No description available.

Objectives: Discuss use of a linear incision for placement of a magnetically coupled bone anchored hearing implant. Methods: Case series. Results: Two patients underwent placement of magnetically coupled bone-anchored hearing implants (BAHI) through linear incisions. The first, a 40-year-old female with congenital single-sided deafness, previously had successful implantation of a percutaneous bone anchored hearing implant through a linear incision; unfortunately, she developed pain and intermittent drainage at her abutment site with time, resulting in a request for removal of her device. As an alternative to complete removal, we offered to replace the percutaneous implant with a magnetically coupled BAHI, employing the same linear incision previously. The second patient, a 53-year-old obese female with limited neck mobility and mixed hearing loss, underwent primary placement of a magnetically coupled BAHI through a linear incision. Limitations in neck mobility and patient body habitus precluded use of a traditional C-shaped incision. Both patients underwent surgery successfully, healed without incident, had their devices activated 6 weeks after their procedures, and are able to wear their implants more than 8 hours per day without discomfort. Conclusion: Surgical techniques for bone-anchored implants continue to evolve. Though manufacturers of magnetically coupled devices recommend using C-shaped incisions with large skin flaps, our first reported cases suggest that a small linear incision immediately overlying the implant magnet may be an acceptable alternative. Potential benefits include a smaller incision, less hair removal, smaller flap, decreased surgical time, and less postoperative pain.

We are living in an era of digital electronics. The number of robots have already exceeded the human population of the entire earth. An article in the Guardian newspaper dated 30th March 2018 suggests that 10 million UK workers will be jobless within 15 years as they will be replaced by robots. These astonishing facts shed light on the importance of knowledge and how important it is to use it wisely for our benefit without ultimately destroying us. Knowledge in all forms is accessible without going to a library or buying a newspaper. Furthermore to access information, we often use sleek devices such as smart phones, using highly developed multimedia platforms which consume large amounts of power. In 2016, IBM found that humans create 2.5 quintillion bytes of data daily. Since high computing usage is related to large power consumption, the basic building block of electronics i.e. the transistor is required to be more power efficient. This is now possible through spintronics, where the spin of an electron is exploited instead of the charge. A new class of exotic materials called topological insulators are predicted to exhibit efficient spintronic applications. These materials can conduct spin polarised current on their surface while remaining completely insulting from the inside. Moreover, doping topological insulators with magnetic impurities unlocks new avenues for spin memory devices in the form of a single spin polarized dissipationless conduction channel. In topological insulators, there is always a contribution from the inside (bulk) in addition to surface conduction, thereby yielding charge transport rather than spin transport. On this basis, the aim of my PhD was to explore techniques to grow, characterize, fabricate and measure devices on topological Dirac materials, with the hope to experimentally distinguish the bulk from the surface states and also exploit their exotic properties arising from opening of the bulk band gap by intentional magnetic doping. Samples consisted of thin films of Bi2Se3, Sb2Te3, Cr doped Sb2Te3, bilayers of Dy doped Bi2Te3/Cr doped Sb2Te3 and Cd3As2 nanowires. It was found that a seed layer of an undoped topological insulator was a crucial first step to ensure high quality growth by molecular beam epitaxy, followed by the desired stoichiometry. By physically doping Sb2Te3 with Cr, a successful control of the magnetic and electrical properties such as coercivity, anomalous Hall resistance RA xy, Curie temperature Tc, carrier density and mobility were achieved. A substitutional Cr doping ranging from 7.5% to 38% was attained revealing a Tc reaching up to 186 K. Gated electrical measurements displayed a change in RA xy and carrier density by ~ 50% on applicating of just -3 V gate bias in a sample with 29% doping. A comparison between electrical transport, Magneto-optical Kerr effect and terahertz time domain spectroscopy measurements revealed that the mechanism of magnetization was RKKY mediated. Furthermore, the bilayer structure displays a clear exchange bias coupling arising from the proximity of the antiferromagnetic Dy doped Bi2Te3 layer with the ferromagnetic Cr doped Sb2Te3 layer. Electrical transport measurements on Bi2Se3 Hall bars fabricated using Ar+ milling and wet chemical etching were compared. The results showed a more bulk type response in the chemical etched sample even though Ar+ milling was responsible for creating more disorder in the system leading to a higher carrier density and lower mobility. A thickness dependent study on Sb2Te3 thin films revealed a single conducting channel associated with a coupled surface and bulk state for a 12 nm sample, compared to, two conducting channels associated with the top and bottom surfaces for the 25 nm sample. Electrical transport on Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 nanowires reveal an ultra-high mobility of 56884 cm2V-1s-1 at 1.8 K from analysis of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations. By studying various Dirac materials, new avenues for practical device applications can be explored.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Please refer to full text for abstract.

No description available.

Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the United States. Radiation and chemotherapy are conventional treatments, but they result in serious side effects and the probability of tumor recurrence remains high. Therefore, there is an increasing need to enhance the efficacy of conventional treatments. Magnetic nanoparticles have been previously studied for a variety of applications such as magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents, anemia treatment, magnetic cell sorting and magnetically mediated hyperthermia (MMH). In this work, dextran coated iron oxide nanoparticles were developed and functionalized with peptides to target the nanoparticles to either the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tumor tissue or to localize the nanoparticles in subcellular regions after cell uptake. The magnetic nanoparticles were utilized for a variety of applications. First, heating properties of the nanoparticles were utilized to administer hyperthermia treatments combined with chemotherapy. The nanoparticles were functionalized with peptides to target fibrinogen in the ECM and extensively characterized for their physicochemical properties, and MMH combined with chemotherapy was able to enhance the toxicity of chemotherapy. The second application of the nanoparticles was magnetically mediated energy delivery. This treatment does not result in a bulk temperature rise upon actuation of the nanoparticles by an alternating magnetic field (AMF) but rather results in intracellular damage via friction from Brownian rotation or nanoscale heating effects from Neél relaxations. The nanoparticles were functionalized with a cell penetrating peptide to facilitate cell uptake and lysosomal escape. The intracellular effects of the internalized nanoparticles alone and with activation by an AMF were evaluated. Iron concentrations in vivo are highly regulated as excess iron can catalyze the formation of the hydroxyl radical through Fenton chemistry. Although often a concern of using iron oxide nanoparticles for therapeutic applications, these inherent toxicities were harnessed and utilized to enhance radiation therapy. Therefore, the third application of magnetic nanoparticles was their ability to catalyze reactive oxygen species formation and increase efficacy of radiation. Overall, iron oxide nanoparticles have a variety of cancer therapy applications and are a promising class of materials for increasing efficacy and reducing the side effects of conventional cancer treatments.

Extending the use of Doppler spectroscopy as an important plasma diagnostic -- by developing a multi-channel system capable of tomography -- is the foundation of this thesis. A system which can simultaneously measure the emissivity, temperature and flow velocity of plasma ions has been installed, calibrated and operated on the H-1NF heliac, yielding comprehensive and interesting results. The measurements are time-resolved, made from a large range of viewing positions and, using scalar tomographic inversion methods, can be unfolded to give two-dimensional images of ion emissivity and temperature. The flow velocity profiles, while not inverted, nevertheless lead to a greater understanding of the plasma behaviour.¶ Fifty-five lens-coupled optical fibres, mounted on a large rotatable stainless steel ring, encircle the plasma poloidally and transport light to a multi-channel Fourier-transform spectrometer. This `coherence-imaging' spectrometer employs an electro-optically modulated birefringent crystal plate to monitor the coherence of an isolated spectral line. Measurement of the intensity, fringe visibility and phase of the resulting interferogram leads to values for the emissivity, ion temperature and flow velocity. Using a multi-anode photomultiplier assembly, allows the time-resolved detection of all optical channels simultaneously.¶ The system has been fully calibrated, including a measurement of the spatial response of each line-of-sight. The calibration procedure accounts for the relative channel sensitivities, the response of the line filter and the removal of detector cross-talk. In situ light sources are installed provide routine and accurate relative intensity calibration of the system.¶ Methods of tomography provide the unfolding of the measured plasma parameters to construct two-dimensional images of ion temperature and emissivity. Methods of inversion include the iterative ART routine -- using projection data gathered with the light-collecting optics rotated to different viewing positions -- and linear composition of Fourier-Bessel basis functions -- with the data obtained from a single unrotated viewing position. ART reconstructions of the emissivity are performed without the need for a priori information while those of the ion temperature are computed using regularising functions to help stabilise the inversion.¶ This new system -- named ToMOSS for Tomographic Modulated Optical Solid-state Spectrometer -- enables a more detailed study of various plasma phenomena observed in H-1NF. Among other results, this thesis presents the first tomographic reconstructions of emissivity and temperature fluctuations associated with a large-scale coherent instability.

A broad near-infrared photometric survey is conducted of 1678 stars in the direction of the $\rho$ Ophiuchi ($\rho$ Oph) star forming region using data from the 2MASS Calibration Database. The survey involves up to 1584 photometric measurements in the \emph{J}, \emph{H} and \emph{K$_{s}$} bands with an $\sim$1 day cadence spanning 2.5 years. Identified are 101 variable stars with $\Delta$\emph{K$_{s}$} band amplitudes from 0.044 to 2.31 mag and $\Delta$(\emph{J}-\emph{K$_{s}$}) color amplitudes ranging from 0.053 to 1.47 mag. Of the 72 $\rho$ Oph star cluster members, 79$\%$ are variable; in addition, 22 variable stars are identified as candidate members. The variability is categorized as periodic, long timescale, or irregular based on the \emph{K$_{s}$} time series morphology. The dominant variability mechanisms are assigned based on the correlation between the stellar color and single band variability. Periodic signals are found in 32 variable stars with periods between 0.49 to 92 days. The most common variability mechanism among these stars is rotational modulation of cool starspots. Periodic eclipse-like variability is identified in 6 stars with periods ranging from 3 to 8 days; in these cases the variability mechanism may be warped circumstellar material driven by a hot proto-Jupiter. Aperiodic, long time scale variability is identified in 31 stars with time series ranging from 64 to 790 days. The variability mechanism is split evenly between either variable extinction or mass accretion. The remaining 40 stars exhibit sporadic, aperiodic variability with no discernible time scale or variability mechanism. Interferometric images of the active giant $\lambda$ Andromedae ($\lambda$ And) were obtained for 27 epochs spanning November. 2007 to September, 2011. The \emph{H} band angular diameter and limb darkening coefficient of $\lambda$ And are 2.777 $\pm$ 0.027 mas and 0.241 $\pm$ 0.014, respectively. Starspot properties are extracted via a parametric model and an image reconstruction program. High fidelity images are obtained from the 2009, 2010, and 2011 data sets. Stellar rotation, consistent with the photometrically determined period, is traced via starspot motion in 2010 and 2011. The orientation of $\lambda$ And is fully characterized with a sky position angle and inclination angle of 23$\degree$ and 78$\degree$, respectively.

This thesis focuses on electron irradiated gelatin hydrogel composites for the development of a magnetically-controllable material. Smart materials comprised of magnetic nanoparticles embedded in hydrogels are known as ferrogels. Deformation, swelling and viscoelasticity of ferrogels can be controlled by external magnetic fields, with potential applications in drug delivery, tissue engineering, actuation and sensing. High energy electron irradiation was used to create stable gelatin hydrogels. Geometry, swelling, solubility and viscoelasticity were experimentally quantified for the irradiated gelatin. The degree of crosslinking and mesh size were calculated by theories of rubber elasticity and Flory-Rehner. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to confirm minimal chemical changes occurred as a result of crosslinking. The micro- and nanostructure of the hydrogels were investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering to supplement macroscopic investigations, allowing for comparison of experimental data with additional semiflexible polymer models. The cytotoxicity of the irradiated hydrogels and liquid byproduct were analyzed using NIH 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells. The influence of the degree of crosslinking on cellular morphologies was also explored. Additionally, surface wettability and hydrogel degradation times were quantified with respect to the irradiation dose. Preliminary experiments examined the potential of irradiated gelatin hydrogels as components of vascular scaffolds. Potential surface modification strategies to enhance and direct cellular interactions were briefly explored, such as surface coating and patterning. After integration of magnetic nanoparticles into the gelatin, the magnetic response of the ferrogels was investigated using magnetic particle spectroscopy and magnetorelaxometry. These techniques were highly sensitive to the changing matrix viscoelasticity around the sol-gel transition. Irradiated ferrogels exhibited thermal stability across the sol-gel transition, although some local softening was observed. This research highlights the potential of electron irradiated gelatin hydrogels and ferrogels, while providing fundamental insights into the physical processes influencing the network structure, mechanics and resulting cellular interactions.

The complex interactions between the Sun and Earth are referred to as Space Weather. Key parameters include magnetic indices which quantitatively describe geomagnetic activity by determining a baseline that removes the background magnetic field and allows quantification of the remaining activity during geomagnetic events. However, most used indices have a low temporal resolution and rely on a sparse and frozen network of ground magnetic observatories. This thesis introduces a novel way of determining the baseline for future high temporal and spatial resolution magnetic indices. Firstly, the main phenomena and effects of Space Weather are outlined, followed by a review of currently used magnetic indices and their derivation. The computation of a novel baseline introduced in this work relies on basic statistical methods which are applied on magnetic data from a dense and flexible network of ground observatories for the period 1991-2016. The focus is on the investigation of geomagnetic quiet periods for which average annual activity at each observatory is determined. A global latitudinal normalisation function with dependency on solar activity for quiet periods is found. The analysis of the newly derived baseline shows that it provides the temporal, spatial and amplitudinal resolution needed to characterise geomagnetic disturbances adequately. The residual signal has the capability of being used as the basis for further quiet period studies. A first attempt of new indices based on the introduced derivation shows a good agreement with already existing high temporal and spatial resolution magnetic indices. Future indices derived with this baseline lay a favourable fundament for the application of articial intelligence methods.