The dynamics of colloidal particles driven over optical potential energy landscapes is studied. Experiments are conducted using colloids driven by solvent flow or piezo-stage, optical tweezers, magnetic fields, and video-microscopy. Firstly, the properties of optical traps and potential energy landscapes are determined using driven colloidal particles and clusters. The trap stiffness and potential depth of single Gaussian traps are measured directly. It is shown that the nature of optical potential energy landscapes may be fully engineered and predicted using a sum of single Gaussian potentials. Next, the motion of colloidal particles driven by a constant force over a periodic optical potential energy landscape is considered. The average particle velocity is found as a function of the driving velocity, and the wavelength of the optical potential energy landscape, which is found to be sinusoidal at small trap spacings. The critical driving velocity required for a particle to move across the landscape is determined as a function of the wavelength. Brownian motion is found to have a significant effect on the critical driving velocity, but a negligible effect at high driving velocity. Subsequently, the dynamic mode locking caused by adding a modulation to the driving force is studied. This synchronisation manifests as a `Devil's staircase' in the average particle velocity as a function of driving velocity. The amplitude and frequency dependence of the mode locked steps are studied. Furthermore, particle trajectories are examined, and phase portraits show locked (unlocked) states as closed (open) loops in phase space. A state diagram of mode locked steps is constructed. Finally, driven systems of magnetically interacting colloidal particles are examined in potential energy landscapes. The critical driving velocity of a chain of coupled particles driven by a constant force is found to depend strongly on the chain length and the magnetic field. Secondly, a mobile density wave (kink) in an optically pinned chain of coupled particles is exposed to a constant and modulated drive. The kink is found to behave as a quasi-particle, exhibiting analogous dynamic mode locking behaviour to the single particle case. Finally, the mode locking of a finite mobile chain is considered, and found to be affected by the chain flexibility, which is a function of the magnetic field.

This thesis deals with safety verification analysis of collision avoidance systems for unmanned vehicles. The safety of the vehicle is dependent on collision avoidance algorithms and associated control laws, and it must be proven that the collision avoidance algorithms and controllers are functioning correctly in all nominal conditions, various failure conditions and in the presence of possible variations in the vehicle and operational environment. The current widely used exhaustive search based approaches are not suitable for safety analysis of autonomous vehicles due to the large number of possible variations and the complexity of algorithms and the systems. To address this topic, a new optimisation-based verification method is developed to verify the safety of collision avoidance systems. The proposed verification method formulates the worst case analysis problem arising the verification of collision avoidance systems into an optimisation problem and employs optimisation algorithms to automatically search the worst cases. Minimum distance to the obstacle during the collision avoidance manoeuvre is defined as the objective function of the optimisation problem, and realistic simulation consisting of the detailed vehicle dynamics, the operational environment, the collision avoidance algorithm and low level control laws is embedded in the optimisation process. This enables the verification process to take into account the parameters variations in the vehicle, the change of the environment, the uncertainties in sensors, and in particular the mismatching between model used for developing the collision avoidance algorithms and the real vehicle. It is shown that the resultant simulation based optimisation problem is non-convex and there might be many local optima. To illustrate and investigate the proposed optimisation based verification process, the potential field method and decision making collision avoidance method are chosen as an obstacle avoidance candidate technique for verification study. Five benchmark case studies are investigated in this thesis: static obstacle avoidance system of a simple unicycle robot, moving obstacle avoidance system for a Pioneer 3DX robot, and a 6 Degrees of Freedom fixed wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle with static and moving collision avoidance algorithms. It is proven that although a local optimisation method for nonlinear optimisation is quite efficient, it is not able to find the most dangerous situation. Results in this thesis show that, among all the global optimisation methods that have been investigated, the DIviding RECTangle method provides most promising performance for verification of collision avoidance functions in terms of guaranteed capability in searching worst scenarios.

Background: Physically injured elder adults present challenges in the emergent injury phase. Oxidative stress contributes to cellular deterioration, resulting in decreases in physiological reserve. Imbalance of oxidative stress pathways lead to damage and drive the aging process and frailty. Goals of this study were to determine if a new plasma biomarker of oxidative stress is related to: 1) oxidation reduction status in patients who have experienced traumatic injury as well as healthy community dwellers, 2) outcomes of patients who have experienced trauma, 3) frailty measured by established frailty scales in healthy community dwellers. Methods: Prospective study included 1) trauma patients ≥65 admitted to Level I trauma center 2) age, gender matched healthy, community-dwelling participants. Plasma samples tested in duplicate for capacity oxidative reductive potential (cORP, μC; antioxidant reserve), and static oxidative reductive potential (sORP, mV; the current state of oxidative stress). Frailty assessments were performed in healthy participants using established frailty scales. ORP measurements were analyzed using correlation analyses. Univariate analysis analyzed cORP and sORP for differences by the variables gender, age, smoking, diabetes, statin use, vitamin use and any alcohol use in both the injured and healthy populations. Results: 186 subjects included in study (N=93 for both groups). Trauma groups's cORP values were significantly lower in patients with diabetes (p<0.05) and patients that smoked (p<0.01). Similarly the healthy group's cORP was significantly lower for those who smoked and those with diabetes (p<0.05). Non-vitamin use in the healthy group was related to lower cORP values (p<0.05). Trauma patients who smoked and those with diabetes exhibited higher sORP values (p<0.05). In the healthy group, sORP did not differ when considering the variables. No12significant differences were found based on gender, statin or alcohol use for either group. Significant correlation was found for both sORP and cORP with CSHA Clinical Frailty Scale in the healthy group. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the variables of smoking and diabetes are contributory to frailty trajectory. Data suggest the capacity to tolerate oxidative stress, measured by cORP, is lower in aged individuals that smoke or are diabetic and contributes to frailty as a result of oxidative damage.

Parenting is one of the most salient influences in children's development, particularly during early childhood. Substantial theoretical and empirical evidence has linked sociodemographic risk to compromised parenting, and has contributed to the development of two-generation programs to support low-income parents and their young children. Despite decades of research on these families, little is known about how styles of parenting change across time, how children's emotion regulation influences parenting styles, or how risks predict longitudinal stability and change to parenting. Furthermore, it is unclear how one two-generation program, Early Head Start, promotes positive parenting styles and buffers against contextual risks. The aim of the three papers in this dissertation study is to describe maternal parenting within a low-income sample, by linking longitudinal trajectories of parenting to contextual risks, Early Head Start, children's emotion regulation (ER), and risk for child maltreatment. Guided by the bioecological model, and components specific to the Ecological-Transactional Model of Child Maltreatment (Cicchetti et al., 2010), these three papers indicate specific risks that are most salient to exhibiting unsupportive parenting behaviors: family conflict, maternal depression, and attitudes and beliefs that indicate risk for child physical abuse. Furthermore, the papers highlight important methodological considerations for the study of parenting at risk, children's ER, as well as for clinicians assessing risk. The three papers, collectively, highlight the complex interplay of determinants of parenting, including sociodemographic characteristics, psychological factors, interpersonal relationships, child effects, family-level characteristics, and Early Head Start involvement.

<p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1983, härtill 5 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Thesis (MSc (Biochemistry))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Hodgkin-Huxley model, created in 1952, was one of the first models in computational neuroscience and remains the best studied neuronal model to date. Although many other models have a more detailed system description than the Hodgkin-Huxley model, it nonetheless gives an accurate account of various high-level neuronal behaviours. The fields of computational neuroscience and Systems Biology have developed as separate disciplines for a long time and only fairly recently has the neurosciences started to incorporate methods from Systems Biology. Metabolic Control Analysis (MCA), a Systems Biology tool, has not been used in the neurosciences. This study aims to further bring these two fields together, by testing the feasibility of an MCA approach to analyse the Hodgkin-Huxley model. In MCA it is not the parameters of the system that are perturbed, as in the more traditional sensitivity analysis, but the system processes, allowing the formulation of summation and connectivity theorems. In order to determine if MCA can be performed on the Hodgkin-Huxley model, we identified all the discernable model processes of the neuronal system. We performed MCA and quantified the control of the model processes on various high-level time invariant system observables, e.g. the action potential (AP) peak, firing threshold, propagation speed and firing frequency. From this analysis we identified patterns in process control, e.g. the processes that would cause an increase in sodium current, would also cause the AP threshold to lower (decrease its negative value) and the AP peak, propagation speed and firing frequency to increase. Using experimental inhibitor titrations from literature we calculated the control of the sodium channel on AP characteristics and compared it with control coefficients derived from our model simulation. Additionally, we performed MCA on the model’s time-dependent state variables during an AP. This revealed an intricate linking of the system variables via the membrane potential. We developed a method to quantify the contribution of the individual feedback loops in the system. We could thus calculate the percentage contribution of the sodium, potassium and leak currents leading to the observed global change after a system perturbation. Lastly, we compared ion channel mutations to our model simulations and showed how MCA can be useful in identifying targets to counter the effect of these mutations. In this thesis we extended the framework of MCA to neuronal systems and have successfully applied the analysis framework to quantify the contribution of the system processes to the model behaviour. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMINMG: Die Hodgkin-Huxley-model, wat in 1952 ontwikkel is, was een van die eerste modelle in rekenaarmagtige neurowetenskap en is vandag steeds een van die bes-bestudeerde neuronmodelle. Hoewel daar vele modelle bestaan met ’n meer uitvoerige sisteembeskrywing as die Hodgkin-Huxley-model gee dié model nietemin ’n akkurate beskrywing van verskeie hoëvlak-sisteemverskynsels. Die twee velde van sisteembiologie en neurowetenskap het lank as onafhanklike dissiplines ontwikkel en slegs betreklik onlangs het die veld van neurowetenskap begin om metodes van sisteembiologie te benut. ’n Sisteembiologiemetode genaamd metaboliese kontrole-analise (MKA) is tot dusver nog nie in die neurowetenskap gebruik nie. Hierdie studie het gepoog om die twee velde nader aan mekaar te bring deurdat die toepasbaarheid van die MKA-raamwerk op die Hodgkin-Huxley-model getoets word. In MKA is dit nie die parameters van die sisteem wat geperturbeer word soos in die meer tradisionele sensitiwiteitsanalise nie, maar die sisteemprosesse. Dit laat die formulering van sommasie- en konnektiwiteitsteoremas toe. Om die toepasbaarheid van die MKA-raamwerk op die Hodgkin-Huxleymodel te toets, is al die onderskeibare modelprosesse van die neurale sisteem geïdentifiseer. Ons het MKA toegepas en die kontrole van die model-prosesse op verskeie hoëvlak, tydsonafhanklike waarneembare sisteemvlak-eienskappe, soos die aksiepotensiaal-kruin, aksiepotensiaal-drempel, voortplantingspoed en aksiepotensiaal-frekwensie, gekwantifiseer. Vanuit hierdie analise kon daar patrone in die proseskontrole geïdentifiseer word, naamlik dat die prosesse wat ’n toename in die natriumstroom veroorsaak, ook sal lei tot ’n afname in die aksiepotensiaal-drempel (die negatiewe waarde verminder) en tot ’n toename in die aksiepotensiaal-kruin, voortplantingspoed en aksiepotensiaalfrekwensie. Deur gebruik te maak van eksperimentele stremmer-titrasies vanuit die literatuur kon die kontrole van die natriumkanaal op die aksiepotensiaaleienskappe bereken en vergelyk word met die kontrole-koëffisiënte vanuit die modelsimulasie. Ons het ook MKA op die model se tydsafhanklike veranderlikes deur die verloop van die aksiepotensiaal uitgevoer. Die analise het getoon dat die sisteemveranderlikes ingewikkeld verbind is via die membraanpotensiaal. Ons het ’n metode ontwikkel om die bydrae van die individuele terugvoerlusse in die sisteem te kwantifiseer. Die persentasie-bydrae van die natrium-, kalium- en lekstrome wat tot die waarneembare globale verandering ná ’n sisteemperturbasie lei, kon dus bepaal word. Laastens het ons ioonkanaalmutasies met ons modelsimulasies vergelyk en getoon hoe MKA nuttig kan wees in die identifisering van teikens om die effek van hierdie mutasies teen te werk. In hierdie tesis het ons die raamwerk van MKA uitgebrei na neurale sisteme en die analise-raamwerk suksesvol toegepas om die bydrae van die sisteemprosesse tot die modelgedrag te kwantifiseer.

In this research we looked at how fluxons propagate in an annular Josephson junction containing a microshort. We studied this from a theoretical stance and looked at how a single fluxon based on the sine-Grodon soliton equation propagates in this type of junction. It has been seen from a variety of studies that fluxons have many applications through the use of Josephson junctions. The aim of this thesis was to see whether a fluxon will show new properties whilst coming into contact with a microshort located in the junction. We also explored the different geometries a Josephson junction can have and whether that would show the fluxon to present new phenomena. We will also examine point particle systems. With this in mind we took a keen interest in how the interaction between two of these particles in a double well potential would present itself and whether a relationship would become apparent. Alongside the point particle system we modelled fluxons in a double well potential and comment on the similarities with the point particle system. With the aid of the computer programmes Mathematica and COMSOL Multiphysics we were able to compute these different theoretical models and present the work in a logical order with a progression from a single point particle in a double well potential to a fluxon in a heart-shaped Josephson junction. We have looked at current theories and ideas present in this area of condensed matter physics and have explained these in the subsequent thesis.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Water loss in water distribution systems has been studied for many years in many countries and is continuously leading to the development of new concepts and theories, publications, guidelines and software models. Despite these developments, 45 % of water utilities in South Africa still do not understand the extent of water losses in the distribution systems that they operate (Wegelin et al., 2012:27). It is important, in terms of water services planning, that a realistic estimate of the potential savings from individual water conservation and water demand management (WC/WDM) measures is made as it impacts directly on water security and business matters. If the potential savings were incorrectly or inaccurately calculated, additional resources might have to be developed at short notice to be able to supply in the demand. Advanced software models, such as BENCHLEAK, PRESMAC, SANFLOW, AQUALITE and ECONOLEAK (McKenzie & Bhagwan, 2000) have been developed to quantify the extent of physical and commercial losses in water supply systems. Similar advanced models are available for estimating water demand. Such advanced models require numerous input parameters, each of which needs to be described accurately. The predicament is that such complex models are often simply not applicable in certain areas with limited resources and limited input data. In contrast, robust guidelines that are relatively insensitive to input parameters are useful in developing countries, where all input values for complex water demand models may be unavailable or inaccurate. No robust method has yet been developed for estimating the potential water savings that would result from WC/WDM interventions. A need thus exists to estimate water savings in a robust way with relatively few inputs. This guideline promotes the development of a robust WC/WDM strategy, based on a systematic and pragmatic approach, which requires less initial funding and develops with time. The methodologies developed by the Water Loss Task Force (WLTF) of the International Water Association (IWA), were used to develop six basic steps, which need to be followed to develop a WC/WDM strategy. During the six steps, the minimum requirements for implementing WC/WDM will be defined, the current water losses and efficiencies will be determined, and potential targets will be set based on national and international benchmarks. Once targets have been set, 20 key interventions were identified to address water use efficiency, and commercial and physical losses. The motivation behind each intervention is provided based on best practice, case studies and legal requirements. The model ensures that the potential savings from the various interventions are sufficient to ensure that targets are achieved, and if not, that targets must be revised. The potential savings from interventions are based on literature reviews and new formulas developed as part of this guideline. The results from the various interventions would enable the water utility to prioritise interventions. The guideline concludes with a flow diagram describing the methodology.

The biochemical methane potential (BMP) of a substance is a measure of the volume of methane gas produced per unit mass of that substance, through the process of anaerobic biodegradation. As the socio-economic consequences of climate change have become more apparent, the ability to predict the long-term cumulative environmental impact of various human activities has become more necessary. Landfills can be a substantial source of methane (a greenhouse gas) to the atmosphere, and consequently BMP is an important tool for predicting the potential cumulative long-term impacts of a landfill to the environment. From a strictly economic perspective, the practice of landfill methane extraction for industrial uses is becoming much more common. In this case, BMP is an important tool for predicting the economic feasibility of such a project. Current methods for determining the BMP of municipal solid wastes (MSW) are both time-consuming and inconsistent. A review of literature on the topic yields many different descriptions of the test, with large variations in sample sizes, incubation times, procedures, etc. Most of these methods also require expensive, and specialized equipment. This thesis describes a simple approach to the BMP test that might be carried out in a variety of laboratory settings, such as an on-site lab equipped with basic, simple, and inexpensive equipment. The method relies on a much larger than typical sample mass to produce large volumes of gas that are measured for composition multiple times over the course of the test. The volume and composition data is then used to produce a cumulative methane potential curve which can be fitted to a first-order decay model in order to predict an ultimate BMP value. The taking of multiple measurements on large volumes of gas, allows for the use of a portable field instrument called the GEMTM2000 to measure gas composition. By fitting the data to a curve in order to determine ultimate methane potential, individual measurement errors are averaged out and the final result has a precision similar to more traditional BMP methods, which rely on bulky and expensive gas chromatographs. Testing has been conducted on MSW samples from 3 separate sites. The method used involved comparatively large samples of waste (~200 g) and no limit was set on incubation time. The use of large waste samples produces large quantities of gas that must be collected and analyzed often. The method provided favourable results, consistent within acceptable limits of variability when compared with other BMP methods. There is even some evidence suggesting that the use of large waste samples improves the accuracy of the test, despite the use of equipment which provides less precise measurements of gas concentration. Given the long duration required for testing, the results were also evaluated for possible correlations between loss on ignition data and specific gravity measurements; two simple tests that can be conducted rapidly. Both data sets show a rough correlation with BMP, and may be used to quickly estimate ultimate BMP values, but the loss on ignition relationship provides the better correlation. Lastly, initial steps were taken in the development of what has been dubbed the Biochemical CO2 Potential (BCP) test, taking advantage of the relatively quicker rate of aerobic degradation. There are preliminary indications that the BCP method may be a viable alternative to the BMP, but the data set so far is small and further research is required to confirm that hypothesis.

The molecular identity of the green emission of polyfluorene is investigated in the view point of the molecular interactions between modeled segments. The semi-empirical quantum methods, ZINDO/S and AM1 (AM1-CIS), are used in combination to provide reasonable explanations for experimental spectroscopic properties of monodisperse fluorene oligomers and fluorene oligomers with a central keto defect in dilute solutions. Applying the same method, the molecular interactions between model segments are found to exist and are significant. However, the spectroscopic property change from the molecular interactions is negligible. In addition, the effects of mechanical stress and multi-defects on fluorene oligomers are investigated. On the other hand, the redox mechanisms proposed for the oxidation of an amphiphilic cyanine (C8S3) J-aggregates immobilized at ITO electrode and the subsequent dehydrogenated dimmer formation during cyclic voltammetry based on analysis of absorption spectra during the process are verified with the combined semi-empirical quantum methods similar to the previous methods. The absorption spectra assigned by experiment for electrochemical species involved in the proposed mechanism show reasonable match to the theoretically estimated absorption energies of the corresponding simplified model systems. In addition, the standard reduction potentials of the fairly large molecules, C8S3 monomer and its dehydrogenated dimer, are pursued with quantum mechanical calculations. The free energy difference between the oxidized and reduced states of the target systems is decomposed to electronic energy, solvation energy and temperature-dependent free energies terms. Based on AM1 ground state geometries and with the corresponding temperature dependent free energies, the electronic energies and the solvation energies are each evaluated by two different methods. The electronic energies are calculated with AM1 method and DFT calculation and, also, the solvation energies are obtained based on the atomic partial charges from AM1 and DFT wavefunctions with continuum dielectric solvent approximation. The four calculation schemes from the combinations of the electronic and solvation energy estimation methods are tested with the redox compounds with various molecular weights and the estimations are compared with the corresponding experimental redox potentials. The relative redox potentials between two different redox systems are found to be reasonably estimated with the four calculation schemes. / text