As a potential bioremediation system for contaminated soils, I evaluated the use of an arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungus, Glomus intraradices on roots and shoots uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkyl PAHs, and toxic metals in Echinacea purpurea, in using a controlled 20-week greenhouse study and a complimentary 2-year field study. E. purpurea seeds were either inoculated with the mycorrhizal fungus (AM) or not inoculated (non-AM) and grown in soil provided by the National Capital Commission (NCC) that have known contamination. In the greenhouse study, AM inoculation increased the uptake of alkyl PAHs in the roots of E. purpurea. The AM inoculation showed no effect on root uptake of PAHs and toxic metals over the 20-week study period. However, when I calculated the uptake rates (k1) for PAHs between both treatments, the AM treated roots ha 10-fold higher k1 values than non-AM treated roots. The soil concentrations of PAHs were found to increase over time with AM inoculation, suggesting, that AM fungi are causing a solvent depletion through root uptake of minerals and carbon, which concentrates the more hydrophobic PAHs in soils. Alkyl PAHs and metals showed no change over time amongst any of the treatments. Assessing the performance of AM fungi on the uptake of contaminants under field conditions, only PAHs showed increased bioaccumulation in the shoots of E. purpurea with AM inoculation. Alkyl PAHs and metals in plant material were unaffected by the AM inoculation, but increased significantly from year 1 to year 2. The uptake rates among treatments were similar, with non-AM roots having slightly greater uptake. Soil concentrations of PAHs and alkyl PAHs were unaffected over the course of the experiment. Our control soil, however, showed significant increases in concentration from year 1 to year 2 with alkyl PAHs. These results quantified the influence of AM hyphae-mediated uptake of organic and inorganic contaminant transfer from soil to plants and the bioaccumulation kinetics for contaminants by E. purpurea that will be useful for environmental models and phytoremediation strategies.

A telemetry facility may connect numerous telemetry receivers to a single tracking antenna depending on the number of TM channels involved in the test and on the required redundancy. The tracking data, i.e. AM normalized analog signals extracted by the receivers from the TM signal and the AGC analog signals, are sent to the Antenna Control Unit (ACU) for tracking error calculation. The number of cables between receivers and ACU becomes important in some telemetry facilities and the tracking signals being analog, the distance must be limited. This paper proposes a new tracking architecture that moves from analog to digital links between receivers and ACU with the following main benefits:  Keeping the capability to acquire tracking data (AM&AGC) from several telemetry receivers,  Having more flexibility for integration,  Improving interoperability,  Providing availability of simultaneous tracking errors for enhanced tracking algorithms, for C-band tracking improvement for example.

Oxysterol-induced macrophage apoptosis may have a role in atherosclerosis. Macrophages lacking the type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) are partially resistant to apoptosis induced by 7-ketocholesterol (7KC). AM-251 and SR144528 are selective antagonists of CB1 and CB2 receptors, respectively. We observed that both compounds reduce 7KC-induced apoptosis in Raw 264.7 macrophages. As oxysterol-induced macrophage apoptosis requires acyl-coenzymeA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT) activity, we tested their affects on ACAT activity. AM-251 and SR144528 both reduced cholesteryl ester synthesis in unstimulated and acetylated LDL-stimulated Raw 264.7 macrophages, CB2+/+ and CB2-/- peritoneal macrophages, as well as in vitro, in mouse liver microsomes. Consistent with inhibition of ACAT, the development of foam cell characteristics in macrophages by treatment with acetylated LDL was reduced by both compounds. This work is the first evidence that AM-251 and SR144528 are inhibitors of ACAT and as a result, might have anti-atherosclerotic activities independent of their affect on cannabinoid signaling.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University. PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you.

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Although in the German Empire the cities were major strongholds of political liberalism, this fact has until very recently attracted little attention from scholars preoccupied with the history of 'high politics' leading up to the two World Wars. This thesis is one of the first analyses of German liberalism at city level, and proceeds from the assumption that in a country with such a regionally and locally diverse political culture as Germany, this type of 'history from below' is a necessary precondition for any satisfactory understanding of the nature of German liberalism in general. Following the introduction, chapter two demonstrates that in Frankfurt, local government became politicised as early as the 1870s. Indeed, chapter three shows how the early experience of Frankfurt liberals in municipal politics was crucial as they defended themselves against emerging political groups during the following decades, particularly the Mittelstand and the SPD. The fourth chapter analyses the development of liberal attitudes towards municipal finance as a background to chapter five which uses the example of Frankfurt to demonstrate how crucial the issue of municipal finance was to the viability of local liberalism not just in theory, but also in practice. Chapter six considers the importance of education to local liberalism as it touched on a number of themes which were central to urban liberals' understanding of themselves, in particular the issues of local self-government and religion. The final chapter looks at the crucial area of social policy, to see to what extent local liberals were merely reactive, and to what extent they were innovative as they faced the new problems of urbanisation and industrialisation. The sophistication of liberal politics in local government, the only level of government where liberals were in the position of carrying out their policies, underlines the gravity of the problem which the lack of parliamentary government posed for liberals at the state and national level. Furthermore, the thesis points to a central dilemma, because, to be successful in Frankfurt and other regions, liberals had to respond to the particular culture at the local level, a requirement that was in direct contrast to the necessity of finding a coherent political consensus at the level of national and state politics. Even though at the local level the liberal capacity of responding to the social and political challenges of their rapidly changing environment has been proved beyond doubt, their policies, their rhetoric and their organisational lead could have only a very limited effect on German liberalism in general. The urban liberals' ideal of creating a more liberal society from 'the bottom up', through the cities, was undermined by the fact that the political future of German liberalism at the state and national level came to rest increasingly on its electoral appeal in the countryside, just at a time when urban liberal self-consciousness reached its peak.

[pt] O objetivo deste trabalho foi desenvolver uma metodologia para quantificação, por microscopia, do microconstituinte Austenita-Martensita (AM) em um aço de alta resistência e baixa liga (ABRL) da classe API5LX80. Foram obtidas imagens de Microscopia Ótica (MO) em campo claro e Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), nos modos de elétrons secundários (SE) e retroespalhados (BSE). As imagens foram quantificadas por Processamento e Análise Digital de Imagens (PADI) e os resultados dos dois tipos de microscopia foram comparados. O principal desafio foi discriminar AM em meio a uma microestrutura multifásica complexa, com frações variadas de ferrita, bainita e do próprio AM. Para revelar a presença de AM foram testadas diferentes sequências de ataques químicos e eletrolíticos. Os resultados demostraram que o ataque químico misto, acrescentando um passo Lepera modificado gerou uma melhora acentuada do contraste em imagens de MO e de MEV no modo BSE. Imagens de MEV no modo SE apresentaram problemas de borda devido à posição do detector de elétrons, o que impediu a correta discriminação das regiões de AM. No modo BSE, a tensão de aceleração foi reduzida para 5 kV, para reduzir a penetração do feixe de elétrons e aumentar o contraste devido à fina camada de AM. Estas imagens foram filtradas para reduzir ruído e segmentadas por limiar simples para quantificar o AM. Nas imagens coloridas de MO, o AM foi segmentado por limiares nos espaços de cor RGB e HSB e em seguida foi quantificado. Utilizando Microscopia Co-Localizada (MCL) foram obtidas imagens de campos idênticos no MEV e no MO, permitindo comparar as técnicas. Mostrou-se que, no mesmo aumento, a microscopia ótica tende a subestimar a fração de AM quando comparada à microscopia eletrônica de varredura, no modo BSE. / [en] This dissertation proposed the development of a quantification method, by microscopy, of the microconstituent Martensite-Austenite (MA) in a High Strength Low Alloy (HSLA) steel of the API5LX80 class. Images were obtained by Optical Microscopy (OM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), in secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron (BSE) modes. Digital Image Processing and Analysis (IA) was employed to process and quantify the acquired images and compare the results of the two types of microscopy. The main challenge was to discriminate the MA amidst a complex multiphase microstructure with varying fractions of ferrite, bainite and MA itself. To reveal the MA different chemical and electrolytic etching sequences were tested. The results showed that a mixed combination with an extra step of modified LePera etchant issued the best contrast for both OM and BSE mode SEM. SEM images in SE mode showed edge problems due to the location of the electron detector, what prevented the correct discrimination of MA regions. The accelerating voltage in the BSE mode was reduced to 5 kV which in turn decreased beam penetration and increase contrast due to the thin MA layer. These images were filtered to reduce noise and segmented by a simple threshold to quantify MA. In the color OM images MA was segmented by thresholds in the RGB or HSB color spaces and subsequently quantified. Employing Co-Site Microscopy images of identical fields acquired by OM and SEM, a direct comparison of the techniques was allowed. It was show that, for the same magnification, optical microscopy tends to underestimate the MA fraction when compared to electron microscopy in BSE mode.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-14T14:46:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 458327.pdf: 1372960 bytes, checksum: 0d2573de878d931ff4c34cce58aaeaab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-28 / This thesis is about the relationship between the mechanisms of direct democracy (MDDs), i.e. plebiscites, referendums and citizen-initiated votes, and citizens' perceptions of the democratic regime. Hypotheses are tested on the influence of the MDDs on the presidential approval, on trust in democratic institutions (Congress and political parties) and on regime performance, measured through external efficacy, namely the belief that voting can change the future. Data are from Latinobar?metro and encompass surveys carried out annually in 16 countries, from 1996 to 2010. Multilevel models are used to analyze the data. If institutions as MDDs can increase the legitimacy of these more concrete dimensions of democracy, this is a quicker solution than economic, social and cultural transformations. This study relies on rational choice theory assumptions which state that citizens can make informed and rational judgements as to whether or not their regime meets their standards of how it should work, while still considering the various influences of diverse contextual and institutional factors. The explanatory variable the MDDs was tested in five different forms: short-term effects (occurrence and weighted occurrence), long-term effects, i.e., the cumulative number of MDDs, type of mechanism and issues quantity and relevance. Multilevel models, the alternative to time series analysis when there is not a sufficient number of observations over time, have not looked like good substitutes when information regarding the cases and the dependent variables behavior were considered. However, despite the methodological limitations imposed by data and the rarity of the events, it is possible to say that, holding constant citizens' perceptions of the country current economic situation, interpersonal trust, education, age, and in some cases, presidential approval and trust in institutions, in Latin America, the use of national mechanisms of direct democracy about issues of broad interest do not damage citizens' support to the more concrete regime dimensions (or representative democracy specifically, maybe the biggest concern on MDDs), on the contrary, MDDs improve, in different degrees, according type, nature of the issues and the historic of the country's MDD experience, the political support. Related to the explanations taken into account, although in the presidential approval model and in the models of trust in institutions the government performance is much more important, in the model of the vote, the cultural and institutional explanation gain more ground and all the three have basically the same relevance. Among them, it is possible to highlight the interpersonal trust, education, mandatory plebiscites and MDDs involving issues, many or few, of great general interest. / Esta tese versa sobre a rela??o entre os mecanismos de democracia direta (MDDs), isto ?, plebiscitos, referendos, iniciativas populares, e a percep??o dos cidad?os sobre o regime democr?tico. Testam-se as hip?teses sobre a influ?ncia desses MDDs na aprova??o presidencial, na confian?a que os cidad?os depositam em algumas institui??es da democracia (Congresso e partidos), e na sua avalia??o sobre a performance do regime, medida atrav?s da cren?a na efic?cia do voto como instrumento de mudan?a. Os dados s?o provenientes do Latinobar?metro e englobam pesquisas de opini?o realizadas anualmente em 16 pa?ses de 1996 a 2010. Modelos multin?veis s?o utilizados para a sua an?lise. Se institui??es como os MDDs podem aumentar a legitimidade dessas dimens?es mais concretas da democracia, tratase de uma solu??o mais r?pida do que transforma??es estruturais econ?micas, sociais e culturais. Esse estudo apoia-se nos pressupostos da teoria da escolha racional de que os cidad?os s?o capazes de fazer julgamentos racionais, tais como se o regime funciona do modo no qual eles acreditam que deveria funcionar, enquanto considera a influ?ncia de fatores contextuais e institucionais diversos. A vari?vel explicativa os MDDs foi testada de cinco formas diferentes: efeito de curto prazo (ocorr?ncia e ocorr?ncia ponderada), efeito de longo prazo, isto ?, n?mero acumulado de MDDs, tipos de mecanismos e natureza dos assuntos envolvidos na vota??o. Os modelos multin?veis, alternativa ? an?lise seriada quando n?o h? n?mero de observa??es suficientes ao longo do tempo, n?o se mostraram bons substitutos quando informa??es a respeito dos casos e at? relativas ao comportamento das vari?veis dependentes foram analisadas. No entanto, apesar das limita??es metodol?gicas impostas pelos dados e pela raridade dos eventos ? poss?vel dizer que, mantendo constantes quest?es como a percep??o da situa??o corrente da economia, a confian?a interpessoal, a escolaridade, a idade e, em alguns casos, a aprova??o presidencial e a confian?a nas institui??es, na Am?rica Latina, a utiliza??o de mecanismos de democracia direta nacionais sobre assuntos de ampla relev?ncia n?o danifica o apoio dos cidad?o ?s dimens?es mais concretas do regime (ou ? democracia representativa especificamente, talvez a maior preocupa??o quando se trata de MDDs), pelo contr?rio, MDDs melhoram, em diferentes graus, de acordo com seu tipo, a natureza de suas quest?es e com o hist?rico de experi?ncia do pa?s com MDDs, o apoio pol?tico. Em rela??o ?s explica??es levadas em conta, embora no modelo de aprova??o do chefe do Executivo e nos modelos das institui??es a performance do governo seja muito mais importante, no modelo do voto, a explica??o cultural e a explica??o institucional ganham espa?o e se tornam quase equivalentes, com destaque para a confian?a interpessoal, a escolaridade alta, os plebiscitos mandat?rios e os MDDs que envolvem assuntos de grande relev?ncia, sejam poucos ou muitos.

Submitted by Samira Prince (prince@ufpa.br) on 2012-06-04T16:59:55Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_AumentoProdutividadeUtilizando.pdf: 1746928 bytes, checksum: 34582e9745d86d36636ab974989bc4bc (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Samira Prince(prince@ufpa.br) on 2012-06-04T17:01:39Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_AumentoProdutividadeUtilizando.pdf: 1746928 bytes, checksum: 34582e9745d86d36636ab974989bc4bc (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-06-04T17:01:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_AumentoProdutividadeUtilizando.pdf: 1746928 bytes, checksum: 34582e9745d86d36636ab974989bc4bc (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Este trabalho utiliza a metodologia six sigma com o objetivo de aumentar a produtividade da Linha de LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) em uma fábrica do Pólo Industrial de Manaus - PIM e um sistema de inferência fuzzy para mensurar o aumento dessa produtividade, onde foram identificados vários parâmetros baseados na metodologia six sigma. Dentre os quais, conforme grau de relevância dos especialistas deste estudo, pode-se destacar: desperdícios, capacidade produtiva e estudo de tempos. Ressaltando ainda que o sistema proposto seja de grande importância para profissionais e pesquisadores da gestão da produção, os quais desejam resultados que reduzam custos e conseqüentemente aumente os lucros da organização. / This study uses six sigma methodology in order to increase the productivity of the Line of LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) in a factory in the Pólo Industrial de Manaus - PIM and a fuzzy inference system to measure the increase of productivity, where we identified several parameters based on the six sigma methodology. Among which, according to the degree of relevance of specialists in this study, we can highlight: waste, production capacity and time study. Emphasizing further that the proposed system is of great importance to practitioners and researchers of production management, who want results that reduce costs and therefore increase profits of the organization.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-22T22:10:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Felicissimo Barbosa de Souza.pdf: 1889177 bytes, checksum: 2d39f2b4e208053d7636bf32a98d6013 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-05-14 / The amount of solid waste discarded by the urban population increases every day, becoming a problem for city managers. A viable solution, that assists municipal management, is the collection of solid waste recycled by collectors in an organized way and direction of waste for recycling. In Parintins, the Association of Garbage Collectors in Parintins - ASCALPIN performs the work of collecting, sorting, baling and sale of recyclable solid waste collected by its members. However, the collectors of ASCALPIN have no knowledge of management both in relation to work organization and administration of the association. In order to change this situation, this thesis aims to propose a management plan for the garbage collectors association of Parintins - ASCALPIN. The methodology used the descriptive and as a means to field research, the technique of direct observation and interviews. As a result we obtained a current diagnosis of ASCALPIN, from which it was developed a management plan for the association. This plan contemplates from the organizing daily activities of scavengers to aspects related to infrastructure works where ASCALPIN / A quantidade de resíduos sólidos descartada pela população das cidades aumenta a cada dia, tornando-se um problema para os gestores municipais. Uma solução viável, que auxilia a gestão municipal, é a coleta dos resíduos sólidos recicláveis pelos catadores de forma organizada e o direcionamento desses resíduos para a reciclagem. Em Parintins, a Associação dos Catadores de Lixo de Parintins ASCALPIN realiza os trabalhos de coleta, seleção, enfardamento e venda dos resíduos sólidos recicláveis coletados por seus associados. Porém, os catadores da ASCALPIN não possuem conhecimento de gestão tanto com relação à organização do trabalho quanto a administração da associação. Visando mudar essa situação, essa dissertação tem como objetivo propor um plano de gestão para associação de catadores de lixo de Parintins ASCALPIN. Como metodologia utilizou-se a pesquisa descritiva e como meios a pesquisa de campo, a técnica de observação direta e entrevistas. Como resultados obteve-se um diagnóstico atual da ASCALPIN, a partir do qual foi desenvolvido um plano de gestão para a associação. Esse plano contempla desde a organização das tarefas diárias dos catadores até aspectos relativos à infraestrutura do local onde funciona a ASCALPIN