In this thesis, we investigate the double-pumped L-band (1570-1610 nm) amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) fiber source by employing the 1480 nm bi-directional pumping configuration. First, we chose the adequate fiber length, and then adjusted the pump power to optimize the characteristics of the ASE source in different reflectance. The characteristics are experimentally examined and compared in terms of output power, mean wavelength, linewidth, flatness and conversion efficiency in three configurations with forward-forward (FF), forward-backward (FB) and backward-forward (BF) structures. In our experiments, FB configuration with EDF length of 93 m and reflectance of 30 ¢H is the best one to be an L-band ASE fiber source with an output power(POUT) of 71.8 mW, a mean wavelength(£fm) of 1584.3 nm, a linewidth(£G£f) of 41.6 nm, the flatness(£GP) of 1 dB, and the pump conversion efficiency(£b) of 42.2 ¢H.

In the first part of this thesis, the stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) effect in optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) on-line monitoring fiber transmission systems are investigated. We have investigated the distortion of baseband video picture arising from the 1.65 £gm OTDR-induced SRS effect in 1.55 £gm amplitude modulation with vestigial sideband (AM-VSB) cable television (CATV) transmission system. The baseband video-picture distortion in appearance with ¡§faintly white horizontal thins lines¡¨ on the TV picture is observed. The baseband video-picture distortion disappearing is demonstrated in the 1.31 £gm OTDR on-line monitoring 1.55

No description available.

Cr4+:YAG is an attractive gain medium due to its broad 3-dB emission spectra all the way from 1253 nm to 1530 nm that just cover the low loss window of silica fiber. Such a broadband characteristic offers a potential to develop a broadband amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) light source, optical amplifier, and tunable laser. Growing the Cr4+:YAG bulk crystal into fiber form is necessary for generating larger gain by the better optical confinement of the waveguide structure. For the application of laser, it is superior to bulk crystal for reduced lasing threshold and better slope efficiency due to also the optical confinement effect and better heat dissipation. Laser heated pedestal growth (LHPG) method has been used to grow high purity crystal fibers due to its crucible free nature. A novel cladding technique, co-drawing LHPG (CDLHPG), was developed to solve core-reduction problem and obtained a double-clad fiber (DCF) structure. But the power fluctuation of heating laser caused large core variation of Cr4+:YAG DCF, and further impaired the optical performance. An innovating method for suppressing the fluctuation of heating power, sapphire tube assisted CDLHPG technique, was developed and combined with power feedback control program. By this technique, 10-£gm-core Cr4+:YAG DCFs which meet the adiabatic propagation criterion were fabricated. By comparing with ASE and optical amplifier experimental data, cross sections of pump absorption, emission, and excited-state absorptions (ESAs) of pump and signal were determined. Pump ESA loss limited the optical performance that could be solve by using cladding pump scheme. A record-low threshold Cr4+:YAG DCF laser with two slopes with respect to absorbed pump power was achieved at room temperature. The threshold pump powers were 2.5 mW and 96 mW in the low and high absorbed pump powers with the same output coupler transmittance of 3.8%, respectively. The slope efficiencies of the fiber laser were 0.4% and 6.9%, respectively. By numerical simulation, 56% slope efficiency can be achieved with a length of 7 cm and an output reflectance of 80%. Our group also firstly used the ASE as the light source of optical coherence tomography, an axial resolution of 3.5 £gm was achieved.

The purpose of this study was to determine if Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certification of automotive service technicians in independent dealerships enhanced job performance. Descriptive survey methodology was used to gather information for 100 automotive technicians (50 ASE-certified and 50 non-certified technicians) located in 50 different work sites. Each site's service manager was asked to complete a questionnaire and a rating scale for two technicians, one ASE certified and one non-certified. The questionnaire was designed using expert opinions of automotive service managers and community college automotive instructors in the Triad area of North Carolina. The 28-item Minnesota Satisfactoriness Scales (MSS) were used to assess job satisfactoriness. Responses to 95 completed questionnaires and accompanying MSS were included in statistical analyses. The role of these variables in predicting ratings of job performance was further examined by including the regression analyses of only those who had four or less years of on-the-job experience. Among certified technicians, higher scale scores and longer years of experience positively predicted ratings of job performance, as well as decreased numbers of customer complaints. Overall, certified technicians had higher mean job performance ratings than non-certified technicians. Attendance and employee recognition did not significantly predict ratings of job performance in either category of technicians. Results indicated that the number of technicians receiving customer complaints was directly dependent on certification status. Variables such as awards and number of months of perfect attendance had minimal effect on both categories of technician job performance rating. / Ph. D.

Os hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA) representam hoje grande preocupação à comunidade científica devido a sua comprovada ação cancerígena e mutagênica, assim tornam-se necessárias metodologias mais eficientes para suas determinações. O presente trabalho desenvolveu a técnica de extração por líquido pressurizado com a etapa de clean-up simultânea a extração, com sílica e alumina como adsorventes dentro da cela do equipamento ASE-350. A metodologia desenvolvida foi comparada com a tradicional extração por Sohxlet através de material de referência certificado. A extração por Soxhlet, apesar de eficiente, mostrou-se dispendiosa pelo gasto enorme de tempo, solvente e adsorventes quando comparada a extração por líquido pressurizado. De maneira geral a extração por líquido pressurizado apresentou-se mais vantajosa que a tradicional extração por Soxhlet. A eficiência da metodologia desenvolvida também foi testada através de quatro diferentes tipos de solos brasileiros fortificados com solução padrão de HPA. Os solos utilizados foram dos seguintes locais: Nova Lima MG, Lavras MG, Casimiro de Abreu RJ e Luiz Eduardo Magalhães BA. Todos possuíam características granulométricas e químicas diferentes entre si. Dois solos foram classificados em latossolos vermelhos, um em vermelho-amarelo e um em planossolo. Houve diferença significativa na eficiência de recuperação de alguns HPA quando comparados os quatro tipos de solos, já para outros HPA não evidenciou-se influência da tipologia do solo / Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are now a great concern to the scientific community due to its proven carcinogenic and mutagenic action. Therefore more efficient methodologies become necessary for its determinations. This research developed the technique of extraction by pressurized liquid with the clean-up step simultaneous to the extraction, i.e., the soil sample is extracted as the clean-up occurs. For this silica and alumina adsorbents was used in the ASE-350 equipment cell. For the study four different types of Brazilian soils with their well-defined characterizations were used. The soils used were from the following locations: Nova Lima - MG, Lavras - MG, Casimiro de Abreu - RJ and Luiz Eduardo Magalhães - BA. All of them had different soil gradation and chemical characteristics. The soils were classified as red oxisols, red-yellowish oxisols and planosols. There was significant difference between the recovery efficiency of some PAH in the four soil types, as for other HPA showed up no influence of soil type. The developed methodology was compared to traditional Sohxlet extraction by certified reference material (CRM). The Soxhlet extraction, although effective, has proved costly for large expenditure of time, adsorbents and solvent when compared to pressurized liquid extraction. In general the pressurized liquid extraction was more advantageous than traditional Soxhlet extraction. The developed methodology efficiency was also tested through four different Brazilian soil types spiked with standard PAH solution. The soils used were from the following locations: Nova Lima - MG, Lavras - MG, Casimiro de Abreu - RJ and Luiz Eduardo Magalhães - BA. All of them had different soil gradation and chemical characteristics among themselves. Two soils were classified as red oxisols, one as red-yellowish oxisol and one as planosol. There was significant difference among the recovery efficiency of some PAHs when the four soil types were compared; as for other HPA showed up no evidence of soil type influence

[pt] Este trabalho consistiu na implementação, e consequente validação, de metodologia para determinação de bifenilas policloradas (PCBs) em amostras de água e material particulado por cromatografia gasosa acoplada à espectrometria de massas em tandem (GC-MS/MS). O método de análise de água superficial foi desenvolvido para a determinação simultânea de 41 PCBs; utilizando a Extração Acelerada por Solvente (ASE) para o material particulado em suspensão e a Extração em Fase Sólida (SPE) para a fração dissolvida. A quantificação foi realizada no modo de Monitoramento Seletivo de Reação (SRM), com monitoramento de dois padrões de fragmentação m/z precursor-produto. A linearidade das curvas analíticas foi confirmada pelo valor do coeficiente de determinação (R2), além do comportamento aleatório do gráfico de resíduos e pelo teste F na análise da variância (ANOVA) da regressão. A homocedasticidade dos dados foi confirmada pelo teste de Cochran. O Limite de Detecção (LD) para cada um dos dois métodos de extração utilizados variou de 0,06 a 0,50 ng L(-1) para o SPE e 0,01 a 0,12 ng L(-1) para o ASE. A repetibilidade, expressa através dos coeficientes de variação (CV), apresentou valores inferiores a 20 por cento. A recuperação média dos analitos variou de 60 por cento a 118 por cento quando da extração em fase sólida (SPE) e de 65 a 106 por cento para o material particulado suspenso. A seletividade do método foi avaliada pelo Teste F (Snedecor) de homogeneidade de variâncias e pelo Teste t (Student) de comparação de médias. Possíveis perdas durante o processo foram monitoradas pelo uso do padrão surrogate e encontraram-se em limites aceitáveis. O método validado foi aplicado para a análise da água do Canal do Mangue, região central do Rio de Janeiro, e o intervalo encontrado para o somatório de PCBs totais variou de 2,17 ng L(-1) a 5,29 ng L(-1). / [en] The aim of this work consists of the implementation and validation of a methodology for determination of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in water samples and particulate matter by gas chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). The surface water analysis method was developed for the simultaneous determination of 41 PCBs; using the Solvent Accelerated Extraction (ASE) for the suspended particulate matter and the Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) for the dissolved fraction. Quantification was performed in Selective Reaction Monitoring (SRM) mode, with monitoring of two m/z precursor-product fragmentation patterns. The linearity of the analytical curves was confirmed by the coefficient of determination (R2), the random behavior of the residual plots and by the F test in the analysis of variance (ANOVA) for the regression. The homoscedasticity of the data was confirmed by the Cochran test. The limit of detection (LD) for each one of the two extraction methods used vary in a range of 0.06 to 0.50 ng L(-1) for the SPE and 0.01 to 0.12 ng L(-1) for the ASE. Regarding the repeatability studies, the coefficients of variation (CV) found were less than 20 per cent. The average recovery of the analytes ranged from 60 per cent to 118 per cent on Solid Phase Extraction (SPE) and from 65 to 106 per cent for the suspended particulate matter. The Method selectivity was evaluated by the F (Snedecor) test of homogeneity of variances and by the t-Test (Student) of means comparison. Possible losses during the process were monitored by using surrogate standards that were within acceptable limits. The validated method was further applied to analyze the surface water of Mangue Canal, central region of Rio de Janeiro, and the sum of total PCBs ranged from 2.17 ng L(-1) to 5.29 ng L(-1).

Submitted by Automa??o e Estat?stica (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2016-04-01T19:51:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CelesteMariaDeMenezesSouza_DISSERT.pdf: 828781 bytes, checksum: 9755e5418c5ee46cbd00b3d37d799061 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-04-07T21:48:25Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CelesteMariaDeMenezesSouza_DISSERT.pdf: 828781 bytes, checksum: 9755e5418c5ee46cbd00b3d37d799061 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-07T21:48:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CelesteMariaDeMenezesSouza_DISSERT.pdf: 828781 bytes, checksum: 9755e5418c5ee46cbd00b3d37d799061 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-04-24 / Diagn?sticos imprecisos das vulvovaginites geram tratamentos inadequados que causam preju?zos ? sa?de das mulheres. Sendo assim, a pesquisa tem como objetivo: avaliar sistematicamente a efic?cia dos m?todos diagn?sticos das vulvovaginites infecciosas. Para tanto, adota como m?todo: realiza??o de um estudo de corte transversal com 200 mulheres no menacme com queixa de corrimento vaginal. Foi coletado material vaginal dessas mulheres para realiza??o dos seguintes exames: microbiol?gico a fresco e corado pelo Gram, citologia oncol?gica, teste das aminas e mensura??o do pH vaginal. Foi avaliada a efic?cia dos m?todos dispon?veis para diagn?stico do corrimento vaginal (sensibilidade, especificidade, valor preditivo positivo e valor preditivo negativo). Os dados foram inseridos em planilha do software Excel/Office 2010 com todas as vari?veis e, ap?s, exportados para o Graphpad Prism 6, para an?lise estat?stica. Resultados: na avalia??o da efic?cia dos m?todos, foram estudadas 200 pacientes, tendo como padr?o ouro o exame microbiol?gico corado pelo Gram, atrav?s do qual foram obtidos os seguintes resultados: exame a fresco para a candid?ase vaginal: sensibilidade = 31%, especificidade = 97%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 54%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 93%, acur?cia = 91%; exame a fresco para vaginose bacteriana: sensibilidade = 80%, especificidade = 95%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 80%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 95%, acur?cia = 92%; abordagem sindr?mica para vaginose bacteriana: sensibilidade = 95%, especificidade = 43%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 30%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 97%, Acur?cia = 54%; abordagem sindr?mica para a candid?ase vaginal: sensibilidade = 75%, especificidade = 91%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 26%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 98%, acur?cia = 90%; Papanicolau para a candid?ase vaginal: sensibilidade = 68%, especificidade = 98%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 86%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 96%, acur?cia = 96%; Papanicolau para vaginose bacteriana: sensibilidade = 75%, especificidade = 100%, valor preditivo positivo (VPP) = 100%, valor preditivo negativo (VPN) = 94%, acur?cia = 95%. Houve apenas um ?nico caso de tricomon?ase vaginal, diagnosticado pela citologia oncol?gica e exame a fresco, confirmado pelo Gram. A abordagem sindr?mica o deu como vaginose bacteriana. A partir desses dados e tendo ainda o suporte da literatura mundial, foi elaborado o Protocolo de diagn?stico e tratamento das Vulvovaginites da Maternidade Escola Janu?rio Cicco /UFRN. Desse estudo, restou como conclus?o: o Papanicolau e o exame a fresco demonstraram, respectivamente, baixa e muito baixa sensibilidade para a candid?ase vaginal; a abordagem sindr?mica apresentou muito baixa especificidade e acur?cia para a vaginose bacteriana, o que implica, na pr?tica cl?nica, um grande n?mero de pacientes n?o diagnosticadas ou tratadas de forma incorreta. / Inaccurate diagnosis of vulvovaginitis generates inadequate treatments that cause damages women's health. Objective: evaluate the effectiveness of methods when diagnosing vulvovaginitis. Method: a cross-sectional study was performed with 200 women who complained about vaginal discharge. Vaginal smear was collected for microbiological tests, considering the gram stain method as gold standard. The efficacy of the available methods for diagnosis of vaginal discharge was assessed (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value). Data were inserted to Graphpad Prism 6, for statistical analysis. Results: the following results were obtained: wet mount for vaginal candidiasis: sensitivity = 31%; specificity = 97%; positive predictive value (PPV) = 54%; negative predictive value (NPV) =93%; accuracy = 91%. Wet mount for bacterial vaginosis: sensitivity = 80%; specificity =95%; positive predictive value (PPV) = 80%; negative predictive value (NPV) = 95%; accuracy = 92%. Syndromic approach for bacterial vaginosis: sensitivity = 95%; specificity=43%; positive predictive value (PPV) =30%; negative predictive value (NPV) = 97%; accuracy = 54%. Syndromic approach for vaginal candidiasis: sensitivity = 75%; specificity =91%; positive predictive value (PPV) = 26%; negative predictive value (NPV) = 98%; accuracy = 90%. Pap smear for vaginal candidiasis: sensitivity = 68%, specificity = 98%; positive predictive value (PPV) = 86%; negative predictive value (NPV) =96%; accuracy = 96%. Pap smear for bacterial vaginosis: sensitivity = 75%; specificity = 100%; positive predictive value (PPV) = 100%; negative predictive value (NPV) =94%; accuracy = 95%. There was only one case of vaginal trichomoniasis reported ? diagnosed by oncological cytology and wet mount ? confirmed by Gram. The syndromic approach diagnosed it as bacterial vaginosis. From the data generated and with support on world literature, the Maternidade Escola Janu?rio Cicco?s vulvovaginitis protocol was constructed. Conclusion: Pap smear and wet mount showed respectively low and very low sensitivity for vaginal candidiasis. Syndromic approach presented very low specificity and accuracy for bacterial vaginosis, which implies a large number of patients who are diagnosed or treated incorrectly.

Os hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA) representam hoje grande preocupação à comunidade científica devido a sua comprovada ação cancerígena e mutagênica, assim tornam-se necessárias metodologias mais eficientes para suas determinações. O presente trabalho desenvolveu a técnica de extração por líquido pressurizado com a etapa de clean-up simultânea a extração, com sílica e alumina como adsorventes dentro da cela do equipamento ASE-350. A metodologia desenvolvida foi comparada com a tradicional extração por Sohxlet através de material de referência certificado. A extração por Soxhlet, apesar de eficiente, mostrou-se dispendiosa pelo gasto enorme de tempo, solvente e adsorventes quando comparada a extração por líquido pressurizado. De maneira geral a extração por líquido pressurizado apresentou-se mais vantajosa que a tradicional extração por Soxhlet. A eficiência da metodologia desenvolvida também foi testada através de quatro diferentes tipos de solos brasileiros fortificados com solução padrão de HPA. Os solos utilizados foram dos seguintes locais: Nova Lima MG, Lavras MG, Casimiro de Abreu RJ e Luiz Eduardo Magalhães BA. Todos possuíam características granulométricas e químicas diferentes entre si. Dois solos foram classificados em latossolos vermelhos, um em vermelho-amarelo e um em planossolo. Houve diferença significativa na eficiência de recuperação de alguns HPA quando comparados os quatro tipos de solos, já para outros HPA não evidenciou-se influência da tipologia do solo / Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are now a great concern to the scientific community due to its proven carcinogenic and mutagenic action. Therefore more efficient methodologies become necessary for its determinations. This research developed the technique of extraction by pressurized liquid with the clean-up step simultaneous to the extraction, i.e., the soil sample is extracted as the clean-up occurs. For this silica and alumina adsorbents was used in the ASE-350 equipment cell. For the study four different types of Brazilian soils with their well-defined characterizations were used. The soils used were from the following locations: Nova Lima - MG, Lavras - MG, Casimiro de Abreu - RJ and Luiz Eduardo Magalhães - BA. All of them had different soil gradation and chemical characteristics. The soils were classified as red oxisols, red-yellowish oxisols and planosols. There was significant difference between the recovery efficiency of some PAH in the four soil types, as for other HPA showed up no influence of soil type. The developed methodology was compared to traditional Sohxlet extraction by certified reference material (CRM). The Soxhlet extraction, although effective, has proved costly for large expenditure of time, adsorbents and solvent when compared to pressurized liquid extraction. In general the pressurized liquid extraction was more advantageous than traditional Soxhlet extraction. The developed methodology efficiency was also tested through four different Brazilian soil types spiked with standard PAH solution. The soils used were from the following locations: Nova Lima - MG, Lavras - MG, Casimiro de Abreu - RJ and Luiz Eduardo Magalhães - BA. All of them had different soil gradation and chemical characteristics among themselves. Two soils were classified as red oxisols, one as red-yellowish oxisol and one as planosol. There was significant difference among the recovery efficiency of some PAHs when the four soil types were compared; as for other HPA showed up no evidence of soil type influence

This study investigated the natural durability of 8 and 60 year old Eucalyptus bosistoana (coast grey box). The sample’s heartwood compounds were extracted with an optimised extraction process and then incorporated into agar. Trametes versicolor (white rot) and Gloeophyllum trabeum (brown rot) fungi were grown upon these agars and their growth rate was used to assess the fungicidal abilities of the extracts. The extraction method of cell wall compounds was optimised. An Accelerated Solvent Extraction system (ASE) was used with the following settings: • 2 cycles per sample • 70°C extraction temperature • 50% rinse • 5 minute static time Ethanol was found to extract the compounds of the highest fungicidal activity. Ethanol was found to extract similar amounts to water (~13% of dry weight for a 60 year old sample), however analysis of both water and ethanol extracts with a FTIR spectrometer, found that they were of different chemical composition. A difference in fungicidal activity of extracts was found between the 8 year old and 60 year old samples. There was a large difference in the percentage of extracts present between the samples as well as the type of compounds present, shown by FTIR.