Energy usage has become an important issue in wireless communication systems. The energy-intensive nature of wireless communication has spurred concern over how best systems can make the most use of this non-renewable resource. Research in energy-efficient design of wireless communication systems show that one of its challenges is that the overall performance of the system depends, in a coupled way, on the different submodules of the system i.e. antenna, power amplifier, modulation, error control coding, and network architecture. Network architecture implementation strategies offer protocol software implementors an opportunity of incorporating low-power strategies into the design of the network protocols used for data communication. This dissertation proposes a methodology that would allow a software protocol implementor to analyze the power consumption of a wireless communication system. The foundation of this methodology lies in the understanding of the formal specification of the wireless interface network architecture which can be used to predict the performance of the system. By extending this hypothesis, a protocol implementor can use the formal specification to derive the power consumption behaviour of the wireless system during a normal operation (transmission or reception of data). A high-level formalism like state-transition graphs, can be used to track the protocol processing behaviour and to derive the associated continuous-time Markov chains. Because of their diversity, Markov reward models(MRM) are used to model the power consumption associated with the different states of a specified protocol layer. The models are solved analytically using the Mobius performance and dependability tool. Using the MRM accumulation and utilization measures, a profile of the power consumption is generated. Results from the experiments on the protocol layers show the individual power consumption and utilization of the different states as well as the accumulated power consumption of different protocol layers when compared. Ultimately, the results from the reward model solution can be used in the energy-efficient design of wireless communication systems. Lastly, in order to get an idea of how wireless communication device companies handle issues of power consumption, we consulted with the wireless module engineers at Siemens Communication South Africa and present our findings on current practices in energy efficient protocol implementation.

The phytotoxicities of monensin, the 10:2 saturated fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (10:2 FTCA), and atrazine to freshwater macrophytes were investigated in three microcosm-based assessments. Both responses of plants grown as individuals in “cone-tainers” and those grown in mixed and monocultures were examined to permit comparison of the toxicological sensitivities of macrophytes under each planting design, and investigation of whether interactions between neighbours may modify plant response to an environmental contaminant. Exposures of monensin and the 10:2 FTCA at environmentally relevant concentrations were found to produce few significant effects in the higher aquatic plants across all growth conditions, thus direct comparisons of effective concentrations were not conducted. Significant differences between relative growth rates (RGR) of plant grown in assemblages versus individually indirectly indicate that over longer exposure durations toxicity may be underestimated using the individual “cone-tainer” method. RGRs and sensitivities of plants to atrazine were found to be in the same range across planting methods, demonstrating that responses of aquatic plants in the individual-test system reflected those observed in model populations and two-species communities. A lack of observed relations between plants in the mixed and monoculture tests, however, meant that the potential for modification of toxicity through plant interactions was not investigated.

Aquesta tesi doctoral és un estudi de les relacions entre gènere, nació i cinema en el marc de la Guerra Civil espanyola i el primer franquisme, des de 1937 fins a 1945. Aquesta investigació es desenvolupa mitjançant una anàlisi de discurs i textual aplicada a la representació cinematogràfica de la Secció Femenina de Falange en les produccions documentals i informatives de l'autodenominat bàndol nacional. Seguint les aportacions dels estudis de gènere a la teorització de la nació i els nacionalismes, s'analitzen les funcions que es van atribuir a l'organització de dones falangistes, el seu grau d’inclusió i exclusió, dins del discurs nacionalista franquista i falangista, tal com va ser projectat pel cinematògraf. És a dir, el seu paper com a agents actius en la construcció del Nou Estat franquista, a través del control social i ideològic de la població femenina, i en termes culturals i simbòlics com a dipositàries de les essències populars i d'un vincle amb un passat mític que la dictadura va invocar per legitimar el seu origen i cercar una continuïtat històrica efectiva per a si mateix. També, es descriu el paper de la Secció Femenina en la producció i distribució de propaganda fílmica mitjançant la creació del seu Departament de Cinematografia el 1940 i les relacions que va establir amb els organismes oficials per tal d'aconseguir una presència continuada a les pantalles. La recerca examina les dinàmiques sociopolítiques que van fer possible l'agencia i visibilitat de l’organització com el seu posterior replegament de l’esfera pública i cinematogràfica i l'evolució dels paràmetres discursius sota els quals va discórrer la representació de la seva ideologia nacionalista i de gènere. / Esta tesis estudia las relaciones entre género, nación y cine en el marco de la Guerra Civil y el primer franquismo, desde 1937 hasta 1945, a través un análisis de discurso y textual aplicado a la representación cinematográfica de la Sección Femenina de Falange en las producciones documentales e informativas del autodenominado bando nacional. Siguiendo las aportaciones de los estudios de género a la teorización de la nación y los nacionalismos, se analizan las funciones que se atribuyó a la organización de mujeres falangistas, su grado de inclusión y exclusión, en el discurso nacionalista franquista y falangista, tal y como fue proyectado por el cinematógrafo. Esto es, su papel como agentes activos en la construcción del Nuevo Estado, a través del control social e ideológico de la población femenina, y en términos culturales y simbólicos como depositarias de las esencias populares y como vínculo con el pasado mítico que la dictadura invocó para legitimar su origen y buscar una continuidad histórica efectiva para sí mismo. También, se describe el papel que la Sección Femenina desempeñó en la producción y distribución de propaganda fílmica mediante la creación de su Departamento de Cinematografía en 1940 y las relaciones que estableció con los organismos oficiales para tener una presencia continuada en las pantallas. Se examinan las dinámicas socio-políticos y los parámetros ideológicos que posibilitaron la agencia y visibilidad de la organización así como los que provocaron su posterior repliegue de la esfera pública y cinematográfica. / This thesis examines the relationship between gender, nation and film in the context of the Spanish Civil War and the early Francoism, from 1937 to 1945, through a discourse analysis applied to the filmic representation of the Women's Section of the Falange in the documentaries and newsreels produced by the self-named national side. Following the contributions of gender studies to the theory of the nation and nationalism, this thesis analyses the functions attributed to this female fascist organization —its degree of inclusion and exclusion— within Franco’s and Falangist nationalist discourse as it was imagined and disseminated through the medium of film. That is, their role as active agents in the construction of the New State, taking the social and ideological control of the female population; and in cultural and symbolic terms as repositories of the popular roots of the nation and as a link with the mythical past that dictatorship invoked in order to legitimize its origin. The investigation also describes the role played by the Women’s Section in the production and distribution of film propaganda through its own Film Unit, created in 1940, and the relationships it established with government agencies for having a continued presence in the cinema screens. This research pays attention to the socio-political dynamics that allowed both the agency and visibility of the organization and its subsequent withdrawal from the public sphere and screens, as well as the evolution of their nationalist and gender ideology.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

The phytotoxicities of monensin, the 10:2 saturated fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (10:2 FTCA), and atrazine to freshwater macrophytes were investigated in three microcosm-based assessments. Both responses of plants grown as individuals in “cone-tainers” and those grown in mixed and monocultures were examined to permit comparison of the toxicological sensitivities of macrophytes under each planting design, and investigation of whether interactions between neighbours may modify plant response to an environmental contaminant. Exposures of monensin and the 10:2 FTCA at environmentally relevant concentrations were found to produce few significant effects in the higher aquatic plants across all growth conditions, thus direct comparisons of effective concentrations were not conducted. Significant differences between relative growth rates (RGR) of plant grown in assemblages versus individually indirectly indicate that over longer exposure durations toxicity may be underestimated using the individual “cone-tainer” method. RGRs and sensitivities of plants to atrazine were found to be in the same range across planting methods, demonstrating that responses of aquatic plants in the individual-test system reflected those observed in model populations and two-species communities. A lack of observed relations between plants in the mixed and monoculture tests, however, meant that the potential for modification of toxicity through plant interactions was not investigated.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

La presente tesis se origina en unas coordenadas interdisciplinares que se proponen integrar intereses epistemológicos relacionados con las ciencias del lenguaje, la antropología y la sociología y, por otra parte, saberes teóricos y aplicados que se vinculan a la práctica de la podología, su enseñanza y su configuración profesional. Si queremos definir de una manera sistemática y sintética el planteamiento de esta tesis, diremos que se parte de la siguiente hipótesis inicial: El análisis del discurso puede actuar como eje vertebrador de las aproximaciones interdisciplinares al tema de la construcción de la profesión podológica y contribuir a explicar mecanismos relevantes de ese proceso. Los objetivos básicos del trabajo son: a) la contextualización social e histórica de ese proceso de construcción de la profesión; b) la descripción y análisis del corpus seleccionado, que es representativo de la actividad discursiva escrita de la comunidad profesional; c) la explicación de la relevancia de los recursos discursivos para incrementar la solidaridad entre los miembros de la comunidad profesional y potenciar su prestigio social. Finalmente, la metodología escogida corresponde a la aplicación del instrumental teórico y procedimental elaborado por el análisis del discurso, no solo en los aspectos lingüísticos estrictos, sino también en su vertiente de interaccionismo social con un enfoque constructivista y crítico. Los objetivos citados se cumplen a lo largo de diez capítulos que recorren los aspectos siguientes: Bases para un análisis del discurso de la podología (capítulo 1); Datos para la contextualización de la profesión podológica en el Estado Español (cap.2); La construcción de las profesiones sanitarias a través de las revistas especializadas (cap.3); Corpus de análisis (cap.4); Discurso podológico y semántica léxica: títulos, palabras clave y abstracts (cap.5); Editoriales (cap.6); Artículos culturalistas relacionados con el pie y su representación (cap.7); Función de la imagen gráfica (cap.8); La publicidad en las revistas especializadas (cap.9); Los casos clínicos (cap.10). En el apartado de conclusiones se confirma la operatividad del análisis del discurso para la realización de estos objetivos, tal como se postulaba en la hipótesis inicial. En efecto, las prácticas discursivas examinadas, en particular el corpus extraído de tres revistas profesionales (Revista Española de Podología, El peu, revistapodologia.com), muestran así su relevancia como instrumento en la forja y consolidación de la profesión podológica.

Zugl.: Kassel, Univ., Diss., 2008

Due to habitat degradation and overharvest (Colombo et al. 2007) sturgeon populations are declining throughout their global distribution (Pikitch et al. 2005). In North America, five sturgeon species are listed as endangered or threatened due to overharvest and habitat degradation. One species of direct concern is the pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus ) (Boreman 1997). The morphologically similar shovelnose sturgeon (S. platorynchus) is not listed as endangered but has become a cause for concern due to poor reproductive success and declining recruitment of their offspring to the adult population, likely a result of lack of proper spawning habitat and early life foraging opportunities (Wildhaber et al. 2007). Despite listing the pallid sturgeon as endangered and increasing concern about population decline, little information is available about the foraging ecology of age–0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon. To ensure these sturgeon populations persist in the Middle Mississippi River, a better understanding of sturgeon foraging success during early life is imperative. I quantified age–0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon (total length (TL) range: 14–200 mm; small < 50 mm TL, large 50–200 mm TL) diets during 2004–2008 to determine whether foraging behavior changed as a function of stage height, water temperature, water velocity, size class of sturgeon, and macrohabitat. I also examined whether energy density (cal/g) and selection of prey varied across size class and macrohabitat. Age–0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon were collected from the Middle Mississippi River during spring (March, April, May), summer (June, July, August), and fall (September, October, November). Each prey item in diets was identified to family and measured to calculate dry weight. Ephemeroptera, Diptera pupae, and Chironomidae were the dominant taxa that were consumed across all years and seasons. Large sturgeon had a broader diet, consuming more non–dominant taxa. Abiotic factors differed across macrohabitats and thus influenced foraging behavior. Sturgeon occupying the island upstream tip (IUT) macrohabitat had the largest mean mass in diet and those at the island downstream tip (IDT) had the lowest mean mass in diet. Conversely, energy density of sturgeon was highest at IDT and lowest at IUT. Small sturgeon avoided macroinvertebrates that were outside the dominant prey taxa whereas large sturgeon selected for Chironomidae across all macrohabitats. Diets of age–0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon vary as a function of size and are influenced by interacting of abiotic and biotic factors at each macrohabitat. As age–0 Scaphirhynchus sturgeon grow, their diet broadens. Diet of young sturgeon interacts with energy condition in counterintuitive ways that requires more study. Because foraging success differs among habitats and is likely linked to recruitment, habitat quality and quantity in the Middle Mississippi River is likely critical for sturgeon population density and growth.

O presente trabalho investigou como a natureza de um líquido iônico pode influenciar a formação e o crescimento de nanopartículas de [Rh(0)], bem como estabeleceu o desempenho catalítico das nanopartículas obtidas em reações de hidrogenação de arenos. A simples redução de compostos de ródio RhCl3.3H2O, [Rh(cod)Cl]2 e [Rh(cod)2]X (X = BF4 -, CF3SO3 - e cod = 1,5-ciclooctadieno), dispersas em líquidos iônicos tetrafluoroborato (BF4 -), hexafluorofosfato (PF6 -) e trifluorometanosulfonato (CF3SO3 -) de 1- n-butil-3-metilimidazólio (BMI+), com hidrogênio molecular, rendeu nanopartículas de [Rh(0)], isoladas como pó escuro. As nanopartículas de [Rh(0)] formadas nos três líquidos iônicos foram caracterizadas por Microscopia Eletrônica de Transmissão (MET), Difração de Raios X (DRX) e Espectroscopia de Fotoelétrons de Raios X (XPS). O tamanho médio e a dispersão de tamanho destas nanopartículas depende pouco do precursor de ródio e mais do líquido iônico empregado. O tamanho médio das nanopartículas geradas em BMI.BF4 centram-se em 2,8 nm e em contraste, tamanhos médios maiores foram observados para nanopartículas de [Rh(0)] obtidas em BMI.PF6 (4,7 nm) e em BMI.CF3SO3 (5,0 nm). A atividade catalítica destas nanopartículas em reações de hidrogenação de arenos depende tanto da natureza do precursor quanto do líquido iônico empregado para prepará-las. Independentemente da natureza do líquido iônico, nanopartículas progressivamente mais ativas foram obtidas, primeiro, mudando o precursor na seqüência [Rh(cod)Cl]2 < [Rh(cod)2]CF3SO3 < RhCl3.3H2O < [Rh(cod)2]BF4 e, segundo, mudando o líquido iônico na sequência BMI.CF3SO3 < BMI.PF6 < BMI.BF4. É digno de nota, que as nanopartículas de [Rh(0)] obtidas pela combinação de [Rh(cod)2]BF4 / BMI.BF4 mostraram, na hidrogenação do benzeno, atividade catalítica similar à amostra de Rh/C.