Many of the materials used today for cardiovascular implants exhibit good bulk mechanical properties but fail to provide desirable surface properties for reducing thrombogenicity and promoting tissue integration. In fact, biological responses at the blood-material interface, including non-specific protein adsorption, coagulation, and platelet adhesion and activation significantly limit the use of currently available materials in many blood contacting applications. As our understanding of the biological responses to foreign materials has grown, so too has the potential for creating 'bioactive' materials capable of inducing and directing beneficial cellular processes. One promising technique for circumventing undesirable blood-biomaterial interactions involves seeding vascular endothelial cells (ECs) onto synthetic vascular grafts as a means of exploiting the physiological anticoagulant characteristics of the endothelium. Methods for improving cell retention on these constructs include immobilization of cell recognition motifs on the biomaterial surface in order to improve interactions between cells and the synthetic substrate. However, there remains the need to better understand the interactions between surface bound ligands and cells, and the role of linker molecule chemistry on ligand bioactivity and cellular response. In the current work, a novel method was optimized for modifying poly (dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) with cell adhesion peptides tethered via a heterobifunctional allyl-, NSC-terminated polyethylene oxide (PEO) linker molecule. These novel surfaces combine the protein repellant property of PEO with the cell binding property of cell adhesion peptides. It was found that surfaces modified in this manner reduced protein adsorption to PDMS while increasing cell adhesion. Therefore the use of a generic PEO linker molecule was shown to be a very promising method of reducing non-specific protein interactions while maintaining ligand bioactivity. Silicone surfaces were also modified with diaminobutane (DAB) dendrimers in an attempt to increase the surface capacity for attachment of biomolecules and to compare the effect of surface peptide density with ligand mobility. Grafting cell adhesion peptides via surface bound dendrimers was found to increase the surface peptide density when compared to peptides grafted via the PEO spacer alone. However, cell adhesion was not significantly improved on the dendrimer-peptide modified surfaces compared to PDMS controls. This observation provides evidence that the properties of the linker molecule used for attachment of cell adhesion peptides to a biomaterial surface may be a critical factor in determining peptide bioactivity. In this case the peptides bound to the surface via the highly mobile linear PEO linker showed increased cell adhesion when compared to peptides linked via the rigid, highly branched dendrimer. It is therefore hypothesized that ligand mobility on a biomaterial surface may significantly influence ligand-cell receptor interactions to an even greater extent than surface peptide density. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

Cassava is the main staple crop in Nigeria. Using primary data from four south eastern states in Nigeria, the study assessed the gender impacts of improved cassava varieties. Comparative statistical analysis reveals that total female labor is higher than total male in cassava production, processing and marketing. Women spend more labor days than males for planting, weeding, harvesting, marketing and processing. The total female family labor is higher for adopters of new improved cassava varieties. There is however lower family labor input for both male and female adopters for clearing and plowing which are normally done by men. Significant determinants of female labor supply are number of children in the household, percent of females in the household providing labor on the farm, area under improved cassava varieties and total land area. There is a positive unexpected relationship between total female labor supply and number of children. For each of the decision making variables, there is a significant association between the gender of the spouse and the decision made except for the decision on family labor allocation. Probit results show a significant decrease in the probability that the wife makes the decision for family labor allocation, what inputs to buy and borrowing and traditional cassava income control with adoption. Results indicate that both men and women spend their income on services directly linked to the household's welfare. More than half of the women ranked food as number one. / Master of Science

No / Chronic pain is currently under-diagnosed and under-treated, partly because doctors' training in pain management is often inadequate. This situation looks certain to become worse with the rapidly increasing elderly population unless there is a wider adoption of best pain management practice. This paper reviews current knowledge of the development of chronic pain and the multidisciplinary team approach to pain therapy. The individual topics covered include nociceptive and neuropathic pain, peripheral sensitization, central sensitization, the definition and diagnosis of chronic pain, the biopsychosocial model of pain and the multidisciplinary approach to pain management. This last section includes an example of the implementation of a multidisciplinary approach in Belgium and describes the various benefits it offers; for example, the early multidimensional diagnosis of chronic pain and rapid initiation of evidence-based therapy based on an individual treatment plan. The patient also receives continuity of care, while pain relief is accompanied by improvements in physical functioning, quality of life and emotional stress. Other benefits include decreases in catastrophizing, self-reported patient disability, and depression. Improved training in pain management is clearly needed, starting with the undergraduate medical curriculum, and this review is intended to encourage further study by those who manage patients with chronic pain.

Submitted by admin tede (tede@pucgoias.edu.br) on 2016-11-10T11:48:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Willard Silva Ribeiro.pdf: 2550243 bytes, checksum: 6a14ee1c5b586e0f46c616a14e6fe721 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-10T11:48:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Willard Silva Ribeiro.pdf: 2550243 bytes, checksum: 6a14ee1c5b586e0f46c616a14e6fe721 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-09-12 / This work deals with the optimization of processes that result in improved financial and sales of telecommunications services in the State of Goiás through the analysis of undesirable effects (UDEs) systematized by the Theory of Constraints (TOC) combined with the use of data mining in fixed-line and mobile channels. In mobile phone retail channels, mass, own and franchise stores are analyzed. In the wireline phones segment we analyze authorized agent and door to door. The Analysis of Unwanted effects (UE) is systematized in cause and effect and uses the theory of constraints through the Current Reality Tree tool (CRT) to understand the root problem, which would be the unwanted effect feeding and causing other unwanted effects in the set of processes of each sales channel. The evaporation cloud diagram (ECD), which was used to break the assumptions that kept the active restriction and enabled the creation of the injection that would transform UDES in desired effects(DE). The negative branch reservation (NBR) to reduce the risk of application Injection avoiding the creation of new UDES. And the future reality tree (FRT) that shows the improved model of the future system. For the classification of business segments is used data mining, the J48 algorithm through the WEKA software. The results show that the data mining and the theory of the constraints provides a better understanding of the processes, a better understanding of the consumers behavior in each sales segment and improving sales. / Esta pesquisa diz respeito a melhoria de processos que resultam em aumento no volume de vendas de serviços de telecomunicações em duas concessionárias de telecomunicações no Estado de Goiás por meio da análise de efeitos indesejados (Undesirable Effects, UDEs) sistematizados através de Teoria das Restrições (Theory of Constraints, TOC) aliado ao uso de mineração de dados (Data Mining, DM) nos canais de vendas (Sales Channel, SC) de telefonia fixa e telefonia móvel entre os anos de 2013 a 2015. Na telefonia móvel são analisados os canais de varejo, canais de vendas em massa, lojas próprias e franquias. Na telefonia fixa são analisados o canal agente autorizado e canal porta a porta. A análise dos UDEs é sistematizada em causa e efeito e utiliza a TOC através da ferramenta Árvore de Realidade Atual (Current Reality Tree, CRT) para compreensão do problema raiz que seria o UDEs que alimenta e causa outros UDEs no conjunto de processos de cada SC. A causa raiz é submetida ao Diagrama de Evaporação de Nuvem (Evaporiting Cloud Diagram, ECD), que foi usado para quebra dos pressupostos que mantinham a restrição ativa e possibilitou a criação da injeção que transformaria UDEs em Efeitos Desejados (Desirable Effects, DEs). A injeção, que é uma sentença que representa uma ação desruptiva do que causava a restrição, foi testada por meio da ferramenta Reserva de Ramo Negativo (Negative Branch Reservation, NBR) para reduzir os riscos da aplicação da Injeção evitando a criação de novos UDES. UDEs foram transformados em DES por meio da injeção validada e sistematizados em causa e efeito com uso da Árvore de Realidade Futura (Future Reality Tree, FRT) que apresenta o modelo melhorado futuro do sistema. Para a classificação dos segmentos comerciais é usado DM com o algoritmo de classificação J48 por meio do software Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA). Os resultados mostram que a mineração de dados e a teoria das restrições oferecem uma melhor compreensão dos processos de vendas, melhor compreensão do comportamento de consumo em cada segmento comercial e por consequência a melhoria das vendas.

In 2011, Energy saving (mud) stoves were introduced in villages around the Kachung Forestplantation in rural Uganda as part of an effort to support local sustainable development. Initial fieldwork showedthat the stoves had not been adopted as much as the apparent benefits would suggest. This has been a commonissue with improved cooking stove projects around the world. In order to find out why the stoves are notadopted, 67 women in charge of the cooking were interviewed additionally participant observations of cooking,other daily work routines and building stoves conducted, as well as interviews with other relevant stakeholders.Results show that women struggle to find enough firewood and are bothered by the smoke produced whencooking, which makes them generally very interested in improved mud stoves. Indeed many women hadadopted a local version of the mud stove in order to ease the burden of firewood collection. The reason for notadopting a mud stove in general can be mainly attributed to work burden in constructing it. As for the moresophisticated energy saving mud stoves introduced, additional factors were that the implementation strategyshows weaknesses in how the knowledge on how to build the stove is supposed to spread. Further, the stoveintroduced is rather complex in the way it is supposed to be built, which makes it difficult to spread theknowledge of how to build it. The implementation strategy needs to be revised under consideration of the localcircumstances in order to achieve a higher adoption rate.

O Objetivo desse trabalho é avaliar a Dinâmica Gástrica e o Trânsito Oro-Esofágico em imagens cintilográficas por meio de uma técnica de fluxo óptico chamada Técnica Aprimorada de Demons. Essa técnica permite obter a velocidade dos pixels, também chamada Força de Deformação, em imagens sequenciais aos pares por meio de 3 características das imagens: o gradiente, a intensidade dos pixels e a informação ortogonal ao gradiente. Para alcançar o nosso objetivo, foram utilizadas imagens cintilográficas obtidas no Banco de Imagens do Hospital das Clínicas da USP de Ribeirão Preto. Essas imagens foram adquiridas segundo 2 protocolos: Trânsito Oro-Esofágico e Enchimento Gástrico. Sob o protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 9 voluntários saudáveis. Esses, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, fizeram 10 deglutições de 5 ml de solução fisiológica sendo as deglutições de número 1, 4, 7 e 10 feitas com a solução fisiológica \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 26 MBq (cerca de 700 µCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato e adquiridas, pela gamma câmara, como um conjunto de 240 imagens por deglutição. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Trânsito Oro-Esofágico foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidade obtidos foram correlacionados com uma técnica capaz de obter os tempos de trânsito do bolus nas diferentes porções do esôfago. Foi obtida uma alta correlação inversa entre as velocidades e o tempo de trânsito ao longo de todo o esôfago, como esperado. A média das velocidades obtidas no esôfago proximal se aproximou consideravelmente da velocidade da onda peristáltica primária descrita na literatura. Sob o protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico, foram selecionadas imagens referentes a 13 voluntários saudáveis. Os voluntários, em um período de jejum mínimo de 8 horas, ingeriram uma refeição teste líquida \"marcada\'\' com aproximadamente 72 MBq (cerca de 2 mCi) de 99mTecnécio ligado a moléculas de fitato enquanto ocorria a aquisição de um conjunto de 330 imagens pela gamma câmara. As imagens adquiridas no protocolo de Enchimento Gástrico também foram corrigidas e corregistradas. Os campos de velocidades obtidos foram somados para cada par de imagens adquiridas e foi analisada a frequência dominante do módulos desses campos somados no tempo de aquisição por meio da Trânsformada Rápida de Fourier (FFT), com filtro Butterworth bidirecional, em janelas de 4 minutos. Foi obtida a média das frequências dominantes por voluntário e, posteriormente, uma média e um desvio padrão para a amostra de voluntários. Foi feito um teste t de student que revelou que a média amostral da frequência dominante do estômago proximal é condizente com a frequência de contração conhecida na literatura para essa região (1 contração por minuto). Ao se estudar a região distal, foi observado também uma predominância de janelas com frequências próximas a conhecida para contrações do estômago distal (3 contrações por minuto) na maioria dos voluntários. As contrações no estômago também foram analisadas visualmente por meio do divergente do campo de velocidades e do perímetro do estômago nas imagens adquiridas. / The goal of this project is to evaluate the gastric dinamic and the Oro-esophageal transit in scintigraphic images trough an optical flow tecnique called Improved Demons Tecnique. This tecnique provides the velocity of the pixels (also called, Deformation Force - DF) in sequencial images by pairs trough 3 image features: gradient, intensity of the pixels and orthogonal gradient information. To achieve our goal, scintigraphic images from Hospital das Clínicas of Ribeirão Preto database were used. This images were acquired trough 2 protocols: Oro-Esophageal Transit and Gastric Filling. At the Oro-Esophageal Transit protocol, images from 9 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, made ten swallows of 5 ml saline. The swallows number 1, 4, 7 and 10 were made with the saline labelled with about 26 MBq (about 700 µCi) 99mTc-phytate and acquired, by gamma-camera, as a set of 240 images per swallowing. The images acquired under the protocol Oro-Esophageal Transit were corrected and registered. The velocity fields obtained were correlated to a tecnique capable of obtain the relative transit times of the bolus in each region of the oesophagus. A high inverse correlation were obtained between the velocities and the times of transit in the oesophagus as a whole, as expected. The mean of the velocities obtained in the proximal oesophagus approached considerably of the velocity of primary peristaltic pump described in literature. At the Gastric filling protocol, images from 13 healthy volunteers were chosen. The volunteers, under a fasting of at least 8 hours, ingested a liquid meal labeled with about 72 MBq (about 2 mCi) 99mTc-phytate while a set of 330 images were acquired by gamma-camera. This images were also corrected and registered. The velocity fields were summed for each pair of images acquired and the frequency of the magnitude of this summed field, in the time of acquisition, were analyzed by Fast Fourier Transform, with a bidirectional Butterworth filter, in sliding windows of 4 minutes. A mean of the frequencies per volunteer were obtained and, after, a mean and standard deviation for the sample of volunteers. It was made a t student test that showed that the sample mean of the frequency of the proximal estomach is consistent with the known frequency of the contraction for this region (1 contraction per minute). We also studied the distal region. It was observed a predominance of slider windows with frequencies close to the frequency known for contractions of distal stomach (3 contractions per minute) in most of the volunteers. The stomach contractions were also analyzed visually through the divergent of the velocity fields and the perimeter of the stomach in the acquired images.

World-wide, there has been a large increase in tertiary student numbers, not entirely matched by funding increases. Consequently, instructors are faced with large, diverse classes, and find themselves struggling to provide adequate assessment and prompt feedback, two quantities critical in an effective learning environment. Personal computers and the Internet can help solve this problem. The aim of this study was to develop, implement and validate a Web-based software package that, through providing practice and assessment opportunities, improved student learning and reduced marking and related mundane aspects of instructor workload. At the start of the study, such a package already existed in prototype form: OASIS (Online Assessment System with Integrated Study). As the study progressed, this software package was first fully rewritten and then repeatedly modified. OASIS delivers individualised tasks, marks student responses, supplies prompt feedback, and logs student activity. Staff can deliver sets of practice questions and assessments to students: assessments may involve different questions for different students, not just numerically different versions of the same questions. Given my role as teacher, the traditional research ideal of observing without affecting the research environment was both impossible and unconscionable. In particular, since preliminary evidence suggested that OASIS did enhance student learning, I could not adopt a ‘two groups’ approach to the research, with one group using OASIS while the other did not. Instead, an action research methodology was seen as most appropriate for my double role of teacher and researcher. / This methodology enabled me, in the light of my findings, to continuously modify the learning environment and enhance student learning. The action research proceeded through a spiral of one-semester cycles of planning, acting, observing and reflecting. To maximize rigour, the research ran through eight cycles over four years and involved considerable triangulation. OASIS itself collected much quantitative data. Further data were collected via interview, survey, email and informal discussion from three groups: current students, postgraduates and academics. My colleagues provided alternative perceptions and interpretations, as did Physics Department academics who were using OASIS, and an external academic who interviewed academics and investigated the implementation of OASIS. Perhaps surprisingly, academics had generally adopted OASIS to promote student learning rather than to decrease their own workloads. In some cases workloads were reduced; however, where OASIS assessments augmented rather than replaced existing traditional assessments, workloads actually went up slightly. All instructors who used OASIS reported enhanced student learning and wished to continue using it. Student surveys, interviews, focus-group discussions and informal feedback showed that students found the software easy to use and considered that it helped them improve their skills and understanding. OASIS questions were preferred over textbook questions. Students commonly requested OASIS to be available in more of their areas of study. In general students wanted hints or model answers though some argued against their provision. / The majority of students were enthusiastic about the use of OASIS for practice, and activity logs revealed that they did use OASIS extensively. These logs also revealed the motivating power of assessments: typically half the online practice activity took place in the last 36 hours prior to assessments. Interviews provided further interesting insights into the ways different students approached their studies and assessments. However, students did voice concerns about the validity of OASIS assignments, noting their peers could rely on the efforts of others to score highly in these. A number of steps were carried out in an attempt to defuse these concerns, including: disabling OASIS practice during assignments, basing assignments on previously unseen questions, and providing different assignment questions to different students. While this study has achieved the goal of developing, implementing and validating OASIS, many future opportunities exist. OASIS may be used in schools as well as universities. Non-numerical questions, where answers may be somewhere between right and wrong, are possible. OASIS can also be used to deliver concept inventories to students to support research into concept acquisition and retention.

The profile of the poloidal velocity in the edge region of tokamak plasmas has been identified as playing a major role in the confinement of particles and energy. It has been suggested that a strongly sheared poloidal flow can reduce particle and energy losses by the stabilization of unstable modes and decorrelation of turbulence the edge region of the plasma. A Gundestrup probe, a Mach probe array, is used to measure both the parallel and perpendicular flow velocities in the Saskatchewan Torus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak during several discharge conditions. It is observed that during Ohmic discharges there is no velocity shear and the direction of the parallel flow is independent of the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. During H-mode induced by a turbulent heating current pulse, a region of strong velocity shear develops in the plasma edge and an edge transport barrier develops. This results in a short period of improved particle and energy confinement with reduced fluctuation amplitudes. During electrode biasing experiments, a stainless steel biasing electrode is inserted into the plasma up to r = 82 mm and biased to +500 V relative to the vacuum chamber. It is observed that the particle confinement improves during the biasing phase while the energy confinement is degraded. A region of weak shear in the poloidal flow is observed in the plasma scrapeoff layer (SOL). The results from STOR-M are compared with results from data taken in the Czech Academy of Sciences Torus (CASTOR) tokamak during both Ohmic discharges and discharges with electrode biasing.

The profile of the poloidal velocity in the edge region of tokamak plasmas has been identified as playing a major role in the confinement of particles and energy. It has been suggested that a strongly sheared poloidal flow can reduce particle and energy losses by the stabilization of unstable modes and decorrelation of turbulence the edge region of the plasma. A Gundestrup probe, a Mach probe array, is used to measure both the parallel and perpendicular flow velocities in the Saskatchewan Torus-Modified (STOR-M) tokamak during several discharge conditions. It is observed that during Ohmic discharges there is no velocity shear and the direction of the parallel flow is independent of the direction of the toroidal magnetic field. During H-mode induced by a turbulent heating current pulse, a region of strong velocity shear develops in the plasma edge and an edge transport barrier develops. This results in a short period of improved particle and energy confinement with reduced fluctuation amplitudes. During electrode biasing experiments, a stainless steel biasing electrode is inserted into the plasma up to r = 82 mm and biased to +500 V relative to the vacuum chamber. It is observed that the particle confinement improves during the biasing phase while the energy confinement is degraded. A region of weak shear in the poloidal flow is observed in the plasma scrapeoff layer (SOL). The results from STOR-M are compared with results from data taken in the Czech Academy of Sciences Torus (CASTOR) tokamak during both Ohmic discharges and discharges with electrode biasing.

No description available.