No presente trabalho foi realizado o isolamento da 3-O-metilquercetina, a partir de produto seco do extrato de inflorescências de Achyrocline satureioides, e sua caracterização. Em etapa farmacotécnica, foi realizado o estudo da associação deste flavonóide com b-ciclodextrina, bem como testes preliminares de permeação cutânea das associações, incorporadas ou não em gel de hidroxipropilmetilcelulose. As técnicas espectroscópicas, infravermelho e ressonância magnética de hidrogênio, confirmaram a estrutura do flavonóide isolado. Para o doseamento da 3-Ometilquercetina, realizou-se a validação de metodologia analítica por cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência, obtendo-se linearidade, na faixa de concentração de 0,05 a 1,5 μg/mL, precisão e exatidão adequadas. A análise da associação da 3-Ometilquercetina com b-ciclodextrina por infravermelho, ressonância magnética de hidrogênio e a análise pelo método empírico de Mecânica Molecular (MM2) do software Chem3D Ultra (Versão 9.0, CambridgeSoft) indicam possível inclusão do anel B da 3-O-metilquercetina na cavidade da b-ciclodextrina, sendo a inserção do flavonóide pela borda das hidroxilas secundárias mais favorável do que pela borda das hidroxilas primárias. A b-ciclodextrina e o gel de hidroxipropilmetilcelulose promoveram a permeação do flavonóide através da pele. A realização de ensaios in vivo para a seleção da melhor formulação constitui-se na principal perspectiva de continuidade de investigação científica do tema. / 3-O-methylquercetin (3-OMQ) was isolated from spray dried powder of Achyrocline satureioides and characterized by IR and 1H NMR. The study of association of this flavonoid with b-cyclodextrin (bCD) was performed, as well as preliminary skin permeation tests of these associations, incorporated or not in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) hydrogel. A LC method for 3-OMQ assay was validated in the concentration range from 0.05 to 1.5 μg/mL, with suitable precision and accuracy. The complexation of 3-OMQ with bCD was analyzed by IR, 1H NMR and Molecular Mechanics (Chem3D Ultra 9.0, CambridgeSoft) and the results indicated the possible insertion of B ring of the flavonoid into the bCD cavity, being the insertion through the secondary OH rim more favorable than through the primary OH rim. bCD and HPMC promoted the permeation of the flavonoid through the skin. In vivo assay is required to select the appropriate formulation.

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2017-02-13T20:18:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JosimaraTatianeDaSilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1557682 bytes, checksum: fac59260c784cbb83579953ae2c457f9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2017-02-16T19:30:20Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 JosimaraTatianeDaSilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1557682 bytes, checksum: fac59260c784cbb83579953ae2c457f9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-16T19:30:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JosimaraTatianeDaSilva_DISSERT.pdf: 1557682 bytes, checksum: fac59260c784cbb83579953ae2c457f9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-19 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior (CAPES) / Este trabalho tem por objetivo investigar o comportamento de converg?ncia do m?todo GMRES (Generalized Minimal RESidual) e sua vers?o GMRES(m), sem e com precondicionador ILU(0) aplicado ? sistemas lineares n?o sim?tricos esparsos. Nosso interesse principal ? verificar se o comportamento destes algoritmos pode ser influenciado pela estrutura das matrizes consideradas, em particular, as Z-matrizes e a influ?ncia da escolha do grau de esparsidade. Entre os par?metros observados, concentramos no raio espectral dessas matrizes, tanto como a norma do res?duo relativo obtido por estes algoritmos. / This study aims to investigate the convergence behavior of the GMRES (Generalized Minimal Residual) method and its version GMRES(m), without and with preconditioner ILU(0) applied to sparse non-symmetric linear systems. Our main interest is to see if the behavior of these algorithms can be influenced by the structure of the matrices considered, in particular, the Z-matrices. Furthermore, the influence of the choice of the degree of sparsity. Among the observed parameters, we focus on the spectral radius of these matrices, as well as the relative residual norm obtained by these algorithms.

Submitted by Eduarda Figueiredo (eduarda.ffigueiredo@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-13T15:28:42Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação Clériston.pdf: 4465259 bytes, checksum: 1bc61d926c2cff840a99fbca45e50303 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-13T15:28:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação Clériston.pdf: 4465259 bytes, checksum: 1bc61d926c2cff840a99fbca45e50303 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-11-25 / O uso da Metodologia Seis Sigma nas organizações tornou-se economicamente viável para a maioria das empresas que buscam sustentabilidade, lucratividade e dominância no mercado competitivo. A maior parte das empresas que possuem a metodologia difundida e implementada, estão mais preocupadas com relação ao processo de seleção e priorização de projetos no Gerenciamento de Portfólios de Projetos Seis Sigma. O Processo de Seleção e Priorização de Projetos Seis Sigma é considerado uma parte crítica no Processo de Gerenciamento de Portfólios de Projetos, que de certa forma, influencia positivamente ou negativamente na estratégica da organização. A Seleção e Priorização de projetos, para a maioria das empresas, são realizadas por meio de julgamento subjetivo do decisor ou empregada de certas ferramentas que não garantem a integridade na escolha de potenciais projetos para compor a carteira de investimentos. Diante do cenário observado foi proposto um framework detalhado do Processo de Seleção e Priorização de Projetos Seis Sigma, abrangendo o PROMETHEE V, um modelo híbrido de Decisão Multicritério e Programação Combinatória Discreta. O uso do Método PROMETHEE II favoreceu uma pré – ordem completa dos projetos de forma decrescente, a partir de então, foi empregado o uso do Problema da Mochila 0 – 1, para maximizar os projetos que tenham maiores scores em certas condições de investimento e disponibilidade de recursos. Os projetos identificados são os que irão fazer parte da carteira de investimentos. A partir dos resultados obtidos na aplicação do modelo no ambiente empresarial, foi constado que o mesmo satisfaz as condições e necessidades da empresa que pretende obter o Processo de Seleção e Priorização de Projetos Seis Sigma eficiente.

Background: According to the WHO, in 2019, of the 384,000 deaths due to malaria globally, Uganda has accounted for 5% of total deaths. This study aims to estimate the fraction of severe malaria cases, and socio-demographic characteristics associated with severe malaria among children aged 0–59 months who are positive for malaria in Uganda. Methods: This is a population based cross sectional study conducted among 1627 children aged  0-59 months who were positive for malaria Rapid Diagnostic Test. Data for this analysis was extracted from Uganda Malaria Indicator Survey 2019. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the prevalence of severe malaria and its association with different background characteristics. The study was conducted using SPSS software version 27. Results: The prevalence of severe malaria symptoms was in 11.7% of included children. Multivariate logistic regression revealed significantly increased odds for children aged 12-23 months (aOR: 2.0;95% CI: 1.3 – 3.3)  and 24 – 35 (aOR: 1.93;95% CI: 1.2 – 3.1) months, children living in urban settings (aOR: 4.9;95% CI: 2.2 – 10.7) , and children belonging to the middle (aOR: 1.9;95% CI: 1.3 – 2.9)  wealth quantile also had significantly higher odds of having one or more symptoms of severe malaria Conclusion: Ages 12–35 months, living in urban areas, and belonging in the middle wealth quantile were significantly associated with increased odds of having one or more symptoms of severe malaria. The results of which suggest a need for malaria intervention policies to address the needs of younger children and urban communities in Uganda.

Children in early childhood are still suffering from burdens of malaria-related morbidity and mortality. There have been insufficient studies on how family-level factors may predict the prevalence of malaria (PoM), and negatively impact the control of malaria in rural areas, especially among children. In this study, potential family factors were explored to address the challenges associated with the increase in PoM among the children in rural areas of Nsukka. Socioecological framework guided this study at the interpersonal level. The quantitative cross-sectional study used secondary data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) of 2015 in Nsukka rural communities. Data were analyzed using chi-square analysis and multinomial logistic regression. The result showed a statistically significant relationship (P<0.05) between the age group susceptibility among children. There were statistically significant relationships between the family’s ownership of land for agricultural use, the family’s choice of a treatment facility and socioeconomic status. The couple’s extent of effective communication and whether the children in early childhood slept under the mosquito net showed statistically significant results. Positive social change implications depicted organizational level benefit that may help UNICEF and WHO by recruiting representatives in the distribution of preventive, control and treatment of malaria to the rural areas. Empowerment of women in the household to attend to their children during an emergency and standard housing policy initiative such as Family in Children (FIC) address both individual and societal levels, respectively.

The presence of rain over oceans interferes with the measurement of sea surface wind speed and direction from the Sea Winds scatterometer and as a result wind measurements contain biases in rain regions. In past research at the Central Florida Remote Sensing Lab, it has been observed that rain has multi-fractal behavior. In this report we present an algorithm to detect the presence of rain so that rain regions are flagged. The forward and aft views of the horizontal polarization σ0 are used for the extraction of textural information with the help of multi-fractals. A single negated multi-fractal exponent is computed to discriminate between wind and rain. Pixels with exponent value above a threshold are classified as rain pixels and those that do not meet the threshold are further examined with the help of correlation of the multi-fractal exponent within a predefined neighborhood of individual pixels. It was observed that the rain has less correlation within a neighborhood compared to wind. This property is utilized for reactivation of the pixels that fall below a certain threshold of correlation. An advantage of the algorithm is that it requires no training, that is, once a threshold is set, it does not need any further adjustments. Validation results are presented through comparison with the Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission Microwave Imager (TMI) 2A12 rain retrieval product for one whole day. The results show that the algorithm is efficient in suppressing non-rain (wind) pixels. Also algorithm deficiencies are discussed, for high wind speed regions. Comparisons with other proposed approaches will also be presented.

No description available.

<p>In this thesis we are concerned with the complexity of formalizing reasoning in Combinatorial Matrix Theory (CMT). We are interested in the strength of the bounded arithmetic theories necessary in order to prove the fundamental results of this field. Bounded Arithmetic can be seen as the uniform counterpart of Propositional Proof Complexity.</p> <p>Perhaps the most famous and fundamental theorem in CMT is the K{\"o}nig's Min-Max Theorem $(\KMM)$ which arises naturally in all areas of combinatorial algorithms. As far as we know, in this thesis we give the first feasible proof of $\KMM$. Our results show that Min-Max reasoning can be formalized with uniform Extended Frege.</p> <p>We show, by introducing new proof techniques, that the first order theory $\LA$ with induction restricted to $\Sigma_1^B$ formulas---i.e., restricted to bounded existential matrix quantification---is sufficient to formalize a large portion of CMT, in particular $\KMM$. $\Sigma_1^B$-$\LA$ corresponds to polynomial time reasoning, also known as $\ELA$.</p> <p>While we consider matrices over $\{0,1\}$, the underlying ring is $\mathbb{Z}$, since we require that $\Sigma A$ compute the number of 1s in the matrix $A$ (which for a 0-1 matrix is simply the sum of all entries---meaning $\Sigma A$). Thus, over $\mathbb{Z}$, $\LA$ translates to $\TC^0$-Frege, while, as mentioned before, $\ELA$ translates into Extended Frege.</p> <p>In order to prove $\KMM$ in $\ELA$, we need to restrict induction to $\Sigma_1^B$ formulas. The main technical contribution is presented in Claim~4.3.4, ~Section~4.3.3. Basically, we introduce a polynomial time procedure, whose proof of correctness can be shown with $\ELA$, that works as follow: given a matrix of size $e \times f$ such that $e\leq f$, where the minimum cover is of size $e$, our procedure computes a maximum selection of size $e$, row by row.</p> <p>Furthermore, we show that Menger's Theorem, Hall's Theorem, and Dilworth's Theorem---theorems related to $\KMM$---can also be proven feasibly; in fact, all these theorems are equivalent to KMM, and the equivalence can be shown in $\LA$. We believe that this captures the proof complexity of Min-Max reasoning rather completely.</p> <p>We also present a new Permutation-Based algorithm for computing a Minimum Vertex Cover from a Maximum Matching in a bipartite graph. Our algorithm is linear-time and computationally very simple: it permutes the rows and columns of the matrix representation of the bipartite graph in order to extract the vertex cover from a maximum matching in a recursive fashion. Our Permutation-Based algorithm uses properties of $\KMM$ Theorem and it is interesting for providing a new permutation---and CMT---perspective on a well-known problem.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Extreme flooding and excess nutrient pollution have been detrimental to river health under increased environmental stress from human activities (e.g., agriculture, urbanization). Riverine flooding can be detrimental to human life and infrastructure yet provides important habitat and ecosystem services. Traditional flood control approaches (e.g., levees, dams) negatively impact habitat and ecosystem services, and cause flooding elsewhere along the river. Prior studies have shown that stream restoration can enhance flood attenuation, and increased exchange of water between the channel and floodplain can improve water quality. However, the effects of floodplain restoration during small and sub annual recurrence interval storms have not been thoroughly studied, nor have cumulative impacts of floodplain restoration on water quality at watershed scales. We used HEC-RAS to perform 1D unsteady simulations on a 2nd-order generic stream from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed to study flood attenuation under small and sub-annual recurrence interval storms (i.e., 2-year, 1-year, 0.5-year, and monthly). In HEC-RAS we varied percent of channel restored, location of restoration, bank height of restoration, floodplain width, and floodplain Manning's n. Overall, stream restoration reduced peak flow (up to 37%) and decreased time to peak (up to 93%). We found the timing of tributary inflows could obscure the attenuation achieved, and even reverse the trends with certain parameters in the sensitivity analysis. The greatest exchange with the floodplains (greater volume and exchange under more recurrence interval storms) was observed from Stage 0 restoration, which reduces bank height more than other approaches. We also conducted a quantitative literature synthesis of nitrate removal rates from stream restoration projects. We focused on how removal rates varied with properties relevant at watershed scales, such as effects of stream order. The resulting database will aid in determining which stream restoration parameters better reduce nutrient loads and in simulating the effects of stream restoration on water quality at watershed scales. Floodplain restoration practices, and particularly Stage 0 approaches, enhance flood attenuation which can help to counteract urban hydrologic effects. / Master of Science / Extreme flooding and excess nutrient pollution have been detrimental to river health under increased environmental stress from human activities (e.g., agriculture, urbanization). Riverine flooding can be detrimental to human life and infrastructure yet provides important habitat and ecosystem services. Traditional flood control approaches (e.g., levees, dams) negatively impact habitat and ecosystem services, and cause flooding elsewhere along the river. Prior studies have shown that stream restoration can enhance flood attenuation and aid in removal of excess nutrients. Previous studies have shown that stream restoration helps to transport nutrients to highly reactive soils and increases time for reactions. However, the effects of floodplain restoration during small and sub annual recurrence interval storms have not been thoroughly studied, nor have cumulative impacts of floodplain restoration on water quality at watershed scales. To fill these knowledge gaps, increased understanding of stream restoration design parameters and watershed level characteristics (e.g., tributary inflows, nutrient loads, etc.) is necessary. We used HEC-RAS to study flood attenuation via stream restoration under small and sub-annual recurrence interval storms on a generic stream from the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In HEC-RAS we varied percent of channel restored, location of restoration, bank height of restoration, floodplain width, and floodplain Manning's n (surface roughness). Overall, stream restoration did reduce peak flow and decrease time to peak, which means that restoration can diminish negative flooding effects. The greatest exchange with the floodplains was observed under Stage 0 restoration, which reduces bank height more than other approaches. We also conducted a quantitative literature synthesis to collect nitrate removal rates from stream restoration projects. We focused on how removal rates varied with properties relevant at watershed scales, such as effects of stream order. The resulting database will aid in determining which stream restoration parameters better reduce nutrient loads and in simulating the effects of stream restoration on water quality at watershed scales. These efforts will help to inform practitioners how to construct stream restoration projects that are more efficient for flood control and nutrient reduction. Floodplain restoration practices, particularly Stage 0 approaches, enhance flood attenuation and exchange which can help to counteract urban hydrologic effects.

Human land use practices such as urbanization and agriculture contribute excess nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and runoff volumes to rivers that degrade aquatic ecosystems and cause a loss of river functions such as nutrient processing and flood attenuation. Floodplain restoration increases floodplain exchange and is commonly implemented to improve water quality and reduce flood impacts at watershed scales. However, the effect of multiple restoration projects at the watershed scale is not well studied. We addressed this knowledge gap by two studies. The first study evaluated the impact of cumulative and spatially varying Stage-0 and bankfull floodplain restoration on nitrate removal in a generic 4th-order Virginia Piedmont watershed for small and sub-annual storm sizes (i.e. 2-year, 1-year, half-year, and monthly recurrence intervals). We used HEC-RAS hydraulics results from a prior study together with a nitrate removal model coded in R. Results indicated that watershed nitrate removal varied depending on the location of restoration in the watershed and where removal was evaluated. The greatest reductions in nitrate loads were observed in the same part of the river network where restoration occurred, with diminished impacts downstream. Removal also increased with increasing stream order/river size. However, removal was generally of small magnitude, with up to 1% or 19% of the watershed load removed for median or 90th-percentile removal rates, respectively. We estimated removal for our restoration scenarios under the Chesapeake Bay Program Protocols and found the removal rate to also be a critical factor in determining the efficiency of restoration project. Other controlling factors for nitrate removal were the amount of restoration and storm size. The second study entailed modeling cumulative restoration in a case study watershed to assess the impacts on nutrient removal and flood attenuation. We built a 1D HEC-RAS model of the 4th-order Gwynns Falls watershed near Baltimore MD using georeferenced HEC-RAS model geometries from the Maryland Department of the Environment and simulated unsteady stormflow hydraulics due to cumulative Stage-0 floodplain restoration for small and sub-annual storms. Restoration actually increased peak flow on the main channel (up to 0.9%) due to slowing of the flood wave on the main channel which was then better synchronized with tributary inflows. Restoration increased nitrate removal but at low levels (up to 0.12% or 2.6% removal for a median and 90th-percentile removal rate respectively) due to the small footprint of restoration in the watershed (up to 21.4% of the main channel was restored). These small and sometimes adverse outcomes occurred in response to what would be expensive restoration. Therefore, we argue for large-scale solutions to address watershed-scale water quality and flooding issues yet acknowledge re-evaluation of restoration goals against other societal priorities may be necessary. Overall, our results highlight the potential value and limitations of floodplain restoration in reducing flooding and nitrate exports at the channel network scale and provide practical insight for application of floodplain modeling at the watershed scale. / Master of Science / Human land use practices such as building cities and farms adds nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and increase storm flows in rivers downstream. While nutrients and flows are needed for humans and wildlife, too much of either can harm aquatic organisms and endanger people and property. Floodplain restoration is a common river engineering technique that increases exchange between the river channel and low-lying areas next to rivers known as floodplains. Floodplains are natural features, but people have reduced river flows between channels and floodplains in many ways. For example, by allowing sediments to build up in floodplains or building levees that separate channels from adjacent floodplains. Increasing floodplain exchange by floodplain restoration is commonly implemented to improve water quality and reduce the impact of flooding in watersheds, which are large areas that drain to a single river. However, while the goals of restoration are often at watershed scales, the effect of multiple restoration projects at that watershed scale is not well studied. We addressed this knowledge gap by two studies. The first study evaluated the impact of multiple restoration projects and project locations in a generic (average/typical) watershed on nitrate removal. We used a nitrate removal model and the results from a prior study that modeled the stormflow behavior resulting from floodplain restoration. Results indicated that watershed nitrate removal varied depended on the location of restoration in the watershed and where removal was evaluated. The most nitrate was removed where restoration occurred, with less removal downstream in the watershed. Removal also increased with increasing river size. However, removal was generally small with up to 1% or 19% of the watershed load removed for a smaller and larger nitrate removal rate, respectively. Other factors that changed the amount of nitrate removed were the amount of restoration, nitrate removal rate in the floodplains, and storm size. The second study entailed modeling cumulative restoration in a case study watershed to assess the impacts on nitrate removal and reducing flooding. We modeled stormflow for multiple hypothetical restoration projects in the Gwynns Falls watershed and found that restoration can actually increase peak flow when placed in certain locations. Restoration increased removal but at low levels (up to 0.12% or 2.6% for a smaller and larger removal rate) due to the small amount of restoration simulated. These small and sometimes adverse outcomes occurred in response to what would be expensive restoration projects to construct. Therefore, we argue for large-scale solutions to address watershed-scale water quality and flooding issues yet acknowledge that re-evaluation of restoration goals against other societal priorities may be necessary. Overall, our results highlight the potential value and limitations of using floodplain restoration to reduce flooding and nutrient exports and provide practical insight for using our modeling techniques in managing watershed flows and pollution.