Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992. / Also available in print.

Orientador: Josmar Mazucheli / Resumo: Na análise de séries climatológicas, a metodologia conhecida como “análise de frequências” inicia-se, após a verificação da validade de algumas suposições, pela escolha e ajuste de uma distribuição de probabilidade. A etapa mais importante desta análise é a escolha ou seleção da distribuição de probabilidade que melhor descreva o verdadeiro comportamento da variável em estudo. Uma vez adotada uma distribuição de probabilidade que esteja bem ajustada, segundo um ou vários critérios, é de interesse, por exemplo, estimar a probabilidade de que eventos de certa magnitude sejam igualados ou excedidos em T anos. O inverso desta probabilidade é chamado de período de retorno, sendo esta uma medida de extrema importância na avaliação de riscos associados a fenômenos climatológicos. Em princípio, qualquer distribuição de probabilidade com suporte nos números reais positivos pode ser utilizada na descrição do comportamento de séries fluviométricas, pluviométricas, eólicas, entre outras. Em se tratando de séries pluviométricas, formadas, por exemplo, pelas pluviosidades diárias, decendiais, mensais, trimestrais e anuais, as distribuições Gama e Weibull são as mais utilizadas. Nos últimos anos, a partir de métodos específicos, uma infinidade de novas distribuições vêm sendo propostas para a análise de observações contínuas e estritamente positivas, cujas aplicações, em sua grande maioria, restringem-se a dados de sobrevivência e confiabilidade. Nesta dissertação de Mestrado, foram avaliad... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: In the climatological series analysis, a methodology known as “frequency analysis” begins, after the validity of some assumptions, by choice and adjustment of a probability distribution. The most important step of this analysis is the choice or selection of probability distribution that best describes the true behavior of the variable under study. Once a probability distribution, that is well adjusted according to one or several criteria, is adopted, it is of interest, for example, to estimate a probability of events of a certain magnitude that are matched or exceeded in T years. The opposite of this probability is called a return period, which is a measure of extreme importance in the evaluation of risks associated with climatological phenomena. In principle, any probability distribution supported by positive real numbers can be used to describe the behavior of fluviometric, pluviometric and wind series, among others. When it comes to the case of rainfall series, formed, for example, by daily, decendial, monthly, quarterly and annual rainfall, the Gamma and Weibull Distributions are more used. In recent years, from specific methods, a plethora of new distributions are being proposed for an analysis of continuous and strictly positive observations, which applications, for the most part, are restricted to survival and reliability data. In this Master’s dissertation, the performances of the Odd Weibull, Marshall-Olkin Weibull, Exponentiated Weibull and Transmutated Weibull Dist... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Orientador: José Eduardo Corrente / Resumo: A epilepsia afeta milhares de pessoas mundialmente, se tornando um problema de saúde pública. Tem-se como objetivo deste estudo avaliar a distribuição espacial dos domicílios de pessoas com epilepsia no municipio de São José do Rio Preto, situado no Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, como também verificar sua distribuição de acordo com sexo, tipo de epilepsia, frequência das crises epilépticas e fatores socioeconômicos. Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico transversal da epilepsia baseado em arquivos de atendimento primário e de registros computadorizados de ambulatório de hospital terceário, sendo a coleta de dados realizada a partir de 1/1/2003 até 31/12/2012. Foram rastreados um total de 136.512 receitas de fármacos antiepiléticos, com 2377 casos confirmados de pessoas com epilepsia. Foi constatado gênero feminino de maior predominância, em maioria adultos, com tipo de crise focal e esporádicas, referente as classes econômicas, as classes C e D concentram-se maior população acometida pela patologia. Foi verificado estatisticamente que a distribuição dos jovens não teve evidência de associação entre as regiões sociodemográficas estudadas, assim como o sexo, tipos, duração e frequência da crise; a evidência de associação foi encontrada entre as faixas etárias e as regiões sociodemográficas, com idosos predominando nas regiões Sul e Central, crianças e adultos na região Norte. Concluiu-se que este estudo foi capaz de evidenciar com clareza de imagens, a distribuição espacial de pe... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Epilepsy affects several thousand people worldwide, becoming a public health problem. This study aims to evaluate the spatial distribution of dwelling for people with epilepsy in São José do Rio Preto, São Paulo, Brazil, as well as verify their distribution according to sex, type of epilepsy, frequency of epileptic seizures and socioeconomic factors. This is an epidemiological study on epilepsy based on primary care and computerized records of a medical outpatient clinic of a tertiary referral hospital. The data collection was performed from January 1, 2003 to December 31, 2012. A total of 136,512 prescriptions of antiepileptic drugs were screened, with 2377 confirmed cases of people with epilepsy. The female gender was found to be the most prominent in most adults with focal and sporadic seizures concerning the economic classes, in which the classes C and D are responsible for the largest population affected by this condition. It was statistically found that the distribution of young people had no evidence of association between the sociodemographic regions studied, as well as sex, types, duration and frequency of the seizures; evidence of association was found between age groups and socio-demographic areas with the elderly predominating in the South and Central regions, children and adults in the North. It was concluded that this study was able to clearly show the spatial distribution of people with epilepsy, corroborating other researches. The findings may help in preventi... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Figure valorisée de la distribution, le contrat de franchise reflète une conception moderne du contrat où se conjugue différents caractères. Il est tout à la fois, un contrat de distribution en réseau qui s'intègre dans la catégorie des contrats de réitération, un contrat de financement et un contrat de collaboration. Le contrat de franchise est également une figure décriée de la distribution. Certaines difficultés liées à l'évolution de la législation et à celle de la jurisprudence alimentent les critiques à son encontre. De même, l'existence d'un déséquilibre informationnel et ce, dès l'origine de la relation contractuelle, peut conduire à créer un déséquilibre économique et éventuellement juridique entre les parties. Si la réglementation applicable au contrat de franchise ainsi que l'ensemble des clauses contractuelles contribuent à encadrer les rapports entre les parties au contrat, l'absence de régime juridique propre au contrat de franchise contribue, toutefois, au développement de contentieux en la matière. / As an idea valued by distribution agreements reflect a modern understanding of the contract in which different characteristics are combined. It is at the same, a network distribution agreement, belonging in the category of reiterative agreements, a financing agreement, and a collaboration agreement. Franchise agreements are also an idea that is disparaged by ditribution. There are some challenges un connection whith changes in legislation and case law that feed the critiques against them. Likewise, the existence of an information imbalance at the start of the contractual relationship can lead to an economic, and possibly, a legal imbalance between the parties. While the regulations applicable to contract agreements as well as of the contractual clauses help to frame the relationship between the parties to the agreement, the absence of a legal system specific to franchise agreements contributes to the development of disputes on this topic.

Please read the abstract in the section, 00front, of this document / Dissertation (MSc (Zoology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Zoology and Entomology / MSc / unrestricted

Sodium balance and mortality rates were examined in five species of adult waterboatmen (Hemiptera: Corixidae) exposed to neutral and low pH waters. The five species were chosen to reflect a wide range of pH conditions in waters where they naturally occur. Cenocorixa bifida and C. expleta normally inhabit high pH waters, whereas C. blaisdelli and Hesperocorixa atopodonta can be found most often at neutral pH. Sigara omani occur in acidic waters. Haemolymph [Na], whole-body [Na], and sodium influx rates were recorded during exposures of 6-9 days at pH 7.0, 4.5, and 3.0. C. blaisdelli and H. atopodonta were studied throughout the year (spring, summer, and fall) . C. bifida and C. expleta were examined in the fall, while S. omani were tested in the spring. Overall, these corixids appeared to be tolerant of short-term exposure to low pH. Mortality for all species remained below 50% in both neutral and acidic pH levels throughout the year. Additionally, differences in haemolymph [Na], whole-body [Na], and sodium influx rates from pH 7.0 to either pH 4.5 or 3.0 were rarely significant. However, both inter- and intraspecific variation in sodium balance over the range of pH levels tested were apparent. Most notably, C. blaisdelli and H. atopodonta exhibited their highest concentrations of haemolymph and whole-body Na in the summer, under both natural conditions and in the laboratory at all pH levels. For C. blaisdelli, summer was also the time of highest mortality, with mortality increasing as pH was lowered. The observed correlation between high haemolymph/whole-body [Na] and high mortality in the summer appears to result from a relatively large decrease in haemolymph and whole-body [Na] when bugs were exposed to pH 3.0, at a time when these values were initially high. Fall was the season of lowest haemolymph/whole-body [Na], and also of lowest mortality, for both C. blaisdelli and H. atopodonta. Interspecific variation in the ability to tolerate low pH did not appear to reflect variation in the pH of water these bugs normally inhabit. Of the five species tested, H. atopodonta appeared best able to maintain internal homeostasis under acidic conditions, despite being common to neutral waters. Haemolymph [Na], whole-body [Na], and sodium influx rates did not change significantly from pH 7.0 to pH 3.0 in any season. Furthermore, C. blaisdelli, which was collected from the same pond as H. atopodonta, seemed to be least able to regulate internal milieu in low pH waters. In C. blaisdelli, exposure to pH 3.0 usually resulted in decreased haemolymph and whole-body [Na], relative to values recorded in those individuals exposed to pH 7.0. The difference in the size of these two species (H. atopodonta is approximately twice that of C. blaisdelli) may account for the observed variations in their respective sodium balance at low pH. / Science, Faculty of / Zoology, Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this work was to find a suitable calculation method for predicting the function of distribution systems in the design calculations of process and energy equipment. In particular, it aimed at describing the distribution of the working fluid flow in a dividing distribution system and a combined Z-type distribution system (with nozzles located parallel to opposite sides of the system). Analytical and CFD calculation tools validated by data from the performed physical experiments were used in this work. In the CFD method, the prediction of the dividing flow was performed for full 3D and simplified 2D geometry of Z-type distribution systems. The carried-out analyzes show that the prediction of the distribution system function obtained by both analytical and numerical approaches is accurate enough. The relative difference between the experimental and computational relative standard deviations did not exceed 9 %. The main disadvantage of 3D CFD analysis, especially concerning the purpose of the intended application, i.e., the inclusion of a distribution model in a complex modeling system for the initial design of heat transfer equipment, was the extremely long computational time. Analytical models appear to be a reasonable compromise between the accuracy of the flow distribution prediction and the computational times.

Objectives: To compare and contrast the geographic and demographic distribution of bro β-lactamase and antibiotic MIC50/90 for 1440 global Moraxella catarrhalis isolates obtained from children and adults between 2001 and 2002. Methods: One thousand four hundred and forty M. catarrhalis isolates originating from seven world regions were investigated. The isolates were recovered from 411 children <5 years of age and 1029 adults >20 years of age. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was performed to determine bro prevalence and to distinguish between bro types. MIC values of 12 different antibiotics were determined using the CLSI (formerly NCCLS) broth microdilution method. Results: Of the 1440 isolates, 1313 (91%) possessed the bro-1 gene and 64 (4%) possessed the bro-2 gene. Additionally, the prevalence of bro positivity between the child and adult age groups was significantly different (P<0.0001), though bro-1 and bro-2 prevalences within age groups were not significantly different. Consistently higher β-lactam MICs were observed for M. catarrhalis isolates originating in the Far East. Significant correlations in MICs were observed for several antibiotic combinations, including all five β-lactams with each other, and among the two quinolones. Conclusions: The worldwide prevalence of bro gene carriage in clinical isolates of M. catarrhalis is now approaching 95%, with children significantly more likely to harbour bro-positive isolates than adults. Further, statistically significant differences in the distribution of β-lactam MICs were observed between different world regions, particularly with respect to the Far East.

For a graph G=(V,E) and a set S⊆V, the boundary of S is the set of vertices in V∖S that have a neighbor in S. A non-empty set S⊆V is a distribution center if for every vertex v in the boundary of S, v is adjacent to a vertex in S, say u, where u has at least as many neighbors in S as v has in V∖S. The distribution center number of a graph G is the minimum cardinality of a distribution center of G. We introduce distribution centers as graph models for supply–demand type distribution. We determine the distribution center number for selected families of graphs and give bounds on the distribution center number for general graphs. Although not necessarily true for general graphs, we show that for trees the domination number and the maximum degree are upper bounds on the distribution center number.

Le lithium est le traitement de référence du trouble bipolaire. Cependant, il peut être responsable d’intoxications dont trois profils différents sont décrits chez l’homme, caractérisés par une expression variable encore inexpliquée de la neurotoxicité. Les objectifs de cette thèse étaient d’étudier la distribution cérébrale du lithium dans trois modèles de rats Sprague-Dawley reproduisant les modes d’intoxication au lithium chez l’homme et de déterminer son implication dans la survenue des complications neurologiques au moyen de tests comportementaux et d’une analyse électroencéphalographique. Dans ce contexte, une étude des relations effet/concentrations du lithium suivant le modèle d’intoxication a été conduite. Enfin, un protocole d’imagerie ex vivo permettant d’explorer la distribution intracérébrale du lithium a été mis en place chez le rat par résonance magnétique nucléaire du lithium-7. Ainsi, nous avons montré que les trois formes d’intoxication au lithium chez le rat diffèrent en termes de pharmacocinétique sanguine et cérébrale, mais aussi en termes d’intensité et de durée des effets neurocomportementaux. Nous avons mis en évidence une accumulation cérébrale de lithium significativement plus élevée suite à un prétraitement répété par lithium et majorée après induction d’une insuffisance rénale. Le surdosage de lithium était constamment à l’origine d’une hypolocomotion chez le rat, dont la profondeur et l’étendue apparaissaient être liées à la durée de l’exposition au lithium, et d’une encéphalopathie dont la sévérité apparaissait plutôt dépendre de la quantité de lithium cérébral accumulée. Ainsi, l’accumulation cérébrale de lithium pourrait engendrer des effets neurotoxiques directs et/ou indirects par modification de l’expression de cibles cérébrales spécifiques du lithium. Enfin, nous avons démontré la faisabilité et la fiabilité de notre technique d’imagerie ex vivo pour explorer la distribution cérébrale du lithium chez le rat, ouvrant dès lors des perspectives à son utilisation future chez l’homme / Lithium is the cornerstone treatment of bipolar disorder. However, lithium may be responsible for poisoning with three various profiles reported in humans and characterized by unexplained variable resulting neurotoxicity. Our objectives were to investigate brain lithium distribution in three Sprague-Dawley rat models mimicking the human intoxication patterns and define its involvement in the occurrence of neurological disorders using behavioral tests and electroencephalographic analysis. The effect/concentration relationships were studied according to the poisoning model. Finally, an ex vivo imaging protocol was established in the rat to investigate brain lithium distribution using the nuclear magnetic resonance of lithium-7. We showed significant differences between the three lithium poisoning patterns in the rat regarding the blood and brain lithium pharmacokinetics as well as the intensity and duration of lithium-induced neurobehavioural effects. We found significantly more marked brain lithium accumulation after an overdose following repeated lithium administration, enhanced after the induction of renal failure. In the rat, lithium overdose consistently induced hypolocomotion whose intensity was related to the duration of lithium exposure and encephalopathy whose severity rather depended on the lithium amount accumulated in the brain. Brain lithium accumulation seems thus able to generate direct and/or indirect neurotoxic effects mediated by the alteration of specific brain lithium target expression. Finally, we demonstrated the feasibility and reliability of our ex vivo imaging technique to investigate brain lithium distribution in the rat, supporting a possible future use in humans