Thesis (M.S. - Hydrology and Water Resources)--University of Arizona, 1983. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-120).

Thesis (MScAgric) -- University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Postharvest berry split and abscission are prevailing physiological disorders that negatively impact on the quality of table grapes exported from South Africa. Inferior grape quality due to these disorders results in a considerable decline in consumer confidence in the branded product, which leads to a drop in demand, and consequently, lower prices. Since information concerning postharvest factors influencing postharvest berry split and abscission is limited, the search for reliable methods to adequately control these problems remains elusive. In an attempt to obtain the required information, the influence of harvest temperature, harvest maturity, perforated liners, field heat removal prior to packing, delay periods before and after packing, storage duration and the elevation of storage temperature on the development of berry split and abscission in 'Thompson Seedless' (Vitis vinifera Linnaeus) table grapes was investigated. Changes in abscission related factors during berry development, and the influence of pre-and postharvest ethylene inhibitors on the development of berry abscission in 'Waltham Cross' table grapes, was also studied. Berry split was aggravated by packing 'Thompson Seedless' grapes at high pulp temperatures of approximately 30°C, especially if the grapes were packed in non-perforated bags. The incidence of berry split could be reduced by between 80 and 90% by packing grapes in perforated instead of non-perforated liners. Perforated bags also reduced levels of S02 damage. However, due to significantly more moisture loss from grapes in perforated bags, compared to non-perforated bags, the risk of higher fruit and stem desiccation and softer berries existed. Optimum size and density of perforations needs to be determined to reduce berry split without excessive loss of moisture from the grapes, and S02gas from the air space surrounding the product. The influence of harvest temperature and liner type on berry abscission was not conclusive. Advanced maturity increased grape resistance to berry split. However, grapes harvested too mature were prone to stem desiccation and the development of Botrytis decay. The occurrence of berry abscission also appeared to increase with advanced harvest maturity. Consequently, to ensure optimal post-storage quality, 'Thompson Seedless' grapes should be harvested as soon as horticultural maturity has been reached, which appears to be at approximately 18°Brix. Field heat removal for 1.5 hours at 19°C prior to packing had no beneficial or adverse effect on berry split and abscission. Delay periods prior to packing aggravated berry abscission, but did not influence berry split significantly. Grapes delayed for 12 hours showed a significant increase in berry abscission and Botrytis decay, compared to grapes delayed for only 3 or 8 hours. Considering that the absence of fungal decay is the most important quality prerequisite in table grapes, it is of vital importance to pack grapes with as short a delay period as possible. Grapes packed in non-perforated liners and delayed for different durations after packing, before the onset of forced-air cooling (FAC), showed significant differences regarding the incidence of berry split. Grapes delayed for 18 hours had significantly higher levels of berry split directly after the delay period, compared to grapes delayed for 6 or 12 hours. No significant difference in berry abscission occurred between grapes delayed for different periods. To minimise the amount of berry split, FAC should be applied as rapidly as possible after the packing of grapes in non-perforated liners. Two storage related factors significantly influenced the incidence of berry split in 'Thompson Seedless' grapes during cold storage significantly, viz. the duration of storage at -O.soC,and the increase in temperature after low temperature storage. Berry split increased almost linearly with prolonged storage at -O.soC. An elevation of storage temperature from -O.soC to 10°C any time during the cold storage period, further aggravated the split problem. Consequently, the reduction of berry split in 'Thompson Seedless' table grapes during cold storage requires (a) the shortest possible cold storage period, and (b) good temperature management throughout distribution, from initiation of cooling until the final point of sale. The grape berry abscission potential, as quantitatively indexed by the measurement of the fruit removal force (FRF), showed significant changes during berry development of 'Waltham Cross' table grapes, from 27 to 111 days after full bloom (OAFB). This showed that at certain stages of fruit growth, 'Waltham Cross' grapes are more prone to berry abscission. At 27 OAFB, when the berries had an average diameter of 6.6mm, the grape bunches showed a significantly higher potential for berry abscission, compared to grapes sampled at a later stage. 'Waltham Cross' has inherently straggly bunches with bare shoulders. Therefore, any abscission during berry development will aggravate the problem. Consequently, it is of vital importance that any adverse factors such as moisture stress be avoided, especially during the period when 'Waltham Cross' grapes appear to be very susceptible to berry abscission. Of all parameters measured, moisture loss showed the best correlation with abscission. Grapes harvested with total soluble solids (TSS) of 12.3°Brix, 83 OAFB, had a significantly higher abscission potential than grapes harvested more mature. Therefore, by harvesting 'Waltham Cross' grapes at optimum maturity, at a TSS of approximately 16.4°Brix, berry abscission can be reduced to a great extent. It was evident that at veraison, the metabolism of grape berries changes drastically, and additional to the rapid increase in sugars and the rapid decrease in acidity, a decrease in FRF occurs. Preharvest sprays of ReTain™ (a derivative of aminoethoxyvinylglycine), which inhibits ethylene synthesis, showed no promise as a means to reduce postharvest berry abscission. A postharvest treatment with EthylBloc® (1-methylcyclopropene), which inhibits ethylene action, only reduced berry abscission during one season. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die fisiologiese defekte korrelbars en los korrels wat algemeen voorkom tydens opberging van sekere tafeldruif-kultivars, het 'n negatiewe invloed op tafeldruiwe wat uitgevoer word vanaf Suid-Afrika. Minderwaardige kwaliteit as gevolg van hierdie defekte het 'n aansienlike afname in verbruikers-vertroue tot gevolg wat aanleiding gee tot 'n ooreenkomstige afname in aanvraag en prys van die produk. Inligting rakende na-oes faktore wat die voorkoms van korrelbars en los korrels beïnvloed is beperk, en geen gewaarborgde metode bestaan om hierdie twee defekte volkome te beheer nie. In 'n poging om dié gewenste inligting te bekom, is ondersoek ingestel na die effek van oes-temperatuur, oes-rypheid, geperforeerde sakke, veldhitte verwydering voor verpakking, vertragingsperiodes voor en na verpakking, tydsduur van opberging, en die verhoging van die opbergingstemperatuur, op die voorkoms van korrelbars en los korrels by 'Thompson Seedless' (Vitis vinifera Linnaeus) druiwe. Daar is ook ondersoek ingestel na veranderings in afsnoering verwante faktore tydens korrel-ontwikkeling, en die invloed van vooren na-oes toedienings van etileen inhibeerders op die ontwikkeling van los korrels by 'Waltham Cross'tafeldruiwe. Korrelbars is vererger deur 'Thompson Seedless' met hoë pulptemperature van ongeveer 29.5°C te verpak, veral indien dit in 'n riie-geperforeerde sak verpak is. Die voorkoms van korrelbars kon tussen 80 en 90% verminder word deur 'Thompson Seedless' druiwe in geperforeerde sakke te verpak, in plaas van nie-geperforeerde sakke. Geperforeerde sakke het ook S02 skade op die druiwe verminder. Tog, as gevolg van betekenisvol meer vogverlies vanaf druiwe in geperforeerde sakke as vanaf druiwe in nie-geperforeerde sakke, bestaan die risiko van meer stingel-uitdroging en minder ferm korrels indien druiwe in geperforeerde sakke verpak word. Optimale grootte en digtheid van perforasies moet bepaal word om korrelbars te verminder, maar sonder oormatige vogverlies vanaf die druiwe en oormatige verlies aan S02. Die invloed van oes-temperatuur en sak-tipe op los korrels was nie oortuigend nie. Gevorderde oes-rypheid het die druif se weerstand teen korrelbars verhoog. Daarteenoor was druiwe wat té ryp geoes is, meer gevoelig vir stingel-uitdroging en Botrytis bederf. Dit wilook voorkom of die voorkoms van los korrels toeneem met gevorderde rypheid. Dus, om optimum kwaliteit na opberging te verseker, moet 'Thompson Seedless' geoes word sodra hortologiese rypheid bereik word, wat blyk om by 'n totale opgeloste vaste stof-inhoud (TOVS) van ongeveer 18°Brix te wees. Veldhitte verwydering voor verpakking, vir 1.5 uur by 19°C, het geen effek gehad op die voorkoms van korrelbars en los korrels nie. 'n Vertragingsperiode voor verpakking het die los korrel-probleem vererger, alhoewel dit geen betekenisvolle invloed op die voorkoms van korrelbars gehad het nie. Druiwe wat vir 12 uur voor verpakking vertraag is, het betekenisvol meer los korrels en Botrytis bederf getoon, in vergelyking met druiwe wat slegs 'n vertragingsperiode van 3 of 8 uur ondergaan het. Aangesien die afwesigheid van bederf die belangrikste kwaliteits-vereiste vir tafeldruiwe is, is dit van kardinale belang om druiwe so gou as moontlik na oes te verpak. Druiwe, verpak in nie-geperforeerde sakke, wat vir verskillende periodes vertraag is voor geforseerde-lug verkoeling, het betekenisvolle verskille getoon betreffende die voorkoms van korrelbars. Druiwe vertraag vir 18 ure voor verkoeling, het betekenisvol meer korrelbars getoon, soos gemeet onmiddellik na die vertragingsperiode, in vergelyking met druiwe wat slegs vir 6 of 12 ure vertraag was. Geen betekenisvolle verskille in los korrels het voorgekom tussen druiwe wat verskillende vertragingsperiodes ondergaan het nie. Om korrelbars te verminder, moet geforseerde-lug verkoeling so gou as moontlik na verpakking van druiwe in nie-geperforeerde sakke toegepas word. Twee opbergings-verwante faktore beïnvloed die voorkoms van korrelbars by 'Thompson Seedless' druiwe tydens koelopberging, naamlik die tydsduur van opberging by -O.soC,asook 'n styging in temperatuur vanaf -O.soC tot 1DoC. Korrelbars het feitlik liniêr toegeneem met verlengde opberging by -O.soC. 'n Styging in temperatuur vanaf -O.SoCtot 1DoCop enige tydstip gedurende die koelopbergingsperiode, het korrelbars verder vererger. Dus, om korrelbars by 'Thompson Seedless' tydens opberging tot die minimum te beperk, moet die tydsduur van opberging so kort as moontlik wees, en moet die koue ketting regdeur die distribusie-proses gehandhaaf word, vanaf inisiëring van verkoeling tot en met die uiteindelike verkoop van die produk. Die afsnoerings-potensiaal van druiwe, soos kwantitatief geïndekseer is deur meting van die vrug-verwyderings-vermoë (VVV), het betekenisvol verander gedurende korrel-ontwikkeling van 'Waltham Cross' tafeldruiwe, vanaf 27 tot 111 dae na volblom (DNVB). Dit het getoon dat 'Waltham Cross' druiwe by sekere stadiums van vrug-groei meer gevoelig is vir korrel afsnoering. By 27 DNVB, wanneer die korrels 'n gemiddelde deursnee van 6.6mm gehad het, het die druiwe 'n betekenisvolle hoër potensiaal vir afsnoering getoon, in vergelyking met druiwe wat op 'n latere stadium getoets is. 'Waltham Cross' is inherent geneig tot yl trosse met kaal skouers, gevolglik sal enige afsnoering tydens korrel-ontwikkeling die probleem vererger. Dus is dit van kardinale belang dat enige nadelige faktor, soos byvoorbeeld vogstres, vermy moet word, veral gedurende periodes wanneer dit wil voorkom of 'Waltham Cross' baie vatbaar is vir korrel afsnoering. Van al die parameters wat gemeet is, het vogverlies die beste korrelasie met korrel afsnoering getoon. Druiwe wat 83 DNVB, by 'n TOVS van 12.3°Brix geoes is, het 'n betekenisvol hoër potensiaal vir korrel afsnoering getoon, in vergelyking met druiwe wat ryper geoes is. Dus, deur 'Waltham Cross' druiwe by optimum rypheid te oes, by 'n TOVS van ongeveer 16.4°Brix, kan korrelbars in 'n groot mate verminder word. Tydens verelson, wanneer die metabolisme van die druiwe drasties verander, was daar gepaardgaande met die drastiese toename in TOVS en die drastiese afname in totale titreerbare sure (TSS), ook 'n afname in Voor-oes bespuitings met ReTain™, wat etileen sintese inhibeer, het geen potensiaal getoon om los korrels by 'Waltham Cross' te verminder nie. 'n Na-oes behandeling met EthyIBloc®, wat etileen werking inhibeer, het slegs korrel afsnoering in een van die seisoene effens verminder.

Interactions gestuelles multi-point et géométrie déformable pour l'édition 3D sur écran tactile: Malgré les progrès en capture d'objets réels et en génération procédurale, la création de contenus pour les mondes virtuels ne peut se faire sans interaction humaine. Cette thèse propose d'exploiter les nouvelles technologies tactiles (écrans "multi-touch") pour offrir une interaction 2D simple et intuitive afin de naviguer dans un environnement virtuel, et d'y manipuler, positionner et déformer des objets 3D. En premier lieu, nous étudions les possibilité et les limitations gestuelles de la main et des doigts lors d'une interaction sur écran tactile afin de découvrir quels gestes semblent les plus adaptés à l'édition des environnements et des objets 3D. En particulier, nous évaluons le nombre de degré de liberté efficaces d'une main humaine lorsque son geste est contraint à une surface plane. Nous proposons également une nouvelle méthode d'analyse gestuelle par phases permettant d'identifier en temps réel les mouvements clés de la main et des doigts. Ces résultats, combinés à plusieurs études utilisateur spécifiques, débouchent sur l'identification d'un patron pour les interactions gestuelles de base incluant non seulement navigation (placement de caméra), mais aussi placement, rotation et mise à l'échelle des objets. Ce patron est étendu dans un second temps aux déformations complexes (ajout et suppression de matière ainsi que courbure ou torsion des objets, avec contrôle de la localité). Tout ceci nous permet de proposer et d'évaluer une interface d'édition des mondes 3D permettant une interaction tactile naturelle, pour laquelle le choix du mode (navigation, positionnement ou déformation) et des tâches correspondantes est automatiquement géré par le système en fonction du geste et de son contexte (sans menu ni boutons). Enfin, nous étendons cette interface pour y intégrer des déformations plus complexe à travers le transfert de vêtements d'un personnage à un autre, qui est étendu pour permettre la déformation interactive du vêtement lorsque le personnage qui le porte est déformé par interaction tactile. / Multi-touch gesture interactions and deformable geometry for 3D edition on touch screen: Despite the advances made in the fields of existing objects capture and of procedural generation, creation of content for virtual worlds can not be perform without human interaction. This thesis suggests to exploit new touch devices ("multi-touch" screens) to obtain an easy, intuitive 2D interaction in order to navigate inside a virtual environment, to manipulate, position and deform 3D objects. First, we study the possibilities and limitations of the hand and finger gestures while interacting on a touch screen in order to discover which gestures are the most adapted to edit 3D scene and environment. In particular, we evaluate the effective number of degrees of freedom of the human hand when constrained on a planar surface. Meanwhile, we develop a new gesture analysis method using phases to identify key motion of the hand and fingers in real time. These results, combined to several specific user-studies, lead to a gestural design pattern which handle not only navigation (camera positioning), but also object positioning, rotation and global scaling. Then, this pattern is extended to complex deformation (such as adding and deleting material, bending or twisting part of objects, using local control). Using these results, we are able to propose and evaluate a 3D world editing interface that handle a natural touch interaction, in which mode selection (i.e. navigation, object positioning or object deformation) and task selections is automatically processed by the system, relying on the gesture and the interaction context (without any menu or button). Finally, we extend this interface to integrate more complex deformations, adapting the garment transfer from a character to any other in order to process interactive deformation of the garment while the wearing character is deformed.

No description available.

The focus of this thesis is design and production of a robotic table football. The aim of the thesis is to select a camera and a lens and to devise lighting. The data from the camera require proper processing to assess the location of the ball, based on which the game algorithm controls the movement of the robotic players. Inherent part of the thesis is testing the player control algorithm using a simple simulation.

In 1896, Frobenius began the study of character theory while factoring the group determinant. Later in 1963, Brauer pointed out that the relationship between characters and their groups was still not fully understood. He published a series of questions that he felt would be important to resolve. In response to these questions, Johnson, Mattarei, and Sehgal developed the idea of a weak Cayley table map between groups. The set of all weak Cayley table maps from one group to itself also has a group structure, which we will call the weak Cayley table group. We will examine the weak Cayley table group of AGL(1; p) and the dicyclic groups, a nd a normal subgroup of the weak Cayley table group for a special case with Camina pairs and Semi-Direct products with a normal Hall-π subgroup, and look at some nontrivial weak Cayley table elements for certain p-groups. We also define a relative weak Cayley table and a relative weak Cayley table map. We will examine the relationship between relative weak Cayley table maps and weak Cayley table maps, automorphisms and anti-automorphisms, characters and spherical functions.

The advent of Industry 4.0 phenomenon has been transforming the information management regarding the specifications of electronic components. This change affects many organizations, including global supply chains that optimizes many product chains, such as raw materials or electronic components. Supply chains consist of thousands of manufacturers and connect them to other organizations and end user, and they include billions of distinct components. The digitization of critical information has to be carried out automatically since there are millions of documents. Although the documents vary greatly in shape and style, the essential information is usually presented in the tables in a condensed format. Extracting the structured information from tables are done by human operators, which costs human effort, time and corporate resources. Based on the motivation that AI-based solutions are automating many processes, this thesis proposes to use deep learning-based solutions for three main problems: (i) table detection, (ii) table internal structure detection and (iii) End-to-End (E2E) tabular structure detection. To this end, deep learning models are trained mostly with public datasets, and a private dataset (after labelling 2000+ documents) which was provided to us by our industry partner. To achieve accurate table detection, we propose a method based on the successful Mask-Region-Based Convolutional Neural Network (Mask-RCNN) instance segmentation model. With some modifications to the training set labels, we have achieved state-of-the-art detection rates with 99% AP and 100% recall. We use the PASCAL Visual Object Classes (VOC) 11-point Average Precision (AP) metric to compare the evaluated deep learning-based methods. Detecting tables is the initial step towards semantic modelling of e-components. Therefore, the structure should also be detected in order to extract information. With this in mind, we introduce another method based on the Mask-RCNN model, which is able to detect structure at a with around 96% AP. Combining these two networks, or developing a new model is a necessity. To this end, inspired by the success of Mask-RCNN models, we introduce the following Mask-RCNN based models to realize E2E tabular structure detection: Stitched E2E model achieved by bridging the output of table detection model into the structure detection model, attained more than 77% AP on the difficult public UNLV dataset with various post-processing steps applied when bridging the two network. Single-pass E2E detection networks were able to attain a higher AP of 86% but with lower recall. This thesis concludes that deep learning-based object detection and instance segmentation networks can accomplish state-of-the-art performance.

No description available.

No description available.

Industrial design is meant to improve the design of mass produced objects and by doing so to contribute to improve the users' quality of life. The designer's challenge is to balance functionality, aesthetic appeal and ease of use to create a successful market product. This industrial design thesis presents a pediatric examination table. Within the context of the new trends for healthcare design, it looks forward to contributing to the pediatric healthcare quality with an innovative product. Thus its design criteria must respond in both physical and emotional terms, to the users' needs and especially to their dreams. The pediatric examination table must be functional, aesthetically appealing, mechanically simple, and economic. And it can't just happen to be for children it must be designed with children in mind. / Master of Science