The Master’s thesis deals with design of digital twins of machine tools and application of designed procedure on a case study – digital twin of the machine tool MCV 754 Quick. In the first part are described current roles of digital twins in the field of machine tools and also hardware and software options for creating them. Software and hardware tools by Siemens (Mechatronics Concept Designer and SIMIT) are used for the case study. The complex procedure of creating the digital twin is designed in the second part, starting with preparation of a model, ending with the virtual commissioning of the machine tool MCV 754 Quick. The procedure is described in detail, including preparation of 3D model of the machine tool, assignment of physical properties and joints, preparation of PLC, connection all the elements of the whole system: Sinumerik – SIMIT – Mechatronics Concept Designer and controlling the twin via CNC automation system. Output of the thesis is the virtually commissioned machine tool, capable of being controlled by Sinumerik 840D sl. This is the first step in development of the full-fledged digital twin of machine tool, which can be used for testing the functionality and capability of this new technology in industry.

Over the last few decades, the complexity and variety of automation systems have increased dramatically. Commissioning has grown more and more critical for the entire industry. Conventional commissioning is time-consuming and expensive. It's always been a challenge in manufacturing to put new designs into production or implement new technologies, control codes, or tactics. In Virtual Commissioning (VC), control programs of the physical system's Digital Twin (DT) can be validated in Software-in-the-Loop (SIL) before the actual commissioning. The emergence of new VC tools and methods has become a tremendous advantage, bringing the values of shorter duration, flexibility, and lower risks to the commissioning process. In this thesis, advanced process control was developed using the software Matlab and Simulink in conjunction with the engineering tools S7-PLCSIM Advanced and STEP 7 TIA Portal to conduct VC. A VC approach with four key steps is taken to evaluate the possibility of validating advanced process control. The steps are modeling DT of a rolling mill, model-based control design, simulation model development in Simulink, communication between the simulation model and the PLC program using S-7 TIA Portal, and PLCSIM Advanced. Also, a simulated Human-Machine Interface was designed to operate and visualize the process. VC of the rolling mill process was verified and validated by Model-in-the-Loop (MIL) and SIL simulation. The simulation gives satisfactory results as both MIL and SIL show identical outputs of the process.

Frequency reference oscillator is a critical component of modern radio transceivers. Currently, most reference oscillators are based on low-frequency quartz crystals that are inherently bulky and incompatible with standard micro-fabrication processes. Moreover, their frequency limitation (<200MHz) requires large up-conversion ratio in multigigahertz frequency synthesizers, which in turn, degrades the phase-noise. Recent advances in MEMS technology have made realization of high-frequency on-chip low phase-noise MEMS oscillators possible. Although significant research has been directed toward replacing quartz crystal oscillators with integrated micromechanical oscillators, their phase-noise performance is not well modeled. In addition, little attention has been paid to developing electronic frequency tuning techniques to compensate for temperature/process variation and improve the absolute frequency accuracy. The objective of this dissertation was to realize high-frequency temperature-compensated high-frequency (>100MHz) micromechanical oscillators and study their phase-noise performance. To this end, low-power low-noise CMOS transimpedance amplifiers (TIA) that employ novel gain and bandwidth enhancement techniques are interfaced with high frequency (>100MHz) micromechanical resonators. The oscillation frequency is varied by a tuning network that uses frequency tuning enhancement techniques to increase the tuning range with minimal effect on the phase-noise performance. Taking advantage of extended frequency tuning range, and on-chip temperature-compensation circuitry is embedded with the sustaining circuitry to electronically temperature-compensate the oscillator. Finally, detailed study of the phase-noise in micromechanical oscillators is performed and analytical phase-noise models are derived.

Gyroscopes are inertial sensors that measure the rate or angle of rotation. One of the most promising technologies for reaching a high-performance MEMS gyroscope has been development of the micro-hemispherical shell resonator. (μHSR) This thesis presents the electronic control and read-out interface that has been developed to turn the μHSR into a fully functional micro-hemispherical resonating gyroscope (μHRG) capable of measuring the rate of rotation. First, the μHSR was characterized, which both enabled the design of the interface and led to new insights into the linearity and feed-through characteristics of the μHSR. Then a detailed analysis of the rate mode interface including calculations and simulations was performed. This interface was then implemented on custom printed circuit boards for both the analog front-end and analog back-end, along with a custom on-board vacuum chamber and chassis to house the μHSR and interface electronics. Finally the performance of the rate mode gyroscope interface was characterized, showing a linear scale factor of 8.57 mv/deg/s, an angle random walk (ARW) of 34 deg/sqrt(hr) and a bias instability of 330 deg/hr.

The subject of this diploma thesis is the simulation and digital commissioning of a robotic production system for welding elements such as studs on sheet metal parts. The basis of the work is search of information related to industrial robots, PLC control, tools used for welding, fixtures, manipulators, sensors, safety and protection elements commonly used in such production systems. The second part of the work deals with the given problem and it is a virtual commissioning of the given concept of a robotic production system. This means creating its simulation model in the Process Simulate environment, selecting robots, creating robotic trajectories, collision analysis, creating sensors, signals and optimization. Last part includes the connection of the simulation model with the software S-7PLCSIM Advanced and TIA Portal, the creation of control PLC logic in the form of a program, visualization and verification of their functionality using the above-mentioned connection with the simulation model.

This thesis deals with the theoretical description of the qualitative characteristics and parameters of some modern active elements, also discusses the theory of signal flow graphs at the level applicable for the following frequency filter design methods. The thesis is also generally discussed the issue with the circuit simulator PSpice modeling theory and voltage amplifiers on the basic 6-levels. The practical part of the work is divided into two parts. The first practical part is dedicated to design four levels of simulation model of components LNVGA element. The second practical part contains detailed theoretical proposals for three circuit structures implementing the frequency filters 2nd order (based on the basic structure of the OTA-C) using signal flow graphs with configuration options of Q and fm based on the parameters of active elements in the peripheral structure and their verification with prepared LNVGA model layers.

PhD (Botany) / Department of Botany / Brackenridgea zanguebarica Oliv. (Ochnaceae) commonly known as “Yellow Peeling Plane”, is an important medicinal plant species, and one of the most threatened tree species that is endemic to Thengwe village in Vhembe District, South Africa. It is widely harvested for traditional purposes and difficult to propagate sexually and asexually. Nowadays, it has become threatened and this unique plant population is believed to be declining in the Brackenridgea Nature Reserve (BNR). According to the Red List of South African plants, B. zanguebarica is considered a critically endangered medicinal plant. All these facts combined with a lack of knowledge on the conservation of this species prompted this study on its conservation. To ascertain the effective conservation and proper management of this multipurpose tree, this study was conducted with the aim to improve its conservation strategy by investigating current threats to the existence of B. zangueberica, the chemical constituents from the different plant parts, the propagation methods of the species, and the factors delaying the germination of its seeds. In this study, an assessment of the current population threats was important as a first step in conservation; this would update the status of the species in its natural habitat. The current status of Brackenridgea zanguebarica was conducted through an extensive field survey in the Brackenridgea Nature Reserve (BNR), where a belt transect method was deployed to record quantitative information, while the harvesting damage was estimated using a sliding scale from 0 to 5. The structure of the populations in terms of the stem diameter size classes showed a bell shape vi pattern. About 60% of individuals showed some signs of plant parts extraction as the stem bark was reported to be the main plant part harvested. The population structure, however, was dominated by juvenile plants due to the selective harvesting of mature individuals; this hinders fruit production leading to poor or slow seed production. The present study aimed to compare the chemical constituents and the antimicrobial activities of some parts of this plant species. The extracts were screened for phytochemicals using standard methods. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was carried out to compare the chemical constituents using various solvent systems of varying polarity. Agar well diffusion and broth microdilution methods were used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of plant extracts respectively, against three bacteria and four fungi. The phytochemical analysis revealed a close similarity of various phytoconstituents of the three plant parts (stem bark, twigs and leaves). TLC analysis showed a slight difference in the acetone extract of different plant parts with more bands on the leaves than the stem bark and twigs. Acetone extracts of the three plant parts exhibited varying degrees of antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Candida glabrata, while none of the extracts showed any activity against Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumonia, Candida albicans, C. krusei, and C. parapsilosis. However, analysis of the antibacterial activity of various extracts revealed that the best inhibitory activity was produced by the stem bark extract compared to the leaf and twig extract. vii The sustainable way to meet the growing demand of Brackenridgea zanguebarica is to increase its availability through propagation practices. Unfortunately, the conservation of B. zanguebarica is hampered by lack of information on how it can be propagated. Sexual and asexual propagations were conducted to determine an efficient method to increase the number of individuals of this plant species. Seed propagation was carried out to study the effect of various pre-treatments on germination, in order to understand the germination requirements; vegetative propagation was conducted to assess if B. zanguebarica could be successfully propagated via stem cuttings if the appropriate growth hormones and growing media were applied. Brackenridgea zanguebarica seed did not germinate at all under any of the conditions tested. However, the results, showed the potential of propagating this species from stem cutting despite the poor results obtained. Thus B. zanguebarica was found to be difficult to propagate sexually and asexually. Seeds serve as a means of reproduction and a vital element to ensure the survival of plant species. Seed germination is controlled by a number of factors. The propagation of B. zanguebarica via seed is very difficult and research has not been undertaken to understand possible factors that may delay its germination. This study was aimed to investigate and describe both the morphological and anatomical features of B. zanguebarica seed, in order to identify structural features implicated in its poor germination. To achieve this goal, a morphological and anatomical study was conducted based on the observation of seeds under a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscopy (LM). Water uptake potential was assessed by the increase in seed mass. The morpho-anatomical analysis indicated that some structures of the seed, such as seed coat, and the presence of endosperm viii surrounding the embryo that consisted of two prominent cotyledons, seem to greatly hinder the germination of this species. The research findings provided information regarding the seed structure which is one important step in identifying useful techniques to improve seed germination for conservation purposes. / NRF

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Imagine a world where someone’s personal information is constantly compromised, where federal government entities AKA Big Brother always knows what anyone is Googling, who an individual is texting, and their emoticons on Twitter. Government entities have been doing this for years; they never cared if they were breaking the law or their moral compass of human dignity. Every day the Federal government blatantly siphons data with programs from the original ECHELON to the new series like PRISM and Xkeyscore so they can keep their tabs on issues that are none of their business; namely, the personal lives of millions. Our allies are taking note; some are learning our bad habits, from Government Communications Headquarters’ (GCHQ) mass shadowing sharing plan to America’s Russian inspiration, SORM. Some countries are following the United States’ poster child pose of a Brave New World like order of global events. Others like Germany are showing their resolve in their disdain for the rise of tyranny. Soon, these new found surveillance troubles will test the resolve of the American Constitution and its nation’s strong love and tradition of liberty. Courts are currently at work to resolve how current concepts of liberty and privacy apply to the current conditions facing the privacy of society. It remains to be determined how liberty will be affected as well; liberty for the United States of America, for the European Union, the Russian Federation and for the people of the World in regards to the extent of privacy in today’s blurred privacy expectations.