The film script Mangrove is both an eco-warrior thriller with science fiction elements and a documentation of the quirky, multicultural milieu of 21st century Auckland. It deals with the issues surrounding experimentation with genetic engineering and human alienation and disability.The script references the tradition of New Zealand film and its development as a "cinema of unease" through the character of Nat, who lives as a "man alone" on a moored yacht, and through its setting in a desolate mangrove estuary adjacent to a suburban industrial estate. It features characters who are recent immigrants from varying cultures and offers insights to world views that contrast with the pessimistic colonial outlook on life that pits man against the environment in a struggle for domination.The title, Mangrove, is a metaphor for the rich human environment that can be found in outposts of society that are often maligned and overlooked for their perceived lack of value.Mangrove's main character, Talia, is a disabled woman whose desire is to be accepted for her difference, her insights and her humanity. She is confronted with her past and her origins that may be part of a late 20th century genetic experiment.She meets Nat, a former journalist hiding out from society who is searching for a way to express his idealism. Likewise, Shiva, an indo-Fijian living in a nearby car wreckers yard has a love of music and the environment and shares Nat's idealism and desire to work for a better world. The three uncover a potentially world-altering genetic experiment with sugar. The antagonist multinational has Russian mafia allies that have to be dealt with, while the protagonists have the assistance of some Thai monks and Pacific Island street kids as they strive to expose the experimentation, and work out their relationships with one another.

This paper presents the theory behind a model for a two-stage analog network for edge detection and image reconstruction to be implemented in VLSI. Edges are detected in the first stage using the multi-scale veto rule, which eliminates candidates that do not pass a threshold test at each of a set of different spatial scales. The image is reconstructed in the second stage from the brightness values adjacent to edge locations. The MSV rule allows good localization and efficient noise removal. Since the reconstructed images are visually similar to the originals, the possibility exists of achieving significant bandwidth compression.

Transition edge sensors are the detectors of choice for a wide range of applications; from dark matter search, neutrino search, to cosmic radiation detection from near infrared to millimeter wavelengths. We are developing transition edge sensors using superconducting iridium thin films and we are proposing their use for future dark matter and neutrino search experiments. Our Ir films are deposited using an radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and photolithographic techniques and measured using an adiabatic refrigerator capable of reaching temperatures of a few tens of mK. This thesis presents a detailed description of superconducting iridium thin films from the fabrication process to the characterization of the film properties at room temperature and low temperature. Alternative options for the bias circuit used to read out the TES signals will be discussed, we are proposing the use of RLC resonant circuits and transformers instead of SQUIDS.

The combined effects of food availability and predation risk on fish foraging behavior have been investigated via both laboratory and field experiments, primarily in temperate, freshwater systems and during daylight hours. In contrast, relatively little attention has been directed towards fish foraging decisions along subtropical shorelines, which serve as nursery grounds for a variety of economically important fishes, as well as at night, when many species emerge from refuges to feed. The mangrove-seagrass ecotone and adjacent seagrass beds constitute nocturnal feeding grounds for fish secondary-tertiary consumers. In subtropical Biscayne Bay, Florida (USA), I investigated the influences of food and risk on nocturnal seagrass use by gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus), bluestriped grunt (Haemulon sciurus), great barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), and seabream (Archosargus rhomboidalis) along a distance gradient, spanning from the mangrove fringe to 120 m from shore. This was accomplished by conducting a series of integrated field and laboratory studies, including: (1) nocturnal seine sampling to determine fish abundance patterns in relation to the mangrove-seagrass interface; (2) fish stomach content analysis to reveal feeding habits and trophic relationships; and (3) diel field tethering experiments to explore nearshore gradients in predation pressure. With these data I tested a priori predictions of fish distributions relative to food and predation risk that were generated from foraging theory: (1) fishes will be distributed across the distance gradient in proportion to their food supply (i.e., ideal free distribution, IFD); or (2) fishes will avoid high risk areas such that their abundances will be lower than predicted by food resources in high-risk habitats (i.e., food-risk trade-off). Results revealed that fish assemblage composition differed by season and distance from shore, with the zone nearest the mangroves generally harboring the lowest densities of late-stage juvenile fishes. Stomach content analysis demonstrated that gray snapper fed on a variety of small fishes and crustaceans, while bluestriped grunt fed primarily on caridean shrimp. Seabream fed almost exclusively on vegetation and great barracuda was almost entirely piscivorous; however, seasonal shifts in diet and feeding habits were evident. Seasonal shifts in major food resource use generally did not correspond with changes in relative abundance of food supply. Seasonal trophic niche breadth differences were evident for gray snapper, great barracuda and bluestriped grunt, while niche breadth was equivalent between seasons for seabream. Based on seasonal food supply in the environment, niche breadth values did not match basic foraging theory predictions, which state niche breadth should expand as preferred food resources become scarce. Tethering experiments indicated that predation rates were highest nearest the mangrove edge and decreased with increasing distance from shore. Moreover, predation pressure at night was nearly twice as high compared to the day. Testing these data against my predictions from foraging theory, I found that none of the fishes examined (gray snapper, seabream and bluestriped grunt) were distributed according to IFD. Seabream and gray snapper avoided foraging close to the mangrove-edge, where their food was most abundant, but risk was highest. Bluestriped grunt appeared to forage randomly across the distance gradient despite spatial variation in food and predation risk. Overall, results suggest that: (1) spatial patterns of utilization of seagrass habitat adjacent to the mangrove-seagrass ecotone differs by species, life-stage and season; (2) Seasonal shifts in diet were not correlated with changes in relative abundance of food supply; (3) trophic niche breadth of late juveniles did not expand with declines in their food resources; (4) the mangrove-seagrass ecotone appears to serve as a hunting corridor for predators targeting juvenile fishes moving about the mangroves; and (5) two of the three species examined appeared to give up food in return for safety by avoiding foraging near the mangroves, despite high food availability.

The biological sense organ contains infinite potential. The artificial neural structures have emulated the potential of the central nervous system; however, most of the researchers have been using the linear combination of synaptic operation. In this thesis, this neural structure is referred to as the neural unit with linear synaptic operation (LSO). The objective of the research reported in this thesis is to develop novel neural units with higher-order synaptic operations (HOSO), and to explore their potential applications. The neural units with quadratic synaptic operation (QSO) and cubic synaptic operation (CSO) are developed and reported in this thesis. A comparative analysis is done on the neural units with LSO, QSO, and CSO. It is to be noted that the neural units with lower order synaptic operations are the subsets of the neural units with higher-order synaptic operations. It is found that for much more complex problems the neural units with higher-order synaptic operations are much more efficient than the neural units with lower order synaptic operations. Motivated by the intensity of the biological neural systems, the dynamic nature of the neural structure is proposed and implemented using the neural unit with CSO. The dynamic structure makes the system response relatively insensitive to external disturbances and internal variations in system parameters. With the success of these dynamic structures researchers are inclined to replace the recurrent (feedback) neural networks (NNs) in their present systems with the neural units with CSO. Applications of these novel dynamic neural structures are gaining potential in the areas of image processing for the machine vision and motion controls. One of the machine vision emulations from the biological attribution is edge detection. Edge detection of images is a significant component in the field of computer vision, remote sensing and image analysis. The neural units with HOSO do replicate some of the biological attributes for edge detection. Further more, the developments in robotics are gaining momentum in neural control applications with the introduction of mobile robots, which in turn use the neural units with HOSO; a CCD camera for the vision is implemented, and several photo-sensors are attached on the machine. In summary, it was demonstrated that the neural units with HOSO present the advanced control capability for the mobile robot with neuro-vision and neuro-control systems.

The biological sense organ contains infinite potential. The artificial neural structures have emulated the potential of the central nervous system; however, most of the researchers have been using the linear combination of synaptic operation. In this thesis, this neural structure is referred to as the neural unit with linear synaptic operation (LSO). The objective of the research reported in this thesis is to develop novel neural units with higher-order synaptic operations (HOSO), and to explore their potential applications. The neural units with quadratic synaptic operation (QSO) and cubic synaptic operation (CSO) are developed and reported in this thesis. A comparative analysis is done on the neural units with LSO, QSO, and CSO. It is to be noted that the neural units with lower order synaptic operations are the subsets of the neural units with higher-order synaptic operations. It is found that for much more complex problems the neural units with higher-order synaptic operations are much more efficient than the neural units with lower order synaptic operations. Motivated by the intensity of the biological neural systems, the dynamic nature of the neural structure is proposed and implemented using the neural unit with CSO. The dynamic structure makes the system response relatively insensitive to external disturbances and internal variations in system parameters. With the success of these dynamic structures researchers are inclined to replace the recurrent (feedback) neural networks (NNs) in their present systems with the neural units with CSO. Applications of these novel dynamic neural structures are gaining potential in the areas of image processing for the machine vision and motion controls. One of the machine vision emulations from the biological attribution is edge detection. Edge detection of images is a significant component in the field of computer vision, remote sensing and image analysis. The neural units with HOSO do replicate some of the biological attributes for edge detection. Further more, the developments in robotics are gaining momentum in neural control applications with the introduction of mobile robots, which in turn use the neural units with HOSO; a CCD camera for the vision is implemented, and several photo-sensors are attached on the machine. In summary, it was demonstrated that the neural units with HOSO present the advanced control capability for the mobile robot with neuro-vision and neuro-control systems.

The edge rounding of brittle materials by vibratory finishing, VF, was investigated. Borosilicate glass and silicon nitride specimens were processed in two typical VF setups. In all cases, the processed specimens exhibited wear and chipping at their edges, whereas their flat surfaces remained intact. Edge chipping was strongly affected by the edge geometry and process parameters such as the media size and vibration amplitude of the finisher. Therefore, to achieve smooth chip-less edge, samples were processed in several steps, starting with the least energetic conditions, followed by more energetic ones as the edge became progressively blunter. The analysis of edge wear by VF revealed a new mechanism of wear, not previously reported in the literature. A stochastic numerical model was subsequently developed to model this mechanism of wear. To confirm the validity of the model, the model predictions were compared to the experimental observations of wear in the vibratory finisher. The model was used to investigate the effect of various VF process parameters on the edge wear of brittle materials. A VF simulator was used to investigate wear and chipping under more controlled conditions. The VF simulator launched particles against the specimens at adjustable velocities and impact angles. The effect of particles’ shape, and impact velocity and angle, on the wear of glass edges was investigated. Fundamental differences were observed between wear by abrasive and smooth particles. These differences were attributed to the mechanisms of material removal by abrasive iii and smooth balls. Abrasive balls remove material by the sharp indentation of their surface asperities, whereas smooth particles lack such sharp peaks and hence apply blunt indentation on the edges. To identify the fundamental differences between material removal by sharp and blunt indenters, a series of indentation experiments were carried out on glass edges. Subsequently, these differences were discussed in terms of their implications on wear by abrasive and smooth particles.

The edge rounding of brittle materials by vibratory finishing, VF, was investigated. Borosilicate glass and silicon nitride specimens were processed in two typical VF setups. In all cases, the processed specimens exhibited wear and chipping at their edges, whereas their flat surfaces remained intact. Edge chipping was strongly affected by the edge geometry and process parameters such as the media size and vibration amplitude of the finisher. Therefore, to achieve smooth chip-less edge, samples were processed in several steps, starting with the least energetic conditions, followed by more energetic ones as the edge became progressively blunter. The analysis of edge wear by VF revealed a new mechanism of wear, not previously reported in the literature. A stochastic numerical model was subsequently developed to model this mechanism of wear. To confirm the validity of the model, the model predictions were compared to the experimental observations of wear in the vibratory finisher. The model was used to investigate the effect of various VF process parameters on the edge wear of brittle materials. A VF simulator was used to investigate wear and chipping under more controlled conditions. The VF simulator launched particles against the specimens at adjustable velocities and impact angles. The effect of particles’ shape, and impact velocity and angle, on the wear of glass edges was investigated. Fundamental differences were observed between wear by abrasive and smooth particles. These differences were attributed to the mechanisms of material removal by abrasive iii and smooth balls. Abrasive balls remove material by the sharp indentation of their surface asperities, whereas smooth particles lack such sharp peaks and hence apply blunt indentation on the edges. To identify the fundamental differences between material removal by sharp and blunt indenters, a series of indentation experiments were carried out on glass edges. Subsequently, these differences were discussed in terms of their implications on wear by abrasive and smooth particles.

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