The process industries such as petrochemicals, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, among others, consume large amounts of material and energy resources. These industries are also characterized by generating enormous amounts of waste that significantly contribute to the pollution of the environment. Integrated process design is a very effective technique in conserving process resources and preventing pollution. The design and environmental constraints may involve a variety of component- and property-based restrictions. To date, most techniques have been developed to handle process constraints which is either composition-based (via mass integration) or property-based. No work has been reported to handle the synthesis of resource conservation network that is governed by both constraints. The objective of this work is to develop a systematic and cost-effective design technique that is aimed at minimizing the consumption of fresh resources and the discharge of pollutants simultaneously. Because of the nature of the component- and property-based constraints, this approach is based on mass and property integration and takes into account the process constraints and also environmental regulations. In this research work, a new approach has been developed to simultaneously address component-based recycle constraints as well as property-based discharge constraints. The proposed optimization technique is intended to minimize the consumption of fresh resources, the pollutant content in the waste streams, and the operational and waste treatment costs. Additionally, a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) formulation is solved for a case study of phenol production from cumene hydroperoxyde to illustrate the new problem and devised solution algorithm.

Chronic liver disease is a worldwide health problem, and hepatic fibrosis (HF) is one of the hallmarks of the disease. Pathology diagnosis of HF is based on textural change in the liver as a lobular collagen network that develops within portal triads. The scale of collagen lobules is characteristically on order of 1mm, which close to the resolution limit of in vivo Gd-enhanced MRI. In this work the methods to collect training and testing images for a Hotelling observer are covered. An observer based on local texture analysis is trained and tested using wet-tissue phantoms. The technique is used to optimize the MRI sequence based on task performance. The final method developed is a two stage model observer to classify fibrotic and healthy tissue in both phantoms and in vivo MRI images. The first stage observer tests for the presence of local texture. Test statistics from the first observer are used to train the second stage observer to globally sample the local observer results. A decision of the disease class is made for an entire MRI image slice using test statistics collected from the second observer. The techniques are tested on wet-tissue phantoms and in vivo clinical patient data.

This master thesis evaluates about investing in the currency market, commonly known as Forex. The master thesis is primarily deal with proposal of automated trading system for trading in major currency pairs using breakout strategies. These strategies creation is based on market analysis, volatility, correlation and analysis revealing patterns of time during the trading day. In practical part is formed diversified investment portfolio composed of five investment profitable strategies, which were used during four-month testing period on unknown market data.

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the past 50 years smart materials have made their appearance in many structures. The thermopiezoelectric ceramic is one of these smart materials. When thermal e ects are considered negligible, then the materials are classified as piezo-ceramic and piezoelectric materials. These so called piezo-ceramics are used as actuator and sensor components in many structures. The use of these components with composite materials is significant due to their application in the aerospace and aeronautics fields. The interaction that the piezoelectric material has with a composite body can be improved in order to reduce the energy requirement of the material for deformation. An objective in the optimisation of composite material structures is to minimise compliance or maximise sti ness uT f, with the laminate ply orientations as design variables, where u and f are displacement and force vectors, respectively. Here, the objective is not the maximisation of sti ness but the maximisation of compliance, with typical constraints being failure criteria. These failure criteria can include theories such as the maximum principle stress, the Tsai-Hill or Tsai-Wu failure theories. The compliance is maximised to accentuate any piezoelectric movement and is for theoretical treatment only. Piezoelectric materials once polarized the materials becomes quasi-isotropic. The piezoelectric materials are isotropic in the plane normal to the direction of the voltage being applied and have altered properties normal to this plane. This change in the material properties can be exploited so that the layup can be altered in orientation to improve performance. The idea is to improve the mechanical capabilities of the structure subject to an electrical input or vice versa. In the works by both Carrera et al. and Piefort, First Order Shear Deformation Theory (FSDT) is used in finite element analysis to characterise the structural and electrical behaviour of a plate or shell. FSDT, also known as the Mindlin-Reissner theory, is a plate bending theory that assumes a transverse shear distribution through the thickness of the plate. This theory is considered an improvement on the standard theories such as the Kircho or Timoshenko theories. Many optimisation techniques exist and are classed as either being direct search or gradient based methods. Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) is a direct search method. It mimics the behaviour of a flock of birds or school of fish in their attempt to find food. The PSO’s mathematical statement characterises a set of initial unknown particles within a designated search space that are compared to a set of local best particles and a single global best particle. This comparison is used to update the swarm each run cycle. Regression is a procedure whereby a set of testing data is used to fit a pseudo-function that represents the form the data should take in practice. The aim of this work is to optimise the piezoelectric-composite layer interaction to improve the overall compliance of a structure. Extensive modelling is performed and tested with peer reviewed literature to demonstrate its accuracy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Oor die afgelope 50 jaar het slim materiale hulle verskyning gemaak in verskeie strukture. Termopiezo-elektriese keramieke is een van hierdie nuwe materiale. Wanneer termiese e ekte onbeduidend is, word hierdie materiale as piezo-elektriese materiale geklassifiseer. Hierdie sogenaamde piezo-keramieke word gebruik as aandrywers en sensoriese onderdele in verskeie strukture. Die kombinasie van hierdie onderdele met saamgestelde materiale het belangrike toepassings in die ruimte- en lugvaartkunde. Die interaksie van die piezo-elektriese materiale met die saamgestelde materiaal strukture kan verbeter word om die energie-vereistes van die materiaal vir vervorming te verminder. ’n Tipiese doel in die optimering van saamgestelde materiaalstrukture is om styfheid uT f te maksimeer met die gelamineerde laag-oriëntasies as ontwerpsveranderlikes, waar u en f onderskeidelik verplasing en kragvektor voorstel. In teenstelling met die optimering van die samestelling wat voorheen gedoen is, is die doel hier nie die maksimering van styfheid nie, maar die minimering van styfheid, met falingskriteria as tipiese beperkings. Die falingskriteria sluit die volgende in: die maksimum spanningsteorie, en die Tsai-Hill of Tsai-Wu falingsteorieë. Die styfheid word geminimeer om piezo-elektriese verplasing te versterk, maar word hierin net teoreties bekyk. Sodra piezo-elektriese materiale gepolariseer word, word hulle quasi-isotropies. Die piezoelektriese materiale is isotropies in die vlak gelyk aan die rigting van die stroomspanning wat daarop toegepas word en het ander eienskappe normaal tot die vlak. Die verandering in die materiaal se eienskappe kan gebruik word sodat beide die saamgestelde materiaal en die piezoelektriese laag se oriëntasie aangepas kan word vir verbeterde werkverrigting. Die idee is om die meganiese vermoëns te verbeter van ’n struktuur wat onderwerp word aan ’n elektriese inset of vice versa. In die literatuur van beide Carrera et al. en Piefort word Eerste Orde Skuifvervormings Teorie (EOST) gebruik in eindige element analises om die strukturele en elektriese gedrag van ’n plaat of dop te karakteriseer. EOST, ook bekend as Mindlin-Reissner teorie, is ’n plaat buigings-teorie wat ’n dwarsvervormingverspreiding aanneem deur die dikte van die plaat. Hierdie teorie word gesien as ’n verbetering op die standaard teorieë soos bv. Kircho of Timoshenko se teorieë. Daar bestaan baie optimeringstegnieke wat geklassifiseer word as ’direkte soek’ of ’hellinggebaseerde’ metodes. Partikel swerm-optimering (PSO) is ’n direkte soekmetode. Dit boots die gedrag van ’n swerm voëls of ’n skool visse in hulle poging om kos te vind, na. PSO se wiskundige stelling karakteriseer ’n aanvanklike stel onbekende partikels binne ’n afgebakende soekgebied wat vergelyk word met ’n stel van die beste plaaslike partikels sowel as ’n enkele beste globale partikel. Die vergelykings word gebruik om die swerm met elke siklus op te dateer. Regressie is ’n metode waarin toetsdata gebruik word om ’n benaderde funksie te konstrueer wat ongeveer voorspel hoe die regte funksie lyk. Die doel van hierdie werk is om die piezoelektriese saamgestelde laag te optimeer en die interaksie van die totale gedrag van die struktuur te verbeter. Uitgebreide modellering word uitgevoer en getoets met eweknie-beoordeelde literatuur om die akkuraatheid en korrektheid te bewys.

The master thesis deals with proposal of automated trading system and its implementation in the Foreign exchange market environment. This system will be developed as investment model based on the analyzes performed and then tested on real data to achieve maximum stability and profit.

Utmattning av stålmaterial är ett fenomen som varit känt i närmare 190 år men trots det är det fortfarande långt ifrån helt utforskat. Utmattningsegenskaper hos grundmaterial och svetsar är idag relativt utforskat, medan områden som utmattningsegenskaper hos kallformade stålprofiler fortfarande mer eller mindre är outforskat. Med utforskningen av utmattningsegenskaper hos kallformade stålprofiler som huvudsyfte delades examensarbetet upp i två delar. En överliggande kranbomsoptimering med huvudmålet att sänka vikten så mycket som möjligt med hjälp av materialbyte till ett mer höghållfast stål och optimal användning av material med avseende på utmattning. Den andra delen av examensarbetet är en framtagning av en provkropp med huvudmålet att kunna testa utmattningsegenskaper för kallformade stålprofiler samt att ge dimensionerande värden till kranbomsoptimeringen. Provstavsframtagningen resulterade i tre versioner av provkroppar som i teorin ska ge utmattningsegenskaper i longitudinell riktning för kallformade stålprofiler. Eftersom provstavarna inte kunde prövas på grund av tidsbrist baserades kranbomsoptimeringen på teoretiska värden. Resultatet av kranbomsoptimeringen var att vikten kunde sänkas från 1027 kg till 435 kg utan att påverka andra beaktade kranegenskaper. / Even though fatigue in steel structures is a phenomenon that was discovered almost 190 years ago it is still far from fully explored. The fatigue properties of base materials and welded materials are currently relatively well known, but the fatigue properties of cold-formed steel profiles are still more or less unknown. With the investigation of fatigue properties of cold-formed steel profiles as the main purpose, this master thesis was divided into two parts. An overhead optimization of a crane with the main goal of reducing weight as much as possible with the help of upgrading materials to higher strength steels and using the materials in an optimal way with respect to fatigue. The second part of the master thesis is the development of a test specimen with the main goal of testing the fatigue properties of cold-formed steel profiles and to provide dimensioning values for the optimization of the crane. The development of test specimen resulted in three versions of specimens which in theory will provide fatigue properties in the longitudinal direction for cold-formed steel profiles. Since the test specimens could not be tested because of shortage of time, the optimization of the crane had to be based on theoretical values. The results of the optimization were that the weight could be lowered from 1027 kg to 435 kg without affecting any other consideration characteristics of the crane.