ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Planar weak link structures, such as micro-bridges, variable thickness bridges and nanobridges, have always attracted a lot of attention. Their potential to behave as real Josephson elements make them ...

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Due to a global lack of access to potable water, a problem particularly affecting people in developing countries and the poor, improvement on existing water purification methods are necessary to provide ...

The Josephson effect of high-temperature superconducting nanobridge structures is studied worldwide. Until now, nanobridges are generally fabricated with focused ion beam milling on planar thin films. These nanobridges ...

A major challenge in the design and operation of High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) devices is the fabrication of reproducible Josephson junctions with good IcRn products. One objective of this thesis was to fabricate ...

Many diseases are associated with incredible pain and suf­ fering. Others impair func­ tion and independence to the extent that human dignity is eroded. In many instances the natural history of such conditions often leads ...

ENGLISH ABSTRACT:The historical Apartheid policy caused a lack ofinterest in metropolitan management in South Africa. Metropolitan management mainly focussed on limiting the accessibility ofthe non-white population to ...

This thesis relates to the design, implementation and evaluation of statistical face recognition techniques. In particular, the use of Hidden Markov Models in various forms is investigated as a recognition tool and ...

Background: Facial affect recognition (FAR) abilities underpin emotional intelligence (EI). The latter is suggested to predict academic success and to be important for clinician-patient interaction. It is therefore ...

Structure from Motion suggests that an object or scene’s three-dimensional structure can be determined from its observed two-dimensional motion. Human efforts, manifested in computer algorithms, try to mimic the ...