Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'No. 600'

Detta examensarbete är gjort för Väderstadverken AB i syfte att utreda om det är möjligt och vilka effekter det får att implementera lastkännande(Ls) hydraulik på såmaskinen Spirit 600. För att kunna avgöra om Ls-hydraulik är lämpligt till såmaskinen har en prototyp byggts och testats med två traktorer. Testerna baseras även på mätdata för att kunna utvärdera hur hydrauliken beter sig. Av gjorda tester har det fastställts att Ls-hydraulik är en bra metod för att förbättra och förenkla hydraulsystemet. Då hydraulblocket till prototypen ej är lämplig för serieproduktion ur kostnads synpunkt har även två alternativa hydraulsystem tagits fram. Förslagen är baserade på användning av patronventiler. Fördelar med att bygga systemet med patronventiler är att dessa är billigare än slidventiler som används till prototypen och man kan göra unika block. Efter jämförelse med det befintliga hydraulsystemet kan man påvisa att användande av Ls-hydraulik kan bli billigare i konceptnivå.

This thesis analyses the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits (UCP) against the backdrop of the question: ‘what documents must a beneficiary, acting as seller under an international sale of goods carried by sea, present to a bank, and how must he present them, in order for the presentation to be considered compliant?’. It interprets the rules through the answer to this question by looking at national law but also the range of supporting material published by the International Chamber of Commerce. This includes the International Standard Banking Practice, Banking Commission Opinions and Recommendations and DOCDEX decisions. It is unique, because it is one of the few pieces of academic research to place emphasis on these documents and argue that they provide clarification and addition to the UCP. The result of the analysis is a list of proposals for amendments and additions, specifically to UCP but also in some cases to letter of credit law generally. It is these proposals and the arguments for them that are the original contribution to research. Perhaps the most daring submission, never made before in another piece of legal writing, is the proposal that the location of the Fraud Exception to the Autonomy Principle of letters of credit, and indeed all exceptions to the principle, are to be found in the UCP themselves. Where past research has adamantly held that the UCP do not deal with fraud, I submit that they do, and the analysis of the corresponding articles evidence this. The law is stated as at 1 September 2011.

This diploma thesis deals with design of retractable landing gear for Rapid 600 aircraft. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze different retraction options for front and main landing gear and resulting selection of suitable variants. The thesis is consequently concerned with design of selected options including proposal of automatic landing gear control system and specifying the features and characteristics of this system. In the thesis there is also included the analysis of critical flight conditions which could be detected by this system.

This thesis is intended to be part of a vigorous debate currently going on in the international community of exchange rate regime, monetary policy and related core issues in East Asian economies. From different angles and aspects, this thesis contributes to the related literature, and provides fresh theoretical arguments and comprehensive study on the exchange rate regime and exchange rate performance in East Asia. This thesis firstly investigates the performance and characteristics of exchange rate regimes in a group of East Asian economies during the 1990s. The determination of local currency, the flexibility of exchange rate regime, as well as the regional coordination of exchange rate management have been thoroughly examined. This thesis then considers the implications of exchange rate regimes on the monetary policy. It examines whether the adoption of new exchange rate regime has affected monetary autonomy, concerning the sensitivity of domestic interest rates to international interest rates under different currency regimes, from the cases of the selected East Asian economies during 1994-2004. One of the aspects of the choices of exchange rate regime is its implications for the magnitude of exchange rate volatility and the transmission of this volatility into other countries in the region. This thesis thus carries out an empirical investigation on the exchange rate volatility and cross-country contagion/spillover effect within foreign exchange markets for a group of East Asian countries in the context of the 1997/98 financial crisis. In addition, this thesis provides an investigation on the measurement of foreign exchange market pressure and currency crisis proneness, as well as examines interrelations between exchange market pressure and monetary policy. The post-crisis interactions among EMP, domestic credit growth, and the interest rate differential between domestic and foreign interest rates, in particular, have been investigated for a representative group of East Asian countries. Finally, this thesis provides further evidence on the relationship between stock prices and exchange rates, from the typical case of Hong Kong, to realise what kind of causality prevailed over the period 1995-2001. Based on the high frequency weekly data, both long-run and short-run dynamics between stock prices and exchange rates in Hong Kong are addressed. Various forms of evidence and empirical techniques are extensively applied and fully evaluated for the specific questions addressed in this research. These practical methodologies include Ordinary Least Square (OLS), Generalised Method of Movements (GMM), Generalised Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH), Exponential GARCH (EGARCH), Vector Autoregressions (VAR) and their Impulse Response Functions (IRF), Unit Root Tests, Cointegration, and Granger Causality Tests. All kinds of data sets and sample periods employed in this research provide an interesting comparison to the existing related studies. The main findings and key ideas drawn from this research have important implications for policy markers on the exchange rate management. The study on specific research topics and the comprehensive and thorough applications of various econometric methodologies provide valuable insight in characteristics and patterns of East Asian foreign exchange markets.

This is a novel study of the German press’ visual and textual coverage of the wars in Bosnia (1992-95) and Kosovo (1998-99). Key moments have been selected and analysed from both wars using a broad range of publications ranging from extreme-right to extreme-left and including broadsheets, a tabloid and a news-magazine, key moments have been selected from both wars. Two sections with parallel chapters form the core of the thesis. The first deals with the war in Bosnia and the second the conflict in Kosovo. Each section contains one chapter on the initial phase of the conflict, one chapter on an important atrocity – namely the Srebrenica Massacre in Bosnia and the Račak incident in Kosovo – and lastly a chapter each on the international involvement which ended the immediate violence. The coverage of nine national publications is closely examined for each timeframe. The thesis examines how the various events were covered, what sources were used and what insights the publications conveyed. Where possible, a further comparative perspective has been added by the inclusion of German parliamentary debates and the relevant UN press releases. This provides a useful comparison between the political discourse and the coverage of the German press. Special attention has been paid to four key themes, which emerged from the research. Firstly, the changing perceptions of the Serbian President Slobodan Milošević and the issue of who was to blame for the conflicts; secondly, how various armed forces, including the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army and the Kosovo Liberation Army were presented in the German press; thirdly, the persistent presence of the Second World War as well as the Holocaust and how they shaped the press’ interpretation of the violence; and lastly, how Germany’s role in the Balkans – both in the realms of diplomacy and military intervention – was evaluated by the national press. Pictures and cartoons accompanying the textual coverage were included to present a more rounded picture of press coverage.

Identification of low-velocity impacts to composite structures has become increasingly important in the aerospace industry. Knowing when impacts have occurred would allow inspections to be scheduled only when necessary, and knowing the approximate impact location would allow for a localized search, saving time and expense. Additionally, an estimation of the impact magnitude could be used for damage prediction. This study experimentally investigated a methodology for impact identification. To achieve the approach, the following issues were covered in this study: impact detecting; signal processing; feature extractioon; impact identification. In impact detection, them smart stuctures, two piezoelectric sensors embedded in composite structures, are designed to measure impact signals caused by foreign object impact events. The impact signals were stored in computer system memory through the impact monitoring system developed in this study. In signal processing, the cross correlation method was used to process the measured impact signals. This processing built the correlation between the impact signals and location of impacts as well as impact magnitude. In feature extraction, the initial feature data were gained from the cross correlation results through the point and segmentation processing. thie final feature data were selected from the initial feature data with a fuzzy clustering method. In impact identification, the adaptive deuro fuzzy inference systems (ANFIS) were built with the feature data to identify abscissas of impact location, ordinates of impact location and impact magnitude. The parameters of the ANFISs were refined with a hybrid learning rule i.e. the combination of the Least Square Estimation and the Steepest Descent algorithm. Real time software developed in Visual Basic code manipulated the monitoring and control system for the impact experiments. Also a software package developed with MATLAB, implemented the impact identification and the system simulation.

This work deals with a "passive flow monitoring" technique which can be used to help determine the energy used by a building's heating system. The thesis first highlights the background and importance of energy monitoring in buildings. This work points out that energy monitoring is an important feature in the running of buildings today. In the past, the energy crisis in the 1970's made people aware of how important it was to have knowledge of how buildings consume energy. More recently, environmental issues have reinforced the importance of gaining good quality information on energy use in buildings. This thesis investigates the use of combined port flow characteristics/control signal relationships for three port control valves to predict system water flow rate in heating systems. A laboratory test rig was built and a range of three port valves were tested. A series of combined port flow characteristics/control signal relationships were developed from measurements from the test rig. Curve fit models were then applied to these relationships in the form of polynomial equations. Where practical relationships could not be measured for a valve, a theoretical valve model was derived. In order to validate the polynomial regression model and the mathematical model, the test rig was modified to take into account practical heating system characteristics. A series of flow characteristic results were produced from the modified test rig so that the performance of the two models (empirical and mathematical) could be evaluated. It was found that the empirical model performed well in predicting combined port flow ratios with RMS errors ranging between 2.73% and 6.54%. The mathematical model gave overall prediction errors between -2.63% and +9.25% which compare favourably with the performance of some flow meters. The work then goes on to present an energy use algorithm which incorporates the valve model (empirical or theoretical) for use in BEMS.

The Glacial Isostatic Adjustment (GIA) of the British Isles is of interest due to the constraints that can be provided on key model parameters such as regional ice sheet history, viscoelastic earth structure and the global meltwater (eustatic) signal. Many past studies have used as their primary observable the high quality relative sea level (RSL) data from this region. However, as indicated in these studies, the data are notoriously difficult to fit due to the highly complex non-monotonic nature of the observed sea level change. In addition, the model predictions show a strong sensitivity to both regional ice and earth model parameters as well as the global meltwater history, resulting in a high degree of non-uniqueness when seeking an optimum model solution. The principle aim of this thesis is to address this inherent non-uniqueness in the British Isles GIA problem and reduce the viable solution parameter space by considering additional datasets that display distinct sensitivities to local and global components of the GIA signal. This was achieved in a number of stages, using a combination of relative sea level data from both near and far-field sites, Continuous GPS data and the most recent geomorphological field constraints. GPS observations of present day vertical crustal motion at sites across Great Britain are employed to provide an independent constraint on the choice of regional earth model parameters (viscoelastic earth structure). It was shown that the data are relatively insensitive to plausible variations in both the regional and global ice model history and as such, the data are used to identify an optimum range of earth model parameters for the region. Using a set of previously un-modelled far-field sea level data from China and Malay-Thailand, a revised model of eustatic sea level change over the Holocene was developed. Constraining the eustatic component of sea level change is useful since it provides a direct measure of continental ice volume that can be compared to results from oxygen isotope methods. Additionally, inference of the eustatic signal over the mid-late Holocene, which was the primary focus of one aspect of this thesis can provide information on both: (i) the rate and timing of major ice melting at the end of the last deglaciation and (ii) the magnitude of melting during the late Holocene, which is an important baseline that can be compared to estimates of global sea-level rise in the 20th century. This new global ice model is characterised by an initial slowdown in the rate of eustatic sea level rise at 7 kyr BP, followed by a continuing rise, until 2 kyr BP, driven by continued melting from the Antarctic Ice sheet. A new British-Irish Ice sheet model over the most recent glacial cycle was produced. This model was constrained to fit to most recent geomorphological field constraints and includes an extensive two-stage glaciation across the North Sea basin, with a greatly thickened and extended ice sheet within the Irish Sea, out along the NE Atlantic margin and across Ireland. During deglaciation, the Irish ice sheet now undergoes a very rapid thinning and retreat. These results have been combined to produce a final new GIA model for the region, which has been constrained, for the first time, using an extended RSL database which includes observations from both Great Britain and Ireland. This new model captures reasonably well the regional trends in the observed sea level, with previous unresolved misfits relating to the timing and height of the Holocene highstand now largely removed.

This investigation involved creep and moisture movement measurements for about six months on 13-course clay (Engineering class B) and calcium silicate brickwork, and 5-course concrete blockwork, consecutively. Four different geometries of masonry were built, namely: single-leaf wall, cavity wall, hollow pier and solid pier, respectively having volume/surface area (V/S) ratios of 44,51,78 and 112 mm. Deformations were also measured on one-brick wide 5 or 6-stack high model brickwalls which were partly sealed to simulate the V/S ratios of the corresponding 13-course brickwork. At the same time, deformations were also measured on individual mortar prisms and brick or block units in order to verify composite model expressions for predicting masonry movements. Simulation of moisture diffusion of the corresponding mortarjoints and embedded bricks or block were made in terms of V/S ratio by partial sealing of the individual mortar prisms and brick or block units. The tests reveal that the modulus of elasticity to be independent of masonry geometry. However, there is a clear influence of geometry on the vertical ultimate creep and moisture movement of all the masonry types i,.e. creep and shrinkage increase with a decrease of V/S ratio. A similar trend occurs for horizontal shrinkage except for the clay brickwork which undergoes moisture expansion. Deformations of the model walls show reasonable agreement with the 13-course brickwork. When results of individual mortar and brick/block specimens are inserted in composite models,the predicted strains show good agreement with the measured strains, particularly in the vertical direction. There is no consistent pattern in the distribution of load and moisture strains for the different masonry geometries, and the measurements reveal that actual strains can be up to 100% higher than the average strains.

This thesis aims to construct a historical narrative for the region of the north-eastern Aegean (NEA) during the Early Iron Age (1050-700 BCE) and the early Archaic period (7^th century BCE) based primarily on archaeological evidence. Its goals are to investigate the most distinctive material culture elements for the studied period; to explore themes of continuity and connectivity between regions; to trace large- and smaller-scale population movements; to discuss how early communities perceived themselves and each other; and to investigate the social structure and organisation of these communities. Evidence from settlement sites, funerary contexts, and sanctuaries are presented in the first three chapters in that order. Following that, the final chapter presents the primary, overarching conclusions of the thesis, in four sub-chapters. Firstly, it is argued that the NEA was characterised by relative cultural continuity from the Late Bronze Age to well within the Archaic period: when new elements were introduced, they were, generally, integrated into earlier paradigms. Secondly, evidence is provided for an increase in connectivity and maritime traffic peaks during the late 8^th century BCE; shortly afterwards, new population groups from the central and southern Aegean arrived in the NEA, and seem to have cohabited relatively peacefully with earlier populations. Thirdly, it is posited that there is little evidence for overarching NEA regional identities before the 6^th century BCE: communities appear to have developed local identities, through association with specific sites and through references to the communal past in cult practice and funerary contexts. Finally, it is argued that social elites were markedly active in NEA communities of studied period: there is considerable evidence for socially exclusive groups, primarily in funerary and ritual contexts. The thesis concludes with a short chapter containing the author's closing remarks.

Letters of credit, which are a well-recognised payment instrument, have bridged international trade between different countries. The UCP, which is often regarded as “soft regulation” has provided a solid backing for the operation of documentary credits and nowadays the latest revision, UCP600 is universally incorporated into nearly all letters of credit. This thesis focuses on two vital but controversial parts in a documentary credit operation, i.e. document examination and rejection under UCP600. The central research question addressed by this thesis is: Has the UCP600 provided a sufficient framework for banks to fulfil their obligations concerning document examination and rejection under documentary credits? This question can be divided into three separate issues. Firstly, what requirements should a bank fulfil during document examination and rejection as judged by the law of documentary credits and market expectations? Secondly, what requirements have been expressly or implicitly set out in the UCP600 regime? Finally, has the current UCP system provided a proper and sufficient framework to the addressed areas? If not, what should and can be done next? In order to answer the above questions, this thesis draws upon other ICC sources, such as the ISBP, the ICC Opinions and DOCDEX decisions, which are frequently missed in other academic works. The novelty of this thesis lies in a below-the-surface analysis of the controversial areas of UCP600 by using the experience gained from recent case law before suggesting ways to move forward. The merits of this thesis are not limited to observing the current loopholes in the UCP system, but also in endeavouring to solve current problems by providing feasible suggestions for improvement for the next UCP revision.

The main objectives of the project were to investigate the interactions of carbon, titanium and aluminium contents, grain size and cold working, with precipitation reactions which occur during heat treatments similar to those experienced as a consequence of commercial PWR Steam Generator (SG) tube processing. In order to carry out this investigation commercial material was supplemented by a range of experimental casts. The selected casts allowed the investigation of the following compositional variables: (i) the effect of C in alloys free from Ti or Al, (ii) the effect of C in alloys containing both Ti and Al, and (iii) the effect of T! in alloys containing constant C and Al contents. As a result of the experimental programme considerable progress has been made in clarifying the complex structure-property relationships which occur in Alloy 600. The microstructures observed have been characterised and understood in terms of thermal and mechanical treatments. Studies involving analysis of the mechanical properties, have led to a clear understanding of the effects of grain size, precipitate type and distribution and residual cold work on mechanical behaviour. It has been shown that the activation energy for normal grain growth increases with increasing carbon and titanium contents. Explanations of the mechanical properties have been discussed in terms of grain size, dislocation hardening and solid solution hardening and it has been possible to understand the overall material properties with respect to these. The kinetics of precipitation have been studied in depth, since it is the precipitation of chromium carbide which ultimately results in the principle mode of material degradation, namely, intergranular corrosion. A range of carbide precipitation 'C-curves' have been established and related to thermal and mechanical processing. Accelerated corrosion testing has provided an insight into the relationship between precipitation and structure on the stability of material in potentially corrosive environments.

Ever since Schliemann's excavations in the Argolid, the area has been popular with archaeologists. One hundred years later the Geometric period is fairly well known in certain aspects but in other ways it is still unclear and even less is known about the immediately succeeding period, the early Archaic. The aim of this thesis, therefore, is to present the archaeological evidence for both the later part of the Geometric and early Archaic periods, the eighth and seventh centuries, and to examine the differences and the changes that occur within that time at the various sites, noting in particular the contrasts between the eighth and seventh century. This is a purely archaeological survey; historical accounts are not considered except in passing. The thesis attempts to put into proper perspective the position of Argos in relation to her neighbours in the Argolid, and the position of the eastern peninsula in relation to the central plain. Reasons are also suggested for the sudden and important changes noticeable in the seventh century. All the major facets of the archaeological evidence are presented, each in its own chapter beginning with the sites themselves, including distribution maps and a site index. Trends in settlement patterns from the LHIIIB to the Archaic period are noted, with particular attention to the Geometric and Archaic. The graves are then considered with an index of all graves of the eighth and seventh centuries. Contrasts and comparisons are made between the periods at each site. Pottery is examined by period and site, then metalwork in terms of the different types of artifacts found in the eighth and seventh centuries. The evidence of terracottas is treated in the same way and inscriptions and script are studied; finally the evidence for sanctuaries and cults brings together much of the previous material.

This thesis deals with the design of the construction of a pendulum of a single toggle jaw crusher. The first part of this thesis treats the mechanical raw minerals disintegration. In the second part the characteristics of a single toggle jaw crusher and double toggle jaw crusher are compared. The third part addresses the calculation and the construction of the main components of the jaw crusher. Next part of the thesis consists of the calculation of the crushing force, the pendulum design, and the method of manufacturing a pendulum. The strength analysis of the designed pendulum using the finite element method (FEM) in program NX-Ideas is made in the last part of this thesis.

Ändamålet för detta examensarbete är att designa om tre befintliga konstruktionsdetaljer till roboten YT-600 som rengör undervattens ytor. Anledningen är för att vissa av delarna är onödigt komplicerade, kostsamma samt besvärliga att tillverka och hantera. Detta gäller framförallt ramverket till maskinen som är en sammansatt del, det vill säga att den är fastkopplad till vissa mindre men viktiga komponenter. Med en enklare och minst lika pålitlig design till ramverket kan man minska tillverkningskostnaderna och arbetstid för tillverkning. Genom att även ta hänsyn till materialval kan det också bidra till en nedskärning på kostnad. I samband med ramverkets om-design behöver framaxeln också förenklas då dess nuvarande utformning och koppling med ramverk är överkomplicerad. Den tredje komponenten som fordrar ett nytt koncept är munstycket vari smutspartiklar sugs in. Den nuvarande designen för munstycket är för lång i bredden och har bockade delar som kräver ytterligare steg i tillverkningsprocessen som kan undvikas med en ny design.
The purpose of this Bachelor thesis is to improve the underwater cleaner YT-600 by redesigning three of its components. The reason is that some of the existing components are unnecessarily complicated, expensive, and difficult to manufacture and handle. The framework of the machine is assembled with several smaller components that can be reduced or/and connected more properly. With a simpler and at least as reliable design for the framework, it is possible to reduce the production costs and the working time for the manufacture. By also considering the selection of materials the cost can be further reduced. Another component that needs to be improved is the front axle that currently has a complicated design and connection with the framework. The third component that requires a new concept is the nozzle in which dirt particles flows through. The current design is too long in its width and has curved parts which requires a bending procedure in the manufacturing process of the machine which can be avoided with a new design.

Práce charakterizuje dokumentární akreditiv jako jeden z významných platebních a zajišťovacích instrumentů v mezinárodním obchodě. V jednotlivých kapitolách jsou uvedené výhody a nevýhody jeho použití, typy dokumentárních akreditivů, použitelnost akreditivu a dokumenty používané při akreditivních operacích. Poslední kapitola je zaměřená na eUCP, elektronický akreditiv a systémy elektronického akreditivu.

Oncolytic virotherapy is emerging as a new treatment option for cancer patients. At present, there are relatively few oncolytic virus clinical trials that are underway or have been conducted, however one virus that shows promise in pre-clinical models is Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV). VSV is a naturally occurring oncolytic rhabdovirus that has the ability to preferentially replicate in and kill malignant versus normal cells. VSV also has a low seroprevalence, minimal associated morbidity and mortality in humans, and simple non-integrating genome that can be genetically manipulated, making it an optimal oncolytic vector. Currently, many labs are using a variety of different strategies including inserting trans genes that can modulate the innate and adaptive immune response. VSV can also be retargeted by altering its surface glycoprotein (G) or be made replication incompetent by deleting the G protein. Currently, our lab has engineered a series of new recombinant VSVs, incorporating either the murine p53 (mp53), IPS-1, or TRIF transgene. mp53, IPS-1 and TRIF were incorporated into the normal VSV-XN2 genome and mp53 was also incorporated into the mutated VSV-ΔM vector generating VSV-mp53, VSV-IPS-1, VSV-TRIF and VSV-ΔM-mp53. Our data using these new viruses indicate that these viruses preferentially replicate in and kill transformed versus non-transformed cells and efficiently express the transgene. However, despite the ability for VSV-IPS-1 and VSV-TRIF to induce a robust type 1 IFN response, VSV-ΔM-mp53 was the only construct that had reduced toxicity and elicited an increased anti-tumor response against a syngeneic metastatic mammary tumor model. VSV- ΔM-mp53 treatment lead to a reduction in IL-6 and IP-10 production, an increase in tumor specific CD8+ T cells, and immunologic memory against the tumor. Collectively these studies highlight the necessity for additional VSV construct development and the generation of new clinically relevant treatment schema.

Adult peer groups have become more and more a topic for sociological study. It is a phenomenon that is starting to gain interest. This research focuses on one sorority on the campus of a Midwestern university and how this sorority manages to incorporate the women that they pledge through formal recruitment into the sorority and how these women fully socialize themselves into this group of women who already have bonded with each other. A synthesis of symbolic interactionism and social exchange theory helps to break down the socialization process and shows how the new members move through the stages of sorority membership. By the time this research ended at the sorority formal, the new members were fully incorporated into the sorority through a variety of events including meetings, recruitment, sisterhood activities, social activities, and the ritual aspects of the sorority.

Rates of car ownership in the United States exceed that of all other large nations in the world. This high rate contributes to the unexpressed demand for road space that renders highway expansion useless as a strategy for decreasing traffic congestion. It also necessitates the provision of on-site parking in residential buildings, decreasing the affordability of housing in urban areas. Furthermore, the curb-side parking needed to make room for the high number of cars in the country takes away space that could be used for bike lanes, transit lanes, or widened sidewalks. Therefore, the United States could benefit from a reduction in rates of household car ownership. In this paper, I use cross-sectional data from the National Highway Transportation Survey to determine the impact on heavy and light rail on car ownership in American cities. I find that the presence of heavy rail is associated with a lower rate of car ownership, while the presence of light rail is not.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering.
In today’s business environment, increased competition, market globalisation, increased customer demands and accelerated technologies require organisations to focus on efficiency in every aspect of their operations. Many studies in operations management have focused on the improvement of operational performance, including reduction of process variability, increasing flexibility or implementing controls in operations. However, managing the risk in operations seems to have been neglected by researchers. Hence, there are two major objectives of this study. The first objective is to investigate the use of the operational risk management (ORM) systems in Australia and study the factors that have an impact on effective operational risk management. Then, based on the identified factors, the second objective is to develop an ORM system implementation model and guideline for Australian organisations. A review of the ORM systems and its implementation was conducted. As a result of this investigation, a definition of ORM system in this study was formulated and the factors of effective ORM system implementation were identified as a basis for the next stage of this study. An investigation of the factors of ORM system implementation was then carried out. An extensive questionnaire survey was used to collect empirical data from Australian organisations. Statistical analysis results and feedback from experts was used to develop an applicable model and guideline for ORM system implementation. The main outcome of this study is a proposed model and guideline for ORM system implementation in Australian organisations, which will assist the organisation to manage operational risks more effectively and provide motivation for carrying out further research in ORM.

This thesis is an analysis of the X-ray, optical, infrared and radio properties of a sample of candidate BL Lac objects, identified from two catalogues of colour-selected point sources, the 2QZ and 6QZ. The importance of the sample lies in the fact that it is the first BL Lac sample in which initial selection has been made from optical spectra, independent of the objects' flux levels at X-ray and radio frequencies. These optically selected candidate BL Lac objects thus provide an unbiased sample (in terms of radio flux density) with which to study the proportion of radio- dominant and X-ray-dominant BL Lac objects in the global population. The observed number counts and redshift distribution of the 2BL are consistent with theoretical predictions based on the QSO evolutionary model. Given the small number statistics we are not, however, able to show that this distribution is significantly different to that of the 2QZ/6QZ white dwarfs. A median redshift of z=1.25 was computed for these candidate BL Lacs, a value supported by redshift information obtained for ~25% of the sample. This median redshift is much higher than redshifts found for X-ray selected BL Lac objects and suggests that in the past high redshift, low luminosity, radio-weak BL Lacs may have been missed in radio- and X-ray-selected samples. From results of the above studies it appears that this sample of optically selected candidate BL Lac objects is different to that of hitherto known radio-loud BL Lacs. We explore mechanisms that might produce such radio-weak/radio-quiet continuum objects, and also demonstrate that such radio-quiet BL Lac objects could exist at low redshift. Failure to include these radio-quiet BL Lacs in X-ray selected samples could explain the negative evolution found for this class of object.

This thesis explains two aspects of animal spatial foraging behaviour arising as a direct consequence of animals' need to drink water: the concentration of animal impacts, and the response of animals to those impacts. In semi-arid rangelands, the foraging range of free-ranging large mammalian herbivores is constrained by the distribution of drinking water during the dry season. Animal impacts become concentrated around these watering sites according to the geometrical relationship between the available foraging area and the distance from water, and the spatial distribution of animal impacts becomes organised along a utilisation gradient termed a "piosphere". During the dry season the temporal distribution of the impacts is determined by the day-to-day foraging behaviour of the animals. The specific conditions under which these spatial foraging processes determine the piosphere pattern have been identified in this thesis. At the core of this investigation are questions about the response of animals to the heterogeneity of their resources. Aspects of spatial foraging are widely commented on whilst explaining the consequences of piosphere phenomena for individual animal intake, population dynamics, feeding strategies and management. Implicated are our notions of optimal foraging, scale in animal response, and resource matching. This thesis addressed each of these. In the specific context of piospheres, the role of energy balance in optimal foraging was also tested. Field experiments for this thesis showed a relationship between goat browsing activity and measures of spatial impact. As a preliminary step to investigating animal response to resource heterogeneity, the spatial pattern of foraging behaviour/impacts was described using spatial statistics. Browsing activity varied daily revealing animal assessment of the spatial heterogeneity of their resources and an energetic basis for foraging decisions. This foraging behaviour was shown to be determined by individual plants rather than at larger scales of plant aggregation. A further experiment investigated the claim that defoliation has limited impact on browser intake rate, suggesting that piospheres may have few consequences for browser intake. This experiment identified a constraining influence of browse characteristics at the small scale on goat foraging by relating animal intake rate to plant bite size and distribution. Computer simulation experiments for this thesis supported these empirical findings by showing that the distribution of spatial impacts was sensitive to the marginal value of forage resources, and identified plant bite size and distribution as the causal factors in limiting animal intake rate in the presence of a piosphere. As a further description of spatial pattern, piospheres were characterised by applying a contemporary ecological theory that ranks resource patches into a spatial hierarchy. Ecosystem dynamics emerge from the interactions between these patches, with piospheres being an emergent property of a natural plant-herbivore system under specific conditions of constrained foraging. The generation of a piosphere was shown to be a function of intake constraints and available foraging area, whilst piosphere extent was shown to be independent of daily energy balance including expenditure on travel costs. A threshold distance for animal foraging range arising from a hypothesised conflict between daily energy intake and expenditure was shown not to exist, whereas evidence for an intermediate distance from water as a focus for accumulated foraging activity was identified. Individual animal foraging efficiency in the computer model was shown to be sensitive to the piosphere, while animal population dynamics were found to be determined in the longer term by dry season key resources near watering points. Time lags were found to operate in the maintenance of the gradient, and the density dependent moderation of the animal population. The latter was a direct result of the inability of animal populations to match the distribution of their resources with the distribution of their foraging behaviour, because of their daily drinking requirements. The result is that animal forage intake was compromised by the low density of dry season forage in the vicinity of a water point. This thesis also proposes that piospheres exert selection pressures on traits to maximise energy gain from the spatial heterogeneity of dry season resources, and that these have played a role in the evolution of large mammalian herbivores.

The shortage of skilled workers is one of the greatest challenges facing the construction industry. The Construction Users Roundtable (CURT) surveyed facility owners on their workforce availability in the summer of 2001 and found that 82 percent of the respondents reported experiencing work force shortages on their projects, and 78 percent indicated that the trend had worsened over the previous three years. One promising solution to relieve the shortage of skilled workers is to provide adequate and effective training. Many research efforts on construction worker training have been conducted in the past decade in order to address the need and benefits of construction craft training. However, a quantitative analysis of construction craft trainings benefits and costs from the perspective of worker, project and company has rarely been carried out. Providing quantifiable analysis regarding the benefits and costs of training can help to solve the debate existing in the industry regarding the value of craft labor training and improve the effectiveness of craft training programs. The research investigated existing major datasets relevant with construction craft training developed by previous research. Meanwhile, as part of this research, a craft director training survey was administrated to measure training benefits in productivity, turnover, absenteeism safety and rework, as well as information such as core training subjects and common barriers for training. The primary objective of the study is to qualify the outcomes and effectiveness of strategies for construction craft training. Four secondary objectives are completed to help achieve the primary goal: (I) Identify the major characteristics of construction training and major factors affecting construction training; (II) Quantitatively measure the outcomes of construction training on the individual and project/company level; (III) Develop benefit-cost ratio models based on the survey administrated by the study as well as existing industry data; and (IV) Perform a skill affinity analysis to identify real multiskilling patterns among craft workers in order to adopt multiskilling training strategies in the construction industry.

This thesis presents a new system that reconstructs the 3D representation of dental casts. To maintain the integrity of the 3D representation, a standard model is built to cover the blind spots that the camera cannot reach. The standard model is obtained by scanning a real human mouth model with a laser scanner. Then the model is simplified by an algorithm which is based on iterative contraction of vertex pairs. The simplified standard model uses a local parametrization method to obtain the curvature information. The system uses a digital camera and a square tube mirror in front of the camera to capture multi-view images. The mirror is made of stainless steel in order to avoid double reflections. The reflected areas of the image are considered as images taken by the virtual cameras. Only one camera calibration is needed since the virtual cameras have the same intrinsic parameters as the real camera. Depth is computed by a simple and accurate geometry based method once the corresponding points are identified. Correspondences are selected using a feature point based stereo matching process, including fast normalized cross-correlation and simulated annealing.

Motivation: Diet and nutrition are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the entire life course. Their role as determinants of chronic noncommunicable diseases is well established. Alterations in diet, both positive and negative have strong effects on health throughout life. Consumers' awareness of a diet-disease relationship may stimulate interest in learning more about nutrition thus acquiring necessary knowledge for dietary improvement and disease prevention. Objectives: • To investigate South African metropolitan consumers beliefs and attitudes about the link between food and health. • To explore the demographic characteristics and beliefs of South African consumers regarding the link between food and health; and to investigate whether differences exist in this belief between gender, race, age group and Living Standard Measures (LSM). Methodology: One thousand nine hundred and ninety seven South African adults (≥16 years), representing the four major race groups of South Africa, were selected by stratified random sampling from metropolitan areas in South Africa. The sample was weighted based on the South African 2000 National census data, to be representative of the adult metropolitan population based on gender, age and race distribution. Trained field workers administered the questionnaire by conducting face-to-face interviews with South African consumers. The questionnaire was designed by a multidisciplinary team and contained a number of statements on eating habits, food and health. Results: There were no practically significant differences in consumers' responses in terms of gender or age. Practically significant differences were found between different race and LSM groups for some variables. A small practically significant difference was observed among the races in statement 1, and between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10; and between LSM 4 to 6 and LSM 7 to 10 in statement 1 and statement 6. In statement 2, a small practically significant difference was observed between Whites and Coloureds. Statement 4 indicated a small practically significant difference between Blacks and Indians. A medium practically significant difference was found between LSM 2 to 3 and LSM 7 to 10 for statement 4. A small practically significant difference was evident between Whites and Blacks; and between Blacks and Coloureds in statement 6. A medium practically significant difference was found between Blacks and lndians in statement 6. The overall response of South African consumers towards the belief that food has an effect on health, that food can influence health and the development of some diseases, and that healthy food is only for people that have a disease, was very positive. However 56% of South African consumers do not want to have to think about disease when choosing food. Conclusion: Results from this study reveal that South African consumers have some understanding of the dietdisease relationship and believe that there is some link between food and health. This belief however differs between age, gender, race and LSM group. However, more research with regards what influences people's eating behaviour, attitudes towards healthy food and beliefs about the dietdisease relationship needs to be done in South Africa.
Thesis (M.Sc.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005

This media studies thesis is a series of digitally-made composites/collages visually inspired by popular text posts from Tumblr. The text posts -- and the images inspired by them -- reflect the ironic and sarcastic humor teens and 20-somethings use to cope with mental health issues.

Recent cross-sectional studies have confirmed that the prevalence of mental disorder in English prisons is high but they provide little insight into the fate of the mentally disordered in prison. This thesis concentrates on a longitudinal study of mental disorder in 569 unconvicted adult male remand prisoners received into Durham prison between 1 October 1995 and 30 April 1996. Subjects were interviewed at reception by psychiatric researchers and monitored throughout the remand period. The data collected was used to establish the prevalence of mental disorder and substance misuse at reception into prison, effectiveness of prison reception screening, number of mentally disordered subjects identified and referred for psychiatric assessmentn, ature of psychiatric interventions, and final disposal of all subjects. Additional research was undertaken at Durham to evaluate health care provision at this prison, and, in order to comment on the generalisability of the findings, health care facilities at other prisons in England and Wales were investigated. More than a quarter of subjects at Durham prison were suffering from mental disorder. Serious disorders were especially prevalent and one in twenty remands was acutely psychotic. Drug and alcohol misuse was the norm. More than half of our subjects received current substance abuse or dependence diagnoses. Prison reception screening failed to identify nearly 80% of subjects with mental disorder, including 75% of those with acute psychosis. The treatment needs of the majority of mentally disordered subjects were overlooked in prison. Just over one quarter of mentally disordered subjects were referred for a psychiatric assessment. Contact with psychiatric services was frequently hampered by the prison regime and the actions of the courts. This resulted in acutely psychotic prisoners being released without adequate treatment or follow-up. Help for prisoners with drug and alcohol related problems was minimal. Detoxification regimes were insufficiently prescribed leaving the majority of subjects addicted to opiates, benzodiazepines and alcohol at risk of serious withdrawal. Inadequate resources, a lack of suitably trained health care staff, low morale and staff sickness hampered the delivery of effective health care at Durham prison. However, staff attitudes, institutionalised practices and negative responses from prisoners also made a significant contribution. Further inquiry indicates that Durham. prison is not unique in these respects. Problems of a similar nature are endemic in the Prison Health Service. Indeed, when the history of this organisation is traced it is apparent that such difficulties have plagued it throughout its existence.

This study examines the main problems associated with passenger survival and evacuation in survivable aircraft fire situations under current regulatory safety requirements and assesses current and alternative strategies to combat cabin fire, and assist evacuation, with a view to identifying a best alternative strategy. The technical and management findings associated with a research programme which was conducted into passenger smoke hood protection are then described. The survival/evacuation/pathology aspects associated with 10 selected accidents to public transport aircraft which involved fire are reviewed at the outset of this study in order to set forth the attendant problems of survival in such situations. The pathology and toxicological findings associated with these accidents are then discussed. The assembled information is then analysed with a view towards identifying the key problems inherent in survival and evacuation from aircraft fires, including those which stem from survivable in-flight fires. The current regulatory requirements and associated strategies relating to occupant survival/evacuation are then critically reviewed against the key problems identified. A review of alternative strategies is then conducted and an assessment made of technical potential, related cost-benefit data, problems still to be resolved and possible timescales for implementation. A'best-strategy'is then selected. The potential benefits of this strategy are then set forth in terms of its relevance to the survival/evacuation problems identified, associated cost-effectiveness, potential synergy with existing, and possible future, requirements and implementation timescale. A review of data on aircraft fires is then conducted, including that associated with the thermochemical characteristics of such combustion atmospheres and related effects on animals and humans. Using this data, the approach used to develop a set of acceptance criteria for aircraft passenger smoke hood designs is described. In addition, the way in which a challenge combustion atmosphere model was developed, and against which filter-type smoke hoods could be tested, is described. The organisation and implementation of a research programme to evaluate the performance capability of a range of breathable-gas and filter-type smoke hoods is then described in terms of the technical and management aspects, and the results set forth- Finally, the results of the study are analysed from both a technical and management perspective and appropriate conclusions and recommendations presented.

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A carne suína representa importante fonte de proteína animal para o mundo, porém vem sendo associada a surtos de toxinfecção alimentar. Uma das causas destes surtos é a contaminação por Escherichia coli (E. coli), encontrada no trato intestinal e ambiente dos suínos abatidos para produção de carnes in natura e industrializadas. No contexto de segurança alimentar, os surtos por Escherichia coli produtoras de toxina Shiga (STEC) são os melhores documentados. No mundo, diversos surtos causados por ingestão de alimentos de origem animal já foram documentados, porem no Brasil, existem poucos dados sobre a ocorrência de STEC em eventos de toxinfecção alimentar, bem como a presença nos animais e, consequentemente, na carne suína. O objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar a contaminação por E. coli de carcaças suínas abatidos em frigoríficos comerciais localizados nos estados da Região Sul do Brasil, e identificar por Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase (PCR) a presença de E. coli produtora das toxinas stx1 e eaeA. Foram realizados swabs de 272 carcaças suínas em abatedouros frigoríficos localizados nos estados do RS, SC e PR. As contaminações por E. coli foram identificadas em 25 carcaças, sendo 20 estabelecimento do Rio Grande do Sul, cinco no do Paraná e nenhuma amostra positiva na coleta em Santa Catarina. Das amostras positivas foram extraídos DNA para genotipagem por PCR. Nenhuma amostra apresentou o gene stx1, porém o gene eaeA foi identificado em 13 amostras, nas diferentes regiões da carcaça. A identificação da incidência dos genes eaeA e stx1 nas carcaças pela técnica de PCR pode ser uma ferramenta útil no rastreamento da contaminação bacteriana ao longo dos processos do abatedouro, podendo auxiliar na redução de casos de toxinfecções alimentares causadas por E. coli e outros microrganismos.

This research included a thorough examination of the existing software assurance or what is commonly called software security knowledge, methodologies and what information security technologies is currently being recommended by the information technology community. Finally it is demonstrated how this security knowledge could be incorporated into the curriculum for undergraduate software engineering.

Brevetoxins are natural neurotoxins that are produced by “red tide” algae. In this study, brevetoxin-1 and brevetoxin-2 were incubated with rat liver hepatocytes and rat liver microsomes, respectively. After clean-up steps, samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography-electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ES-MS). Two metabolites were found for brevetoxin-1: brevetoxin-1-M1 (MW 900 Da), formed by converting one double bond in the E or F ring into a diol; and brevetoxin-1-M2 (MW 884 Da), a hydrolysis product of brevetoxin-1 involving opening of the lactone ring. The incubation study of brevetoxin-2 found two metabolites. Brevetoxin-2-M1 (MW 912 Da) was elucidated by negative mode LC-MS/MS to be the hydrolysis product of brevetoxin-2. The second metabolite (brevetoxin-2-M2, MW 896 Da) was deduced to be brevetoxin-3. All brevetoxins have high affinities for sodium ions. Attempts to obtain informative product ions from the collision induced decomposition (CID) of [M + Na]+ brevetoxin precursor ions only resulted in uninformative sodium ion signals. In our nano-electrospray experiments, the addition of ammonium fluoride resulted in the formation of the ammonium adduct or protonated brevetoxin with a concomitant decrease of the sodium adduct peak. Product ion spectra of [M + NH4]+ and [M + H]+ were similar and provided useful structural information. The optimal values for ammonium fluoride concentration and the cone voltage were experimentally determined. In negative mode electrospray, without additives, deprotonated molecules of brevetoxins do not appear in high abundances, and thus are not well-suited for CID experiments. Several anions were tested for their abilities to form brevetoxin-anion adducts by mixing ammonium salts of these anions with brevetoxin-2 and brevetoxin-3. Under CID, [M + Cl]-, [M + Br]-, [M + OAc]-, [M + HCOO]-, [M + NO3]- adducts all produced only the respective anions in CID experiments, and thus, gave no structural information. In contrast, upon CID, both [M + F]- and [M + HCO3]- precursor adducts gave structurally-informative fragment peaks that exhibited similarities to those of [M - H]- ions; the detailed fragmentation mechanisms are discussed. In comparison, fluoride is a better choice to study brevetoxins in negative ES-MS by the anionic adduct approach.

In this abstract, we present a nonlinear curvelet-based sparsity-promoting formulation of a seismic processing flow, consisting of the following steps: seismic data regularization and the restoration of migration amplitudes. We show that the curvelet's wavefront detection capability and invariance under the migration-demigration operator lead to a formulation that is stable under noise and missing data.

This thesis has as its main aim to present Peirce's project as an organic system that is able to provide a reasonable account of our complex experience of freedom. For this reason, in the first chapter I will maintain that there are three conditions of possibility for human freedom that can be established according to an attentive reading of Aristotle's works, namely, the contingency of the world, the existence of a being who can take advantage of the world's contingency, and the capacity of a person to decide his or her own idea of Happiness or final good in a human community. These conditions can be tracked, consolidated, and improved through Peirce's philosophy. It can be tracked, first of all, in their common perspective regarding the world's element of contingency and openness to growth. Second, both philosophers think that human beings have the power to decide and actively participate in the world through experience and habit. Finally, both grant an important role to community in their philosophies in order to give sense to persons' actions. After establishing this background, I will focus primarily on the detailed presentation of the first condition of possibility for freedom, that is, in Peirce's idea of God as a metaphysical condition for freedom. In the second chapter, I will explore the historical development of Peirce's cosmology, in order to show that Peirce's idea of God is not the product of a stubborn religious prejudice but a genuine achievement of his philosophy that harmonizes with his general project of an evolutionary philosophy open to critique and working hand in hand with science. Finally, in the third chapter, I will try to clarify further Peirce's idea of God in dealing with some misconceptions generated by standard religious notions of God and by the philosophical conception of the Absolute. Thus, I hope to present Peirce's idea of God as a middle ground between these two approaches. I will argue that, on the one hand, he wanted to propose an idea of God that is open to scientific critique, as is the conception of the philosophical Absolute. On the other hand, he defended an idea of God that has bearing upon our conduct of life and, therefore, is sentimental and approachable as is the idea of God proposed at least by Christian religion. As a result, Peirce's God works as a condition of possibility for freedom insofar as he is the living idea of a developmental telos open to growth. That is, Peirce provided an idea of a cosmos that shares with us the general features of being reasonable and free.

Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer related death in the United States with a median survival time of less than 6 months. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for greater than 85% of all pancreatic cancers, and is marked by early and frequent mutation of the KRAS oncogene, with activating KRAS mutations present in over 90% of PDAC. To date, though, targeting activated KRAS for cancer treatment has been very difficult, and targeted therapies are currently being sought for the downstream effectors of activated KRAS. Activation of KRAS stimulates multiple signaling pathways, including the MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT signaling cascades, but the role of downstream effectors in pancreatic tumor initiation and progression remains unclear. I therefore used primary pancreatic ductal epithelial cells (PDECs), the putative cell of origin for PDAC, to determine the role of specific downstream signaling pathways in KRAS activated pancreatic tumor initiation. As one third of KRAS wild type PDACs harbor activating mutations in BRAF , and KRAS and BRAF mutations appear to be mutually exclusive, I also sought to determine the effect of activated BRAF (BRAF V600E ) expression on PDECs and the signaling requirements downstream of BRAF. I found that both KRAS G12D and BRAF V600E expressing PDECs displayed increased proliferation relative to GFP expressing controls, as well as increased PDEC survival after challenge with apoptotic stimuli. This survival was found to depend on both the MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT signaling cascades. Surprisingly, I found that this survival is also dependent on the IGF1R, and that activation of PI3K/AKT signaling occurs downstream of MEK/ERK activation, and is dependent on signaling through the IGF1R. Consistent with this, I find increased IGF2 expression in KRAS G12D and BRAF V600E expressing PDECs, and show that ectopic expression of IGF2 rescues survival in PDECs with inhibited MEK, but not PI3K. Finally, I showed that the expression of KRAS G12D or BRAF V600E in PDECs lacking both the Ink4a/Arf and Trp53 tumor suppressors is sufficient for tumor formation following orthotopic transplant of PDECs, and that IGF1R knockdown impairs KRAS and BRAF-induced tumor formation in this model. In addition to these findings within PDECs, I demonstrate that KRAS G12D or BRAF V600E expressing tumor cell lines differ in MEK-ERK and PI3K-AKT signaling from PDECs. In contrast to KRAS G12D or BRAF V600E expressing PDECs, activation of AKT at serine 473 in the KRAS G12D or BRAF V600E expressing tumor cell lines does not lie downstream of MEK, and only the inhibition of PI3K alone or both MEK and the IGF1R simultaneously results in loss of tumor cell line survival. However, inhibition of MEK, PI3K, or the IGF1R in KRAS G12D or BRAF V600E expressing tumor cell lines also resulted in decreased proliferation relative to DMSO treated cells, demonstrating that all three signaling cascades remain important for tumor cell growth and are therefore viable options for pancreatic cancer therapeutics.

Les travaux de cette thèse s'inscrivent dans le cadre de la vision par ordinateur et en particulier de l'autocalibrage des caméras. L'autocalibrage est une phase délicate nécessaire dans de nombreuses applications comme la reconstruction tridimensionnelle ou la métrologie. Par autocalibrage, nous entendons la détermination des paramètres du modèle de la caméra, à partir d'un ensemble d'images et sans connaissance a priori sur la scène. Les méthodes d'autocalibrage ont pris un essor considérable ces dernières années car elles permettent entre autres de s'affranchir de l'utilisation d'une mire de calibrage et de gérer des variations de distance focale. Dans ce contexte, nous avons étudié l'autocalibrage plan (impliquant une scène plane) et l'autocalibrage 3D (impliquant une scène quelconque). Nos principales contributions se situent à la fois au niveau de la modélisation géométrique de ces problèmes et au niveau de leur résolution mathématique. D'une part, au niveau de la modélisation géométrique du problème et concernant l'autocalibrage plan, nous avons mis en évidence un surparamétrage dans le formalisme généralement utilisé et proposé par Triggs en 1998. Nous avons alors proposé un paramétrage minimal, permettant de réduire le nombre d'inconnues et de mieux comprendre le problème. Concernant l'autocalibrage 3D, nous avons réalisé une étude exhaustive des mouvements critiques, c'est-à-dire les mouvements de caméra pour lesquels l'autocalibrage est impossible, dans le cas précis où les paramètres internes sont constants et connus, exceptée la distance focale qui reste inconnue. Bien que Sturm et Kahl aient largement étudié les mouvements critiques de l'autocalibrage avec une distance focale constante ou variable, ce cas n'avait pas encore été abordé. D'autre part, au niveau de la résolution du problème, l'autocalibrage se ramène généralement à un système d'équations algébriques qui se résout par la minimisation d'une fonction de coût. Des méthodes de minimisation locale sont généralement utilisées ; elles nécessitent une bonne estimation initiale et n'offrent aucune garantie sur la solution trouvée (présence de nombreux minima locaux à cause de la non linéarité du problème). .
This work deals with computer vision and more precisely camera self-calibration. Self-calibration is an important step involved in numerous applications such as tridimensional reconstruction or metrology. By self-calibration, we mean estimation of the camera model parameters, from a sequence of images and without a priori knowledge. Self-calibration methods have been widely used these last years since they allow calibration without a calibration target and since they can handle focal length variations. In this context, we have focused on plane-based self-calibration and 3D self-calibration. Our main contributions are concerned with the geometric modelisation of these problems and their mathematical resolution. The first main part of our work deals with geometric modelisation of self-calibration. In the plane-based case, we have revealed an inter-dependence in the model usally used and proposed by Triggs in 1998. In the light of this, we have proposed a minimal parameterization of the problem in which the number of unknowns is reduced. In the 3D case, we provide a thorough study of the critical motion sequences, i. E. Camera motions for which self-calibration is ambiguous, in the constant focal length case. Although Sturm and Kahl have given a complete classification of the critical motion sequences in the variable focal length case, this special case has not been studied yet. Secondly, we have investigated the resolution part of the self-calibration problems. These problems usually lead to an algebraic equation system which is solved by minimizing a cost function. Local minimization methods are generally used. They need a good initial solution and they do not provide any guaranty on the found optimum (many local minima are present, due to the non linearity of the cost function). The calibration step is a crucial step and affects the other steps such as reconstruction. .

Mestrado em Engenharia do Ambiente
A gestão de resíduos é uma questão cada vez mais relevante na sociedade actual, face à sua crescente produção. Além da preservação da saúde pública e da protecção do ambiente, consideradas as motivações mais antigas para a gestão de resíduos, têm vindo a surgir ao longo do tempo novos factores que condicionam a gestão de resíduos, tais como a consciencialização de que os resíduos podem ser encarados como fonte de recursos; o reconhecimento de que é importante fechar o ciclo de modo a prevenir perdas e o interesse pelo envolvimento de todas as partes interessadas e pela cooperação intermunicipal. A tomada de decisão sobre qual o melhor destino a dar a cada tipo de resíduo está condicionada pelo cumprimento das metas comunitárias relativas à deposição de resíduos biodegradáveis em aterro, decorrendo da lei dos aterros, que transpõe a Directiva 1999/31/CE, de 26 de Abril, e ainda da necessidade de aumentar, de forma significativa, os quantitativos de materiais a valorizar por reciclagem material, ou outras formas de valorização, em conformidade com a estratégia da UE de evoluir para uma sociedade para a reciclagem. Em Portugal, a produção média anual de bagaço de uva, resultante da produção de vinho, é de 52 500 kg. Actualmente os destinos dados a este subproduto variam desde o seu processamento para ração animal, até à produção de óleo a partir das grainhas, à sua utilização como biocombustível e à deposição no solo, tal e qual. A valorização orgânica do bagaço de uva surge como mais uma alternativa. Hoje em dia, grande parte deste subproduto é vendida a outras empresas que procedem à sua valorização. A compostagem é uma tecnologia adequada ao tratamento, à reciclagem e à valorização de biomassas como por exemplo os resíduos orgânicos de origem agro-industrial, florestal e a fracção orgânica de RSU. Pode ser definida como a decomposição biológica e estabilização de substratos orgânicos, sob condições que permitam o desenvolvimento de temperaturas termófilas, como resultado da produção biológica de calor, originando um produto final estável, livre de organismos patogénicos e infestantes de plantas, que possa ser aplicado no solo com benefícios para a produção vegetal. Realizou-se um projecto de compostagem à escala piloto, de modo a avaliar a degradabilidade do bagaço de uva destilado para obtenção de um composto estabilizado e com características favoráveis à fertilização de solos e crescimento das plantas. De modo a optimizar estes aspectos foram testadas diferentes condições operatórias, nomeadamente temperaturas mesófilas (40ºC) e termófilas (55ºC), e inoculações do bagaço de uva destilado, com resíduo de aviário e casca de laranja. Foi ainda analisado o efeito da correcção calcária de acidez, utilizando CaCO3. Os ensaios experimentais dividiram-se em quatro fases: uma fase preliminar foi feita com dois reactores a 40ºC e outros dois a 55ºC, com bagaço de uva destilado simples ou inoculado com resíduo de aviário. A fase seguinte, designada primeira fase, consistiu em dois ensaios, com quatro misturas diferentes cada (bagaço de uva simples, bagaço inoculado com resíduo de aviário ou com casca de laranja e com CaCO3), um a 40ºC e outro a 55ºC. Na segunda fase realizou-se um ensaio com as mesmas 4 misturas mas com uma fase inicial mesófila para controlo do pH e posterior reacção a temperatura termófila. A terceira, e última fase, baseou-se num ensaio de compostagem de bagaço de uva inoculado com diferentes razões de resíduo de aviário (90:10, 70:30 e 50:50), também com início a temperaturas mesófilas seguido de um período a temperaturas termófila. Nos diferentes ensaios foram monitorizados parâmetros como a temperatura, o teor de CO2, humidade, pH, sólidos voláteis e cinzas. Em alguns ensaios determinou-se a variação dos hidratos de carbono, lípidos e proteínas entre o início e o final do processo. O produto obtido foi avaliado através da produção relativa de biomassa obtida em ensaio de vaso, indicativo de fitotoxicidade, da razão C:N e do teor de substâncias húmicas. O grau de conversão foi superior para os ensaios em que se utilizou o resíduo de aviário como inóculo e mais ainda quando se controlava o pH recorrendo a um prolongamento de uma fase inicial mesófila seguido da reacção à temperatura de 55ºC, sugerindo que o pH é um parâmetro determinante. Das diferentes razões bagaço de uva:resíduo de aviário experimentadas obteve-se um grau de conversão superior para a razão 50:50. A avaliação do grau de estabilização e maturação do composto revelou que não apresenta fitotoxicidade para o crescimento de plantas, mas necessita de um estudo mais aprofundado relativamente ao teor de substâncias húmicas. Do mesmo modo é necessário estudar outros parâmetros tais como microbiológicos e respirométricos de modo a estabelecer a qualidade do produto da compostagem do bagaço de uva. De acordo com os resultados obtidos, uma aposta na valorização orgânica do subproduto da destilação do bagaço de uva deverá ser acompanhada de uma avaliação económica das diferentes alternativas. ABSTRACT: Waste management is an important issue nowadays due to its increasing production. Beyond public health and environment protection, the classic drivers for waste management, there are other such as the resource value of waste, closing the loop, institutional and responsibility issues, and public awareness. The decision making on which is the best destination of each waste type is conditioned by the fulfillment of communitarian legislation related to biodegradable waste disposal, the Directive 199/31/EC, 26th April and by the need of raising the quantity of materials to recycle and to valorize, according to EU strategy “recycling society”. In Portugal, the annual production of grape marc, resulting from wine production, is 52 500 kg. The current destinations of this byproduct vary from animal feed processing to grapeseed oil production, use as biocombustible and sanitary landfill disposal, with no treatment. The organic valorization of grape marc represents an alternative choice. Currently, most of grape marc is sold to other companies to be valorized. Composting is a technology which is adjusted to the treatment, recycling and valorization of biomass such as agro-industrial organic waste, forest and organic fraction of MSW. It can be defined as de biological decomposition and stabilization of organic substrates under conditions that lead to termophilic temperatures, with biological heat production, resulting in a stable product, free of pathogens and plant seeds, which can be used on soil, with benefits to plant growth. One carried out a composting project, at pilot scale, to evaluate the biodegradability of this substrate in order to obtain a stable compost with suitable characteristics to soil fertilization and plant’s growth. Regarding the optimization of these aspects it was tested different environmental conditions, especially mesophilic (40ºC) and thermophilic (55ºC) temperatures, and inoculations using poultry litter and orange skin. One also studied the effect of acidity correction with lime (CaCO3). The experimental essays can be divided into four parts: the first one was a preliminary essay where two reactors operated at 40ºC and the other two at 55ºC, with grape marc alone or with poultry litter. The next phase consisted in two essays, with four different mixtures each (grape marc, grape marc with poultry litter, grape marc with orange skin and with lime), the first at 40ºC and the other at 55ºC. In the second phase one carried out an essay using the same four mixtures but at mesophilic temperatures at the beginning of the process to pH control followed by thermophilic temperature. The third and last phase was based on the composting of grape marc inoculated with different ratios of poultry litter (90:10, 70:30, 50:50), also using thermophilic temperatures at the beginning and then thermophilic temperature. During the different essays on monitored parameters like temperature, CO2 fraction, moisture, pH, volatile solids and ash. During some of the essays one also determined the variation of carbon hydrate, lipids and proteins at the beginning and at the end of the process. The final product was assessed through the relative yield of biomass in vessel tests, indicative of phytotoxicity, the C:N ratio and humic substances. The conversion was higher at the essays in which one used poultry litter and even higher when pH control, with initial mesophilic condition, was carried out suggesting that pH is a determining parameter. Between the different ratios grape marc : poultry litter experimented the highest conversion was achieved to the ratio 50:50. Even so, generally the achieved conversions were not high enough. The compost stability and maturity assessment revealed that it’s not phytotoxic for plant’s growth, but it is necessary to carry out more studies related to the humic substances. By the same way, it is necessary to study other parameters such as microbiologic and respirometric ones in order to evaluate the grape marc composting product quality. Accordingly with the results, to invest in organic valorization should be met by an economical assessment of the various alternatives.

The phenomenon of repeated evolution runs counter to expectations about the role of contingency in adaptation. However, many examples of independently acquired similar traits show that evolution sometimes does follow the same path. Factors influencing the probability of such an event include selection, trait complexity and relatedness. Previous investigations of repeated adaptation have primarily focused on low-complexity traits subject to strong selection. Studies of systems with varying levels of trait complexity, selection, and relatedness are needed to evaluate the relative contributions of these factors. The series of studies reported here 1) establishes a system for inquiry into the role of parallel adaptation among hosts and parasites and 2) provides an assessment of the role of parallel genetic change in the evolution of a complex trait. In Chapter 2, I show that all-female broods in a line of Drosophila borealis are caused by infection with a male-killing strain of Wolbachia that is very closely-related to another male-killing strain infecting a geographically and evolutionarily distant species of Drosophila. This host-parasite system, together with two other known male-killing Wolbachia strains infecting Drosophila provides a framework for investigating the role of parallel evolution in the independent acquisition of the male-killing trait among Wolbachia, as well as in the adaptation of divergent hosts to similar male-killing parasites. In Chapters 3-5, I investigate the role of parallel genetic change in a complex trait in two species of Drosophila by searching for evidence of adaptation in the Drosophila americana homologs of genes thought to underlie adaptation to climate in Drosophila melanogaster. In Chapter 3, I investigate the D. americana homolog of Alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh). In contrast with D. melanogaster, which segregates functionally distinct variants in Adh that represent local adaptation to climate, D. americana segregates little variation. This is surprising, especially because Adh of D. americana is found near a polymorphic chromosomal rearrangement that does segregate geographically-structured alleles across the species' range. In Chapter 4, I report similarities at the Phosphoglucomutase (Pgm) locus in the two species, including a shared excess of nonsynonymous variants and the presence of clinal alleles. However, while variation at Pgm of D. melanogaster is proposed to underlie local adaptation, variation at Pgm of D. americana appears to be predominantly neutral. In Chapter 5, I investigate the role of positive selection in sequence evolution in the D. americana homologs of a group of genes thought to underlie local adaptation to climate in D. melanogaster. The two species share a large geographic range and exhibit levels of sequence variation that indicate a similar effective population size, but D. melanogaster appears to undergo more frequent fixation of advantageous alleles. Approximately half of all amino acid divergence in D. melanogaster is attributable to positive selection, but I find no signs of positive selection in the investigated genes in D. americana. Overall, the results reveal little or no parallel evolution at the single genes analyzed. This lack of parallel evolution is likely a result of the high complexity of adaptation to climate as well as contingency.