A study of politics in the Cape Colony from January 1908 to May 1910

The period with which this thesis is concerned is one of vital importance in the history of the old Cape Colony and also of very real significance in the past and future development of the Union of South Africa. It was during this period that the Cape Colony made the tremendous decision to unite with the other South African colonies, and the results of that decision are still with us today, and some, indeed, have not been fully worked out even yet. It was the bad fortune of the Cape Colony to enter Union at a time when she was slowly recovering from the effects of a severe depression. At the time of Union, the Colony had barely become solvent and this financial weakness had placed her in an extremely invidious position during the National Convention. Then too at the meetings of that body she lacked the services of two of her most able politicians, J.H. Hofmeyr and W.P. Schreiner. There are a fair number of secondary works which handle this period. The biographies of the two men mentioned above are examples. But no secondary work has dealt with the period as a subject in itself. It has always been related to a personality, and most of the secondary works are clouded by continual references of a personal nature, which make it extremely difficult for form a clear-cut impartial picture of the period. It is hoped that this thesis may in some small way supply that need. As this thesis is concerned purely with politics in the Cape Colony, no attempt has been made to give a comprehensive description of Merriman's administration or of the work of individual Government departments. For this reason press reports, private papers and biographies have been used, rather than official documents. The latter have, of course, been used to provide statistical information where such proved necessary

Measuring visual cortical oxygenation in diabetes using functional near-infrared spectroscopy

Aims: Diabetes mellitus affects about 6% of the world’s population, and the chronic complications of the disease may result in macro- and micro-vascular changes. The purpose of the current study was to shed light on visual cortical oxygenation in diabetic individuals. We then aimed to compare the haemodynamic response (HDR) to visual stimulation with glycaemic control, given the likelihood of diabetic individuals suffering from such macro- and micro-vascular insult. Methodology: Thirty participants took part in this explorative study, fifteen of whom had diabetes and fifteen of whom were non-diabetic controls. The HDR, measured as concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin [HbO] and deoxyhaemoglobin [HbR], to visual stimulation was recorded over the primary visual cortex (V1) using a dual-channel oximeter. The stimulus comprised a pattern-reversal checkerboard presented in a block design. Participants’ mean glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) level (±SD) was 7.2±0.6% in the diabetic group and 5.5±0.4% in the non-diabetic group. Raw haemodynamic data were normalised to baseline, and the last 15 s of data from each ‘stimulus on’ and ‘stimulus off’ condition were averaged over seven duty cycles for each participant. Results: There were statistically significant differences in ∆[HbO] and ∆[HbR] to visual stimulation between diabetic and non-diabetic groups (p<0.05). In the diabetic group, individuals with type 1 diabetes displayed an increased [HbO] (p<0.01) and decreased [HbR] (p<0.05) compared to their type 2 counterparts. There was also a linear relationship between both ∆[HbO] and ∆[HbR] as a function of HbA1c level (p<0.0005). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that fNIRS can be used as a quantitative measure of cortical oxygenation in diabetes. Diabetic individuals have a larger HDR to visual stimulation compared to non-diabetic individuals. This increase in ∆[HbO] and decrease in ∆[HbR] appears to be correlated with HbA1c level

Field-Cycling Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Techniques and Applications of Field-Cycling MRI

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Line tracking applications for Gravitational Wave data and searching for long-duration burst signals

The line-tracking filter iWave can be applied in several different contexts with gravitational wave data from the LIGO interferometers. In this thesis we explore several of these applications with regards to signal processing and hardware. The filter can be used to remove lines which pollute data from the detectors in a less aggressive method than the currently adopted LPEF filter. A technique for recursively removing these lines using iWave is described in this work. We also discuss the topic of parametric instabilities which pose a limiting factor to the sensitivity of the LIGO detectors. Parametric instabilities are formed from an opto-mechanical feedback loop between the TEM modes of the laser in the 4km arm cavity and the cavity mirrors. A damping scheme to control these instabilities was developed at the LIGO Hanford detector. The results from implementing this scheme are presented in this thesis. The analysis pipeline X-SphRad is discussed as a method for detecting long duration burst signals in the all-sky regime. This pipeline uses spherical harmonics as an efficient method for measuring correlation between detectors as well as providing statistics for rejecting detector glitches. The results from running separate analyses for 2-detector and 3-detector networks over the O2 observation run are presented

Oyster reef ecosystem services: Macrofauna utilization of restored oyster reefs - Harris Creek, Maryland, USA

Oyster reefs provide habitat for a variety of macrofauna species. Our studies focused on the relationship between oyster tissue biomass density and reef-associated macrofauna biomass density. Studies were conducted in 2015-2017 and sites encompassed the majority of the area in which restoration activities were conducted with the Harris Creek Oyster Sanctuary in Maryland. Results presented in this report focus on: 1) interactions between oyster biomass density and season in determining macrofauna biomass, 2) responses of macrofauna to oyster biomass densities below “threshold” levels (0-14.9 g DW m-2) and between threshold and “target” levels (15-49.9 g DW m-2) defined in the success metrics for the Harris Creek restoration effort, 3) the role of tray-scale (0.1 m2), plot-scale (10 m2), and reef-scale oyster biomass density in determining associated macrofauna biomass, and 4) larger scale patterns in macrofauna biomass density within the creek

Savings bank depositors in a crisis: Glasgow 1847 and 1857

Savings banks were created as a means to encourage the newly created working class to save for the uncertainties of urban industrial life. This article explores the success of the Savings Bank of Glasgow, and pays particular attention to the response of savers to the financial and commercial crises of 1847 and 1857. The crisis of 1847 was shallower but longer lasting in Glasgow, while that of 1857 was greatly exacerbated by local conditions in the short term, but of little long-term importance to savers. It suggests that, in both crises, some elements of contagion may have been present but that those who panicked in 1857 were systematically different from those who did not

The Top Mass Upper Bound and Electroweak Radiative Corrections

We investigated the possibility of introducing sizeable negative corrections to the $\varepsilon_{N1}$ ($\delta \rho$) parameter without affecting $\varepsilon_{N3}$. We have found that a proper vector-like family of fermions can imply such corrections. Differently from supersymmetry \cite{bcf}, this can be realized without introducing light particles easily observable at LEP II. Our example can be of particular interest if no new particle is found at LEP II and the $\varepsilon_{N1}$ value is found to be small compared to the one expected in the case of a large top mass.Comment: 7 pages, Latex, IFUP-TH 3/9

Effects of glaucoma and snoring on cerebral oxygenation in the visual cortex: a study using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of snoring and glaucoma on the visual Haemodynamic Response (HDR) using functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS). Methods: We recruited 8 glaucoma patients (aged 56-79), 6 habitual snorers (aged 26-61) and 10 healthy control participants (aged 21-78). Glaucoma patients were of varying subtypes and under care of ophthalmologists. Prior to testing visual acuity, blood pressure, heart rate and a medical history were taken. HDRs were recorded over the primary visual cortex (V1) using a reversing checkerboard paradigm. Results & Discussion: All participants showed the characteristic increase of Oxyhaemoglobin concentration ([HbO]) and decrease of Deoxyhaemoglobin concentration ([HbR]) during visual stimulation (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.78). Despite this, there were signifi cant group differences with a large effect size (η2 = 0.28). During visual stimulation normal participants had greater [HbO] compared to snorers and glaucoma patients (p < 0.01). Both glaucoma patients and snorers presented with comparable HDR for [HbO] and [HbR] in V1. Importantly, during visual stimulation, the increased [HbO] in glaucoma patients correlated well with their visual fi elds and self-reported activities of daily living (r = -0.98, r = -0.82, p < 0.05). Both glaucoma patients and snorers presented with an attenuated HDR in V1. Our results suggest a possible vascular link between these conditions