Thesis (M. S.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Karlsson, Jens; Committee Co-Chair: Nerem, Robert; Committee Member: Meda, Paolo; Committee Member: Prausnitz, Mark; Committee Member: Sands, Jeff; Committee Member: Zhu, Cheng.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1989.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1989.

Mineral textures, preserved in the metamorphosed sedimentary sequences that are exposed in orogenic hinterlands, are crucial to understanding the architecture and evolution of collisional mountain belts. In this thesis the textural record of anatexis and melt transfer in the Himalayan metamorphic core is decoded and the controls that these processes exert on the tectonic evolution of the Himalaya are explored. The problem is divided into two parts, corresponding to variations in protolith lithostratigraphy: melt source - the pelitic region where melt was first generated, and melt sink - the psammitic region where melt accumulated and crystallised. Dehydration melting of muscovite has long been recognized as a critical reaction for the generation of anatectic melt in the Himalaya, but a textural understanding of how this reaction progresses is limited by the inherent difficulties in identifying specific reaction products. Using samples collected from the Langtang area in central Nepal, a mechanistic model for muscovite dehydration melting was constructed, and a set of textural criteria were developed, which were used to distinguish peritectic K-feldspar from K-feldspar grains formed during melt crystallisation. Melt is transferred from the source to the sink in two stages: firstly along a pervasive network of mineral grain boundaries, and secondly via a channelised network of sills and dykes in the melt sink where it solidified as leucogranite. Variation in the primary mineral assemblage and appearance of leucogranite bodies reflect the degree of interaction that occurred between the melt and metasedimentary country rock, rather than a change in primary melt composition. The modal proportion of K-feldspar in the melt source requires vapour-absent conditions during muscovite dehydration melting and leucogranite formation, indicating that the generation of large volumes of granitic melts in orogenic belts is not necessarily contingent on an external source of fluids. The crystallisation of hydrous minerals in leucogranite consumes <15.5 % of water released by the breakdown of muscovite. These results indicate that anatexis efficiently dehydrates the middle crust and suggests that the continents have limited potential to store water over geological time.

Orientador: Pedro Luis da Costa Aguiar Alves / Coorientador: Ricardo Javier Haro / Banca: Marcos Donisete Michelotto / Banca: Cibele Chalita Martins / Banca: Mariluce Pascoina Nepomuceno / Banca: João Francisco dos Santos / Resumo: No cultivo do amendoim, as plantas estão sujeitas a vários estresses, sejam de natureza biótica ou abiótica. Entre os principais fatores abióticos, a deficiência hídrica é considerada um dos maiores entraves durante o processo produtivo. Diante disso, a compreensão dos mecanismos adaptativos utilizados pelas plantas para tolerar a deficiência hídrica é de suma importância para a tomada de decisão durante a implantação de um sistema de cultivo. Como a cultura do amendoim apresenta determinada tolerância ao estresse hídrico, é necessário saber quais mecanismos estão envolvidos no processo adaptativo dessas plantas, visando selecionar genótipos com maior tolerância a seca e de posse dessas informações, expandir o cultivo para regiões com menor disponibilidade hídrica, bem como fornecer subsídios para o aumento da sua produção nacional. Dessa forma, o presente trabalho teve como objetivo geral, avaliar as respostas de genótipos de amendoim submetidos a condições hídricas. Foram desenvolvidos dois estudos na FCAV/UNESP e dois no INTA, Argentina. Nos estudos realizados na FCAV, objetivou-se (i) avaliar a qualidade fisiológica de sementes de genótipos de amendoim submetidos a deficiência hídrica. Com base nos resultados desse trabalho, concluiu-se que as linhagens '506', '599' e '870' e o cultivar IAC Tatu-ST são os mais tolerantes a deficiência hídrica; (ii) analisar as alterações anatomo-fisiológico de genótipos de amendoim submetidos a deficiência hídrica. Nesse trabalho, verific... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In peanut, plants are subject to various stresses, be they biotic or abiotic. Among the main abiotic factors, water deficiency is considered one of the major obstacles during the productive process. Therefore, the understanding of the adaptive mechanisms used by plants to tolerate water deficiency is of paramount importance for decision making during the implantation of a cropping system. As the peanut crop presents a certain tolerance to water stress, it is necessary to know what mechanisms are involved in the adaptive process of these plants, in order to select genotypes with greater tolerance to drought and of this information, to expand the crop to regions with lower water availability and provide subsidies for the increase the national production. Thus, the present work had as general objective to evaluate the behavior of peanut genotypes submitted to water conditions. Two studies were developed at FCAV/UNESP and two studies at INTA, Argentina. In the studies conducted at FCAV, the objective was to (i) evaluate the physiological quality of seeds of peanut genotypes submitted to water deficiency. Based on the results of this work, it was concluded that genotypes '506', '599', 'Tatu-ST' and '870' are the most recommended for environments with lower water availability; (ii) to analyze the anatomo-physiological behavior of peanut genotypes submitted to water deficiency. In this work, it was verified that for the anatomo-physiological behavior of the genotypes, the lineages '... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Fluid intake and regulation are implicated in the control of energy balance and appetite. The studies in this thesis have examined the effects of fluid manipulation on appetite and energy intake. Fifty-eight young, predominantly Caucasian males were recruited to five studies. The age, height and body mass of the subjects were: 24.9 ± 3.8 y, 1.79 ± 0.1 m, 80.1 ± 14.8 kg (mean ± SD) respectively. In Chapter 3, 13 h of hypohydration after exercise in the heat did not influence energy intake at an ad-libitum buffet meal (P=0.436) compared to a euhydrated trial, although greater thirst (P < 0.001) and lower fullness (P < 0.01) was reported in the hypohydration trial. Chapter 4 demonstrated that there was no difference in energy intake or appetite after 24 h of hypohydration either with or without fluid during a semi-solid ad-libitum breakfast. Thirst and fluid intake were greater during the hypohydrated with fluid (HYPO-F; 618 (251) mL) than the euhydrated with fluid (EU-F; 400 (247) mL) trials (P < 0.01). Chapter 5 and 6 showed that a bolus of water (500 mL) immediately before an ad-libitum porridge breakfast reduced energy intake in both healthy and overweight and obese subjects (P < 0.001). The water preload increased fullness and decreased hunger compared to pre-trial in both studies (P < 0.001). In Chapter 7, 75 minutes before an ad-libitum lunch a post-exercise milk (MILK) based drink reduced energy intake (6746 (2035) kJ) compared to an isoenergetic flavoured carbohydrate (CHO) and water based drink (7762 (1921) kJ; 7672 (2005) kJ) (P < 0.05). This thesis has shown that when subjects are hypohydrated, either after exercise or after 24 h of fluid restriction energy intake is not different at an ad-libitum meal. However, there is an increased thirst and subsequent fluid intake before an ad-libitum meal (chapter 3 and 4). This effect was more acutely displayed when a bolus of water was provided immediately before an ad-libitum breakfast meal and subsequently decreased energy intake in both normal and overweight/ obese subjects (chapter 5 and 6). The possible mechanism for this was gastric fill and distension creating satiety before a meal. Chapter 7 has showed that when subjects consume isoenergetic drinks with different energy densities (milk vs CHO and water), before an ad-libitum lunch, energy intake was decreased when milk was consumed. Milk having an increased energy density due to larger protein fractions (casein) may further explain the decrease in energy intake found in chapters 5 and 6 by a similar mechanism. Therefore, gastric fill before a meal decreases ad-libitum energy intake by either the intake of water immediately before a meal or by milk as a more delayed response (75 min). The hydration status however, did not affect energy intake directly in our finding, although it did affect subsequent fluid ingestion, which may have affected findings in chapters 3 and 4.

This study incorporates high precision zoned garnet samarium-neodymium geochronology and thermodynamic analysis of garnet forming dehydration reactions to determine the amount of water release during both subduction and mountain building. Garnet grows during rock dehydration, providing both a temporal and geodynamic record of not only its growth, but of associated dehydration. Laboratory experiments and geodynamic models have been used to predict amounts of dehydration during metamorphism based on equilibrium assumptions. If equilibrium is not maintained, or if aspects of the geodynamic modeling are incorrect, these model-based predictions will prove inaccurate. Field-based evidence is necessary to test such model predictions and to elucidate both the timing and duration of dehydration and the role of kinetics during metamorphism. Localities that have undergone dehydration and associated fluid flow provide natural laboratories in which to study these geologic processes. This study focuses on two geologic settings: regional orogenesis (Townshend Dam, Vermont) and subduction zone metamorphism (Sifnos, Greece). Regional metamorphism of the pelitic schists of Townshend Dam occurred during the Acadian orogeny peaking at ~381 Ma. Garnet growth lasted for 4.2 ± 2.4 million years. Thermodynamic forward modeling from this study has shown that an early stage of burial of the rocks without significant heating first occurred, followed then by a period of intense heating at depth, during which, roughly 2 vol.% water was lost from the rock. In contrast, metamorphism, and thus dehydration, during subduction of a continental margin in Sifnos, Greece was found to have occurred in as brief a timespan as tens to hundreds of thousands of years, releasing 2-3 vol.% water during a period of intense heating at ~75 km depth between ~47-44 million years ago. This short time interval represents a discrete pulse of dehydration and heating within the context of the process of subduction, which probably occurred over timescales of 10 to 20 million years in this location. This is the first study to provide a field-based constraint on the magnitude, timing, and rate of dehydration during subduction, a process that causes intermediate-depth earthquakes, mantle melting and volcanism, and large scale changes to the global water cycle.

Orientador: José Eduardo Pitelli Turco / Banca: Antonio Carlos Barreto / Banca: Anaira Denise Caramelo / Banca: José Renato Zanini / Banca: David Luciano Rosalen / Resumo: O Brasil é lider mundial na produção de açúcar e etanol, devido ao intenso cultivo da cultura de cana-de-açúcar principalmente na região Sudeste do país. No entanto sua expansão em outras áreas vem ganhando força nos últimos anos, o que tem acarretado variações significativas nas safras devido aos problemas relacionados ao clima da região e caracterísiticas topográficas do terreno. A limitação hídrica e as altas temperaturas do ar podem gerar danos irrerversíveis às plantas e impactos ao produtor final. O uso de índices de estresse hídrico nas fases de desenvolvimento da cultura pode atuar como uma ferramenta essencial no manejo da irrigação, prevenindo os efeitos negativos desencadeados pelo estresse hídrico nas plantas. Objetivou-se com este trabalho determinar índices de estresse hídrico em cana-de-açúcar nas diferentes fases de desenvolvimento. Para isso avaliaram-se os índices de estresse hídrico nas diferentes fases de desenvolvimento das plantas, o potencial de água no solo, o potencial matricial de água, a taxa fotossintética e o índice do conteudo de clorofila das folhas e a condução do sistema produtivo no período de coleta de dados. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida na área experimental do Departamento de Engenharia Rural da FCAV/UNESP, denominada "Bacia Hidrográfica Experimental", utilizando superfícies caracterizadas como H1 (superfície horizontal na capacidade de campo) e H2 (superfície horizontal, sob déficit hídrico induzido), 20N e 40N (superfícies com 20 e 40% de ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Brazil is the world leader in the production of sugar and ethanol, due to the intense cultivation of sugarcane cultivation mainly in the Southeast region of the country. However, its expansion in other areas has been gaining strength in the last years, which has caused significant variations in the harvests due to problems related to the climate of the region and topographic characteristics of the terrain. Water limitation and high air temperatures can generate irreversible damage to the plants and impacts the final producer. The use of water stress indices in the development stages of the crop can act as an essential tool in the management of irrigation, preventing the negative effects triggered by water stress in the plants. The objective of this work was to determine water stress indexes in sugarcane at different stages of development. For this, the water stress indexes were evaluated in the different phases of plant development, soil water potential, water matrix potential, photosynthetic rate and index of leaf chlorophyll content and the conduction of the productive system in the soil. period of data collection. The research was developed in the experimental area of the Department of Rural Engineering of the FCAV / UNESP, denominated "Experimental Hydrographic Basin", using surfaces characterized as H1 (horizontal surface in the field capacity) and H2 (horizontal surface, under induced water deficit), 20N and 40 N (surfaces with 20 and 40% slope and northern exposure, under induced water deficit), 20S and 40S (surfaces with 20 and 40% slope and south exposure, under induced water deficit), 20E and 40E (surfaces with 20 and 40% slope and east exposure, under induced water deficit) and 20 and 40W (areas with 20 and 40% slope and west exposure... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Malnutrition and dehydration are prevalent health risks among older adults in skilled nursing facilities, particularly among those with cognitive impairments. Existing behavioral interventions do not consider social aspects of mealtimes, and there is limited research on social aspects of mealtimes in older adults. The current study introduces nonconscious behavioral mimicry as a social approach to supplement existing interventions. A repeated measures design examining the imitation of a confederate’s drinking and cup touching behaviors was employed to investigate whether these behaviors can be altered due to nonconscious behavioral mimicry in healthy older adults (N = 14; M = 71 years old). Findings indicate that behavioral mimicry increased drinking behaviors, while no significant effect was observed with cup touching behaviors. One plausible reason for this is the goal-directed nature of drinking behaviors. This thesis supports further studies to increase the magnitude of nonconscious behavioral mimicry in older adult populations with cognitive impairments.

Óxido e fosfato de nióbio, calcinados em diferentes temperaturas, foram usados como catalisadores na reação de desidratação de 1-butanol, onde o efeito da temperatura de reação, da massa de catalisador e da vazão de butanol sobre a conversão e seletividade a butenos foram avaliadas através de um plano experimental. Foram caracterizadas as propriedades cristalográficas dos catalisadores. A maioria dos catalisadores apresentaram uma estrutura amorfa, mas algumas amostras apresentaram uma estrutura cristalina quando calcinadas em maiores temperaturas, 500 e 850 °C para o NbO e NbP, respectivamente. Nos testes reacionais, observou-se que o aumento da temperatura de calcinação dos catalisadores reduziu a conversão de 1-butanol. O catalisador fosfato de nióbio apresentou maior atividade, já que foi obtida uma conversão similar à do óxido de nióbio com uma massa 5 vezes menor, indicando a presença de sítios ácidos mais ativos. Além disso, a variável reacional que teve maior efeito na conversão foi a vazão de alimentação de 1-butanol; e seu aumento causou um decréscimo nos valores de conversão. Este comportamento indicou que a ordem aparente da reação é menor que um, o que foi confirmado por um modelo cinético baseado em lei de potência, o qual ajustado aos dados experimentais resultou em uma ordem aparente em torno de zero Equações fenomenológicas de velocidade de reação baseadas no modelo LHHW foram desenvolvidos. O teste estatístico F de Fisher foi utilizado para comparar os modelos fenomenológicos obtidos: para o óxido de nióbio calcinado em 400 °C o modelo heterogêneo que leva em conta apenas a adsorção de butanol foi considerado o mais adequado; para o fosfato de nióbio calcinado em 400 °C o modelo heterogêneo que leva em conta a adsorção de butanol e de água foi o mais adequado. Para ambos os catalisadores, com exceção do NbO calcinado em 500 °C, foi observada uma significativa isomerização de 1-buteno a 2-buteno, principalmente nas condições que foi obtida uma maior conversão de butanol. Este fato comprova a elevada força ácida destes catalisadores. A seletividade a 2-buteno foi maior ou igual a 1-buteno em todas as temperaturas e condições de reação com fosfato de nióbio. Para o óxido de nióbio, a seletividade a 2-buteno foi maior em poucas condições reacionais. / Niobium oxide and phosphate, calcined at different temperatures, were used as catalysts in the 1-butanol dehydration reaction, where the effect of reaction temperature, catalyst mass and butanol flow rate on conversion and selectivity to butenes were evaluated through an experimental design. The catalysts crystallographic properties were characterized. Most catalysts presented an amorphous structure, but some samples presented a crystalline structure when calcined at higher temperatures, 500 and 850 °C for NbO and NbP, respectively. In the reaction testes, it was observed that the increase in the catalysts calcination temperature decreased the 1-butanol conversion. The niobium phosphate catalyst presented higher activity, since it was obtained a similar conversion to that of niobium oxide with a mass 5 times lower, indicating the presence of more active acidic sites. Furthermore, the reaction variable that had the highest effect on the conversion was in the 1-butanol feeding flow rate; and its growth caused a decrease in the conversion values. This behavior indicated that the apparent reaction order is lower than one, which was confirmed through a kinetic model based on power law, which adjusted to the experimental data resulted in an apparent order around zero Phenomenological equations of reaction rate based on the LHHW model were developed. The Fisher statistical test was used to compare the phenomenological models obtained: for the niobium oxide calcined at 400 °C the heterogeneous model that takes into account only the adsorption of butanol was considered the most adequate; for the niobium phosphate calcined at 400 °C the heterogeneous model that takes into account the adsorption of butanol and of water was the most adequate. For both catalysts, with the exception of NbO calcined at 500 °C, a significant isomerization of 1-butene to 2-butene was observed, mainly in the conditions that were obtained a higher conversion of butanol. This fact proves the elevated acid strength of these catalysts. The selectivity to 2-butene was higher or equal to 1-butene at all reaction temperature and conditions where niobium phosphate was employed. For the niobium oxide, the selectivity to 2-butene was higher in a few reaction conditions.