In this research photonic crystal fibres were developed for the purpose of generating coherent supercontinua. Two photonic crystal fibres were fabricated with all-normal group velocity dispersion profiles, with low dispersion at pump wavelengths 800 nm and 1064 nm. Supercontinua generated using these fibres were shown to have superior stability and coherence compared with supercontinua generated in fibres with anomalous dispersion at the pump wavelength. Using a short piece of photonic crystal fibre with all-normal group velocity dispersion, pumped at 1064 nm, a self phase modulation spectrum spanning 200 nm was generated. The supercontinuum was re-compressed using linear chirp compensation to 26 fs, which was within a factor of two of the theoretical transform limit. This demonstrates the high spectral coherence, stability, and almost-linear chirp of the supercontinuum. Simulations showed that pulse compression using a supercontinuum generated in a photonic crystal fibre with anomalous dispersion at the pump wavelength would be limited by shot-to-shot fluctuations in the spectral intensity and phase, and the nonlinear chirp. Using a longer piece of all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fibre, supercontinuum is generated by self phase modulation, and optical wave breaking. A broad flat supercontinuum spanning 700 nm, centred at 1064 nm was generated. This supercontinuum was spectrally filtered, and the pulses obtained analysed in the temporal domain. Clean, stable sub-picosecond pulses were achieved, demonstrating the applicability of such a supercontinuum as part of a compact, tunable laser source. The same experiment was carried out using a photonic crystal fibre with anomalous dispersion at the pump wavelength, resulting in pulses with a large portion of energy contained in broad shoulders, and higher order modes. Interferometric coherence measurements were carried out at 800 nm using a Ti:Sapphire laser. A supercontinuum was generated in all-normal dispersion photonic crystal fibre with low dispersion at 800 nm, spanning 400 nm. Supercontinuum pulses generated by consecutive laser pulses were brought together in time using an interferometer. The interference between consecutive pulses was viewed spectrally, and the interference fringes had high visibility across the whole supercontinuum bandwidth. This demonstrates high spectral coherence. A supercontinuum generated in photonic crystal fibre with anomalous dispersion at 800 nm was tested in the same way, and the interference fringes obtained had lower visibility, indicating low spectral coherence. The research presented demonstrates that photonic crystal fibres with all-normal dispersion profiles can be used to generate supercontinua with high coherence and intensity stability. This type of supercontinuum is applicable to ultra-short pulse compression, and can be spectrally filtered to create a broadband tunable ultra-short laser source.

Faculty of Health Sciences, Master of Science in Medicine in the field of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, 9502650w / An autopsy-based case-series of South African miners was used to evaluate the evidence required to attribute a miner’s lung cancer to occupational asbestos exposure for compensation. The slightly different Helsinki (1997) and National Institute for Occupational Health (NIOH) criteria (1988) require that one of four factors (asbestosis, occupational exposure, raised burden of asbestos fibres and/or bodies) be fulfilled for attribution. These criteria were applied to the case-series to determine and compare the proportions of NIOH- and Helsinki-attributable lung cancers. Of 195 lung cancer cases, 47% (91) were Helsinki-attributable and 52% (101) NIOH-attributable: with 72% concordance. Some differences in the details of occupational exposure criteria and methods for assessing the burden of asbestos in the lung were responsible for differences in these proportions. If attribution had taken place using only presence of asbestosis and the occupational exposure history, many cases would not have been attributable to asbestos. Therefore, taking into account burden of asbestos in lung tissue was important. However, it was found that phase contrast microscopy (PCM) for counting asbestos bodies was “sufficient” and that scanning electron microscopy (SEM), advocated by the Helsinki criteria, added <1% of the cases, suggesting that the cost of expensive SEM fibre counts in a developing country may outweigh the benefits. Using the Helsinki criteria as the gold standard, the sensitivity of the NIOH criteria was 75.8% (95% CI: 65.7 – 84.2).

This work investigates the tensile behaviour of non-uniform fibres and fibrous composites. Wool fibres are used as an example of non-uniform fibres because they're physical, morphological and geometrical properties vary greatly not only between fibres but also within a fibre. The focus of this work is on the effect of both between-fibre and within-fibre diameter variations on fibre tensile behaviour. In addition, fit to the Weibull distribution by the non-brittle and non-uniform visco-elastic wool fibres is examined, and the Weibull model is developed further for non-uniform fibres with diameter variation along the fibre length. A novel model fibre composite is introduced to facilitate the investigation into the tensile behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites. This work first confirms that for processed wool, its coefficient of variation in break force can be predicted from that of minimum fibre diameters, and the prediction is better for longer fibres. This implies that even for processed wool, fibre breakage is closely associated with the occurrence of thin sections along a fibre, and damage to fibres during processing is not the main cause of fibre breakage. The effect of along-fibre diameter variation on fibre tensile behaviour of scoured wool and mohair is examined next. Only wet wool samples were examined in the past. The extensions of individual segments of single non-uniform fibres are measured at different strain levels. An important finding is the maximum extension (%) (Normally at the thinnest section) equals the average fibre extension (%) plus the diameter variation (CV %) among the fibre segments. This relationship has not been reported before. During a tensile test, it is only the average fibre extension that is measured. The third part of this work is on the applicability of Weibull distribution to the strength of non-uniform visco-elastic wool fibres. Little work has been done for wool fibres in this area, even though the Weibull model has been widely applied to many brittle fibres. An improved Weibull model incorporating within-fibre diameter variations has been developed for non-uniform fibres. This model predicts the gauge length effect more accurately than the conventional Weibull model. In studies of fibre-reinforced composites, ideal composite specimens are usually prepared and used in the experiments. Sample preparation has been a tedious process. A novel fibre reinforced composite is developed and used in this work to investigate the tensile behaviour of fibre-reinforced composites. The results obtained from the novel composite specimen are consistent with that obtained from the normal specimens.

The advent of nuclear DNA (nuDNA) analysis altered the way forensic biology was both practised and viewed by the forensic biologists, police, the legal system and the general public. The ability of nuDNA to individualise analysis of evidence and attach a statistical frequency ratio to the result, created an expectation that numerical objectivity should be part of all forensic analysis. There are few scientists who would disagree with both the need and desirability of objective measures of their results. Forensic hair examiners are no exception as indicated by numerous scientific publications specifically discussing means of objectively assessing hair and its characteristics. While mitochondrial DNA offers a partially objective measure of hair the result is destructive of the sample. A method that objectively supports the hair analysts' microscopic findings and is non destructive would be beneficial to forensic hair examination. This project attempted to develop an objective measure of hair analysis by using both traditional light microscopic comparative techniques combined with a high end digital imaging and image analysis capacity. Where objectivity equals an empirical set of numbers that can be manipulated for statistical significance, the comparative biological sciences such as histology, anthropology and forensic hair examination struggle. Forensic hair examiners have long acknowledged the difficulty, even inability, of assigning numerical values to the features that characterise one hair as being different from another. The human scalp hair is a "morphological" unit that is not readily split into component parts or even that these parts lend themselves to a number value. There have been at least nine separate studies which favourably compare the specificity of microscopic hair examinations. The challenge this study addressed was to appraise the use of numerical features in forensic hair examination, with particular emphasis on those features currently resisting numerical evaluation; specifically, colour and pigmentary characteristics. The techniques used were based on obtaining high quality digital images, and using the pixels inherent in the images to obtain numerical values of such features as colour and pigmentation. The project sample was taken from the telogen scalp hairs obtained from the hairbrushes of ten nominally brown haired Caucasians, both male and female. The focus was twofold: o Compare colour analysis of hair images from brown haired Caucasians within three standard, internationally recognized colour models, namely Red-Green-Blue (RGB) colour model; CIE XYZ Tristimulus (1931) colour model; and CIE L*a*b* (1976) colour model. o Using the same sets of digital images, undertake pattern recognition analysis both intra and inter individual hair samples. Discriminate analysis of the mean colour values collected for each of the inherent colour variables in the three colour models (red, green, blue; X, Y, Z and L*, a*, b*) indicated the RGB colour model gave the least separation of brown haired individuals; CIE XYZ and CIE L*a*b* separated several individuals for all their individual samples and several other individuals were mostly separated with only one of their own samples overlapping with another. Pattern analysis used a small area that represented the overall pigment patterning observed along the length of the hair shaft. This area was extracted from the digital image within V++ Digital Optics image analysis software. The extracted pattern piece was then compared with other sample images within the same hair and four other hairs from the same individual. Pattern extracts were also compared between person hair samples. The comparisons generated a set of numerical values based on the pixel number on the "x" axis of the whole image and the average difference between the extracted pattern image and the whole image. Analysis of this data resulted in log distributions when persons were matched with themselves. It was also possible to refer an unknown pattern extract to this distribution and based on probabilities, predict as to whether or not the unknown sample fell within any of the known sample's distribution.

A new Direct Simulation fibre model was developed which allowed flexibility in the fibre during the simulation of fibre suspension flow.This new model was called the �Chain-of-Spheres �model.It was hypothesised that particle shape and deformation could signi ficantly a ffect partic e dynamics,and also suspension bulk properties such as viscosity.Data collected from the simulation showed that flexible fibres in shear flow resulted in an order of 7 −10% bulk relative viscosity increase over the �rigid �fibre result.Results also es- tablished the existence of a relationship between bulk viscosity and particle sti ffness.In comparison with experimental results,other more conventional rigid fibre based methods appeared to underpredict relative viscosity.The flexible fibre method thus markedly improved the ability to estimate relative viscosity.The curved rigid fibre suspension also exhibited increased viscosity of the order twice that of the equivalent straight rigid fibre suspension.With such sensitivity to fibre shape,this result has some important implications for the quality of fibre inclusions used.For consistent viscosity,the shape quality of the fibres was shown to be important. The �Chain of Spheres �simulation was substantially extended to create a new simulation method with the ability to model the dynamics of arbitrarily shaped particles in the Newtonian flow field.This new �3D Particle �simulation method accounted for the inertial force on the particles,and also allowed particles to be embedded in complex flow fields.This method was used to reproduce known dynamics for common particle shapes,and then to predict the unknown dynamics of various other particle shapes in shear flow. In later sections, the simulation demonstrated inertia-induced particle migration inthe non-linear shear gradient Couette cylinder flow,and was used to predict the fibre orientation within a diverging channel flow.The performance of the method was verified against known experimental measurements,observations and theoretical and numerical results where available.The comparisons revealed that the current method reproduced single particle dynamics with great fidelity. The broad aim of this research was to better understand the microstruc- tural dynamics within the fibre-filled suspension and from it,derive useful engineering information on the bulk flow of these fluids.This thesis represents a move forward to meet this broad aim.It is hoped that future researchers may bene fit from the new approaches and algorithms developed here.

Le matériaux polymère : de l'isolant au conducteur thermique.

Le matériaux polymère : de l'isolant au conducteur thermique.

En los últimos años la industria viene exigiendo el empleo del hormigón reforzado con fibras de acero (HRFA) en aplicaciones estructurales. Debido al hecho de que la resistencia pos-fisuración del material es relevante, la capacidad de coser fisuras concedida por las fibras puede permitir la sustitución, parcial o total, de la armadura de acero convencional. Por consiguiente, una adecuada caracterización del comportamiento a tracción uniaxial del HRFA es de gran interés. Sin embargo, a pesar de la amplitud de trabajo de investigación y de la reciente elaboración de normativas, no existe un consenso respecto al modelo constitutivo a ser empleado en el diseño del HRFA.El cosido de las fibras de acero en las fisuras mejora la tenacidad y la durabilidad del hormigón. El HRFA es un material que, generalmente, presenta una resistencia residual a tracción en régimen fisurado. Sin embargo, en algunas situaciones, el HRFA puede desarrollar endurecimiento en flexotracción debido a su aptitud en redistribuir esfuerzos en la sección de fisura. Estas características vienen contribuyendo para un interés creciente así como un incremento del número de aplicaciones de este material.En esta tesis doctoral se desarrolla un método directo y lógico para predecir la respuesta a tracción del HRFA para el diseño estructural. Mientras que la comprensión del comportamiento del material se consigue por medio de una investigación experimental, la formulación del nuevo modelo constitutivo se obtiene con un estudio segmentado del comportamiento del material en niveles de menor complejidad y, en seguida, con la caracterización de cada uno de ellos hasta conseguir explicar la respuesta a tracción del HRFA.Esta tesis está dividida en cinco partes principales: I) Identificación de las motivaciones. II) Obtención de resultados a tracción uniaxial para comprender los principales mecanismos que controlan la resistencia pos-fisuración. III) Desarrollo de dos modelos para predecir la respuesta al arrancamiento de fibras de acero inclinadas, que cubren fibras rectas y con ganchos. IV) Investigación detallada de la orientación de las fibras al nivel individual mediante análisis estadísticos. Luego, aspectos prácticos asociados al proceso de producción son integrados en una metodología innovadora para predecir la orientación de las fibras. V) Formulación y validación del nuevo modelo constitutivo, con base en las Partes III y IV, con los resultados experimentales de la Parte II. El comportamiento a tracción se evalúa mediante un estudio paramétrico y se proponen expresiones ingenieriles para el diseño y optimización (EEDO).El modelo constitutivo propuesto se distingue de estudios anteriores en varios aspectos y define una nueva filosofía para el diseño de elementos de HRFA. Este modelo es un método directo y práctico para obtener el comportamiento a tracción del material mediante parámetros con sentido físico y basado en conceptos claros: arrancamiento y orientación de las fibras.Una de las principales aportaciones de este trabajo es la capacidad de predecir curvas tensión-apertura de fisura que reflejan una combinación específica de las propiedades de la matriz y de las fibras empleadas. Además, se introduce una filosofía innovadora en el diseño debido a la incorporación del proceso de producción, las propiedades en estado fresco y el elemento a construir en la definición del diagrama constitutivo. / In the last years, the industry has been demanding for the use of steel fiber reinforced concrete (SFRC) in structural applications. Because the post-cracking strength of this material is not negligible, the crack-bridging capacity provided by fibers may replace, partial or completely, conventional steel reinforcement. Therefore, an appropriate characterization of the SFRC uniaxial tensile behavior is of paramount interest. However, in spite of the extensive research and standards recently advanced, there is no agreement on the constitutive model to be used for the design of SFRC.The crack-bridging capacity provided by steel fibers improves both the toughness and the durability of concrete. Conventional SFRC is a material which presents softening response under uniaxial tension, but may develop hardening behavior in bending due to its ability to redistribute stresses within the crosssection.These evidences have been contributing to an increasing interest and growing number of applications of this material.In this doctoral thesis, a direct and rationale approach to predict the tensile response of SFRC for structural design calculations is developed. While insight on the material behavior is firstly gained through an experimental investigation, the formulation of the new constitutive model follows a bottomup approach: it fragments the material's behavior into levels of smaller complexity and then models each of them until the overall behavior can be explained.The dissertation is subdivided into five main parts: I) The motivations for this research project are pointed out. II) Uniaxial tensile test results are obtained to understand the major mechanisms governing the post-cracking strength. III) Two models predicting the pullout responses of inclined steel fibers are developed, covering straight and hooked fibers. IV) The orientation of fibers is investigated in detail at the single fiber level through statistical analyses. Then, practical aspects associated to the manufacturing process are integrated within a novel framework to predict fiber orientation. V) Based on Parts III-IV, the new constitutive model is formulated and validated with experimental results from Part II. Further insight on the tensile behavior is gained through a parametric study and Engineered Expressions for Design and Optimization (EEDO) are proposed.The proposed design-oriented constitutive model differentiates itself from previous studies in multiple aspects and defines a new philosophy for the design of SFRC elements. This model provides a direct and practical procedure to obtain the material's tensile behavior by means of parameters with physical meaning and based on clear concepts: fiber pullouts and orientations.One of the major contributions of this work is the ability to predict the stress-crack width curves that reflect the specific combination of the properties of the matrix and fibers applied. Furthermore, it introduces a novel philosophy for the material design regarding that the influences of the production process, fresh-state properties and the element to be built are taken into account to define the constitutive diagram.

Th. doct.--Sci. phys.--Nancy--Éc. des mines, 2001. / Notes bibliogr. Résumé en français et en anglais. L'ouvrage porte par erreur : ISSN 0078-3780.

Thèse de doctorat : Sciences. Matériaux/Mécanique : Ecole centrale de Lyon : 2003. / 90 réf.