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no / The design of multi-storey buildings in the UK, in the past, considered steel and concrete structures in isolation. Today, designers utilize the combined properties of steel and concrete in the form of composite or hybrid structures as a more attractive efficient alternative. Designers of steel structures acknowledge that the presence of concrete slabs may be designed compositely with steel beams in order to increase both flexural strength and stiffness at virtually no extra cost, except for the headed shear studs. The use of composite construction with precast hollowcore slabs has become one of the most popular construction methods in the UK. Currently, design of composite construction is covered by BS5950, Part 3, but will soon be replaced by the new European Standard, Eurocode 4. However, design of composite construction with precast hollowcore slabs is currently outside the provisions of this new code. In this paper, an overview of the Eurocode 4 structure and its contents are first presented and some of the particular issues that affect this new form of construction will be given. Design guidance using the Eurocode methodology will also be presented.

This dissertation study describes and presents an alternative method for delivering digital video, the MPEG-4 compression format, through the use of an analog cable network for direct viewing on television sets. The purpose of the study is to propose this technology as an alternative to the present cable network technologies in Uruguay and elsewhere in South America. Delivery standards that might be used over such a CATV network include DVB-C (digital video broadcast for cable), and IP (internet protocol) networks. The study compares the current technologies to determine which would be the best way to provide such delivery over CATV networks. It is the argument of this study that the delivery of MPEG-4 format streaming video is no different than the delivery of any type of digital signal: in order for the signal to be delivered, it must pass through a transmission medium such as fiber-optic cable, twisted-wire pair, coaxial cable, etc. The dissertation makes the case that MPEG-4 is a feasible alternative technology which should be considered for new CATV applications in this region. This study is from a technical point of view, when it comes to implementation there are other elements that should be taken into account.

This project aims to design a safe and healthy space for orphan girls in Iraq, considering their needs and culture. Moreover, to set a foundation for girls to grow and become confident young individuals. My approach to this project was working both in plan and perspective. From the first days of the project, I started drawing the qualities that I was looking for in the design in perspective. Moreover, this is an extensive project, on a 1400 square meter site, so one of the important aspects of the project was to have a language through the design that makes the project coherent. In this book final renders are presented along with the initial ideas and sketches. Iraq is chosen because "there are 11,000 children addicted to drugs in Baghdad, that many girls aged 12 to 16 years old have been victims of abuse, and that many girls aged 12 years and above have endured harassment." This project shows that a well-thought design can improve the lives of orphaned girls, and hopefully, the outcome will raise awareness for the education and well-being of orphaned girls in Iraq. / Master of Architecture / Life is not easy, even when you live in a healthy family. Now, imagine what it looks like when you are traumatized as a kid. Kids who lost their parents in the war or are traumatized by their own family have a blurry glass on their eyes; they are confused about their feelings and experiences and often have difficulties trusting others and making meaningful connections. Moreover, orphan kids who had observed severe scenes may have panic attacks. Traumatized kids have very specific needs that the architectural design of their environment should address.

Lack of re-enrollment in 4-H Club work after one year participation is studied. / Master of Science

No / A series of 19 huprines has been evaluated for their activity against cultured bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei and Plasmodium falciparum. Moreover, cytotoxicity against rat myoblast L6 cells was assessed for selected huprines. All the tested huprines are moderately potent and selective trypanocidal agents, exhibiting IC50 values against T. brucei in the submicromolar to low micromolar range and selectivity indices for T. brucei over L6 cells of approximately 15, thus constituting interesting trypanocidal lead compounds. Two of these huprines were also found to be active against a chloroquine-resistant strain of P. falciparum, thus emerging as interesting trypanocidal–antiplasmodial dual acting compounds, but they exhibited little selectivity for P. falciparum over L6 cells.

樹是一個沒有迴路的連接圖。而4-caterpillar是一種樹，它擁有單一路徑連接到數個長度為3的路徑的端點。一個有n個邊的無向圖G的優美標法是一個從G的點到{0,1,2,...,n}的一對一函數，使得每一個邊的標號都不一樣，其中，邊的標號是兩個相鄰的點的編號差的絕對值。在這篇論文當中，我們最主要的目的是使用一個演算法來完成4-caterpillars的優美標法。 / A tree is connected acyclic graph. A 4-caterpillar is a tree with a single path only incident to the end-vertices of paths of length 3. A graceful labelling of an undirected graph G with n edges is a one-to-one function from the set of vertices of G to the set {0,1,2,...,n} such that the induced edge labels are all distinct, where the edge label is the difference between two endvertex labels. In this thesis, our main purpose is to use an algorithm to yield graceful labellings of 4-caterpillars.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Ce travail vise à étudier un matériau biphasé métallique matrice/inclusion. Une méthode simple est proposée pour évaluer les propriétés élastiques d'une phase si les propriétés de l'autre phase sont connues. La méthode est basée à la fois sur un modèle d'homogénéisation inverse et sur les mesures de champs mécaniques par corrélation d'images numériques 2D. L'originalité de la méthode repose sur l'échelle étudiée, à savoir l'échelle de la microstructure du matériau : la taille caractéristique des inclusions est d'environ quelques dizaines de microns. L'évaluation est réalisée sur des essais de traction uniaxiale standards associés à un microscope longue distance. Cela permet d'observer la surface de l'échantillon à l'échelle de la microstructure au cours de la sollicitation mécanique. Tout d'abord, la précision de la méthode est examinée à partir de champs mécaniques 'parfaits' provenant des simulations numériques pour quatre microstructures : inclusions simples élastiques ou poreux ayant une forme sphérique ou cylindrique. Deuxièmement, cette précision est examinée sur les vrais champs mécaniques provenant des deux microstructures simples : une matrice métallique élasto-plastique contenant un ou quatre micro-trous cylindriques arrangés en un motif carré. Troisièmement, la méthode est utilisée pour évaluer les propriétés élastiques des inclusions de forme arbitraire dans un échantillon Zircaloy-4 oxydé présentant le gainage du combustible d'un réacteur à eau sous pression après un accident de perte de réfrigérant primaire (APRP). Dans toute cette étude, les phases sont supposées avoir des propriétés isotropes. / This work is focused on a matrix/inclusion metal composite. A simple method is proposed to evaluate the elastic properties of one phase while the properties of the other phase are assumed to be known. The method is based on both an inverse homogenization scheme and mechanical field's measurements by 2D digital image correlation. The originality of the approach rests on the scale studied, i.e. the microstructure scale of material: the characteristic size of the inclusions is about few tens of microns. The evaluation is performed on standard uniaxial tensile tests associated with a long-distance microscope. It allows observation of the surface of a specimen on the microstructure scale during the mechanical stress. First, the accuracy of the method is estimated on ‘perfect' mechanical fields coming from numerical simulations for four microstructures: elastic or porous single inclusions having either spherical or cylindrical shape. Second, this accuracy is estimated on real mechanical field for two simple microstructures: an elasto-plastic metallic matrix containing a single cylindrical micro void or four cylindrical micro voids arranged in a square pattern. Third, the method is used to evaluate elastic properties of inclusions with arbitrary shape in an oxidized Zircaloy-4 sample of the fuel cladding of a pressurized water reactor after an accident loss of coolant accident (LOCA). In all this study, the phases are assumed to have isotropic properties.

O 4-hidroxi-2-nonenal (4-HNE) é um dos principais produtos da peroxidação lipídica, processo exacerbado no quadro de estresse oxidativo. Em função de sua alta reatividade com biomoléculas, seu acúmulo tem sido relacionado ao estabalecimento e progressão de inúmeras doenças, incluindo as cardiovasculares. Recentemente, nosso grupo identificou a interação entre 4-HNE e a proteína Dicer em coração de ratos com insuficiência cardíaca (dados não publicados). Dicer é uma RNAse importante na biogênese de microRNAs (miRNA), com papel na regulação gênica póstranscricional, de modo que alterações em sua função poderiam afetar diversos processos celulares. Tanto a interação entre o aldeído e Dicer, quanto o efeito sobre a mesma não foram descritos na literatura. Nesse contexto, o presente estudo tem como objetivo avaliar o efeito do 4-HNE na atividade e a expressão da Dicer. Nossa hipótese é que o 4-HNE afete negativamente o perfil de atividade e expressão da Dicer. Para testar essa hipótese, utilizamos o modelo animal de disfunção cardíaca induzida cirurgicamente e avaliamos: a formação de adutos de 4-HNE-proteínas, atividade e expressão de Dicer, e os níveis de miRNAs cardíacos. Em cultura celular (H9C2, MEF e HEK293), por sua vez, avaliamos o efeito agudo de 4-HNE sobre as mesmas variáveis após sua adição no meio de cultura. E, por último, utilizando a proteína recombinante, analisamos o efeito direto do aldeído sobre a estabilidade e atividade da enzima in vitro. Como esperado, em ensaios com a proteína isolada, observamos que o 4-HNE interage diretamente com a RNAse Dicer, e a formação de conjugados Dicer-4-HNE é responsável pela inibição e perda de estabilidade da proteína de forma tempo- e concentração-dependentes. No modelo animal, demonstramos um prejuízo na atividade de Dicer no coração de animais com disfunção cardíaca induzida por infarto do miocárdio, sem alteração em sua expressão, acompanhado de diminuição dos níveis da maioria dos miomiRs analisados. Notavelmente, ambos os parâmetros, assim como os níveis de adutos de 4-HNE-proteínas, foram melhorados no grupo tratado com Alda-1, agonista alostérico da enzima ALDH2 (responsável pela remoção do 4-HNE). Dessa forma, sugerimos a existência de associação entre os níveis de 4-HNE, atividade de Dicer e alteração na expressão de miRNAs no quadro de disfunção cardíaca. Consistente com os dados observados in vivo, em modelos celulares, a exposição aguda ao 4-HNE demonstrou reduzir a atividade de Dicer e afetar a via de biossíntese de miRNAs. Porém, não observamos proteção por Alda nesse modelo. Conjuntamente, nossos dados sugerem que a atividade de Dicer é modulada por 4-HNE em quadros de estresse agudo e crônico de aldeídos. Contudo, mais estudos são necessários a fim de elucidar o mecanismo pelo qual essa modulação ocorre. Visto que o acúmulo de 4-HNE e a desregulação na biogênese de miRNAs tem sido associados ao desenvolvimento de patologias, o estudo da interação entre Dicer e o aldeído é importante na compreensão dessas doenças e planejamento de novas estratégias terapêuticas. / 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) is a major by-product of lipid peroxidation, a process that is exacerbated under oxidative stress conditions. This aldehyde is a very reactive molecule associated with the establishment and progression of many diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. We recently found using proteomics that 4-HNE directly targets Dicer in failing hearts, a critical enzyme for miRNA biology (unpublished data). Neither the aldehyde-Dicer adduction, nor its effect on protein stability and activity has been previously reported. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this gap by further investigating 4-HNE-Dicer interaction and characterizing its effect on Dicer profile. We hypothesize that 4-HNE will make adducts with Dicer and compromise its function and levels. Using an animal model of cardiac dysfunction, we evaluated the following parameters: levels of 4-HNE adducted proteins, Dicer levels and activity, and the levels of heart specific miRNAs (myomiRs). The same variables were analyzed in distinct cellular models (H9C2, MEF, HEK293) after acute exposure to 4-HNE. Additionally, we synthetized recombinant Dicer, and protein function and stability were assessed in vitro. As expected, the experiments with recombinant protein revealed that 4-HNE directly interacts with Dicer, and the formation of 4-HNE-DICER adduct causes loss of Dicer cleavage activity and stability in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Regarding the animal model, Dicer activity, but not protein levels, dropped in failing hearts, which was paralleled by a reduction of mature miRNA levels. Of interest, animals with cardiac dysfunction chronically treated with a small molecule activator of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), termed Alda-1, displayed an elevated cardiac Dicer activity and mature miRNA levels compared with vehicle-treated animals. ALDH2 is the mains enzyme responsible for 4-HNE clearance. In this context, this study points out a potential connection among 4-HNE levels, Dicer activity and myomiR levels in cardiac dysfunction. Consistent with our in vivo data, cells acutely exposed to 4-HNE showed an increase in 4-HNE-protein adducts followed by a reduction in Dicer activity and changes in miRNA biosynthesis. However, Alda showed no protective effect in the latter model. Taken together, our findings using animal and cellular models suggest that Dicer activity is impaired in chronic (cardiac dysfunction) and acute aldehyde stress conditions. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in this response are still unclear. As both 4-HNE accumulation and microRNAs have been linked to innumerous pathologies, clarifying the modulation of Dicer activity under such conditions will certainly contribute to a better understanding the diseases and future therapeutic strategies.