Human tissue is relatively transparent to light between 700 and 1000 nm in the near infrared (NIR). NIR spectroscopy is a technique that can measure non-invasively and safely, the optical properties of tissue. Several different types of spectroscopic instrumentation have currently been developed, ranging from simple continuous intensity systems, through to complex time and frequency resolved techniques. This thesis describes the development of a near infra-red time-resolved system, using an inexpensive avalanche photodiode (APD) detector and a microwave step recovery diode (SRD) in a novel way to implement a totally electronic crosscorrelator, with no moving parts. The aim of the work was to develop a simple instrument to monitor scattering changes in tissue during laser induced thermal therapy. The APD was gain-modulated by rapidly varying the bias voltage using electrical pulses generated by the SRD (120 ps full width half maximum (FWHM) and 8 V in amplitude). The resulting cross-correlator had a temporal resolution of 275 ps FWHM - significantly faster than the 750 ps FWHM of the APD when operating with a conventional fixed bias voltage. Spurious responses caused by the SRD were observed, which were removed by the addition of Schottky diodes on the SRD’s output, although this slightly degraded the system temporal resolution from 275 to 380 ps FWHM. The ability of the system to monitor scattering changes was tested using an IntralipidTM phantom containing infra-red absorbing dye. An 800 nm fibre coupled mode-locked (2 ps pulse width) laser source was used with the cross-correlator measuring the temporal point spread function (TPSF) at 5 to 30 mm away from the source fibre. Five different numerical algorithms to derive the scattering coefficient from the measured TPSF were compared. The optimum choice of algorithm was found to depend on whether absolute accuracy or minimum computation time is the most important consideration.

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For over a century, physicians have prescribed x-ray radiation to destroy or impede the growth of cancerous tumours. Modern radiation therapy machines shape the radiation beam to balance the competing goals of maximizing irradiation of cancerous tissue and minimizing irradiation of healthy tissue, an objective complicated by tumour motion during the treatment and errors positioning the patient to align the tumour with the radiation beam. Recent medical imaging advances have motivated interest in using feedback during radiation therapy to track the tumour in real time and mitigate these complications. This thesis investigates how real-time feedback control can be used to track the tumour and focus the radiation beam tightly around the tumour. Improving on these results, a feedback control system is proposed for intensity modulated radiation therapy which allows a non-uniform radiation dose to be applied to the tumour. Motivated by the results of the proposed control systems, this thesis also examines two theoretical control problems: estimating the output of an unknown system when a sensor delay prevents its direct measurement, and designing a controller to provide an arbitrarily fast nonovershooting step response.

This thesis describes research carried out to study steep streams. Step-pool sequences, a typical feature of such streams, were found to occur on every steep stream studied in the field. The most important control on the spacing of the steps was width. Flume experiments produced steps (at an average Froude number of 0.88), and showed that the presence of steps increased resistance to flow at lower than step-forming flow and decreased resistance at above step-forming flows. In the field, flow resistance was found to be controlled by sediment characteristics and the amount of step protrusion. The hydraulic geometry of the steep streams was also studied, and was found to differ considerably from hydraulic geometry characteristics of lowland streams. The formation of steps and pools was not found to be related to antidune processes; rather they were built up individually as large particles captured other large particles that had been entrained by the near critical flow. It was concluded that it is not the absolute values of slope and discharge that determines whether steps form. Near critical flow and high relative roughness appear to be the only requirements necessary. Previous equations were generally found to perform poorly when used with the experimental data, and an attempt to model the velocity profile using sediment characteristics and considering stresses on the flow also produced poor correlation with the actual field data. Modifications to these were made with some success, especially in the ability to predict friction factor based on relative roughness using D84 . Flume velocity profiles identified characteristic velocity profiles at different locations within the step-pool sequence and the presence 'S-shaped' profiles downstream of the step.

This work deals with the underlying physical mechanisms and processes that dominate the fracture of cement based materials and their electrical properties. Electric current emissions were recorded when hardened cement pastes and cement mortars suffered mechanical loading in various modes. Such electric current emissions are known as Pressure Stimulated Currents (PSC) when the applied loading is compressional while they are mentioned as Bending Stimulated Currents (BSC) when the material suffers bending loadings. The physical mechanism responsible for the PSC and BSC emissions can be interpreted in terms of the Moving Charged Dislocations model that correlates mechanical deformation and electric charge distortions in the sample bulk. Laboratory experiments were designed based on the mechanical and physical properties of cement. To conduct the experiments all the background material concerning cement fracture mechanics, the microstructure of the hardened cement paste and the Interfacial Transition Zone of cement mortar were taken into consideration. Additionally, the experience of the PSC technique when it was applied on marble samples was used to guide the experimental procedures and compare qualitatively and quantitatively the experimental results. The relationship between the emitted PSC and the strain was established for the very first time for cement based materials in the present work. When the material was stressed within the range where stress and strain are linearly related a linear relation between PSC and stress rate (d/dt) was observed. Deviation from this linearity appeared when the applied stress was in the range where the applied stress and the yielded strain were not linearly related. Slightly before fracture, intense, non-linear PSC emissions were detected. The damage of the sample structure due to excessive loading in the plastic region significantly affected the recorded phenomena. Bending tests proved that similar electric current emissions are detected when a sample beam suffers 3 Point Bending Tests. The dependence of the emitted electric current on the way of fracture (i.e. compressional or tensional) was proved. It was also shown that the magnitude of the emitted electric current is directly related to the magnitude of damage due to the external loading. Thus, as it was expected, the electric current emitted from the tensed zone is significantly greater than the corresponding emitted from the compressed zone.

Evaluating claim conflicts between patents is a crucial issue in patent applications and validity allegations. Existing patent informatics tools do not relate well to the legal requirements of identifying claim conflicts; innovation theory does not address patent evaluations; and the current legal approach has weaknesses in the repeatability between cases. Therefore, a need emerges to design a scientific method for evaluating conflicts between patent claims. This thesis presents research on the topic of identifying, evaluating, and visualising patent conflicts. ‘Conflict’ is used to have the same meaning as obviousness, which is an essential legal term under the UK Patents Act 1977. Building on existing methods, this research provides a novel method called Criteria-Based Patent Mapping, for assessing claim conflicts between patents. ‘Criteria-Based’ means that this assessment uses evaluation criteria that clarify the inventive step of the patent. The source of these criteria is the well-known Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ), which is incorporated into a statistical method of 'Patent Mapping' for evaluating and visualising differences between patent claims. The application of the new method to four case studies shows that there are differences in judging standards between the legal authorities; and also shows an average value of 52% agreement in predicting potential conflicts between patent claims. Based upon these results, the original 39 TRIZ parameters can usually be refined to about 12 criteria. The scope of this method is restricted to patents in mechanical engineering due to the relevancy of TRIZ parameters. This research transforms difficult claim-to-claim evaluations into simpler claim-to-criteria comparisons that lead to more efficient and transparent patent evaluations. Such improvements will be useful for better decision-making in patent strategy.

Title: The choreography composition for the Fitness step aerobic senior category. Objectives: According to Analysis and Predictions of development of step aerobic competitive choreographies create and demonstrate the new choreography on the FISAF, Žij pohybem and Mistry s mistry competitions.

In this paper, I will analyze the production process of my thesis film, The Ninth Step. I will examine all of the various elements of the project, from development, through post-production to determine how effective it is in depicting human drama and conflict. I will employ the notes of unbiased audience members as a key criterion in the measure of this study.

As the field of autonomous robots continue to advance, there is still a tremendous benefit to research human-supervised robot systems for fielding them in practical applications. The DRC inspired by the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster has been a major research and development program for the past three years, to advance the field of human supervised control of robots for responding to natural and man-made disasters. The overall goal of the research presented in this thesis is to realise a new approach for semi-autonomous control of the Atlas humanoid robot under discrete commands from the human operator. A combination of autonomous and semi-autonomous perception and manipulation techniques to accomplish the task of detecting, opening and walking through a door are presented. The methods are validated in various different scenarios relevant to DRC door task.