This thesis is concerned with the performance and measurement uncertainty of wire-mesh sensors in different air-water flow regimes in horizontal pipes. It also presents measurements of void fraction and interfacial velocity in such flows. It was found that the interfacial velocity measurements of the wire-mesh sensors were in good agreement with those taken with a high-speed camera and estimates of the uncertainties of these measurements are presented. Drift-flux models were fitted to the measurements and it was found that the parameters of these models were not only sensitive to the flow regime, but also to the liquid superficial velocity.

Infrastructure wireless mesh networks (IWMNs) provide inexpensive deployment, flexible extension of wireless infrastructure, and easy access to the Internet. With multiple radios at each node, a capacity per node improves by transmitting over these radios simultaneously using orthogonal channels. However, without properly addressing the problem of channel assignment and routing for those nodes that form wireless infrastructures, the resulting network throughput and reliability are unlikely to meet the requirements of those highly demanding, media distribution applications. On a particular channel, poor resource allocation at a given access point/gateway of the underlying IWMN can amplify the problem even further. Motivated by these problems, we develop, based on the theory of network coding, a set of alternative solutions that addresses the above issues. We first introduce a sub-optimal solution to the joint problem of network coding, channel assignment and link scheduling for throughput optimization in the multi-channel multi-radio IWMN. We mathematically formulate the problem as a linear program, taking into account opportunistic overhearing, among other constraints. Based on this formulation, we develop a sub-optimal, auction-based algorithm for network throughput optimization. Simulation results reveal the effectiveness of our algorithm in exploiting multiple radios and channels while coping with fairness issues arising from auctions. The proposed solution also shows promising gains over traditional routing solutions. Our experimental results on an 802.11 testbed further confirm these results. The second part of this thesis then presents three AP/gateway-oriented solutions that address the link-level issues related to radio resource allocation at a particular AP/gateway node of the underlying IWMN, which operates on a given channel serving a set of wireless clients. Since the last-hop wireless link is normally a bottleneck of the IWMN, the key idea underlying all the proposed solutions is to use a version of network coding at the bottlenecked AP/gateway. We use Markov chains and the probability theory to derive several performance measures related to media distribution for both uplink and downlink applications. Via extensive simulations, we show the promising delay and reliability gains of the network-coding based schemes over the traditional schemes without network coding.

Recent advances in methods to increase network utilization have lead to the introduction of a relatively new method called Network Coding. Network Coding is a method that can reduce local congestion in a network by combining information sent over the network. It is commonly researched in the information theory field after it was first introduced by Ahlswede et al in 2000. Network Coding was proven in 2003, by Koetter & Medard to be the only way to achieve the throughput capacity defined by the Min cut Max flow theorem of Shannon. It was applied deterministically in wired networks and randomly in wireless networks. Random Network Coding however requires a lot of overhead and may cause possible delays in the network. We found that there is an open question as to determine where in a wireless network, Network Coding can be implemented. In this thesis we propose to find opportunities for the implementation of Network Coding, by searching for known deterministic Network Coding topologies in larger Networks. Because a known topology is used, we will then also know how Network Coding should be implemented. This method of finding opportunities for the implementation of Network Coding using topology can be combined with a routing algorithm to improve the utilization of a wireless network. We implemented our method on three different topologies and searched 1000 random networks for the presence of these topologies. We found that these topologies occurred frequently enough to make our method a viable method of finding opportunities for the implementation of Network Coding. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Computer and Electronical Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Objective. The objective of this study is to test the efficacy of the biodegradable mesh as an alternative fixation device to the titanium mesh for support of onlay particulate, bone and cancellous, marrow (PBCM) grafts. Two parameters were evaluated: (1) Bone graft volume maintenance; and (2) Calcified tissue surface area and distribution. Methods. 12 New Zealand white rabbits were used and divided equally into two groups. In both groups, endochondral, cancellous bone graft was harvested from the anterior ilium. The bone graft was then compressed and placed as an onlay onto the lateral aspect of the mandible using two chambers for each animal. In the control group, the chambers were made of titanium, however in the test group the chambers were made of poly L-lactide, polyglycolide and trimethylene carbonate mesh (Inion GTR(TM) Finland), and thereafter the chambers were fixed to the mandible. The animals were then sacrificed after eight weeks postoperatively, and then Micro-CT imaging was performed for the entire sample in order to determine the total volume of calcified tissue present under each chamber. In addition, Histologic sections were obtained from each chamber, and thereafter stained using Toluidine blue and Von Kossa for the purpose of histomorphometric analysis in order to determine the calcified tissue surface area. Results. When comparing the data from both the titanium (Ti) and the biodegradable mesh (PLA) groups, Micro CT analysis showed no significant statistical difference (P-value = 0.546) with regard to the percentage of bone found under the chambers (Ti 15.0% and PLA 13.83%). Interestingly, neither did the histomorphometric analysis show any significant statistical deference (P-value = 0.8272) with regard to the percentage of calcified tissue surface area (Ti 16.86% and PLA 16.17%). Moreover, this calcified tissue was also found to be evenly distributed in both groups. Conclusion. Biodegradable mesh made of poly L-lactic and polyglycolic acid copolymers appears to be an appropriate alternative to the Ti mesh for support of PBCM bone grafts. However, further clinical trails should be conducted to confirm these findings.

Zigbee is a relatively new wireless mesh networking standard with emphasis on low cost and energy conservation. It is intended to be used in wireless monitoring and control applications such as sensors and remotely operated switches where the end devices are battery powered. Because it is a recent technology there is not sufficient understanding on how network architecture and configuration affect power consumption of the battery powered devices. This research investigates the power consumption and delivery ratio of Zigbee wireless mesh and star networks for a single sink real time monitoring system at varying traffic rates and the beacon and non beacon mode operation of its underlying standard IEEE 802.15.4 in the star network architecture. To evaluate the performance of Zigbee, the network operation was simulated using the simulation tool NS-2. NS-2 is capable of simulating the entire network operation including traffic generation and energy consumption of each node in the network. After first running the simulation it was obvious that there were problems in the configuration of the simulator as well as some unexpected behaviour. After performing several modifications to the simulator the results improved significantly. To validate the operation of the simulator and to give insight on the operation of Zigbee, a real Zigbee wireless network was constructed and the same experiments that were conducted on the simulator were repeated on the Zigbee network. The research showed that the modified simulator produced good results that were close to the experimental results. It was found that the non beacon mode of operation had the lowest power consumption and best delivery ratio at all tested traffic rates. The operation of Zigbee mesh and star networks were compared to the results for IEEE 802.15.4 star networks in non beacon mode which revealed that the extra routing traffic sent by the Zigbee networking layers does contribute significantly to the power consumption, however even with the extra routing traffic, power consumption is still so low that it the battery life of the device would be limited by the shelf life of the battery, not by the energy consumption of the device. This research has successfully achieved its objectives and identified areas for future development. The simulator model for NS-2 could be improved to further increase the accuracy of the results as well as include the Zigbee routing layers and the experimental results could be improved by a more accurate power consumption data acquisition method.

Channel assignment in wireless mesh network (WMN) aims at improving the network throughput by utilizing multiple orthogonal frequency channels to minimize the interference. Interference can be categorized as coordinated and non-coordinated, depending upon the relative location of the interfering links. Compared to coordinated interference, non-coordinated interference has a severe adverse impact on throughput. This thesis is based on the hypothesis that the network throughput can be improved significantly, if channel assignment minimizes non-coordinated interference with priority. We propose a static and centralized channel assignment scheme CCAS to show the effectiveness of the hypothesis. The cluster-based approach of CCAS minimizes non-coordinated interference with reduced complexity. CCAS improves the network throughput by upto 80%, compared to the existing schemes. We propose topology control scheme MATS that constructs low interference multipath network topology using a subset of links from physical topology. We report an additional improvement of upto 10% in the network throughput, when CCAS assigns channels to the links selected by MATS. In the final part of the thesis, we formulate generalized channel assignment as an optimization problem, accounting for real network traffic. The objective of the problem is to select the channels for links such that maximum incident traffic can be transmitted over the links, while ensuring a fair distribution of throughput amongst links and elimination of non-coordinated interference. For a given network and incident traffic, the solution to this problem generates the channel assignment resulting in optimal network throughput. We propose dynamic and distributed scheme LYCAS as an approximate solution to the problem. LYCAS employs MATS to construct network topology and cluster-based approach of CCAS to minimize non-coordinated interference. In addition, it periodically updates the assignment of channels to adapt to the changing traffic load. LYCAS achieves upto 68% of the optimal network throughput and upto 72% of optimal aggregate end-to-end throughput of multi-hop flows. It outperforms the existing schemes by a factor of 2.

Zigbee is a relatively new wireless mesh networking standard with emphasis on low cost and energy conservation. It is intended to be used in wireless monitoring and control applications such as sensors and remotely operated switches where the end devices are battery powered. Because it is a recent technology there is not sufficient understanding on how network architecture and configuration affect power consumption of the battery powered devices. This research investigates the power consumption and delivery ratio of Zigbee wireless mesh and star networks for a single sink real time monitoring system at varying traffic rates and the beacon and non beacon mode operation of its underlying standard IEEE 802.15.4 in the star network architecture. To evaluate the performance of Zigbee, the network operation was simulated using the simulation tool NS-2. NS-2 is capable of simulating the entire network operation including traffic generation and energy consumption of each node in the network. After first running the simulation it was obvious that there were problems in the configuration of the simulator as well as some unexpected behaviour. After performing several modifications to the simulator the results improved significantly. To validate the operation of the simulator and to give insight on the operation of Zigbee, a real Zigbee wireless network was constructed and the same experiments that were conducted on the simulator were repeated on the Zigbee network. The research showed that the modified simulator produced good results that were close to the experimental results. It was found that the non beacon mode of operation had the lowest power consumption and best delivery ratio at all tested traffic rates. The operation of Zigbee mesh and star networks were compared to the results for IEEE 802.15.4 star networks in non beacon mode which revealed that the extra routing traffic sent by the Zigbee networking layers does contribute significantly to the power consumption, however even with the extra routing traffic, power consumption is still so low that it the battery life of the device would be limited by the shelf life of the battery, not by the energy consumption of the device. This research has successfully achieved its objectives and identified areas for future development. The simulator model for NS-2 could be improved to further increase the accuracy of the results as well as include the Zigbee routing layers and the experimental results could be improved by a more accurate power consumption data acquisition method.

Increasingly, tunnels are being planned in weak rock beneath urban areas in Australia and worldwide. Designers of these projects are required to predict the tunnel induced settlement so that an assessment of the possible effects on buildings and services above can be made. However, the existing methods for making such predictions require either a database of similar projects, or a knowledge of suitable parameters for use in numerical models. Numerical models of tunnelling are sensitive to model inputs. Some of these model inputs are irrelevant to the actual physical problem. The thesis discusses two key issues in solving elastoplastic tunnel problems, one being the inertial effects in finite difference methods, and the other being the mesh discretisation error. The causes and possible remedies for these is discussed, and an a priori predictive technique for discretisation error is developed. The method of choice for selecting parameters in numerical models is to use the backanalysis of a suitable pilot activity. However, traditional backanalysis methods suffer from non-uniqueness. The results of a backanalysis is not a single combination of parameters, but a zone in parameter space within which the fit to the observations is acceptable. The shape of this zone in parameter space is affected by the degree of correlation of the parameters, and by the non-linear nature of the problem. The technique of predictive analysis solves the problem of non-uniqueness in parameter estimation by backanalysis by choosing the point in parameter space which gives the most adverse prediction for the future construction, yet which maintains a reasonable fit to the pilot activity. The thesis uses three reference projects in Australia to show the techniques of backanalysis and predictive analysis. Cross sections of the Brisbane Rail Tunnels are backanalysed, and the resulting range in parameter space is discussed. For prediction of settlement in the New Southern Railway tunnel in Sydney, and the South East Transit project in Brisbane, the weak rock pressuremeter is proposed as a suitable and inexpensive pilot activity for the future tunnel construction. The results of the predictive analysis show that the method works. Therefore an improved method of predicting tunnel induced settlement in shallow tunnels is proposed, using the combination of numerical modelling, the weak rock pressuremeter and predictive analysis.

Pott’s disease is a health problem in developing countries and its diagnosis in children is a challenge. Here we present the case of a two-year-old boy with Pott’s disease involving T1 to T3 thoracic vertebrae. The clinical presentation was characterized by difficulty walking, fever, cough, and dyspnea. At physical examination, kyphosis and bony prominence were observed in the cervicodorsal area. A positive tuberculin test was obtained, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis was isolated via culture of the gastric aspiration sample. The spine MRI showed a chronic abscess, destruction of two vertebrae, and bone marrow compression. The patient experienced some improvement with anti-TB therapy. Here, we emphasize the importance of giving consideration to the clinical suspicion for the early detection of this condition, as well as a quick TB-treatment start so as to avoid the disability and mortality associated to this disease. / Revisión por pares / Revisión por pares

Le défi de cette thèse est de reconstruire la géométrie 3D de la végétation à partir des données de distance et d'intensité fournies par un scanner de type LiDAR. Une méthode de « shape-from-shading » par propagation est développée pour être combinée avec une méthode de fusion de données type filtre de Kalman pour la reconstruction optimale des surfaces foliaires.-Introduction-L'analyse des données LiDAR nous permet de dire que la qualité du nuage de point est variable en fonction de la configuration de la mesure : lorsque le LiDAR mesure le bord d'une surface ou une surface fortement inclinée, il intègre dans sa mesure une partie de l'arrière plan. Ces configurations de mesures produisent des points aberrants. On retrouve souvent ce type de configuration pour la mesure de feuillages puisque ces derniers ont des géométries fragmentées et variables. Les scans sont en général de mauvaise qualité et la quantité d'objets présents dans le scan rend la suppression manuelle des points aberrants fastidieuse. L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer une méthodologie permettant d'intégrer les données d'intensité LiDAR aux distances pour corriger automatiquement ces points aberrants. -Shape-From-Shading-Le principe du Shape-From-Shading (SFS) est de retrouver les valeurs de distance à partir des intensités d'un objet pris en photo. La caméra (capteur LiDAR) et la source de lumière (laser LiDAR) ont la même direction et sont placés à l'infini relativement à la surface, ce qui rend l'effet de la distance sur l'intensité négligeable et l'hypothèse d'une caméra orthographique valide. En outre, la relation entre angle d'incidence lumière/surface et intensité est connue. Par la nature des données LiDAR, nous pourrons choisir la meilleure donnée entre distance et intensité à utiliser pour la reconstruction des surfaces foliaires. Nous mettons en place un algorithme de SFS par propagation le long des régions iso-intenses pour pouvoir intégrer la correction de la distance grâce à l'intensité via un filtre de type Kalman. -Design mathématique de la méthode-Les morceaux de surface correspondant aux régions iso-intenses sont des morceaux de surfaces dites d'égales pentes, ou de tas de sable. Nous allons utiliser ce type de surface pour reconstruire la géométrie 3D correspondant aux images d'intensité.Nous démontrons qu'à partir de la connaissance de la 3D d'un bord d'une région iso-intense, nous pouvons retrouver des surfaces paramétriques correspondant à la région iso-intense qui correspondent aux surfaces de tas de sable. L'initialisation de la région iso-intense initiale (graine de propagation) se fait grâce aux données de distance LiDAR. Les lignes de plus grandes pentes de ces surfaces sont générées. Par propagation de ces lignes (et donc génération du morceau de la surface en tas de sable), nous déterminons l'autre bord de la région iso-intense. Puis, par itération, nous propagerons la reconstruction de la surface. -Filtre de Kalman-Nous pouvons considérer cette propagation des lignes de plus grande pente comme étant le calcul d'une trajectoire sur la surface à reconstruire. Dans le cadre de notre étude, la donnée de distance est toujours disponible (données du scanner 3D). Ainsi il est possible de choisir, lors de la propagation, quelle donnée (distance ou intensité) utiliser pour la reconstruction. Ceci peut être fait notamment grâce à une fusion de type Kalman. -Algorithme-Pour procéder à la reconstruction par propagation, il est nécessaire d'hiérarchiser les domaines iso-intenses de l'image. Une fois que les graines de propagation sont repérées, elles sont initialisées avec l'image des distances. Enfin, pour chacun des nœuds de la hiérarchie (représentant un domaine iso-intense), la reconstruction d'un tas de sable est faite. C'est lors de cette dernière étape qu'une fusion de type Kalman peut être introduite. / The challenge of this thesis is reconstruct the 3D geometry of vegetation from distance and intensity data provided by a 3D scanner LiDAR. A method of “Shape-From-Shading” by propagation is developed to be combined with a fusion method of type “Kalman” to get an optimal reconstruction of the leaves. -Introduction-The LiDAR data analysis shows that the point cloud quality is variable. This quality depends upon the measurement set up. When the LiDAR laser beam reaches the edge of a surface (or a steeply inclined surface), it also integrate background measurement. Those set up produce outliers. This kind of set up is common for foliage measurement as foliages have in general fragmented and complex shape. LiDAR data are of bad quality and the quantity of leaves in a scan makes the correction of outliers fastidious. This thesis goal is to develop a methodology to allow us to integrate the LiDAR intensity data to the distance to make an automatic correction of those outliers. -Shape-from-shading-The Shape-from-shading principle is to reconstruct the distance values from intensities of a photographed object. The camera (LiDAR sensor) and the light source (LiDAR laser) have the same direction and are placed at infinity relatively to the surface. This makes the distance effect on intensity negligible and the hypothesis of an orthographic camera valid. In addition, the relationship between the incident angle light beam and intensity is known. Thanks to the LiDAR data analysis, we are able to choose the best data between distance and intensity in the scope of leaves reconstruction. An algorithm of propagation SFS along iso-intense regions is developed. This type of algorithm allows us to integrate a fusion method of type Kalman. -Mathematical design of the method-The patches of the surface corresponding to the iso-intense regions are patches of surfaces called the constant slope surfaces, or sand-pile surfaces. We are going to use those surfaces to rebuild the 3D geometry corresponding to the scanned surfaces. We show that from the knowledge of the 3d of an iso-intensity region, we can construct those sand-pile surfaces. The initialization of the first iso-intense regions contour (propagation seeds) is done with the 3D LiDAR data. The greatest slope lines of those surfaces are generated. Thanks to the propagation of those lines (and thus of the corresponding sand-pile surface), we build the other contour of the iso-intense region. Then, we propagate the reconstruction iteratively. -Kalman filter-We can consider this propagation as being the computation of a trajectory on the reconstructed surface. In our study framework, the distance data is always available (3D scanner data). It is thus possible to choose which data (intensity vs distance) is the best to reconstruct the object surface. This can be done with a fusion of type Kalman filter. -Algorithm-To proceed a reconstruction by propagation, it is necessary to order the iso-intensity regions. Once the propagation seeds are found, they are initialized with the distances provided by the LiDAR. For each nodes of the hierarchy (corresponding to an iso-intensity region), the sand-pile surface reconstruction is done. -Manuscript-The thesis manuscript gathers five chapters. First, we give a short description of the LiDAR technology and an overview of the traditional 3D surface reconstruction from point cloud. Then we make a state-of-art of the shape-from –shading methods. LiDAR intensity is studied in a third chapter to define the strategy of distance effect correction and to set up the incidence angle vs intensity relationship. A fourth chapter gives the principal results of this thesis. It gathers the theoretical approach of the SFS algorithm developed in this thesis. We will provide its description and results when applied to synthetic images. Finally, a last chapter introduces results of leaves reconstruction.