The thesis argues for a reading of Euripides’ Andromache that focuses on the statuses of the characters – their roles within the oikos – and their instability. The scholarship on this play focuses on its differences from other surviving plays and, based on an ancient hypothesis calling it a “second-rate play,” it has acquired a negative reputation. The goal of the thesis is not to defend the work and salvage its reputation but to provide a reading which responds to some of the criticism and offers a new analysis. The chapters are divided according to the gender of the characters with the first one examining the male characters, Neoptolemus, Menelaus, Peleus, and Orestes and the next two focusing on Andromache, including her child, and Hermione separately. The exploration of these characters is connected to their own relationship to Neoptolemus’ oikos. It is the actions of men that define the statuses of the female characters in this play and Euripides depicts the men’s roles as less questionable. Because the statuses of Andromache and Hermione are the most unstable a full chapter is required for both. The analysis of the characters is based on their interactions with other characters within the play and at times includes an exploration of how the characters relate to the works of other tragedians and political works in fifth century BCE Athens. By reading the play with this specific focus, the actions of the characters suggest a distinctive portrayal by Euripides which can correlate with social issues in Athens at the time of the play’s production (c.428-425 BCE). A new reading of this play explains its unique composition and adds another way Euripides may have been influenced by Athenian politics and his interpretation of a problem in the relationship between the polis and the oikos. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA) / The thesis analyzes the statuses of the characters in the play Andromache, written by the Athenian Euripides in the fifth century BCE. Euripides’ Andromache has been considered one of his weaker plays, with scholars calling the lack of both a central character and a coherent and logical plot as the play’s weaknesses. However, with an examination of the characters’ statuses, the plot becomes clearer and the play comments on the problems of defining citizenship and status which Athens was experiencing during Euripides’ life. All the characters in this play fill the roles of positions connected to the Greek oikos (house). By analyzing Euripides’ characterization of these characters regarding their relation to the oikos, it is possible that this play serves as a commentary on issues of citizenship at Athens of both females and bastard children in the second half of the fifth century BCE. This analysis may also answer some of the play’s so-called problems.

Yes / In order to investigate the effect of using different solid state forms and specific surface area (TBET) of active pharmaceutical ingredients on tabletability and dissolution performance, the mono- and dihydrated crystalline forms of chlorothiazide sodium and chlorothiazide potassium (CTZK) salts were compared to alternative anhydrous and amorphous forms, as well as to amorphous microparticles of chlorothiazide sodium and potassium which were produced by spray drying and had a large specific surface area. The tablet hardness and tensile strength, porosity, and specific surface area of single-component, convex tablets prepared at different compression pressures were characterized. Results confirmed the complexity of the compressibility mechanisms. In general it may be concluded that factors such as solid-state form (crystalline vs amorphous), type of hydration (presence of interstitial molecules of water, dehydrates), or specific surface area of the material have a direct impact on the tabletability of the powder. It was observed that, for powders of the same solid state form, those with a larger specific surface area compacted well, and better than powders of a lower surface area, even at relatively low compression pressures. Compacts prepared at lower compression pressures from high surface area porous microparticles presented the shortest times to dissolve, when compared with compacts made of equivalent materials, which had to be compressed at higher compression pressures in order to obtain satisfactory compacts. Therefore, materials composed of nanoparticulate microparticles (NPMPs) may be considered as suitable for direct compaction and possibly for inclusion in tablet formulations as bulking agents, APIs, carriers, or binders due to their good compactibility performance / Solid State Pharmaceutical Cluster (SSPC), supported by Science Foundation Ireland under Grant No. 07/SRC/B1158.

This thesis presents the conducted electro-magnetic interference (EMI) prediction results for a continuous conduction mode (CCM) power factor correction (PFC) converter as well as the theoretical analysis for the noise generation and propagation mechanisms. In this thesis, multiple modeling and characterization techniques in the medium and high frequency ranges are developed for the circuit components that are important contributors to the EMI noise, so that a detailed simulation circuit for EMI prediction can be constructed. The conducted EMI noise prediction from the simulation circuit closely matches the measurement results obtained by a spectrum analyzer. Simulation time step and noise separator selection are two important issues for the noise simulation and measurement. These two issues are addressed and the solutions are proposed. The conducted EMI generation and propagation mechanisms are analyzed in a systematic way. Two loop models are proposed to explain the EMI noise behavior. The effects of the PFC inductor, the parasitic capacitance between the device and the heatsink, the rising/falling time of the MOSFET VDS voltage, and the input wires are studied to verify the validity of the loop models. / Master of Science

Graphite foams have high bulk thermal conductivity and low density, making them an excellent material for heat exchanger applications. This research focused on the characterization of graphite foams under various processing conditions (different foaming pressures and particle additions), specifically studying the effects of porosity on the thermal properties. The characterization of the foams included measuring cell sizes, percent open porosity, number of cells per square inch, bulk density, Archimedes density, compression strength, thermal conductivity, thermal resistance, and permeability. Several relationships between the structure and properties were established, and a recommendation for the processing conditions of graphite foams for the use in heat exchangers was determined. / Master of Science

Currently, the application of bioremediation requires extensive and costly monitoring due to limited understanding of the terminal electron accepting processes (TEAPs) that control biodegradation, which impairs the accurate quantification of contaminant mass loss. The measurement of redox conditions and evaluation of TEAPs are critical in assessing the capacity for bioremediation at any site. A series of batch microcosm experiments, using sediment collected from a gasoline-contaminated aquifer at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, was designed to: 1) evaluate the role of Fe(III) in the development of TEAPs during biodegradation of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and the xylenes (BTEX); 2) examine the biodegradation potential in different portions of the plume; and 3) compare methods of TEAP characterization. In general, the presence of Fe-oxides in microcosms inhibited methanogenesis. Although Fe-reducers did not actively degrade BTEX, Fe-reduction did occur, and most probable number (MPN) counts showed that added Fe(III) increased numbers of Fe-reducers in the microcosms. Methane production in microcosms constructed from sediment near the source area was ~5 times lower than levels produced by the mid-plume sediment. No Fe-reduction occurred in microcosms containing sediment from the source area. These results suggest that the source area has much lower biological activity than the mid-plume. TEAP characterization was conducted using a variety of methods, including geochemical indicators, redox dyes, MPN, and hydrogen concentrations. Monitoring of CH4 concentration yielded useful information in delineation of redox processes; Fe(II) monitoring was unreliable as a geochemical indicator. Redox dyes supplied basic information on reducing environments. MPN counts estimated microbial populations in lieu of faulty geochemical indicators, i.e., Fe(II). The measurement of H2 proved to be one of the more simple and reliable methods for TEAP identification. Results of this study indicate that TEAP characterization should include use of multiple methods; relying on geochemical indicators alone is not sufficient. / Master of Science

A model to allow the design and evaluation of encapsulated ionic polymer transducers is developed. This model in based on a linearly coupled, two port, electrical equivalent circuit model (Newbury, 2002). The proposed model incorporates multilayer beam theory to model the passive stiffness effects of the encapsulation layer and attempts to increase the prediction accuracy of the model by using distributed parameter system modeling to create the mechanical terms used in the model. Modal expansion is used to extend the applicability of the mechanical impedance terms through multiple resonances of the transducer. The test setup as well as the mathematical approach to characterize the viscoelastic properties of Nafion™ as they relate to this work is described and the results presented. The model simulation is then compared to measured experimental data taken for a number of ionic-polymer-metal composites before and after encapsulation. The applicable frequency range of the model is explored as well as data trends seen above previous frequency ranges (approximately 1 kHz). Free deflection was predicted to reduce by an order of magnitude when the transducers were encapsulated with Kapton™. This trend was observed and correlates well with the measured response. Charge sensing and blocked force were found to increase for a transducer after encapsulation; this could be due to the higher coherence obtained in testing after encapsulation and is not predicted by the model. The model predicts charge sensing and blocked force should remain constant with encapsulation. Low frequency blocked force data for any given transducer was observed to be roughly an order of magnitude greater than the sensing response, before and after encapsulation. There is no explanation for this observation, future work should investigate this phenomena. / Master of Science

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major problems faced by the medical industry today. The ability of bacteria to rapidly acquire resistance against antibiotics and the over prescription and inappropriate use of antibiotics further exacerbate this crisis. Few new antimicrobials are, however, making it through the drug discovery pipeline. The search and development of novel and effective antimicrobials is therefore of the utmost importance. Lantibiotics are ribosomally synthesized cationic antimicrobial peptides with extensive post-translational modifications. They are active against a wide range of Gram-positive bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant strains. They are characterized by the presence of lanthionine and methyllanthionine rings and have been suggested as alternatives or for use in conjunction with antibiotics against resistant pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common bacteria isolated from skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Strains of S. aureus have emerged with resistance against antibiotics with the most common being methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Several lantibiotics are active against MRSA in vivo and have even shown superior activity to traditional antibiotics. Lantibiotics therefore show much promise for the treatment of SSTIs caused by resistant- and non-resistant S. aureus. In this study the bacterially diverse soil of the Fynbos in the Western Cape was screened for novel antimicrobials. Two antimicrobial producing Bacillus strains were isolated, Bacillus clausii AD1 and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2. Both of these strains produce lantibiotics with B. clausii AD1 producing a known lantibiotic, clausin. B. amyloliquefaciens AD2 produces a novel two-component lantibiotic which was designated amyloliquecidin. The lantibiotic operon of amyloliquecidin was sequenced and annotated. All the genes required for successful production of amyloliquecidin are present in the operon. Amyloliquecidin was characterized in vitro and along with clausin is active against clinical strains of S. aureus (including MRSA), Enterococcus spp., Listeria spp. and beta-haemolytic streptococci. Amyloliquecidin has remarkable stability at physiological pH compared to nisin and clausin. A comparative in vivo murine infection model was used to evaluate the effectiveness of amyloliquecidin, nisin, clausin and Bactroban (commercial S. aureus topical treatment) in treating wound infections caused by S. aureus. All the lantibiotics proved to be just as effective as the Bactroban treatment. Furthermore, the tested lantibiotics did not have a negative influence on the wound closure rates of infected and non-infected wounds. Bactroban had a negative effect on wound healing compared to the lantibiotics. To our knowledge amyloliquecidin is the third two-component lantibiotic isolated from Bacillus. This study represents the first to test the effectiveness of amyloliquecidin in vivo and is one of a handful to test lantibiotics as topical treatments. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Antimikrobiese weerstandbiedende bakterieë is op die oomblik een van die grootste probleme in die mediese veld. Die antibiotika krisis word vererg deur die vermoë van bakterieë om vinnig weerstand op te bou teen antibiotika, asook die alledaagse misbruik van antibiotika. Daar is ook ʼn tekort in die hoeveelheid antibiotika wat na die finale fases van ontwikkeling gaan. Om die oorhand teen antibiotika-weerstandige bakterieë te kry is dit van uiterste belang dat meer effektiewe antibiotika ontdek word. Lantibiotika is kationiese antimikrobiese peptiede wat deur die ribosoom gesintetiseer word en bevat ʼn verskeidenheid van modifikasies wat na translasie ingebou word. Hulle word gekarakteriseer deur lanthionien en metiellanthionien ringe. Lantibiotika is aktief teen ʼn verskeidenheid Gram-positiewe bakterieë en kan in kombinasie met antibiotika, of as alternatief gebruik word. Staphylococcus aureus is die mees algemene bakterium wat geassosieer word met vel en sagte weefsel infeksies (VSWIs). Staphylococcus aureus met weerstand teen antibiotika is ook al geïsoleer, die mees algemene weerstandige ras is methisillien-weerstandige S. aureus (MWSA). Lantibiotika is wel aktief teen MWSA in vitro en in vivo, met van hulle wat tot beter aktiwiteit as die voorgeskrewe antibiotika het. Lantibiotika kan dus gebruik word as behandeling vir VSWIs wat veroorsaak word deur weerstandige S. aureus, asook teen nie-weerstandige rasse. In hierdie studie was die bakteriese diverse grond van die Fynbos in die Wes-kaap ondersoek vir bakterieë wat antimikrobiese middels produseer. Twee Bacillus rasse, Bacillus clausii AD1 en Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2, wat antimikrobiese middels produseer, is geïsoleer. Bacillus clausii AD1 produseer ʼn bekende lantibiotikum, naamlik clausin. Bacillus amyloliquefaciens AD2 produseer ʼn nuwe twee-komponent lantibiotikum, amyloliquecidin. Die lantibiotikum operon wat verantwoordelik is vir die produksie van amyloliquecidin is geïdentifiseer en geannoteer. Die operon bevat al die gene benodig vir die biosintese van amyloliquecidin. Amyloliquecidin is in vitro gekarakteriseer en het aktiwiteit teen ʼn verskeidenheid Gram-positiewe bakterieë. Amyloliquecidin en clausin is aktief teen S. aureus (insluitend MWSA), Enterococcus spp., Listeria spp. en beta-hemolitiese streptococci wat vanaf infeksies geïsoleer is. Amyloliquecidin is baie stabiel by filologiese pH en aansienlik meer stabiel as nisin en clausin. Die effektiwiteit van nisin, clausin en amyloliquecidin in die behandeling van muis vel infeksies veroorsaak deur S. aureus was vergelyk met die kommersiële behandeling Bactroban. Al drie lantibiotika het die verspreiding van S. aureus met die selfde effektiwiteit as Bactroban belemmer. Geen van die lantibiotika het ʼn negatiewe effek op wond genesing nie. Bactroban, inteendeel, belemmer wond genesing. So ver ons weet is amyloliquecidin die derde twee-komponent lantibiotikum wat uit Bacillus geïsoleer is. Die studie is ook die eerste om die effektiwiteit van amyloliquecidin in vivo te rapporteer, asook ook een van die min studies wat kyk na lantibiotika as behandeling vir topikale infeksies.

O policloreto de vinila (PVC) é comercialmente utilizado em diversas aplicações, destacando-se os filmes flexíveis. Para a fabricação destes compostos de PVC, utilizam-se vários tipos de aditivos, tais como plastificantes, estabilizantes térmicos, lubrificantes, retardantes de chama e outros. No presente trabalho foram produzidos compostos de PVC a partir de uma formulação referencial, variando-se a concentração de pigmento, carga, modificador de impacto e plastificantes. A preparação das amostras foi feita através de uma misturadeira intensiva (Mecanoplast), calandra de 2 rolos e prensa, obtendo-se placas flexíveis de 1 mm de espessura. Os resultados das análises térmicas (DMA e TGA) mostraram que o uso e a quantidade de plastificantes foram os principais fatores que influenciaram as propriedades de mudança de fase (Tg) e estabilidade térmica do material. As análises das propriedades mecânicas (resistência à tração e alongamento) mostraram que estas propriedades foram influenciadas pelas proporções de cargas, modificador de impacto e plastificantes na composição. As medidas elétricas (rigidez dielétrica) não foram afetadas pela variação da adição de materiais nas amostras analisadas / Poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) is commercially used in several applications, especially in flexible films. Aiming the production of products, PVC can be filled with a variety of additives, like plasticizers, thermal stabilizers, lubricants, flame-retardants and others. In this work PVC compounds were produced based on a known formulation, using different weight ratios for pigment, filler, impact modifier and plasticizers. Samples were prepared through intensive mixing using two rolls calendrer followed by a hot press to form films with 1 mm thickness. Thermal analysis results (DMA and TGA) showed that plasticizers are the most important factors that influenced the material properties such as phase behavior (Tg) and thermal stability. Mechanical properties analysis (breaking strength and elongation) were influenced by fillers, impact modifier and plasticizers proportions used in the composition. Electrical properties (dielectric breakdown strength) were not affected by different weight ratios in the analyzed samples

Neste trabalho foi investigado o processo de relaxação em copolímeros metacrilicos funcionalizados com o grupo cromóforo 4-[N-etil-N-(2-hidroxietil)]amino-2\'-cloro-4\'nitro-azobenzeno (MMADRI3). Os copolímeros sintetizados foram caracterizados por espectrofotometria de visível e infravermelho, calorimetria diferencial de varredura, análise termogravimétrica e elipsometria. O triodo de corona foi utilizado para induzir a orientação dos cromóforos dipolares a temperaturas próximas da transição vítrea. Os valores do coeficiente eletroóptico linear r13 de filmes obtidos por derramento de solução podem alcançar 14 pm/V em amostras funcionalizadas com 43%de cromóforo.O efeito piezoelétricoé significativo para amostras contendo 4% de cromóforo sendo a sua origem atribuída à carga espacial. A relaxação orientacional dos cromóforos foi estudada medindo-se o decaimento do coeficiente eletroóptico e a relaxação dielétrica a diferentes temperaturas. O processo de relaxação foi interpretado utilizando a equação de Kohlraush-Williams-Watts (KWW) aplicada aos domínios do tempo e da freqüência. O tempo de relaxação característico &#964 e o parâmetro b da equação de KWW foram obtidos como função da temperatura desde a temperatura ambiente até acima da temperatura de transição vítrea. O parâmetro b à temperatura de transição vítrea aproxima-se de 0,6 valor que é atribuído a forças de curto alcance. As medidas dielétricas revelaram duas bandas de relaxação &#946 e &#945 respectivamente a baixas e a altas temperaturas. A relaxação a está relacionada com a transição vítrea e à desorientação dos cromóforos. A dependência de &#964 foi fundamentada nas equações de Arrhenius e de Vogel-Fulcher-Tarmnann-Hesse (VFTH), respectivamente a baixas e a altas temperaturas. Os parâmetros de VFTH encontram-se próximos dos considerados universais. O comportamento de &#964 em toda a gama de temperaturas, foi explicado pela equação de Adam-Gibbs, usando-se os parâmetros de VFTH. O resfriamento a taxas lentas após o processo de polarização aumenta substancialmente o tempo de relaxação e a sua energia de ativação. Os expoentes m e n do modelo de Dissado-Hill baseado na interação de multicorpos foram obtidos em função da temperatura. Os valores do parâmetro n ficam dentro do esperado pela teoria / The relaxation process of side-chain methacrylate copolymers functionalized with the nonlinear optical azo chromophore 4-[Nethyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)]-amino-2\'-chloro-4-nitroazobenzene (MMADR13) was investigated. The copolymers synthesized were characterized by visible and infrared spectrophotometry, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and ellipsometry. The corona triode was employed to induce the orientation of the dipolar chromophore at a temperature near the glass transition. The linear eletrooptic coefficient r13 of cast fllms can reach values as high as 14 pm/V in samples with 43% of chromophore contento The piezoeletric effect attributed to space charge was only significant in the lowest chromophore content samples (4%). Electrostriction was shown to affect to some extent the quadratic electrooptic measurements. The chromophore relaxation at different temperatures was investigated by both electrooptic decay and dielectric measurements. The relaxation process was interpreted using the Kohlraush-Williams-Watts (KWW) equation both in the time and frequency domains. From the KWW equation the characteristic relaxation time &#964 and the stretching parameter b were obtained from room temperature to temperatures above the glass transition. Near the glass transition b is ca 0.6 which is characteristic of short range interactions. Dielectric measurements revealed two relaxation bands, &#946 and &#945, at low and high temperatures, respectively. The &#945 relaxation was attributed to the glass transition and to the 10ss of chromophore orientational order. The temperature behavior of &#964 was interpreted by the Arrhenius and Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann-Hesse (VFTH) equations. at low and high temperatures. respectivelly. The VFTH parameters lie close to the so-called universal values. In addition the overall temperature dependence was explained by the Adam-Gibbs equation using the VFTH parameters. Using a small cooling rate after corona poling increases substantially the relaxation time and the activation energy .The power law exponents m and n. from Dissado-Hill manybody interactions model were obtained as a function of temperature. The n values are in the range of expected values for the many-body interactions model

Submitted by (ana.araujo@ufrpe.br) on 2017-02-10T12:18:30Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Filipe de Moura e Reis de Melo.pdf: 539918 bytes, checksum: 6b1f50c8111b58aaf72f1557809573a0 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-10T12:18:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Filipe de Moura e Reis de Melo.pdf: 539918 bytes, checksum: 6b1f50c8111b58aaf72f1557809573a0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-02-27 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The passion is very important for a number of products it offers, which are intended for decoration, food and pharmaceutical industry and its main product the fruit fresh or processed as juice or pulp. The study aimed to make the agronomic and molecular characterization of eight genotypes of passion fruit (BRS Sol do Cerrado, BRS Gigante Amarelo, BRS Ouro Vermelho, AP1, IAC 275, IAC 277, Chã Grande and Brejão Peroba). The experimental design was a randomized block with 4 replications and 5 plants per plot with 20 plants per treatment. In the Plants were evaluated in number of fruits per plant and yield. In fruits were assessed weight, pulp yield, total soluble solids, equatorial diameter, longitudinal diameter, ratio of longitudinal and equatorial diameter, shell thickness, pH, and the relationship between the content of soluble solids and titratable total acidity. The genotype Brejão Peroba achieved higher yield, but still needs to be improved for some features such as pulp income and total soluble solids. The molecular characterization was performed using 13 primers of ISSR that produced 171 fragments. The average similarity found was 64.7%, formed two groups, one group with the genotypes BRS Sol Cerrado, BRS Gigante Amarelo, IAC 277, AP 1, BRS Ouro Vermelho and IAC 275 and one with genotypes Chã Grande and Brejão Peroba. The genotypes IAC and CPAC can be used in future breeding program aimed at obtaining a cultivars adapted to the conditions Pernambuco. / O maracujá tem grande importância pelos vários produtos que oferece, os quais são destinados a ornamentação, indústria farmacêutica e alimentícia sendo seu principal produto o fruto in natura ou processado na forma de suco ou polpa. O trabalho teve como objetivo fazer a caracterização agronômica e molecular de oito genótipos de maracujázeiro azedo ( BRS Sol do Cerrado, BRS Gigante Amarelo,BRS Ouro Vermelho, AP1, IAC 275, IAC 277, Chã Grande e Brejão Peroba). O delineamento utilizado foi em blocos casualisados com 4 repetições e 5 plantas por parcela com um total de 20 plantas por tratamento. Nas plantas foram avaliados número de frutos por planta e produtividade. Nos frutos foram avaliados peso médio, rendimento de polpa, teor de sólidos solúveis totais, diâmetro equatorial, diâmetro longitudinal, relação entre diâmetro equatorial e longitudinal, espessura de casca, pH, acidez total titulável e relação entre o teor de sólidos solúveis totais e acidez total titulável. O Genótipo Brejão Peroba obteve maior produtividade, mas ainda precisa ser melhorada para algumas características como rendimento de polpa e sólidos solúveis totais. A caracterização molecular foi feita através 13 oligonucleotídeos de ISSR que produziram 171 fragmentos. A similaridade média encontrada foi de 64,7%, formaram-se dois grupos, sendo um agrupamento com os genótipos BRS Sol do Cerrado, BRS Gigante Amarelo, IAC 277, AP 1, BRS Ouro Vermelho e IAC 275 e outro com os genótipos Chã Grande e Brejão Peroba. Os genótipos do IAC e CPAC podem ser usadas em futuros trabalhos de melhoramento visando a obtenção de cultivares adaptadas as condições pernambucanas.