Ignition and combustion characteristics of n-butanol/air, 2-butanol.air and isobutanol/air mixtures at stoichiometric (ϕ = 1) and lean (ϕ = 0.5) conditions were investigated in a micro flow reactor with a controlled temperature profile from 323 K to 1313 K, under atmospheric pressure. Sole distinctive weak flame was observed for each mixture, with inlet fuel/air mixture velocity set low at 2 cm/s. One-dimensional computation with comprehensive chemistry and transport was conducted. At low mixture velocities, one-stage oxidation was confirmed from heat release rate profiles, which was broadly in agreement with the experimental results. The weak flame positions were congruent with literature describing reactivity of the butanol isomers. These weak flame responses were also found to mirror the trend in Anti-Knock Indexes of the butanol isomers. Flux and sensitivity analyses were performed to investigate the fuel oxidation pathways at low and high temperatures. Further computational investigations on oxidation of butanol isomers at higher pressure of 5 atm indicated two-stage oxidation through the heat release rate profiles. Low temperature chemistry is accentuated in the region near the first weak cool flame for oxidation under higher pressure, and its impact on key species – such as hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide and carbon monoxide – were considered. Both experimental and computational findings demonstrate the advantage of employing the micro flow reactor in investigating oxidation processes in the temperature region of interest along the reactor channel. By varying physical conditions such as pressure, the micro flow reactor system is proven to be highly beneficial in elucidating oxidation behavior of butanol isomers in conditions in engines such as those that mirror HCCI operations.

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Recreation and Tourism in the Department of Recreation and Tourism at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2015 / The fundamental aim of the study is to establish the involvement and participation of tourism stakeholders in (Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises) with regard to tourism policy planning and execution. In other words, the study wants to discover the role played by policy and practice in the planning of small, medium and micro enterprises in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. Many of the tourism policies and strategies in South Africa have been formulated with the intention of supporting communities by affording them job opportunities and employment in order to alleviate poverty. The findings indicate that the tourism stakeholders from the uMhlathuze Local Municipality were not fully conversant with the policy, planning and execution. Among other things, the study is also carried out to explore the level at which tourism policy mandates are implemented and the extent to which these elicit positive community responses. In addition, the study seeks to establish the degree to which local communities perceive any benefits from the increased tourism activities within the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. The findings indicate that tourism stakeholders from uMhlathuze Local Municipality were not fully conversant with the policies and strategies that were meant to enhance their participation in tourism activities. Furthemore, not all communities supported the promotion of sustainable tourism development in their area. There has been an ongoing debate among other tourism scholars. The research study involves identifying key strategies that would contribute in developing tourism policies that will address and contribute towards community beneficiation in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality. Finally, local authorities have advocated for a better interpretation and execution of the existing policies. The research study, therefore, has raised the following objectives: (a) To find out whether the local stakeholders understand the importance of the formulation of policy and planning in relation to small, micro and medium enterprises in the study area (b) To reveal whether there are adequate tourism policies addressing matters relating to small, micro and medium enterprise practices in the study area (c) To ascertain the extent to which the local communities participate in SMMEs tourism related activities. (d) To establish whether local communities perceive policies and planning as resulting in job creation and poverty alleviation. (e) To assess the degree to which the SMMEs are contributing to community beneficiation. The study has also identified related hypotheses towards finding answers to the research question. The method of collecting, data analysing and interpreting data involved computer manipulating of data utilizing the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS).

Inertial measurement units (IMUs) are devices that sense accelerations and angular rates in 3D so that vehicles and other devices can estimate their orientations, positions, and velocities. While traditionally large, heavy, and costly, using mechanical gyroscopes and stabilized platforms, the recent development of micro-electromechanical sensor (MEMS) IMUs that are small, light, and inexpensive has led to their adoption in many everyday systems such as cell phones, video game controllers, and commercial drones. MEMS IMUs, despite their advantages, have major drawbacks when it comes to accuracy and reliability. The idea of using more than one of these sensors in an array, instead of using only one, and fusing their outputs to generate an improved solution is explored in this thesis.

3D printing, also known as ”additive manufacturing”, indicates a set of fabrication techniques that build objects by adding material, typically layer by layer. The main advantages of 3D printing are unlimited shapes and geometry, fast prototyping, and cost-effective small scale production. Two-photon lithography (TPL) is a laserbased 3D printing technique with submicron resolution, that can be used to create miniaturized structures. One of the most compelling applications of TPL is the 3D printing of miniaturized optical elements with unprecedented complexity, small-scale and precision. This could be potentially beneficial in biophotonics, a multidisciplinary research field in which light-based techniques are used to study biological processes. My research has been aimed at demonstrating novel applications of 3D printing based on TPL to different biophotonic applications. In particular, here we show 3D printed micro-optical structures that enhance and/or enable novel functions in advanced biophotonics methods as two-photon microendoscopy, optical trapping and Stimulated Raman Scattering microscopy. Remarkably, the micro-optical structures presented in this thesis enable the implementation of advanced techniques in existing or simpler microscopy setups with little to no modification to the original setup. This possibility is essentially allowed by the unique miniaturization and in-situ 3D printing capabilities offered by TPL.

A number of developing countries including Uganda have of recent experienced tremendous growth of microfinance industry in financial and credit service provision. Microfinance development in developing countries and its’ impacts on the poor’s livelihood have been a central point of focus by academic community and development stakeholders. A number of actors like donors and government agencies have accredited microcredit as a program to help the poor improve their living conditions, fight extreme poverty and reduce the number of people living in absolutely lacking situations. The growth of microcredit schemes in Uganda has incited donors, government agencies, different microfinance institutions, individual and academia to measure the achievements of the program in relation to its’ different objectives. Despite the growing efforts and attention to measure microcredit impacts on livelihood transformation, less focus has been given to this scientific process of measuring program impacts. Ensuring credibility and validity is an important aspect that guarantees realistic representation and quality in scientific research when researchers seek to understand what has been achieved. It is upon the above background that this study established strong interest to understand and explore how different scientific research processes of impact evaluation relate to the quality of impact reports or outcomes measured. The study examines the main debate about microcredit impacts, this is aimed at providing necessary information required (epistemological benefit) to understand microcredit impacts within different perspectives of development. Different researchers’ background more specifically their academic qualifications, expertise, gender, institutions attached to and roles played during different impact studies is assessed by this study. The study looks at different methods of data collection, analysis employed by different microcredit impact studies and they impacted on different studies being assessed. The study uses text and systematic method of data and information analysis, different articles searched from Linnaeus University library website and other organizational reports got from different organizations databases, form set of data used in this study. A total of sixteen impact studies done in Uganda have been systematically reviewed. Conceptual framework in which validity is used as the main tool in the analytical discussion of study has been employed.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(理学) / 甲第21250号 / 理博第4420号 / 新制||理||1634(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院理学研究科生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 長谷 あきら, 教授 鹿内 利治, 准教授 小山 時隆 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Science / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第21664号 / 医博第4470号 / 新制||医||1035(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 髙橋 良輔, 教授 浅野 雅秀, 教授 影山 龍一郎 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Micro aerial vehicle development and atmospheric flight on Mars are areas that require research in very low Reynolds number flight. Facilities for studying these problems are not widely available. The upper atmosphere of the Earth, approximately 100,000 feet AGL, is readily available and closely resembles the atmosphere on Mars, in both temperature and density. This low density also allows normal size test geometry with a very low Reynolds number. This solves a problem in micro aerial vehicle development; it can be very difficult to manufacture instrumented test apparatus in the small sizes required for conventional testing. This thesis documents the design, construction, and testing of a glider designed to be released from a weather balloon at 100,000 feet AGL and operate in this environment, collecting airfoil and aircraft performance data. The challenges of designing a vehicle to operate in a low Reynolds number, low temperature environment are addressed.

A collection of short stories