The mathematical modeling and simulation of the flow of fluid through porous media are important in many areas. Relative permeability and capillary pressure functions are macroscopic properties that are defined within the mathematic model. Accurate determinations of these functions are of great importance. An established inverse methodology provides the most accurate estimates of the unknown functions from the available data. When the inverse method is used to determine the flow functions, the media properties, absolute permeability and porosity are typically represented by single average values for the entire sample. Fortunately, an advanced core analysis tools utilizing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and imaging (MRI) to determine complete distributions of porosity and permeability has been developed. The process for determining multiphase properties from experimental data is implemented with the computer program SENDRA. This program is built around a two-dimension, two-phase simulator. In this thesis, the computer code is extended to represent all three spatial coordinate directions so that the porosity and permeability distributions in three-dimensional space can be taken into account. Taking the sample's heterogeneity into account is expected to obtain more accurate multiphase property. Three synthetic experiments are used to show the erroneous estimation of flow functions associated with the homogeneity assumption. A proposal approach is used to predict the relative permeability of wetting phase using NMR relaxation data. Several sets of three-dimensional NMR experiments are performed. Three-dimensional saturation distribution and relaxation are determined. Relative permeability of wetting phase are calculated by applying an empirical relation. This approach provides a in situ measurement of relative permeability of wetting phase from NMR data.

Amorphous metallic alloys are produced by a variety of techniques some of which involve rapid solidification of the alloying constituents. In these methods the solidification occurs so rapidly that the atoms are frozen-in and partially retain their liquid configuration. There are clear structural and other indications from their various properties that amorphous metallic alloys possess short range order but lack long range order. In general, amorphous alloys are not in a thermodynamic equilibrium state and, therefore, relax structurally whenever atoms attain an appreciable mobility. Associated with structural relaxation, many physical properties change; some significantly and others only slightly. Relaxation experiments in amorphous metallic alloys often display approximate In(t) kinetics which can be understood in terms of various models. In the present work the model by Primak (1955), for which the kinetic behaviour of a system depends on processes that are distributed over a range of activation energies, is used as a basis for further development. The Primak model allows, in principle, for the identification of the order of the relaxation reaction and for the determination of an initial activation energy spectrum Po(Єo), where Єo is a characteristic activation energy. Although the model provides for a qualitative explanation of the In(t) law, it has no predictive power as to the quantitative changes accompanying the various relaxing properties. Furthermore, an estimation of Po( Єo), inferred from various isothermal annealing procedures, reveals the approximate shape but does not fix its location on the activation energy axis. These shortfalls are attributed to complications in the frequency factor v, inherent to the Primak model. Also, the Primak model does not include consideration of the entropy involved in a 'configurational jump' of any particular atom during the relaxation process. Inclusion of the configurational entropy through the frequency factor v, in the present treatment, leads to a 'relaxation equation'. Structural relaxation measurements of density (in practice length - from which density can be approximately inferred) and electrical resistivity, in an Fe4oNi40B20 alloy, have been obtained and fitted to this relaxation equation. The fitting parameters are found, within experimental error, to be the same for both length and resistivity relaxation. The initial activation energy spectrum Po(Єo), as inferred from the fits, over the energy range 1.4 to 2.0 eV, reveals roughly three regimes, namely below 1.5 eV, from 1.5 to 1.8 eV, and above 1.8 eV, respectively, over which the initial activation energy spectrum Po( Єo) assumes different approximately constant values. Previous treatments have, however, implicitly assumed that Po( Єo) is constant throughout a temperature range over which In(t) kinetics is observed. The behaviour observed in this work is associated with the intrinsic relaxation mechanism involving consecutive diffusion of the metallic and metalloid atoms, respectively. A configurational entropy change inferred from this work is found to be negative as a consequence of contraction of the spread-out free volume resulting from thermal fluctuations. Within the framework of the 'present model', other related behaviour of amorphous metallic alloys, including the glass transition, crystallization and diffusion, are discussed. Where direct comparison between theory and experiment is possible for the various observed phenomena, the agreement is good and shows an overall consistency in our approach. Finally, the analysis considered here gives an expression which can be easily used to make quantitative predictions about the experimental relaxation behaviour. An immediate understanding of some of the main features of experimental data on relaxation can, therefore, be obtained through application of the present model. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1998.

This thesis is based on observations of the physical properties of wheat flour dough using ultrasonic measurements. Three frequency ranges were used in the study, low frequencies (near 40 kHz), intermediate frequencies (1 to 5 MHz, where bubble resonance effects are apparent), and high frequencies (near 20 MHz). Doughs mixed under different head space air pressures, from vacuum to atmospheric pressure, as well as under nitrogen, were studied at low frequency to investigate their relaxation behavior. Subsamples from ambient dough and vacuum dough displayed differences in the dependence of velocity and attenuation on time after compression, but no post mixing relaxation effect was apparent. A critical headspace pressure of approximately 0.16 atmospheres determined whether vacuum-like or ambient-like relaxation was observed. A peak in attenuation and changes in ultrasonic velocity were observed around the bubble resonance frequency, and these ultrasonic parameters changed substantially as a function of time. A bubble resonance model was used to interpret the results around the bubble resonance frequency, and bubble size distributions were estimated for ambient and vacuum dough from the ultrasonic data. For the high frequency range, a molecular relaxation model was used to interpret the results. Different fast relaxation times were observed for ambient dough (5 ns) and vacuum dough (1 ns). This relaxation time may be associated with conformational rearrangements in glutenin inside the dough matrix. These experiments have enabled dough relaxation to be probed over a very wide range of time scales (from ns to hours), and will lead to a better understanding of the role of dough matrix and gas cell effects on the physical properties of wheat flour doughs.

Nanosecond pulse electroporation of biological cells is gaining significant interest due to its ability to influence intracellular structures. In nanosecond pulse electroporation of biological cells nanosecond duration pulses with high frequency spectral content are applied to the cell. In this research we show that accurate modeling of the nanosecond pulse electroporation process requires considering the effect of the membrane dielectric relaxation on the electric potential across the membrane. We describe the dielectric relaxation of the membrane as dispersion in the time-domain and incorporate it into the nonlinear asymptotic model of electroporation. Our nonlinear dispersive model of a biological cell is solved using finite element method in 3-D space enabling arbitrary cell structures and internal organelles to be modeled. The simulation results demonstrate two essential differences between dispersive and non-dispersive membrane models: the process of electroporation occurs faster when the membrane dispersion is considered, and the minimum required electric field to electroporate the cell is significantly reduced for the dispersive model.

A complete stochastic theory of relaxation is developed in terms of a homogeneous equation for the averaged density matrix of a system immersed in a thermal bath. This theory is then used as the basis of a new stochastic approach to the phenomenon of collisional broadening of spectral line shapes. Single photon and multiphoton processes are studied. The features of a line shape are linked by simple expressions to the statistical properties of a stochastic hermitian Hamiltonian. The ordinary line shape predicted by Kubo's approach is generalized. The present approach predicts broadening as well as asymmetry and shift. A representation of line shapes in multiphoton processes by diagrams is also developed.

This study investigated the effects of relaxation training administered under various conditions on putting a golf ball. It was hypothesized that relaxation training would produce significant differences in putting performance among all groups according to the various conditions under which it was administered. The four conditions tested were Competition Set, Non-Competition Set, Mental Practice Set, and practice with an Enhanced Target Set. Thirty-eight subjects were divided by sex, then randomly assigned to one of the four groups, so that each sex was evenly distributed for all groups. The subjects' putting skill was assessed during a pre-test. This consisted of putting a golf ball five times under one of the previously mentioned conditions. After a period of relaxation training was implemented, a comparable post-test was administered. Results indicated relaxation training had an effect in a non-competitive setting from pre-test to post-test. Subjects in the remaining three conditions failed to display a significant level of improvement. A questionnaire administered at the end of the study revealed that a significantly greater than chance number of subjects believed relaxation training to be helpful in putting a golf ball, in addition to being useful in other areas of everyday life.

Arbetsmarknadens förändringar i form av högre arbetstakt, tillfälliga anställningar och krav på flexibla arbetsvillkor, gör att allt fler upplever stress i arbetslivet. Långvarig stress medför stora hälsorisker för individen. Eftersom många av dagens sjukskrivningar beror på stressrelaterade sjukdomar, såsom depression och utmattning är det viktigt att studera metoder för stresshantering på arbetsplatsen. Beröring i form av massage kan minska stress hos individer samt fungerar som ett komplement i behandlingen för stressrelaterade sjukdomar. Ett fältexperiment med 28 tjänstemän utfördes för att undersöka om en kortvarig massage på arbetstid kunde inverka positivt på den arbetsrelaterade stressen jämfört med en avslappningsövning och vanlig rast. Studien visade signifikant minskning av stressnivån efter massageinterventionen. Resultatet ger en antydan om att upplevelsen av stress går att reducera med hjälp av fysisk beröring. Stickprovets storlek samt förväntnings- effektens inverkan på resultatet diskuteras.

The problem of the study was to determine the effect of a progressive muscle relaxation program on secretaries' self-reported job stress. It was hypothesized that there would be no difference in post-test scores of the control group and the experimental group on the Personal Strain subscale of the OSI-R questionnaire. It was also hypothesized that there would be no difference between the groups in post-test scores on the Occupational Stress subscale of the OSI-R questionnaire.The population of prospective subjects for the study consisted of Ball State University secretaries who were randomly selected and then randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group received a multi-activity intervention which included: 1) a progressive muscle relaxation training session; 2) reminder sheets with the steps on how to do progressive muscle relaxation in case they forgot; 3) e-mail messages to remind them to do progressive muscle relaxation; and 4) the keeping of logs of their progressive muscle relaxation activities. The design of the study was a post-test only control group design. All subjects were asked to complete the OSI-Rquestionnaire at the end of the three-week intervention period. Descriptive statistics and two-tailed paired t-tests were used to analyze the data.The results indicated that there were no significant differences between the two groups on both the Personal Strain subscale and the Occupational Stress subscale of the OSI-R questionnaire. Based upon the results of this study, it was concluded that 15 minutes of progressive muscle relaxation did not make a difference in job stress levels of the subjects. Also, a three-week intervention period may not have been a sufficient amount of time to see results from the stress management technique used.Some of the recommendations for future study include using a larger sample size and using logs as a covariate for data analysis. Using a larger sample size could help create more variance in subjects and their responses. Having a covariate could help account for those individuals not complying with the intervention requirements. / Department of Physiology and Health Science

There is a paucity of research on the effects of passive relaxation training on the anxiety of patients going through physical rehabilitation. The fourteen participants of this study were Caucasian and between the ages of 45 and 82 years of age. Participants reported levels of anxiety through the use of a self-report instrument called the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Measurements were made at four different time periods; on intake, prior to relaxation training, following relaxation training, and at discharge. A two-way Analysis of variance was implemented with time and gender being the independent variables. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant differences. Qualitative reports of the participants feedback and Post-hoc analysis of the data for Pearson's r and Pairwise Comparisons indicate further research is needed to fully determine the effects of passive relaxation training on participant's anxiety. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of relaxation train and verbal suggestion phrases upon auditory attention of high risk academic students. The population consisted of one hundred eight freshmen entering the Ball State University Academic Opportunity Program.Subjects were randomly assigned to four treatment conditions. Condition one received relaxation training, condition two received relaxation training plus verbal suggestion phrases, condition three received verbal suggestion phrases, and condition four was the control condition. All subjects were post tested. Data were analyzed by a one-way ANOVA and a post-hoc Scheffe test. Six null hypotheses were tested. The .05 level of significance was established as the critical probability level for non-acceptance of hypotheses.Findings1. Subjects who received relaxation training plus verbal suggestion phrases had higher auditory attention levels than those who received relaxation training only.2. Subjects who received verbal suggestion phrases only had higher levels of auditory attention than those who received relaxation training plus verbal suggestion phrases.3. Subjects who received relaxation training plus verbal sugtion phrases had higher levels of auditory attention than those in the control condition.4. Subjects who received verbal suggestion phrases only had higher levels of auditory attention than those who received relaxation training only.5. Subjects who received relaxation training only did not show any differences in levels of auditory attention from those in the control condition.6. Subjects who received verbal suggestion phrases only had higher levels of auditory attention than those in the control condition.ConclusionsThe findings of this study support the effectiveness of the use of verbal suggestion phrase5to enhance auditory attention. They do not support the contention of the large body of research that implies that relaxation training is the most effective method of enhancing auditory attention. Recommendations include the need for replication to further substantiate these findings.