Dissertations / Theses on the topic '46L55'

Cette thèse a pour but d’étudier quelques problèmes dans l'analyse harmonique sur les produits croisés tordus qui sont définis par des actions tordues d'un groupe localement compact G sur une algèbre de von Neumann M. Elle se compose de deux parties. La première porte sur les produits croisés tordus et leurs multiplicateurs de Fourier et de Schur. Nous démontrons que la propriété d’être QWEP pour l’algèbre de von Neumann tordue d’un groupe G est indépendante du 2-cocycle sous-ajacent et que les Lp-multiplicateurs de Fourier complètement bornés sur cette algèbre tordue sont aussi indépendants du 2-cocycle. Sous l’hypothèse d’une action moyennable, nous établissons plusieurs résultats de transfert entre les multiplicateurs de Fourier et de Schur sur les espaces Lp non-commutatifs du produit croisé tordu.Dans la deuxième partie, nous étudions les commutateurs de multiplicateurs de Fourier sur le produit croisé tordu d’un espace euclidien. Nous caractérisons leur appartenance à la p-classes de Schatten par celle de leurs symboles à un espace de Besov associé. Cette partie contient aussi une formule sur la trace de Dixmier qui nous donne également une caractérisation de l’appartenance de ces commutateurs à une p-classe de Schatten faible par un espace de Sobolev. En particulier, nos résultats s'appliquent au cas d’un espace euclidien quantique
This thesis is devoted to the study of some problems in the harmonic analysis on twisted crossed products defined by twisted actions of a locally compact group G on a von Neumann algebra M. It consists of two parts. The first concerns twisted crossed products and their Fourier and Schur multipliers. We prove that the property of being QWEP for the twisted von Neumann algebra of a group G is independent of the underlying 2-cocycle and that the completely bounded Lp-Fourier multipliers on this twisted algebra are also independent of the 2-cocycle. Under the hypothesis of an amenable action, we establish several transference results between the Fourier and Schur multipliers on the noncommutative Lp spaces of the twisted crossed product.In the second part, we study Fourier multiplier commutators on the twisted crossed product of an Euclidean space. We characterize their Schatten p-class membership by that of their symbols in the associated Besov space. In addition, this part contains a formula on the Dixmier trace, which also gives us a characterization of the weak Schatten p-class membership of these commutators by a Sobolev space. In particular, our results apply to the case of quantum Euclidean spaces

The disposal of biosolids poses a major environmental and economic problem. Agricultural use is generally regarded as the best means of disposal. Although the impact on soil ecosystems remains uncertain. Biosolids can improve soil properties by supplying nutrients and increasing organic matter content but there is also a potentially negative impact arising from the introduction of heavy metal contaminants into soils. It is widely acknowledged that the bioavailable fraction, rather than total metal content, is indicative of plant metal uptake and toxicity. The bioavailable metal fraction in turn is dependent on soil properties. Therefore, the overall aim of this work was to determine the bio-geochemical factors that control the dynamics of trace element bioavailability in soils that have been subject to the disposal of sewage sludge for over 100 years. Three main investigations were undertaken. In order to determine the current metal composition of the site and identifying the geochemical factors that control the dynamics of metals bioavailability, thirty -eight fields, from a dedicated sewage sludge disposal site for over 100 years, were sampled for both soil (bulk and rhizosphere) and plant. Special attention was devoted to determining soil properties that govern metal partitioning between different metal pools (i.e. total, isotopically exchangeable, Ca(NO3)2-extractable and free ion activity). In order to identify the best estimate of plant uptake and toxic response, a pot experiment was carried out to compare the effects of Zn on plant growth in soils recently spiked with Zn and soils historically amended with biosolids to identify soil properties that best predict metal uptake and subsequent phytotoxicity. The effect of biosolids on soil microorganisms was assessed. Terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, a fingerprint molecular technique, in combination with multivariate data analysis were used to relate soil microbial diversity and community structure to metal accumulation and bioavailability. High levels of contamination, exceeding the current limits for the use of biosolids in agriculture, were observed in the studied soils reflecting extensive long-term biosolid application. Enrichment factors in relation to background levels in the area were greater than 5 and followed the trend Cd>Cu>Zn>Pb>Ni. Copper and Cd exhibited extremely high enrichment levels, up to 106 and 151 respectively. Except for Pb, the isotopically exchangeable pool of the studied metals (E-value) was mainly controlled by the total metal content in soil, accounting for more than 90% of the variation in E-values. Lead lability was primarily controlled by the total P, LOI and Fe oxides. Metal labilities expressed as % of total metal content were < 40% for the five studied elements following decreasing order of Cu > Cd > Zn ≈ Ni > Pb. Apart from Pb, all the bioavailability estimates (total, E-values, Ca(NO3)2-extractable and free ion activity) correlated strongly with metal concentration in plant, accounting for more than 70% of the variation in plant concentrations. Ca(NO3)2-extractable provided the best estimate out of the four measures of bioavailability, accounting for 87, 77, 87 and 83% of the variation in plant concentration of Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd respectively. The results of the pot trial showed that 67-90% of the added Zn remained isotopically exchangeable after 3 months of Zn addition, suggesting that rapid adsorption processes take place, followed by a slow aging process that cannot be detected over the period of the experiment (3 months). The speciation of soil solution showed that Zn was present mainly (80% on average) as free ion indicating the low affinity of this metal to complexation by dissolved organic matter. An antagonistic relationship was observed between Zn and Cd suggesting that greater Zn availability suppressed Cd uptake by plant. Although Zn addition increased Cd concentration in the soil solution, Cd transfer factor was simultaneously inversely correlated with Zn concentration in soil solution. The free ion activity model (FIAM), based on the biotic ligand model (BLM), accounted for 94% of the variation Zn concentration in plant. Cadmium appeared to play an important role in competing with Zn for uptake. A simple regression model utilising soil total Zn, soil organic matter and soil pH accounted for 88% of the variation in plant uptake. This indicates the possibility of using soil properties that are measured routinely as input for prediction of plant uptake. The results of the Zn phytotoxicity test indicated that the intensity of the exposure (i.e. free ion activity) was the key quantity in the context of predicting plant toxic response, describing 80% of the variation in the response of barley growth to Zn toxicity. Only labile Zn from the quantity based extraction was able to describe the toxic response explaining only 46% of the variation. The study of the effect of biosolids on soil microorganisms showed that soil total Zn concentration could be adopted as a good indicator of the overall (historical) biosolids loading. A biosolids loading, equivalent to 700 – 1000 mg kg-1 Zn appeared to be optimal for maximum bacterial and fungal diversity. This markedly exceeds the maximum soil Zn concentration of 300 mg kg-1permitted under the current UK Sludge (use in agriculture) Regulations. Redundancy analysis (RDA) suggested that the soil microbial communities had been altered in response to the accumulation of trace metals, especially Zn, Cd, and Cu. Based on the findings of this thesis, it can be concluded that (i) the estimation of metal speciation, both in the solution and solid phase is a key factor in determining the bioavailability and thus, has greater chemical and biological significance than soil total metal content; (ii) the maximum beneficial effect of biosolids on soil microbial diversity occurred at a metal (Zn) concentration well in excess of current regulations governing application of biosolids to agricultural land. This indicates that soil microbial diversity is unlikely to be determining factor for regulatory limits for biosolids disposal to agricultural lands.

Background: Puberty is considered to be delayed if sexual maturation occurs beyond 13 years in girls and 14 years in boys. Physical consequences of delayed puberty include short stature and immature appearance, relative to their chronological age. Psychosocial consequences include social withdrawal and isolation, teasing and bullying, parental over protection, poor body image, low self-esteem and declining academic performance. Research findings in this area can be conflicting with most of the focus being upon delayed growth. Consequently, the psychosocial impact of delayed puberty remains unclear. This study aimed to explore adolescents’ experiences of delayed puberty from a psychosocial perspective. Method: Five adolescents with delayed puberty attending the Royal Hospital for Sick Children were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, recorded and transcribed. The data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Analysis identified five super-ordinate themes: Confusion Surrounding Diagnosis, Adolescents’ Internal Experience, Adolescents’ External Experience, Coping and Future Prognosis. They reported a range of emotional, behavioural, social and psychological affects. Adolescents utilised various maladaptive and adaptive coping strategies to help them manage the consequences they experience. They reported feelings of confusion and uncertainty surrounding their diagnosis and treatment which may be contributing to the emotional and psychological symptoms. Conclusion: Adolescents reported that delayed puberty only affects certain areas of their life and that they are generally happy with who they are. This study emphasises the importance of adolescents receiving clear information about delayed puberty and its treatment as soon as possible when they first attend the endocrine clinic to help manage the psychological and emotional consequences reported.

This thesis investigated some of the eye movement factors related to the development and use of eye pointing devices with three dimensional displays (stereoscopic and linear perspective). In order for eye pointing to be used as a successful device for input-control of a 3D display it is necessary to characterise the accuracy and speed with which the binocular point of foveation can locate a particular point in 3D space. Linear perspective was found to be insufficient to elicit a change in the depth of the binocular point of fixation except under optimal conditions (monocular viewing, accommodative loop open and constant display paradigm). Comparison of the oculomotor responses made between a stereoscopic 'virtual' and a 'real' display showed there were no differences with regards to target fixational accuracy. With one exception, subjects showed the same degree of fixational accuracy with respect to target direction and depth. However, close target proximity (in terms of direction) affected the accuracy of fixation with respect to depth (but not direction). No differences were found between fixational accuracy of large and small targets under either display conditions. The visual conditions eliciting fast changes in the location of the binocular point of foveation, i.e. saccade disconjugacy, were investigated. Target-directed saccade disconjugacy was confirmed, in some cases, between targets presented at different depths on a stereoscopic display. However, in general the direction of saccade disconjugacy was best predicted by the horizontal direction of the target. Leftward saccade disconjugacy was more divergent than rightward. This asymmetry was overlaid on a disconjugacy response, which when considered in relative terms, was appropriated for the level of vergence demand. Linear perspective depth cues did not elicit target-directed disconjugate saccades.

Orientador : Profª. Drª. Karen Juliana do Amaral
Co-orientador : Prof. Dr. Gustavo Rafael Collere Possetti
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Mestrado Profissional em Meio Ambiente Urbano e Industrial, em parceria com o Serviço Nacional de Aprendizagem Industrial e a Universität Stuttgart. Defesa: Curitiba, 13/11/2015
Inclui referências: f. 93-98
Resumo: Os processos de tratamento de água e de esgoto geram resíduos, tais como lodo e escuma sanitários. O gerenciamento desses materiais, no entanto, não é trivial e pode representar mais da metade dos custos operacionais de uma planta. Por isso, nos últimos anos, alternativas para manejo e disposição final de lodos e de escumas vêm sendo amplamente discutidas no setor de saneamento. A secagem térmica e a pasteurização são técnicas que, além de promover a higienização, reduzem o volume do lodo. No entanto, o dimensionamento de equipamentos de secagem térmica depende do levantamento de algumas propriedades térmicas intrínsecas aos materiais que se pretende processar. Dentre essas propriedades destacam-se a difusividade térmica e a curva de secagem. Cabe destacar que estudos referentes à curva de secagem e difusividade térmica ainda são incipientes, sobretudo aqueles que se referem a lodos e escumas gerados no Brasil. Nesse contexto, o objetivo deste trabalho foi quantificar experimentalmente a difusividade térmica e a curva de secagem de lodos oriundos dos processos de tratamento de água e de esgoto, bem como de escumas, com o intuito de estabelecer parâmetros para projetos de secagem e higienização desses materiais por via térmica. Para tanto, inicialmente, coletaram-se amostras de lodos provenientes do tratamento anaeróbio e do tratamento aeróbio de esgoto doméstico, bem como amostras de escuma anaeróbia e de lodo oriundo do tratamento de água. Para a determinação da curva de secagem dos materiais coletados, utilizou-se um medidor de umidade termogravimétrico programado para operar a 103 e a 140 °C. Para a determinação da difusividade térmica dos lodos e escumas foram obtidas cinco concentrações diferentes de sólidos totais por meio de secagem em estufa a 103 °C e, em seguida, mensuraram-se as difusividades térmicas dessas amostras, considerando-as como meios porosos de baixa condutividade térmica. As curvas de secagem demonstraram que o lodo aeróbio possui a secagem mais acelerada dentre as amostras avaliadas, enquanto que o lodo de ETA apresenta maior dificuldade de desidratação. Verificou-se que o tempo de secagem é dependente da temperatura e que a elevação para 140 °C reduz o tempo de secagem dos lodos e da escuma. Os resultados de difusividade térmica demonstraram que o lodo aeróbio possui os menores valores, dentre as amostras avaliadas, apresentando os resultados entre (0,94 ± 0,09) a (2,14 ± 0,02)x10-3cm2.s-1 para as concentrações de (0,90 ± 0,10) e (1,5 ± 0,17)% de sólidos totais, respectivamente, enquanto que a escuma apresenta os maiores valores, sendo (1,47 ± 0,06) a (2,24 ± 0,05)x10-3cm2.s-1 para as concentrações de (80,9 ± 0,18) e (18,4 ± 0,62)%, respectivamente. Além disso, constatou-se que as difusividades térmicas dos lodos e da escuma dependem do teor de sólidos totais neles contidos e que o aumento do teor de sólidos totais dificulta o fluxo de calor pelos materiais. Modelos de regressão foram propostos para descrever tal comportamento. Palavras-chave: Difusividade térmica. Curva de secagem. Secagem térmica. Lodos. Escumas.
Abstract: The water and sewage treatment processes generate waste, such as sanitary sludge and scum. The management of these materials, however, is not trivial and may represent more than half of the operating costs of a plant. Therefore, in last few years, alternatives for the management and final disposal of sludge and scum have been largely discussed in the sanitation sector. The thermal drying and pasteurization are techniques that promote hygiene and reduce bulk sludge and scum. However, the dimensioning of thermal drying equipment depends on the knowing of some thermal properties inherent to the materials. Among these properties are the thermal diffusivity and the drying curve. It should be reported that studies about drying curve and thermal diffusivity are still incipient, especially those that refer to sludge and scum generated in Brazil. In a sense, the aim of this study was to quantify, by mean of experiments, the thermal diffusivity and the sludge drying curve from the water and sewage treatment process, as well as scum, in order to establish parameters for drying and hygienization projects of these materials by thermal means. For that, initially, some samples of sludges from both anaerobic and aerobic treatment of domestic sewage, anaerobic scum and sludge from the water treatment were collected. For the determination of the drying curve was used a moisture meter thermogravimetric programmed to operate at 103 and 140 °C. To determine the thermal diffusivity of the sludges and scum were obtained five different concentrations of total solids by drying in an oven at 103 ° C. Then the thermal diffusivities were measured, considering them as porous media with low thermal conductivity. The drying curves demonstrated that aerobic sludge has a faster drying, when compared with other evaluated samples, while the water sludge is more difficult to dehydration. It was found that the drying time depends on temperature and at 140 ° C there were a reduction on drying time of the sludges and scum. The results demonstrated that the aerobic sludge has a lower thermal diffusivity, whith values between (0,94 ± 0,09) to (2,14 ± 0,02)x10-3.cm2.s-1, for concentrations of (0,90 ± 0,10) and (1,5 ± 0,17)% of total solids, respectively, while the scum has the higher values, whith values between 1,47 ± 0,06) to (2,24 ± 0,05)x10-3cm2.s-1, for concentrations of (80,9 ± 0,18) e (18,4 ± 0,62)%, respectively . Besides, it was determined that the thermal diffusivity of the sludges and scum depend on the total solids content and the increase of total solids content decrease the heat flow through the materials. Empiric regression models were computed to describe such behavior. Key-words: Thermal diffusivity. Drying curve. Thermal drying. Sludge. Scum.

Orientadora: Profª Drª. Liliane Iten Chaves
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Artes, Comunicação e Design, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Design. Defesa: Curitiba, 29/02/2016
Inclui referências : f. 147-150
Resumo: Esta pesquisa apresenta possibilidades de inserção de práticas sustentáveis no processo produtivo têxtil, a partir de uma abordagem sistêmica e sustentável em design. Investigou-se a possibilidade de propor o principal conceito da teoria Cradle to Cradle - a Ecoefetividade - no contexto das indústrias têxteis ou de confecção em Santa Catarina. A pesquisa iniciou com uma Revisão Bibliográfica Sistemática (RBS), posteriormente foi realizada uma Revisão Bibliográfica Exploratória, somando-se dados coletados em Instituições como SENAI e FIESC. O levantamento de literaturas existentes construiu a fundamentação teórica, com ênfase na teoria Cradle to Cradle do designer William McDonough e do químico Michael Braungart. Devido a indústria têxtil possuir especificidades e uma cadeia produtiva complexa, a pesquisa configurouse como um Estudo de Caso. A coleta de dados deu-se com entrevistas semiestruturadas de resposta aberta, aplicadas a seis steakholders de uma indústria de médio porte do norte catarinense e com a utilização da observação direta, sendo aplicado a observação espontânea e a observação sistemática, elaboradas conjuntamente com a entrevista. A pesquisa contempla uma Fundamentação teórica sobre Design para a sustentabilidade, a construção do Método de pesquisa de um Estudo de Caso, com todos os preceitos de Ecoeficiência e de Ecoefetividade. A estratégia de análise expõe os dados coletados de forma sistemática, apresentando os resultados em concordância com os objetivos de pesquisa. O conjunto do documento promove subsídios para esta Dissertação de Mestrado, que pretende contribuir com a sociedade acadêmica e industrial, e disseminar informações sobre práticas de sustentabilidade aplicáveis no setor têxtil e de confecção, que permitam embasamento específico para a construção de novos projetos de design. Palavras-chave: Indústria têxtil, Sustentabilidade, Design têxtil sustentável.
Abstract: This research presents possibilities of integration of sustainable practices in the textile production process, from a systemic and sustainable approach to design. We investigated the possibility of proposing the main concept of the theory Cradle to Cradle - the Ecoefetividade - in the context of textiles or clothing in Santa Catarina. The research began with a Bibliographical Systematic Review (RBS) a Literature Review Exploratory was subsequently held, adding to data collected from institutions such as SENAI and FIESC. The survey of existing literature built the theoretical foundation, emphasizing the theory Cradle to Cradle designer William McDonough and chemist Michael Braungart. Because the textile industry has specific and complex production chain, the research was configured as a case study. The data was collected with semistructured interviews with open response, applied to six steakholders of a medium-sized industry in Santa Catarina North and the use of direct observation, applied spontaneous observation and systematic observation, developed jointly with interview. The research includes a theoretical Grounds on design for sustainability, the construction of the research method of a case study, with all the precepts of eco-efficiency and Ecoefetividade. The analysis strategy exposes the data collected systematically, presenting the results in accordance with the research objectives. The document set promotes subsidies for this Master thesis, which aims to contribute to the academic and industrial society, and disseminate information about sustainability practices applicable in the textile and apparel sector that allow specific basis for the construction of new design projects. keywords: Textile industry, sustainability, Sustainable textile design.

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Carlos Alberto Bavastri
Coorientadores : Prof. PhD. Eduardo M. O. Lopes e Prof. PhD. Paulo Justiniano Ribeiro Junior
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Tecnologia, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Mecânica. Defesa: Curitiba, 23/09/2016
Inclui referências : f. 121-128
Área de concentração : Fenômenos de transporte e mecânica dos sólidos
Resumo: Materiais viscoelásticos têm sido largamente utilizados em métodos passivos de controle de vibrações, devido à sua alta capacidade de dissipação de energia. A realização de projetos eficazes de controle de vibrações usando materiais viscoelásticos requer um conhecimento detalhado do comportamento dinâmico do material empregado. É necessário, em particular, identificar as suas propriedades dinâmicas, representadas pelo módulo real de elasticidade e seu correspondente fator de perda. Estas propriedades são obtidas através de um experimento em uma ampla faixa de temperaturas e frequências, devido à dependência das propriedades destes fatores. Trabalhos anteriores mostram que há uma significativa variabilidade nas propriedades dinâmicas. É proposta, então, abordagem bayesiana para a caracterização das propriedades dinâmicas de materiais viscoelásticos. Os resultados são obtidos de um experimento específico, onde amostras de um dado material foram testadas em diferentes temperaturas e frequências, gerando dados para a análise. O material é modelado, no domínio da frequência, por um modelo de derivada fracionária de quatro parâmetros. A influência da temperatura é considerada com a inclusão de modelos adicionais, a saber, o modelo descrito pela equação empírica de Williams-Landel-Ferry (WLF), com dois parâmetros e o modelo descrito pela equação teórica de Arrhenius, com um parâmetro. Para a análise bayesiana, são utilizadas distribuições a priori adequadas para os parâmetros, junto com a função de verossimilhança correspondente aos modelos empregados de modo a simular a distribuição a posteriori pelo método de Monte Carlo via Cadeias de Markov (MCMC). Após a análise dos diagnósticos de cadeia, para verificar a convergência, os valores simulados são apresentados de forma gráfica. Uma verificação do modelo preditivo também é exposta para comparar os resultados associados com os dados observados. Verifica-se que esta abordagem considera a incerteza do modelo composto fornecendo uma distribuição de probabilidade para cada parâmetro contemplado. Palavras-chave: Inferência Bayesiana. Distribuição de Probabilidade a Posteriori. Controle Passivo de Vibrações. Função de Verossimilhança. Material Viscoelástico.
Abstract: Passive vibration control methods have made large use of viscoelastic materials, due to their high capacity to dissipate energy. The design of efficacious vibration control devices using viscoelastic materials requires detailed knowledge of the corresponding dynamic material behavior. That is, it is essential to identify precisely the dynamic properties, represented by the real modulus of elasticity and the associated loss factor. These properties are obtained by conducting experiments in broad ranges of temperature and frequency since the properties are dependent on these factors. Previous work demonstrated significant variability in the dynamic properties so obtained. This work proposes the use of Bayesian inference approach to characterize the dynamic properties of a typical and well-known viscoelastic material. Results obtained in a specific experiment, where samples from the material were tested at different frequencies and temperatures, generated data for the investigation. The material is initially modeled, in the frequency domain, by the four parameter fractional derivative model. The temperature influence is then considered by introducing additional models, namely the empirical William-Landel-Ferry (WLF) equation, with two parameters, and the theoretical Arrhenius equation, with one parameter. Through the Bayesian approach, adequate prior distributions are used along with a specific likelihood function for the correspondent model. The resulting posterior distributions are obtained with the aid of Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods. After applying diagnostics for checking the convergence of the MCMC, simulated values from the posterior distributions are presented in plots. Posterior predictive checks are carried out to assess the model goodness of fit. This framework describes model uncertainty as expected by providing successfully a probability distribution for each model parameter. Keywords: Bayesian Inference. Posterior Probability Distribution. Passive Vibration Control. Likelihood Function. Viscoelastic Material.

Orientador : Prof. Dr. Sebastião do Amaral Machado
Coorientadores : Prof. Dr. Samuel de Pádua Chaves e Carvalho, Prof. Dr. Afonso Figueiredo Filho e Prof. Dr. Carlos Roberto Sanquetta
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia Florestal. Defesa: Curitiba, 06/02/2017
Inclui referências: f. 33-40;86-89;117-118
Área de concentração : Manejo florestal
Resumo: O cenário florestal brasileiro demonstra grande reconhecimento mundial diante das inúmeras vantagens que nosso país apresenta. Algumas empresas florestais possuem sua produção destinada para diversas finalidades, tornando necessária a quantificação da produção de madeira para diferentes finalidades. Esses podem ser matéria prima para laminação, serraria, energia, celulose e papel ou na construção civil. Com isso, visou-se neste trabalho estudar técnicas recentes, ainda pouco desenvolvidas no país de modelagem florestal para descrever o perfil do tronco de Pinus taeda. O trabalho foi dividido em três capítulos, sendo a primeira uma revisão bibliográfica dos fatores que afetam a forma do tronco das árvores, da classificação dos modelos de afilamento e suas aplicações. O segundo capítulo abordou a verificação do modelo logístico não linear e misto de quatro parâmetros para avaliar o perfil do fuste. Realizou-se a comparação do modelo original fixo em relação ao modificado por Carvalho (2014), para estimar as alturas ao longo do tronco, verificou a qualidade da predição para os volumes individuais das árvores; adicionaram-se efeitos aleatórios (idade, sítio e classe diamétrica) no modelo logístico comparando com as estimativas do Polinômio de 5º Grau para a predição do diâmetro ao longo do fuste, do volume da 1ª tora e volumes parciais. A qualidade dos ajustes foi avaliada por meio do Critério de Informação Akaike (AIC), do Critério de Informação Bayesiano (BIC), do Erro Padrão da Estimativa e pela Análise Gráfica do Erro de Predição. Diante dos resultados, o modelo modificado teve melhor desempenho no ajuste em relação ao original. Ao realizar a decomposição dos parâmetros por meio de efeitos aleatórios a predição minimizou em aproximadamente 60% o erro dos ajustes nas estimativas da altura ao longo do tronco. Quando avaliada a predição do volume individual o modelo modificado propiciou uma melhoria de cerca de 70% nos erros. As melhores estimativas do diâmetro ao longo do tronco, do volume da 1ª tora e de volumes parciais foram com o Polinômio de 5º Grau em comparação com o Logístico Modificado Misto com a idade como efeito aleatório. O terceiro capítulo tratou da avaliação do modelo linear bivariado gaussiano fixo e de modelos lineares generalizados mistos para predição do sortimento e na representação do perfil do tronco das árvores. O modelo fixo foi testado na sua forma original e com suas variáveis transformadas. Foram avaliados por meio do AIC, o Índice de Máxima Verossimilhança, Critério de Informação dos Desvios e análise gráfica. Assim, verificou-se que a transformação foi benéfica ao ajuste. Com a predição dos sortimentos verificou-se que a função de densidade probabilística normal padrão gerou estimativas com grande discrepância do aceitável. Para os modelos lineares generalizados mistos, conclui-se que aquele com alteração da distribuição probabilística na variável altura teve melhor representação do tronco. Portanto, as técnicas utilizadas na modelagem mista e multivariada do perfil do tronco demonstraram potencial para gerar estimativas, porém, ainda são necessários novos estudos para o constante aprimôramento. Palavras-chave: Afilamento, Modelos Mistos, Modelo Logístico, Modelo Bivariado Generalizado.
Abstract: The Brazilian forest scenario shows large worldwide recognition on the numerous advantages that our country offers. Some forestry companies have their production intended to various purposes, requiring quantification of wood production for different purposes. These can be raw materials for lamination, sawmill, energy, pulp and paper or construction. Thus, this work aimed to study new forest modeling techniques that are still underdeveloped in the country to describe the tree stem profiles of Pinus taeda. The work was divided in three chapters; the first one is a literature review on the factors that affect the tree stem profiles, the classification of taper models and their applications. The second chapter examined the use of the non-linear logistic mixed model of four parameters to evaluate the trees stem profile. It was compared the fixed original model in relation to the one modified by Carvalho (2014). To estimate the heights along the stem, was check the prediction quality of trees total volumes. Was inserted random effects (age, site and diameter class) in the logistic model comparing with the estimates of the fifth degree polynomials for diameter prediction along the stem, the first log volume and partial volumes. The fitted quality was assessed using the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), the standard error of estimate and the graphical analysis. Considering the results, the modified model presented better performance in fitted than the original. By conducting decomposition of the parameters by random effects the prediction minimized in approximately 60% the fit's errors on the heights estimates along the stem. When evaluated the individual volume prediction the modified model provide an improvement of about 70% of the errors. The best estimates for the diameters along the stem, first log volume and partial volumes were with the fifth degree polynomials in relation to the mixed logistic modified model with age as random effect. The third chapter is the evaluation of the linear bivariate Gaussian fixed model and generalized linear mixed models to assortment prediction and to represent the trees stem profile. The linear bivariate Gaussian fixed model was tested in its original form and with transformed variables. The statistic criteria to assessing the models were the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), Maximum Likelihood Index (MV), Deviance Information Criterion (DIC) and graphical analysis of the bivariate residuals. Thus, it was found that the transformation was beneficial to the fit. Relating to assortments prediction was found that probabilistic density function normal pattern generated estimates with large discrepancy from the acceptable. For the generalized linear mixed models it is concluded that change the probability distribution in the variable height had better representation of the stem profile. Therefore, the techniques used in the mixed and multivariate modeling of the stem profile showed potential to generate estimates, however, new studies are still needed for constant improvement. Keywords: Taper, Mixed Model, Logistic Model, Generalised Bivariate Model.

Orientadora : Marcelo Visentini Kitahara
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências da Terra, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Sistemas Costeiros e Oceânicos. Defesa: Pontal do Paraná, 31/03/2015
Inclui referências : f. 86-97
Resumo: Os cnidários da Ordem Scleractinia são os principais formadores de recifes de corais de águas rasas (<50 m) e profundas (>100 m), os quais embora apresentem elevada diversidade e abundância de espécies, estão ameaçados devido, principalmente, as mudanças climáticas que estamos vivenciando. Apesar disso, os escleractíneos persistiram a inúmeras mudanças climáticas ao logo de sua história evolutiva, e acredita-se que adaptações e utilização de refúgios em águas mais profundas provavelmente auxiliaram na sobrevivência da ordem como linhagem. Dentre as 24 famílias recentes de Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae é uma das poucas considerada monofilética, apesar de apresentar: i) elevada variedade morfológica; ii) representantes em ambientes rasos e profundos; e, consequentemente, iii) espécies zooxanteladas, azooxanteladas ou ainda com simbiose facultativa. Entretanto, dados moleculares vêm sugerindo que a maioria dos gêneros são para ou polifiléticos. Desta forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar uma reconstrução da história evolutiva dos corais dendrofilídeos utilizando marcadores moleculares mitocondriais (CO1 e 16S rDNA) e nuclear (28S rDNA), buscando identificar/correlacionar as principais mudanças ambientais de nível global responsáveis pelos eventos de divergência entre os principais clados recuperados. Adicionalmente, o genoma mitocondrial (mt) de Dendrophyllia arbuscula foi descrito e a monofilia da família foi testada através da reconstrução filogenética com base em todos os genes codificadores de proteínas do genoma mt. De forma geral, análises filogenéticas suportaram a monofilia da família, mas colocam em questão a validade da maioria dos gêneros. O ancestral dos dendrofilídeos era provavelmente azooxantelado, solitário e habitava águas profundas, sendo a aquisição da simbiose com zooxantelas um fator facilitador para o estabelecimento de representantes em ambientes de águas rasas. O genoma mt de D. arbuscula é similar ao dos demais representantes da família, com maior teor de timina e menor de citosina, resultando em alta quantidade de (A+T) e de Fenilalanina (TTT). Possui 19.088 pb, compreendendo 2 rDNAs (rrnL e rrnS), 2 tRNAs (trnM e trnW) e 13 genes codificantes de proteína (ND1-6; ND4L; ATP6; ATP8, COB; CO1-3), além de dois introns de grupo I interrompendo os genes CO1 e ND5.
Abstract: Cnidarians of the order Scleractinia are the main builders of shallow water coral reefs (<50 m) and deep (> 100 m), which are characterized by high diversity and abundance of species and great economic and social influence. In general, these ecosystems are threatened mainly due to the current climate changes. In spite of this, the scleractinian coral persisted to numerous climate changes along its evolutionary history. Of the 24 families of the recent order, the Dendrophylliidae have: i) high morphological variety; ii) representatives in shallow and deep environments; and therefore iii) zooxanthelate, azooxanthelate or with facultative symbiosis species. However, molecular data suggesting that most genera of family are para or polyphyletic. Thus, the aim of this work was to perform a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of coral dendrofilídeos using mitochondrial (mt) molecular markers (CO1 and 16S rDNA) and nuclear (28S rDNA) and, through its correlation with paleo-environmental aspects, identify global environmental changes potentially responsible for the events of divergence between the recovered clades, which later served to the development of hypotheses about the future of this family facing contemporary global climate change. In addition, to describe the genome mt of Dendrophyllia arbuscula, providing information about the genera classification as well as the Dendrophylliidae family, and test the monofily of family by phylogenetic basis of all the genes encoding proteins mt genome. In general, phylogenetic reconstructions recovered the monophyly of Dendrophylliidae with good branch support and corroborate the hypothesis that the family ancestor was probably azooxanthelate, solitary and inhabited deep water. The acquisition of symbiosis with zooxanthellae possibly facilitated the representatives of this family to explore and to settle in shallow water environments. The genome of mt D. arbuscula is similar to that of other representatives of Dendrophyllia family. It has 19 088 bp, comprising 2 rDNAs (rrnL and rrnS), 2 tRNAs (trnM and trnW) and 13 protein-coding genes (ND1-6; ND4L; ATP6; ATP8, COB; CO1-3), and two group I introns interrupting the ND5 and CO1 genes.

This qualitative research examined the little studied area of human-pet relationships and their impact on persons with cancer. The goal of this study was to gather information from individuals with cancer who had a pet during their illness and explore the helpful and unhelpful aspects of that relationship as people dealt with the socio-emotional, physiological and spiritual challenges usually accompanying diagnosis and treatment. The Enhanced Critical Incident Technique method (Butterfield, Borgen, Maglio, & Amundson, 2009) was used to gather information and interpret the interviews of 13 British Columbian women with cancer about their relationships with their companion animals. From these interviews, 13 personal accounts were created to give voice to the women???s experiences. The bulk of the data focused on clear descriptions of the ways in which pets contributed to and/or detracted from the participants??? sense of wellbeing during their illness. From this 487 helping critical incidents and 109 hindering critical incidents were formed into 13 categories that represented the areas of impact. In rank order of participation rate the categories are: Companionship & Presence; Emotional & Social Support; Purpose & Role; How Pets are Different from People; Health and Pain Management; Pet Intuition & Adaptability; Being Positive & in the Moment; Pet as Protector & Caregiver; Touch; Unconditional Love & Devotion; Existential & Spiritual Factors; Family Members & Finances, and Caretaking of Sick or Dying Pet. The findings of the study are congruent with the literature from the fields of veterinary medicine, social work, nursing, and anthrozoology in that they confirm the significant and primarily positive impact of the social support, trust and bond experienced by human beings from their companion animals. The results also indicate the distress caused by the lack of resources for pets when they are ill and the suffering caused by pet illness and bereavement. Other unique findings include participants??? experience of their pets as able to intuit subtle changes post-diagnosis and instantly modify their behaviour to attend to their human companions. It is suggested that psychological theory, practice and research engage with further exploration of the relationships between people and their companion animals.

Calcium phosphate silicate cement (CPSC) describes a family of materials in which the powder component is composed of the mixture of hydraulic calcium silicates and calcium phosphates. CPSC was developed and characterized in this work with the broad goal to address, and possibly overcome, the disadvantages of calcium silicate and calcium phosphate cements used in medical and dental fields. The main objective of this work was to synthesize and characterize CPSC, focusing particularly on the hydration process of CPSC. The cements consisting of various amounts of triclacium silicate (C₃S) and calcium phosphate monobasic (CPM), were synthesized by the sol-gel process, followed by heat treatment at 1550ºC and planetary ball-milling. It has been determined that after mixing with water, C₃S hydrates to calcium silicate hydrates (C-S-H) and calcium hydroxide (CH); within 10 min CPM reacts with CH to form dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD), which further reacts with CH and precipitates hydroxyapatite (HAP). It is proposed that the phosphate ions incorporate into C-S-H to form another type of hydrates C-S-P-H. The morphology of the hydrates depends on the process of hydration and the composition of CPSC. At the early stages of hydration, the hydration products form “almond-shaped” particles that serve as a nucleation site for the hydrates. The hydrates take tubular shape and form bundles clustered along the radial direction of the tubes. CPM influences the hydration kinetics of C₃S by increasing the duration of the hydration acceleration period rather than increasing the hydration rate, especially for the higher content of CPM in CPSC. CPM also increases the porosity of CPSC and reduces the content of CH, thought to be the “weak link” in the set CPSC. As a compromise between the two effects, the optimal content of CPM appears to exist at about 10 wt% of CPM in CPSC. After immersion in simulated body fluid, HAP forms on the surface of CPSC indicating that CPSC is bioactive in vitro. Cytotoxicity assay and cell adhesion assay against human gingival fibroblast indicated that the biocompatibility of CPSC is significantly enhanced.

Canadian aquaculture regulations need reform. Aquaculture regulations are constitutionally unsound and environmentally inconsistent. The federal government regulates aquaculture in British Columbia but the provinces regulate aquaculture in the Atlantic provinces despite the fact that similar provincial regulations were struck down as unconstitutional in British Columbia in Morton v British Columbia (Minister of Agriculture and Lands). No appeal court in Canada has ruled on the constitutionality of provincial aquaculture laws. As a result, provincial aquaculture laws are vulnerable to attack and aquaculturists face uncertainty. The environment also suffers from different environmental standards from province to province. In British Columbia, the federal government applies stringent disease and escapee regulations whereas in the Atlantic provinces disease and escapee regulations vary greatly. The purpose of this thesis is to clarify the scope of the federal and provincial legislative powers to regulate aquaculture. I conclude that the Morton decision interpreted the federal “sea coast and inland fisheries” power too broadly, incorrectly including net-pen aquaculture as a “fishery”. I then apply the pith and substance analysis to the provincial aquaculture laws impugned in Morton and I conclude that provincial escapee regulations are likely ultra vires but that provincial seafloor pollution regulations are likely intra vires. I also apply the pith and substance analysis to the aquaculture regulations in the Atlantic provinces and conclude that their property rights laws are likely ultra vires but their disease laws are likely intra vires. This review of escapee and disease regulations exposes unacceptable discrepancies in the standards between the provinces. In addition, I clarify jurisdictional issues that may arise regarding shellfish, plant, on-land, and offshore aquaculture. Finally, I critique the federal Pacific Aquaculture Regulations created in response to the Morton decision. I conclude that they lack transparency and they permit the release of deleterious substances that are, at the same time, prohibited by the Fisheries Act. By articulating the scope of legislative power relevant to aquaculture, this thesis defines a foundation upon which Canada and the provinces can build sustainable and consistent aquaculture regulations for future generations.

In 1929 the leading Chinese intellectual Hu Shi said: “To understand the degree to which a particular culture is civilized, we must appraise … how it handles its children.” In 1957, Chairman Mao told Chinese youth that “both the world and China’s future belonged to them.” In both eras, cultural leaders placed children and youth in the centre of cultural and political discourse associating them with the nation’s future. This thesis compares Chinese children’s literature during the Republican period (1912-1949) and the early People’s Republic of 1949-1966, until the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) and argues that children’s writers who worked in both new Chinas treated youth and children as key agents in building a nation-state. In this thesis, I focus on the works of three prominent writers, Ye Shengtao (1894-1988), Bing Xin (1900-1999) and Zhang Tianyi (1906-1985) who wrote children’s literature and were prominent cultural figures in both eras. Their writing careers make for excellent case studies in how children’s literature changed from one political era to another. I conduct thematic and stylistic textual analysis of their works and read them against their historical and cultural backgrounds to determine how children’s writings changed and why. As anticipated, I showed that during both eras, children’s literature and politics were closely related. Another expected finding is that the manner of writing for children changed significantly as children from victims turned into active agents of the nation’s future. Challenging the view that children’s writers of the early People’s Republic merely followed the Party line, I argue that Ye, Bing, and Zhang remained loyal to the task of “saving children.” Another unexpected finding is that the Chinese Communist Party did not invent new cultural policies toward children from scratch, but employed numerous policies and ideas, including literary ideas, of the Nationalist regime that also inherited much from the late Qing.

Cancer therapy recently experienced remarkable advances with better understanding of cancer pathogenesis and introduction of new intervention strategies. Biomarkers reflective of the presence of tumor cells, or linked with clinical outcomes, have potential to improve the management of cancers. The purpose of this thesis study is to identify novel biomarkers of human cancers based on tissue microarray (TMA) technology and to determine their value for clinical application in cancer management using melanoma as the model. Melanoma arises from uncontrolled proliferation of melanocytes. Although melanoma accounts for only 4% of all skin cancer, it is responsible for 80% of deaths related to skin malignancies. To discover novel biomarkers of melanoma, we constructed a TMA using biopsies from 707 patients with various stages of melanocytic lesions. Using immunohistochemistry and TMA, multiple biomarker candidates were evaluated, and many were found to have significant prognostic value, including expression loss of Fbw7. To further improve the clinical value of these markers, various combinations of individual markers were evaluated, leading to the identification of KAI1 and p27 that together showed much stronger prognostic value than when used as individual markers. Moreover, since there has been a dearth of reliable prognostic markers to offer prognostic information on specific melanoma stages, we identified the AJCC-stage specific prognostic markers, including BRAF protein expression as a prognostic marker for thin melanomas. In that significant prognostic value was found for Fbw7 protein in melanoma, we performed in vitro experiments on this protein in detail. Our data showed that the alpha isoform of Fbw7, located in the cell nucleus, was the dominant form expressed in melanoma. Knock-down of Fbw7α promoted melanoma cell migration, and the MAPK signaling pathway was required for Fbw7 function in melanoma. These findings indicate loss of Fbw7 to be an independent melanoma prognostic marker, and important for the development of malignant behaviors of melanoma cells. This study has demonstrated that the combination of TMAs of cancers with the corresponding clinical database represents a powerful technological platform for biomarker discovery. TMA/clinical database combination-based investigations should be applicable for the investigation of other types of human cancers as well.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-98).
One of the major challenges in autonomous planning and sequencing is the theoretical complexity of planning problems. Even a simple STRIPS planning problem is PSPACEcomplete, and depending on the expressivity of the planning problem, the complexity of the problem can be EXPTIME-complete or worse. This thesis improves on current approaches to sequencing the engineering operations of a spacecraft or ground-based asset through the explicit use of verifiable models and a decomposition approach to planning. Based on specifications of system behavior, the planner generates control sequences of engineering operations that achieve mission objectives specified by an operator. This work is novel in three ways. First, an innovative "divide-and-conquer" approach is used to assure efficiency and scalability of the planner. The key to the approach is in its combined use of constraint decomposition and causal order decomposition. This technique provides the means to decompose the problem into a set of subproblems and to identify the ordering by which each subproblem should be solved, thus reducing, and possibly eliminating, search. Second, the decomposed planning framework is able to solve complex planning problems with state constraints and temporally extended goals. Such complex system behavior is specified as concurrent, constraint automata (CCA) that provide the expressiveness necessary to model the behavior of the system components and their interactions. The mission objective is described as a desired evolution of goal states called a qualitative state plan (QSP), explicitly capturing the intent of the operators. Finally, the planner generates a partially-ordered plan called a qualitative control plan (QCP) that provides additional execution robustness through temporal flexibility. We demonstrate the decomposed approach to Model-based planning on a scenario based on the ongoing Autonomous Sciencecraft Experiment, onboard EO-1 spacecraft. The EO-1 problem has a large state space with well over 660 quintillion states, 6.6 x 10²⁰.
(cont.) Despite the size and the complexity of the problem, the time performance is linear in the length of the plan and the memory usage is linear in the number of components.
by Seung H. Chung.
Ph.D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-346).
Intra-service politics can help explain many behaviors and outcomes across a variety of military services and countries. The thesis begins by developing a framework for understanding intra-service politics based on a review of organization theory. Every military service contains a variety of communities or unions organized by specific missions, functions or technologies. These communities compete with one another to determine a service's dominant culture and missions; and the distribution of a service's budgets, equipment and personnel. Three patterns intra-service relations are proposed: a strong and independent central leadership capable of acting as an honest broker between competing communities (e.g., the German Army of the interwar period); a single monarchical community dominating a service (e.g., the U.S. Air Force); and an oligarchy of communities controlling a service (e.g., the U.S. Army). In the latter two patterns, doctrinal developments, capabilities, and distribution of resources will mirror and tend to reinforce the power of the dominant unions. In order to test the relevancy and plausibility of the oligarchic pattern, the bulk of the thesis is taken up with three case studies examining the division design process in the U.S. Army during the 1970s and 1980s: the Division 86 design, the High Technology Light Division, and the Light Infantry Division. Overall, the evidence from these three case studies suggests the utility of an explanation based on intra-service community politics for certain behaviors. Moreover, it suggests a U.S. Army dominated by an oligarchy composed of an armored/mechanized infantry ("heavy") community, an artillery community, an aviation community and a light infantry community. The oligarchy itself has a multi-tiered structure, one where the light infantry community has the least power and influence, while the heavy and artillery communities have the most; the aviation community occupies a position in-between, wielding considerable power but never being the equal of the two dominant ground force communities.
by Robert Allen Zirkle.
Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 50-51).
Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.
"September 2008."
(cont.) Droplets with an initial concentration of IM were found to be concentrated to about 3-4M in 90s while droplets starting at 2M were concentrated to 6M in about the same time. The entire process takes place over a time scale of about one minute, fast enough to minimize exposure times but slow enough to be precisely controllable. This phenomenon is demonstrated to dynamically concentrate cryoprotectants within single cell-containing droplets. These droplets of sizes of about 30 micron diameter were concentrated to 3-4M from a starting concentration of IM in about 300s. The cells are tolerant to this concentration process and do not die when subjected to it. The process may be used in practice to innocuously concentrate cell encapsulating droplets which may then be vitrified before they are exposed to high temperatures for fatally long time scales. With appropriate characterization, the controllability of the process will allow for choosing exact cryoprotectant concentration levels used for vitrification. The demonstrated phenomenon has several other applications in cryobiology. Its controllability and speed may be used to dynamically modulate cryoprotectant concentrations in preservation protocols that require stepwise concentration or dilution. In addition, the process was found to be reversible and may thus be used for unloading cryoprotectants by controlled cooling as opposed to heating.
Among the several challenges associated with vitrification of cells, a major roadblock is the requirement of high concentrations of cryoprotectant chemicals and the damages caused by exposure of cells to these high concentrations at physiological temperatures. It is thus desirable to minimize the time of exposure of cells with high concentrations of cryoprotectants to physiological temperatures. In addition, vitrification requires very rapid cooling rates. As cooling rates of a sample are limited by its size, it becomes ideal to use the minimum sizes of the sample to be preserved. Certain organic oils, such as soybean oil, are made of triacylglycerols and are capable of dissolving small amounts of water due to the presence of ester groups, a property which enhances significantly with increasing temperature. This phenomenon was exploited to accomplish temperature controlled concentration of cryoprotectants in single water droplets with and without cells dispersed in the organic phase. The organic phase used in the present work is soybean oil while glycerol is used as the cryoprotectant. Glycerol was found to be comparatively insoluble in soybean oil at 35 'C for up to 10 minutes. The present work employed heating on a temperature controlling stage and temperature increases of about 10K. Solutions of glycerol in DI Water were mixed with soybean oil and emulsions made by vigorous agitation. The water to oil concentration was kept at 0.1% v/v to simulate an infinite dissolution medium and to prevent different droplets from affecting each other. To prevent premature dissolution, the oil is saturated with water at room temperature by incubating for 48 hours. Micro-liter-sized droplets of the emulsion are placed on a heating/ cooling stage and droplets of 15-20 micron diameter are visually selected from polydisperse emulsion for observation under a microscope. Upon increasing temperature, water dissolves into the oil rendering the droplet highly concentrated with the oil-insoluble cryoprotectant. The experiment involved heating to 35 °C from room temperature, so that all water eventually dissolved into the oil.
by Anurag Bajpayee.
S.M.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 119-121).
In this thesis, we explore the different methods for parameter estimation in straightforward diffusion problems and develop ideas and distributed computational schemes for the automated evaluation of physical and numerical parameters of ocean models. This is one step of "adaptive modeling." Adaptive modeling consists of the automated adjustment of self-evaluating models in order to best represent an observed system. In the case of dynamic parameterizations, self-modifying schemes are used to learn the correct model for a particular regime as the physics change and evolve in time. The parameter estimation methods are tested and evaluated on one-dimensional tracer diffusion problems. Existing state estimation methods and new filters, such as the unscented transform Kalman filter, are utilized in carrying out parameter estimation. These include the popular Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) and other ensemble methods such as Error Subspace Statistical Estimation (ESSE) and Ensemble Adjustment Kalman Filter (EAKF), and the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). Among the aforementioned recursive state estimation methods, the so-called "adjoint method" is also applied to this simple study. Finally, real data is examined for the applicability of such schemes in real-time forecasting using the MIT Multidisciplinary Simulation, Estimation, and Assimilation System (MSEAS). The MSEAS model currently contains the free surface hydrostatic primitive equation model from the Harvard Ocean Prediction System (HOPS), a barotropic tidal prediction scheme, and an objective analysis scheme, among other models and developing routines. The experiment chosen for this study is one which involved the Monterey Bay region off the coast of California in 2006 (MB06). Accurate vertical mixing parameterizations are essential in this well known upwelling region of the Pacific. In this realistic case, parallel computing will be utilized by scripting code runs in C-shell. The performance of the simulations with different, parameters is evaluated quantitatively using Pattern Correlation Coefficient, Root Mean Squared error, and bias error. Comparisons quantitatively determined the most adequate model setup.
by Eric Vincent Heubel.
M.Eng.

This study investigated the effects of task pacing on the cognitive performance of ADD/WO (n=8), ADD/H (n=l0), and normal control (n=l2) children on a continuous processing task (CPT). In the CPT, each child was exposed to fast (500ms), medium (l0O0ms), slow (2000mS), and self-paced conditions. Performance was measured as number of omission errors, number of commission errors, number of specific types of commission errors, reaction time, and rate of self-pacing. The ADD/H group had a significantly slower mean RT than the normal control group. However, groups did not differ on omission or commission errors, and there were no group by pacing condition or group by (non-target) sequence interactions. Reasons for the appearance of group differences on mean RT without group differences on accuracy are discussed in terms of subject and task characteristics.

Master of Science

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 1998.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-96).
As the largest city of China and one of the world's 10 largest cities, Shanghai has experienced rapid economic growth in the recent years. But at the same time this rapid economic growth is placing a major burden on the city's infrastructure and local environment. The purpose of this thesis is to developing an understanding of the current infrastructure situation in Shanghai, its potential development in future and its impacts on the environment. First, the thesis will describe a general picture of Shanghai including geological location, economics and its relation to the country and population growth. Then the thesis will review the current environment and infrastructure problem faced by the city. As air pollution, energy shortage, transportation congestion and poor water quality are the major three hindrances to the sustainable development of Shanghai, these will be the major concerns of this thesis. The conflict between the continually increasing demand for infrastructure facilities with the environmental and financial constraints is not a problem unique in Shanghai. Some specific comparison with other mage-cities will be made to develop a better understanding the related issues and the possible strategies to improve the environment and infrastructure performance in the city will be analyzed. Since the financing is also an important issue related to integrate infrastructure development, finally, this thesis will analyze the current infrastructure investment structure and discuss the potentially new approach for the funding of the infrastructure in Shanghai.
by Feng Shen.
S.M.

Cette étude vise à vérifier le niveau d’auto-perception de 18 traumatisés cranio-cérébraux (TCC), bénéficiaires externes d’un centre de réadaptation. La problématique est étudiée en comparant l’auto-évaluation de la compétence du patient avec la perception d’évaluateurs externes (proches et intervenants). Une attention particulière est portée sur la comparaison entre ces deux types d’évaluateurs. Les données sont recueillies à l’aide d’une version traduite et modifiée du Patient Competency Rating Scale. Les résultats démontrent que les trois groupes ne diffèrent pas quant à leur perception concernant les compétences des patients. Ainsi, ces derniers ne démontrent pas de déficit d’auto-perception, allant à rencontre de ce qui est rapporté dans la littérature. Seulement quatre types de compétences semblent surestimées par les patients, ne pouvant faire foi d’un déficit global. Il est suggéré de revoir la notion de déficit global au profit de l’évaluation de plusieurs domaines spécifiques pouvant témoigner d’un déficit d’auto-perception chez les TCC.

The approach flow to a pump must be undisturbed and free from unequal velocity distributions, unequal pressure distributions, entrained air or gas bubbles, vortices and excessive pre-swirl. A reducer fitting is typically used in pump station pipe work to reduce the size of the suction pipe to match the size of the pump suction end flange. Two types of reducer fittings are commonly manufactured, namely: Eccentric Reducers and Concentric Reducers. Inlet pipework design guidelines traditionally prescribe the use of eccentric reducers, with the flat side on top. This prescription is to allow the transport of air through the fitting. The flow through an eccentric reducer accelerates along the sloped side as the flow path narrows from below, thereby causing higher velocities towards this sloped side. These flow conditions are contradictory to the recommended pump inlet approach flow conditions and pump station failures have been recorded resulting from the incorrect application of eccentric reducers. Relationships exist to assess the hydraulic transportation of air through a pipe and these relationships can be applied to calculate the ability to transport air through a concentric reducer. It is therefore hypothesised that a correctly designed concentric reducer will not only provide a more uniform pressure/velocity distribution in comparison to an eccentric reducer, but will allow any free air to be hydraulically transported through the reducer to the pump. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was utilised to assess the resulting velocity distributions through various concentric and eccentric reducer geometries at various flow rates. Six concentric reducers and six eccentric reducers were simulated with four inlet velocities. The resulting velocity distributions were recorded with scalar scenes and velocity probes at four positions spaced at a distance of 1 x the downstream diameter starting at the downstream end of the reducer. These velocity distributions were then compared to the pump inlet requirements typically used in the industry. These requirements require the velocity variation along a line drawn through the centre of the pipe to be less than 10% of the average velocity along that line and the velocity variation along a circle within the pipe is less than 5% of the average velocity along the circle. It was found that the eccentric reducers with angles of 15°, 20° and 30° and the concentric reducer with an angle of 20° do not pass the requirements used in the assessment at all four velocities. From these results it was highlighted that some of the standard eccentric reducer geometries (including those specified by AWWA C208) do not pass the inlet requirements. It was then assessed if air can be hydraulically transported through the concentric reducers utilising available hydraulic air transport theory. Air can be hydraulically transported through all of the concentric reducers except for the 20° reducer (the same size that failed the velocity distribution assessment) at 1m/s for the assessed diameters. It was therefore shown that a correctly designed concentric reducer (angle less or equal to 15°) will not only provide a more uniform pressure/velocity distribution in comparison to an eccentric reducer, but will allow air to be hydraulically transported through the reducer to the pump.
Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2014.
tm2015
Civil Engineering
MEng
Unrestricted

En la actualidad se desconocen con certeza los efectos derivados del uso prolongado del "éxtasis" (MDMA) con fines recreativos, aunque existen numerosos indicios de una clara asociación entre el uso habitual e intenso de esta sustancia y la aparición de alteraciones cognitivas y neurofisiológicas en seres humanos. Estos efectos se atribuyen a la neurodegeneración selectiva y persistente del sistema serotoninérgico cerebral observada en experimentación preclínica con animales. Estos indicios son motivo de preocupación ya que cabe la posibilidad que la persistencia de estas alteraciones a lo largo del tiempo pudieran contribuir a la aparición de deterioro cognitivo más allá del proceso de envejecimiento normal.
El objetivo principal de este trabajo de investigación es aportar nuevas pruebas de la neurotoxicidad del éxtasis como factor de riesgo en la aparición de déficit cognitivos y cambios electrofisiológicos cerebrales (potencial evocado P300) a medio y largo plazo. Otros objetivos perseguidos fueron: estudiar el curso de dichas alteraciones a lo largo del tiempo, explorar las relaciones existentes entre los parámetros de latencia y amplitud de la onda P300, funciones cognitivas y consumo acumulado de éxtasis a lo largo de la vida (consumo-vida). Por último, se pretendió explorar la contribución del uso concomitante de cannabis sobre dichas alteraciones. Para ello se realizó el seguimiento de una muestra de policonsumidores habituales de éxtasis, consumidores habituales de cannabis y controles no consumidores de sustancias de abuso, durante un período natural de 3 años dividido en dos períodos diferenciados de 24 y 12 meses.
Los resultados muestran que los consumidores de éxtasis obtienen rendimientos cognitivos significativamente más pobres en comparación al grupo control pero no respecto al grupo cannabis tanto a nivel basal como a medio y largo plazo. A largo plazo los consumidores de éxtasis presentan déficit persistentes de carácter subclínico en funciones ejecutivas, memoria episódica y velocidad de procesamiento mental. Se hallaron relaciones dosis-respuesta entre el consumo-vida de éxtasis y el rendimiento mnésico y velocidad de procesamiento mental. El consumo-vida de cannabis y una edad de inicio temprana en el uso de esta sustancia contribuyen a explicar los déficit observados en el grupo éxtasis. En cuanto a la respuesta del potencial evocado P300, no se observan diferencias significativas entre los tres grupos, mostrando valores de latencia y amplitud dentro de la normalidad y sin alteraciones clínicamente relevantes a medio plazo. Los análisis muestran correlaciones significativas entre la latencia del potencial y memoria de trabajo, fluencia verbal, atención dividida y reconocimiento verbal. Se observó una asociación significativa aunque paradójica entre el consumo-vida de cannabis y la latencia de este potencial. No se observaron correlaciones significativas con el uso de éxtasis.
Los resultados de este trabajo aportan nuevas pruebas de que el consumo de éxtasis de forma habitual y prolongada en el tiempo, especialmente en cantidades elevadas, induce efectos negativos sobre la cognición en forma de alteraciones discretas de magnitud subclínica, las cuales persisten con un curso estable a medio y largo plazo. Estas manifestaciones cognitivas responden a los efectos neurotóxicos inducidos no sólo por el uso del éxtasis, sino por la interacción éxtasis/cannabis sobre el sustrato cerebral. Por el contrario, el consumo de éxtasis no afecta significativamente a la actividad eléctrica cerebral registrada mediante el potencial evocado P300. En cuanto a la contribución del cannabis, su uso concomitante ejerce efectos solapados sobre la cognición, pero tampoco induce cambios significativos sobre la actividad eléctrica cerebral. Independientemente de cual sea la naturaleza de la interacción entre ambas sustancias, la relevancia clínica de los efectos del éxtasis sobre la cognición es discreta pero no por ello despreciable, ya que los policonsumidores de éxtasis manifiestan alteraciones, aunque éstas son de carácter subclínico.
PALABRAS CLAVE: Éxtasis, déficit cognitivos, potenciales evocados
Up to date there is no conclusive evidence on the effects induced by long-term recreational "ecstasy" (MDMA) consumption, although extensive research suggests a clear linkage between prolonged and intensive use of this substance and cognitive and neurophysiological changes in humans. Animal studies raise the possibility that these alterations could respond to selective and persistent neurodegenerative effects upon central serotonergic systems. There is concern that in humans the persistency of these alterations over long periods of time could contribute to developing cognitive impairment beyond normal aging processes.
The main aim of this investigation was to provide new and additional evidence on the neurotoxic effects of ecstasy use as a risk factor associated with short and long-term changes in neurocognitive performance and neuroelectric brain activity (P300 event-related potentials). Other aims explored in the present study were: examine the course of neurocognitive and electrophysiological changes over time, explore the relationships between P300 main components: latency and amplitude with specific cognitive domains and lifetime MDMA cumulative use (lifetime consumption), as well as the relative contribution of cannabis on these alterations. In other to cover these goals, follow-up of a sample of current ecstasy polydrug users, current cannabis users and drug naïve controls was conducted over a natural period of 3 years, divided in two different periods of time: 24 and 12 months.
The results of this study showed that at baseline, one year and two years follow-up assessments, ecstasy polydrug users presented significantly poorer cognitive performance than non-drug using controls. No significant differences were found between ecstasy and cannabis users on cognitive tests. In the long-term, ecstasy polydrug users showed consistently persistent subclinical deficits on executive functions, episodic memory and mental processing speed. Significant dose-response relations were found between ecstasy lifetime consumption and performance in memory and mental processing speed. Age at onset of cannabis use before 15 years predicted lower performance in memory and mental processing speed. Concerning P300 response, no group differences were shown on P300 event-related potentials. The analyses revealed significant correlations between P300 latency and specific cognitive domains of working memory, verbal fluency, divided attention and verbal recognition, although the direction of those associations regarding P300 latency, attention and recognition was counterintuitive. Moreover, a significant but paradoxical association emerged between cannabis lifetime use and P300 latency, but no association was found between ecstasy exposure and P300 main components.
The results of this study provide new and additional evidence that regular and prolonged ecstasy consumption, especially an intensive pattern of use, induces negative effects on cognition in terms of mild sub-clinical cognitive deficits, which remain persistent and stable in the short and the long-term. Cognitive impairment observed in ecstasy polydrug users supports that not only ecstasy use but ecstasy/cannabis interaction account for the neurotoxic effects upon the brain substrate. On the contrary, ecstasy intake does not affect significantly brain electric activity (P300). Regarding the role of cannabis, co-use of this substance shows overlapping effects on cognition but does not induce significant changes on brain electric activity (P300). No matter the nature of the dynamic interaction between both drugs, the clinical relevance of their effects on cognition is subtle but not negligible, due to the fact that cognitive deficits are found in recreational ecstasy polydrug users, although these are of sub-clinical magnitude.
KEYWORDS: Ecstasy, cognitive impairment, event-related potentials.

The avian circadian system is composed of multiple inputs, oscillators and outputs. Among its oscillators is a hypothalamic structure presumed to be homologous to the primary circadian pacemaker in mammals, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN in avian species is poorly defined: two structures in the hypothalamus, the medial SCN (mSCN) and visual SCN (vSCN), have been referred to in the literature as the SCN. The present studies were designed to answer one central question: where is the avian homolog to the mammalian SCN? Uptake of 2-[14C]-deoxyglucose (2DG), an indicator of glucose metabolism, fluctuates in the mSCN and vSCN in both a daily and circadian manner. These data indicate a possible role in the circadian system for both the vSCN and the mSCN. Additionally, several visual structures display daily fluctuations of 2DG uptake, two of which exhibit circadian variations, supporting previous studies indicting circadian regulation of the visual system. Efferents and afferents of the mSCN and vSCN were identified and compared to those of rodents. While the mSCN bears a stronger resemblance to the rodent SCN in its efferent connections than the vSCN, afferents of both are comparable. The total number of mSCN and vSCN neuronal connections far exceeds that of the rodent SCN. A subset of these connections is strikingly similar to those of the rodent SCN, while others are found to connect these two nuclei to the visual system. These data further support the involvement of both the mSCN and vSCN in the circadian and visual systems. Suprachiasmatic organization was addressed using classical techniques. Though loosely similar in location to the mammalian SCN, the mSCN is cyto- and chemoarchitecturally different, while the vSCN bears more similarity to the mammalian SCN in this regard. A unique astrocytic bridge exists between the mSCN and vSCN, suggesting a role for astrocytes in the circadian system. Finally, the vSCN efferent to the medial nucleus of Edinger-Westphal was verified using a technique that may advance future studies of avian of circadian organization. The current data and the available literature were considered in the development of a working model of the avian SCN.

Master of Science in Dentistry
This work was digitised and made available on open access by the University of Sydney, Faculty of Dentistry and Sydney eScholarship . It may only be used for the purposes of research and study. Where possible, the Faculty will try to notify the author of this work. If you have any inquiries or issues regarding this work being made available please contact the Sydney eScholarship Repository Coordinator - ses@library.usyd.edu.au

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007.
The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on January 31, 2008) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

From pharmaceutical powders to agricultural grains, a great proportion of the materials handled in industrial situations are granular or particulate in nature. The variety of stesses that the matierals may experience and the resulting bulk behaviours may be complex. In agricultural engineering, a better understanding into agricultural processes such as seeding, harvesting, transporting and storing will help to improve the handling of agricultural grains with optimised solutions. A detailed understanding of a granular system is crucial when attempting to model a system, whether it is on a micro (particle) or macro (bulk) scale. As numerical capabilities are ever increasing, the Discrete Element Method (DEM) is becoming an increasingly popular numerical technique for computing the behaviour of discrete particels for both industrial and scientific applications. A look into the literature shows a lack of validation of what DEM can predict, specifically with respect to bulk behaviour. In addition, when validation studies are conducted, discrepancies between bulk responses in physical tests and numerical predictions using measured particles properties may arise. The aire of this research is to develop a methodology to calibrate DEM models for agricultural grains using data meaured in bulk physical tests. The methodology will have a wider application to granular solids in general and will advance understanding in the area of DEM model calibration. A contrasting set of granular materials were used to develop the methodology including 3 inorganic solids (single and paired glass beads, and polyethylene terephthalate pellets) and two organic materials (black eyes beans and black kidney beans). The developed methodology consists of three steps: 1. The development of bulk physical tests to measure the bulk responses that will be used to calibrate the DEM models, 2. The creation of the numerical dataset that will describe how the DEM input parameters influence the bulk responses , and 3. The optimisation of the DEM parameters using a searching algorithm and the results from Step 1 and 2. Two laboratory devices were developed to provide calibration data for the proposed methodology: a rotating drum and an confined compression test. These devices were chosen as they can produce bulk responses that are repeatable and easy to quantify, as well as generate discriminating results in numerical simulations when DEM parameters are varied. The bulk response determined from the rotating drum device was the dynamic angle of repose Ør formed when the granular material in a 40% filled drum is rotating at a speed of 7 rpm. the confined compression apparatus was used to determine the bulk stiffness of a system by monitoring the change in void ratio from the stress applied during a loading and unloading cycle. The gradient of the loading and unloadng curves termed λ and κ respectively were chosen as the bulk responses to calibrate the DEM models. The experimental results revealed that the dynamic Ør was significantly influences by the particle aspect ration and boundary conditions. The stiffness parameters were found to be predominantly influences by the initial packing arrangement. The numerical dataset describing how the DEM input parameters influence the numerical bulk responses was created by simulating the bulk physical tests, varying selected DEM parameters and monitoring the effects on bulk parameters. To limit the number of simulations required, design of experiment (DOE) methods were used to determine a reduced factorial matrix of simulations. In additions, an extensive parametric investigation on the non-optimised parameters as well as a scaling sensitivity study was carried out. The final step in determining the optimised parameters is to use a searching algorithm to infer the DEM parameters based on the numerical dataset and used the experimental results as calibration data. To perform a comparative study, tow searching algorithms were explored: the first was a simple method based on Microsoft Excel's Solver algorithm coupled with a weighted inverse distance method. The second made used of the statistical analysis program Statistica. It was shown that the Excel Solver algorithm is simpler and quicker to use but for the present first implementation, could only perform an optimisation based on two bulk responses. Statistica required the creation of a staistical model based on the numerical dataset before using the profiling and desirability searching technique, but was able to optimise the parameter using all three bulk responses. A verification and validation of the optimisation methodology was conducted using the optimised parameters for the black eyed beans. A verification was cnducted by simulating the two calibration experiments using the optimsed parameters and comparing these with the experiments. In addition, a validation was peformed by predicting the response of ta shallow footing penetration on a bed of black eyed beans. It was found that DEM simulations using optimised parameters predicted vertical stress on the footing during penetration to an acceptable degree of accuracy for industrial applications (<10%) at penetration depths up to 30mm.

The primary aim of this dissertation is to address an important issue of individual susceptibility to false memories. Specifically, what is the role inhibitory control (IC) in children’s and adult’s propensity to producing false memories? Inhibitory control within the context of the current study is defined on the basis of performance on selective attention tasks. Inhibitory control is discussed within this dissertation as it is reflected in two selective attention tasks, Stroop and Negative Priming. While the false memory effect, as reflected in the Deese/Roediger and McDermott paradigm (Roediger & McDermott, 1995), is one of the most widely studied memory phenomenon, the current study is important as it provides some insights into the relation between attention and memory. An interesting finding in the DRM false memory effect is that participants often report having a clear false memory of having seen or heard the non-presented critical lure item (CL item). Such memory illusions have been informative on how memory works. The current study adds to this body of research by providing converging evidence of how individual differences in the sensitivity to the false memory effect may occur, and how this sensitivity may reflect the same IC mechanisms involved in selective attention tasks. The basic notion examined within this dissertation is that when recognition memory is tested in the DRM paradigm, individuals have to select information that was studied and simultaneously inhibit highly activated yet non-presented information in memory, in order to correctly reject the CL item. If the notion that individual differences in sensitivity to the false memory effect is indeed related to a basic IC mechanism, then a relationship should be found between measures of IC in selective attention tasks and rates of false memories in the DRM test. The current study incorporates three experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 are broken down into parts ‘a’ and ‘b’, with each part varying in respect to the IC measure. In part a, participants were assigned to an inhibitory control group (IC group) on the basis of Stroop interference. In part b, participants are assigned to IC groups on the basis of a combined measure of inhibitory control that is, Stroop and Negative Priming. The third experiment assigned participants on the basis of a combined measure of IC, and then considered the relation between the duration of IC over a number of DRM word-lists presented simultaneously prior to the recognition test. Experiment 3 also compared the robust effect of IC on the propensity to produce false memories across all three experiments. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. In each experiment there was clear evidence of a relation between IC estimates and proportion of false memories. As predicted, individuals assigned to a Less IC group produced a higher proportion of false memories than those assigned to the More IC group. Inhibitory control differences did not modulate differences in correct or incorrect recognition in general (hits and false alarms to unrelated distractors). This second finding is important because it suggests a specific effect of IC in false memories, rather than a general breakdown in memory processes. The IC effect in false memories occurred in children (8-year olds and 10-year olds) as well as adults. Furthermore, the IC effect appeared to be additive with age; i.e., all groups produced a similar pattern across all three experiments. Last, the combined estimate of IC was found to be a more sensitive measure of false memories than a single index of IC; however, this was found in relation to adults but not for children. A number of additional manipulations and measures of interest were also included. Experiment 2 found clear evidence of an effect of IC on remember responses, not only were Less IC individuals more likely to produce false alarms to critical lure items, they were also more likely to distinctly respond they “remembered” the CL item as opposed to only “knowing” the CL had been presented. Examination of reaction times (RTs) to false alarms as a function of IC group found the Less IC group were faster to make false alarm responses to CL items, whereas the More IC group were slower to make false responses CL items. As predicted the relation between IC and the false memory effect was modulated by the random versus blocked presentation manipulation in Experiment 3. Specifically, decreased rates of false memories were found in the random presentation format compared to the blocked format. Interestingly however, a small effect of IC group in false memories was found even in the random condition. From this study it can be concluded that individual susceptibility to the false memory effect is in part modulated by inhibitory control. Individuals who demonstrate less effective IC show a greater propensity to false memories than those who demonstrate more effective IC. The IC effect of false memories was found to be robust, with converging evidence found across all three experiments. In relation to the development of inhibitory control, consistent with the research of Pritchard and Neumann (2004, 2009), and Lechuga and colleagues (2006), the results of this study suggest IC is fully developed in young children. However, their ability to accurately encode, retain and retrieve information would appear to develop at a different rate than IC. Specifically, it may be that while younger children are able to utilize IC in memory processes, they have yet to fully develop a richly interconnected semantic network. On the other hand, older children and adults would appear to have a more fully developed semantic network. This series of experiments presents a novel demonstration of the relation between inhibitory control and false memories. As such, this study has the potential to provide new insight into a cognitive mechanism that may be responsible for both developmental trends and for individual differences in the regulation of false memories. Moreover, if the mechanism responsible for mediating false memories is causally linked to performance on selective attention tasks in the systematic way that is proposed, it may be possible in the future to utilize IC measures to assist in identifying individuals who have an exaggerated propensity to form false memories, as well as those more prone to resist them.

Halogenated hydrophobic organic compounds (HHOCs) such as 1,2,4,5-tetrachlorobenzene (TeCB) present a threat to both human health and the environment. The common occurrence and recalcitrant nature of HHOCs as soil contaminants necessitate an effective soil remediation method. Wee and Cunningham (2008, 2011, 2013) proposed a clean-up technology called Remedial Extraction and Catalytic Hydrodehalogenation (REACH), which pairs solvent extraction of HHOC contaminants from soil with catalytic hydrodehalogenation to destroy contaminants. Wee and Cunningham (2008, 2011, 2013) utilized a palladium (Pd) catalyst to hydrodehalogenate TeCB to benzene. However, benzene is still a toxic contaminant. Prior research has demonstrated that Pd-catalyzed hydrodehalogenation (HDH) can be paired with Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation to transform TeCB to cyclohexane, which is a less toxic end product (Osborn 2011; Ticknor 2012). However, there remains a need to quantify the effects of different operating conditions on the catalytic reaction rates upon which the technology relies. It was hypothesized that (1) an increased ratio of water to ethanol in water/ethanol solvents would increase the reaction rates of both Pd-catalyzed HDH and Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation, and (2) catalytic reaction rates would be constant above a hydrogen pressure threshold, but would decrease with decreasing hydrogen pressure beneath the threshold. Thus, the objective of this thesis was to contribute to the development of optimal operating parameters for the REACH technology by quantifying the effects of solvent composition and hydrogen pressure on the catalytic conversion of TeCB to cyclohexane in water/ethanol solvents in a batch reactor. Complete conversion of TeCB to cyclohexane was achieved at all experimental conditions tested. The data were consistent with an apparent first-order kinetics model where Pd-catalyzed HDH and Rh-catalyzed hydrogenation occur in series. The effects of three water/ethanol solvent compositions (33:67, 50:50, 67:33) were investigated at 50 psi hydrogen pressure. HDH rate coefficients increased monotonically with an increasing fraction of water in the solvent. When the water fraction in the solvent was increased from 50% to 67%, a larger HDH rate coefficient increase was observed than when the water fraction was increased from 33% to 50%. In both cases, the observed increases were statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. For hydrogenation, rate coefficients at 33% and 50% water were approximately equal. The hydrogenation rate coefficient at 67% water was much greater than the rate coefficients at 50% and 33% water, but the increase was not statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. The observed time for complete conversion of TeCB to cyclohexane decreased with an increasing fraction of water in the solvent, from 12-18 hours with a 33% water solvent to 8-12 hours with a 50% water solvent, and to 1-1.5 hours with a 67% water solvent. The effects of three hydrogen pressures (50 psi, 30 psi, 10 psi) were investigated with a 50:50 water/ethanol solvent. HDH rate coefficients increased monotonically with decreasing hydrogen pressure, though the trend was not statistically significant at a 95% confidence level until the pressure was decreased from 30 psi to 10 psi. This trend can be attributed to the displacement of TeCB by hydrogen on the catalyst surface at higher hydrogen pressures. For hydrogenation, the data suggest that rate coefficients are independent of hydrogen pressure in the pressure range of 10-50 psi, since no statistically significant hydrogen pressure effect was observed. Complete conversion of TeCB to cyclohexane was achieved at hydrogen pressures as low as 5 psi. These findings suggest that a greater fraction of water in the solvent should be utilized in the REACH system when feasible to maximize catalytic reaction rates. These findings also suggest that the REACH system could be operated at hydrogen pressures as low as 5 psi, which would further improve the safety of the technology.

The project goal is to develop a machine that can unload nuclear sphere fuel pebbles in a controlled sequence. The unloading machine will be operational in an environment filled with graphite dust and the gas medium is helium. Furthermore, the environment is radioactive and therefore maintenance activities must be reduced to a minimum. The unloading machine must fit in the bottom of a fuel storage tank. Access to the tank is only from the top, so as to control radioactive releases. The unloading machine must additionally be capable of unloading usable spheres and separate pieces of spheres to the bottom of the tank. A scale model was built to confirm the functionality of two unloading principles, gravity unloading and suction unloading. The gravity unloading concept was selected and further developed. Different improvements were made to the original concept used for the scale model. At first sequencing was not achieved, and therefore the concept was improved to separate spheres mechanically. This caused a possibility to damage spheres. The concept was further improved to remove the disadvantage of sphere damage. Spheres were now again unloaded through the centre of rotation of the unloading head. This mechanism achieved sphere separation, but not sequencing control. Another unloading level was added to the unloading head which proved theoretically to improve sequencing. At this stage of the design it proved theoretically possible to achieve sequentially controlled unloading of spheres, with separation of pieces of spheres to the bottom of the tank. The tests proved that the concept would work, but another improvement was required to prevent strung unloading of spheres. The tank unloading machine was not further tested with the required improvement. Therefore the tests should be repeated when the improvement has been incorporated. It is proposed to add bumps in the housing at the level of the second level of the unloading head. These bumps will prevent spheres from rolling towards the exit in the head. The spheres will then maintain their position in the second unloading level until the exit hole will pass the sphere to take it in. The conclusion is that the concept will probably be acceptable when the latest test was performed. It is however believed that this last improvement will be successful. The tank unloading machine is developed to be low on maintenance. It is believed that the bearings will not need replacement, thus no maintenance is foreseen. The tank unloading device can separate pieces of spheres before the usable spheres are delivered into the sphere transportation pipe.
Thesis (M.Ing. (Nuclear Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Dissertação de Mestrado Integrado em Medicina Veterinária
Face ao crescimento da população mundial e à consequente sobrexploração dos recursos marinhos, tornando-os cada vez mais um produto que se destina a ser consumido por determinadas elites, há que encontrar uma alternativa viável para combater esta lacuna no fornecimento de proteína animal, tornando-a acessível a toda a população. É neste contexto que a aquicultura assume um papel fulcral, apresentando-se como uma solução complementar para colmatar a escassez de proteína de origem marinha. Assim, e no âmbito do curso de medicina veterinária, pretende-se com este trabalho desenvolver o tema, da aquicultura, tendo como referência a produção intensiva de pregado na maior unidade de produção desta espécie do mundo, pertencente à Pescanova. Ao longo do desenvolvimento do trabalho surgiu a necessidade de investigar os obstáculos à implementação dos produtos de aquicultura num país com uma forte tradição de pescas e com uma das maiores taxas de consumo per capita de pescado do mundo. Optou-se também por valorizar a perspectiva do consumidor, realizando-se um inquérito de forma a reflectir de forma mais fidedigna esta realidade em Portugal. A aquicultura é uma área de estudo cada vez mais desafiante para os médicos veterinários, em todas as suas vertentes, abarcando a segurança dos alimentos, a produção e a sanidade animal; sendo imprescindível a sua presença em todas as unidades de forma a garantir o correcto desenvolvimento de todo o ciclo produtivo.
ABSTRACT - Portuguese Aquaculture, Intensive Turbot Production (Psetta maxima) - Given the growth tendency of world population and consequent over-exploitation of marine resources, therefore making them increasingly a product that tends to be consumed by certain elites, a viable alternative must be found to address this gap in the supply of animal protein, thus making it accessible to the entire population. In this context, aquaculture plays a central role, presenting itself as the only way to overcome the shortage of protein of marine origin. This is the framework where aquaculture plays a major role, presenting itself as the only solution to overcome the lack of marine origin protein. Thus, within the Veterinary Medicine Course, the present work intends to develop this theme, taking as reference the intensive farming of turbot in the biggest production unit of this species in the world, belonging to Pescanova. Throughout the development of this work it became necessary to investigate the obstacles to the implementation of aquaculture products in a country with a strong fishing tradition, and with one of the highest per capita consumption of fish in the world. It was decided, alongside, to value the consumer perspective, carrying out a survey in order to mirror more reliably this reality in Portugal. Aquaculture is becoming a increasingly challenging area for veterinary doctors, in multiple aspects, embracing food safety, production and animal health, making their presence vital in order to guaranty correct development of the production cycle.

La presente investigación se origina debido a la preocupación de la población local, quienes manifiestan que en los últimos años se ha registrado una disminución progresiva de la disponibilidad del agua en el ámbito Área de Conservación Privada Copallín, afectando principalmente la actividad agrícola del cultivo de arroz en la cuenca media y baja. La tesis evalúa la relación que existe entre la provisión del recurso hídrico y el cultivo de arroz para el periodo comprendido entre los años 1989, 2000 y 2007, contemplando un enfoque de valoración económica, que se basa en la identificación del servicio de provisión de agua y en la cuantificación monetaria del valor de uso directo del agua como insumo en la producción agrícola del cultivo de arroz. Se ha desarrollado en 7 etapas, involucra la definición del ámbito, la revisión de información base, la caracterización biofísica y socioeconómica, el análisis de la provisión del recurso hídrico mediante el método de abstracciones de la Soil Conservation Service (SCS), el análisis de la deforestación, el análisis de la demanda de agua para cultivo de arroz, estos dos últimos mediante interpretación visual empleando Sistemas de Información Geográfica (SIG). Finalmente, la estimación del valor de uso directo del agua mediante la técnica de cambio en productividad. Se ha determinado que: existe una correlación positiva moderada entre la provisión del recurso hídrico y el valor del agua como insumo en la producción del cultivo de arroz (coeficiente correlación=0.678), correlación positiva moderada entre la oferta hídrica y la demanda de agua para cultivo de arroz (coeficiente correlación=0.671); y una correlación positiva muy fuerte entre la deforestación acumulada y la disminución de oferta hídrica para todo el periodo de análisis 1989-2007 (coeficiente correlación=0.983). Palabras clave: Provisión del recurso hídrico, cultivo de arroz, valoración económica.
--- This research develops because to the concern of the local population who express that in recent years there has been registered a progressive decrease of water availability in the ambit of Copallín Private Conservation Area, mainly affecting rice cultivation in the middle and lower basin. The thesis evaluates the relationship between the provision of water resources and growing rice for the period between 1989, 2000 and 2007, with a focus on economic valuation approach, which is based on service identification water supply and monetary quantification of the value of direct use of water as an input in agricultural production of rice. It has been developed in 7 stages, involves the definition of ambit, review of basic information, biophysics and socioeconomic characterization, analysis of the provision of water resources by the method of abstractions of the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), analysis of deforestation, analysis of water demand for rice, the latter two by visual interpretation using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Finally, estimating the value of water by the technique of change in productivity. It has been determined that: There is a moderate positive correlation between the provision of water resources and the value of water as an input in the production of rice (correlation coefficient = 0.678), moderate positive correlation between water supply and water demand for rice (correlation coefficient = 0.671) and a very strong positive correlation between the accumulated deforestation and reduced water supply for the entire 1989- 2007 period of analysis (correlation coefficient = 0.983). Keywords: Provision of water resources, rice cultivation, economic valuation.
Tesis

Made available in DSpace on 2013-08-07T19:06:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 000401401-Texto+Completo-0.pdf: 499885 bytes, checksum: d6667d21cc2e91e12523c19ed133de8c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008
Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of vasopressin to conserve the hemodinamic stability in sick children requiring mechanical ventilation (MV), and to assess its complications. Method: Double blinded, randomized controlled trial of low dose vasopressin in children with severe respiratory disease. Children admitted to our pediatric intensive care unit (PUCRS, Brazil) from August 2005 to December 2006 requiring MV and without hemodynamical instability were included. Children were randomized (1:1 ratio) to receive either Vasopressin (0. 0005U/Kg/min) or NaCl0. 9% infusions for a period of 48hours. Hemodynamic variables, urine output and serum electrolytes were closely monitored. The study protocol was approved by our Hospital Ethics and Research Committee. Results: 24 children were included in the study. Bronchiolitis was the most common diagnosis (75%). No child died. The initial MAP was similar in both groups and, after infusions started, the MAP of children in the vasopressin group was significantly higher (p<0. 05). Requirement for vasoactive support was similar in both groups. After the end of vasopressin infusion a drop in MAP was noted (p<0. 05). Baseline sodium was similar in both groups (137 vs 135 mEq/L, p=0,63) but lower in the vasopressin group at the end of the study (137 vs 127mEq/L, p=0,003). Hyponatremia was more frequent in children in the vasopressin group (66% vs 8%, p<0. 01). Urine output was similar in children in either groups (2. 9 vs 3,8 ml/Kg/hour, p=0. 13), but it was observed oliguria in some patientes. After the end of the infusions, children who received vasopressin had bigger urine output than children that received placebo (6,8 vs 3. 8 ml/Kg/hour, p=0. 005).Conclusion: Low dose vasopressin infusion increased MAP in children requiring MV. However, vasopressin decreased urine output and decreased sodium, with a high incidence of hyponatremia.
Objetivo: Avaliar os efeitos da vasopressina na manutenção da estabilidade hemodinâmica em pacientes pediátricos em ventilação mecânica (VM), bem como seus efeitos adversos. Método: Ensaio clínico, duplo-cego, randomizado e controlado, utilizando doses baixas de vasopressina em crianças com doenças respiratórias graves. Foram incluídas crianças admitidas na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica do Hospital São Lucas (HSL-PUCRS, Brasil), entre Agosto/2005 e Dezembro/2006, necessitando VM e sem instabilidade hemodinâmica. As crianças foram randomizadas (proporção 1:1) para receberem vasopressina (0,0005U/kg/min) ou soro fisiológico durante um período de 48 horas. Variáveis hemodinâmicas, débito urinário e eletrólitos séricos foram monitorizados. O protocolo de estudo foi aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética do HSL-PUCRS. Resultados: Foram incluídas 24 crianças. Bronquiolite foi o diagnóstico mais freqüente (75%). Não ocorreu nenhum óbito. A PAM inicial era semelhante entre os grupos; após o início da infusão da vasopressina a PAM neste grupo foi significativamente maior (p<0,005). A necessidade de suporte com outras drogas foi semelhante entre os grupos. Após o término da infusão da vasopressina foi notada uma queda na PAM (p<0. 05). O sódio plasmático basal era similar entre os grupos (137 vs 135mEq/L, p=0,63), mas foi menor ao término da infusão da vasopressina (137 vs 127mEq/L, p=0,003). Hiponatremia foi mais freqüente no grupo vasopressina (66% vs 8%, p<0. 01). O débito urinário foi semelhante entre os grupos durante a infusão da vasopressina (2. 9 vs 3,8ml/Kg/h, p=0. 13), porém alguns pacientes apresentaram oligúria. Após o término da infusão, as crianças que haviam recebido vasopressina apresentaram maior débito urinário em relação às crianças que receberam placebo (6,8 vs 3. 8ml/kg/h, p=0. 005).Conclusão: Doses baixas de vasopressina podem aumentar a PAM de crianças que estão necessitando de ventilação mecânica. Entretanto o uso de vasopressina pode diminuir o débito urinário, com maior incidência de hiponatremia.

Includes bibliographical references.
I welcome you in reading this research dissertation looking at the South African General Anti Avoidance Rule. I hope that this paper will shed some light on the complex requirements of the GAAR as contained in section 80A, read together with relevant sections.

Mestrado em Ciências da Educação - Formação Pessoal e Social
O título completo da dissertação é «Formação contínua de professores do ensino não superior em Timor-Leste: referências e modelos, discursos e lógicas da realidade, expectativas e níveis de qualificação». A reconstrução de Timor-Leste, como nação, passa pela educação e em primeiro lugar pela formação de professores. A par da formação inicial torna-se ainda mais urgente a educação e formação contínua dos professores do ensino não superior que estão em serviço em Timor-Leste. Faz-se um estudo sumário da situação passada, presente (e futura) da formação de professores do ensino não superior em Timor-Leste. Como tem sido feita a formação de professores em Timor-Leste? Quais as referências fundamentais de hoje para a formação de professores? Quais as representações dos agentes educativos de Timor-Leste sobre a formação de professores do ensino não superior? Atendendo a que ainda não há muitos estudos sobre a educação em Timor- Leste, esta é uma das primeiras abordagens sobre a formação contínua de professores em Timor-Leste e reveste-se de um carácter exploratório. Utilizase um questionário e entrevistas para recolha de dados, com recurso à estatística descritiva e à análise de conteúdo. A formação de professores está hoje ligada ao desenvolvimento da leitura e literacias, das ciências e tecnologia, das matemáticas, da resolução de problemas e inserção na vida ativa, para além dos domínios físicos, espirituais, estéticos, morais e cívicos. O ensino-aprendizagem é chamado a desenvolver ao máximo possível conhecimentos, atitudes e competências que garantam a qualidade da educação e ajudem cada um a formar a sua personalidade autónoma e responsável, capaz de uma participação criativa e produtiva para a inclusão num mundo em constante mudança. A formação contínua no curso de bacharelato para professores do ensino não superior em Timor-Leste tem tido como objetivo (re)qualificar os professores, possibilitando-lhes saber conhecer, saber refletir, saber transmitir, saber fazer e saber conviver, como dimensões fundamentais da competência profissional dos professores para o melhor desempenho das funções letivas, e formar cidadãos / recursos humanos competentes melhorando a qualidade de suas vidas e contribuindo para o desenvolvimento do país. Mesmo assim, salientase que o curso de bacharelato foi de carácter teórico, imperativo e uniformizado, sem um estudo prévio e negligenciando o envolvimento dos destinatários na programação. Tanto que houve uma exigência dos inquiridos para que a formação partisse da situação (problemas e necessidades) dos formandos, considerando a articulação entre o conteúdo curricular e método de ensino, utilizando métodos de formação variáveis mas não monótonos nem cansativos. Torna-se necessário reorganizar o curso de bacharelato tendo em consideração a realidade timorense, com o aumento da participação de todos os professores como formandos e dando prioridade à formação de formadores timorenses. Para isso convém partir do estudo alargado das práticas letivas considerando as exigências emergentes dos conteúdos da formação (desenvolver competências científicas e pedagógicas, inclusivamente o seu desenvolvimento pessoal e social) e metodologia de formação (métodos participativos). O uso da língua portuguesa como principal veículo de educação e formação precisa de ser reforçado como matéria de aprendizagem.
Títulu kompletu disertasaun ne’e mak: «Formasaun kontínua ba profesór sira ensinu báziku no sekundáriu nian iha Timor-Leste: referénsia no modelu sira, diskursu sira no realidade, expetativa sira no nível kualifikasaun». Rekonstrusaun iha Timor-Leste, nuudar nasaun, preciza edukasaun no dahuluk liu formasaun ba profesór sira. Hamutuk ho formasaun ba profesór foun sira sei urjente liu tan edukasaun no formasaun kontínua ba profesór sira nebe hala’o hela servisu iha Timor-Leste. Hakarak hala’o estudu sumáriu ida kona-ba situasaun formasaun ba profesór sira ensinu báziku no sekundáriu nian nebe liu ona, dadaun (no ba futuru) iha Timor-Leste. Oinsá formasaun ba profesór sira nebe hala’o ona iha Timor- Leste? Referénsia fundamental ikus nian nebe de’it mak ko’alia kona-ba formasaun ba profesór sira? Sa’ida de’it mak ajente edukasaun nian iha Timor- Leste hanoin no ko’alia kona-ba formasaun ba profesór sira ensinu báziku no rekundáriu nian? Haré ba katak seidauk iha estudu barak kona-ba edukasaun iha Timor-Leste, estudu ne’e nuudar mos estudu ida dahuluk kona-ba formasaun kontínua ba profesór sira iha Timor-Leste, estudu ne’e sei hala’o ho karákter exploratóriu. Ba ne’e sei uza kestionáriu no entrevista hodi halibur dadu sira, no sei uza estatístika deskriptiva no análize konteúdu atu halaó tratamentu ba dadu sira. Formasaun kontínua ba profesór sira iha ligasaun ho dezenvolvimentu iha leitura no literacia, ciência no teknolojia, matemátika, oinsá rezolve problema sira no atu bele tama iha moris aktivu, nune’e mos iha domíniu fíziku, estétiku, moral no cíviku sira. Ensinu-aprendizajem iha kanaar atu dezenvolve liu tan koñecimentu, hahalok no kompetência sira hodi garante edukasaun nebe iha kualidade no bele tulun ema idaidak atu forma ninia personalidade ho autónomu no responsável, bele iha participasaun kriativa no produtiva ba inkluzaun iha mundu ida nebe muda beibeik. Formasaun kontínua iha kursu baxarelatu ba profesór sira ensinu báziku no sekundáriu nian iha Timor-Leste, iha objetivu atu kualifika/rekualifika profesór sira hodi posibilita sira bele hatene koñese, hatene reflete, hatene hato’o, hatene halo no hatene moris hamutuk, nuudar dimensaun sira nebe fundamental tebes ba profesór sira nian kompetência profisionál atu bele hala’o ninia funsaun edukativa ho kualidade, nune’e bele forma sidadaun sira/rekursu umanu sira nebe iha kompetênsia atu hadi’a sira nian moris di’ak liu tan no bele kontribui ba dezenvolvimentu nasaun nian. Maski nune’e, haré ba katak, kursu baxarelatu nebe iha hala’o hela ho karákter teóriku, imperativu no uniformizadu, la bazeia ba estudu préviu ida no la envolve profesór sira wainhira halo programa. Tan ne’e iha ezijênsia husi inquiridu sira atu formasaun bele hahú husi formandus sira nian situasaun (problema no necessidade sira), bele konsidera artikulasaun konteúdu kurricular no métodu hanorin nian, utiliza métodu formasaun sira nebe oioin maibé la monótonu no lahalo ema kolen eh baruk. Preciza reorganiza fila fali kursu baxarelatu nebe konsidera realidade Timor nian, aumenta profesór sira hotu ninia participasaun, nuudar formandu, no fó prioridade ba formador Timor oan sira nia formasaun. Ba ne’e diak liu hahú husi estudu ida luan eh kle’an kona-ba prátika hanorin nian no konsidera mos ezijênsia sira nebe mosu, hanesan konteúdu ba formasaun (dezenvolve kompetência científika no pedagójika, inklui sira nia dezenvolvimentu pessoal no social) no métodu sira ba formasaun (métodu sira nebe participativu). Lian portugés nuudar instrumentu hodi hanorin preciza reforsa liu tan hodi tau hanesan matéria ida durante formasaun.
Judul lengkap tesis ini adalah: «Pendidikan lanjutan bagi guru-guru pendidikan dasar dan menengah di Timor-Leste: referensi dan model-model, kebijakankebijakan dan kenyataan, harapan-harapan dan tingkat kwalifikasi». Pembangunan kembali Timor-Leste, sebagai bangsa, memerlukan pendidikan terutama pendidikan dan latihan bagi guru-guru. Bersamaan dengan pendidikan bagi gruru-guru baru terasa adanya kebutuhan mendesak pendidikan dan latihan bagi guru-guru yang sedang aktif di Timor-Leste. Bermaksud mengadakan sebuah study untuk merangkum situasi masa lampau, sekarang (dan masa mendatang) tentang pendidikan dan latihan bagi guru-guru pendidikan dasar dan menengah di Timor-Leste. Bagaimana pendidikan guru-guru selama ini dijalanakan di Timor-Leste? Referensi terbaru mana sajakah yang melandasi pendidikan bagi guru-guru? Apa saja pendapat para agen pendidikan di Timor-Leste mengenai pendidikan guru-guru pendidikan dasar dan menengah? Mengingat belum adanya banyak study tentang pendidikan di Timor-Leste, dan study ini adalah salah satu usaha perdana yang membahas tentang pendidikan lanjutan bagi guru-guru di negara itu, maka study ini dilakukan dengan karakter eksploratif. Kami mengunakan questioner dan wawancara untuk pengumpulan data. Untuk pengolahan data kami mengunakan estatistik dekriptif dan analisis isi. Pendidikan lanjutan bagi guru-guru saat ini erat hubungannya dengan perkembangan bacaan dan keaksaraan, ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi, matematika, penyelesaian masalah dan memasuki dalam kehidupan secara aktif, di samping dimensi fisik, spiritual, estetika, moral dan kewarganegaraan. Kegiatan belajar-mengajar bertugas mengembangkan semaksimal mungkin pengetahuan, sikap dan kompetensi untuk menjamin kwalitas pendidikan agar membantu setiap orang membentuk kepribadiannya secara otonom dan bertanggungkawab, mampu berpartisipasi secara kreatif dan produktif demi kesetaraan hidup di dunia yang senantiasa berubah ini. Pendidikan lanjutan atau kursus bacharel bagi guru-guru pendidikan dasar dan menengah di Timor-Leste, bertujuan untuk membentuk/membentuk kembali guruguru agar mampu mengetahui, mampu berefleksi, mampu menyampaikan, mampu berbuat dan mampu hidup bersama, yang merupakan hal-hal fundamental bagi profesi guru agar bisa melaksanakan tugas keguruannya secara berkwalitas demi membentuk warga negara/sumberdaya manusia yang bermutu agar bisa memperbaiki kwalitas hidupnya serta memberi kontribusinya bagi pembangunan bangsa. Meskipun demikian, perlu dicatat bahwa kursus bacharel selama ini dijanlankan dengan sangat teoritis, dipaksakan dan seragam, tidak didasarkan pada sebuah study serta mengabaikan keterlibatan yang berkepentingan dalam penyusunan program. Karena itu muncul tuntutan dari para responden agar kursus/pendidikan guru bertolak dari situasi (masalah-masalah dan kebutuhankebutuhan) peserta, serta memperhatikan artikulasi antara isi kurikulum dan metodologi pengajaran. Dianjurkan mengunakan metode yang bervariasi, tidak monoton, membosankan dan melelahkan. Terasa perlu menyusun kembali kursus bacharel bagi guru-guru dengan memperhatikan realitas di Timor-Leste serta memperbesar keterlibatan semua guru, sebagai peserta, serta memprioritaskan pendidikan dan latihan untuk meningkatkan kemampuan para tutor pribumi. Untuk itu seyogyanya pendidikan dan latihan bagi guru-guru bertolak dari sebuah penelitian mendalam menyangkut praktek belajar-mengajar, serta memperhatikan tuntutan-tuntutan yang muncul seperti isi pendidikan (mengembangkan kemampuan penguasaan ilmu pengetahuan dan metodologi pengajaran, demikian juga pengembangan kepribadian dan social) dan metode-metode dalam pendidikan guru (metode partisipatif). Bahasa portugis sebagai bahasa pengantar dalam proses belajarmengajar hendaknya lebih dikembangkan lagi dengan menetapkannya sebagai satu mata kuliah selama pendidikan dan latihan.
The complete title of the dissertation is: «Continuing Teacher Training in a nonhigher level education in East Timor: references and models, reality dialogues and logics, expectations and levels of qualification». The reconstruction of East Timor as a Nation goes through Education, mainly through the teacher training. In line with basic university education, it is even more urgent the continuing training of the non-higher level education teachers currently in activity in East Timor. In this dissertation it is undertaken a study of the past, present and future situation of the training of the non-higher level education teachers. How has the teacher training been done in East Timor? What are the current fundamental references of teacher training? What are the impressions of the East Timor educational agents on the training of the non-higher level education teachers? Since there are few research studies on Education in East Timor, this work is one of the first approaches on the continuing training of teachers and has an exploratory nature. To collect the data, a questionnaire was used and an interview was made, with resort to descriptive statistic and content analysis. At the present, teacher training is directly linked to the development of literacy and reading, sciences and technology, mathematics, problem resolution and active life integration, not to mention the physical, spiritual, aesthetic, moral and civic areas. The teaching-learning paradigm is called upon to develop, at a highest level, knowledge, attitude and competencies, which guarantee quality of education and help each one form an autonomous and responsible personality, capable of a creative and productive involvement to achieve total integration in a world in constant change. Continuing training in the bachelor degree for teachers of non-higher level education in East Timor has aimed at the requalification of its teachers, enabling them to know how to know, to know how to think, to know how to pass on, to know how to do and to know how to socialize. These are essential dimensions of the teachers’ professional competence, in order to improve the performance of their academic activities and to shape competent citizens / human resources, improving the quality of their lives and contributing to the development of the country. Even so, I have to underline the fact that the bachelor degree course had a theoretic, imperative and standardized nature, without a preliminary study, neglecting its public-target in the programming process. This is revealed by the demands made by the interviewed subjects: the starting point should be the current situation of the trainees (their problems and needs), considering an articulation between the curricular content and teaching method, applying variable teaching methods, not monotonous nor tedious or tiring. It is therefore necessary to reorganize the bachelor degree course, taking into account the Timorese reality, considering the increase participation of all teachers as trainees and giving priority to the training of the Timorese trainers. To achieve this goal, it is suitable to start from an extensive study of the academic activities, considering the growing demands of the training contents (to develop scientific and academic competencies, including social and personal development) and training methodology (inclusive methods). The Portuguese language as a main agent for education and training needs to be reinforced as learning subject during the course.
Governo de Timor-Leste

The prevalence of physical aggression increases during adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes. It is important to identify risk and protective processes for adolescent aggression in the context of the parent-adolescent relationship. The current study examined the potential moderating role of positive parenting at Wave 1 on relations between perceived parental messages supporting fighting at Wave 1 and adolescent aggression based on parent- and student-report at Wave 2. Participants included a sample of 537 adolescents and their primary caregivers, recruited from four sites in the U.S. No significant moderating effects were found. However, parental messages supporting fighting were positively associated with increased student-reported aggression six months later, and positive parenting was related to decreased parent-reported aggression over the same timeframe. Implications suggest that parental messages supporting fighting and positive parenting represent a risk and promotive factor, respectively, in relation to aggressive behavior in early adolescence.

>Magister Scientiae - MSc
The aim of the thesis is to research the difficulties that first year mainstream mathematics students at UWC experience when solving Related Rates problems in calculus. In chapter 2, an in-depth study was made of the nature of Related Rates problems by studying a number of examples. The findings of this study are summarized in section 2.12. The study adopted the same model of the solution of all types of Related Rates that was used by Martin (2000) for the solution of geometric Related Rates problems. In chapter 3 of this thesis, many examples were used to illustrate how the seven step solution procedure of the Standard Solution model is applied. In the literature review in chapter 4, the underlying concepts which underpin Related Rates problems are identified and specific examples of research on each of these concepts are given. For example, the review of the literature on word problems is done comprehensively and covers extensively the range of issues involved in this topic. Drawing on the work in chapter 2 on the nature of Related Rates problems, it is explained in chapter 5 why this study is underpinned by Constructivism as a theoretical basis. Chapter 6 of the thesis is devoted to answering the 3 research questions posed in chapter 1. The thesis contains many worked examples of Related Rates problems which can be used by the lecturers assigned to the MAT105 course.

Made available in DSpace on 2010-04-20T20:13:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 72060100767.pdf: 19130417 bytes, checksum: 3b0ec0e539724d82b6f606ce6ddd6a9e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z
O presente estudo procura compreender como vem se dando a construção social de mercados envolvendo a caprinovinocultura nos estados do Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba e Ceará e de que forma esse processo incide sobre temas como pobreza e desenvolvimento, tomando como estudos de caso três experiências em curso nos municípios de Mossoró (RN), Cabaceiras (PB) e Tejuçuoca (CE). A criação de caprinos e ovinos remonta à chegada dos portugueses no século XVI, sendo que a forma tradicional de criação e a piora genética de boa parte desses animais a torna pouco produtiva em termos econômicos. Em comparação aos bovinos, cuja criação na região ligar-se-ia historicamente a status social, esses animais são vistos de maneira inferiorizada. Pragmaticamente, no entanto, essa hierarquização é contraditória na medida em que a criação desses animais é mais adaptada às condições do Semi-árido. Uma cultura de resistência incide sobre o potencial econômico da caprinovinocultura na região, sendo confrontada por uma “rede de entusiastas” formada por agentes-chave ligados a um conjunto de instituições. Diagnosticando aspectos mercadológicos favoráveis, esses atores são fiéis à causa da difusão de técnicas apropriadas de criação aos pequenos agricultores familiares para que estes alcancem melhores condições de vida. Além deles, o governo federal, por meio do Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos (PAA), em parceria com alguns estados, desenvolve Programas do Leite, política pública que visa garantir mercados para os produtos da agricultura familiar e segurança alimentar para os beneficiários do Fome Zero. Nesse processo induzido, um novo arranjo vem aliando tradição e vocação regional com inovação e inclusão social produtiva de parcelas pobres da população. Entre outras constatações, entende-se que a construção de mercados socialmente orientados venha promovendo reestruturação de laços e vínculos sociais, ampliando o rol de relações a que os indivíduos se submetiam anteriormente à vivência dessas práticas.
The present study aims at understanding both the social construction of markets concerning sheep and goat raising in the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba e Ceará and the relationship between this construction process and topics such as poverty and development. This case-study research is based on three current experiences in Mossoró (RN), Cabaceiras (PB) e Tejuçuoca (CE). The sheep and goat raising has its origin with the arrival of the Portuguese settlers in the 16th century. The traditional raising procedures and genetic problems that affected most part of these animals caused loss of productivity and profitability. It is also important to mention that the raising of those animals was judged as an inferior activity when compared to the cattle raising, the last enterprise was historically and socially associated with a privileged status. In practical terms, however, this is a preconception once sheep and goats are suitable for the kind of climate in the region (semi-arid). Besides, a culture of resistance has influence over the sheep and goats raising economical potential, and it is confronted with an ‘enthusiasts network’ comprised of key players associated with social institutions. Taking into consideration favorable market aspects, these actors are faithful to the cause of transmission of appropriate raising techniques to small family farmers in order to improve their life conditions. Apart from them, the federal government through a program to support financially the purchase of food (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos) and milk (Programa do Leite), established public polices and partnership with some states in order to create a market to the products produced by the family farms and food safety to the beneficiaries of Fome Zero (program to eliminate hunger). This stimulated process brought a new productive arrangement that combined regional vocation, innovation and productive social inclusion of poor people. Furthermore, it is understood that the construction of socially oriented markets promotes the restablishment of social ties and bonds and amplifies the number of relationships with which the individuals had contact before living these practices.

Autism is a behavioral syndrome characterized by a severe impairment of reciprocal social relations, and of verbal and nonverbal communications. Many different etiologic factors such as viral infection and genetic predisposition have been proposed to explain the development of this disorder. Immune abnormalities, such as a decreased lymphoblastic response to T-cell mitogen, defective antibody responses to rubella vaccine, and decreased numbers of T lymphocytes, also have been identified in a subpopulation of patients with autism, which implies that the development of autism in some cases may be due to autoimmune mechanisms. Recent evidence suggests that immune response to the heat-shock proteins 60 and 70 is associated with several autoimmune diseases, including juvenile arthritis, type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Therefore, in this study, the plasmas of patients with autism were examined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for antibodies to the heat-shock proteins 60 and 70. The autistic subjects were found to have increased levels of antibodies against heat-shock protein 70 as compared to that of age-matched controls (p=O. 0148). However, levels of antibodies to heat shock protein 60 in the autistic subjects showed considerable individual variation and no significant difference was found. Abnormal immune reactions to myelin basic protein have also been found in autistic subjects. Since epitopes on myelin basic protein have been shown to crossreact with determinants on heat-shock protein 60, the similarity between anti-myelin basic protein monoclonal antibodies and antiheat- shock protein 60 antibodies in the autistic subjects was also studied. The results showed no crossreactivity between these two antibodies. In conclusion, the data from the study of antibodies against heat-shock protein 70 suggest an elevated immune response to heat-shock protein 70 in autistic subjects. This result implies that autism could be an autoimmune disease.

Nonprofit organization leaders face increased performance and sustainability challenges due to reduced funding. Approximately 72% of nonprofit revenues required for the sustainability of nonprofit organizations come from program services, which are threatened by ineffective improvement strategies and reduced program funding. Using the conceptual framework of total quality management, the purpose of this multicase study was to explore strategies that nonprofit leaders use to implement successful continuous improvement programs to increase revenue. The population for this study was leaders of nonprofit organizations in Delaware. Participants were purposefully selected for their successful experience in implementing continuous improvement strategies in nonprofit organizations. Data were collected via semistructured face-to-face interviews from 4 nonprofit organization leaders and review of publicly accessible, online organizational documents related to the implementation of continuous improvement programs. Data were analyzed using methodological triangulation through inductive coding of phrases and words. Three themes emerged from this study: leadership strategies for holistic focus on process improvement, leadership focus on organizational strategy, and specific focus on functions of leadership. Nonprofit leaders should embrace continuous improvement applications traditionally applied in for-profit sectors. Nonprofit leaders could apply continuous improvement strategies to enhance performance and boost revenue. Implications for positive social change include developing sustainability and longevity in nonprofit organizations to help nonprofit leaders address larger problems, such as homelessness, disease, lack of cultural acceptance, and environmental sustainability.

Evolution built a membrane around the earliest forms of life in order to isolate them from the external environment. The cell membrane is constituted by two layers of phospholipids, which are molecules having a polar head and non-polar tails. Two films of these molecules are assembled together by hydrophobic forces building a very stable lipid bilayer. Inserted in this amphiphilic environments are membrane proteins, which have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions on their surface. In highly evolved and specified cells this class of proteins carries out a variety of different activities essential for the cell and organism life, like the antibody recognition in lymphocytes and the nervous pulse transmission in neurons. Although the presence of the membrane helps cells to retain vital ingredients, it prevents the access to necessary ionized substrates and ions, because the hydrophobic core is a high free energy barrier in the diffusion of charged molecules. Membrane spanning pores are a common feature to ionic channels (Hille, 2001;Chang et al., 1998), and they are presents in different classes of other biological transporter proteins like bacterial porins and aquaporins. Special membrane proteins, the ionic channels, form holes through the cell membrane, providing a feasible path for ion exchanges.

Through the philological analysis of a considerable number of documentary sources at the hand of representatives of the bakufu, the Satsuma domain, and the Ryukyu kingdom, I have tried to present a study of early modern diplomacy through the lens of the Ryukyuan missions and their world. The main argument that ties the entire work together is the endeavor to demonstrate that the kingdom of Ryukyu played a significant and hitherto unacknowledged role in Japanese politics of the bakumatsu era. In this study I examined multiple perspectives, i.e. those of the bakufu, the Satsuma domain, and the Ryukyuan government on macro-micro levels of analysis, namely the opening of Japan and Ryukyu to the West and the relations between the shogunate and Satsuma, as well as of those between Kagoshima and Shuri against the background of the epochal changes taking place in Japan after the appearance of the Western powers.