El objetivo principal de esta tesis fue el de realizar una validación y caracterización de las posibles variables que pueden afectar la metodología empleada para identificar las isoformas presentes en algunas de las especies de EPO (uEPO, rEPO alfa, rEPO beta y el NESP) tras su identificación mediante la técnica de IEF e inmunodetección

With a demand for high-quality cotton fiber in international markets, improvement of fiber quality in U.S. grown commercial cultivars is necessary. Smith, Hague, Thaxton, and Jones developed a group of experimental lines in 2008 that produced extra-long staple fiber (>35.6 mm). This study determined general combining ability (GCA), and specific combining ability (SCA) of four experimental ELS lines and four commercial cultivars utilizing biplot and conventional diallel analysis, determined performance of F2 progeny, calculated broad-sense (H2) heritability estimates for F2 progeny, and verified the ability of selected parental combinations to produce variable segregating populations with variability of fiber traits. Initial crosses were made in 2007, with additional crosses being made in the field and in a greenhouse in 2008. F1 progeny and parents were grown in a replicated trial near College Station, TX, in 2007 and 2008. F2 progeny lines and parents were grown in replicated trials at two locations in 2008. Due to a significant GxY interaction for all F1 fiber traits, data were reported by years. Experimental ELS lines showed positive GCA effects for fiber length, strength, and length uniformity, while the majority of commercial lines showed negative effects. These findings suggest experimental ELS lines contain alleles for fiber length and strength not present in this particular set of commercial cultivars. Experimental ELS lines exhibited negative GCA effects for lint percent, which suggests further selection is needed for these lines to be commercially competitive. Performances of F2 lines suggest differences in fiber traits are predominantly due to additive gene action. Furthermore, data suggests alleles for fiber length and strength is present in the experimental ELS lines not present in the commercial cultivars. F2 progeny exhibited moderate heritability for all fiber traits. Sufficient variability exists within selected F2 progeny to select for phenotypes exhibiting improved fiber quality over commercial cultivar potential with similar agronomic qualities of commercial cultivars. The ELS lines are a useful source of germplasm for plant breeders looking to improve fiber qualities in their programs.

El campo de estudio de la Teoría de Juegos se centra en los modelos matemáticos de conflicto y cooperación entre agentes decisores racionales. Las situaciones y problemas que analiza surgen de la interdependencia que tienen las decisiones de los agentes y de su repercusión sobre la utilidad de cada uno de ellos (repercusiones de tipo económico, de poder o, simplemente, de satisfacción). Este planteamiento hace que un objeto de estudio importante para la Teoría de Juegos sea la Economía y, en general, las Ciencias Sociales.Las decisiones y acciones llevadas a cabo por los agentes pueden tomarse de forma independiente, aunque tomando en cuenta la actuación de otros decisores, o en cooperación y de forma coordinada con ellos. Estos dos enfoques dan lugar a la división de la Teoría de Juegos en un parte dedicada a los juegos cooperativos y en otra dedicada a los juegos no cooperativos. En la presente Tesis nos ocuparemos de modelizar situaciones dentro del campo de la Teoría de Juegos cooperativos.Básicamente, un juego cooperativo analiza cuál es el fruto de la cooperación conjunta entre los agentes con la intención de encontrar un criterio que permita la distribución de las ganancias o beneficios obtenidos. En muchos de los modelos estudiados se observa o se asume que la cooperación siempre incrementa positivamente los resultados; sin embargo, la forma en cómo se incrementa es diferente según los problemas analizados.Una primera idea al respecto nos diría que la adhesión de nuevos miembros a una coalición de agentes nunca empeora el resultado obtenido por la coalición; en Teoría de juegos esta noción se expresa mediante el concepto de monotonía. Una segunda idea reforzaría la anterior e indicaría que romper una coalición de agentes ya formada resultaría ineficiente pues los grupos resultantes de la escisión saldrían perdiendo; esta condición nos conduce a lo que en Teoría de Juegos se denomina superaditividad. Una tercera vía aún más restrictiva respecto a la manera en que la cooperación es beneficiosa exigiría que el efecto positivo de la adhesión de un nuevo agente a una coalición fuera mayor cuanto mayor fuera el número de participantes en la coalición; en otras palabras, estaríamos hablando de la noción de convexidad. Las dos primeras condiciones (monotonía y superaditividad) son muy generales y se asumen en la mayoría de modelos. La convexidad, sin embargo, implica una regularidad en la aportación de los nuevos jugadores al juego: siempre resulta más productivo que un jugador se incorpore a una coalición con muchos jugadores que a una con pocos jugadores.

Los agentes anabolizantes prohibidos por la Comisión Médica del Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI) deben estar ausentes en las muestras de orina objeto de análisis. El límite de detección está condicionado por la sensibilidad del instrumento y la relación señal/ruido debida al material biológico coextraído junto con los analitos de interés. Las nuevas exigencias de sensibilidad del COI como la detección de nuevas sustancias utilizadas en dosis sensiblemente inferiores, obliga al replanteamiento de la estrategia analítica utilizada. El objetivo general de esta tesis es: desarrollar nuevas técnicas analíticas de alta sensibilidad para la detección de esteroides y otros anabolizantes en orina humana mediante: 1.- Estudio de la cromatografía liquida capilar para la cuantificación de las concentraciones de testosterona y epitestosterona en orina humana. 2.- Estudio de la purificación de la muestra previa al análisis instrumental. - Estudio del uso de la cormatografía de inmunoafinidad (IAC) en la purificación selectiva dela muestra. - Desarrollo de procedimientos mediante cromatografía líquida de alta resolución para la purificación de fracciones en los análisis de confirmación. 3.- Incremento de la sensibilidad en el análisis instrumental. - Estudio de la formación de tert-butildimetilsilil derivados como alternativa a los trimestilsilil derivados habitualmente utilizados. - Estudio de la utilización de nueva instrumentación basada en la espectrometría de masas de trampa de iones y en tándem (MS/MS) para alcanzar la sensibilidad y selectividad requerida por los nuevos estánderes impuestos por las organizaciones internacionales del área de la salud, en particular en el deporte.

Submitted by Automação e Estatística (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2018-06-05T22:22:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LuizAugustoDaSilvaFlorencio_DISSERT.pdf: 2581481 bytes, checksum: 01670ae44134ef41cbe2490b4301c203 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-06-11T22:57:58Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 LuizAugustoDaSilvaFlorencio_DISSERT.pdf: 2581481 bytes, checksum: 01670ae44134ef41cbe2490b4301c203 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-11T22:57:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LuizAugustoDaSilvaFlorencio_DISSERT.pdf: 2581481 bytes, checksum: 01670ae44134ef41cbe2490b4301c203 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-26 / Estruturas geotécnicas estão sujeitas a incertezas decorrentes da variabilidade natural do solo e do conhecimento limitado dos diversos eventos envolvidos. Nesse sentido, a avaliação de incertezas em projetos geotécnicos pode ser feita mediante aplicação da teoria da confiabilidade. Entretanto, apesar da adoção de analises probabilísticas em normas internacionais e pesquisas científicas, pode-se dizer que, no Brasil, sua aplicação ainda é escassa, especialmente, em estruturas de contenção. Desse modo, nesse trabalho apresenta-se um estudo sobre confiabilidade geotécnica de contenções de estacas em balanço executadas em areia. Rotinas de cálculo computacional para análise de confiabilidade foram inicialmente desenvolvidas utilizando-se a linguagem Python. O primeiro grupo de rotinas foi desenvolvido para Estado Limite Último (ELU) através do método FORM (First Order Reliability Method) e da simulação de Monte Carlo. O segundo grupo de rotinas refere-se à análise de confiabilidade para Estado Limite de Serviço (ELS) mediante simulação de Monte Carlo. Uma contenção com características tipicamente executadas na cidade de Natal-RN foi analisada utilizando-se as rotinas desenvolvidas e para a realização de um estudo paramétrico. Para o ELS utilizou-se ainda o software de elementos finitos Plaxis 2D para obter os deslocamentos horizontais da contenção. A contenção analisada apresentou alta confiabilidade para o ELU com probabilidade de falha nula para os dois métodos probabilísticos e alto índice de confiabilidade tanto para o FORM quanto na simulação de Monte Carlo. Para o ELS, o aumento dos deslocamentos horizontais máximos permitidos diminuiu a probabilidade de falha e aumentou o índice de confiabilidade da contenção, em ambos os casos, com tendência linear. As análises de sensibilidade revelaram que o ângulo de atrito do solo foi a variável mais influente no ELU e ELS na grande maioria dos casos. O peso específico seco, por sua vez, teve baixa influência em todas as análises. Os métodos de sensibilidade aplicados juntos com o Plaxis 2D tiveram resultados satisfatórios para as avaliações da função de estado limite realizadas. Em relação à análise paramétrica, o superdimensionamento da ficha da contenção executada diminuiu a influência da variabilidade das propriedades do solo nos resultados. O efeito da variação das características do solo nos resultados só foi expressivo adotando-se valores de ficha menores que o executado. Nesse caso, considerando a profundidade de escavação constante, o aumento da ficha diminuiu a probabilidade de falha usando os dois métodos probabilísticos e os valores dos pontos de projeto fornecidos pelo FORM. A distribuição lognormal diminuiu a probabilidade de falha das análises no ELS. / Geotechnical structures are subject to different uncertainties due to the natural variability of the soil and because of the limited knowledge of the several related events. The evaluation of these uncertainties is possible with the application of the reliability theory. Despite the discussion on this topic presented in international standards and scientific researches, the application of the probabilistic theory in Brazil is still unusual, especially for retaining structures. Accordingly, this work presents a study on geotechnical reliability of cantilever pile walls in sand. First, computational routines were developed for reliability analysis using the Python language. The first series of routines was developed to evaluate the reliability for the Ultimate Limit State (ULS) of the structure using FORM (First Order Reability Method) and Monte Carlo simulation. The second group of routines was devised to evaluate the reliability for the Service Limit State (SLS) using Monte Carlo simulation. A project of a cantilever pile wall embedded in sandy soil, which is typically constructed in the city of Natal/RN, Brazil, was analyzed using the computational routines. A parametric study was conducted based on this specific retaining wall. Particularly for SLS evaluation, the Plaxis 2D finite element software was used to obtain the horizontal displacement values of the cantilever wall. The retaining structure presented high reliability for the ULS with insignificant probability of failure for both probabilistic methods and great reliability index values for the FORM and for the Monte Carlo simulation. For SLS, the increase in maximum allowed horizontal displacements decreased the failure probability and increased the pile wall reliability index, in a linear trend. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the soil friction angle was the most influential variable in ULS and SLS in most cases. On the other hand, soil dry unit weight showed a low influence in all analyzed cases. Sensitivity methods coupled with Plaxis 2D exhibited satisfactory results for the implemented evaluations. Regarding the parametric study, the oversized embedment depth of the structure led to a reduced influence of soil property variability on reliability analyses. The effect of soil properties variations on the results was significant only for adopted embedment depth smaller than that actually executed. For a constant depth of excavation, increasing embedment depths decreased the failure probability found by the two probabilistic methods and increased the design points provided by the FORM. The use of lognormal distribution reduced the failure probability of the SLS analyzes.

Abstract Stickies refer to tacky contaminants in recovered paper, excluding wood extractives. Stickies originate from adhesives, ink binders and coating binders. Stickies able to pass a sieve of 100 or 150 μm (depending on standard) are called micro stickies, whereas the particles retained on the screen are called macro stickies. Dissolved and colloidal stickies are called secondary stickies. There are standard methods for macro stickies, but a standard method measuring the total amount of stickies is lacking. Furthermore, the size distribution, and nature of stickies in the sense if they are free particles or agglomerated with some other substances, has not been previously known. The information on the removal of stickies in different unit operations was also not known very well except for macro stickies. The aim of this thesis was thus to develop an analysis method for the total amount of stickies, determine the size distribution and nature of stickies, and find ways to better remove stickies in the deinking process. Extraction with tetrahydrofuran (THF) and High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) with Size Exclusion Column (SEC) was used here to separate hydrophobic polymers (stickies) from the pulp suspension. An Evaporating solvent Light Scattering (ELS) detector was utilized to quantify the polymers after SEC. This analysis procedure was used in this thesis to measure stickies. Fractionation of pulp before the analysis was carried out if information of different-sized stickies was desired. The majority of stickies are micro stickies. A significant, although lower, portion of stickies are macrostickies, especially in the beginning of the deinking process. The dissolved and colloidal phase was found to contain wood extractives, and only trace amounts of stickies. Flotation is very effective in stickies removal. Ink and micro stickies were removed nearly equally in flotation, because they both are hydrophobic and are both in an optimal size range for removal in flotation. Ink measurements may be used for estimating the trends of stickies removal in flotation. The stickies removal in flotation may be enhanced by optimizing the pulper chemistry.

Ewing-like sarcomas (ELS) are a heterogenous group of neoplasms that typically occur in the bone and soft tissue of pediatric and young adult patients. ELS share various degrees of morphological, immunohistochemical, molecular, and clinical similarity with Ewing sarcomas. However, these tumors lack the pathognomonic molecular hallmark of Ewing sarcoma, which is defined as translocation between a gene of the RNA-binding TET family (EWSR1 or FUS) with a gene of the ETS-transcription family (FLI1, ERG, ETV1, ETV4, or FEV). Accurate classification and distinction from classical Ewing sarcomas is important for patient management. A subset of ELS harboring the BCOR-CCNB3 fusion has been described recently – the majority of which that have been reported to date are bone-based tumors, though there have been cases of discrete soft tissue-based tumors. We herein present a case of ELS harboring the BCOR-CCNB3 translocation occurring in a pediatric patient presenting with a large abdominal mass discovered on chest CT after failed outpatient treatment for pneumonia with effusion. This patient was a 14-year-old Caucasian boy with a past medical history significant for obesity and three episodes of pneumonia since 6-years-old. Imaging showed a large heterogeneous mass at the posterior left upper quadrant of the abdomen protruding through the posterior aspect of the left hemidiaphragm causing atelectasis. The mass abuts the inferior leftward aspect of the descending thoracic aorta and also protrudes between the 11th and 12th posterior lateral left rib. Pathology revealed this mass to be an Ewing-like sarcoma with a BCOR-CCNB3 fusion. Patient was treated with chemotherapy and radiation. This case demonstrates the importance of determining an accurate diagnosis to provide specific management.

This dissertation investigates the educational practices surrounding English Learners (ELs) with disabilities, a unique population of learners who are not only acquiring English as a Second Language (ESL) but also have an institutionally identified disability. Possessing these characteristics, these learners are located at an intersection--the intersection of minority social categories and the intersection of two disciplines, special education and ESL. This intersection is the source of educational ambiguity; namely educators are left wondering how they can possibly target the heterogeneous learning needs of these students within the course of any given school day. Employing ethnographic methodology, this dissertation was designed as a vertical case study of two elementary schools within Pennsylvania. With over a year of observations, 40 interviews, and artifact collection, this dissertation draws on intersectionality for its theoretical underpinnings to investigate the educational practices of service provision for ELs with disabilities. More concretely, it examines how institutional factors and personnel's beliefs construct and even limit the opportunities ELs with disabilities are offered within their learning contexts. It argues that second language (L2) identities are erased during service delivery practices through specific institutional and ideological factors, so that in effect, ELs with disabilities become learners with disabilities. Further, this dissertation questions the de facto policy of eliminating ESL services for special education with the understanding that such practices fail to address the multidimensionality of these learners while simultaneously circumventing educational law. / Teaching & Learning

As the number of English learners (ELs) grows in the United States, so does the achievement gap between ELs and non-ELs. Research highlights the effective leadership of school principals who lead with instructional, social justice, and collaborative leadership styles. School leaders can close achievement gaps but the research on the field of school leadership for ELs is limited. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the specific leadership practices elementary school principals implement to support the academic and non-academic needs of ELs. The study was conducted in one school division in the Mideastern United States using semi-structured interviews. This study generated nine findings and nine implications. Among the findings, school principals communicated high expectations for ELs prioritizing ELs' access to core content, established structures to support ELs' English language development, used data to guide instructional outcomes, promoted collective teacher efficacy within the context of a collaborative learning team, and provided ongoing professional learning opportunities to staff. In addition, school principals cultivated an environment of inclusion and access and set up structures that increased family engagement, encouraged the collaboration of multiple stakeholders, and supported the socio-emotional needs of ELs. One major implication is for state and national boards of education to consider establishing professional standards that outline specific knowledge and practice expectations for effective leadership and successful outcomes of ELs and for school divisions and principal preparation programs to provide coaching, technical assistance, and support structures to address the identified findings. Other implications included the need for school division leaders to provide professional development for school leaders and instructional staff on effective instructional methods, strategies, and supports for ELs, as well as technical assistance for schools to disaggregate and analyze EL performance in their data discussions in collaborative learning teams, a professional space where the academic needs of ELs can be addressed. Additionally, other implications included for school division leaders to develop systematic processes for equity and access, supporting schools' structures to target socio-emotional needs of ELs, and providing and expanding opportunities for family and community engagement. / Doctor of Education / The achievement gap between English learners (ELs) and non-ELs continues to grow. Effective school leaders can close the achievement gap for ELs but need systematic and explicit guidelines and programs to support the growing numbers of ELs in their schools. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the leadership practices elementary school principals implement to address the academic and non-academic needs of ELs. Elementary school principals from a school division in the Mideastern United States were interviewed. This study generated nine findings and nine implications. One suggestion for further research is to replicate this study at the secondary level or with school divisions that have high academic performance of ELs in low incidence schools in order to develop comprehensive K–12 professional standards that outline specific knowledge and practice expectations for effective leadership and successful outcomes of ELs.

Across the country, budget cuts to education have resulted in decreased funds available for extracurricular activities. This trend in policy may have a significant impact on future outcomes, as reflected in student success measures. Using two datasets that were collected over the last two decades, in the present study, the researcher assessed the relationship between participation in extracurricular activities and the future socioeconomic outcomes in respondents' lives, including post-secondary education, full-time employment status, and income. Two existing large-scale longitudinal studies of the U.S. secondary students, i.e., the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS: 88) and the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS: 2002), served as data sources. As these surveys were conducted about a decade apart, the information they yielded was suitable for meeting the study aims. Generalized linear models, such as multiple regression and logistic regression analyses, by applying sample weights, were performed to examine the impacts of extracurricular activity participation on the aforementioned outcome measures. The implications of the study findings, including the comparison of the results from two different datasets collected at different time points, were interpreted with respect to school budget policy. Results from the NELS: 88 and ELS: 2002 were also compared to evaluate the trends in the characteristics and performance of U.S. high school students during the 1988-2012 period. / Ph. D.