Radio frequency identi cation (RFID) is a rapidly emerging technology that enables au- tomatic remote identi cation of objects. Passive and semi-passive RFID systems can be distinguished from other forms of wireless systems, because the RFID tags (transponders) communicate by way of backscatter. In addition, passive tags derive their energy from the RF energy emitted by the reader. RFID technology can provide a fully automated data capture and analysis system. Compared to a passive RFID system, an open platform semi-passive UHF RFID tag can provide identi cation, security, low-power (compared to a wireless sensor net- work(WSN)), medium range and medium processing speed. However, the eld of semi- passive RFID is still under development, and has yet there are no open development platforms available. This thesis develops a prototype of a semi-passive UHF RFID tag that is compatible with the leading UHF RFID standard EPCglobal Gen 2 Class 1. I alsot has the exible I2C and analog digital converter(ADC) interface, which allows the additional of external analog and digital sensors. The sensor data can be read by microcontroller and stored at memory. Standard reader can get sensor data by sending QUERY and READ command to tag. Test results of our open platform semi-passive UHF RFID tag demonstrated that it can achieve a read rate above 50% when an open platform semi-passive UHF RFID tag is placed four meters from the reader antenna and the reader output power is set to 21 dBm. In addition, the proposed semi-passive open platform RFID tag consumes very little power (4.9 mA in 2V with system frequency set to 8MHz).

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Neste trabalho foi avaliada a utilização da grid computing em aspectos importantes para simulações em Física Computacional. Em particular, para aplicações de diagonalização de matrizes de grande porte. O projeto de código aberto Globus Toolkit foi utilizado para comparar o desempenho da biblioteca paralela de álgebra linear ScaLAPACK em duas versões baseadas na biblioteca de passagem de mensagens, a versão tradicional MPICH e a versão desenvolvida para um ambiente de grid computing MPICH-G2. Várias simulações com diagonalização de matrizes complexas de diversos tamanhos foram realizadas. Para um sistema com uma matriz de tamanho 8000 x 8000 distribuída em 8 processos, nos nós de 64 bits foi alcançado um speedup de 7,71 com o MPICH-G2. Este speedup é muito próximo do ideal que, neste caso, seria igual a 8. Foi constatado também que a arquitetura de 64 bits tem melhor desempenho que a de 32 bits nas simulações executadas para este tipo de aplicação / This work evaluates the use of grid computing in essential issues related to Computational Physics simulations. In particular, for applications with large scale matrix diagonalization. The Globus Toolkit open source project was used to compare the performance of the linear algebra parallel library ScaLAPACK in two different versions based on the message passing library, the traditional version MPICH and its version developed for a grid computing environment MPICH-G2. Several simulations within large scale diagonalization of complex matrix were performed. A 7.71 speedup was reached with the MPICH-G2 for a 8000 x 8000 size matrix distributed in 8 processes on 64 bits nodes. This was very close to the ideal speedup, that would be in this case, 8. It was also evidenced that the 64 bits architecture has better performance than the 32 bits on the performed simulations for this kind of application.

Neste trabalho foi avaliada a utilização da grid computing em aspectos importantes para simulações em Física Computacional. Em particular, para aplicações de diagonalização de matrizes de grande porte. O projeto de código aberto Globus Toolkit foi utilizado para comparar o desempenho da biblioteca paralela de álgebra linear ScaLAPACK em duas versões baseadas na biblioteca de passagem de mensagens, a versão tradicional MPICH e a versão desenvolvida para um ambiente de grid computing MPICH-G2. Várias simulações com diagonalização de matrizes complexas de diversos tamanhos foram realizadas. Para um sistema com uma matriz de tamanho 8000 x 8000 distribuída em 8 processos, nos nós de 64 bits foi alcançado um speedup de 7,71 com o MPICH-G2. Este speedup é muito próximo do ideal que, neste caso, seria igual a 8. Foi constatado também que a arquitetura de 64 bits tem melhor desempenho que a de 32 bits nas simulações executadas para este tipo de aplicação / This work evaluates the use of grid computing in essential issues related to Computational Physics simulations. In particular, for applications with large scale matrix diagonalization. The Globus Toolkit open source project was used to compare the performance of the linear algebra parallel library ScaLAPACK in two different versions based on the message passing library, the traditional version MPICH and its version developed for a grid computing environment MPICH-G2. Several simulations within large scale diagonalization of complex matrix were performed. A 7.71 speedup was reached with the MPICH-G2 for a 8000 x 8000 size matrix distributed in 8 processes on 64 bits nodes. This was very close to the ideal speedup, that would be in this case, 8. It was also evidenced that the 64 bits architecture has better performance than the 32 bits on the performed simulations for this kind of application.

Mammalian telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes at the end of chromosomes containing a specific protein complex, called shelterin. Shelterin protects chromosome ends from the DNA damage response (DDR), by facilitating the formation of a telomeric capping structure, called the T-loop. During their elongation in S phase, telomeres become transiently uncapped and can be sensed as DNA damage in G2 phase. This leads to the recruitment of DDR factors, such as phosphorylated histone H2AX (γH2AX), to the telomeres forming the so-called, telomere dysfunction-induced foci (TIFs). My PhD work described here, indicates that DNA damage occurring during interphase can persist after entry into mitosis, indicated by the detection of γH2AX at a subset of mitotic telomeres in human and mouse cells. This accumulation of γH2AX to mitotic telomeres is ATM-dependent and the γH2AX-labelled uncapped telomeres that persist, are shorter than the average telomere length for the entire cell population. Most importantly, my work suggests that telomere uncapping, naturally occurring or artificially induced, is detected by two parallel ATM/ATR-dependent pathways at the G2/M transition: a p53/p21-dependent pathway through the ATM/ATR-mediated phosphorylation of p53 at Ser15 and a CHK1/CHK2-dependent pathway that acts through negative regulation of CDC25 phosphatases. In particular, telomere uncapping triggered by TRF2 depletion leads to CHK2-dependent CDC25A degradation, while POT1 depletion results in CHK1-mediated CDC25A and CDC25C degradation. Both pathways act as sensors of unprotected telomeres at the G2/M transition and block cell cycle progression through inhibition of CDK1/Cyclin B complex, allowing telomere re-capping before entry into mitosis. This mechanism protects telomere integrity by the maintenance of a cell cycle stage conducive for capping reactions and thereby prevents genomic instability induced by telomere dysfunction. Finally, I studied the cellular functions of 3 poorly characterised shelterin components, TRF1, RAP1 and TPP1, in telomere protection. TRF1 and to a lesser extent RAP1 were shown to be important for telomere protection by suppressing DDR at the telomeres, while TPP1 was shown to be mainly responsible for the recruitment of the catalytic subunit of telomerase, TERT , to the chromatin, contributing to telomere maintenance. In conclusion, my work on both human and mouse models, reveals an important part of the DDR pathways activated by dysfunctional telomeres, as well as the molecular mechanisms underlying the cell cycle specific regulation of telomere capping, which ensures that only cells with intact telomeres enter mitosis.

The instanton solutions to the Yang-Mills equations have a vast range of practical applications in field theories including gravitation and electro-magnetism. Solutions to Maxwell's equations, for example, are abelian gauge instantons on Minkowski space. Since these discoveries, a generalised theory of instantons has been emerging for manifolds with special holonomy. Beginning with connections and curvature on complex vector bundles, this thesis provides some of the essential background for studying moduli spaces of instantons. Manifolds with exceptional holonomy are special types of seven and eight dimensional manifolds whose holonomy group is contained in G2 and Spin(7), respectively. Focusing on the G2 case, instantons on G2 manifolds are defined to be solutions to an analogue of the four dimensional anti-self-dual equations. These connections are known as Donaldson-Thomas connections and a couple of examples are noted.

Cell division requires accurate DNA replication and cells develop checkpoint mechanisms toensure the correct passage of the genetic material. Cells arrest by a checkpoint when DNAdamage is found. After the checkpoint is silenced, the cell cycle can be resumed. Polo-likekinase 1 (Plk1) and Aurora A kinase (AurA) are both important regulators for checkpointrecovery. The question how AurA is activated was studied by many researchers, but the exactmechanism stays unclear.We developed a new setup to study AurA activation during checkpoint recovery. Quantitativeimmunofluorescence of fixed cells as well as a FRET probe that monitors Plk1 activity intime-lapse filming were applied in this study as indirect readouts of Aurora A activation. Theresult suggests that a Plk1-AurA feedback loop exists during checkpoint recovery. It can alsobe concluded that the inhibition of Cdk1 reduces Plk1 and AurA activity during checkpointrecovery. We also investigated the effect of calcium interfering drugs on AurA activation butno conclusive result was obtained.

The instanton solutions to the Yang-Mills equations have a vast range of practical applications in field theories including gravitation and electro-magnetism. Solutions to Maxwell's equations, for example, are abelian gauge instantons on Minkowski space. Since these discoveries, a generalised theory of instantons has been emerging for manifolds with special holonomy. Beginning with connections and curvature on complex vector bundles, this thesis provides some of the essential background for studying moduli spaces of instantons. Manifolds with exceptional holonomy are special types of seven and eight dimensional manifolds whose holonomy group is contained in G2 and Spin(7), respectively. Focusing on the G2 case, instantons on G2 manifolds are defined to be solutions to an analogue of the four dimensional anti-self-dual equations. These connections are known as Donaldson-Thomas connections and a couple of examples are noted.

Hepatocarcinoma cancer (HCC) is one the most common visceral malignancies in Taiwan, which has a very high incidence and a devastatingly poor prognosis. BMP4, belonging to the TGF-£] super-family of proteins is a multifunctional cytokine, known to exert its biological effects through SMAD and non-SMAD dependent pathways and is also known to be involved in human carcinogenesis. However, the effects of the BMP4 signaling in liver carcinogenesis are not yet clearly defined. In this study, we first demonstrate that BMP4 and its receptor, BMPR1A, are over-expressed in a majority of primary HCC and promote the growth and migration of HCC cell lines in vitro. We also further identify that BMP4 can induce HCC CDK1 and cyclinB1 up-regulation to accelerate cell cycle progression. Our study indicates that the induction of HCC cell proliferation is independent on the SMAD signaling pathway, since Smad4 knockdown of BMP4 induced HCC cell lines still leads to the up-regulation of CDK1 and cyclinB1 expression in HCC. Using MEK kinase selective inhibitors, the induction of CDK1 and cyclinB1 mRNA and protein were shown to be dependent on the activation of MEK/ERK signaling. In vivo xenograft studies confirmed that the BMPR1A- knockdown cells were significantly less tumorigenic than control groups. Taken together, our findings show that the up-regulation of BMP4 and BMPR1A in HCC promote the proliferation and metastasis of HCC cells and that CDK1 and cyclinB1 are important, SMAD-independent molecular targets in BMP4 signaling pathways during the HCC tumorigenesis. We propose here that BMP4 signaling pathways may have potential as new therapeutic targets, in HCC treatment.

The paper gives an overview on installation and usage of the Grid-enabled MPI implementation MPICH-G2. Performance results of MPICH-G2 in several environments are presented. / Die Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über die Installation und Nutzung der Grid-fähigen MPI-Implementation MPICH-G2. Performance-Ergebnisse von MPICH-G2 in verschiedenen Umgebungen werden gezeigt.