Thesis (M.T.S.)--Catholic Theological Union, 1987. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 65).

Thesis (M.A.)--Cincinnati Christian Seminary, 1987. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [132]-134).

Thèse (Ph.D.)--Université Laval, 1997. / Mode d'accès: World Wide Web. Comprend des réf. bibliogr.

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1993. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-165).

abstract: While the implementation of both mild hybrid and start-stop technology is widespread as a factory option in newer vehicles, the adaptation of hybrid technology to older or unequipped vehicles has not been fully realized. As such, a straight forward hybrid conversion system that is easily adapted to different vehicles regardless of drivetrain configuration, has been developed and applied to a test vehicle for less than $2,000. System performance was recorded both before and after hybridization using real world drive cycle tracking charts. The vehicle established a fuel economy baseline of 22.93 mpg, and achieved 26.58 mpg after the conversion. This corresponds to a 15.92% increase in fuel economy. Accounting for initial system costs and annual fuel saving, this corresponds to a 6-year payback period. Based on these results, it can be concluded that an inexpensive aftermarket hybrid system is both feasible and effective at improving fuel economy. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.Tech Engineering 2012

Thesis (MTech (Mechanical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, Cape Town, 2007 / An investigation was performed into a new desalination plant operating on the principles of distillation through the utilisation of solar energy only. The need for such a system is due to the high energy requirements of current large scale desalination systems and that, in the future, more and more desalinated water will be required to sustain life in certain areas. A conceptual design of such a plant was completed and it proved its feasibility by providing an in depth explanation of the principles that govern its operation. A computer model, in the form of a MathCAD program, was developed to simulating this process flow. The accuracy of the program was investigated with the help of a pilot plant. It is shown that such a full scale plant would produce, in the region of Saldanha Bay, a town on the Western Coast of South Africa, 5000m3 ofpotable water a day with a solar absorption/evaporation area of 1,87knlrequiring only 1,75kWh per cubic meter of water produced. Its electrical energy requirements can be provided using solar panels allowing the plant to remain independent of external electrical supplies. This electrical energy requirement is less than 33% of the least energy intensive alternative method, reverse osmosis. Since the production rate is dependent on the absorption/evaporation area the plant can be scaled to fit the specific production rate required.

ATP synthase (F_1 F_O-ATPase) is an essential enzyme for life. Powered by an electrochemical proton gradient, it catalyzes ADP and phosphate into ATP. The F_1-subunit of ATP synthase is called F_1-ATPase as it also independently catalyzes the reverse reaction in absence of F_O-part. The nearly 100% energy conversion efficiency of the molecular motor has attracted the attention of many physicists and biologists to explore the underlying thermodynamics. Recently, a new nonequilibrium equality derived by Harada and Sasa (Harada & Sasa, 2005) was applied to the experimental time series data on F_1-ATPase to extract heat flow to the environment. A phenomenological model for rotary motion was proposed and shown to reproduce key experimental features. Interested in the high efficiency of F_1-ATPase and the good performance of the corresponding model, we carried out a detailed computational study of the model to understand its behavior in a broader range of parameter values. We solved the model using a modified Gillespie algorithm for stochastic simulation and by integrating the Fokker-Planck equation. Various physical properties of the model, such as the relation between rotational velocity and parameters characterizing angular dependence (q) and ATP switching rates (W), the relation between two kinds of dissipation and rotational velocity, the negative heat flow from environment to system through ATP binding etc. are analyzed in detail. Importantly, we modified the driving potential to investigate the factors affecting the efficiency. Additionally, we found some inconsistences between properties of this model and previous studies and we could unify them by some adjustments, which may be useful for constructing more precise models in the future.

No description available.

This thesis explores conversion to Christianity in contemporary Japan. Christianity is widely regarded as having failed to make any impact on Japanese culture, and to be a foreign body (indeed in the opinion of some an irritating foreign body) that has failed to accommodate with or indigenise itself in Japan. And yet, Japanese people continue to choose to convert to Christianity. What is the significance of this? Are people who convert those who feel excluded from mainline Japanese society, the proof of which is their affiliation with a foreign religion, or can this phenomenon of conversion be understood in a different way? This thesis suggests that it can be, and that the fact that small but significant numbers of Japanese regularly convert to Christianity means that the understanding of Christianity's place in the Japanese religious landscape needs to be re-examined.Theories of conversion are studied, with a view to identifying the particular approaches to analysing and understanding conversion which will be appropriate for the Japanese context. The work of Rodney Stark and William Bainbridge on conversion to a deviant perspective forms the starting point for the study. Cultural and religious norms of Japan are identified, with a view to investigating in what ways and to what degree Christianity in Japan represents a deviant perspective. The history of Christianity in Japan is studied, indicating that at certain times in Japan's history when there is a feeling of national uncertainty and of a lack of social integration there is an openness to Christianity, although at times of national self-confidence there is more resistance to it. Christianity is also compared and contrasted with Japan's New Religious Movements, which may also represent a deviant perspective. Qualitative research among converts to Christianity is carried out. The results of this research show that while there are parallels between conversion to Christianity and to New Religious Movements there are also areas of difference, especially in terms of motives for conversion. Motives for conversion to Christianity tend to focus on what might be termed 'the spiritual', and conversion is experienced in terms of emotional peace, welcome into a Christian congregation, and the promise of salvation to come, rather than the 'health and wealth' or 'this worldly benefits' which are reckoned to be, or to have been, motives for conversion to New Religious Movements. As Shimazono Susumu points out, however, the so called 'New' New Religions also have a focus on spiritual salvation.The conclusion reached is that, though Japanese who convert to Christianity are choosing 'the other' in that their choice is clearly not to stay within the religious mainstream of the country, yet Japanese society is more heterogeneous than is often assumed and actually embraces a range of diverse groups. Christian converts, while being aware of the tensions which they face as a result of conversion, do not feel 'outsiders' in Japanese society. So, while Christianity cannot be said to have indigenised in the way that Buddhism clearly has, yet it should not be seen as an unsuccessful foreign import, but rather, in terms of glocalisation, as a culturally appropriate local expression of a global movement.

The induced potential difference across a standing shock front can be used to drive electric current through external loads. Such a "standing shock generator" presents an alternative scheme to the MHD generator for direct conversion of energy from high temperature supersonic flows. We make use of the supersonic flow behind a free running shock in a shock tube and let the flow impinge onto a conical obstacle mounted in the middle of the tube to create a standing shock. This cone has a conducting surface which acts as the anode. The cathode is mounted flush with the shock tube wall at a position upstream of the standing shock. By varying the load resistance, we have obtained current-voltage characteristics for the standing shock generator. These characteristics are families of parallel straight lines similar to the characteristics of a battery. The open-circuit voltage is found to depend on the standing shock potential and the work functions of the electrodes. The internal resistance (equivalent to the slope of the characteristic) is found to be dominated by the plasma-wall interaction at the surface boundary layers. The maximum current collected by the electrode is therefore limited to its ion saturation current. A typical result of the standing shock generator in our experiment gives 1 volt with 0.5.amp for the. 30X10⁻⁶ sec test time duration. / Science, Faculty of / Physics and Astronomy, Department of / Graduate