In Boden, northern part of Sweden, there is a site called Solgårdarna which has been used for wood impregnation. The activities on the site have led to soil contamination with chrome (Cr), copper (Cu) and arsenic (As), where the arsenic contamination is the most problematic. This master’s thesis has studied the possibility to stabilise As in-situ with iron (Fe). The aim of the thesis was to investigate how well the distribution of Fe in the soil with the help of electrokinetics occurs. The work was divided into 3 parts, where part 1 and part 2 were performed in the laboratory and part 3 was performed in field. Part 1 investigated how Fe can distribute depending on how the electrodes were connected. This was done using quartz sand so visual assessment of the distribution could be done. Part 2 used the results from part 1 for a similar experiment performed on soil from Solgårdarna to see how stabilisation of As in the soil will work. Part 3 was a field test at Solgårdarna where it was tested on a pilot scale. Part 1 of was performed in two sets, 7 days each. It showed that it is possible to spread iron in the sand with the help of this method. The sand experiments achieved a covering area of 27 % respectively 28 % of rust over the entire profile during one week. Measurement with the XRF showed that where the electrode had been located the concentration of Fe increased up to 0.21-0.29 % and the concentration of Fe between the electrodes were 0.04-0.06 %. Part 2 of the experiment was performed in one setup over a 51-day period, after day 35 the experimental setup was changed due to highly fluctuating pH. The results from the experiment with soil showed that the pH is highly affected by how long the electrodes close to the sampling points were anodes or cathodes. During the experiment, a general trend for increasing As concentration in the different locations in the cell were seen. After the experiment the leachable amounts of As decreased down to 0.8-1.7 mg/kg TS compared to the untreated soil, 2.9 mg/kg TS. Part 3 of the experiment represent a 2-month field pilot test period during the autumn. Towards the end of the sampling period there was a general decrease in dissolved As and Fe in the groundwater, during the same time the groundwater level decreased, the redox potential increased and the electrical conductivity decreased. The laboratory experiments with the sand showed a removal rate around 90 % or higher, which is a good result. Those experiments were however performed using a clean inert material which is not comparable with real conditions. The field experiment was done over a short period of time due to time limitations of this thesis, while follow up of the pilot test was done within the scope of a continued research project at LTU. The given results showed a decrease in dissolved arsenic in groundwater which is a positive result. To determine whether the decrease is due to the natural adsorption of As to soil or due to the impact of provided Fe oxides requires longer monitoring of the experiment.

The thesis aims to identify suitable and in the locality available raw materials to a commnon fermentation with sludge from pulp and fodder yeast production in company Biocel Paskov a.s.. Introductory chapter briefly describes the mechanisms of penetration of the sludge itself. The following section deals with origin, chemical composition and properties of biogas. The factors affecting the production of biogas are described. A key part of this thesis is a performance of sludge fermentation test and selected mixed substrate. Acquired knowledge is evaluated and the optimum composition of input raw materials with regard to maximum, but also economic recovery of biogas selected. Further, on the basis of obtained data a rough draft of biogas station is done, icluding its energeic and economic balance.

This thesis includes the theoretical part explaining problematic of centrifugal pumps, Y(Q) characteristics of these centrifugal pumps and stability of these characteristics, ways and conditions for stabilisation and adaptations heading to stabilisation.

This master's thesis includes theoretical analysis of characteristics of a centrifugal pump, conditions of stability of Y(Q) characteristic, calculation of characteristics ßč(ns), modifications leading to stabilization of a spiral body and a runner, a design of the spiral, the runner and follow-up computation in Fluent program.

The petroleum industry is beset with risks that can threaten the commercial viability of extractive companies. These risks also pose a danger to the economies of countries and the jobs of the men and women on the ground. Some of these risks are unavoidable and come part and parcel with extracting hydrocarbons. However, fiscal risk is something that can be managed and thereby minimized ? for the good of both the state hosting the resource and the extractive company. A number of tools exist to manage this risk; this study looks at the fiscal stabilisation clause as it is a particularly popular option for investors. The study takes a qualitative approach through an investigation into literary works and explores how and why the fiscal stabilization clause has become a popular option for fiscal risk management. These clauses have been heavily criticized by various stakeholders and yet they remain as relevant today as when they were first shaped in the 20th century. The study also looks at the controversy surrounding the validity of such clauses by examining various legal sources ? particularly doctrinal writings and international arbitration rulings. The investigation reveals a shift in the stabilisation clause?s scope, and more importantly its objective, over the years. Drafters as well as legal opinion seems to be at odds with the restrictive nature of yesteryear clauses, which may unjustly tie the hands of a host state ? and as such a more balanced approach is sought. These considerations lead to the main thrust of the study which is to determine what practical drafting steps can be taken to ensure the efficacy of these clauses. The focus leans on the most pertinent substantive components that such a clause should contain to ensure the risks and benefits of resource development are shared fairly. The procedure and objective of the renegotiation mechanism contained the clause is particularly important as it is this key ingredient that makes or breaks the fiscal stability of a project. The study builds on extensive writings on the subject and attempts to build a body of best practice in this regard. / Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Public Law / LLM / Unrestricted

Title: Postural stability of near-sighted people Objectives: To analyse relationships between selected parameters of postural stability and impaired visual acuity (myopia), which is revised by optimal visual correction, by diffusing glasses or by contact lenses. Methods: Investigations of stabilizing capabilities of erected posture in its various modifications. An objective measuring was performed by stabilometric platform type Footscan. The experiment involved twelve people with myopia of -3 to -6D visual acuity of an average age of 23 ± 4 years. Myopat group of bipedal standing position were tested with open eyes with vision correction, afterwards with eyes closed, then without any vision correction. The last measured positions were performed on one lower limb with visual correction and then without it. Total number of measured positions were ten upright positions, each of which was measured with 30 second interval. Results: A total travelled way of centre of pressure was determined as a parameter of postural stability evaluating. Positions on one lower limb clearly put the highest demands for stabilizing upright positions. The only aggravation of conditions stabilizing this position should be to eliminate vision correction, which was confirmed in 8 probands from a total of 12. Under a bipedal...

The thesis aims at change-point estimation in gradual change models. Methods avail- able in literature are reviewed and modified for point-of-stabilisation (PoSt) context, present e.g. in drug continuous manufacturing. We describe in detail the estimation in the linear PoSt model and we extend the methods to quadratic and Emax model. We describe construction of confidence intervals for the change-point, discuss their interpre- tation and show how they can be used in practice. We also address the situation when the assumption of homoscedasticity is not fulfilled. Next, we run simulations to calculate the coverage of confidence intervals for the change-point in discussed models using asymp- totic results and bootstrap with different parameter combinations. We also inspect the simulated distribution of derived estimators with finite sample. In the last chapter, we discuss the situation when the model for the data is incorrectly specified and we calculate the coverage of confidence intervals using simulations. 1

La faible taille des nanoparticules permet d’améliorer significativement la biodisponibilité des médicaments et faciliter leur administration par voie parentérale sous forme de particules sans risque de bouchage des vaisseaux sanguins. Cependant, cette faible taille peut être un facteur d’instabilité physique pendant le stockage ou/et pendant l’administration. Le principal défi lié à la fabrication des nano-suspensions réside dans leur stabilisation ainsi que dans le choix de la technologie appropriée pour leur fabrication. La présente thèse est centrée sur la stabilisation et la fabrication des suspensions nano-crystallines. Pour la partie formulation, la thèse décrit une approche systématique pour le choix des stabilisants. Ceux-ci peuvent être soit des dispersants ou soit une combinaison de dispersants et d’agents mouillant. La méthode proposée pour le criblage des stabilisants est rapide et efficace. Elle permet d’investiguer un grand nombre de stabilisant en se basant sur des principes physico-chimiques et en utilisant une approche étape par étape. Cette méthodologie a été divisée en deux parties : la première partie a été centrée sur un criblage qualitatif dont l’objectif est de sélectionner une tête de série à investiguer dans la seconde partie. La seconde partie est centrée sur un criblage quantitative qui a pour objectif d’optimiser le ratio est la quantité d’agent mouillant et de dispersant. Les résultats obtenus ont montré clairement que le système SDS/PVP 40/60 % (m/m) à la concentration de 1.2 % est le stabilisant optimum qui a permis de stabiliser la suspension à température ambiante. Par ailleurs, la robustesse de la formulation a été évaluée en mesurant l’agrégation sous cisaillement ainsi qu’en fonction de la force ionique, la température et du pH. Les résultats ont montré que la concentration critique de coagulation du système étudiée est cinq fois plus importante que celle décrite dans la littérature pour des nano-suspensions concentrées et stables. En revanche, l’agrégation des nanoparticules a été observée à haute température et à haut taux de cisaillement. Pour la partie développement du procédé de fabrication, la thèse est centrée sur la comparaison technologique de l’homogénéisation haute pression (HHP) par rapport au broyage à billes. L'impact de la formulation de la suspension, des paramètres du procédé et de la configuration technologique sur la qualité physique de la suspension produite par chacune des technologies ont été investigués. En outre, les deux technologies ont été comparées en termes de leur robustesse et de leur conformité à la réglementation pharmaceutique. Les conclusions principales de cette étude ont mis en évidence que le broyage à billes conduit à une suspension plus fine que celle obtenue par le HHP. De plus, il a été montré pour les 2 technologies que la relation d90 versus d50 est décrite par une seule courbe maîtresse indépendamment des paramètres du procédé et de l’échelle utilisée. Ceci a clairement mis en évidence que la HPH conduit à une distribution granulométrique plus resserrée que celle obtenue par broyage à billes. Finalement, nous avons modélisé le procédé de broyage à bille en adaptant les équations de Tanka et Chodakov. Le modèle conçu a permis un lissage précis des cinétiques de broyage ainsi que la simulation et la prédiction du procédé de broyage. / The small particle size of nano-crystalline suspension increases the bioavailability of water insoluble drug and facilitates their direct injection into the systemic circulation as particles. However, this small particle size can be responsible for their physical instability during storage and/or administration. The main challenges related to the production of nano-crystalline suspensions are to select the best stabilizer agent to ensure process-ability and to stabilize the API. Moreover, it is necessary to select the suitable technology for the suspension manufacturing taken into account the industrial constraints (scale-down/scale-up, process robustness and equipment reliability). The present thesis is focused on the formulation and the process development of nano-crystalline suspension. For the formulation part, we described a systematic approach to select optimum stabilizer for the preparation of nano-suspensions of given drug. The stabilizer can be either a dispersant or a combination of dispersant and wetting agents. The proposed screening method is a fast and efficient way to investigate a large number of stabilizers based on the principles of physical-chemistry and employs a stepwise approach. The methodology has been divided in two main parts; the first part focused on qualitative screening with the objective of selecting the appropriate candidate(s) for further investigations. The second part discussed quantitative screening with the objective of optimizing the ratio and the amount of wetting and dispersing agents. The results clearly showed that SDS/PVP as wetting/dispersing 40/60% (w/w) at a total concentration of 1.2% was the optimum stabilizer composition, at which the resulting nano-suspensions were stable at room temperature. Furthermore, the formulation robustness was assessed by measuring the rate of perikinetic, orthokinetic aggregation rate as a function of ionic strength (using NaCl), temperature and of pH variation. The results show that using the SDS/PVP mixture, the critical coagulation concentration is about five times higher than that observed in the literature for suspension colloidaly stable at high concentration. The nano-suspension was also found to be very stable at different pH conditions. Desorption test confirmed the high affinity between API and wetting/dispersing agent. However, the suspension undergoes aggregation at high temperature due to desorption of the wetting/dispersing agent and disaggregation of SDS micelles. Furthermore, aggregation occurs at very high shear rate by overcoming the energy barrier responsible for colloidal stability of the system. With respect to process engineering, a technological comparison (high pressure homogenization (HPH) versus bead milling) for the manufacturing of nano-suspension was carried out in terms of impact of suspension formulation, process parameters and technological configuration on the physical quality of the produced suspension. In addition both technologies were compared in terms of their robustness and their compliance to pharmaceutical regulations. The main findings are that, insofar the formulation is sufficiently robust and stable, both technologies are suitable for processing nano-crystalline suspensions. Bead milling is more powerful than HPH. It leads to a limit of milling (d50) lower than that obtained with HPH (100 vs 200 nm). In addition, for both technologies, one can observe that regardless, the process parameters used for milling and the scale, the relationship of d90 versus d50 could be described by a unique master curve (technology signature of milling pathway) outlining that the HPH leads to a tighten particle size distributions. Finally, a modelling approach based on adapted Tanka and Chodakov’s equation was proposed for modelling the milling kinetic. The generated model provides an accurate fit of milling kinetic, to predict and to simulate the milling manufacturing process.

Le projet scientifique dans lequel s’inscrit ma thèse a pour objectif l’élaboration d’algorithmes distribués et efficaces pour les réseaux informatiques. Ce projet vise une catégorie particulière des algorithmes distribués, dits auto-stabilisants. Il s’agit d’algorithmes ayant pour propriété de retrouver un comportement correct suite à une panne dans le réseau et ce, sans aucune intervention humaine. Le travail effectué en collaboration avec mes directeurs de thèse s’est concentré, plus précisément, autour des problèmes de couplage, de cliques et des paradigmes de publications-souscriptions dans ce domaine de l’informatique théorique. Dans un premier temps on a traité le problème du couplage maximal dans sa version anonyme, en fournissant un algorithme auto-stabilisant probabiliste et efficace. Ces travaux sont parus dans le journal PPL. De plus, on s’est intéressé au problème du couplage dans sa version maximum identifiée. Son travail améliore le dernier algorithme présent dans la littérature pour l’approximation de ce type de couplage au 2/3 de la solution optimale. Ces travaux sont parus dans une conférence internationale OPODIS. Par ailleurs, j'ai eu l’opportunité de collaborer en Allemagne avec Prof. Volker Turau au sein du groupe de télématique de l’Université technique de Hambourg. Le cadre de cette collaboration a été les algorithmes auto-stabilisants pour les paradigmes de publication-souscription. Cela a abouti à un algorithme efficace pour la version en canal de ce problème, introduisant la notion de raccourci pour le routage de messages dans ces paradigmes. Les résultats ont fait l’objet d’un Brief Announcement et d’un papier, publiés dans des conférences internationales, SSS et NetSyS. J'ai aussi bénéficié d’une collaboration avec Mr. Gerry Siegemund qui a été accueilli au laboratoire d’Informatique de l’École Polytechnique. Il a été question de trouver un algorithme efficace et auto-stabilisant pour la partition d’un réseau en cliques. Cette collaboration a eu pour résultat un algorithme pour le problème améliorant le dernier en date. Ce résultat est en cours de rédaction pour soumission à une conférence internationale. / The main focus of my thesis is the design of an efficient kind of distributed algorithms, known as: Self-stabilizing. These algorithms have the property to recover from faults in the environment they're executed in, and this without any human intervention. Recovering here, means converging toward a pre-defined, correct configuration. In this setting, I was mainly interested by the problems of matching in graphs, clique partitions and publication subscription paradigms. For the maximal version of the matching problem in anonymous graphs, we achieved a more efficient randomized, self-stabilizing algorithm. This work is published in a journal version in PPL. The maximum version of the same problem, but in an identified setting, led to the design of an efficient self-stabilizing algorithm that approximates the optimal solution up to the 2/3. This result was published at OPODIS. During a research visit at TUHH, Hamburg, Germany. Together with Pr. Volker Turau we tackled the problem of self-stabilizing publish/subscribe paradigms. This led to an algorithm introducing the new notion of short-cuts in this type of structures and was published under a brief announcement and a regular paper at SSS and NetSyS. In collaboration with Mr. Siegemund, then a visiting researcher at LIX, École Polytechnique, we worked on an efficient self-stabilizing algorithm for clique partitions. This work is still in progress and in preparation for an eventual publication.

Motivée par les travaux précédents sur la stabilisation de systèmes à excitation persistante, cette thèse s'intéresse à la stabilité et à la stabilisation de systèmes linéaires à commutation en dimensions finie et infinie. Après une introduction générale présentant les principales motivations et les résultats importants de la littérature, on aborde quatre sujets.On commence par l'étude d'un système linéaire en dimension finie à commutation aléatoire. Le temps passé en chaque sous-système $i$ est choisi selon une loi de probabilité ne dépendant que de $i$, les commutations entre sous-systèmes étant déterminées par une chaine de Markov discrète. On caractérise les exposants de Lyapunov en appliquant le Théorème Ergodique Multiplicatif d'Oseledets à un système associé en temps discret, et on donne une expression pour l'exposant de Lyapunov maximal. Ces résultats sont appliqués à un système de contrôle à commutation. Sous une hypothèse de contrôlabilité, on montre que ce système peut être stabilisé presque surement avec taux de convergence arbitraire, ce qui est en contraste avec les systèmes déterministes à excitation persistante.On considère ensuite un système de $N$ équations de transport avec amortissement interne à excitation persistante, couplées linéairement par le bord à travers une matrice $M$, ce qui peut être vu comme un système d'EDPs sur un réseau étoilé. On montre que, si l'activité de l'amortissement intermittent est déterminée par des signaux à excitation persistante, alors, sous des bonnes hypothèses sur $M$ et sur la rationalité des rapports entre les longueurs des arêtes du réseau, ce système est exponentiellement stable, uniformément par rapport aux signaux à excitation persistante. Ce résultat est montré grâce à une formule explicite pour les solutions du système, qui permet de bien suivre les effets de l'amortissement intermittent.Le sujet suivant que l'on considère est le comportement asymptotique d'équations aux différences non-autonomes. On obtient une formule explicite pour les solutions en termes des conditions initiales et de certains coefficients matriciels dépendants du temps, qui généralise la formule obtenue pour le système de $N$ équations de transport. Le comportement asymptotique des solutions est caractérisé à travers les coefficients matriciels. Dans le cas d'équations aux différences à commutation arbitraire, on obtient un résultat de stabilité qui généralise le critère de Hale--Silkowski pour les systèmes autonomes. Grâce à des transformations classiques d'EDPs hyperboliques en équations aux différences, on applique ces résultats au transport et à la propagation d'ondes sur des réseaux.Finalement, la formule explicite précédente est généralisée à une équation aux différences contrôlée, dont la contrôlabilité est alors analysée. La contrôlabilité relative est caractérisée à travers un critère algébrique sur les coefficients matriciels de la formule explicite, ce qui généralise le critère de Kalman. On compare également la contrôlabilité relative pour des retards différents en termes de leur structure de dépendance rationnelle, et on donne une borne sur le temps minimal de contrôlabilité. Pour des systèmes avec retards commensurables, on montre que la contrôlabilité exacte est équivalente à l'approchée et on donne un critère qui les caractérise. On analyse également la contrôlabilité exacte et approchée de systèmes en dimension $2$ avec deux retards sans l'hypothèse de commensurabilité. / Motivated by previous work on the stabilization of persistently excited systems, this thesis addresses stability and stabilization issues for linear switched systems in finite and infinite dimensions. After a general introduction presenting the main motivations and important results from the literature, we analyze four problems.The first system we study is a linear finite-dimensional random switched system. The time spend on each subsystem $i$ is chosen according to a probability law depending only on $i$, and the switches between subsystems are determined by a discrete Markov chain. We characterize the Lyapunov exponents by applying Oseledets' Multiplicative Ergodic Theorem to an associated discrete-time system, and provide an expression for the maximal Lyapunov exponent. These results are applied to a switched control system, showing that, under a controllability hypothesis, almost sure stabilization can be achieved with arbitrarily large decay rates, a situation in contrast to deterministic persistently excited systems.We next consider a system of $N$ transport equations with intermittent internal damping, linearly coupled by their boundary conditions through a matrix $M$, which can be seen as a system of PDEs on a star-shaped network. We prove that, if the activity of the intermittent damping terms is determined by persistently exciting signals, then, under suitable hypotheses on $M$ and on the rationality of the ratios between the lengths of the network edges, such system is exponentially stable, uniformly with respect to the persistently exciting signals. The proof of this result is based on an explicit representation formula for the solutions of the system, which allows one to efficiently track down the effects of the intermittent damping.The following topic we address is the asymptotic behavior of non-autonomous difference equations. We obtain an explicit representation formula for their solutions in terms of their initial conditions and some time-dependent matrix coefficients, which generalizes the one for the system of $N$ transport equations. The asymptotic behavior of solutions is characterized in terms of the matrix coefficients. In the case of difference equations with arbitrary switching, we obtain a stability result which generalizes Hale--Silkowski criterion for autonomous systems. Using classical transformations of hyperbolic PDEs into difference equations, we apply our results to transport and wave propagation on networks.Finally, we generalize the previous representation formula to a controlled difference equation, whose controllability is then analyzed. Relative controllability is characterized in terms of an algebraic property on the matrix coefficients from the explicit formula, generalizing Kalman criterion. We also compare the relative controllability for different delays in terms of their rational dependence structure, and provide a bound on the minimal controllability time. Exact and approximate controllability for systems with commensurable delays are characterized and proved to be equivalent. We also describe exact and approximate controllability for two-dimensional systems with two delays not necessarily commensurable.