This thesis describes a systemic approach to the study of shell remains, using material from the site of Shag Point (J43/11), in North Otago. This approach analyses the relationship between sampling, identification, quantification, and site formation processes. An historical and methodological framework is used to assess the analysis of shell-bearing deposits in New Zealand, and provide innovative solutions to bias. Historical research outlines the common research methods in New Zealand, which are relevant to Shag Point. Methodological research outlines the range of potential research methods used in the study of shell-bearing deposits. Reviewing the data from Shag Point, sampling, identification, quantification, and site formation processes are used to assess the quality of data from the site. Data from coastal sites are commonly used to generate regional level syntheses. These syntheses do not deal with all of the possible sources of bias in shell-bearing deposits. Cumulative sampling is used to assess representativeness. The data from Shag Point are indicative of a representative sample. The site is compared to three other coastal southern South Island assemblages: the nearby Shag River Mouth, Pleasant River, and Pounawea. The data from Shag River Mouth may be representative; the same cannot be said for the Pleasant River and Pounawea archaeological assemblages, thus hampering regional-level syntheses.

<p>Date: 2008/06/03</p><p>Level: Master thesis in International Business and Entrepreneurship, 10p (15ECTS)</p><p>Authors: Sven Bokhari Fabrizio Del Duca</p><p>Title: Economic Development through globalisation in Nigeria. An analysis of Shell & the IMF Structural Adjustment Programs</p><p>Tutor: Leif Linnskog, Ph.D.</p><p>Research Question: Can globalisation be seen as positive or negative for the Economic Development of Nigeria? A focus on Shell and the International Monetary Fund Research Issue: Globalisation in its current form is viewed in the Western world as a positive influence for the Economic Development of under developed countries. However</p><p>these views on the benefits brought to developing countries have been</p><p>frequently disputed.</p><p>Method: The research we are undertaking is a pilot study based on documentary research. Our source of information is secondary data such as books, articles, newspapers and journals. The study employs a qualitative approach.</p><p>Conclusions: Even though globalisation is often viewed as positive we have discovered that this is not always the case in relation to its effects in Nigeria. Judging from our analysis, globalisation through the IMF and Shell has had an overall negative impact on Economic Development. However, Shell is attempting to act more responsible by adjusting its position in order to have a more positive impact on</p><p>Economic Development. On the other hand, the IMF has not adapted to Nigeria but obliges the country to adapt to the institution’s demands hindering Economic Development.</p><p>Keywords: Globalisation, Economic Development, Shell, IMF, Nigeria</p>

Atom transfer radical polymerisation (ATRP) technique was used to synthesize poly(methacrylic acid-block-methyl methacrylate) (P(MAA₁₀₂-b-MMA₁₀)) copolymer in order to study the aggregation behavior in aqueous solution over the course of neutralization. A combination of static and dynamic light scattering (SLS, DLS) and potentiometric titration techniques were used to investigate the size and shape of the micelle at various degrees of neutralization. The hydrodynamic radius (Rh) determined from dynamic light scattering increases from ~26nm (for unneutralized) to ~42nm (for completely neutralized sample). Both potentiometric and laser light scattering studies indicate the formation of a core shell micelle. The weighted average molecular weights of the polymer and micelle are 1.18x10⁴ and 2.25 x 10⁵ g/mol respectively, which suggests that the aggregation number of the micelle is ~20. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

We have discovered that the current protocols to assemble Au nanoparticles based on DNA hybridization do not work well with the small metal nanoparticles (e.g. 5 nm Au, 3.6 nm Pt and 3.2 nm Ru particles). Further investigations revealed the presence of strong interaction between the oligonucleotide backbone and the surface of the small metal nanoparticles. The oligonucleotides in this case are recumbent on the particle surface and are therefore not optimally oriented for hybridization. The nonspecific adsorption of oligonucleotides on small metal nanoparticles must be overcome before DNA hybridization can be accepted as a general assembly method. Two methods have been suggested as possible solutions to this problem. One is based on the use of stabilizer molecules which compete with the oligonucleotides for adsorption on the metal nanoparticle surface. Unfortunately, the reported success of this approach in small Au nanoparticles (using K₂BSPP) and Au films (using 6-mercapto-1-hexanol) could not be extended to the assembly of Pt and Ru nanoparticles by DNA hybridization. The second approach is to simply use larger metal particles. Indeed most reports on the DNA hybridization induced assembly of Au nanoparticles have made use of relatively large particles (>10 nm), hinting at a weaker non-specific interaction between the oligonucleotides and large Au nanoparticles. However, most current methods of nanoparticle synthesis are optimized to produce metal nanoparticles only within a narrow size range. We find that core-shell nanoparticles formed by the seeded growth method may be used to artificially enlarge the size of the metal particles to reduce the nonspecific binding of oligonucleotides. We demonstrate herein a core-shell assisted growth method to assemble Pt and Ru nanoparticles by DNA hybridization. This method involves firstly synthesizing approximately 16 nm core-shell Ag-Pt and 21 nm core-shell Au-Ru nanoparticles from 9.6 nm Ag seeds and 17.2 nm Au seeds respectively by the seed-mediated growth method. The core-shell nanoparticles were then functionalized by complementary thiolated oligonucleotides followed by aging in 0.2 M PBS buffer for 6 hours. The DNA hybridization induced bimetallic assembly of Pt and Ru nanoparticles could then be carried out in 0.3 M PBS buffer for 10 hours. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

The thesis studies the bulk deformation properties of the Skyrme nuclear energy densityfunctionals. Following simple arguments based on the leptodermous expansion andliquid drop model, the current research applies the nuclear density functional theory toassess the role of the surface symmetry energy in nuclei. To this end, one can validatethe commonly used functional parametrizations against the data on excitation energies ofsuperdeformed band-heads in Hg and Pb isotopes, and fission isomers in actinide nuclei.After subtracting shell effects, the results of our self-consistent calculations are consistentwith macroscopic arguments and indicate that experimental data on strongly deformedcongurations in neutron-rich nuclei are essential for optimizing future nuclear energy densityfunctionals. The resulting survey provides a useful benchmark for further theoreticalimprovements. Unlike in nuclei close to the stability valley, whose macroscopic deformabilityhangs on the balance of surface and Coulomb terms, the deformability of neutron-richnuclei strongly depends on the surface-symmetry energy; hence, its proper determinationis crucial for the stability of deformed phases of the neutron-rich matter and descriptionof fission rates for r-process nucleosynthesis. The results and consequent discussions fromthe thesis were published in Ref. [134].

This thesis is a summary of my research works at the MSM department of the University of Liège since 1989. These research works are devoted to the numerical simulation of the three-dimensional sheet metal forming processes by the finite element method. Several research areas, including the finite element modelling, the time-integration technique of material constitutive laws and the 3D contact treatments are covered. The theoretical methodologies, the numerical implementation and industrial applications will be presented. The thesis begins with a brief overview made in chapter 1. In chapter 2, a 8-node mixed brick element based on the HU-WASHIZU variational principle is developed (JET3D element). Special attention is paid to avoid hourglass modes as well as locking phenomena, including "shear locking" and "volumetric locking" in nonlinear analysis. Numerical examples are used at the end of this chapter to assess the performance and applicability of this element. In chapter 3, a 3D four-node shallow element, which was originally developed by Ph. JETTEUR and then has been improved by him and his co-workers, is recalled (COQJ4 element). Special care is taken to the finite rotation problems and a new formulation for the finite rotation is developed. An example is used at the end of the chapter to show the performance of the proposed formulation for the finite rotation problems. A special contact element is developed for the shell element in chapter 4. In this chapter, some basics aspects of numerical tretments of contact problem are discussed and some attentions are paid to the contact searching algorithms, which has proved to be very important in 3D cases. In chapter 5, the appropriate constitutive equations are examined together with the techniques of time-integration and the evaluation of the tangent stiffness matrix. Much attention is paid to the implicit integration methods, which have proved to be very efficient for large increments of deformation. Finally, in chapter 6, two benchmark tests are used as validation of the code. Special attention is paid to the possibility of using dynamic explicit procedure in the numerical simulation of sheet metal forming, although it is often characterised as a quasi-static process. All the developments made in the thesis have been implemented into the finite element code LAGAMINE developed since 1982 at the MSM department of the University of Liège.

Objective of the thesis is to develop a finite element that is effective for simulation of thin-walled behavior, such as in metal forming processes. The thesis includes six chapters and is structured as follows. The first chapter presents the objects for the research. The second chapter introduces background methods which will be incorporated in the solid-shell elements. The third chapter develops an alternative ANS technique and applies it to the solid-shell elements. As a result, in that chapter a new solid-shell element based on the alternative ANS technique is proposed. Elastic applications of the just developed solid-shell element are illustrated in Chapter 4. In Chapter 5, plasticity theory and numerical problems in plasticity deformation are presented. The thesis specially concentrates on treating a current industrial problem: spring back prediction. Results in Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed solid-shell element. Chapter 6 withdraws conclusions and then makes some remarkable future developments.

Date: 2008/06/03 Level: Master thesis in International Business and Entrepreneurship, 10p (15ECTS) Authors: Sven Bokhari Fabrizio Del Duca Title: Economic Development through globalisation in Nigeria. An analysis of Shell &amp; the IMF Structural Adjustment Programs Tutor: Leif Linnskog, Ph.D. Research Question: Can globalisation be seen as positive or negative for the Economic Development of Nigeria? A focus on Shell and the International Monetary Fund Research Issue: Globalisation in its current form is viewed in the Western world as a positive influence for the Economic Development of under developed countries. However these views on the benefits brought to developing countries have been frequently disputed. Method: The research we are undertaking is a pilot study based on documentary research. Our source of information is secondary data such as books, articles, newspapers and journals. The study employs a qualitative approach. Conclusions: Even though globalisation is often viewed as positive we have discovered that this is not always the case in relation to its effects in Nigeria. Judging from our analysis, globalisation through the IMF and Shell has had an overall negative impact on Economic Development. However, Shell is attempting to act more responsible by adjusting its position in order to have a more positive impact on Economic Development. On the other hand, the IMF has not adapted to Nigeria but obliges the country to adapt to the institution’s demands hindering Economic Development. Keywords: Globalisation, Economic Development, Shell, IMF, Nigeria

Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) with various elemental composition, size, shape and physical or chemical properties has become active field of research. Among all the metal NPs noble metal ones are receiving much attention due to their special optical properties which make them useful for different applications. Noble metal NPs have bright colors resulting from strong surface plasmon resonance absorption usually in the visible region. The colors are size and shape dependent and provide the tuning of optical properties. The optical properties of NPs are also strongly depending on the nature of the NPs surface which plays a crucial role on chemical sensing. Therefore, surface modification of NPs has become increasingly important. In this study, gold NPs were prepared in aqueous phase by seed-mediated growth method. To enhance the optical properties, surface functionalization was performed by coating NPs with silver. The coating process was achieved by chemical reduction of silver ions on NPs surface. Thickness of silver layer on the NPs were attempted to be controlled by the amount of silver salt added into NPs solution. Coating process of different types of gold NPs (rod, octahedral, star) was done by the same procedure. Moreover, this attempt yielded control over silver layer thickness on sphere, rod and octahedral shaped gold NPs, but not on branched NPs. The structure, composition and spectroscopic properties of Au-Ag core shell NPs were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, Field Emission Transmission Electron Microscope (FE-TEM) and Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) studies, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The analysis showed that all NPs studied were successfully coated with silver and promising for further explorations in sensing and imaging applications.

This thesis describes a fundamental study of the miscibility and the nature of the interface between components of core-shell polymer blends using the technique of Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) coupled with data analysis that involves Monte-Carlo simulations. Our aim in this study was to develop a fundamental methodology to quantitatively determine the width of the interface between the two components in binary polymer blends. At the current state of the art, data analysis of FRET experiments requires translational symmetry. In the system under study, uniform core-shell structures satisfy this criterion. Thus, in this work our focus was directed toward the study of a blend system with a core-shell structure. For this FRET study, I have identified a number of potential donor and acceptor dye pairs that fluoresce in the visible range of the spectrum and can be chemically attached to polymers. Among them, I selected, as the donor and the acceptor, a pair of naphthalimide dyes that have not previously been used for FRET experiments. Model experiments showed that while the fluorescence decay profile of the donor chromophore was exponential in solution, it was not exponential in polystyrene (PS) or poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) films. Thus, I carried out refinements to existing FRET theory to interpret the data generated by using these dyes. Also, I derived a new model to predict the fluorescence intensity of non-exponential decaying donor dyes in core-shell systems. I selected a model system composed of a PS core surrounded by a PMMA shell. The PS core particles were prepared by miniemulsion polymerization to obtain cross-linked PS particles with a narrow size distribution. Seeded emulsion polymerization under starved-fed condition was employed to synthesize monodisperse dye-labeled core-shell particles. The extent of miscibility and the nature of interface between the core and the shell polymers were retrieved from a combined study by Monte-Carlo simulations and analysis of the donor fluorescence intensity decays. Agreement between the retrieved interface thickness and the literature data on PS-PMMA validates the methodology developed here for the use of such donor dyes in FRET studies on polymer blends.