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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
271

Turbine-Mounted Lidar:The pulsed lidar as a reliable alternative.

Braña, Isaac January 2011 (has links)
Expectations for turbine-mounted lidar are increasing. The installation of lidars in wind turbine nacelles for measuring incoming winds, preventing wind gusts and increasing energy productions is after recently studies, technically and economically feasible. Among available lidar types, the most studied were continuous wave lidars because they were the most reliable apparatus when this initiative began. However, after studying technical considerations and checking commercial lidars, it was found that pulsed lidarslead this technology due to their promising results. The purpose of this report is to fill the gap between the interest in this technology and the absence of any academic papers that analyzes continuous-wave and pulsed lidars forthe mounted lidar concept. Hence, this report discusses the importance of turbine mounted lidars for wind power industry, different possible configurations and explains why specifically pulsed lidars are becoming more important for the mounted lidarmarket.
272

Processing and Characterization of P-Type Doped Zinc Oxide Thin Films

Myers, Michelle Anne 03 October 2013 (has links)
Applications of zinc oxide (ZnO) for optoelectronic devices, including light emitting diodes, semiconductor lasers, and solar cells have not yet been realized due to the lack of high-quality p-type ZnO. In the research presented herein, pulsed laser deposition is employed to grow Ag-doped ZnO thin films, which are characterized in an attempt to understand the ability of Ag to act as a p-type dopant. By correlating the effects of the substrate temperature, oxygen pressure, and laser energy on the electrical and microstructural properties of Ag-doped ZnO films grown on c-cut sapphire substrates, p-type conductivity is achieved under elevated substrate temperatures. Characteristic stacking fault features have been continuously observed by transmission electron microscopy in all of the p-type films. Photoluminescence studies on n-type and p-type Ag-doped ZnO thin films demonstrate the role of stacking faults in determining the conductivity of the films. Exciton emission attributed to basal plane stacking faults suggests that the acceptor impurities are localized nearby the stacking faults in the n-type films. The photoluminescence investigation provides a correlation between microstructural characteristics and electrical properties of Ag- doped ZnO thin films; a link that enables further understanding of the doping nature of Ag impurities in ZnO. Under optimized deposition conditions, various substrates are investigated as potential candidates for ZnO thin film growth, including r -cut sapphire, quartz, and amorphous glass. Electrical results indicated that despite narrow conditions for obtaining p-type conductivity at a given substrate temperature, flexibility in substrate choice enables improved electrical properties. In parallel, N+-ion implantation at elevated temperatures is explored as an alternative approach to achieve p-type ZnO. The ion implantation fluence and temperature have been optimized to achieve p-type conductivity. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that characteristic stacking fault features are present throughout the p-type films, however in n-type N-doped films high-density defect clusters are observed. These results suggest that the temperature under which ion implantation is performed plays a critical role in determining the amount of dynamic defect re- combination that can take place, as well as defect cluster formation processes. Ion implantation at elevated temperatures is shown to be an effective method to introduce increased concentrations of p-type N dopants while reducing the amount of stable post-implantation disorder. Finally, the fabrication and properties of p-type Ag-doped ZnO/n-type ZnO and p-type N-doped ZnO/n-type ZnO thin film junctions were reported. For the N-doped sample, a rectifying behavior was observed in the I-V curve, consistent with N-doped ZnO being p-type and forming a p-n junction. The turn-on voltage of the device was ∼2.3 V under forward bias. The Ag-doped samples did not result in rectifying behavior as a result of conversion of the p-type layer to n-type behavior under the n- type layer deposition conditions. The systematic studies in this dissertation provide possible routes to grow p-type Ag-doped ZnO films and in-situ thermal activation of N-implanted dopant ions, to overcome the growth temperature limits, and to push one step closer to the future integration of ZnO-based devices.
273

Design And Construction Of A Cw Mode Nd:yag Laser Prototype.

Eryilmaz, Ertan 01 August 2004 (has links) (PDF)
In this thesis a theoretical background of Nd:YAG lasers has been presented and key parameters of a design have been stated. Both pulsed mode and CW mode designs have been made / a 500mJ xenon flash lamp has been investigated as the pulsed light source and a 500W tungsten halogen lamp has been used as the continuous light source for optical pumping. Closed cooling system has been constructed. De-ionized water has been used as coolant. The goal has been acomplished by constructing a CW mode prototype. The output power has been calculated. Dependence of output power to the reflectivity of output coupler is simulated and optimum reflectivity is calculated. Theoretical emission bands of Nd:YAG have been observed experimentally.
274

Expansion and Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Umbilical Cord Perivascular Stem Cells by Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound for Dentofacial Tissue Engineering

Aldosary, Tagreed 11 1900 (has links)
The objective of these experiments is to explore the effect of LIPUS on the ultraexpansion and osteogenic differentiation of harvested passage-4 HUCPV-SCs. HUCPV-SCs were divided into two groups: a treatment group that received LIPUS for 10 minutes for 1, 7, and 14 days and a control group that received a sham treatment utilizing both basic and osteogenic media. The results in basic media and osteogenic media demonstrated nonsignificant differences in cell count, ALP, DNA content, and CD90. Statistically significant expression of OSP and PCNA was observed on day 14 in LIPUS treated group. Nucleostemin expression in the LIPUS-treated group was insignificant on days 1 and 7. However, a selective increase in osteogenic markers was obtained on day 7 for ALP and OCN and on day 14 for OPN. Future experiments are required to explore the effects of different application times and/or techniques of LIPUS on the behaviour of HUCPV-SCs. / Medical Science
275

A novel electric fence energizer : design and analysis

Thrimawithana, Duleepa J January 2008 (has links)
Continual advancements in technology have led to the development of reliable, efficient and economical farm management systems, many of which utilize electric fences for effective control of farm animals. An electric fence system constitutes a conducting fence structure that is energized by a high voltage signal generated from an electric fence energizer. Modern electric fence energizers employ a pulsed power supply together with an appropriate high voltage charging scheme to generate high voltage pulses that energize the fence structure. The high voltage pulse delivers a non-lethal electric shock to an animal that comes into contact with the fence, and the consequent psychological impact on the animal is such that it is less likely to come into contact with the fence again. The complexity associated with modelling electric fence systems has hindered the development of proper mathematical tools that aid their design and optimization, and as a consequence, electric fence systems are currently designed using empirical rules together with a trial and error design approach. This Thesis therefore aims to fulfil this need by presenting new technologies and mathematical tools that can be used to design both intelligent and optimized electric fence systems. It presents a comprehensive study on electric fencing systems, which includes a detailed mathematical analysis on pulse propagation properties of electric fence networks and the development of high performance fence energizers that incorporates new pulses power supply technologies and high voltage charging schemes. With regard to the pulsed power technologies, two novel topologies with the ability to adapt their output pulse shape according to the fence conditions are proposed. The performance of these technologies is analyzed mathematically, and verified experimentally. In comparison to the existing fence energizer technology, energizers that are based on the proposed pulsed power supply designs are superior in performance. Furthermore, a novel Buck-Boost pushpull parallel-resonant converter technique, which is suitable for charging high voltage storage capacitors in an energizer, is also presented. The proposed technique allows for the push-pull parallel-resonant converter to operate with a frequency dependent variable voltage gain over a wide load range while maintaining zero voltage switching (ZVS). The operation of the converter is analyzed mathematically and verified experimentally to validate the proposed technique. In order to gain an insight into the propagation characteristics of electric fence networks, the Thesis presents a comprehensive mathematical model. The model uses the propagation properties of fence networks with frequency dependent distributed line parameters to obtain analytical solutions for the propagation function in the frequency-domain. As these analytical solutions are complex in nature, they are solved numerically to obtain time-domain solutions, the accuracy of which are verified through experiments and simulations. The mathematical tools and new technologies proposed in the thesis can be used to design electric fence systems that are more efficient and effective than the existing systems. In addition, the tools proposed are also expected to aid the design of electric fence based communication channels for intelligent farm management systems.
276

An Investigation on the Non Thermal Pasteurisation Using Pulsed Electric Fields

Alkhafaji, Sally January 2006 (has links)
Increasing consumer demand for new products with high nutritional qualities has spurred a search for new alternatives to food preservation. Pulsed electric field (PEF) is an emerging technology for non thermal food pasteurisation. Using this technology, enzymes, pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms can be inactivated without affecting the colour, flavour, and nutrients of the food. PEF treatment may be provided by applying pulsed electric field to a food product in a treatment zone between two electrodes at ambient , or slightly above ambient temperature. Exposure of microbial cells to the electric field induces a transmembrane potential in the cell membrane, which results in electroporation (the permeabilization of the membranes of cells and organelles) and/or electrofusion (the connection of two separate membranes into one) of the cells. An innovative pulsed electric field (PEF) unit was designed and constructed in the University of Auckland using modern IGBT technology. The system consists of main equipments, the high voltage pulse generator and the treatment chambers. The main focus of this work was to design an innovative PEF treatment chamber that provide uniform distribution of electric field, minimum increase in liquid temperature, minimum fouling of electrodes and an energy efficient system. Four multi pass treatment chambers were designed consisting of two stainless steel mesh electrodes in each chamber, with the treated fluid flowing through the openings of the mesh electrodes. The two electrodes are electrically isolated from each other by an insulator element designed to form a small orifice where most of the electric field is concentrated. Dielectric breakdown inside the chambers was prevented by removing the electrodes far from the narrow gap. The effect of the chambers different geometries on the PEF process in terms of electric parameters and microbial inactivation were investigated. Electric field intensity in the range of (17-43 kV/cm) was applied with square bipolar pulses of 1.7 µs duration. The effect of PEF treatment on the inactivation of gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 suspended in simulated milk ultra-filtrate (SMUF) of 100%, 66.67% and 50% concentration was investigated. Treatments with the same electrical power input but higher electric field strengths provided larger degree of killing. The inactivation rate of E coli was significantly increased with increasing the electric field strength, treatment time and processing temperature. Morphological changes on E coli as a result of PEF treatment were studied under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Significant morphological changes on E coli after PEF treatment were observed. The TEM studies suggested that the microbial inactivation was a consequence of electroporation and electrofusion mechanisms. Kinetic analysis of microbial inactivation due to PEF and thermal treatment of E coli suspended in SUMF were also studied. Comparison between measured (experimental) and predicted (theoretical) variation of E coli concentration with time following the PEF treatment was discussed, taking into consideration the recirculation mode of the PEF treatment. The treated liquid was circulated more than once through the treatment chamber to provide higher microbial inactivation. Arrhenius constants and activation energies of E coli inactivation using combined PEF and thermal treatment were calculated and generalized correlation for the inactivation rate constant as a function of electric field intensity and treatment temperature was developed. / Fonterra Research Institute (NZ) and the Foundation for Research Science and Technology (NZ)
277

An Investigation on the Non Thermal Pasteurisation Using Pulsed Electric Fields

Alkhafaji, Sally January 2006 (has links)
Increasing consumer demand for new products with high nutritional qualities has spurred a search for new alternatives to food preservation. Pulsed electric field (PEF) is an emerging technology for non thermal food pasteurisation. Using this technology, enzymes, pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms can be inactivated without affecting the colour, flavour, and nutrients of the food. PEF treatment may be provided by applying pulsed electric field to a food product in a treatment zone between two electrodes at ambient , or slightly above ambient temperature. Exposure of microbial cells to the electric field induces a transmembrane potential in the cell membrane, which results in electroporation (the permeabilization of the membranes of cells and organelles) and/or electrofusion (the connection of two separate membranes into one) of the cells. An innovative pulsed electric field (PEF) unit was designed and constructed in the University of Auckland using modern IGBT technology. The system consists of main equipments, the high voltage pulse generator and the treatment chambers. The main focus of this work was to design an innovative PEF treatment chamber that provide uniform distribution of electric field, minimum increase in liquid temperature, minimum fouling of electrodes and an energy efficient system. Four multi pass treatment chambers were designed consisting of two stainless steel mesh electrodes in each chamber, with the treated fluid flowing through the openings of the mesh electrodes. The two electrodes are electrically isolated from each other by an insulator element designed to form a small orifice where most of the electric field is concentrated. Dielectric breakdown inside the chambers was prevented by removing the electrodes far from the narrow gap. The effect of the chambers different geometries on the PEF process in terms of electric parameters and microbial inactivation were investigated. Electric field intensity in the range of (17-43 kV/cm) was applied with square bipolar pulses of 1.7 µs duration. The effect of PEF treatment on the inactivation of gram-negative Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 suspended in simulated milk ultra-filtrate (SMUF) of 100%, 66.67% and 50% concentration was investigated. Treatments with the same electrical power input but higher electric field strengths provided larger degree of killing. The inactivation rate of E coli was significantly increased with increasing the electric field strength, treatment time and processing temperature. Morphological changes on E coli as a result of PEF treatment were studied under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Significant morphological changes on E coli after PEF treatment were observed. The TEM studies suggested that the microbial inactivation was a consequence of electroporation and electrofusion mechanisms. Kinetic analysis of microbial inactivation due to PEF and thermal treatment of E coli suspended in SUMF were also studied. Comparison between measured (experimental) and predicted (theoretical) variation of E coli concentration with time following the PEF treatment was discussed, taking into consideration the recirculation mode of the PEF treatment. The treated liquid was circulated more than once through the treatment chamber to provide higher microbial inactivation. Arrhenius constants and activation energies of E coli inactivation using combined PEF and thermal treatment were calculated and generalized correlation for the inactivation rate constant as a function of electric field intensity and treatment temperature was developed. / Fonterra Research Institute (NZ) and the Foundation for Research Science and Technology (NZ)
278

Stepping stones towards linear optical quantum computing

Till Weinhold Unknown Date (has links)
The experiments described in this thesis form an investigation into the path towards establishing the requirements of quantum computing in a linear optical system. Our qubits are polarisation encoded photons for which the basic operations of quantum computing, single qubit rotations, are a well understood problem. The difficulty lies in the interaction of photons. To achieve these we use measurement induced non-linearities. The first experiment in this thesis describes the thorough characterisation of a controlled-sign gate based on such non-linearities. The photons are provided as pairs generated through parametric down-conversion, and as such share correlations unlikely to carry over into large scale implementations of the future. En route to such larger circuits, a characterisation of the actions of the controlled-sign gate is conducted, when the input qubits have been generated independently from each other, revealing a large drop in process fidelity. To explore the cause of this degradation of the gate performance a thorough and highly accurate model of the gate is derived including the realistic description of faulty circuitry, photon loss and multi-photon emission by the source. By simulating the effects of the various noise sources individually, the heretofore largely ignored multi-photon emission is identified as the prime cause of the degraded gate performance, causing a drop in fidelity nearly three times as large as any other error source. I further draw the first comparison between the performance of an experimental gate to the error probabilities per gate derived as thresholds for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In the absence of a single vigourous threshold value, I compare the gate performance to the models that yielded the highest threshold to date as an upper bound and to the threshold of the Gremlin-model, which allows for the most general errors. Unsurprisingly this comparison reveals that the implemented gate is clearly insufficient, however just remedying the multi-photon emission error will allow this architecture to move to within striking distance of the boundary for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The utilised methodology can be applied to any gate in any architecture and can, combined with a suitable model of the noise sources, become an important guide for developments required to achieve fault tolerant quantum computing. The final experiment on the path towards linear optical quantum computing is the demonstration of a pair of basic versions of Shor's algorithm which display the essential entanglement for the algorithm. The results again highlight the need for extensive measurements to reveal the fundamental quality of the implemented algorithm, which is not accessible with limited indicative measurements. In the second part of the thesis, I describe two experiments on other forms of entanglement by extending the actions of a Fock-State filter, a filter that is capable of attenuating single photon states stronger than multi-photon states, to produce entangled states. Furthermore this device can be used in conjunction with standard wave-plates to extend the range of operations possible on the bi-photonic qutrit space, showing that this setup suffices to produce any desired qutrit state, thereby giving access to new measurement capabilities and in the process creating and proving the first entanglement between a qubit and a qutrit.
279

Stepping stones towards linear optical quantum computing

Till Weinhold Unknown Date (has links)
The experiments described in this thesis form an investigation into the path towards establishing the requirements of quantum computing in a linear optical system. Our qubits are polarisation encoded photons for which the basic operations of quantum computing, single qubit rotations, are a well understood problem. The difficulty lies in the interaction of photons. To achieve these we use measurement induced non-linearities. The first experiment in this thesis describes the thorough characterisation of a controlled-sign gate based on such non-linearities. The photons are provided as pairs generated through parametric down-conversion, and as such share correlations unlikely to carry over into large scale implementations of the future. En route to such larger circuits, a characterisation of the actions of the controlled-sign gate is conducted, when the input qubits have been generated independently from each other, revealing a large drop in process fidelity. To explore the cause of this degradation of the gate performance a thorough and highly accurate model of the gate is derived including the realistic description of faulty circuitry, photon loss and multi-photon emission by the source. By simulating the effects of the various noise sources individually, the heretofore largely ignored multi-photon emission is identified as the prime cause of the degraded gate performance, causing a drop in fidelity nearly three times as large as any other error source. I further draw the first comparison between the performance of an experimental gate to the error probabilities per gate derived as thresholds for fault-tolerant quantum computing. In the absence of a single vigourous threshold value, I compare the gate performance to the models that yielded the highest threshold to date as an upper bound and to the threshold of the Gremlin-model, which allows for the most general errors. Unsurprisingly this comparison reveals that the implemented gate is clearly insufficient, however just remedying the multi-photon emission error will allow this architecture to move to within striking distance of the boundary for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The utilised methodology can be applied to any gate in any architecture and can, combined with a suitable model of the noise sources, become an important guide for developments required to achieve fault tolerant quantum computing. The final experiment on the path towards linear optical quantum computing is the demonstration of a pair of basic versions of Shor's algorithm which display the essential entanglement for the algorithm. The results again highlight the need for extensive measurements to reveal the fundamental quality of the implemented algorithm, which is not accessible with limited indicative measurements. In the second part of the thesis, I describe two experiments on other forms of entanglement by extending the actions of a Fock-State filter, a filter that is capable of attenuating single photon states stronger than multi-photon states, to produce entangled states. Furthermore this device can be used in conjunction with standard wave-plates to extend the range of operations possible on the bi-photonic qutrit space, showing that this setup suffices to produce any desired qutrit state, thereby giving access to new measurement capabilities and in the process creating and proving the first entanglement between a qubit and a qutrit.
280

Improving high dose rate and pulsed dose rate prostate brachytherapy - alternative prostate definition and treatment delivery verification methods

Howie, Andrew Gordon, howie.andrew@gmail.com January 2009 (has links)
Brachytherapy is a form of radiotherapy in which radioactive sources are placed at short distances from, or even inside the target volume. The use of high dose rate brachytherapy is a widely accepted and clinically proven treatment for some stages of prostate cancer. The aim of this project was to investigate potential improvements on two of the most important aspects of high dose rate (HDR) and pulsed dose rate (PDR) prostate brachytherapy - prostate definition and treatment delivery verification. The use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in addition to the conventional computed tomography (CT) imaging methods currently used routinely for brachytherapy planning may provide some benefit in accurately defining the prostate and surrounding critical structures. The methods used in this project involved analysis of data sets provided by two Radiation Oncologists. The results presented showed inter-observer and intra-observer variations in the size and shape of the prostate, as well as analysis of the dosimetric differences that may be reported due to the differences in prostate size and shape. The results also included analysis of critical structure dosimetry - dose to the surrounding radio-sensitive rectum and urethra. In summary, the results showed that the prostate was defined to be smaller using MR imaging than CT, however the consistency between Oncologists was not significantly improved using MR imaging. MR imaging may be useful in reducing the dose to normal tissue surrounding the prostate and in obtaining better coverage of the smaller target volume, without compromising the critical structures. The use of LiF:Mg,Ti thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) is a potential avenue for in vivo dose verification of an HDR or PDR prostate brachytherapy treatment plan. This project included a phantom study of these TLDs with the aim to determine their feasibility for clinical use. Cylindrical TLD rods (6 mm length x 1 mm diameter) were used, as these fit inside the brachytherapy needles implanted into the prostate, and therefore had potential to be used clinically to verify the dose delivered in the prostate. This study was extended to include determination of a correction factor to allow an independent radiation source (6 MV photon beam from a linear accelerator) to be used to obtain control readings for this relative dosimetric method. The results showed these TLDs to be a promising in vivo dosimeter for prostate brachytherapy with potential errors in the order of 4%. Their potential lies in the fact that they could detect and flag significant calculation errors in treatment plans, and they utilise equipment used routinely for external beam radiotherapy dosimetry in many treatment facilities, reducing the cost of implementing such a procedure.

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