The project contains adventurous research, with an aim to understand and design a planar Gunn diode with a novel integrated circuit configuration to extract the 2nd harmonic. This will potentially enhance the Gunn diode as a high frequency source towards frequencies in excess of 600 GHz. The RF performance from the above integrated circuit was achieved by design and simulation of radial and diamond stub resonators, which were used to short the fundamental oscillation frequency while allowing the second harmonic frequency to pass through to the load. The diamond stub resonator is a new configuration offering a number of advantages which include a higher loaded quality factor and occupies 55% less chip area than a comparable radial stub resonator. The designed novel circuits with integrated planar Gunn diode were fabricated using microwave monolithic integrated circuits (MMIC) technology at the James Watt Nanofabrication centre in Glasgow University. Full DC and microwave characterisation of the diodes and integrated circuits with diodes was carried out using a semiconductor analyser, network analyser (10 MHz to 110GHz) and spectrum analyser (10 MHz to 125GHz). The microwave measurements were carried out at the high frequency RF laboratories in Glasgow University. Both GaAs and InP based Gunn diodes were characterised and RF characterisation work showed that higher fundamental frequencies could be obtained from Gunn diodes fabricated on InGaAs on a lattice matched InP substrate. Planar Gunn diodes with an anode to cathode spacing of 4 microns giving a fundamental frequency of oscillation of 60 GHz were fabricated as an integrated circuit with coplanar waveguide (CPW) circuit elements to extract the second harmonic. A second harmonic frequency of 120 GHz with an RF output power of -14.11 dBm was extracted with very good fundamental frequency suppression. To the authors knowledge this was the first time second harmonic frequencies have been extracted from a planar Gunn diode technology. Aluminium gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) planar Gunn diodes were also designed with an integrated series inductor to match the diode at the fundamental frequency to obtain higher RF output powers. Devices with a 1 micron anode to cathode separation gave the highest fundamental oscillation frequency of 121 GHz the highest reported for a GaAs based Gunn diode and with an RF output power of -9 dBm. These circuits will have potential applications in secure communications, terahertz imaging etc.

Tendon injuries are ubiquitous in the sporting and occupational environment. Clinically they present a challenge to Orthopaedic surgeons as they account for up to half of all sports injuries and almost half of reported work related ailments. The capacity for tendons to heal subsequent to injury is restricted due to their poor blood supply. Moreover, healed tendon tissue may be inferior to the intact tendon, having diminished biochemical and biomechanical properties and this brings about an ever increasing need for optimized treatment methods for tendon repair. Mechanobiology is concerned with how mechanical forces influence physiological and pathological aspects of the living tissue. However, the complex and poorly controlled loading environment in living organisms prevent the establishment of direct relationships between mechanical stimuli and tissue response. By developing a novel in vitro loading system (IVLS), the work in this thesis investigates the potential of a new and exciting biophysical loading intervention, High Frequency Low Magnitude (HFLM) mechanical loading, for stimulation of tendon repair and remodelling. Following a pre-defined stimulation period, healthy rat tail tendon fascicles (RTTFs) were evaluated for tissue viability and metabolism, Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, collagen arrangement and tangent modulus, using staining and biochemical assays, together with microscopy techniques, and mechanical testing. HFLM mechanically loaded tendons showed a trend for a higher tangent modulus than fresh tissue, and significantly higher modulus than unloaded. Further, when varying mechanical loading parameters of frequencies and dosages over clinically relevant ranges, a frequency dependent response was observed with increased tangent modulus and GAG content with increasing frequency. An association between high tendon crimp pattern and elevated tendon modulus as a result of HFLM mechanical loading was also demonstrated. Concomitantly, an injury model was developed to evaluate the effects of in vitro static, low frequency cyclic and HFLM mechanical loading conditions on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of in vitro damaged tendons. HFLM mechanically loaded damaged tendons again demonstrated significantly higher modulus and metabolism than unloaded tissue, although these were reduced below those of fresh damaged tissue. The findings in this thesis together with the newly developed IVLS reveal the potential for an exciting and unique biophysical therapeutic loading intervention for treatment of tendon injuries, and provide a scientific platform for further investigation of the effects of HFLM mechanical loads, potentially leading to an application within the clinic for enhanced connective tissue repair and remodelling.

<p>Frequency response analysis (FRA) is a method which is used to detect mechanical faults in transformers. The FRA response of a transformer is determined by its geometry and material properties, and it can be considered as the transformer’s fingerprint. If there are any mechanical changes in the transformer, for example if the windings are moved or distorted, its fingerprint will also be changed so, theoretically, mechanical changes in the transformer can be detected with FRA.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to partly create a simple model for the ferromagnetic material in the transformer core, and partly to investigate the high frequency part of the FRA response of the transformer winding. To be able to realize these goals, two different models are developed separately from each other. The first one is a time- and frequency domain complex permeability model for the ferromagnetic core material, and the second one is a time- and frequency domain winding model based on lumped circuits, in which the discretization is made finer and finer in three steps. Capacitances and inductances in the circuit are calculated with use of analytical expressions derived from approximated geometrical parameters.</p><p>The developed core material model and winding model are then implemented in MATLAB separately, using state space analysis for the winding model, to simulate the time- and frequency response.</p><p>The simulations are then compared to measurements to verify the correctness of the models. Measurements were performed on a magnetic material and on a winding, and were compared with obtained results from the models. It was found that the model developed for the core material predicts the behavior of the magnetic field for frequencies higher than 100 Hz, and that the model for the winding predicts the FRA response of the winding for frequencies up to 20 MHz.</p>

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited / In the past ten years reliable high-speed satellite systems have pushed slower less reliable communication systems to the bottom of the list for development programs. Concern over reduced budgets, vulnerability of expensive satellite systems, and recent advances in HF technology are creating new interest in upgrading existing HF communication systems. Nondevelopment Items (NDI) are defined as the use of off-the-shelf commercial items instead of costly, time-consuming conventional research and development programs. The Navy Department's current policies are designed to insure the maximum use of NDI to fulfill Navy requirements. The speed of HF systems can be improved using current signaling and modulation techniques, and reliability can be increased by error-correcting codes or error detection used in conjunction with automatic repeat request (ARQ) schemes. Improved HF systems not only provide survivable back-up capability, but increased capacity for present communication needs. / http://archive.org/details/longhaulcommunic00elli / Lieutenant, United States Navy

With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless body area networks (WBANs) are becoming increasingly pervasive in everyday life. Most WBANs are currently working at the IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee standard. However there are growing interests to investigate the performance of BANs operating at higher frequencies (e.g. millimetre-wave band), due to the advantages offered compared to those operating at lower microwave frequencies. This thesis aims to realise printed conductive traces on flexible substrates, targeted for high frequency wearable electronics applications. Specifically, investigations were performed in the areas pertaining to the surface modification of substrates and the electrical performance of printed interconnects. Firstly, a novel methodology was proposed to characterise the dielectric properties of a non-woven fabric (Tyvek) up to 20 GHz. This approach utilised electromagnetic (EM) simulation to improve the analytical equations based on transmission line structures, in order to improve the accuracy of the conductor loss values in the gigahertz range. To reduce the substrate roughness, an UV-curable insulator was used to form a planarisation layer on a non-porous substrate via inkjet printing. The results obtained demonstrated the importance of matching the surface energy of the substrate to the ink to minimise the ink de-wetting phenomenon, which was possible within the parameters of heating the platen. Furthermore, the substrate surface roughness was observed to affect the printed line width significantly, and a surface roughness factor was introduced in the equation of Smith et al. to predict the printed line width on a substrate with non-negligible surface roughness (Ra ≤ 1 μm). Silver ink de-wetting was observed when overprinting silver onto the UV-cured insulator, and studies were performed to investigate the conditions for achieving electrically conductive traces using commercial ink formulations, where the curing equipment may be non-optimal. In particular, different techniques were used to characterise the samples at different stages in order to evaluate the surface properties and printability, and to ascertain if measurable resistances could be predicted. Following the results obtained, it was demonstrated that measurable resistance could be obtained for samples cured under an ambient atmosphere, which was verified on Tyvek samples. Lastly, a methodology was proposed to model for the non-ideal characteristics of printed transmission lines to predict the high frequency electrical performance of those structures. The methodology was validated on transmission line structures of different lengths up to 30 GHz, where a good correlation was obtained between simulation and measurement results. Furthermore, the results obtained demonstrate the significance of the paste levelling effect on the extracted DC conductivity values, and the need for accurate DC conductivity values in the modelling of printed interconnects.

Cette thèse est consacrée à l'étude de quelques régimes asymptotiques de l'équation de Schrödinger semi-classique, en présence d'une non-linéarité non-locale de type Hartree. Elle comporte 3 parties, sous forme de 4 chapitres et une annexe. L'objet de la première partie, constituée du premier et deuxième chapitre, est l'étude du comportement asymptotique du modèle précédent pour un noyau singulier autour de l'origine, pour une condition initiale asymptotiquement de type WKB, en régime faiblement non-linéaire. Dans le premier chapitre nous montrons que sous certaines conditions de régularité sur la condition initiale, la solution est encore de type WKB à l'ordre principal, un résultat que nous obtenons dans le cadre fonctionnel de l'algèbre de Wiener. Nous donnons une preuve alternative au résultat précédent dans le cas particulier de l'équation de Schrödinger-Poisson dans le cadre fonctionnel d'espace de Sobolev rescalé, où la considération de correcteurs est nécessaire pour construire une solution approchée et pouvoir décrire la solution à l'ordre principal. La deuxième partie de cette thèse, objet du troisième chapitre, est consacrée à l'étude de la propagation de paquets d'onde pour un système couplé d'équations de Hartree en régime semi-classique, en présence de potentiels extérieurs sous-quadratiques. Nous décrivons analytiquement et numériquement le comportement asymptotique à l'ordre principal des fonctions d'onde solution du système, lorsqu'elles sont soumises à une condition initiale en forme de paquets d'onde, pour différentes tailles de non-linéarité. La dernière partie est constituée du quatrième chapitre et de l'annexe. Dans le quatrième chapitre nous considérons le problème de Cauchy de l'équation de Hartree avec noyau homogène ou dont la transformée de Fourier est dans un espace de Lebesgue, dans le cadre fonctionnel de l'algèbre de Wiener. Nous montrons quelques résultats sur le caractère bien posé du problème pour les noyaux considérés, dans des espaces faisant intervenir l'algèbre de Wiener. Nous concluons par une annexe dans laquelle nous considérons le problème de Cauchy de l'équation de Schrödinger-Poisson, en présence d'un potentiel extérieur indépendant du temps, dans les espaces de Sobolev pondérés. Nous étendons des résultats déjà obtenus sur l'existence de solutions globales dans les espaces de Sobolev sans poids lorsque le potentiel extérieur est nul, en montrant l'existence de solutions globales en temps dans les espaces de Sobolev pondérés pour toute régularité. / This thesis is devoted to the study of some asymptotic regimes of the semi-classical Schrödinger equation, in the presence of a nonlocal nonlinearity of Hartree-type . The purpose of the first part, consisting of the first and second chapter is the study of the asymptotic behavior of the previous model with a singular kernel around the origin for an initial data asymptotically of WKB-type, in a weakly nonlinear regime. In the first chapter we show that under some regularity conditions on the initial data, the solution still is of WKB-type at leading order, a result that we get in the functional framework of the Wiener algebra . We give an alternative proof to the previous result in the particular case of the Schrödinger-Poisson equation in the functional framework of rescaled Sobolev space, where the consideration of correctors is necessary to construct an approximate solution to describe the solution at leading order.The second part of this thesis, the subject of the third chapter is devoted to the study the propagation of wave packets for a coupled system of Hartree equations in a semi-classical regime , in the presence of sub-quadratic external potentials. We describe analytically and numerically the asymptotic behavior of the leading order of the wave functions solution of the system, for an initial data in the form of wave packets for different sizes of nonlinearity.The final part consists of the fourth chapter and appendix.In the fourth chapter we consider the Cauchy problem of the Hartree equation with a homogeneous kernel or of Fourier transform in a Lebesgue space, in the functional framework of the Wiener algebra. We show some results on the well-posedness of the problem for the considered kernels, in spaces involving the Wiener algebra.We conclude with an appendix in which we consider the Cauchy problem for the Schrödinger-Poisson equation in the presence of a time independent external potential in the weighted Sobolev spaces. We extend the results already obtained on the existence of global solutions in Sobolev spaces without weight when the external potential is reduced to zero, by showing the existence of global solutions in time in the weighted Sobolev spaces for all regularity.

In this thesis, we inquire interdependencies and comovements between CEE capital markets within each other. German market is also included in the analysis as a benchmark to CEE capital markets. We have chosen German capital market as it represents more developed market from the same geographical region. We study a unique high-frequency dataset of 5 minutes, 30 minutes and 1 hour data frequencies covering the the crisis period and post-crisis "tranquil" period. Daily data frequency is also involved in the analysis. Using different econometric techniques, we found no steady long-term relationships among stock market indices. The only strong relationship was detected between the DAX and WIG20 indices during both crisis and "tranquil" periods. The frequency of interactions changed across periods. The strongest interdependencies were recognized in 5 minute data frequency which indicates fast reactions between markets. Information inefficiency was revealed between markets according to cointegration tests in most cases.

This work combines discrete and continuous methods while modeling connect- edness of financial tick data. As discrete method we are using vector autore- gression. For continuous domain Hawkes process is used, which is special case of point process. We found out that financial assets are connected in non- symmetrical fashion. By using two methodologies we were able to model bet- ter how are the series connected. We confirmed existence of price leader in our three stock portfolio and modeled connectedness of jumps between stocks. As conclusion we state that both methods yields important results about price nature on the market and should be used together or at least with awareness of second approach. JEL Classification C32, G11, G14 Keywords Vector Autoregression, Hawkes process, High- frequency analysis, Connectedness Author's e-mail petr.petras@email.cz Supervisor's e-mail krehlik@utia.cas.cz

Doctor Educationis / Ototoxic induced hearing loss is a common adverse event related to aminoglycosides used in Multi Drug Resistant -Tuberculosis treatment. Exposure to ototoxic drugs damages the structures of the inner ear. Symptomatic hearing loss presents as tinnitus, decreased hearing, a blocked sensation, difficulty understanding speech, and perception of fluctuating hearing, dizziness and hyperacusis/recruitment. The World Health Organization (1995) indicated that most cases of ototoxic hearing loss globally could be attributed to treatment with aminoglycosides. The aim of the study was to determine the proportion of DR-TB patients initiated on treatment at three decentralized sites during a defined period (1st October to 31st December 2015) who developed ototoxic induced hearing loss and the corresponding risk factors, whilst receiving audiological monitoring with an extended high frequency audiometer (KUDUwave). A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Cumulatively across the three decentralized sites, 69 patient records were reviewed that met the inclusion criteria of the study. The mean age of the patients was 36.1, with a standard deviation (SD) of 10.7 years; more than half (37) were female. Ototoxicity , a threshold shift, placing patients at risk of developing a hearing loss was detected in 56.5% (n=39)of patients and not detected in 30.4%(n=21).The remaining 13,1% (n=9)is missing data. As a result, the regimen was adjusted in 36.2% of patients. . From the 53 patients who were tested for hearing loss post completion of the injectable phase of treatment, 22.6% (n=12) had normal hearing, 17.0 % (n=9) had unilateral hearing loss, and 60.4% (n=32) had bilateral hearing loss. Therefore, a total of 41 patients had a degree of hearing loss: over 30% (n=22)had mild to moderate hearing loss, and only about 15% (n=11)had severe to profound hearing loss. Analysis of risk factors showed that having ototoxicity detected and not adjusting regimen significantly increases the risk of patients developing a hearing loss. The key findings of the study have shown that a significant proportion of DR-TB patients receiving an aminoglycoside based regimen are at risk of developing ototoxic induced hearing loss, despite receiving audiological monitoring with an extended high frequency audiometer that allows for early detection of ototoxicity (threshold shift).

The primary aim of the research was to describe hearing function in a group of children with chronic renal dysfunction receiving treatment in an academic hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa. Specific objectives in the study were to determine the prevalence of hearing loss in paediatric patients with chronic renal dysfunction; to describe the type, degree and configuration of the hearing loss; and to establish if there was a relationship between the presenting hearing loss and the severity of renal dysfunction, the different treatment regimens, duration of renal dysfunction, and the duration of treatment. One hundred children between the ages five -18 years participated in the study and comprised 65 males and 35 females. The mean age of the participants was 11.68 years. A cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative research design was employed. All participants underwent a case history interview and a full audiological examination which included an otoscopic examination, immittance testing (tympanometry and ipsilateral acoustic reflex testing), pure tone audiometry including extended high frequency testing up to 16 kilohertz as well as diagnostic distortion product otoacoustic emission testing. A record review was also done. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the collected data. Inferential statistics included parametric measures using multiple regression measures as well as non parametric measures using the Kruskal-Wallis statistical analysis. Results revealed that there was a high prevalence of hearing loss in children with chronic renal dysfunction. Results from the extended high frequency pure tone testing as well as the diagnostic distortion product testing revealed that the most common hearing loss was a low and high to ultrahigh frequency mild sensorineural hearing loss. The study showed that there was no relationship between the severity of hearing loss and the severity of renal dysfunction, or the duration of renal dysfunction and the duration of treatment. However, the study showed that there was a relationship between the severity of hearing loss and certain treatments, that is, v haemodialysis and the use of ototoxic medication such as loop diuretics, tuberculosis medication, and antimalarial medication. As the potential to miss hearing loss in this population is high, the research highlighted the importance of extended high frequency audiometry as well as diagnostic distortion product otoacoustic emission testing for the use of ototoxic monitoring in patients with chronic renal dysfunction. The research also highlighted the need for further research in this area as well as the need for educating medical personnel and caregivers working with children with chronic renal disease.