Electrospinning is a method of producing nano structured material from a polymer solution or melt using high strength electric fields. It is a process that has yet to find extensive industrial application yet shows promise if obstacles such as low rate of production overcome perhaps by more complete theoretical modelling. This work examines the effects of adding an ionic salt to a solution of poly(vinyl alcohol) in water. The direct effect was an increase the charge density and electric current. It was found that an increase in charge density decreases the mass deposition rate and forms a thinner initial jet. When the sign of the charge on the polymer solution was changed from positive to negative the charge density increased and the initial jet diameter and mass deposition rate also decreased. It was proposed that a smaller radius of curvature is formed by the Taylor cone at higher charge densities resulting in a smaller “virtual orifice”. The extent of the bending instability was explored and it was found that adding ionic salt results in a decrease in the bending instability resulting in thicker fibres. Changing the sign of the charge on the polymer solution from positive to negative resulted in an increase in the bending instability and resulted in thinner fibres. The charge transfer mechanisms used in different electrospinning models are explored and some assumptions not explicitly stated are discussed. From this discussion a generalized equation describing the charge transport mechanisms is proposed.

[Truncated abstract] The research described in this thesis investigated optical spring interactions and instabilities in a macroscopic opto-mechanical resonator. The thesis describes an experiment designed to model an optical spring `tranquiliser’ cavity which has been proposed to suppress the predicted parametric instabilities in the next generation of interferometric gravitational wave detectors. In a series of experiments, the optical spring effect was observed in macroscopic optical cavities through measured changes in mechanical stiffness, and measured changes in mechanical loss. The optical spring effect was further characterised through investigation of its dependent parameters. Two pairs of identical, low optical loss mirrors were bonded to a mechanical structure using a novel low mechanical loss technique, forming an opto-mechanical composite resonator. The technique uses the naturally occurring resin Yacca gum as a bonding agent. This resulted in the formation of two optical cavities with a length of l = 0.100±0.001m, only one of which was used in experiments. Using finite element modelling, the resonator?s two lowest modes, with frequencies of fm1 = 722.8Hz and fm2 = 747.9Hz, and an effective mass 0.0323±0.0001kg, were found to be subject to the optical spring effect. ... The instabilities are expected to have a parametric gain factor of up to 100 in the frequency range of 15-120kHz. Therefore, if optical spring damping can be made large enough to reduce the Q-factor of the Advanced LIGO test-masses by a factor of 100, all parametric instabilities should be eliminated. For a simple servo loop and an optical cavity with the practically achievable finesse of F = 30,000, a tranquiliser cavity length of 1.3cm was found to produce optimum enhanced damping. This configuration only requires 1.47W of input power, resulting in an intra-cavity power of 5.72kW. The cavity mirrors were assumed to have optical coatings with a damage threshold of 1MW/cm2, which limited the spot size to a minimum area of 0.572mm2, or a radial beam waist of w = 0.427mm. This nearly flat-flat cavity has a stability g-factor of 0.9997. Even given these technical challenges, suppression of the parametric instabilities predicted to occur in the next generation of interferometric detectors is possible to achieve practically using enhanced optical spring damping. A possible design for such a tranquiliser cavity is also suggested.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2004. / Härtill 3 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2005. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol. inst., 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karolinska institutet, 2006. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Η αστάθεια τάσης αποτελεί ένα σημαντικό πρόβλημα για τα συστήματα ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. Ένα σύστημα εισέρχεται σε κατάσταση αστάθειας τάσης λόγω αύξησης της ζήτησης, μιας ξαφνικής, ευρείας κλίμακας διαταραχής ή αλλαγής στην κατάσταση του, που μπορεί να προκαλέσει μια σταδιακή και ανεξέλεγκτη πτώση τάσης. Παρουσιάζει, λοιπόν, ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον η μεταβατική συμπεριφορά του συστήματος σε σχέση με την ευστάθεια της τάσης. Επίσης, κατά τη λειτουργία ενός Σ.Η.Ε., είναι σημαντικό για το χειριστή να γνωρίζει το μέγιστο επιτρεπτό φορτίο του συστήματος χωρίς να κινδυνεύει από αστάθεια τάσης. Η δυναμική ευστάθεια τάσης μπορεί να διαιρεθεί σε βραχυπρόθεσμη και μακροπρόθεσμη. Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία θα δώσουμε έμφαση στη βραχυπρόθεσμη ευστάθεια τάσης. Για το σκοπό αυτό, αναπτύσσονται δυναμικά μοντέλα που περιγράφουν τη λειτουργία απλών συστημάτων ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας στο περιβάλλον του MATLAB/SIMULINK. Διερευνάται η επίδραση του φορτίου επαγωγικού κινητήρα ενός απλού Σ.Η.Ε., όσον αφορά στη βραχυπρόθεσμη ευστάθεια τάσης, χρησιμοποιώντας τις P-V καμπύλες τόσο του κινητήρα όσο και του δικτύου. Τα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν, κατόπιν επαληθεύονται παρατηρώντας τις καταστάσεις του συστήματος στο πεδίο του χρόνου. Με την ανάλυση φαίνεται ότι με την ανάλυση φαίνεται ότι μετά από βραχυκύκλωμα η τάση του συστήματος μειώνεται δραστικά και αυτό μπορεί να προκαλέσει την κατάρρευση του συστήματος όταν αυτό έχει ως φορτίο επαγωγικό κινητήρα. Η κατάρρευση αυτή μπορεί να αποφευχθεί με την όσο το δυνατόν ταχύτερη εκκαθάριση του σφάλματος. Σημαντικός παράγων γι’ αυτό είναι ο καθορισμός του κρίσιμου χρόνου εκκαθάρισης του σφάλματος με σκοπό την αποφυγή της εμφάνισης αστάθειας. Το πρόβλημα αυτό αναλύεται διεξοδικά και ορίζονται με αναλυτικό τρόπο τόσο ο κρίσιμος χρόνος εκκαθάρισης όσο και η κρίσιμη τιμή της ολίσθησης του επαγωγικού κινητήρα. Χρησιμοποιώντας επιπλέον χωρητική αντιστάθμιση αέργου ισχύος αναλύεται ο τρόπος που αυτή βελτιώνει τα περιθώρια ευσταθούς λειτουργίας κατά τη διάρκεια σφαλμάτων. Στη συνέχεια, για τον καθορισμό ενός δείκτη ευστάθειας τάσης σε σχέση με το μέγιστο επιτρεπτό φορτίο σε ένα δίκτυο, περιγράφεται μία διαδικασία καθορισμού ενός τέτοιου δείκτη, η οποία βασίζεται στη σύνθετη τιμή της τάσης όλων των ζυγών ενός συστήματος. Ο προτεινόμενος δείκτης χρησιμοποιείται για την εκτίμηση της μέγιστης φόρτισης του συστήματος. Επιπροσθέτως, καθορίζονται τα πιο «αδύναμα» τμήματα του συστήματος (κρίσιμος ζυγός και κρίσιμη γραμμή) για κατάλληλη άεργο αντιστάθμιση προς αποφυγή κατάρρευσης της τάσης. / Voltage instability has been a great concern for quite a long time in electric power industry. A system enters a state of voltage instability due to increase in demand, a sudden large disturbance or a change in system condition that causes a progressive and uncontrollable decline in voltage. It is therefore interesting to study both the dynamic and static aspects of voltage stability. Dynamic voltage stability can be divided into short-term and long-term based on the dynamics of the components that affect the voltage stability. In this project, we will emphasize on short-term stability. In this study, dynamic models of various power system components are successfully developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK platform. The effect of induction motor load on short-term voltage stability of a simple power system is investigated using the network and motor P-V curves and the results are found and then verified by observing the system states in time domain. Once the reason of voltage instability is identified, a remedial action using fixed capacitive reactive support is suggested to prevent the voltage instability. During a fault, the system voltage reduces drastically and that may cause to stall the induction motors. Stalling of induction motor can be prevented by clearing the fault as quickly as possible. A technique of determining the critical fault clearing time to prevent stalling of induction motor is also presented. In power system operation, it is important for the dispatcher to have knowledge on the maximum permissible loading of the system without reaching voltage instability. In this study, a method of determining the voltage stability index of a system based on the complex voltage of all buses in the system is described. The proposed index is then used in estimating the maximum loading of the system and is based on the information of present and past operating points. In addition, the weakest segments (critical bus and critical line) of the system are also identified for appropriate reactive compensations to avoid voltage collapse. The correctness of the identified critical bus and critical line is then verified by placing shunt/series capacitors at various locations and comparing the corresponding critical load multiplier factors

Η αστάθεια τάσης αποτελεί ένα σημαντικό πρόβλημα για τα συστήματα ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. Ένα σύστημα εισέρχεται σε κατάσταση αστάθειας τάσης λόγω αύξησης της ζήτησης, μιας ξαφνικής, ευρείας κλίμακας διαταραχής ή αλλαγής στην κατάσταση του, που μπορεί να προκαλέσει μια σταδιακή και ανεξέλεγκτη πτώση τάσης. Παρουσιάζει, λοιπόν, ιδιαίτερο ενδιαφέρον η μεταβατική συμπεριφορά του συστήματος σε σχέση με την ευστάθεια της τάσης. Επίσης, κατά τη λειτουργία ενός Σ.Η.Ε., είναι σημαντικό για το χειριστή να γνωρίζει το μέγιστο επιτρεπτό φορτίο του συστήματος χωρίς να κινδυνεύει από αστάθεια τάσης. Η δυναμική ευστάθεια τάσης μπορεί να διαιρεθεί σε βραχυπρόθεσμη και μακροπρόθεσμη. Στην παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία θα δώσουμε έμφαση στη βραχυπρόθεσμη ευστάθεια τάσης. Για το σκοπό αυτό, αναπτύσσονται δυναμικά μοντέλα που περιγράφουν τη λειτουργία απλών συστημάτων ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας στο περιβάλλον του MATLAB/SIMULINK. Διερευνάται η επίδραση του φορτίου επαγωγικού κινητήρα ενός απλού Σ.Η.Ε., όσον αφορά στη βραχυπρόθεσμη ευστάθεια τάσης, χρησιμοποιώντας τις P-V καμπύλες τόσο του κινητήρα όσο και του δικτύου. Τα αποτελέσματα που προκύπτουν, κατόπιν επαληθεύονται παρατηρώντας τις καταστάσεις του συστήματος στο πεδίο του χρόνου. Με την ανάλυση φαίνεται ότι με την ανάλυση φαίνεται ότι μετά από βραχυκύκλωμα η τάση του συστήματος μειώνεται δραστικά και αυτό μπορεί να προκαλέσει την κατάρρευση του συστήματος όταν αυτό έχει ως φορτίο επαγωγικό κινητήρα. Η κατάρρευση αυτή μπορεί να αποφευχθεί με την όσο το δυνατόν ταχύτερη εκκαθάριση του σφάλματος. Σημαντικός παράγων γι’ αυτό είναι ο καθορισμός του κρίσιμου χρόνου εκκαθάρισης του σφάλματος με σκοπό την αποφυγή της εμφάνισης αστάθειας. Το πρόβλημα αυτό αναλύεται διεξοδικά και ορίζονται με αναλυτικό τρόπο τόσο ο κρίσιμος χρόνος εκκαθάρισης όσο και η κρίσιμη τιμή της ολίσθησης του επαγωγικού κινητήρα. Χρησιμοποιώντας επιπλέον χωρητική αντιστάθμιση αέργου ισχύος αναλύεται ο τρόπος που αυτή βελτιώνει τα περιθώρια ευσταθούς λειτουργίας κατά τη διάρκεια σφαλμάτων. Στη συνέχεια, για τον καθορισμό ενός δείκτη ευστάθειας τάσης σε σχέση με το μέγιστο επιτρεπτό φορτίο σε ένα δίκτυο, περιγράφεται μία διαδικασία καθορισμού ενός τέτοιου δείκτη, η οποία βασίζεται στη σύνθετη τιμή της τάσης όλων των ζυγών ενός συστήματος. Ο προτεινόμενος δείκτης χρησιμοποιείται για την εκτίμηση της μέγιστης φόρτισης του συστήματος. Επιπροσθέτως, καθορίζονται τα πιο «αδύναμα» τμήματα του συστήματος (κρίσιμος ζυγός και κρίσιμη γραμμή) για κατάλληλη άεργο αντιστάθμιση προς αποφυγή κατάρρευσης της τάσης. / Voltage instability has been a great concern for quite a long time in electric power industry. A system enters a state of voltage instability due to increase in demand, a sudden large disturbance or a change in system condition that causes a progressive and uncontrollable decline in voltage. It is therefore interesting to study both the dynamic and static aspects of voltage stability. Dynamic voltage stability can be divided into short-term and long-term based on the dynamics of the components that affect the voltage stability. In this project, we will emphasize on short-term stability. In this study, dynamic models of various power system components are successfully developed in MATLAB/SIMULINK platform. The effect of induction motor load on short-term voltage stability of a simple power system is investigated using the network and motor P-V curves and the results are found and then verified by observing the system states in time domain. Once the reason of voltage instability is identified, a remedial action using fixed capacitive reactive support is suggested to prevent the voltage instability. During a fault, the system voltage reduces drastically and that may cause to stall the induction motors. Stalling of induction motor can be prevented by clearing the fault as quickly as possible. A technique of determining the critical fault clearing time to prevent stalling of induction motor is also presented. In power system operation, it is important for the dispatcher to have knowledge on the maximum permissible loading of the system without reaching voltage instability. In this study, a method of determining the voltage stability index of a system based on the complex voltage of all buses in the system is described. The proposed index is then used in estimating the maximum loading of the system and is based on the information of present and past operating points. In addition, the weakest segments (critical bus and critical line) of the system are also identified for appropriate reactive compensations to avoid voltage collapse. The correctness of the identified critical bus and critical line is then verified by placing shunt/series capacitors at various locations and comparing the corresponding critical load multiplier factors

<p>Like most Archaea, the hypersaline-adapted organism Halobacterium salinarum exhibits characteristics from all three domains of life, including a eukaryotic histone protein, a universal propensity to genetic rearrangements, and homologs of bacterial cell division proteins. Here we investigate the ancestral function of histone protein in the Archaea. Transcriptomics, proteomics, and phenotypic assays of histone mutants determine that histone regulates gene expression and cell shape but not genome compaction in H. salinarum. We further explore the regulation of gene expression on a genome-wide scale through the study of genomic instability. Genomic deletions and duplications are detected through the meta-analysis of 1154 previously published gene expression arrays and 48 chromatin immunoprecipitation arrays. We discover that a 90 kb duplication event in the megaplasmid pNRC100 directly leads to increased gene expression, and find evidence that the chromosome is far more unstable than previously assumed. These events are all linked with the presence of mobile insertion elements. Finally, in response to questions generated by these experiments, we develop a novel time-lapse protocol for H. salinarum and ask basic questions about single cell dynamics during division. Fluorescent labeling of homologs to bacterial cell division proteins confirms their involvement in cell division but localization dynamics contradict the basic bacterial model. The discovery of unusual facets of morphology during cell division is consistent with these novel protein dynamics and opens up new avenues of inquiry into archaeal cell division.</p> / Dissertation

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Este trabalho discute a política de emprego implementada no Brasil e na Itália nos últimos 10 anos. A ideia central é de que a política de emprego vem sendo alvo de estratégias por parte do Estado brasileiro e italiano como forma de responder ao problema endêmico do desemprego e se encontra dentro das exigências propostas pelas agências multilaterais para minimizar os impactos das mudanças em curso no âmbito do trabalho. Embora o desemprego sempre tenha sido um elemento fundamental na dinâmica das relações sociais de produção capitalista, tendo em vista que a formação de um excedente de trabalhadores é condição fundamental para a extração da taxa de mais-valia, através do trabalho não pago e expropriado pelo capitalista, ele vem sendo considerado como um processo natural, sem qualquer vinculação com a lógica da acumulação capitalista e, portanto, as políticas de emprego revelam-se como medidas pontuais que tendem a responsabilizar os sujeitos pela sua "incapacidade" de se adequar às mudanças em curso. neste sentido, as ações propostas reforçam o incentivo ao empreendedorismo, a precarização das condições de trabalho, no incremento do trabalho feminino e juvenil e na retirada gradativa de direitos sociais e trabalhistas. As consequências não podem ser percebidas igualmente nos dois países, haja vista as condições sócio-históricas que deram luz ao Estado social permitindo que na Itália as mudanças em curso apontem para uma precarização protegida e no Brasil numa precarização desprotegida. / This paper discusses the employmet policy implemented over the last ten years in Brazil and Italy. the central idea is that employment policy has been the target of strategies for both countries as a way to respond to the endemic problem of unemployment and lies within the requirements recommend by the multilateral agencies to minimize the impacts of the changes underway in scope of work. Although unemployment has always been a key element in the dynamics of social relations of capitalist production, considering that the formation of a surplus of workers is a fundamental condition for the extraction rates of a surplus value through the unpaid labor and expropriated by the capitalist. He has been considered as a problem of natural order not directly associated with the dynamics of capitalism accumulation and, therefore, employment polices are revealed as ad hoc measures that to blend individuals for their "inability" to suit changes underway. In this sense, the proposed action in turne encourage entrepreneurship, the precarious conditions and working relations in the increase of youth work and woman and phases withdrawal of rights and guarantees for workers, providing, on one hand, higer capitals gains and another, the impoversishment of workers. Increasing overcrowding on and generating a mass of workers left over, but with different impacts in the face of the construction welfare state implemented in both countries, revelaing in the case of Italy a pr