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Thesis (MScEng)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Flash memory and the errors induced in it by radiation were studied. A test board was then designed and developed as well as a radiation test program. The system was irradiated. This gave successful results, which confirmed aspects of the study and gave valuable insight into flash memory behaviour. To date, the board is still being used to test various flash devices for radiation-harsh environments. A memory protection unit (MPU) was conceptually designed and developed to morntor flash devices, increasing their reliability in radiation-harsh environments. This unit was designed for intended use onboard a micro-satellite. The chosen flash device for this study was the K9F1208XOA model from SAMSUNG. The MPU was designed to detect, maintain, mitigate and report radiation induced errors in this flash device. Most of the design was implemented in field programmable gate arrays and was realised using VHDL. Simulations were performed to verify the functionality of the design subsystems. These simulations showed that the various emulated errors were handled successfully by the MPU. A modular design methodology was followed, therefore allowing the chosen flash device to be replaced with any flash device, following a small reconfiguration. This also allows parts of the system to be duplicated to protect more than one device. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: 'n Studie is gemaak van" Flash" geheue en die foute daarop wat deur radiasie veroorsaak word. 'n Toetsbord is ontwerp en ontwikkel asook 'n radiasie toetsprogram waarna die stelsel bestraal is. Die resultate was suksesvol en het aspekte van die studie bevestig en belangrike insig gegee ten opsigte van "flash" komponente in radiasie intensiewe omgewmgs. 'n Geheue Beskermings Eenheid (GBE) is konseptueel ontwerp en ontwikkelom die "flash" komponente te monitor. Dit verhoog die betroubaarheid in radiasie intensiewe omgewings. Die eenheid was ontwerp met die oog om dit aan boord 'n mikro-satelliet te gebruik. Die gekose "flash" komponent vir die studie was die K9F1208XOA model van SAMSUNG. Die GBE is ontwerp om foute wat deur radiasie geïnduseer word in die "flash" komponent te identifiseer, herstel en reg te maak. Die grootste deel van die implementasie is gedoen in "field programmable gate arrays" and is gerealiseer deur gebruik te maak van VHDL. Simulasies is gedoen om die funksionaliteit van die ontwikkelde substelsels te verifieer. Hierdie simulasies het getoon dat die verskeie geëmuleerde foute suksesvol deur die GBE hanteer is. 'n Modulre ontwerpsmetodologie is gevolg sodat die gekose "flash" komponent deur enige ander flash komponent vervang kan word na gelang van 'n eenvoudige herkonfigurasie. Dit stelook dele van die sisteem in staat om gedupliseer te word om sodoende meer as een komponent te beskerm.

Initially the present study was confined to the effects of ultraviolet irradiation on acid-soluble collagen. Such a study was undertaken in order to demonstrate the critical role played by tyrosine and phenylalanine in the intermolecular interaction of the telopeptides protruding from the rigid parent collagen molecule. Since both tyrosine and phenylalanine are photosensitive, and because the collagen telopeptides are relatively rich in these aromatic amino acids, carefully controlled degradation studies involving telopeptide liberation could be made. It became increasingly apparent during the course of investigation, that a better understanding of the subunit composition of thermally denatured acid-soluble collagen was necessary if a satisfactory interpretation of the irradiation studies was to be made. A subsequent study of the subunit composition of thermally denatured acid-soluble collagen resulted in the isolation and characterisation of two major and two minor dimeric components as well as the α- and β - subunits. Three acidic telopeptides and three basic telopeptides were also isolated from acid-soluble collagen during the course of the present study. The presence of the dimeric components while related directly to the method of preparation, suggested that acid-soluble collagen was largely dimeric in nature. Such a conclusion suggested an intermolecular rather than an intraolecular relationship between neutral-salt-soluble and acid-soluble collagen. While it is currently accepted that an intramolecular relationship exists between neutral-salt-soluble and acid-soluble collagen, such a relationship does not satisfactorily explain the very different solubility characteristics displayed by these soluble collagen extracts. With this in mind, and using the study on the subunit composition of thermally denatured acid-soluble collagen as a basis for comparison, the intra and intermolecular relationship between neutral-salt-soluble and acid-soluble collagen was investigated using ultraviolet and gamma irradiation. The effects of ultraviolet and gamma irradiation on soluble collagen preparations proved very similar. Although collagen samples were irradiated in solution from an ultraviolet source; and under anhydrous conditions from a gamma source, much the same degradation mechanism resulted. The initial depolymerisation of dimeric material followed by peptide fission, yielding irradiation-resistant crystalline portions of the parent triple helix, took place in both instances. At the same time, both studies indicated no significant differences in the intra or intermolecular structures of the neutral-salt-soluble and acid-soluble preparations investigated. The dimer content of neutral-salt-soluble collagen preparations was, however, noted to be smaller. To current methods for the preparation of soluble collagens, it may be concluded that such preparations are peptideless to some degree. While the native tropocollagen monomer with its full complement of telopeptide side chains may actively undergo linear polymerisation resulting in fibre formation, the soluble collagen preparations referred to above may only aggregate in a rather random fashion.

One of the primary objects of this research was to determine, if possible, the nature of the radiation damage prior to thermal decomposition. The X-ray study has not wholly achieved this although more information has been derived from it than from similar work on AgMnO₄ However, the diffuse reflections obtained do indicate, quite strongly, the creation of point defects during irradiation. This is of value since such assumptions have been made in the explanation of the kinetics of decomposition of a number of irradiated solids (BaN₆,CaN₆). In addition the X-ray work has suggested future research which should produce useful information; namely, a precise study of the diffuse reflections. Another object of the research was to attempt to determine what characteristics, if any, of the kinetics of the decomposition of an unirradiated solid would predetermine a marked irradiation effect. It is obvious that the type of nuclear growth which occurs e.g. branching chain, or power law, does not characterise a substance with regard to a possible irradiation effect . The photosensitivity, or otherwise, also does not determine whether there will be an irradiation effect. However, the one property that the substances which have been studied, have in common, is a polyatomic anion, but here again ammonium dichromate does not show an acceleration of the decomposition after irradiation. Consequently it is considered that it is not possible to say, a priori, whether a solid will undergo an accelerated decomposition after irradiation. Each new solid, unless it belongs to a particular class e.g. the alkaline earth azides , must be considered afresh. Nevertheless it does appear that the irradiation effect can take two forms: - (i) the production of an unstable compound e.g. nickel oxalate, the decomposition of which affects the normal pyrolysis; and (ii) the production of point defects which determine the nature of the subsequent thermal decomposition e.g . CaN₆ . It is possible that the effect requires an interaction of the created point defects with the existing line defects.

Thesis (MTech Biomedical Technology)--Cape Peninsula University of Cape Town, 2005 / In clinical radiotherapy, experiments are performed to determine optimal conditions of the radiation prior to radiotherapy. These experiments focus on the relative biological effectivness(RBE) determination and are predominantly applied in high linear energy transfer (LET) radiations i.e. fast neutrons, as the RBE values for such radiations vary greatly. In general, the RBE of a certain radiation relative to a given reference radiation flCo gamma) varies widely with the energy, dose, dose rate, fractionation, type of tissue and end-point used. Experience with neutron therapy at iThemba LABS has shown that treatment with more fractions and lower doses per fraction may be beneficial for some patients. To calculate the iso-effective treatment dose needed, an appropriate alp ratio for early effects is needed. In this study, the repair of mouse jejunum was measured for split-dose irradiations to determine if a suitable alP ratio for neutrons could be estimated using the known value for gamma rays and the applicable RBE.. Crypt stem cell survival was measured 3.5 days after split-dose exposures to p(66)/Be neutrons and 6OCo gamma rays. Dose response curves for both treatment modalities and for both acute and fractionated exposures were constructed by counting crypts of Leiberkhiin at the base of the villi in haematoxylin and Eosin-stained sections of mouse jejunum. Using a RBE value of 1.64 and an alP ratio of 7Gy noted for tbe fractionated photon exposures, an alP ratio of 11.5 IV could be estimated for neutrons.

Thesis (MTech (Electrical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology. / Front-end power converters for nanosatellite applications demand better performance in accurate reference tracking because of the wide-range input voltage of the solar panels. The very tight output voltage requirements demand a robust, reliable, and high-efficiency converter. The control of such a converter is very complex and time consuming to design. Two commonly used control modes are current and voltage control. The design and implementation of a voltage controller for DC–DC power converter is simpler but compared to current mode controller, does not do provide for overcurrent protection. A single-ended primary inductance converter (SEPIC) was selected for this research work because of its ability to buck or boost the input voltage coupled with the ability to provide noninverting polarity with respect to the input voltage. Parameter values for the converter studied are used to analyse and design both the voltage and the current mode controllers for the nanosatellite front-end power converter. Output voltage reference tracking with step and ramp changes in the input voltage is evaluated in terms of the time taken to reach steady-state after the induced disturbances and either the overshoot or undershoot of the output voltage reference. The design of analogue pulse width modulation (PWM) study was carried out in order to drive the metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) switch. For the two controllers, changes in the reference output voltage in response to load changes are also studied. An examination of the effects of solar radiation on the MOSFET switch was conducted; this switch is the main component of the front-end DC–DC power converter for a nanosatellite. At the more general level the examination also provided information on the response of the semiconductor technology in space application. The overall purpose of studying the MOSFET switch was to investigate the mechanisms that will facilitate its ability of switching ‘on’ and ‘off’ without failure as a result of solar radiation. The effects of solar radiation on MOSFET device in space, has resulted in more malfunctions of these devices in the past five years than over the preceding 40 years.

Analog and digital structures can be written into thin surface layers of semiconductors by using focused ion beams of submicron dimensions. By inducing the phase transition from the crystalline (c) to the amorphous state (a) optical contrast is generated between areas of different exposure. The aim of this study was to investigate the properties of diamond as a high-density optical recording medium and to determine the corresponding irradiation parameters. To this end, single crystals of diamond were irradiated with self-ions of 75 key energy with fluences between F=0.3-l0xlO15 C/cm2 at about 100 K. The radiation damage, persisting after annealing treatments between 300-1700 K, was studied by Raman measurements, monitoring changes in the atomic bonding arrangements. Since the scattering cross-section of C sp2 bonds is 50x that of C sp3 bonds, this is an extremely sensitive technique in detecting changes in the initially purely sp3 state. The position and linewidth of the characteristic first-order phonon of crystalline diamond at 1332 cm-l reflect crystallinity and stress level, while bands between 1350-1700 cm-l indicate disorder. In utilizing the microscopic resolution of a Raman facility additional information was obtained on the spatial variation of the damage level. The optimum annealing temperature was found to be 1500 K. For F > 3xlO15C/cm2, the damage was irreversible, for F = 3xlO15C/cm2 the damage was only partly repaired after annealing at 1500 K and, for F < 3xlO15C/ cm2, the crystalline/amorphous contrast was reversible. For F < lxl015C/ cm2 Raman spectroscopy was not sensitive enough to detect the incurred damage. Infrared spectroscopy was used to classify the diamond samples according to type. / Dissertation (MSc (Chemistry))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Chemistry / unrestricted

The laser surface hardening process will enhance the hardness profile of automotive components and ensure better process control and predictability of quality as compared to the conventional hardening processes. A 2KW Nd-YAG laser system was used to harden the surface of alloy steel with various process parameters (laser power, focal spot diameter and beam velocity). The results (microhardness, microstructure change and residual stress distribution) were measured and analyzed with Vickers microhardness tester, optical/electron microscope and hole-drilling residual stress equipment. Statistical analyses of the experimental data were used for explaining the relationships between process parameters, microhardness and microstructure. General thermal hardening was applied in the research to show the influence of heating temperature and cooling method on microstructure and mechanical properties. Also, the results were compared with laser surface hardening process from microhardness, microstructure and residual stress to show the advantage of laser surface hardening. Through analysis of the results of the laser surface hardening experiments, a suitable laser power density and interaction time for optimum hardening was obtained. The presented laser surface hardening process can also be applied to other alloy steel surface hardening process.

Chinese hamster V79-171B cells grown for about 24 hours in suspension culture display increased resistance to cell killing by ionizing radiation compared with cells grown as monolayers, an observation originally termed the "contact effect". More recently, development of that resistance was shown to be accompanied by changes in the conformation of the DNA which reduce its denaturation rate in high salt/weak alkali. These changes in DNA conformation, mediated by the cellular micro-environment, appear to be responsible for the contact effect. The conditions necessary for the development of the effect are not, however, completely understood. In particular, when cells grown as monolayers on petri plates are suspended in spinner culture flasks, their growth characteristics change in three distinct ways. First, cells in suspension no longer have a solid substrate, so they remain round. Second, after several hours, they begin to aggregate to form "spheroids", so that three-dimensional intercellular cell contact develops. Third, cells in the stirred suspension cultures are not subjected to high local concentrations of metabolic by-products or surrounded by a zone depleted of nutrients, as are cells in monolayer culture. The studies described here were designed to determine how each of these factors influence changes in DNA conformation, as assayed using the alkali unwinding technique. Our results indicated that a round shape may not be an essential requirement, since cells spread out on the surface of cytodex beads in suspension culture, and sparsely-seeded cells in monolayer culture demonstrated at least a partial contact effect. Three-dimensional intercellular contact does not always seem necessary for the development of the contact effect. Cells grown in a methyl cellulose matrix developed radioresistance, even though the cells formed only small clusters of less than five cells. Similarly, suspension culture cells which were prevented from aggregating by frequent exposure to trypsin, also developed the contact effect. There was no evidence that nutrient depletion plays a role in the failure of cells grown as monolayers to develop a contact effect. However, cells grown as spheroids in the presence of monolayer cells, or in monolayer cell-conditioned medium, did not display a full contact effect. This indicates a role for monolayer cell-produced factors (possibly extracellular matrix proteins) in preventing the development of the contact effect. We conclude that changes in DNA conformation and the increase in radiation resistance, seen in V79-171b cells grown as spheroids, are not the result of intercellular contact or round shape of the cells. This radioresistance appears to be the result of an absence of monolayer cell-produced factors which could control both cell shape and DNA conformation. / Medicine, Faculty of / Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Department of / Graduate