This dissertation focuses on the development and implementation of a new method to solve the time-dependent form of the linear Boltzmann transport equation for reactor transients. This new method allows for a stable solution to the fully explicit form of the transport equation with delayed neutrons by employing an error-controlled, adaptive Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg (RKF) method to differentiate the time domain. Allowing for the time step size to vary adaptively and as needed to resolve the time-dependent behavior of the angular flux and neutron precursor concentrations. The RKF expansion of the time domain occurs at each point and is coupled with a Source Iteration to resolve the spatial behavior of the angular flux at the specified point in time. The decoupling of the space and time domains requires the application of a quasi-static iteration between solving the time domain using adaptive RKF with error control and resolving the space domain with a Source Iteration sweep. The research culminated with the development of the 1-D Adaptive Runge-Kutta Time-Dependent Transport code (ARKTRAN-TD), which successfully implemented the new method and applied it to a suite of reactor transient benchmarks.

Alteration of one sensory system can have striking effects on the processing and organization of the remaining senses, a phenomenon known as cross-modal plasticity. The goal of this thesis was to understand the circuit basis of this form of plasticity. I established the mouse as a model system for studying cross-modal plasticity by comparing population activity in visual cortex between animals reared in complete darkness from birth (DR) to those housed in a normal light/dark environment (LR). I found that secondary visual cortex (V2L) responds much more strongly to auditory stimuli in DR than LR. I provide evidence that there is a sensitive period for cross-modal responses that ends in early adulthood. I also show that exposure to light later in life reduces V2L auditory activity to LR levels. I recorded single units to show that there is a higher percentage of auditory responsive neurons in DR V2L. In collaboration with Lia Min in Michela Fagiolini’s laboratory, we discovered that this was associated with an increase in the number of projections from auditory thalamus and auditory cortex. We also provide evidence that V2L is multimodal from birth and becomes less so with visual experience. I examined several molecular pathways that are affected by dark-rearing to see if they are involved in cross-modal plasticity. I found that Nogo receptor (NgR), Lynx1, and Icam5 signaling all play a fundamental role in controlling the duration of plasticity. I also show that the hyperconnectivity in NgR -/- and DR mice leads to an increase in multisensory enhancement. In primary visual cortex, cross-modal influences were much weaker. Similar to V2L, the distribution of cell types was affected by NgR signaling. I also found that both the range of cross-modal influence and its sign (excitatory or inhibitory) is dependent on visual experience. Finally, I show that NgR signaling and the maturation of inhibitory circuits affect these two properties. Together, these results provide evidence of the molecular mechanisms underlying cross-modal plasticity. We believe that this will further our knowledge of how to improve rehabilitation strategies after loss of a sensory system.

In this dissertation a class of stochastic differential equations is considered in the limit as mass tends to zero, called the Smoluchowski-Kramers limit. The Smoluchowski-Kramers approximation is useful in simplifying the dynamics of a system. For example, the problems of calculating of rates of chemical reactions, describing dynamics of complex systems with noise, and measuring ultra small forces, are simplified using the Smoluchowski-Kramers approximation. In this study, we prove strong convergence in the small mass limit for a multi-dimensional system with arbitrary state-dependent friction and noise coefficients. The main result is proved using a theory of convergence of stochastic integrals developed by Kurtz and Protter. The framework of the main theorem is sufficiently arbitrary to include systems of stochastic differential equations driven by both white and Ornstein-Uhlenbeck colored noises.

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In nature, non-covalent interactions are as important and dynamic as they are elusive. As such, the study of non-covalent interactions both in vivo and in vitro has proven to be challenging. Given the potential benefits of elucidating protein-protein, ligand-receptor, and other biologically relevant interactions, the development of methodologies for the study of non-covalent interactions is an attractive goal.Biologically encoded protein and peptide libraries that connect the genotypic information with the expressed phenotype have emerged in recent years as powerful methods for studying non-covalent interactions. One of the quintessential platforms for the creation of such libraries is phage display. In phage display, the connection between genetic information and the corresponding protein allows for the iterative isolation and amplification of library members that possess a desired function. Hence, an in vitro selection can be used to isolate epitopes that bind to desired targets or display specific attributes.We have sought to develop novel phage display methodologies that have the potential to expand the scope of this in vitro selection platform. Specifically, we developed a method for the non-covalent attachment of a small molecule ligand to a cyclic peptide library. This system localizes the phage display library to the ligand binding site, thus allowing for the translation of the selected cyclic peptides to a covalently tethered bivalent inhibitor.The first class of biological molecules that we chose to target with our methodology is the biologically and therapeutically important class of enzymes called protein kinases. In the first demonstration of this strategy, we were able to isolate cyclic peptide ligands for the model kinase PKA (cAMP-dependent protein kinase), which were subsequently translated to a bivalent inhibitor. This inhibitor showed both increased affinity and selectivity for PKA in relation to other protein kinases.In a separate project, we sought to develop a method for the isolation of small molecule-responsive mutants of a well-characterized protein scaffold from a phage display library. During these investigations, we discovered interesting homologous single-point mutations of the protein that resulted in large spherical oligomers that may mimic species relevant to the study of protein misfolding diseases such as Alzheimer's.

A new algorithm for modeling and simulation of lossy interconnect structures modeled by transmission lines with Frequency Independent Line Parameters (FILP) or Frequency Dependent Line Parameters (FDLP) is developed in this research. Since frequency-dependent RLGC parameters must be employed to correctly model skin effects and dielectric losses for high-performance interconnects, we first study the behaviors of various lossy interconnects that are characterized by FILP and FDLP. Current general macromodeling methods and Model Order Reduction (MOR) algorithms are discussed. Next, some canonical integrals that are associated with transient responses of lossy transmission lines with FILP are presented. By using contour integration techniques, these integrals can be represented as closed-form expressions involving special functions, i.e., Incomplete Lipshitz-Hankel Integrals (ILHIs) and Complementary Incomplete Lipshitz-Hankel Integrals (CILHIs). Various input signals, such as ramp signals and the exponentially decaying sine signals, are used to test the expressions involving ILHIs and CILHIs. Excellent agreements are observed between the closed-form expressions involving ILHIs and CILHIs and simulation results from commercial simulation tools. We then developed a frequency-domain Dispersive Hybrid Phase-Pole Macromodel (DHPPM) for lossy transmission lines with FDLP, which consists of a constant RLGC propagation function multiplied by a residue series. The basic idea is to first extract the dominant physical phenomenology by using a propagation function in the frequency domain that is modeled by FILP. A rational function approximation is then used to account for the remaining effects of FDLP lines. By using a partial fraction expansion and analytically evaluating the required inverse Fourier transform integrals, the time-domain DHPPM can be decomposed as a sum of canonical transient responses for lines with FILP for various excitations (e.g., trapezoidal and unit-step). These canonical transient responses are then expressed analytically as closed-form expressions involving ILHIs, CILHIs, and Bessel functions. The DHPPM simulator can simulate transient results for various input waveforms on both single and coupled interconnect structures. Comparisons between the DHPPM results and the results produced by commercial simulation tools like HSPICE and a numerical Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) show that the DHPPM results are very accurate.

Telecommunication systems are under constant development. Currently 3GPP is working on an evolution of the 3G-standard, under the name 3G Long Term Evolution (LTE). Some of the goals are higher throughput and higher peak bit rates. A crucial part to achieve the higher performance is channel dependent scheduling (CDS). CDS is to assign users when they have favorable channel conditions. Channel dependent scheduling demands accurate and timely channel quality reports. These channel quality indication (CQI) reports can possibly take up a large part of the allocated uplink. This thesis report focuses on the potential gains from channel dependent scheduling in contrast to the loss in uplink to reporting overhead. System simulations show that the gain from channel dependent scheduling is substantial but highly cell layout dependent. The gain with frequency and time CDS, compered to CDS in time domain only, is also large, around 20\%. With a full uplink it can still be a considerable gain in downlink performance if a large overhead is used for channel quality reports. This gives a loss in uplink performance, and if the uplink gets to limited it will severely affect both uplink and downlink performance negatively. How to schedule and transmit CQI-reports is also under consideration. A suggested technique is to transmit the CQI reports together with uplink data. With a web traffic model simulations show that a high uplink load is required to get the reports often enough. The overhead also gets unnecessary large, if the report-size only depends on the allocated capacity.

Data from longitudinal surveys give rise to many statistical challenges. They often come from a vast, heterogeneous population and from a complex sampling design. Further, they are usually collected retrospectively at intermittent interviews spaced over a long period of time, which gives rise to missing information and loss to follow-up. As a result, duration data from this kind of surveys are subject to dependent censoring, which needs to be taken into account to prevent biased analysis. Methods for point and variance estimation are developed using Inverse Probability of Censoring (IPC) weights. These methods account for the random nature of the IPC weights and can be applied in the analysis of duration data in survey and non-survey settings. The IPC estimation techniques are based on parametric estimating function theory and involve the estimation of dropout models. Survival distributions without covariates are estimated via a weighted Kaplan-Meier method and regression modeling through the Cox Proportional Hazards model and other models is based on weighted estimating functions. The observational frameworks from Statistics Canada's Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID) and the UK Millenium Cohort Study are used as motivation, and durations of jobless spells from SLID are analyzed as an illustration of the methodology. Issues regarding missing information from longitudinal surveys are also discussed.

Šiame darbe bandyta išsiaiškinti darbdavių požiūrį į narkotikų vartotojus, kaip socialinės atskirties išraiška, nes priklausomų asmenų dažniausiai yra bijoma, jiems klijuojamos nusikaltėlių etiketės. Darbo tikslas – ištirti darbdavių požiūrį į sergančius priklausomybės ligomis asmenis ir jų galimybes integruotis į darbo rinką. Narkomanijos problemos, kaip socialinio reiškinio, sprendimui, įtakos turi visuomenės požiūris ir tolerancija į narkotikų vartotojus, kaip į socialinės atskirties išraišką, todėl svarbu ištirti šį reiškinį per visuomenės dalies t.y. darbdavių požiūrio prizmę ir numatyti problemos sprendimo galimus kelius. Keliamas probleminis klausimas: koks darbdavių (kurie turi įdarbine savo kolektyve priklausomą asmenį, ir kurie tokios patirties neturi), požiūris į tuos narkotikų vartotojus, kurie bando resocializuotis į visuomenę, ieškotis darbo, keisti savo gyvenimo būdą? Atliekant tyrimą taikomas kokybinis metodas – pusiau struktūruotas giluminis interviu. Išvados, daromos remiantis kokybine informacija, negali būti statistiškai pateikiamos visai generalinei visumai. Pagrindinis tyrimo tikslas: ištirti darbdavių požiūrį, nuostatas į priklausomus nuo narkotikų. Iš viso atlikta 14 interviu su darbdaviais. Du darbdaviai turi įdarbinę savo įmonėje priklausomus asmenis, kiti tokios patirties neturi. Apklausti darbdaviai iš šių miestų:Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Visaginas, Druskininkai. Šie miestai buvo pasirinkti todėl, kad pagal Vilniaus priklausomybės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this paper work, it is have been tried to ascertain the employers’ attitude to drug addicts as a special separate aspect, as usually people are afraid of these who live in dependence and who are labeled as criminals. The aim of this work is to explore employers’ attitude to people who are suffering from dependent illnesses and their possibilities to integrate into labour market. For the solution of drug addiction problems, as a social phenomenon, society attitude and tolerance towards drug addicts, as a special separate aspect, has got some influence, so it is important to explore this phenomenon through the public part, it means through the employers’ attitude prism and to envisage several ways for solution of this problem. A problem question is raised: what kind of attitude do the employers (who have employed a dependent person into their collective and people who have no such experience) have towards drug addicts who try to socialize back to society, find a job or change their way of life? During this research, a qualitative method is employed – a deep semi–structured interview. Finding, done appealing to qualitative information, can not be statistically given to all general entirety. There have been 14 interviews done with the employers. Two of the employers have employed dependent people to their company, while others do not have such experience. The interviewed employers are from these towns: Vilnius, Kaunas, Panevėžys, Šiauliai, Visaginas, Druskininkai. These... [to full text]

Groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs), including wetlands and river baseflow systems, are a topic of substantial scientific study. The degradation of GDEs due to urbanization has been well documented. An altered hydrologic regime, through increased impervious area resulting in a flashier hydrologic regime with lower troughs, higher peaks, and quicker changes, has been recognized as a main factor affecting ecological condition. Yet studies on GDEs rarely include a hydrologic modelling component. In this study, the conjunctive hydrologic model MIKE SHE was used to simulate the Lovers Creek subwatershed near Barrie, ON. The hydrologic regime was simulated for pre-development (natural), current (urbanized), and various low-impact development (LID) land use scenarios. The results were linked to the ecological condition via the TQmean metric, which has been used in the literature to relate the hydrologic and ecological conditions of streams. The highest percentage LID scenario restored, on average, 11% of the reduction in TQmean that occurred from pre-development to urbanized conditions, indicating that LID has the potential to protect GDEs in urbanized watersheds. It is expected that the effect of LID would be amplified if considered on a more local scale within a predominantly high density urban area. Recommendations for future modelling efforts to evaluate GDEs and represent LID are made.