The aim of the present study was to elucidate in a study with 4-, 6-, 8-, and 14-month-old German-learning children, when and how they may acquire the regularities which underlie Focus-to-Stress Alignment (FSA) in the target language, that is, how prosody is associated with specific communicative functions. Our findings suggest, that 14-month-olds have already found out that German allows for variable focus positions, after having gone through a development which goes from a predominantly prosodically driven processing of the input to a processing where prosody interacts more and more with the growing lexical and syntactic knowledge of the child.

No description available.

<p>The Gram-positive, soil dwelling bacteria of the genus <em>Streptomyces</em> produce greater than 50% of the clinically relevant antibiotics in use today. Thanks to the falling price of DNA sequencing, <em>Streptomyces</em> genomes are revealing that they encode more secondary metabolites (potential antibiotics) than they produce under standard laboratory conditions. By heterologously overexpressing the known pleiotropic regulators of antibiotic expression from <em>Streptomyces coelicolor</em> in several other <em>Streptomyces</em> species it has been shown that the secondary metabolite profile of these species can be influenced. While present-day methods of introducing genes (conjugation) and screening for antibiotics work well on a small scale, the low throughput nature of these protocols stand as a barrier to testing this hypothesis on a larger scale. The focus of the research presented here was to develop high throughput (HTP) methods of engineering and screening <em>Streptomyces</em>. With these two technologies in place, an attempt was to made to introduce three plasmids (pSET152-<em>ermE*</em>p-null, pSET152-<em>ermE</em>*p-<em>atrA</em> and pSET152-<em>ermE</em>*p-<em>lsr2_NTD</em>) into 120 wild-isolate <em>Streptomyces</em> species from the Wright Actinomycete Collection. Exconjugants were successfully obtained for all three plasmids in 48 species of <em>Streptomyces</em> and were screened for increased antimicrobial activity using a HTP, <em>lux</em>-based bioassay. Numerous strains showed increased antimicrobial activity but WAC00206, WAC00230 and WAC00263 with pSET152-<em>ermE</em>*p-<em>lsr2_NTD</em>showed the most promising improvement in antimicrobial activity. These hits have been designated as high priority for future investigation. These results suggest that HTP conjugation and the <em>lux</em>-based bioassay are powerful methods for introducing plasmids into and screening engineered streptomycetes.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

[pt] Nesse trabalho foi realizada uma avaliação microestrutural da influência do ciclo térmico em três aços da classe API5LX80: Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo e Nb-Cr-Mo-V fabricados no Brasil. Estes aços foram fabricados através de processo termo-mecânico controlado sem passarem por uma etapa subseqüente de resfriamento acelerado. Foi realizada uma caracterização microestrutural em duas condições, pós- laminação e austenitização a 900oC seguida de três (3) ciclos térmicos: resfriamento ao ar (1,5oC/s), ao óleo (30oC/s) e a água (115oC/s). Na condição de pós-laminado, os aços Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo, e Nb-Cr-Mo-V não apresentaram diferenças significativas quanto ao TG, distribuição de fases (ferrita, bainita e AM), dureza e microdureza mas foram verificadas diferenças em suas subestruturas (subgrãos, células e precipitação fina) observada em MET. Concluise que a inclusão de Mo e V nos aços Nb-Cr-Mo e Nb- Cr-Mo-V não ocasionou influência a nível microestrutural, mas ocasionou mudanças a nível subestrutural verificadas em MET que talvez possam justificar a diferença entre propriedades mecânicas.Verificamos a diminuição do tamanho de grão com o aumento da taxa de resfriamento nos aços Nb- Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo, e Nb-Cr-Mo-V. Os valores de dureza e microdureza são os mesmos para os aços Nb-Cr e Nb-Cr-Mo na condição de após aplicação dos ciclos térmicos, e uma associação pode ser feita com a quantidade de fases de cada um, pois a distribuição quantitativa das fases para ambos os aços é muito similar. O aço Nb-Cr-Mo-V apresenta uma distribuição diferente, com a formação da fase martensítica já no resfriamento ao óleo (30oC/s) e o aumento da quantidade desta fase a medida que a taxa de resfriamento diminui. / [en] The present work presents a microstructural evaluation of three different chemical compositions of API5LX80 classified as Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo e Nb-Cr- Mo-V steel in two conditions, as received and after three applied cooling rates: air-cooled (1,5oC/s), oil-cooled (30oC/s) e water- cooled (115oC/s). This material under study is a microalloyed HSLA steel used for pipeline purposes produced in Brazil. Usually this steel is processed by thermo- mechanical controlled hot rolling followed by accelerated cooling. However, the material under study was not accelerated cooled after thermo-mechanical controlled hot rolling. Instead, chemical composition was changed to obtain similar mechanical properties of this class of steel. The Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr-Mo, e Nb-Cr-Mo-V as-received steels studied in this work presented the same quantitative distribution of grain size and volumetric fraction of the phases (ferrite, bainite and MA), as well as, the same hardness Rockwell (HRB) and Vickers (HV100). However, the substructures (subgrains, cells and fine precipitation) of the three steels were different when examed in Transmission Electron Microscopy - TEM. The Nb-Cr, Nb-Cr- Mo, e Nb-Cr-Mo- V steels, after submitted to the three cooling rates, presented a decrease in grain size with the increasing of the cooling rate. The same hardness Rockwell (HRB) and Vickers (HV100) values were found for Nb-Cr e Nb- Cr-Mo steels and this fact can be associated to the volumetric fraction of both steels, because both have very similar phase distribution. The Nb-Cr-Mo-V steel presented a different phase distribution with increased of martensite as the cooling rate decreases.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-02-04T21:22:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 lenarde.pdf: 5248638 bytes, checksum: 364d487cb6ed3eb541c12bbad33ed0df (MD5) Previous issue date: 201-10-06 / Esta investigação teve como objeto de estudo a formação em serviço de professores, com destaque para a Hora de Trabalho Pedagógico (HTP). Partiu da seguinte questão-problema: quais as possibilidades formativas das HTPs para a formação docente em serviço? Nessa perspectiva, o foco foi o papel dos coordenadores pedagógicos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa que teve como cenário a cidade de Santos. Os sujeitos da pesquisa foram vinte e cinco coordenadores pedagógicos oriundos de escolas municipais santistas de Ensino Fundamental I. Os pressupostos epistemológicos da pesquisa qualitativa contemplaram as especificidades do objeto em questão: a relação dinâmica entre o mundo real e o sujeito, captando tanto os aspectos objetivos quanto os subjetivos. Para coleta dos dados, foram utilizados os seguintes instrumentos: questionário, entrevista, dinâmica de grupo, grupo focal e análise de documentos, visando elucidar o objeto em foco. O estudo apoiou-se em autores que discutem a questão da cultura da prática reflexiva na escola como elemento norteador do pensar e do fazer docente coletivo. Para fundamentar o sentido de coordenação pedagógica, o estudo embasou-se em Fusari e Candau; para compreender as práticas pedagógicas fundamentou-se em Franco e Ghedin; para a compreensão do sentido de prática docente buscou suporte teórico em Freire e Nóvoa; por fim, os sentidos de formação foram embasados em Garcia. A análise do material verbalizado ou escrito foi submetida à técnica da análise de conteúdo, que possibilitou perceber os sujeitos em seus contextos sociais de trabalho, donde emergiram as seguintes categorias: HTP como espaço de formação; HTP como espaço de troca de conhecimento e HTP como espaço de escuta. Os conhecimentos construídos nesta investigação permitem afirmar que a formação em serviço é um espaço/tempo necessário à reflexão do professor, podendo configurar-se em lócus que acolhe as experiências de seus sujeitos e promove o processo de pensar/discutir a prática. A análise dos resultados indicou também que a HTP é um espaço/tempo desejado pelos coordenadores, porém requer uma reestruturação do tempo destinado à formação dos professores, das reais funções desse coordenador, bem como do próprio papel da Secretaria de Educação frente aos objetivos da formação em serviço.

This thesis analyses the transformation in health care system in Turkey with particular emphasis on Health Transformation Program (HTP) which has been in progress since 2003. This analysis is done from political science and public administration perspective where neoliberal restructuring process and related approaches such as New Public Management and epistemic communities are utilized. This dissertation argues and verifies that health care reforms in general and HTP in particular mainly target organizational and financial set-ups of the health care systems and these reforms are not only highly interrelated among themselves but are also the ones which bring about the most serious outcomes. In this regard an attempt is made to clarify the long-lasting confusion about what decentralization means in health care systems and to understand the trend in health care reforms towards producing hybrid models for organizational and financial set-ups. The thesis argues and explores that health care reforms targeting organizational and financial set-ups have been producing serious impacts regarding economic, political, managerial, clinical, equity and conceptual aspects of the health care system. This argument is supported by primary data derived from the research conducted in a public hospital in the post-HTP period. In its efforts towards understanding the repercussions of the HTP, this thesis points to the value of referring to the English NHS - particularly its way of reforming itself- where it not only extracts out the common points between the two cases but also attempts at making inferences from the latter for the incipient former.

This master's thesis is concerned with the mechanical efficiency of cranktrain contact pairs in a combustion engine. In the introductory part, the fundamental terminology relating to the cranktrain is presented along with the specification of the areas of mechanical losses, greasing modes and types of wear. The following chapters describe the possibilities of eliminating mechanical losses of the cranktrain and the calculation methods that can be utilized to mathematically solve mechanical losses. The practical part includes the proposal of a calculation model and its use in the analysis of the cranktrain of Skoda 1.2 HTP engine. The last part of this thesis comprises modified alternatives of the standard cranktrain focusing on the elimination of mechanical losses. The evaluation of the results is presented in the conclusion of this thesis.

Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is an important food crop in the USA and worldwide with high net returns but yield in excess of 4500 kg ha-1 is needed to offset the production costs. Because yield is limited by biotic and abiotic stresses, cultivars with stress tolerance are needed to optimize yield. The U.S. peanut mini-core germplasm collection is a valuable resource that breeders can use to improve stress tolerance in peanut. Phenotyping for plant height, leaf area, and leaf wilting have been used as proxies for the desired tolerance traits. However, proximal data collection, i.e. measurements are taken on individual plants or in the proximity, is slow. Remote data collection and machine learning techniques for analysis offer a high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) alternative to manual measurements that could help breeding for stress tolerance. The objectives of this study were to 1) develop HTP methods using aerial remote sensing; 2) evaluate the mini-core collection in SE Virginia; and 3) perform a detailed physiological analysis on a sub-set of 28 accessions from the mini-core collection under drought stress, i.e. the sub-set was selected based on contrasting differences under drought in three states, Virginia, Texas, and Oklahoma. To address these objectives, replicated experiments were performed in the field at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk, VA, in 2017, 2018, and 2019, under rainfed, irrigated, and controlled conditions using rainout shelters to induce drought. Proximal data collection involved physiological, morphological, and yield measurements. Remote data collection was performed aerially and included collection of red-green-blue (RGB) images and canopy reflectance in the visible, near infra-red, and infra-red spectra. This information was used to estimate plant characteristics related to growth and drought tolerance. Under objective 1), we developed HTP for plant height with 85-95% accuracy, LAI with 85-88% accuracy, and wilting with 91-99% accuracy; this was done with significant reduction of time as compared to proximal data collection. Under objectives 2) and 3), we determined that shorter genotypes were more drought tolerant than taller genotypes; and identified CC650 less wilted and with increased carbon assimilation, electron transport, quantum efficiency, and yield than other accessions. / Doctor of Philosophy / Peanut is a profitable food crop in the USA but has high input costs. Pod yield over 4500 kg ha-1 is required for a profitable production, which is challenging in dry and hot years, and under disease pressure. Varieties tolerant to dry weather conditions (drought) and disease presence are required to sustain production. A collection of 112 peanut varieties is available for researchers to study the mechanisms of tolerance to drought and disease, and identify tolerant varieties to these stresses. Plant characteristics including height, leaf area, and leaf wilting can be used as proxies to estimate stress tolerance and yield, and identify tolerant varieties. How to measure these characteristics is very important. We think that using images collected by a drone and automated analysis by specific computer programs is the easiest, fastest, and most accurate way. Therefore, the objectives of my study were to 1) use drones and cameras to collect images, and computer programs to derive plant characteristics from these images, 2) evaluate the peanut collection to identify varieties with tolerance to drought and disease, and 3) evaluate in depth a sub-set of 28 varieties from this collection under controlled drought conditions to further learn about peanut mechanisms of tolerance to drought and diseases. Field experiments were conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2019, at the Tidewater Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Suffolk, VA. For some tests, we used rainout shelters to mimic drought. We measured plant height, leaf area, color, and wilting, canopy temperature, photosynthesis, and pod yield. From a drone, we collected images in the visible and invisible radiation and, using specific computer programs, estimated plant characteristics with 95% accuracy for height, 88% for leaf area, and 91% for leaf wilting under drought. We concluded that taller varieties were more susceptible to drought than shorter varieties. Peanut varieties CC650 and CC068 had higher end of season yield. The study showed that drought reduced several key mechanisms of photosynthesis including electron transport; and reduced the end of season yield. Variety CC650 performed better under drought than other varieties of the collection.

L’hypertension pulmonaire (HTP) est définie par une valeur de pression artérielle pulmonaire moyenne (PAPm) supérieure à 25 mmHg au repos. Il existe des formes sévères d’HTP (HTPs) avec des valeurs de PAPm encore plus élevées associées à des symptômes plus marqués et à l’apparition de lésions anatomo pathologiques spécifiques. Le diagnostic et le développement de nouvelles thérapies sont des enjeux majeurs pour une meilleure prise encharge de ces patients À l’aide de la tomodensitométrie, nos travaux observationnels chez l’homme atteint debroncho-pneumopathie chronique obstructive (BPCO) ont montré une corrélation de l’HTP avec le remodelage bronchique et non pas avec l’emphysème. L’HTPs peut être une complication rare mais grave de la BPCO. L’évaluation in vivo des modifications du lit vasculaire pulmonaire a permis de confirmer l’existence d’un phénotype particulier chez les patients atteints de BPCO compliquée d’HTPs. De plus, la définition d’un score combiné comprenant des paramètres non invasifs tomodensitométriques devrait permettre de sélectionner plus finement les patients devant subir un cathétérisme cardiaque droit.En parallèle, dans nos travaux expérimentaux, nous avons complété la caractérisation d’un modèle d’hypertension artérielle pulmonaire chez le rat développant un phénotype sévère(HTAPs) et présentant des lésions artérielles pulmonaires caractéristiques de la maladie humaine. Ce modèle, ainsi que des modèles animaux plus classiques d’HTP, nous ont permis d’identifier un rôle du facteur de croissance des nerfs NGF dans cette pathologie, dont le ciblage pourrait ouvrir de nouvelles perspectives thérapeutiques. / Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is defined by a mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) at or above 25 mmHg at rest. Severe forms of PH (sPH) are characterized by a stronger elevation of mPAP, more marked symptoms and specific pulmonary vascular lesions. Real challenges come from a better diagnosis for these patients and identification of new therapeutic targets to improve their therapeutic care. Our results show by computed tomography that PH associated to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is correlated to airway remodeling and not to emphysema. Severe PH is a rare and serious complication of COPD. We confirmed existence of a phenotype in COPD patients with sPH, by evaluating in vivo modifications of the pulmonary vascular bed in these patients. Moreover, we defined a combined score, which may be a non-invasive tool to select patients for right heart catheterization In parallel, we completed the characterization of a rat model of severe pulmonary arterial hypertension (sPAH) that developed a severe phenotype with pulmonary arterial specific and human-like lesions. In this model, as well as in more classical PH models, our results demonstrated an increased expression of the nerve growth factor NGF and its role in PH and sPAH pathophysiology. These results therefore suggest that NGF may be an interesting target to develop new therapeutic perspectives in this disease.

<p>Social phobia is a disabling, lifelong disorder characterised by fear in social settings.</p><p>The aim of the present study was to gain more knowledge about diagnostic, neurobiologic and epidemiologic aspects of social phobia.</p><p>Thirty-two individuals were assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I and II psychiatric disorders, the Karolinska Scales of Personality and the Temperament and Character Inventory. Social phobia was accompanied by concurrent axis I disorders in about 28% of individuals, lifetime axis I disorders in 54%, personality disorders in 60%, and avoidant personality disorder (APD) in 47%. This suggests that there is a high comorbidity between social phobia and APD according to the DSM-IV criteria. The personality profiles associated with social phobia were dominated by anxiety-related traits that were primarily related to social phobia itself and not to the presence of concurrent personality disorders.</p><p>Eighteen subjects with social phobia and eighteen controls were investigated with positron emission tomography and the radiolabeled serotonin precursor, [3 -11C]–5-HTP (5-HTP). Individuals with social phobia demonstrated proportionally lower regional relative whole brain accumulation of 5-HTP in areas of the frontal and temporal cortices as well as the striatum, but higher accumulation in the cerebellum. This suggests that there are imbalances in presynaptic serotonin function in individuals with social phobia, although this could only be confirmed in men, and not in women.</p><p>By means of a postal survey, distributed to 2000 randomly selected individuals, social phobia in Sweden was found to be common, with a point prevalence of 15.6%.</p>