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High inflation economies, especially the Latin American cases like Argentina and Brazil, have ultimately been successful in stabilising their prices using the exchange rate as a nominal anchor. Contrary to conventional wisdom inflation in these cases has not been reduced at the cost of temporary recessions, instead, they have shown positive output effects. Various theoretical explanations of such boom-cycles are discussed and a model generating such an outcome is developed. Some empirical evidence is given by the Brazilian "Real Plan" of 1994. Nevertheless, the medium and long-term effects of such programmes can result in recessions and a resumption of high inflation, although the cases show that such "postponed stabilisation costs" can be overcome by adequate and flexible supply-side policies accompanying the stabilisation programme. (author's abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

La tesis doctoral se compone de dos partes fundamentales: El desarrollo teórico de un modelo de simulación para la destilación discontinua y la validación de este mediante experimentos hechos en una planta piloto de destilación discontinua. La parte teórica se divide en la parte de desarrollo del modelo y en la parte de la implementación del modelo en un programa de simulación. El nuevo modelo desarrollado es un modelo de transferencia de materia que se distingue de los desarrollos anteriores por su capacidad de contemplar la cinética de la transferencia de materia tal como la hidrodinámica. La incorporación de efectos hidrodinámicos se basa principalmente en la observación de diferentes geometrías de contacto en una columna de platos perforados. Estas geometrías de contacto son canales de vapor y burbujas. En caso de las burbujas se distingue entre grandes y pequeñas con diferentes propiedades hidrodinámicas. De esta forma el modelo contempla tres diferentes clases de vapor, dos clases de vapor de desequilibrio y una de equilibrio (burbujas pequeñas). Para las clases de vapor de desequilibrio se calcula explícitamente los caudales de materia que traviesen la interfase basándose en la teoría de Maxwell-Stefan de transferencia de materia multicomponente. La parte experimental se divide en la parte de diseño de la columna usada en una planta piloto y en la de la realización de los experimentos. El diseño de la columna tiene como objetivo la obtención de un medio de validación del nuevo modelo desarrollado. Por tanto está equipado con un gran número de sensores de temperatura, de presión y de tomas de muestra. También la realización de los experimentos se adapta al fin de la validación del modelo, ya que la frecuencia de toma de muestra y de capturación de señales de temperatura es elevada. La memoria de la tesis contiene una comparación amplia de los resultados experimentales con los de la simulación. Estas comparaciones demuestran una determinada superioridad del modelo desarrollado sobre desarrollos anteriores.

In this dissertation, we present performance prediction models for rate-based and window¡Vbased flow control mechanisms. For rate-based flow control, such as in ATM network, we derive two analytical models to predict the ACR rates for congestion-free and congestion networks, respectively. To coordinate the cooperative problems of TCP over ATM networks, we propose a new algorithm to monitor the states of ATM switches and adjust TCP congestion window size based on RM cells. For window-based flow control mechanisms, such as in TCP-Reno and TCP-SACK, we respectively present analytical models to systematically capture the characteristics of multiple consecutive packet losses in TCP windows. Through fast retransmission, the lost packets may or may not be recovered. Thus, we present upper bound analyses for slow start and congestion avoidance phases to study the effects of multiple packet losses on TCP performance. Above the proposed upper bounds, the lost packets may not be successfully recovered through fast retransmission. Finally, we develop a model to study the TCP performance in terms of throughput degradation resulted from multiple consecutive packet losses. The analytical results from the throughput degradation model are validated through OPNET simulation.

Many applications in modern science need to transmit extremely massive amount of data over wide area networks. These data usually do not need stringent real-time requirements but require large bandwidth to finish transmission with unreasonable time. High-energy physics experiments and climate modeling and analysis are typical examples of such applications. As TCP is known to perform inefficiently over networks of large delay-bandwidth product, efficient transmission of this kind of massive, non-real-time data has been heavily studied in the past. The previous results work well in dedicated networks but will compete for fair share of bandwidth with normal TCP connections if they operate in the public networks. The objective of this thesis is to design a new transmission protocol for the above applications that can operate in the public networks without affecting normal TCP connections. The new protocol is called Rate Control Transmission Protocol (RCTP). The idea is to apply the packet-pair measurement technique to measure the bandwidth share in the network for the transmission. The sending rate is based on that measurement and is precisely compensated by the RTT variance measurement. Due to the RTT compensation, RCTP can efficiently utilize the unused bandwidth in the network while not affecting the normal TCP transmissions, making it perfect for transmitting massive, non-real-time data in the public networks.

High inflation economies have ultimately been successful in stabilising their prices using the exchange rate as a nominal anchor. Besides stabilization, these recent examples have shown boom-recession cycles, contrary to what can be expected from (pure) money-based stabilizations. Various theoretical explanations of such boom-cycles are discussed and a model of aggregate supply and demand generating such an outcome is developed. There the boom dynamics depend mainly on a slump in real interest rates and wage flexibility. (author's abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

Chemical absorption and desorption processes are two fundamental operations in the process industry. Due to the rate-controlled nature of these processes, classical equilibrium stage models are usually inadequate for describing the behaviour of chemical absorption and desorption processes. A more effective modelling method is the non-equilibrium rate-based approach, which considers the effects of the various driving forces across the vapour-liquid interface. In this thesis, a new non-equilibrium rate-based model for chemical absorption and desorption is developed and applied to the hot potassium carbonate process CO₂ Removal Trains at the Santos Moomba Processing Facility. The rate-based process models incorporate rigorous thermodynamic and mass transfer relations for the system and detailed hydrodynamic calculations for the column internals. The enhancement factor approach was used to represent the effects of the chemical reactions. The non-equilibrium rate-based CO₂ Removal Train process models were implemented in the Aspen Custom Modeler® simulation environment, which enabled rigorous thermodynamic and physical property calculations via the Aspen Properties® software. Literature data were used to determine the parameters for the Aspen Properties® property models and to develop empirical correlations when the default Aspen Properties® models were inadequate. Preliminary simulations indicated the need for adjustments to the absorber column models, and a sensitivity analysis identified the effective interfacial area as a suitable model parameter for adjustment. Following the application of adjustment factors to the absorber column models, the CO₂ Removal Train process models were successfully validated against steady-state plant data. The success of the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models demonstrated the suitability of the non-equilibrium rate-based approach for modelling the hot potassium carbonate process. Unfortunately, the hot potassium carbonate process could not be modelled as such in HYSYS®, Santos’s preferred simulation environment, due to the absence of electrolyte components and property models and the limitations of the HYSYS® column operations in accommodating chemical reactions and non-equilibrium column behaviour. While importation of the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models into HYSYS® was possible, it was considered impractical due to the significant associated computation time. To overcome this problem, a novel approach involving the HYSYS® column stage efficiencies and hypothetical HYSYS® components was developed. Stage efficiency correlations, relating various operating parameters to the column performance, were derived from parametric studies performed in Aspen Custom Modeler®. Preliminary simulations indicated that the efficiency correlations were only necessary for the absorber columns; the regenerator columns were adequately represented by the default equilibrium stage models. Hypothetical components were created for the hot potassium carbonate system and the standard Peng-Robinson property package model in HYSYS® was modified to include tabular physical property models to accommodate the hot potassium carbonate system. Relevant model parameters were determined from literature data. As for the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models, the HYSYS® CO₂ Removal Train process models were successfully validated against steady-state plant data. To demonstrate a potential application of the HYSYS® process models, dynamic simulations of the two most dissimilarly configured trains, CO₂ Removal Trains #1 and #7, were performed. Simple first-order plus dead time (FOPDT) process transfer function models, relating the key process variables, were derived to develop a diagonal control structure for each CO₂ Removal Train. The FOPDT model is the standard process engineering approximation to higher order systems, and it effectively described most of the process response curves for the two CO₂ Removal Trains. Although a few response curves were distinctly underdamped, the quality of the validating data for the CO₂ Removal Trains did not justify the use of more complex models than the FOPDT model. While diagonal control structures are a well established form of control for multivariable systems, their application to the hot potassium carbonate process has not been documented in literature. Using a number of controllability analysis methods, the two CO₂ Removal Trains were found to share the same optimal diagonal control structure, which suggested that the identified control scheme was independent of the CO₂ Removal Train configurations. The optimal diagonal control structure was tested in dynamic simulations using the MATLAB® numerical computing environment and was found to provide effective control. This finding confirmed the results of the controllability analyses and demonstrated how the HYSYS® process model could be used to facilitate the development of a control strategy for the Moomba CO₂ Removal Trains. In conclusion, this work addressed the development of a new non-equilibrium rate-based model for the hot potassium carbonate process and its application to the Moomba CO₂ Removal Trains. Further work is recommended to extend the model validity over a wider range of operating conditions and to expand the dynamic HYSYS® simulations to incorporate the diagonal control structures and/or more complex control schemes. / http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1350259 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Chemical Engineering, 2009

Chemical absorption and desorption processes are two fundamental operations in the process industry. Due to the rate-controlled nature of these processes, classical equilibrium stage models are usually inadequate for describing the behaviour of chemical absorption and desorption processes. A more effective modelling method is the non-equilibrium rate-based approach, which considers the effects of the various driving forces across the vapour-liquid interface. In this thesis, a new non-equilibrium rate-based model for chemical absorption and desorption is developed and applied to the hot potassium carbonate process CO₂ Removal Trains at the Santos Moomba Processing Facility. The rate-based process models incorporate rigorous thermodynamic and mass transfer relations for the system and detailed hydrodynamic calculations for the column internals. The enhancement factor approach was used to represent the effects of the chemical reactions. The non-equilibrium rate-based CO₂ Removal Train process models were implemented in the Aspen Custom Modeler® simulation environment, which enabled rigorous thermodynamic and physical property calculations via the Aspen Properties® software. Literature data were used to determine the parameters for the Aspen Properties® property models and to develop empirical correlations when the default Aspen Properties® models were inadequate. Preliminary simulations indicated the need for adjustments to the absorber column models, and a sensitivity analysis identified the effective interfacial area as a suitable model parameter for adjustment. Following the application of adjustment factors to the absorber column models, the CO₂ Removal Train process models were successfully validated against steady-state plant data. The success of the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models demonstrated the suitability of the non-equilibrium rate-based approach for modelling the hot potassium carbonate process. Unfortunately, the hot potassium carbonate process could not be modelled as such in HYSYS®, Santos’s preferred simulation environment, due to the absence of electrolyte components and property models and the limitations of the HYSYS® column operations in accommodating chemical reactions and non-equilibrium column behaviour. While importation of the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models into HYSYS® was possible, it was considered impractical due to the significant associated computation time. To overcome this problem, a novel approach involving the HYSYS® column stage efficiencies and hypothetical HYSYS® components was developed. Stage efficiency correlations, relating various operating parameters to the column performance, were derived from parametric studies performed in Aspen Custom Modeler®. Preliminary simulations indicated that the efficiency correlations were only necessary for the absorber columns; the regenerator columns were adequately represented by the default equilibrium stage models. Hypothetical components were created for the hot potassium carbonate system and the standard Peng-Robinson property package model in HYSYS® was modified to include tabular physical property models to accommodate the hot potassium carbonate system. Relevant model parameters were determined from literature data. As for the Aspen Custom Modeler® process models, the HYSYS® CO₂ Removal Train process models were successfully validated against steady-state plant data. To demonstrate a potential application of the HYSYS® process models, dynamic simulations of the two most dissimilarly configured trains, CO₂ Removal Trains #1 and #7, were performed. Simple first-order plus dead time (FOPDT) process transfer function models, relating the key process variables, were derived to develop a diagonal control structure for each CO₂ Removal Train. The FOPDT model is the standard process engineering approximation to higher order systems, and it effectively described most of the process response curves for the two CO₂ Removal Trains. Although a few response curves were distinctly underdamped, the quality of the validating data for the CO₂ Removal Trains did not justify the use of more complex models than the FOPDT model. While diagonal control structures are a well established form of control for multivariable systems, their application to the hot potassium carbonate process has not been documented in literature. Using a number of controllability analysis methods, the two CO₂ Removal Trains were found to share the same optimal diagonal control structure, which suggested that the identified control scheme was independent of the CO₂ Removal Train configurations. The optimal diagonal control structure was tested in dynamic simulations using the MATLAB® numerical computing environment and was found to provide effective control. This finding confirmed the results of the controllability analyses and demonstrated how the HYSYS® process model could be used to facilitate the development of a control strategy for the Moomba CO₂ Removal Trains. In conclusion, this work addressed the development of a new non-equilibrium rate-based model for the hot potassium carbonate process and its application to the Moomba CO₂ Removal Trains. Further work is recommended to extend the model validity over a wider range of operating conditions and to expand the dynamic HYSYS® simulations to incorporate the diagonal control structures and/or more complex control schemes. / http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1350259 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Chemical Engineering, 2009

Background: Nowadays, one in four adolescents have a prevalence for depression. In addition to psychotherapy and antidepressants, more and more studies are showing that moderate to vigorous exercise can have the same effects on adolescents with depression as the previously mentioned treatment options. However, further research is needed on the effects of supervised, heart rate (HR)-based group exercises on mild to moderate depression in adolescents.  Aim: The first aim was to investigate the effects of either supervised, HR-based group exercises or supervised, leisure group activities in adolescents with mild to moderate depression on body composition, cardiorespiratory capacity, strength and, in a subgroup, self-reported depression after 12 weeks of intervention. The second aim was to investigate whether the results differed within the training group depending on the average (avg) HR during training sessions and the training time in the different HR zones.  Method: A randomized controlled trial including (n=28) adolescents of the age 13-17 years. Body composition (body mass index (BMI), skeletal muscle mass (SMM), percent body fat (PBF) and visceral fat area), cardiorespiratory capacity (VO2max), strength (max. lower body strength and handgrip strength) and, in a subgroup, self-reported depression were measured before and after the intervention. The participants were randomly assigned to either the supervised, HR-based exercise (EX) group (n=14) or the supervised, leisure activity (LA) group (n=14). Both groups participated in the intervention for one hour three times a week for 12 weeks. The results were analysed and compared between and within the groups by parametric ANOVA statistics and regression analyses.  Results: Twenty-eight participants, with a mean ± standard deviation (SD) age of 15.3 ± 1.4 years, completed the 12 weeks intervention. A significant difference was shown in absolute VO2max in the EX group (ES=0.8, p = 0.01), with no significant difference in the LA group. In addition, a large and significant correlation was found between avg %HRmax and change (∆) in relative VO2max (r=0.532; p=0.05), and between training time in the moderate-maximal HR zones and ∆ in relative VO2max (r=0.584; p=0.028) in the EX group. No significant difference was found from pre- to post-intervention for BMI, PBF, SMM, visceral fat area, IMTP, handgrip strength, and self-reported depression. Conclusion: After a 12-week moderate to vigorous exercise intervention the EX group significantly improved their absolute VO2max, compared with the LA group, which did not improve significantly. In addition, it was shown that the longer the adolescents in the EX group trained at a higher avg %HRmax and correspondingly longer in the moderate to maximal HR zones, the greater their ∆ in relative VO2max from the start of group training to after 12 weeks. However, further research is needed, particularly about training intensity and training model, to determine how different intensities and training models affect depression in adolescents.

This thesis uses a modern control approach to address the Internet traffic control issues in the Transport Layer. Through literature review, we are interested in using the H2/H∞ formulation to obtain the good transient performance of an H2 controller and the good robust property from an H∞ controller while avoiding their deficiencies. The H2/H∞ controller is designed by formulating an optimization problem using the H2-norm and the H∞-norm of the system, which can be solved by an LMI approach using MATLAB. Our design starts with the modeling of a router and the control system by augmenting the network plant function with the Sensitivity function S, the Complementary Sensitivity function T and the Input Sensitivity function U. These sensitivity functions along with their weight functions are used to monitor the closed-loop dynamics of the traffic control. By choosing different combinations of the sensitivity functions, we can obtain the SU, the ST and the STU controllers. Both the window-based and rate-based version of these different types of H2/H∞ controllers have been designed and investigated. We have also proved that these controllers are stable using Lyapunov’s First Method. Next, we verify the performance of the controllers by OPNET simulation using different performance measures of queue length, throughput, queueing delay, packet loss rate and goodput. Our performance evaluation via simulation has demonstrated the robustness and the better transient response such as the rise/fall time and the peak queue value. We have also investigated the controller performances subject to network dynamics as well as through comparison with other controllers. Finally, we have improved these controllers for real-time application. They are capable to update/renew the controller in a short time whenever new network parameter values are detected so that the optimum performance can be maintained.