Thesis (Ph. D.)--Institute of Paper Chemistry, 1980.

Magnetic oxides exhibit rich complexity in their fundamental physical properties determined by the intricate interplay between structural, electronic and magnetic degrees of freedom. The common themes that are often present in these systems are the phase coexistence, strong magnetostructural coupling, and possible spin frustration induced by lattice geometry. While a complete understanding of the ground state magnetic properties and cooperative phenomena in this class of compounds is key to manipulating their functionality for applications, it remains among the most challenging problems facing condensed-matter physics today. To address these outstanding issues, it is essential to employ experimental methods that allow for detailed investigations of the temperature and magnetic field response of the different phases. In this PhD dissertation, I will demonstrate the relatively unconventional experimental methods of magnetocaloric effect (MCE) and radio-frequency transverse susceptibility (TS) as powerful probes of multiple magnetic transitions, glassy phenomena, and ground state magnetic properties in a large class of complex magnetic oxides, including La0.7Ca0.3-xSrxMnO3 (x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.25), Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3, Pr1-xSrxCoO3 (x = 0.3, 0.35, 0.4 and 0.5), La5/8−xPrxCa3/8MnO3 (x = 0.275 and 0.375), and Ca3Co2O6. First, the influences of strain and grain boundaries, via chemical substitution and reduced dimensionality, were studied via MCE in La0.7Ca0.3-xSrxMnO3. Polycrystalline, single crystalline, and thin-film La0.7Ca0.3-xSrxMnO3 samples show a paramagnetic to ferromagnetic transition at a wide variety of temperatures as well as an observed change in the fundamental nature of the transition (i.e. first-order magnetic transition to second order magnetic transition) that is dependent on the chemical concentration and dimensionality. Systematic TS and MCE experiments on Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 and Pr0.5Sr0.5CoO3 have uncovered the different nature of low-temperature magnetic phases and demonstrate the importance of coupled structural/magnetocrystalline anisotropy in these half-doped perovskite systems. These findings point to the existence of a distinct class of phenomena in transition-metal oxide materials due to the unique interplay between structure and magnetic anisotropy, and provide evidence for the interplay of spin and orbital order as the origin of intrinsic phase separation in manganites. While Pr0.5Sr0.5MnO3 provides important insights into the influence of first- and second-order transitions on the MCE and refrigerant capacity (RC) in a single material, giving a good guidance on the development of magnetocaloric materials for active magnetic refrigeration, Pr1-xSrxCoO3 provides an excellent system for determining the structural entropy change and its contribution to the MCE in magnetocaloric materials. We have demonstrated that the structural entropy contributes significantly to the total entropy change and the structurally coupled magnetocrystalline anisotropy plays a crucial role in tailoring the magnetocaloric properties for active magnetic refrigeration technology. In the case of La5/8−xPrxCa3/8MnO3, whose bulk form is comprised of micron-sized regions of ferromagnetic (FM), paramagnetic (PM), and charge-ordered (CO) phases, TS and MCE experiments have evidenced the dominance of low-temperature FM and high-temperature CO phases. The "dynamic" strain liquid state is strongly dependent on magnetic field, while the "frozen" strain-glass state is almost magnetic field independent. The sharp changes in the magnetization, electrical resistivity, and magnetic entropy just below the Curie temperature occur via the growth of FM domains already present in the material, even in zero magnetic field. The subtle balance of coexisting phases and kinetic arrest are also probed by MCE and TS experiments, leading to a new and more comprehensive magnetic phase diagram. A geometrically frustrated spin chain compound Ca3Co2O6 provides an interesting case study for understanding the cooperative phenomena of low-dimensional magnetism and topological magnetic frustration in a single material. Our MCE studies have yielded new insights into the nature of switching between multi-states and competing interactions within spin chains and between them, leading to a more comprehensive magnetic phase diagram.

In this dissertation, I have investigated applying the laser ablation of microparticle aerosol (LAMA) process to the production of nanocomposite polymer membranes for olefin/paraffin separation. Experimental results for three major thrusts are presented: 1) an investigation into the scalability of the LAMA process, 2) a new laser ablation technique for nanoparticle production from aqueous feedstocks, and 3) characterization of olefin-selective polymer nanocomposite membranes produced using LAMA. The propensity for Ag nanoparticles to form agglomerates in LAMA is investigated. Nanoparticle samples were collected on TEM grids at several feedstock aerosol densities. As the density increased, the particle morphology shifted from single nanoparticles 5 nm in diameter to chained agglomerates of 20 nm diameter primary particles. The results are in agreement with a numerical model of Brownian agglomeration and diffusion. Factors influencing nanoparticle morphology, such as temperature, initial nanoparticle charge, and feedstock aerosol density are discussed. It is shown that agglomeration occurs on a much longer timescale than the other processes, and can be treated independently. A new nanoparticle synthesis technique is presented: laser ablation of aqueous aerosols. A Collison nebulizer is used to generate a mist of ~10 [mu]m diameter water droplets containing dissolved transition metal salts. Water from the droplets quickly evaporates, leaving solid particles which are ablated by an excimer laser. Ablation results in plasma breakdown and photothermal decomposition of the feedstock material. For AgNO₃ ablated in He gas, metallic Ag nanoparticles were produced. For Cu(NO₃)₂ ablated in He gas, crystalline Cu₂O nanoparticles were produced. For Ni(NO₃)₂ ablated in He gas, crystalline NiO nanoparticles were produced. A combination of AgNO₃ and Cu(NO₃)₂ ablated in a reducing atmosphere of 10%H₂/He yielded nonequilibrium Ag-Cu alloy nanoparticles. Membranes composed of poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate) (PEGDA) and Ag nanoparticles were produced by the LAMA process. Permeation and sorption measurements for the light olefins and paraffins were conducted for these membranes. The membranes showed very little improvement in olefin/paraffin selectivity compared with neat PEGDA membranes. Using the LAMA implementation described here, it was impossible to produce membranes with high Ag loading. Whether membranes containing more Ag would exhibit improved selectivity remains an open question. / text

This dissertation addresses three diverse research problems pertaining to rigid body attitude stabilization and control. The problems addressed result in theoretical development for the topics of cooperative control, delayed feedback, and state estimation, through the formulation of a novel class of switching observers. In the area of consensus management for cooperative control, the problem of designing torque control laws that synchronize the attitude of a team of rigid bodies under constant, unknown communication time delays is addressed. Directed communication graphs are considered, which encompass both leader-follower and leaderless architectures. A feedback linearization result involving the Modified Rodrigues parameter (MRP) representation of attitude kinematics reduces the attitude dynamics equations to double integrator agents and the remainder of the control effort achieves position consensus. New necessary and sufficient delay dependent stability conditions for the system of double integrator agents are presented. This dissertation also considers the problem of stabilizing attitude dynamics with unknown piecewise-constant delayed feedback. The problem is addressed through stability analysis of switched linear time-invariant and nonlinear timedelay systems. In the case of linear systems with switched delay feedback, a new sufficiency condition for average dwell time result is presented using a complete type Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) functional approach. Further, the corresponding switched system with nonlinear perturbations is proven to be exponentially stable inside a well characterized region of attraction for an appropriately chosen average dwell time. Finally, this dissertation provides a new switching angular velocity observer formulation to the classical problem of rigid body attitude tracking in the absence of angular rate measurements. Exponential convergence of the angular velocity state estimation errors is proven independent of control design by using a novel error signal definition through this switching-type observer. The switching ensures C0 continuity for all the estimated states. Further, the maximum number of switches required by the observer is shown to be finite and that zeno-type behavior cannot occur. A “separation property” type result in the absence of actual angular rate measurements is established, wherein a linear and nonlinear controller utilizes angular velocity estimates from the proposed observer to achieve attitude tracking. / text

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are the cells that are shed from a primary tumor into the vasculature and circulate in the bloodstream. CTCs may trigger cancer metastasis, which leads to most cancer-related deaths. CTCs are widely studied due to their value in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and oncology studies. The major challenges with CTCs lie in their extremely low concentration in blood, thus requiring an effective enriching system to enable downstream analyses. The immunomagnetic assay has proved to be a promising CTC detection tool with high sensitivity and throughput. Key factors related to the immunomagnetic assay include the capture rate, which indicates the sensitivity, and distributions of target cells after capture, which impact the cell integrity and other biological properties. In this dissertation, we build a sedimentation model, a partial viscosity model, and a cell-tracking model to address the principle of the immunomagnetic cell separation. We examine the channel orientations and determine the favorable inverted condition. In addition, we develop a micromagnet approach to modulate the in-channel magnetic field toward enhanced cell detection and distribution. Through numerical studies, we calculate the magnetic field generated by the thin-film micromagnets, determine its effective ranges, and demonstrate its value in optimizing cell distribution. In the experimental demonstration, we present two types of micromagnets based on e-beam Ni deposition and inkjet printing technology, respectively. In the screening experiments, the Ni micromagnet integrated system achieves over 97% capture rate. It shows a 14% increase in capture rate, and a 14% improvement in distribution uniformity compared with plain slides. We also successfully isolate CTCs from metastatic cancer patients with the micromagnet assay. The inkjet-printed patterns yield a similarly high capture rate of 103%. With the pixel permanent magnet array, the inkjet patterns further increase the distribution uniformity for 20%. The proposed models lay the theoretical foundations for future modification of the immunomagnetic assay, and the micromagnet-integrated system provides a promising tool for translational applications in cancer diagnose and clinical cancer management. / text

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The 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa is the supreme law of the Republic and in enjoying this status it is prescribing the composition of the three different arms of government as well as each branch’s status within the new constitutional dispensation. Prior to this era of constitutional supremacy South Africa was subject to the principle of parliamentary sovereignty, an era where the courts could only challenge legislation on procedural grounds, but had no general power to declare legislation unconstitutional. The Constitution further provides for a separation of powers between these arms of government, and it has vested the judicial authority in the courts and conferred strong judicial review powers upon the Constitutional Court. The head of executive has recently argued that “the powers conferred on the courts cannot be regarded as superior to the powers resulting from a mandate given by the people in a popular vote”. The preceding quote is one of many statements and claims that forms part of a national debate on the nature and scope of the Constitutional Court’s powers in South Africa. The Constitutional Court has in recent years handed down judgments that were not favourable to the legislative6 and executive arms of the South African government. / Magister Legum - LLM

ITC/USA 2014 Conference Proceedings / The Fiftieth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 20-23, 2014 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, CA / Flight tests and flight safety are tightly coupled. For a given experimental test flight, the main objective to be achieved is related to the test bed and crew integrity (i.e. Bring back the test bed in one piece). Furthermore, the aircraft operational safety (i.e. continued airworthiness) relies into the accuracy of gathered information, provided by the airborne Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) system. Typically, the FTI system includes: a data acquisition system; a transmission system; a data recorder; multiple sensors and auxiliary equipment such as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver. In a specific Flight Test Campaign (FTC), such as external stores separation FTC, the associated risk is high because the non-linear and unpredicted aerodynamics couplings between the released store and the aircraft structure (e.g. wings) could lead to a catastrophic collision condition. Typically, the setup for such FTC is a big technical challenge for the instrumentation group because the determination of six degrees of freedom (6Dof) trajectory of the release store becomes mandatory. Such information could be by the means of an optical tracking system that requires the integration of two or more hi-speed hi-resolution video cameras into FTI. Unfortunately, the FTI and the Real-Time Telemetry Link (RTL) limited bandwidth imposes several restrictions for the development and implementation of a real-time application to be used at the Ground Telemetry System (GTS) for the verification of the separation safety and the validation of the test point. This paper, presents the implementation of computer vision techniques and Camshift algorithm as an approach to tracking individual track targets on the store surface which can be perform onboard and in real time or near real time. The development of the algorithm is presented as well several experimental test results that use videos frames gathered from previous FTC executed by Instituto de Pesquisas e Ensaios em Voo (Flight Test and Research Institute - IPEV). Preliminary results present satisfactory performance.

Reducing the complexity in information systems is a main concern on which researchers work. Separation of concerns, also known as the principle of ‘divide and conquer’, has long time been a strategy for dealing with complexity. Two examples of the application of this principle in the area of information system design are the break out the data management into Database Management Systems(DBMSs) and the separation of the business logic from the application logic into Business Process Management Systems (BPMSs). However, separation of cross-cutting concerns from the core-concern of a business process is not yet supported in the Business Process Management (BPM) area. Aspect Oriented principle recommends such a separation. When looking into the business process, several concerns, such as security and privacy, can be identified. Therefore, a formal model that provides a foundation for enabling BPMSs to support separation of concerns in BPM area is needed. This thesis provides a formal model for dealing with separation of concerns in the BPM area. Implementing this model in BPMSs would facilitate the design and implementation of business processes with a lower level of complexity, which in turn would reduce the costs associated with BPM projects. The thesis starts with a literature review on aspect orientation both in programming and in the BPM areas. Based on this study, a list of requirements for an Aspect Oriented Service for BPMSs is compiled. Then a formal model for such a service, fulfilling a set of these requirements, is designed using Coloured Petri Nets and implemented in CPN Tools. The model is evaluated through the execution of a number of scenarios. The solution is also validated through an industrial case study. The results of the case study are presented the direction for future work outlined. The case study demonstrates that separation of concerns through aspect orientation does indeed reduce the complexity of business process models.

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