Submitted by Edineia Teixeira (edineia.teixeira@unioeste.br) on 2018-03-05T19:21:33Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Jessisca_Silva2016.pdf: 903939 bytes, checksum: 89dd8a1a67f32769b1604964540b6065 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-03-05T19:21:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Jessisca_Silva2016.pdf: 903939 bytes, checksum: 89dd8a1a67f32769b1604964540b6065 (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-28 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The aim of this work was to define the vegetation type of the urban fragment 4 Parque Ecológico Paulo Gorski (PEPG) and evaluate the influences of the climate and 5 altitudinal environmental variables on the floristic composition. The total of 1332 6 arboreal individuals of circumference at breast height equal or greater than 15 cm, 7 totalizing 71 species, were sampled. In addition, 401 species from 12 works developed 8 in the Rainforest (RF), Deciduous Forest (DF), Semideciduous Forest (SF) and 9 Araucaria Forest (AF) from southern and southeastern Brazil were used to build a 10 matrix of relative abundance for the floristic similarity. The environmental variables 11 from PEPG and other fragments were extracted from WorldClim. The floristic 12 similarity was evaluated through a group analysis using Simpson's Paradox, and the 13 significance was evaluated through the similarity analysis. The environmental variables 14 were compared between groups through the one-way ANOVA test. The characteristic 15 species from each group were evaluated by a similarity percentage analysis. Three 16 coincidental groups were formed, with the following vegetation types: RF with 20% of 17 similarity, DF/SF with 39% and AF with 32%. Although the PEPG environmental 18 variables have shown themselves as intermediate between AF and DF/FS, this fragment 19 has grouped with other areas from AF.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-10-09T19:25:02Z No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyoliveiradoamaral.pdf: 690402 bytes, checksum: 02a13f617ac774ee60200d796a881dcd (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-10-09T20:03:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyoliveiradoamaral.pdf: 690402 bytes, checksum: 02a13f617ac774ee60200d796a881dcd (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-10-09T20:03:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 kellyoliveiradoamaral.pdf: 690402 bytes, checksum: 02a13f617ac774ee60200d796a881dcd (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-20 / As operárias de formigas cortadeiras coletam fragmentos vegetais frescos, os quais são utilizados como substrato para o cultivo do fungo simbionte. A dieta alimentar das operárias de formigas cortadeiras, sobretudo da prole, consiste no consumo do fungo simbionte, o que torna o forrageamento uma atividade primordial para o sucesso de suas colônias. Desse modo, a massa do fragmento vegetal transportado a colônia está diretamente relacionada ao sucesso do forrageamento, pois esta interfere na velocidade de deslocamento das operárias e no aporte de alimento para a colônia. Buscando identificar os fatores que podem modular a determinação da carga transportada em formigas cortadeiras, foi avaliado como o feromônio de trilha influencia na determinação do fragmento vegetal transportado por operárias de Acromyrmex subterraneus. Paralelamente, verificou-se a interferência do sinal químico no fluxo de operárias, bem como da carga transportada na velocidade de deslocamento. Utilizando uma trilha com marcação química prévia no início do forrageamento, não se registrou variação da massa vegetal transportada, no entanto, houve redução do fluxo de operárias que saem da colônia e das que retornavam sem transportar carga, bem como da velocidade de deslocamento das operárias com carga. Uma vez que a pista química feromonal interferiu no fluxo de operárias ao longo da trilha de forrageamento, supõe-se que a determinação da carga transportada pode estar relacionada com as interações entre as operárias. No segundo experimento, foi investigado se a atividade individual da forrageira de Acromyrmex subterraneus influencia na determinação do fragmento vegetal transportado. Observando forrageiras individualmente marcadas durante um mesmo evento de forrageamento, foi registrado o número de viagens realizadas transportando fragmento vegetal, no qual verificou-se que a atividade individual da forrageira não interferiu na massa foliar transportada, isto é, a massa do fragmento vegetal transportado foi a mesma independente do número de viagens realizado por uma mesma operária. Registrou-se ainda que maioria das operárias realizou até três viagens, sendo, portanto, a maior parte do transporte de folhas realizado por operárias que não desempenham exclusivamente a atividade de forrageamento, as quais são denominadas de operárias não elite. Sugerindo um esforço coletivo da colônia em garantir o sucesso do forrageamento. Deste modo, inclui-se junto aos fatores físicos, por exemplo, a relação entre tamanho da operária e fragmento e aos mecanismos de coleta e obtenção de recurso, as interações entre os indivíduos da colônia, que se mostram fundamentais para modulação da carga vegetal transportada pelas operárias. / Cutting ant workers collect fresh plant fragments, which are used as substrate for the cultivation of the symbiotic fungus. The diet of cutter ant workers, especially offspring, consists of the consumption of the fungus symbiont, which makes foraging a prime activity for the success of their colonies. Thus, the mass of the plant fragment transported to the colony is directly related to the success of the foraging, since this interferes in the speed of the workers' movement and in the feeding of the colony. To identify the factors that can modulate the determination of the load carried in leaf cutting ants, it was evaluated how the trail pheromone influences the determination of the vegetal fragment carried by the workers of Acromyrmex subterraneus. At the same time, there was interference of the chemical signal in the flow of workers, as well as the load carried in the displacement speed. Using a trail with prior chemical marking at the beginning of foraging, no variation of the transported vegetable mass was recorded, however, there was a reduction in the flow of workers leaving the colony and those returning without carrying cargo, as well as the speed of movement of workers with load. Since the pheromonal chemical track interfered with the flow of workers along the foraging trail, it is assumed that the determination of the transported load may be related to the interactions between the workers. In the second experiment, it was investigated whether the individual activity of the forage of Acromyrmex subterraneus influences the determination of the transported plant fragment. By observing individually tagged forages during the same foraging event, the number of trips carried out carrying vegetable fragment was recorded, in which it was verified that the individual activity of the forage did not interfere in the transported foliar mass, that is, the mass of the transported vegetable fragment was the same independent of the number of trips made by the same worker. It was also recorded that most of the workers had carried out up to three trips, being therefore most of the transport of leaves realized by workers who do not exclusively perform the foraging activity, which are denominated of non-elite workers. Suggesting a colony's collective effort to ensure foraging success. In this way, the physical factors, for example, the relation between worker size and fragment and the mechanisms of collection and obtaining of resources are included, the interactions between the individuals of the colony, which are fundamental for modulation of the transported vegetal load by the workers.

Orientador: Sergio Tadeu Martins Marba / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T19:06:43Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pavan_TychaBiancaSabaini_M.pdf: 1135745 bytes, checksum: 87193a679a977d0df4230db53eab4297 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: O objetivo do trabalho foi descrever e avaliar a capacidade da "RFLP-PCR" para detectar patógenos bacterianos em recém-nascidos (RN) e determinar seu uso diagnóstico na sepse neonatal precoce (SNP). Foram avaliados RNs assintomáticos, filhos de gestantes com fatores de risco para infecção ovular e RNs com apresentação de sintomas clínicos sugestivos para SNP, nas primeiras 48 horas de vida, atendidos na unidade neonatal do CAISM/UNICAMP/SP. Realizou-se extração genética das amostras de 200?L de sangue total através do kit QIAamp DNA Mini kit column (Qiagen), seguida da detecção do gene universal bacteriano 16 S rRNA e identificação microbiana pelas sucessivas digestões com enzimas de restrições - HaeIII, AluI, DdeI, MnlI. Foram avaliados 65 RN assintomáticos e 178 RN com apresentação de sinais clínicos sugestivo de SNP. Os patógenos detectados foram K. pneumoniae, S. pneumoniae, L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa, E.coli, S.pyognes, S. agalactiae, S. epidermidis e S. aureus. Resultados duvidosos ou bactérias não identificadas ocorram em 56 amostras. A positividade da "RFLP-PCR" foi de 55,3% no grupo assintomático e 51,6% no grupo sintomático, sem diferença estatística (p=0,583). Houve comprovação de sete RN com sepse por cultura e 24 com sepse clínica e foram encontrados valores de sensibilidade de 87,8%, especificidade de 46,6%, valores preditivo positivo de 23,3% e preditivo negativo de 95,4%. Em conclusão, o uso da técnica mostrou uma taxa de acurácia baixa para o diagnóstico para a SNP satisfatória / Abstract: Study objective was to describe and evaluate the ability of RFLP-PCR for detection of bacterial pathogens in newborn and to determine its diagnostic utility in early neonatal sepsis. There were evaluated asymptomatic newborns, children of mothers with risk factors for infection ovulate and newborns with presentation of clinical symptoms suggestive of early neonatal sepsis, occurring before 48 hours of life, evaluated at neonatal unit at CAISM-UNICAMP. Whole blood samples were taken from newborns - 200 ?L each. A genetic extraction were performed using QIAamp DNA Mini kit column (Qiagen) and also the detection of bacterial universal 16 S rRNA gene, subsequent microbial identification using restriction digestion enzymes - HaeIII, AluI, DdeI, MnlI. There were 65 asymptomatic infants and 178 symptomatic newborns. The identified bacteria were K. pneumoniae, S. pneumoniae, L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa, E.coli, S.pyognes, S. agalactiae, S. epidermidis and S. aureus. Uncertain or unidentified pathogens occurred in 56 samples. RFLP-PCR positivity was 55,3% in the asymptomatic group and 51,6% in the symptomatic group, with no statistical difference (p=0,583). There were culture comproved sepsis in 7 infants and in 24 newborns were made a diagnostic of clinical sepsis. Diagnostic indexes were: sensibility 87.8%, specificity 46.6%, positive predictive value 23.3% e negative predictive value 95.4%. In conclusion, RFLP-PCR had an unsatisfactory accuracy index early neonatal sepsis / Mestrado / Saude da Criança e do Adolescente / Mestra em Ciências

Contraception through a vaccine has been a very attractive proposition and several attempts were made in the past. To achieve contraception through immunological means, several points need to be considered. First, the targeted antigen should be an important component of reproduction and interference in its actions should lead to infertility. Second, the antigen must be highly immunogenic and the antibodies elicited should be able to block the functions of the antigen. Third, the antibody titres should be effective and must sustain for longer periods. Gonadotropins fulfill all the above criteria and therefore, have been attractive targets for developing human contraceptive vaccines. The pituitary gonadotropins- Luteinizing hormone (LH) and the Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are the principal regulators of the reproduction process in all the mammalian species (McLachlan et al., 1995c; Moudgal et al., 1992b; Murty et al., 1979a; Selvaraj and Moudgal, 1994a; Weinbauer et al., 1991). In males, LH binds to its specific receptor-LHR, expressed on the Leydig cells and regulates the production of testosterone. This testosterone binds to the androgen receptors expressed in the Sertoli cells and along with FSH, which binds to the specific receptors present on the Sertoli cell membranes, regulate the testicular functions and the spermatogenesis (Simoni et al., 1997; Themmen and Huhtaniemi, 2000; Ulloa-Aguirre and Timossi, 1998). The well documented studies have unequivocally established that the specific immunoneutralization of either hormone by active or passive immunization, leads to disruption of the gonadal functions (Fraser et al., 1986a; Marathe et al., 1995; Moudgal et al., 1992b; Murty et al., 1979b; Shetty et al., 1996; Srinath et al., 1983b) and consequent infertility and this observation formed the basis of the human contraceptive vaccines (Moudgal et al., 1997b; Talwar et al., 2011a; Talwar et al., 2009a). Several studies using testosterone as the main male hormonal contraception method (Matsumoto et al., 1986; Matsumoto et al., 1983a) and anti-hCG vaccine as the female hormonal contraceptive vaccine reached Phase I and II clinical trials (Talwar, 1997; Talwar et al., 1994; Talwar et al., 1997) . However, these human contraceptive vaccines faced several limitations. There was a need to inhibit only particular segments of the entire reproduction process whereas others needed to remain completely unaffected. For example, in males, the FSH regulated functions, the sperm production and spermatogenesis needed to be inhibited whereas the LH/testosterone associated functions should be unaffected. Similarly in females, the functions of hCG alone, elaborated by the conceptus should be blocked without affecting either LH or FSH regulated functions, thus, maintaining the normal reproductive cycle. This however is a difficult task especially when the antigens share a large degree of homology and common subunits (Pierce and Parsons, 1981). Moreover, the issues relating to the development and sustenance of high titres of the bioneutralizing antibodies were major limitations of these human contraceptive vaccines. Therefore, despite reaching Phase I and II clinical trials, these studies did not progress further. However, the same concept of an immunocontraceptive vaccine involving the neutralization of the functions of the gonadotropins is an extremely attractive strategy for controlling the animal populations where the reproduction process could be inhibited in its entirety. The overgrowing populations of the stray animals such as dogs and cats pose problems unlike those experienced with the human overpopulation. Thus, there is an immediate need to develop the methods of controlling the populations of these animals both in the developed and the developing countries. Whereas, in countries like the US, the major emphasis is on the domestic animals, in countries like India, the populations of the stray animals need to be controlled. The current methods employed for reducing the numbers of these animals include either castration or culling of the animals. These methods are however, traumatic, unsafe and not widely accepted by the society. The animal contraceptive vaccines currently available are mostly GnRH vaccines which have high cost of production, are not safe for animal use and elicit unwanted side effects. Apart from these, the animals need multiple administrations of these vaccines to elicit high and effective antibody titres, mostly with the use of conventional but non-approved adjuvants (Boedeker et al., 2009; McCoy, 1994). As mentioned above, the gonadotropins, by virtue of their ability to control the mammalian reproduction process, are attractive targets for achieving contraception. Moreover, the ease of administration of this vaccine to neutralize the functions of the endogenous circulating hormones makes them ideal targets for developing animal immunocontraceptive vaccines. This method of neutralizing the functions of the gonadotropins is also humane and safe for the animals as opposed to the current methods which are employed to reduce their numbers. However, in case of animal contraception, particularly for strays such as dogs, where large numbers of animals need to be treated, the challenge is to develop a method to sustain the high levels of the bioneutralizing antibodies for prolonged periods preferably with a single administration of the immunogen and without the use of conventional adjuvants such as the Freund’s adjuvant. In the present study, an attempt has been made develop a strategy to achieve a sustained immune response to small quantities of the hormonal antigens, preferably with a single administration of the immunogen resulting in complete disruption of the gonadal function for prolonged periods. To achieve this goal, recent developments in the field of immunology and vaccinology have been employed. This involves targeting of the hormonal antigens to the dendritic cells. Targeting the antigens to the dendritic cells for vaccination is becoming an extremely fascinating strategy and is being used extensively to target the antigens involved in several diseases (Escudier et al., 2005; Frankel et al., 1998; Garcia et al., 2005; Nouri-Shirazi et al., 2000a; Nouri-Shirazi et al., 2000b; Steinman and Germain, 1998). Most antigens are targeted to the dendritic cells by coupling them to the antibodies specific for the receptors expressed on the dendritic cell surface. One such receptor is the DEC205, which is expressed on most of the dendritic cells (Jiang et al., 1995) and is being widely used to develop vaccines and vaccination strategies. Targeting the antigens to the dendritic cells provides advantages such as ability to induce hundred fold higher immune response to very low doses of antigen without the use of any conventional adjuvant (Bonifaz et al., 2004a). Therefore, in the present study, these features of the dendritic cells have been harnessed to target the hormonal antigens (hCG and hFSH) to the canine DEC205 receptor to induce a long-term immune response capable of disrupting the gonadal functions. Towards this goal of delivering hormonal antigens to the dendritic cells, a fragment of the canine DEC205 corresponding to the Cysteine Rich Fibronectin II domain (CR/FNII) was expressed and used to isolate several canine DEC205 specific recombinant antibodies in the form of single chain fragment variable (ScFvs) from the Tomlinson’s and the yeast human ScFv display libraries. From a pool of eight unique ScFvs screened from the Tomlinson’s libraries, three ScFvs namely B3, G10 and H4 were characterized. All these ScFvs could bind to the human DEC205 receptor but not to the mouse DEC205. Their inability to recognise the mouse DEC205 suggested that mouse could not be used as the model system for these studies and therefore, a surrogate model system was needed. As the canine CR/FNII shared a high degree of homology with the rabbit counterpart, adult rabbits have been used as the surrogate model for immunization studies after confirming the binding of the ScFvs to the rabbit dendritic cells. Since the goal of the study was to deliver the hormonal antigens to the dendritic cells, each ScFv was translationally fused to a core streptavidin fragment, thus creating bi-functional agents (ScFv-CS) capable of binding to the dendritic cells and also to any biotin-tagged antigen, thus delivering the antigen to the dendritic cells. Of the three ScFvs, the ScFv-CS-H4 which could bind to the canine CR/FNII with the KD of 25nM was used for demonstrating the ability of the ScFv-hormone complex to elicit the bioneutralizing antibody response. The ScFv-CS-H4-biotin-hCG or hFSH or both were administered to adult male rabbits along with poly IC: LC, a Toll-like receptor agonist and the antibody titres were monitored. It was possible to maintain high titres of the bioneutralizing antibodies for more than one year with a single administration of the immunogen. Testicular histology of the immunized animals showed extensive disruption of spermatogenesis with most of the germ cells being TUNEL positive undergoing apoptosis. There was complete absence of elongated spermatids and sperms in the testis indicating infertility caused by immunization with the gonadotropins. These data show that targeting the hormonal antigens to the dendritic cells leads to long-term infertility with minimal immunization. Although the ScFvs from the Tomlinson’s libraries were able to deliver the hormonal antigens to the dendritic cells and produce robust and sustained antibody response capable of disrupting the gonadal functions, the affinities of these ScFvs to DEC205 were moderate. It was felt that increasing the affinities of the ScFvs could enhance the effect with respect to the dose of the antigen that needs to be administered and the duration until which the high antibody titres could be maintained. Therefore, the yeast human ScFv display library offering higher diversity of the human ScFvs displayed, was screened for high affinity DEC205 specific binders. From a pool of several ScFvs, six unique ScFvs were characterized. The amino acid sequences of all ScFvs followed the Kabat's rules for identifying the complimentarity determining regions of the heavy and the light chains of the antibodies. All these ScFvs were unique in their amino acid sequences. The dissociation constants of all these antibodies for the canine CR/ FNII ranged from 10-9 to 10-11 M which was 20-300 fold higher than the ScFvs obtained from the Tomlinson’s libraries. The best ScFv obtained from this library was ScFv-92 with a KD value of 8 x10-11 M. All these ScFvs were able to deliver the payload antigen to both, the mouse DEC205 over-expressing cells and the bone marrow derived dendritic cells. Mice immunized with yeast display ScFvs also yielded antibody response to very small quantities of the immunogen with the highest antibody titres obtained with the ScFv-92. It was further demonstrated that all ScFvs also activated the cell-mediated immunity with significant increase in the antigen stimulated T cell proliferation. These ScFvs could also deliver the antigen to the human dendritic cells differentiated from the human monocytes in vitro, thus emphasising their utility in human vaccine development. An attempt was also made to develop nanoparticle (NP) based strategies of delivering the antigen to the dendritic cells. The PLGA-NPs, encapsulating hCG and coated with the DEC205 ScFv-92 was able to elicit high antibody response to very low doses of the antigen. This response could be sustained for 120 days and was higher than the response obtained with similar doses of hCG encapsulated NPs or hCG complexed to ScFv-92 alone. Targeting of the NPs also elicited antigen specific T cell response thus, potentiating their use in cell mediated immunity along with humoral immune responses. In conclusion, this approach of delivering the gonadotropins to the dendritic cells resulted in the production of bioneutralizing antibodies that could disrupt the gonadal functions for a prolonged period and can be effectively used in the fields for controlling the animal populations. This method fulfils all the criteria for any animal contraception. This strategy also elicits both T cell mediated and humoral immunity and can thus be used for producing vaccine against viral and parasitic infections. It can also be used for cancer immunotherapy. Another exciting feature of the strategy used in this study is the usage of ScFv-CS which allows the delivery of any biotin tagged antigen to the rodent and human dendritic cells. As discussed above, the methods for controlling the animal populations are expected to be effective, humane, safe, simple, non-surgical, single shot with long lasting effects, cheap, applicable in the fields and widely accepted by different societies. The methods presented in this study fulfill all these criteria and should be effective in controlling populations of different animal species.

The purpose of the present thesis is to examine the modes of enunciation (“mode d’énonciation”) and the use of text genres in relation to thematic and semantic aspects of Claude Cahun’s book, Aveux non avenus (Disavowals: or, Cancelled Confessions)(1930), which consists of text fragments. Claude Cahun, who is mostly known for her photographic self-portraits, was active on the margins of surrealism in Paris in the 1920s. The text fragments of Aveux non avenus can be compared to a collage technique that she also uses in the photomontages which open each chapter of the book. As an author, Claude Cahun clearly resisted traditional confessional literature (as the title of the book also suggests), and this study focuses on how she creates images of herself through characters borrowed from mythology, the Bible, and popular and literary texts, but also through reflections on specific themes in dialogues, essays and aphorisms. The thesis examines how Aveux non avenus differs from an actual autobiography, how the fragmented self-portrait is constructed, and how the book expresses a critique of contemporary society. The method of the thesis is based on textual analysis, with the support of the concepts of modes of enunciation (”mode d’énonciation”), text genres, and détournement (”détournement”). It also rests on the contextualisation of Claude Cahun’s practice of writing in relation to the history of literary genres, surrealist avant-garde movement, and in relation to sources within cultural history and the history of women. The thesis analyses how Claude Cahun, through the use of different genres and shifting modes of enunciation, creates a fragmented, diverse, and contradictory portrait of herself, in a way that also conveys a critical image of contemporary society. The text functions, simultaneously, as a collage of different text genres. The conclusion thereby underlines the idea that the text is not arbitrarily fragmentary, but constructed on the principles that the analysis of the work has demonstrated. In previous research on Claude Cahun, the indefinite genre of the book has been emphasised. Instead, this thesis wants to show that the diversity of text genres is deliberately explored to develop varying modes of enunciation that give Claude Cahun the opporturity to reflect and give nuance to representations of the self and to convey a radical critique of society.

Master of Science / Department of Plant Pathology / Karen A. Garrett / Ecological clines often result in gradients of disease pressure in natural plant communities, imposing a gradient of selection on disease resistance genes. We describe the diversity of a resistance gene homolog in natural populations of the dominant tallgrass prairie grass, Andropogon gerardii, across a precipitation gradient ranging from 47.63 cm/year in western Kansas to 104.7 cm/year in central Missouri. Since moisture facilitates infection by foliar bacterial pathogens, plants along this precipitation gradient will tend to experience heavier bacterial disease pressure to the east. In maize, the gene Rxo1 confers resistance to the pathogenic bacterium Burkholderia andropogonis. Rxo1 homologs have been identified in A. gerardii and B. andropogonis is known to infect natural populations of A. gerardii. The spatial genetic structure of A. gerardii was assessed from central Missouri to western Kansas by genotyping with AFLP markers. Samples were also genotyped for Rxo1 homologs by amplifying an 810 base pair region of the leucine-rich repeat and digesting with restriction enzymes. We compared Rxo1 homolog diversity to AFLP diversity across different spatial scales. Genetic dissimilarity based on AFLP markers was lower than would have occurred by chance at distances up to 30 m, and different prairies were more dissimilar than would have occurred by chance, but there was not a longitudinal trend in within-prairie dissimilarity as measured by AFLP markers. Dissimilarity of the Rxo1 homologs was higher in the east suggesting the presence of diversifying selection in the more disease-conducive eastern environments.

Automated deduction procedures for modal logics, and related decidable fragments of first-order logic, are used in many real-world applications. A popular way of obtaining decision procedures for these logics is to base them on semantic tableau calculi. We focus on calculi that use unification, instead of the more widely employed approach of generating ground instantiations over the course of a derivation. The most common type of tableaux with unification are so-called free-variable tableaux, where variables are treated as global to the entire tableau. A long-standing open problem for procedures based on free-variable tableaux is how to ensure fairness, in the sense that "equivalent" applications of the closure rule are prevented from being done over and over again. Some solutions such as using depth-first iterative deepening are known, but those are unnecessary in theory, and not very efficient in practice. This is a main reason why there are hardly any decision procedures for modal logics based on free-variable tableaux. In this thesis, we review existing work on incorporating unification into first-order and modal tableau procedures, show how the closure fairness problem arises, and discuss existing solutions to it. For the first-order case, we outline a calculus which addresses the closure fairness problem. As opposed to free-variable tableaux, closure fairness is much easier to achieve in disconnection tableaux and similar clausal calculi. We therefore focus on using clausal first-order tableau calculi for decidable classes, in particular the two-variable fragment. Using the so-called unrestricted blocking mechanism for enforcing termination, we present the first ground tableau decision procedure for this fragment. Even for such a ground calculus, guaranteeing that depth-first terminations terminate is highly non-trivial. We parametrise our procedure by a so-called lookahead amount, and prove that this parameter is crucial for determining whether depth-first derivations terminate or not. Extending these ideas to tableaux with unification, we specify a preliminary disconnection tableau procedure which uses a non-grounding version of the unrestricted blocking rule.

A digoxina é um dos medicamentos indicados para o tratamento de falência cardíaca. Possui janela terapêutica estreita, sendo responsável por casos de intoxicação. O único antídoto disponível para a desintoxicação é o anticorpo policlonal DigiFab®, no formato Fab. O seu uso é eficaz, porém de custo elevado. Clones bacterianos produtores de fragmento Fab monoclonal anti-digoxina foram obtidos previamente pelo nosso grupo, pela técnica de phage display. Neste trabalho as variantes Fab dos 4 clones foram expressas em E.coli para estabelecer o método para a purificação. Com a obtenção dos fragmentos Fab purificados, foi caracterizada a sua afinidade ao antígeno e especificidade, em ensaios de inibição por digoxina, digitoxina, digoxigenina e ouabaina. Os parâmetros cinéticos da ligação dos fragmentos Fab dos 4 clones e do DigiFab® foram avaliados por SPR. Nas condições experimentais, não foram verificadas diferenças significativas entre os produtos dos 4 clones e o comercial, demonstrando o potencial dos fragmentos Fab monoclonais obtidos como antídoto à digoxina. / Digoxin is a medication indicated for heart failure treatment. Its therapeutic window is narrow, being responsible for intoxication cases. The only antidote available for the detoxification is a polyclonal antibody - DigiFab® in Fab format. Its use is effective, but costly. Bacterial clones producing anti-digoxin monoclonal Fab fragments were previously obtained by our group using phage display technology. In this work the Fab variants of the 4 clones were expressed in E.coli to establish the purification method. The purified fragments were characterized regarding the affinity to the antigen and the specificity through inhibition assays with digoxin, digitoxin, digoxigenin and ouabain. The binding kinetic parameters of Fab fragments of the 4 clones and the commercial product to Dig-BSA conjugate were assessed by SPR. Under the experimental conditions no significant differences were observed among the 4 clones and the commercial product, demonstrating the potential of monoclonal Fab fragments as an antidote to digoxin.

Embora o romance Em busca do tempo perdido seja incontestavelmente uma obra inacabada, não se trata, entretanto, de uma obra incompleta. Seu fechamento circular, promovido pelo diálogo entre o primeiro e último volumes, foi tema de grande parte da crítica proustiana. Com relação à sua composição, seu processo escritural passou por diversas mudanças e a construção, equiparada à execução de uma catedral, poderia igualmente ser caracterizada pela colagem, montagem ou costura dos fragmentos textuais esboçados nos setenta e cinco cadernos de rascunho. A busca pela unidade em meio a essa profusão de textos levou o escritor à atividade incessante de releitura e reescritura e, consequentemente, ao inacabamento da obra. O trabalho que ora apresentamos tem por objetivo o estudo dessa composição, a partir da leitura e análise dos cadernos 53 e 55, ambos consagrados à elaboração da história de Albertine. / Although the novel In Search of Lost Time is certainly unfinished, it is not an incomplete work. Its round ending, promoted by the dialogue between the first and last volumes, was the subject of much Proustian criticism. With respect to its composition, its writing process has gone through many changes and the construction, equivalent to the execution of a cathedral, could also be characterized by the process of montage or the stitching of textual fragments contained in Prousts seventy-five exercise books. The search for unity amongst this profusion of texts has led the writer to the ceaseless activity of rereading and rewriting and thus to the incompleteness of the work. The analysis presented here is aimed at studying this composition, having the reading and the analysis of exercise books 53 and 55, both related to the elaboration of the story of Albertine, as a starting point.

La volonté d'améliorer l'efficacité énergétique des réacteurs nucléaires a motivé de nouvelles solutions dans leur conception. L'une d'elles est l’utilisation d’un réflecteur lourd dans les réacteurs de génération III+ et les futurs réacteurs de génération IV. Lorsque la matière est traversée par des rayons γ, les excitations induites entraînent une élévation de sa température. Ce processus, appelé échauffement γ, est responsable de plus de 90% de la production de chaleur dans la région hors combustible d'un réacteur nucléaire. C’est également le cas dans le réflecteur. Pour simuler l'effet de l’échauffement γ en fonction de la composition du combustible, il faut disposer de données précises sur les γ prompts émis par les différents fragments produits dans le processus de fission. En 2012, une campagne d’expériences inédite, EXILL, a été menée au réacteur de recherche de l'ILL. Un grand nombre de détecteurs HPGe a été placé autour d’une cible fissile et a mesuré les rayons γ émis par la cible alors qu’elle était irradiée par un faisceau intense de neutrons froids. Dans ce travail, nous avons analysé les données obtenues avec des cibles ²³⁵U. Elles nous ont permis d’étudier la désexcitation de plusieurs fragments de fission et plus globalement le processus de fission induite par des neutrons. Dans un premier temps, nous avons utilisé la méthode standard d'analyse par coïncidence γ-γ-γ. Nous avons pu filtrer les données expérimentales, identifier les transitions γ dans des fragments bien produits et calculer leur intensité relative. Les problèmes que nous avons rencontrés concernent le bruit de fond. Les résultats obtenus dépendent de ce choix et présentent donc des problèmes de reproductibilité. Nous avons développé et testé une nouvelle méthodologie d'analyse. Son principe est un balayage des portes de coïncidence selon trois directions, ce qui permet de trouver le bruit de fond le mieux adapté. L'idée principale était finalement de passer d'une méthode "spectroscopique", dont le but est de trouver de nouvelles transitions et des états excités dans un noyau, à une méthode "spectrométrique", qui nous permet d'obtenir plus précisément l’intensité de transitions γ connues, avec une meilleure estimation de leur incertitude. Cela nous a amené à développer un logiciel d'analyse semi-automatique d'ajustement des pics. Divers schémas de calcul de l'intensité des transitions γ ont été également élaborés pour tenir compte des contaminations possibles, selon leur emplacement dans la matrice de coïncidence et leur intensité. La méthode standard et la nouvelle méthode d'analyse ont été comparées pour l'analyse du ¹⁴²Ba. Dans ce travail, nous avons également comparé nos résultats sur quelques noyaux, tel que le ¹⁰⁰Zr, avec des simulations réalisées avec le code FIFRELIN. Ce dernier est un code Monte-Carlo qui simule le processus de fission et la désexcitation des fragments de fission. FIFRELIN utilise plusieurs modèles différents pour décrire ces processus. Nous avons testé le comportement des différents modèles, trouvé les valeurs optimales des paramètres de simulation et testé comment ces configurations reproduisaient les résultats expérimentaux. FIFRELIN n'a pas été en mesure de reproduire simultanément les intensités des transitions γ émises par les fragments de ¹⁰⁰Zr et la multiplicité de neutrons prompts moyennée sur tous les fragments de fission. Cependant, avec des paramètres modifiés, FIFRELIN a fourni localement une multiplicité de neutrons prompts correcte pour les fragments de masse atomique A=100 et des intensités de transition γ bien reproduites pour le noyau de ¹⁰⁰Zr. Nous avons également comparé nos résultats expérimentaux sur les fragments de ¹⁰⁰Zr provenant du processus ²³⁵U(n,f) avec les autres données expérimentales disponibles provenant des expériences sur ²⁴⁸Cm(sf) et ²⁵²Cf(sf), et une autre expérience sur ²³⁵U(n,f). / The desire to improve the fuel efficiency of nuclear reactors has motivated new solutions in their design. One of them is the heavy reflector used in the generation III+ and in the future generation IV reactors. γ-rays passing through matter cause its excitation and temperature rise. It is a process called γ-heating, and it is responsible for more than 90% of the heat production in the non-fuel region of the nuclear reactor. This is also the case of the heavy reflector. To simulate the γ-heating effect in every state of the nuclear reactor it is necessary to have precise data on the prompt γ-rays emitted by different fission fragments produced in the course of the nuclear chain reaction. In 2012, at the research reactor of the ILL, an innovative experiment, called EXILL, was conducted. It produced a large amount of useful data on the de-excitation of the fission fragments. A large number of HPGe detectors were used to study the neutron induced fission process by measuring the emitted γ-rays. Fissile targets were irradiated by an intense cold neutron beam. In this work we analyzed the ²³⁵U targets. We studied several fission fragments and more generally the fission process by using high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy. At the beginning, we used the standard γ-γ-γ coincidence analysis method. We were able to filter experimental data, identify the well produced γ-rays, and calculate their relative intensities. The problems we have encountered are related to the background. The results obtained with this method were background dependent and thus presented some problems with reproducibility. We therefore developed and tested a new analysis methodology. Its crucial feature is a coincidence gates scanning in three directions which helps to find the most suitable background. The idea was to move from a “spectroscopic” method, which main purpose is finding new transitions and excited states in a nucleus, to a “spectrometric” method, which allows us to obtain more precise γ-ray intensities. We developed a semi-automatic analysis software which facilitates fitting of the chosen γ-ray peak, the contamination and the background. Various γ-ray intensity calculation schemes were derived to take into account different contamination strengths and placements. The results of the analysis with the new technique are reproducible and more reliable. The standard and the new analysis method were compared in the ¹⁴²Ba analysis. In this work, we also compared our experimental results on some nuclei, such as ¹⁰⁰Zr, with the simulation results performed with the FIFRELIN code. It is a Monte-Carlo code which simulates the fission process and the de-excitation of the fission fragments. It uses various models to describe these processes. We were able to test the behavior of different models implemented in FIFRELIN to find the optimal simulation parameter values and to test how well these setups reproduce the experimental results. FIFRELIN was unable to simultaneously reproduce the γ-ray intensities of ¹⁰⁰Zr and the prompt-neutron multiplicity averaged over all fission fragments. However, with modified simulation parameters, FIFRELIN locally provided correct prompt-neutron multiplicity for the fission fragment with the atomic mass A=100 and well reproduced γ-ray intensities of ¹⁰⁰Zr. We also compared our experimental results on ¹⁰⁰Zr coming from the ²³⁵U(n,f) process with the other available experimental data coming from the experiments on ²⁴⁸Cm(sf) and ²⁵²Cf(sf), and another experiment on ²³⁵U(n,f).