It is widely accepted that climate change is a very serious environmental concern. Levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other emissions in the global atmosphere have increased substantially since the industrial revolution and now increasing faster than ever before. There is a thought that this has already led to dangerous warming in the Earth’s atmosphere and relevant changes around. Emissions legislations are going to be stringent as the years will pass. Hydro carbon fuel cost is also increasing substantially; more over this is non- renewable source of energy. There is an urgent need for novel combustor technologies for reducing emission as well as exploring alternative renewable fuels without effecting combustor performance. Development of novel combustors needs comprehensive understanding of conventional combustors. The design and development of gas turbine combustors is a crucial but uncertain part of an engine development process. At present, the design process relies upon a wealth of experimental data and correlations. Some major engine manufacturers have addressed the above problem by developing computer programs based on tests and empirical data to assist combustor designers, but such programs are proprietary. There is a need of developing design methodologies for combustors which would lead to substantial contribution to knowledge in field of combustors. Developed design methodologies would be useful for researchers for preliminary design assessments of a gas turbine combustor. In this study, step by step design methodologies of dual annular radial and axial combustor, triple annular combustor and reverse flow combustor have been developed. Design methodologies developed could be used to carry out preliminary design along with performance analysis for conventional combustion chambers. In this study the author has also proposed and undertaken preliminary studies of some novel combustor concepts. A novel concept of a dilution zone less combustor has been proposed in this study. According to this concept dilution air would be introduced through nozzle guide vanes to provide an optimum temperature traverse for turbine blades. Preliminary study on novel dilution zone less combustor predicts that the length of this combustor would be shorter compared to conventional case, resulting in reduced weight, fuel burn and vibrations. Reduced fuel burn eventually leads to lower emissions. Another novel concept of combustor with hydrogen synthesis from kerosene reformation has been proposed and a preliminary studies has been undertaken in this work. Addition of hydrogen as an additive in gas turbine combustor shows large benefits to the performance of gas turbine engines in addition to reduction in NOx levels. The novel combustor would have two stages, combustion of ~5% of the hydrocarbon fuel would occur in the first stage at higher equivalence ratios in the presence of a catalyst, which would eventually lead to the formation of hydrogen rich flue gases. In the subsequent stage the hydrogen rich flue gases from the first stage would act as an additive to combustion of the hydrocarbon fuel. It has been preliminary estimated that the mixture of the hydrocarbon fuel and air could subsequently be burned at much lower equivalence ratios than conventional cases, giving better temperature profiles, flame stability limits and lower NOx emissions. The effect of different geometrical parameters on the performance of vortex controlled hybrid diffuser has also been studied. It has been predicted that vortex chamber in vortex controlled hybrid diffuser does not play any role in altering the performance of diffuser. The overall contribution to knowledge of this study is development of combustor preliminary design methodologies with different variants. The other contribution to knowledge is related to novel combustors with a capability to produce low emissions. Study on novel combustor and diffuser has yielded application of two patent applications with several other publications which has resulted in a contribution to knowledge. A list of research articles, two patents, awards and achievements are presented in Appendix C.

Tendon injuries are ubiquitous in the sporting and occupational environment. Clinically they present a challenge to Orthopaedic surgeons as they account for up to half of all sports injuries and almost half of reported work related ailments. The capacity for tendons to heal subsequent to injury is restricted due to their poor blood supply. Moreover, healed tendon tissue may be inferior to the intact tendon, having diminished biochemical and biomechanical properties and this brings about an ever increasing need for optimized treatment methods for tendon repair. Mechanobiology is concerned with how mechanical forces influence physiological and pathological aspects of the living tissue. However, the complex and poorly controlled loading environment in living organisms prevent the establishment of direct relationships between mechanical stimuli and tissue response. By developing a novel in vitro loading system (IVLS), the work in this thesis investigates the potential of a new and exciting biophysical loading intervention, High Frequency Low Magnitude (HFLM) mechanical loading, for stimulation of tendon repair and remodelling. Following a pre-defined stimulation period, healthy rat tail tendon fascicles (RTTFs) were evaluated for tissue viability and metabolism, Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, collagen arrangement and tangent modulus, using staining and biochemical assays, together with microscopy techniques, and mechanical testing. HFLM mechanically loaded tendons showed a trend for a higher tangent modulus than fresh tissue, and significantly higher modulus than unloaded. Further, when varying mechanical loading parameters of frequencies and dosages over clinically relevant ranges, a frequency dependent response was observed with increased tangent modulus and GAG content with increasing frequency. An association between high tendon crimp pattern and elevated tendon modulus as a result of HFLM mechanical loading was also demonstrated. Concomitantly, an injury model was developed to evaluate the effects of in vitro static, low frequency cyclic and HFLM mechanical loading conditions on the biochemical and biomechanical properties of in vitro damaged tendons. HFLM mechanically loaded damaged tendons again demonstrated significantly higher modulus and metabolism than unloaded tissue, although these were reduced below those of fresh damaged tissue. The findings in this thesis together with the newly developed IVLS reveal the potential for an exciting and unique biophysical therapeutic loading intervention for treatment of tendon injuries, and provide a scientific platform for further investigation of the effects of HFLM mechanical loads, potentially leading to an application within the clinic for enhanced connective tissue repair and remodelling.

In my dissertation, "Narrative Representations (of Time) in the 20th Century Novel" I examine the way in which depictions of time intersect with narrative representation in the modern and postmodern novel. I specifically focus on the use of parentheses as a way to capture differing types of chronology in narrative. The parenthesis, in a purely visual sense, physically disrupts the act of reading by creating a type of barrier around one text, separating it from the main narrative. I argue that it is with this disruption that 20th century authors were able to experiment with depictions of time and the disruption of linear narrative. Borrowing Gerard Genette's phrase "temporal ellipses" I examine how authors in the 20th century used the "temporal parentheses" in order to convey different temporal experiences in narrative. For Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse, the parenthesis works as a way of presenting simultaneity of experiences when spatially separated. For William Faulkner's Absalom, Absalom, the parenthesis creates a kind of compressed time, so that the past becomes a heavy burden upon the present, as represented by the way a narrative experience can be extended within parentheses. In Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children the parenthesis is used to bridge and create a dialogue between the present moment of the telling and the past moment of the story. In Toni Morrison's Sula, the parenthesis calls attention to physical placement, representing the way in which personal identity is linked to physical place and the rejection of permanence in the novel.

Academic study of women and WW1 literature has taken place since the 1970s, with a focus on female novelists published pre-1939. Despite the variety of studies, questions remain as to whether the breadth of women’s roles in WW1 is accurately represented in fiction. The purpose of this study was to examine female characters in WW1 novels (published in Britain) who challenge traditional war binarisms i.e. war (male)/peace (female), by taking on war work. It specifically compared novels published pre-1939 and historical (post-1939) novels written by both female and male novelists. The methods employed were the critical reading of forty novels, as well as data collection related to the roles of female characters and the language used to describe them. he study found that there is little representation of women’s war work in the forty novels. A key factor is that they are by middle class authors and written from a middle class point of view. Although historical novels are often used to re-imagine the role of women, WW1 is an exception. Key factors here include the perpetuation of stereotype and nervousness around detracting from the horrific experiences of the male soldier. Challenges to binarisms in subsequent wars (e.g. women in the armed services) have not stimulated a re-visioning of women’s roles in WW1. Society will continue to accept and endorse traditional binarisms, if they are not challenged by cultural representations of war. There is no novel based on the female military experience of WW1. In response, I was inspired to write a historical novel: The Half-Painted War. The protagonist is a female artist who enrols in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC). It is intended as an act of remembrance but also allows the reader to consider the role of women in the military, both in WW1 and today.

Rotational hydraulic actuators, e.g. motors, provide infinite stroke as there is no conceptual limit to how far they can turn. By contrast linear hydraulic actuators like cylinders provide only limited stroke by concept. In the world of electrical drives, linear motors provide infinite stroke also for linear motion. In hydraulics, the presented Hydraulic Infinite Linear Actuator is a novelty. This paper presents the novel Hydraulic Infinite Linear Actuator (HILA). The contribution is an assessment of properties relevant for control like high hydraulic stiffness and is based on analysis, simulation and measurements.

This dissertation sets out to explore the animal presence in the novels of contemporary French writer Michel Houellebecq. Focusing on this often overlooked aspect in the growing number of publications dedicated to Houellebecq’s literary production, this study argues that the presence of animals is central to understanding how his novels are structured around borders between not only animals and humans but also between humans themselves. By pitting animals against humans the novels simultaneously show how these borders are created within the narratives only to be repeatedly broken down and/or transgressed. Whereas in previous research a posthumanvision in Houellebecq’s works has been largely attributed to the theme of a technological surpassing of the human, this study advances the idea that animals constitute an inherent part of Houellebecq’s questioning of an anthropocentric worldview. The first chapter of the thesis, which lays the foundation for the study, explores how descriptions structure two major ways in which animals are present: either as a backdrop setting where the characters, while trying to maintain the border between themselves and animals, are transformed into observers of animals in their natural habitat, or as metaphors used to describe appearances and seemingly unwanted personality traits of some of the characters. The second chapter expands on the idea of a frontier between animals and humans but contrary to the previous chapter it studies the porosity of these borders by showing how humans and animals are depicted and narrated in similar ways. Drawing on the theories of Giorgio Agamben, Dominique Lestel and Tristan Garcia the study concludes by proposing to read Houellebecq’s novels both as a form of life stories relating a common history between animals and humans and as an attempt to highlight the untenable project of maintaining an anthropocentric worldview.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Human-modified habitats form increasingly large components of landscapes, threatening biodiversity and creating challenges for conservation. In some cases altered habitats form entirely novel ecosystems that may support new combinations of species and species abundances, and create habitat space in otherwise transformed landscapes. In the Western Cape of South Africa, woody invasive species contribute to landscape-level habitat transformation and form novel ecosystems. Invasive Australian Acacia species are especially problematic in lowland areas where they create dense thickets and substantially transform both biotic communities and abiotic processes. Despite the prominence of Acacia thickets across the Western Cape, their ability to support native fauna is not well understood and the objective of this study was to assess the significance of Acacia thickets as habitat for the region’s avifauna. Birds were surveyed in Acacia thickets in the south-western Western Cape in three seasons to examine species richness, abundance and functional abundance. Furthermore, I examined the extent to which differences in patch-level vegetation structure alter bird communities. Between survey sites and seasons, significant variation was observed in assemblage richness, density, median body size and biomass. Variation in vegetation density, stem density, mean vegetation height and total canopy cover best explained variation in bird assemblages. Eighty species were estimated to utilize Acacia thickets and assemblages had a mean density of 7.78 birds per ha. The most abundant feeding guilds were the mixed feeders and insectivores. The median body size observed was 15.2 g and the body size frequency distribution of all species in Acacia spanned a similar range compared to the body size frequency distribution for the species list for the entire Western Cape. The mean biomass of bird communities was 0.224 kg per ha. Using data on bird density and biomass, Acacia thickets across the Fynbos Biome support and estimated average of over 21 million birds with a combined biomass of over 600 thousand kg. This study found that Acacia thickets in the Western Cape support a subset of the region’s birds with the most abundant species being small mixed feeders, which are also frequently urban-adapted. Compared with other habitat types, Acacia support bird assemblages with moderate species richness and density. This study shows that Acacia thickets, as a novel habitat, provide a significant amount of habitat space in a highly transformed landscape and highlights the need for comprehensive evaluation of altered habitats before assumptions are made about their ecological value. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Getransformeerde habitatte maak vermeerderend groot deel uit van die omgewing, dit bedreig biodiversiteit en skep groter uitdagings vir bewaring. In sommige gevalle vorm hierdie getransformeerde habitatte geheel nuwe ekosisteme wat moontlik nuwe kombinasies van spesies en spesie volopheid kan onderhou. Verder skep nuwe ekosisteme habitat spasie in anders veranderde landskappe. In die Wes-Kaap van Suid-Afrika dra die Australiese Acacia indringer spesies is veral problematies in laagliggende areas, aangesien dit digte ruigtes vorm, asook beide die biotiese gemeenskappe en die abiotiese prosesse aansienlik transformeer. Ten spyte daarvan dat daar volop Acacia ruigtes in die WesKaap is, word min verstaan van hul vermoë om inheemse fauna te onderhou. Die hoofdoel van hierdie studie was om die belang van Acacia ruigtes as habitat vir die area se voëllewe te bepaal. Voël-opnames in die suidwestelike dele van die Wes-Kaap is gedoen in Acacia ruigtes oor drie seisoene, om spesierykheid, volopheid en funksionele volopheid te ondersoek. Verder is die mate waartoe verskille in die plotte van die plantegroei struktuur, die voëlgemeenskappe verander, geondersoek. Daar was aansienlike variasie waargeneem in die spesiesamestelling rykheid, voorkoms digtheid, mediaan liggaamsgrootte en biomassa van die voëls tussen die onderskeie voëlopnaam plotte en die seisoene. Die variasie in plantegroei digtheid, stam digtheid, mediaan plantegroeihoogte en totale kroonbedekking verduidelik hierdie variasie in spesiesamestelling die beste. Tagtig voëlspesies Acacia ruigtes benut en die populasiesamestelling het ‘n gemiddelde digtheid van 7,78 voëls per ha. Die mees algemene voel-voeding-guldes was die gemengde-voedsel-vreters en insekvreters. Die median liggaamsgrootte waargeneem was 15,2 g en die liggaamsgrootte frekwensieverspreiding van alle spesies in Acacia ruigtes is ooreenkomstig met die liggaamsgrootte frekwensieverspreiding vir die spesielys vir die hele Wes-Kaap. Die gemiddelde biomassa van voel gemeenskappe was 0.224 kg per ha. Acacia ruigtes oor die fynbosbioom wat ‘n geskatte gemiddelde van meer as 21 miljoen voels ondersteun, met ‘n gesamentlike biomassa van meer as 600 duisend kg. Hierdie studie het bevind dat Acacia ruigtes in die Wes-Kaap ‘n onderafdeling van die streek se voels ondersteun, met die mees algemene spesies as die klein gemengde-voedsel-vreters, wat ook dikwels stedelik aangepas is. In vergelyking met ander habitattipes ondersteun Acacia ruigtes voel samestellings met matige spesierykheid en digtheid. Hierdie studie toon dat die Acacia ruigtes, as ‘n nuwe habitat, ‘n beduidende hoeveelheid habitat ruimte in ‘n hoogs getransformeerde omgewing skep en beklemtoon die behoefte aan ‘n omvattende evaluering van veranderde habitatte, voor aannames gemaak word oor hul ekologiese waarde.

An estimated 13.9% of Americans currently meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder. Ultimately, chronic alcohol use may result in neurological deficits, with up to 85% of alcoholics exhibiting signs of cognitive decline. However, biochemical and behavioral factors contributing to this decline have remained elusive. Our ongoing research program encompasses a multi-tiered screening of a natural product library and validation process to provide novel information about mechanisms underlying these deficits and to identify novel chemical scaffolds to be exploited in the development of pharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorders in a rodent organotypic hippocampal slice culture mode. Experiment 1 sought to establish a 48 h high throughput model for testing novel scaffolds against ethanol (EtOH) toxicity. Experiment 2 tested multiple natural product compounds for their ability to attenuate ethanol-induced cytotoxicity. Results from Experiment 1 revealed EtOH (100 mM) induced significant cytotoxicity at 48 h. Trolox (100 µM), a potent antioxidant, was found to reduce ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in this assay. Experiment 2 revealed two spoxazomicins (1, 1-1) demonstrated potent cytoprotective effects against ethanol toxicity. These findings highlight the potential applications of these novel scaffolds for use in the treatment of alcohol use disorder.

With the continued progression of Moore’s law into the sub-14nm technology nodes, interconnect RC and power dissipation scaling play an increasingly important role in overall product performance. As critical dimensions in the mainstream Cu/ULK interconnect system shrink below 30nm, corresponding increases in relative process variation and decreases in overall process window mandate increasingly complex integrated solutions. Traditional metallization processes, e.g. PVD barrier and seed layers, no longer scale for all layout configurations as they reach physical and geometric limitations. Interactions between design, OPC, and patterning also play more and more critical roles with respect to reliability and yield in volume manufacturing; stated simply, scaling is no longer “business as usual”. Restricted design layouts, prescriptive design rules, novel materials, and holistic integration solutions each therefore become necessary to maximize available process windows, thus enabling new generations of cost-competitive products in the marketplace.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major problems faced by the medical industry today. The ability of bacteria to rapidly acquire resistance against antibiotics and the over prescription and inappropriate use of antibiotics further exacerbate this crisis. Few new antimicrobials are, however, making it through the drug discovery pipeline. The search and development of novel and effective antimicrobials is therefore of the utmost importance. Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized cationic antimicrobial peptides with extensive post-translational modifications. They are active against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. They are characterized by the presence of lanthionine and methyllanthionine rings and have been suggested as alternatives or for use in conjunction with antibiotics against resistant pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacteria isolated from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Strains of S. aureus have emerged with resistance against antibiotics with the most common being methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Several lantibiotics are active against MRSA in vivo and have even shown superior activity to traditional antibiotics. Lantibiotics therefore show much promise for the treatment of SSTIs caused by resistant- and non-resistant S. aureus. In this study the bacterially diverse soil of the Fynbos in the Western Cape was screened for novel antimicrobials. Two antimicrobial producing Bacillus strains were isolated, Bacillus clausii AD1 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2. Both of these strains produce lantibiotics with B. clausii AD1 producing a known lantibiotic, clausin. B. amyloliquefaciens AD2 produces a novel two-component lantibiotic which was designated amyloliquecidin. The lantibiotic operon of amyloliquecidin was sequenced and annotated. All the genes required for successful production of amyloliquecidin are present in the operon. Amyloliquecidin was characterized in vitro and along with clausin is active against clinical strains of S. aureus (including MRSA), Enterococcus spp., Listeria spp. and beta-haemolytic streptococci. Amyloliquecidin has remarkable stability at physiological pH compared to nisin and clausin. A comparative in vivo murine infection model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of amyloliquecidin, nisin, clausin and Bactroban (commercial S. aureus topical treatment) in treating wound infections caused by S. aureus. All the lantibiotics proved to be just as effective as the Bactroban treatment. Furthermore, the tested lantibiotics did not have a negative influence on the wound closure rates of infected and non-infected wounds. Bactroban had a negative effect on wound healing compared to the lantibiotics. To our knowledge amyloliquecidin is the third two-component lantibiotic isolated from Bacillus. This study represents the first to test the effectiveness of amyloliquecidin in vivo and is one of a handful to test lantibiotics as topical treatments. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Antimikrobiese weerstandbiedende bakterieë is op die oomblik een van die grootste probleme in die mediese veld. Die antibiotika krisis word vererg deur die vermoë van bakterieë om vinnig weerstand op te bou teen antibiotika, asook die alledaagse misbruik van antibiotika. Daar is ook ʼn tekort in die hoeveelheid antibiotika wat na die finale fases van ontwikkeling gaan. Om die oorhand teen antibiotika-weerstandige bakterieë te kry is dit van uiterste belang dat meer effektiewe antibiotika ontdek word. Lantibiotika is kationiese antimikrobiese peptiede wat deur die ribosoom gesintetiseer word en bevat ʼn verskeidenheid van modifikasies wat na translasie ingebou word. Hulle word gekarakteriseer deur lanthionien en metiellanthionien ringe. Lantibiotika is aktief teen ʼn verskeidenheid Gram-positiewe bakterieë en kan in kombinasie met antibiotika, of as alternatief gebruik word. Staphylococcus aureus is die mees algemene bakterium wat geassosieer word met vel en sagte weefsel infeksies (VSWIs). Staphylococcus aureus met weerstand teen antibiotika is ook al geïsoleer, die mees algemene weerstandige ras is methisillien-weerstandige S. aureus (MWSA). Lantibiotika is wel aktief teen MWSA in vitro en in vivo, met van hulle wat tot beter aktiwiteit as die voorgeskrewe antibiotika het. Lantibiotika kan dus gebruik word as behandeling vir VSWIs wat veroorsaak word deur weerstandige S. aureus, asook teen nie-weerstandige rasse. In hierdie studie was die bakteriese diverse grond van die Fynbos in die Wes-kaap ondersoek vir bakterieë wat antimikrobiese middels produseer. Twee Bacillus rasse, Bacillus clausii AD1 en Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2, wat antimikrobiese middels produseer, is geïsoleer. Bacillus clausii AD1 produseer ʼn bekende lantibiotikum, naamlik clausin. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2 produseer ʼn nuwe twee-komponent lantibiotikum, amyloliquecidin. Die lantibiotikum operon wat verantwoordelik is vir die produksie van amyloliquecidin is geïdentifiseer en geannoteer. Die operon bevat al die gene benodig vir die biosintese van amyloliquecidin. Amyloliquecidin is in vitro gekarakteriseer en het aktiwiteit teen ʼn verskeidenheid Gram-positiewe bakterieë. Amyloliquecidin en clausin is aktief teen S. aureus (insluitend MWSA), Enterococcus spp., Listeria spp. en beta-hemolitiese streptococci wat vanaf infeksies geïsoleer is. Amyloliquecidin is baie stabiel by filologiese pH en aansienlik meer stabiel as nisin en clausin. Die effektiwiteit van nisin, clausin en amyloliquecidin in die behandeling van muis vel infeksies veroorsaak deur S. aureus was vergelyk met die kommersiële behandeling Bactroban. Al drie lantibiotika het die verspreiding van S. aureus met die selfde effektiwiteit as Bactroban belemmer. Geen van die lantibiotika het ʼn negatiewe effek op wond genesing nie. Bactroban, inteendeel, belemmer wond genesing. So ver ons weet is amyloliquecidin die derde twee-komponent lantibiotikum wat uit Bacillus geïsoleer is. Die studie is ook die eerste om die effektiwiteit van amyloliquecidin in vivo te rapporteer, asook ook een van die min studies wat kyk na lantibiotika as behandeling vir topikale infeksies.