Introduction Cerebral autoregulation (CA) refers to the physiological mechanisms in the brain to maintain constant blood flow despite changes in cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP). It plays an important protective role against the danger of ischaemia or oedema of the brain. Over the years, various methods for CA assessment have been proposed, while most commonly used parameters include the autoregulation index (ARI), which grades CA into ten levels; transfer function (TF) analysis, describing CA as a high pass filter; the mean flow index (Mx), that estimates CA through the correlation coefficient between slow waves of mean cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) and CPP; and pressure reactivity index (PRx), calculated as a moving correlation coefficient between mean arterial blood pressure (ABP) and intracranial pressure (ICP). However, until now, how these parameters are related with each other is still not clear. A comprehensive investigation of the relationship between all these parameters is therefore needed. In addition, the methods mentioned above mostly assume the system being analysed is linear and the signals are stationary, with the announcement of non-stationary characteristic of CA, a more robust method, in particular suitable for non-stationary signal analysis, needs to be explored. Objectives and Methods This thesis addresses three primary questions: 1. What are the relationships between currently widely used CA parameters, i.e. Mx, ARI, TF parameters, from theoretical and practical point of view? 2. It there an effective method that can be introduced to assess CA, which is suitable for analyses of non-stationary signals? 3. How can bedside monitoring of cerebral autoregulation be improved in traumatic brain injury patients? These general aims have been translated into a series of experiments, retrospective analyses and background studies that are presented in different chapters of this thesis. Results and Conclusions This PhD project carefully scrutinised currently used CA assessment methodologies in TBI patients, demonstrating significant relationships between ARI, Mx and TF phase. A new introduced wavelet-transform-based method, wPRx was validated and showed more stable result for CA assessment than the well-established parameter, PRx. A multi-window approach with weighting system for optimal CPP estimation was described. The result showed a significant improvement in the continuity and stability of CPPopt estimation, which made it possible to be applied in the future clinical management of TBI patients.

Yes / In this study, the thermal performance analysis of porous fin with temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and internal heat generation is carried out using Haar wavelet collocation method. The effects of various parameters on the thermal characteristics of the porous fin are investigated. It is found that as the porosity increases, the rate of heat transfer from the fin increases and the thermal performance of the porous fin increases. The numerical solutions by the Haar wavelet collocation method are in good agreement with the standard numerical solutions.

This thesis has made two significant contributions to the field of reactive crystallisation. First, new data from batch cooling crystallisation and semi-batch reactive crystallisation experiments of mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) were obtained to describe the key factors that influence crystal nucleation and growth rates, crystal size distribution (CSD), and crystal shape. The second contribution is the development of a numerical scheme for solving the population balance equations, which can be used to describe the evolution of CSD during the crystallisation process. This scheme combines the finite difference method with a wavelet method, and is the first reported application of this approach for crystallisation modelling and simulation. / Experiments into the batch cooling crystallisation of MAP were conducted both with and without seed crystals. The effects of key factors such as cooling rate, initial level of supersaturation and seeding technique, including seed concentration and seed size, on the real time supersaturation, final CSD, crystal yield and crystal shape were investigated. It was found that a seed concentration of 20-30% effectively suppressed nucleation. The growth and nucleation rate were estimated by using an isothermal seeded batch approach and their parameters were calculated by non-linear optimisation techniques. / The second series of experiments involved the semi-batch reactive crystallisation of MAP. Both single-feed and dual-feed systems were investigated. In the single-feed arrangement, an ammonia solution was fed into a charge of phosphoric acid. In the dual-feed system, phosphoric acid and ammonia solution were fed into a charge of saturated MAP solution. The molar ratio of the reactants, initial supersaturation, presence or absence of seed crystals, initial MAP concentration, reactants’ flow rate, feeding time and stirring speed were varied, and the effects upon the real time supersaturation, final CSD, crystal yield, crystal shape and solution temperature were measured. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that MAP can be produced in both the single-feed and dual-feed arrangements. For the single feed system, the N/P mole ratio controlled the degree of reaction and the CSD of the product. Di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) was not be observed in the single-feed system due to its high solubility. In the dual-feed system, a seeded solution with slow feed addition, moderate stirring speed and a low initial supersaturation provided the most favourable conditions for generating a desirable supersaturation profile, and thus obtaining a product with good CSD and crystal shape. / A comparative numerical study was undertaken in order to evaluate the existing numerical schemes for solving the population balance equations (PBE) that describe crystallisation. Several analytical solutions to the PBE were used to benchmark the following numerical schemes: Upwind Finite Difference, Biased Upwind Finite Difference, Orthogonal Collocation with Finite Elements, and Wavelet Orthogonal Collocation. The Wavelet Finite Difference (WFD) method has been applied here for the first time for solving PBE problems. The WFD scheme was adapted to solve the batch cooling and the semi-batch reactive crystallisation models, and the solutions were validated against experimental data that we obtained. / In summary, the experimental data provide an improved understanding of MAPreaction and crystallisation mechanisms. The adaptability of the WFD method has beendemonstrated validating the two crystallisation systems, and this should help extendthe application of wavelet-based solutions beyond crystallisation processes and intomore diverse areas of chemical engineering.

Métodos de resolução numérica de equações diferenciais parciais que utilizam ondaletas como base vêm sendo desenvolvidos nas últimas décadas, mas existe uma carência de estudos mais profundos das características computacionais dos mesmos. Neste estudo analisou-se detalhadamente um método espectral de Galerkin com base de ondaletas harmônicas. Revisou-se a teoria matemática referente às ondaletas harmônicas, que mostrou ter grande similaridade com a teoria referente à base trigonométrica de Fourier. Diversos testes numéricos foram realizados. Ao analisarmos a resolução da equação do transporte linear, e também de transporte não linear (equação de Burgers), obtivemos boas aproximações da solução esperada. O custo computacional obtido foi similar ao método com base de Fourier, mas com ondaletas harmônicas foi possível usar a localidade das ondaletas para detectar características de localidade do sinal. Analisamos ainda uma abordagem pseudo-espectral para os casos não lineares, que resultaram em um expressivo aumento de eficiência. Tendo em vista o uso das propriedades de localidade das ondaletas, usamos o método de Galerkin com base de ondaletas harmônicas para resolver um sistema de equações referente a um modelo de propagação de frentes de precipitação. O método mostrou boas aproximações das soluções esperadas, custo computacional ótimo e ainda a possibilidade de se obter espectralmente informações sobre a localização da frente de precipitação. / Numerical methods to solve partial differential equations based on wavelets have been developed in the last two decades, but there is a lack of studies on their computational characteristics. In this study a Galerkin spectral method using harmonic wavelets base has been thoroughly analyzed. We performed a review on the mathematics of harmonic wavelets, that showed a great similarity with Fourier basis. Several numerical experiments were made. Analyzing the use of the Galerkin method, with harmonic wavelets, on linear and non linear transport equations, we achieved good approximations in respect to the expected solution. The computational cost resulted to be similar to the same method with Fourier basis. On the other hand, employing harmonic wavelets we were able to obtain local information of the solution by simple inspection of the spectral coeffcients. We also analyzed a pseudo-spectral method based on harmonic wavelets for the non linear equations, resulting in a great improvement in efficiency. Looking towards using the locality propriety of harmonic wavelets, we tested the Galerkin method on a precipitation front propagation model. The method resulted in good approximations to the expected solution, optimal computational cost and the possibility of obtaining information on the locality of the precipitation fronts spectrally.

Métodos de resolução numérica de equações diferenciais parciais que utilizam ondaletas como base vêm sendo desenvolvidos nas últimas décadas, mas existe uma carência de estudos mais profundos das características computacionais dos mesmos. Neste estudo analisou-se detalhadamente um método espectral de Galerkin com base de ondaletas harmônicas. Revisou-se a teoria matemática referente às ondaletas harmônicas, que mostrou ter grande similaridade com a teoria referente à base trigonométrica de Fourier. Diversos testes numéricos foram realizados. Ao analisarmos a resolução da equação do transporte linear, e também de transporte não linear (equação de Burgers), obtivemos boas aproximações da solução esperada. O custo computacional obtido foi similar ao método com base de Fourier, mas com ondaletas harmônicas foi possível usar a localidade das ondaletas para detectar características de localidade do sinal. Analisamos ainda uma abordagem pseudo-espectral para os casos não lineares, que resultaram em um expressivo aumento de eficiência. Tendo em vista o uso das propriedades de localidade das ondaletas, usamos o método de Galerkin com base de ondaletas harmônicas para resolver um sistema de equações referente a um modelo de propagação de frentes de precipitação. O método mostrou boas aproximações das soluções esperadas, custo computacional ótimo e ainda a possibilidade de se obter espectralmente informações sobre a localização da frente de precipitação. / Numerical methods to solve partial differential equations based on wavelets have been developed in the last two decades, but there is a lack of studies on their computational characteristics. In this study a Galerkin spectral method using harmonic wavelets base has been thoroughly analyzed. We performed a review on the mathematics of harmonic wavelets, that showed a great similarity with Fourier basis. Several numerical experiments were made. Analyzing the use of the Galerkin method, with harmonic wavelets, on linear and non linear transport equations, we achieved good approximations in respect to the expected solution. The computational cost resulted to be similar to the same method with Fourier basis. On the other hand, employing harmonic wavelets we were able to obtain local information of the solution by simple inspection of the spectral coeffcients. We also analyzed a pseudo-spectral method based on harmonic wavelets for the non linear equations, resulting in a great improvement in efficiency. Looking towards using the locality propriety of harmonic wavelets, we tested the Galerkin method on a precipitation front propagation model. The method resulted in good approximations to the expected solution, optimal computational cost and the possibility of obtaining information on the locality of the precipitation fronts spectrally.

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