. The experimental work corroborates the general consensus that slug flow does not exist in large diameter vertical upflow condition. Experimental data has been further compared to increase the confidence on the existing two phase flow knowledge on large diameter vertical riser: (a) by comparing with other experimental studies on large diameter vertical upflow in which generally, a good agreement was found, (b) by assessing the predictive capability of void fraction correlations/pressure gradient methods. The important implication of this assessment is that the mechanistic approach based on specific flow regime in determining the void fraction and pressure gradient is more successful than conventional empirical based approaches. The assessment also proposes a proposed set a of flow regime specific correlations that recommends void fraction correlations based on their performances in the individual flow regimes. Finally, a numerical model to study the hydrodynamic behaviour in the large diameter horizontal flowline-vertical riser system is developed using multiphase flow simulator OLGA. The simulated results show satisfactory agreement for the stable flows while discrepancies were noted for highly intermittent flows. The real time boundary application was partially successful in qualitatively reproducing the trends. The discrepancies between the predicted results and experimental data are likely to be related to the incorrect closure relations used based on incorrect flow regimes predictions. The existence of the multiple roots in the OLGA code is also reported for the first time.

In the present thesis the dynamics of the correlations between an open quantum system and its environment is investigated. This becomes feasible by means of a very useful representation of the total system-environment state. General conditions for separability and entanglement of the latter are derived, and investigated in the framework of an open quantum two-level system, which is coupled to a dissipative and a dephasing environment.

An investigation of binary fluid heat and mass transfer in ammonia-water absorption was conducted. Experiments were conducted on a horizontal-tube falling-film absorber consisting of four columns of six 9.5 mm (3/8 in) nominal OD, 0.292 m (11.5 in) long tubes, installed in an absorption heat pump. Measurements were recorded at both system and local levels within the absorber for a wide range of operating conditions (nominally, desorber solution outlet concentrations of 5 - 40% for three nominal absorber pressures of 150, 345 and 500 kPa, for solution flow rates of 0.019 - 0.034 kg/s.). Local measurements were supplemented by high-speed, high-resolution visualization of the flow over the tube banks. Using the measurements and observations from videos, heat and mass transfer rates, heat and vapor mass transfer coefficients for each test condition were determined at the component and local levels. For the range of experiments conducted, the overall film heat transfer coefficient varied from 923 to 2857 W/m²-K while the vapor and liquid mass transfer coefficients varied from 0.0026 to 0.25 m/s and from 5.51×10^-6 to 3.31×10^-5 m/s, respectively. Local measurements and insights from the video frames were used to obtain the contributions of falling-film and droplet modes to the total absorption rates. The local heat transfer coefficients varied from 78 to 6116 W/m²-K, while the local vapor and liquid mass transfer coefficients varied from -0.04 to 2.8 m/s and from -3.59×10^-5 (indicating local desorption in some cases) to 8.96×10^-5 m/s, respectively. The heat transfer coefficient was found to increase with solution Reynolds number, while the mass transfer coefficient was found to be primarily determined by the vapor and solution properties. Based on the observed trends, correlations were developed to predict heat and mass transfer coefficients valid for the range of experimental conditions tested. These correlations can be used to design horizontal tube falling-film absorbers for ammonia-water absorption systems.

In this work a systematic method for determining correlated wavefunctions of extended systems in the ground state as well as in excited states is presented. It allows to fully exploit the power of quantum-chemical programs designed for correlation calculations of finite molecules. Using localized Hartree-Fock (HF) orbitals (both occupied and virtual ones), an effective Hamiltonian which can easily be transferred from finite to infinite systems is built up. Correlation corrections to the matrix elements of the effective Hamiltonian are derived from clusters using an incremental scheme. To treat the correlation effects, multireference configuration interaction (MRCI) calculations with singly and doubly excited configurations (SD) are performed. This way one is able to generate both valence and conduction bands where all correlation effects in the excited states as well as in the ground state of the system are taken into account. An appropriate size-extensivity correction to the MRCI(SD) correlation energies is developed which takes into account the open-shell character of the excited states. This approach is applicable to a wide range of polymers and crystals. In the present work trans-polyacetylene is chosen as a test system. The corresponding band structure is obtained with the correlation of all electrons in the system being included on a very high level of sophistication. The account of correlation effects leads to substantial shifts of the &amp;quot;center-of-mass&amp;quot; positions of the bands (valence bands are shifted upwards and conduction bands downwards) and a flattening of all bands compared to the corresponding HF band structure. The method reaches the quantum-chemical level of accuracy. Further an extention of the above approach to excitons (optical excitations) in crystals is developed which allows to use standard quantum-chemical methods to describe the electron-hole pairs and to finally obtain excitonic bands.

No description available.

In flexible fitting, the high-resolution crystal structure of a molecule is deformed to optimize its position with respect to a low-resolution density map. Solving the flexible fitting problem entails answering the following questions: (A) How can the crystal structure be deformed? (B) How can the term "optimum" be defined? and (C) How can the optimization problem be solved? In this dissertation, we answer the above questions in reverse order. (C) We develop PFCorr, a non-uniform SO(3)-Fourier-based tool to efficiently conduct rigid-body correlations over arbitrary subsets of the space of rigid-body motions. (B) We develop PF2Fit, a rigid-body fitting tool that provides several useful definitions of the optimal fit between the crystal structure and the density map while using PFCorr to search over the space of rigid-body motions (A) We develop PF3Fit, a flexible fitting tool that deforms the crystal structure with a hierarchical domain-based flexibility model while using PF2Fit to optimize the fit with the density map. Our contributions help us solve the rigid-body and flexible fitting problems in unique and advantageous ways. They also allow us to develop a generalized framework that extends, breadth-wise, to other problems in computational structural biology, including rigid-body and flexible docking, and depth-wise, to the question of interpreting the motions inherent to the crystal structure. Publicly-available implementations of each of the above tools additionally provide a window into the technically diverse fields of applied mathematics, structural biology, and 3D image processing, fields that we attempt, in this dissertation, to span. / text

Στη διατριβή αυτή γίνεται η οικολογική διερεύνηση των υγροτόπων Δέλτα Αχελώου, περιοχών Στροφυλιάς, Βασιλικής και Κρυονερίου και μελετώνται οι συσχετίσεις των περιβαλλοντικών παραμέτρων με χλωρίδα και βλάστηση. Τόσο για την έρευνα της χλωρίδας, όσο και για τον προσδιορισμό των μονάδων βλάστησης πραγματοποιήθηκε ικανός αριθμός δειγματοληψιών σε αντιπροσωπευτικές θέσεις με αντίστοιχες ζώνες βλάστησης για τις περιοχές του Αχελώου, της Στροφυλιάς και της Βαράσοβας (Βασιλική - Κρυονέρι). Σε κάθε θέση, εκτός απο τις φυτοληψίες, λαμβάνονταν δείγματα εδάφους και νερού, όπου αυτό ήταν εφικτό, για να γίνει εργαστηριακή επεξεργασία.Τα εδαφικά δείγματα αναλύθηκαν εργαστηριακά και προσδιορίστηκαν οι παράμετροι: κοκκομετρική σύσταση του εδάφους (%), υγρασία του εδάφους (%), pH και αγωγιμότητα, CaCO3 (%), οργανική ουσία ( %), ολικό Ν (mg/100gr, μέθοδος Kjehldahl), P (mgr/kgr, μέθοδος Olsen), K (meq/100gr, in ammonium acetate pH 7.0).Στα δείγματα νερού προσδιορίστηκαν επι πλέον εργαστηριακά οι παράμετροι: Κ, Νa, Ca, Μg, Cl , ΗC031-, Ν031-,, Ν021-, ΝΗ41+ και S042,pH, θερμοκρασία, δυναμικό οξειδοαναγωγής, αλκαλικότητα, CO2, αγωγιμότητα.Από τη στατιστική επεξεργασία των παραμέτρων προέκυψαν οι στατιστικά σημαντικοί και συσχετίστηκαν με τις ενότητες και υποενότητες βλάστησης.Αναγνωρίστηκαν 405 taxa και στις τέσσερεις περιοχές μελέτης.Από την ανάλυση της βλάστησης, αναγνωρίστηκαν πέντε (5) ενότητες και ένδεκα (11) υποενότητες βλάστησης.Οι σύγχρονες μέθοδοι στατιστικής επεξεργασίας που χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ανέδειξαν τους περιβαλλοντικούς παράγοντες που διαφοροποιούν τις υποενότητς βλάστησης. Ειδικότερα, για το έδαφος είναι: τα θρεπτικά, η αγωγιμότητα και η αλκαλικότητας, ενώ για το νερό τις παρόχθιες υποενότητες διαφοροποιεί το pH. / In the present study, wetlands of the areas of Acheloos river Delta, Strofilia, Vasiliki and Krioneri are studied from the ecological point of view and their flora and vegetation are correlated with the main abiotic factors of soil and water. For the survey of the flora and the vegetations units’ identification a sufficient number of samplings were made in representative sites of relevant vegetation units of the studied areas. In every sampling site, samples of soil and water - where it was possible - have been also taken, for laboratory processing. The identified parameters for soil samples were: soil particles size (%), soil moisture (%), pH and conductivity, CaCO3 (%,), organic matter (%), total N (mg/100gr, Kjehldahl method), P (mgr / kgr, Olsen method), K (meq/100gr, in ammonium acetate pH 7.0). For water samples parameters identified were: Κ, Νa, Ca, Μg, Cl , ΗC031-, Ν031-,, Ν021-, ΝΗ41+ και S042-pH, temperature, redox, alkalinity, CO2 and conductivity.From the parameters statistical analysis those statistically significant were obtained and then correlated with the determined vegetation units and subunits.405 taxa were identified from the four study areas.From the vegetations analysis five (5) units and eleven (11) subunits were distinguished.Modern methods of statistical treatment used highlighted the environmental factors that differentiate the Subunits of the vegetation. In particular, for the soil these factors are: nutrients, conductivity and alkalinity, while for the water the differentiating factor is pH.

No description available.