The application of elemental fingerprinting techniques to identify population connectivity using austrovenus stutchburyi recruits

The density, distribution and dynamics of benthic bivalve populations are believed to be largely determined by the planktonic larval phase of the life history. As the hard parts of larvae, such as the prodissoconch (larval shell), develop and grow, ambient environmental conditions are recorded as chemical signatures (elemental fingerprints). If the chemical signals of reference sites are known, the larval signatures can be matched to reference sites, hereby reconstructing the origin of the larvae. The collection and identification of larval bivalves is extremely difficult, however, previous studies have shown that the prodissoconch is retained into the juvenile phase, thus enabling juveniles to maintain a record of the larval movement. Before elemental fingerprinting can be used as a larval tracking tool, site specific signatures must be evident in the shells. As a precursor study to test the application of elemental fingerprinting to track bivalve larvae, the presence of spatial variability in shell signatures as well as the scale at which these variations occurred, were established for New Zealand conditions. Furthermore, temporal stability of the shell signatures was explored, as temporal stability is crucial if the signals of shells collected at one time are to be used as predictors of unknown samples collected at a different time. The venerid bivalve Austrovenus stutchburyi is a common and widespread constituent of New Zealand estuarine communities and were therefore selected as the study species. The chemical signatures of entire Austrovenus stutchburyi shells were examined to determine the inter-site spatial differences in elemental fingerprints of shells and also to characterise the temporal stability of the signatures. Furthermore, shells were ablated at two reference points (the prodissoconch and most recently formed shell material) to determine the intra-shell variation in the chemical signatures. Juvenile individuals were collected from 19 sites in the North Island of New Zealand as part of the whole shell spatial study. One site (in Tauranga Harbour) was examined for the temporal study, whilst four sites were used to compare intra-shell chemical variation. Whole shells were digested and analysed as solution based samples using inductively coupled ii ABSTRACT iii plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the spatial and temporal studies, and by laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) for the point ablation intra-shell variation study. Results showed that shell concentrations were sufficiently different to yield a classification success of 68% over 19 sites, however the classification success markedly increased as the number of sites included in the analysis decreased (e.g. 12 sites = 75%, 10 sites = 84%, 5 sites = 90%, 3 sites = 95%). Shells were successfully classified across all of the spatial scales that were tested (approximately 10 km to 1150 km). Temporal stability in chemical signatures was observed over a 44 day period. The chemical signatures were not correlated with ambient temperature or salinity, however more vigorous sampling is needed to accurately assess the relationship between shell elemental incorporation and environmental conditions. Intra-shell variation was also observed for some of the shells analysed from two of the four sites. These results were promising and indicated that there may be chemical variations between the larval shells and the more recently formed shell material, thus suggesting the possibility of external recruitment. The results from this study emphasised the potential for the application of elemental fingerprinting techniques to track and better understand the larval transport and population connectivity for New Zealand invertebrate species, however more research is required before elemental fingerprinting can effectively be applied to New Zealand invertebrate species. With a fundamental understanding of the origin of bivalve recruits, restoration efforts following estuarine disturbance events can be effectively employed

MOVING BEYOND THE ABYSSAL LINE: THE POSSIBILITY OF EPISTEMIC JUSTICE IN THE ‘POST’- APARTHEID CONSTITUTIONALISM

In this article, I reflect on the idea of a ‘post’-apartheid South Africanconstitutionalism and the related and implicated notion ofTransformative Constitutionalism by emphasising its continued bondageto a colonial and apartheid past. In an effort to critically explore the‘post’-apartheid transformative constitutional framework, I examinethe endurance of colonialism as coloniality in the manner it hasunfolded in the South African context. This exploration involveshighlighting three constitutive elements of this endurance: linearhistoricism as observed in Hobbes’ social contract; the geography ofreason as theorised by Schmitt; and the lines within South Africansociety and knowledge systems as a result of what De Sousa Santos calls‘abyssal thinking’. Although the endurance of historical colonialism ascoloniality can be described in a number of ways, I deal with thesespecific constitutive elements in order to argue that the doctrine of transformation, which includes Transformative Constitutionalism, haslargely been ineffective in its attempt to eradicate coloniality as it hasfailed to achieve epistemic justice for the majority of (South) Africans.I conclude by suggesting that the doctrine of transformation and, assuch, Transformative Constitutionalism has served to further excludeand marginalise the knowledge of indigenous (South) African people inthe ‘post’-apartheid constitutional dispensation. The project oftransformation has sustained the abyssal line as it has been internalisedthrough coloniality. As such, the ‘post’-apartheid South Africandispensation remains divided by this line — essentially discardingindigenous (South) African people and their knowledge systems to theabyss. I further argue that the persistence of coloniality, sustained bythe abyssal line, requires a project of conceptual decolonisation ifcoloniality and epistemic injustice is to be undone. In this sense, a true(South) African dispensation may be disclosed

Oscillations and temporal signalling in cells

ArXiv pre-print: http://arxiv.org/abs/q-bio/0703047.-- Final full-text version of the paper available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1478-3975/4/2/R01.PMID: 17664651The development of new techniques to quantitatively measure gene expression in cells has shed light on a number of systems that display oscillations in protein concentration. Here we review the different mechanisms which can produce oscillations in gene expression or protein concentration using a framework of simple mathematical models. We focus on three eukaryotic genetic regulatory networks which show ultradian oscillations, with a time period of the order of hours, and involve, respectively, proteins important for development (Hes1), apoptosis (p53) and immune response (NF-κB). We argue that underlying all three is a common design consisting of a negative feedback loop with time delay which is responsible for the oscillatory behaviour.SK, MHJ and KS acknowledge support from the Danish National Research Foundation and Villum Kann Rasmussen Foundation. GT acknowledges support from the FIRB 2003 program of the Italian Ministry for University and Scientific Research

B-1 lymphocytes increase metastatic behavior of melanoma cells through the extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathway

Increasing evidence indicates that tumors require a constant influx of myelomonocytic cells to support their malignant behavior. This is caused by tumor-derived factors, which recruit and induce functional differentiation of myelomonocytic cells, most of which are macrophages. Although myeloid lineages are the classical precursors of macrophages, B-lymphoid lineages such as B-1 cells, a subset of B-lymphocytes found predominantly in pleural and peritoneal cavities, are also able to migrate to inflammatory sites and differentiate into mononuclear phagocytes exhibiting macrophage-like phenotypes. Here we examined the interplay of B-1 cells and tumor cells, and checked whether this interaction provides signals to influence melanoma cells metastases. Using in vitro coculture experiments we showed that B16, a murine melanoma cell line, and B-1 cells physically interact. Moreover, interaction of B16 with B-1 cells leads to up-regulation of metastasis-related gene expression (MMP-9 and CXCR-4), increasing its metastatic potential, as revealed by experimental metastases assays in vivo. We also provide evidence that B16 cells exhibit markedly up-regulated phosphorylation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) when cocultured with B-1 cells. Inhibition of ERK phosphorylation induced by B-1 cells with inhibitors of MEK1/2 strongly suppressed the induction of MMP-9 and CXCR-4 mRNA expression and impaired the increased metastatic behavior of B16. in addition, constitutive levels of ERK1/2 phosphorylation in B-1 cells are necessary for their commitment to affect the metastatic potential of B16 cells. Our findings show for the first time that B-1 lymphocytes can contribute to tumor cell properties required for invasiveness during metastatic spread.Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, BR-09972270 Diadema, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Ctr Elect Microscopy, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Biol Sci, BR-09972270 Diadema, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Ctr Elect Microscopy, BR-04023062 São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

The Effects of Read 180 on Reading Outcomes for Secondary Students

In this starred paper, I examine the effectiveness of Read 180 on struggling readers in grades 6-12. The literature review is based on quantitative studies that were published between 2009 and 2015. Although Scholastic has published a number of studies that examine Read 180 outcomes, I did not incorporate any of these studies in Chapter 2 due to potential bias. The only information taken from Scholastic consisted of the overall structure of Read 180. All studies used in the literature review are from peer-reviewed journals or published dissertations. The majority of the studies summarized in this paper were generated from PsychINFO, ERIC, and Academic Search Premier. Keywords that helped to find studies for this literature review include reading, remedial reading, Read 180, high school, reading intervention, secondary, upper grades, literacy, effective reading programs, adolescent, and struggling readers

Molecular Recognition and Selectivity: Computational Investigations on the Dynamics of Non-bonded Interactions

Non-bonded interactions, such as hydrogen bonds, as well as hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions determine structure and dynamics of flexible molecules and multi-molecular assemblies. In single molecules, they selectively enable and stabilize rare, energetically unfavorable conformations which facilitate intramolecular chemical reactions or reaction with the solvent molecules. Such reactions often result in changes of surface charges with far-reaching effects on the molecular properties. Additionally, non-bonded interactions mediate the association of molecules to transient aggregates and stable complexes. The complementarity of interaction donors and acceptors on two molecular surfaces is the basis for their pairwise recognition. Selective recognition of distinct molecules or chemical groups within a single molecule is a fundamental aspect of cellular life as well as of artificial chemical systems. Experimental methods often measure the macroscopic consequences of non-bonded interactions instead of the interaction themselves. More elaborate techniques are expensive and error-prone and still only yield limited insight. An experimental means to assess molecular interactions with high spatial and temporal resolution has not yet been proposed. In recent years, with the rise of graphics processing units and the increase in easily available computing power, the theoretical Molecular Dynamics (MD) method has emerged as standard tool to investigate the time-resolved behavior of molecular structures and interactions. A cornucopia of condensed phase molecular systems has been to the subject of MD simulations, yet with varying rigor in preparation, force-field selection, and quantitative analysis. Even though different questions require different analytics, an absence of comparable, generally applicable means to analyze and visualize non-bonded interactions and their effects from MD trajectory data can be stated. In this work, dynamical aspects of non-bonded interactions as the basis for molecular selectivity and recognition are investigated by classical equilibrium and non-equilibrium MD simulation. With the aid of seven partially connected case studies on proteins and molecular layers, general conclusions on inter- and intramolecular non-bonded interactions are sought. For each system, customized MD-based workflows were developed and applied. The herein presented case studies encompass 1. the prediction of a small-molecule binding mode to a receptor protein, 2. the quantitative comparison of the protein-protein binding modes of two evolutionary divergent enzymes, 3. the site-resolved conformational analysis of N-glycans, 4. the site-selectivity of asparagine deamidation of two related proteins, 5. the aggregation of signaling lipids around an anchored peptide, 6. the phase transitions of the membrane anchoring components within mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and 7. the effects of such anchors on vesicles adsorbing to the mixed SAMs. The problems were investigated with experimental support and theoretical insight from different research labs. Highlights of the computational methodology include the development of a feasible NMR-guided ensemble docking workflow for weak binders, the compilation of a fully automated, multi-scale modeling, simulation, and analysis workflow for mixed SAMs and the benchmarking and application of an embedded torsion-angle clustering approach. In general, it showed that, while the investigated issues were different, the necessary trajectory analysis means were related and or of general applicability. Initially, the most persistent intermolecular or non-neighboring intramolecular interactions were identified. Such analysis was accompanied by a high-resolution (bond-wise) analysis of conformational and in some instances also orientational preferences. A key insight was that conformational analysis must be distribution-based to identify multimodality and avoid an artificial averaging. Instead, in MD trajectory analysis, quantile probabilities are the superior statistical means. Conformational clustering proved to be necessary to reveal the size of individual populations as well as unexpected statistical dependencies. The individual case studies yielded valuable understanding and contributions to their respective fields and highlighted the diversity of types and their effects of non-bonded interactions. For example, the binding or bile acids to the receptor protein was mediated mostly by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions. The binding was weak as reflected by significant dynamics and the accessibility of multiple possible binding modes. Upon acid binding, the C-terminus of the receptor transitions from a protein-bound to a more solvent-exposed conformation. Such a transition might facilitate the multimerization of the receptor proteins which are stabilized by C-terminal interactions. RavD and OTULIN are bacterial and human DUB proteases that bind to identical substrates. In the bacterial RavD equivalent, one of the binding sites substituted electrostatic for weaker hydrophobic interactions, with the result of a reduced binding interface area and stability compared to human. Transient protein-glycan interactions in human erythropoietin protein induce significant, site of glycosylation-specific changes to the conformational spaces of the glycosylation root but not on the glycan itself. Asparagine 373 of a viral coat protein undergoes exceptionally fast post-translational deamidation reaction. This residue is positioned in a specific loop region, which is characterized by a presence of a nearby threonine that forms strong hydrogen bonds with two successive backbone hydrogens. In this loop, the amino acid backbone adopts a rare conformation that enables a short attack distance as well as an increased backbone hydrogen acidity and thus promotes the chemical reaction. Mixed SAMs are used to tether lipid bilayers by inclusion of long acyl anchor-carrying alkanethiols to gold surfaces. Such molecules are engaged in strong hydrophobic intermolecular interactions, which lead to long-living self-aggregation and a highly ordered configuration with a collective surface normal-parallel orientation. This special configuration of the aggregated tethering molecules showed to be advantageous for tethered-bilayer preparations. Overall, the results show that MD is the prime method of choice to study molecular interactions and their effects on the conformational space. However, recent advancements regarding the availability of more powerful computational resources and the resulting possibility to increase the time covered and the conformational space sampled affords the accessibility of more robust and elaborate trajectory analysis means. Such are suggested and recommended in this work.Intermolekulare Wechselwirkungen z.B. Wasserstoffbrücken, hydrophobe und elektrostatische Wechselwirkungen bestimmen die Struktur und Dynamik von flexiblen Molekülen und Molekülkomplexen. In isolierten Molekülen sorgen sie u.a. für die Stabilisierung von seltenen, energetisch ungünstigen Konformeren, die intramolekulare chemische Reaktionen oder auch Lösungsmittelreaktionen ermöglichen. Solche Reaktionen führen häufig zu einer Änderung der Oberflächenladung, was weitreichende Folgen für die molekularen Eigenschaften mit sich bringt. Dazu kommt, dass diese Interaktionen die Assoziation von Molekülen zu kurzlebigen Aggregaten und stabilen Komplexen veranlassen oder diese regulieren. Die Basis für die gegenseitige Erkennung von Molekülen liegt in der Komplementarität der oberflächlichen lokalisierten Wechselwirkungspartner Die selektive Erkennung von bestimmten Molekülen oder chemischen Gruppen innerhalb eines Moleküls durch einen Bindungspartner ist eine grundlegende Eigenschaft von zellulärem Leben und technisch-chemischen Systemen. Experimente messen häufig lediglich die Resultate und zeitlichen Mittelwerte von nichtkovalenten Interaktionen anstatt der Interaktionen selbst. Aufwendigere Methoden sind teuer, eventuell fehleranfällig und meist limitiert auf wenige Atome oder Gruppen. Zurzeit gibt es kein Experiment, was in der Lage wäre, molekulare Wechselwirkungen mit hoher zeitlicher und räumlicher Auflösung darzustellen. Mit dem derzeitigen Aufstieg von Grafikprozessoren und dem damit verbundenem Wachstum von nutzbarer Computerrechenleistung, hat sich die theoretische Methode der Molekulardynamik (MD) zu einem Standardwerkzeug entwickelt. Die Technik wird regelmäßig benutzt, um die zeitliche Änderung von molekularen Strukturen und Wechselwirkungen zu untersuchen. Heute lässt sich aus einem Füllhorn verschiedenster Anwendungsbeispiele von MD schöpfen, wovon einige jedoch die nötige Fürsorge bei der Vorbereitung sowie der Auswahl von Kraftfeld-Parametern und Analysemethoden vermissen lassen. Es ist klar, dass verschiedene Fragestellungen auch verschiedene Techniken erfordern. Dennoch kann man feststellen, dass es zu wenige vergleichbare, allgemeinhin genutzte Ansätze für die Quantifizierung und Darstellung von intermolekularen Wechselwirkungen gibt. In dieser Arbeit werden sowohl Gleichgewichts- als auch Nicht-Gleichgewichts-MD Simulationen durchgeführt, um eine dynamische Sichtweise von nicht-kovalenten Bindungen und ihren Beiträgen hinsichtlich molekularer Selektivität und Erkennung zu entwickeln. Anhand von sechs teilweise aufeinander aufbauenden Fallstudien zu Proteinen und selbstorganisierten synthetischen Mono- und Doppelschichten sollen allgemeine Erkenntnisse gewonnen werden. Es wurden für jede Studie maßgeschneiderte Abläufe der Präparation, Simulation und Analyse entwickelt und benutzt. Die einzelnen Fallstudien beinhalten 1. Vorhersage der Bindungsmodi eines kleinen Moleküls an seinen Rezeptor, 2. quantitativer Vergleich der Protein-Protein Bindungsstellen zweier analoger Proteine in einem bakteriellen und menschlichem Protein, 3. Analyse des Konformerenraums von protein-gebundenen N-Glykanen, 4. Dynamik-basierte Erklärung für die schnelle Deamidierung eines bestimmten Asparaginrests in zwei verwandten Proteinen, 5. Änderungen von Konformationen und Orientierungen von bestimmten langkettigen Komponenten einer gemischten selbstorganisierenden Monoschicht und 6. Auswirkungen der langkettigen Komponenten auf Vesikel, die an die Monoschicht adsorbieren. Die Fragestellung und Herangehensweise wurden durch Experimente und theoretische Einblicke von verschiedenen anderen Laboren unterstützt. Besonders bemerkenswerte computergeschützte Methoden waren die Entwicklung eines Ensemble-Docking Protokolls für schwach bindende Moleküle, die Zusammenstellung eines automatischen Modellierungs-, Simulations- und Auswertungsprotokolls für gemischte selbstorganisierte Monoschichten, sowie die Entwicklung und Anwendung eines eingebetteten Gruppierungsalgorithmus für Torsionswinkel. Grundsätzlich hat sich gezeigt, dass sich die nötigen Analysemethoden gleichen, auch wenn sich die untersuchten Probleme teils deutlich unterschieden. Dabei wurden zunächst langlebige inter- und intramolekulare Kontakte untersucht. Das wurde von einer genauen Analyse von Konformation und Orientierung verschiedener Bindungen begleitet. Grundsätzlich hat sich gezeigt, dass sich ähnliche Analyse-Ansätze als nützlich erwiesen haben, unabhängig von der untersuchten Fragestellung. Zunächst wurden die wesentlichsten intermolekularen und intramolekularen Wechselwirkungen identifiziert. Diese Untersuchung wurde begleitet von einer hochaufgelösten Analyse der molekularen Konformationen und Orientierungen. Eine wichtige Erkenntnis war, dass geometrische Parameter immer eine Verteilungs-basierte Analyse erfordern, um künstliche Mittelwertbildung bei unerkannten Multimodalitäten zu vermeiden. Stattdessen ist es angebracht, Wahrscheinlichkeitsverteilungen zu benutzen. Außerdem hat sich die Clusteranalyse als nützlich erweisen, um Populationsgrößen zu bestimmen und unerwartete Abhängigkeiten zu identifizieren. Aus den einzelnen Fallstudien konnten wertvolle Erkenntnisse und wissenschaftliche Beiträge abgeleitet werden. Außerdem wurde das Ausmaß der Unterschiede in Art und Wirkung von nicht-kovalenten Interaktionen deutlich. Zum Beispiel ist die von hydrophoben und elektrostatischen Wechselwirkungen dominerte Bindung von Gallsäuremolekülen an ein virales Rezeptorprotein von einer deutlichen Dynamik beider Moleküle begleitet. Insbesondere wird der C-Terminus des Rezeptorproteins von der bindenden Gallsäure verdrängt und wechselt in eine eher wasserzugängliche andere Konformation. Das könnte einen Einfluss auf die Multimerisierung des Rezeptors haben, welche durch C-terminale Interaktionen stabilisiert wird. Die Protease-Enzyme RavD und OTULIN binden dasselbe Substratprotein. Jedoch nutzt bakterielles RavD dafür eher unspezifische hydrophobe Wechselwirkung anstelle von gerichteten, komplementären elektrostatischen Wechselwirkungen in menschlichem OTULIN, was sich in einer verringerten Grenzfläche und Bindungsstabilität widerspiegelt. Bei dem menschlichen Wachstumsfaktor Erythropoietin wurden kurzlebige Wechselwirkungen zwischen den N-Glykanen und dem Protein identifiziert. Sie induzieren eine Veränderung des Konformerenraums an den Glykosierungswurzeln aber nicht so sehr in den N-Glykanen selbst. Im einem viralen Hüllenprotein gibt es eine spezielle Asparagin-Stelle, die spontan und ausnahmslos schnell die intramolekular chemische Reaktion der Deamidierung eingeht. Das konnte damit erklärt werden, dass sich dieses Asparagin in einem besonderen Schleifenmotiv befindet, welches durch starke Wasserstoffbrückenbindungen zwischen einem zentralen Threonin und zwei Rückgrat-Aminen hervorgerufen wird. Dieses Muster führt zu einer verzerrten Rückgrat-Konformation, die mit einer geeigneten Angriffsgeometrie sowie einer erhöhten Azidität des Amin-Wasserstoffatoms einhergeht. Mehrkomponentige selbstorganisierenden Monoschichten werden genutzt, um darauf Lipidmembranen zu fixieren. Dabei werden Alkanthiole beigesetzt, die mit weiteren langen Alkylketten funktionalisiert sind, um in die aufgebrachte Lipidmembran einzudringen. Derartige Moleküle zeigen aufgrund ihrer starken hydrophoben Interaktionen eine stabile Aggregation, was zu einer deutlichen Phasenänderung von einem ungeordneten zu einem geordneten Zustand führt. Diese Änderung hat sich als vorteilhaft für die Herstellung von fixierten Lipidmembranen erwiesen. Zusammengefasst zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass Molekulardynamik Simulationen die Methode der Wahl zur Untersuchung der zeitlichen Entwicklung molekularer Wechselwirkungen bei konformationellen Änderungen ist. Jedoch haben jüngste Fortschritte in der Verfügbarkeit von zunehmender Hochleistungs-Rechenleistung dazu geführt, dass die zeitlichen Computersimulationstrajektorien deutlich an Simulationslänge gewonnen haben. Das wiederum erfordert robustere und geschicktere Analyse-Techniken, so wie sie in dieser Arbeit aufgezeigt und empfohlen werden

Towards an Effective Learning Organisation and the Role of Human Resources (HR) Department: The Case of a South African Finance Organisation

This study investigates the effectiveness of measures taken by a South African finance institution towards guaranteeing that it is a learning organisation and the supportive role of Human Resources (HR) in this regard. The business environment today is volatile, uncertain, and has become more complex and ambiguous. Organisations have to make fast and appropriate decisions in order to remain current and relevant. Given the rate of change in the global business environment, organisations which are still characterised by traditional bureaucratic and hierarchical structures will find it difficult to adapt to the ever-changing business environment. This institution’s environment is characterised by a high level of bureaucracy and hierarchy resulting in prolonged decision-making processes. The prevalent culture does not promote information sharing and synergies between employees and different departments. In this study, the quantitative research method was used due to the large sample and population. The probability sampling technique was used to collect data from a population of 388 stratified into different management layers. Using multiple regression analysis, the study proved that the ability to promote learning abilities is significantly influenced by HR in driving a culture of learning within the organisation. The study provided further evidence that the learning organisation concept is holistic in its approach and that HR plays a key role in laying the foundation for this concept to thrive. Finally, a recommendation is made in the study that management should review organisational structures in place to improve decision-making. HR should play a more visible role in providing guidelines for mentorship and encourage cross-functional training, knowledge sharing and transfer among departments and employees

Using High-Speed Sampling for Evaluating Sensor Signals for Fuel Estimation in Common-Rail Injection Systems

The minimization of fuel consumption has always been a desirable topic for vehicle manufacturers. There has been research to optimize the engines in several different ways; such as investigating different kinds of fuel, changing engine characteristics and investigations of programmed applications which can be introduced to the engine. There have also been investigations of which different applied injection patterns are most effective for the emissions and engine performance. An engine can operate either with just a main injection or a mixed injection with different setup for pre, main and post injections. Volvo Group Trucks Technology has decided to investigate possibilities to provide a hardware application in the form of a measuring system for fuel estimation by using signal processing from different sensors in the truck engine. This estimation has to be done in both low and heavy engine-load conditions to be sure that the control is suitable for all operating scenarios for the truck engine. The scope of this master’s thesis is to implement a baseline hardware measuring system using the rail-pressure signal to estimate the injected fuel amount that is compatible with the new microprocessor (method and tool support) that will be implemented to the new product for Volvo. The measuring system is based on using a delta-sigma method for signal processing which is available on the microprocessor. The benefit of using a delta-sigma method for sampling is the noise shifting characteristic which provides the possibility to achieve clear results from the sampling. In this project, several setups with different levels of fuel injection, high-pressure target in the high-pressure part of the injection system and engine speed have been investigated. To have an outline, the injection pattern was limited to one main injection without pre- or post injection. To estimate the quantity of injected fuel in each injection, which is equal to the amount of fuel consumed during the injection, a model has been implemented in MATLAB and Simulink to prove the possibilities of this application of the measuring system. This project has also implemented a real-time system for detection of the rail-pressure drop in Eclipse for evaluation of how the delta-sigma ADC on the evaluation board behaved. This proof of concept opens up a basis for further investigation of real-time system implementation

Creative-destructivism : a Delphi study of the current South African business environment

Abstract: In an attempt to remain financially viable, modern day organisations are forced to destabilise traditional business methodologies and principles. The dynamic interplay between the efforts of the conserving institutions, i.e. society at large and the disruptors, i.e. the organisations, within the business environment may be defined in terms of the Schumpeterian notion of ‘creative-destructivism’. Within the context of the creative-destructive environment, it is postulated that no individual or organisation will ever have complete information, knowledge or fore-knowledge of how the environment will shape and change in the near future. The South African economy is not exempt from the aforesaid notion. The research will contextualise the current South African business environment, by means of a Delphi study with the results offering insight into the management of the creative-destructive environment