Implementation and analysis of mathematical models can serve as a powerful tool in understanding how intracellular processes in bacteria affect the bacterial phenotype. In this thesis I have implemented and analysed models of a number of different parts of the bacterium E. coli in order to understand these types of connections. I have also developed new tools for analysis of stochastic reaction-diffusion models. Resistance mutations in the E. coli ribosomes make the bacteria less susceptible to treatment with the antibiotic drug erythromycin compared to bacteria carrying wildtype ribosomes. The effect is dependent on efficient drug efflux pumps. In the absence of pumps for erythromycin, there is no difference in growth between wildtype and drug target resistant bacteria. I present a model explaining this unexpected phenotype, and also give the conditions for its occurrence. Stochastic fluctuations in gene expression in bacteria, such as E. coli, result in stochastic fluctuations in biosynthesis pathways. I have characterised the effect of stochastic fluctuations in the parallel biosynthesis pathways of amino acids. I show how the average protein synthesis rate decreases with an increasing number of fluctuating amino acid production pathways. I further show how the cell can remedy this problem by using sensitive feedback control of transcription, and by optimising its expression levels of amino acid biosynthetic enzymes. The pole-to-pole oscillations of the Min-proteins in E. coli are required for accurate mid-cell division. The phenotype of the Min-oscillations is altered in three different mutants: filamentous cells, round cells and cells with changed membrane lipid composition. I have shown that the wildtype and mutant phenotypes can be explained using a stochastic reaction-diffusion model. In E. coli, the transcription elongation rate on the ribosmal RNA operon increases with increasing transcription initiation rate. In addition, the polymerase density varies along the ribosomal RNA operons. I present a DNA sequence dependent model that explains the transcription elongation rate speed-up, and also the density variation along the ribosomal operons. Both phenomena are explained by the RNA polymerase backtracking on the DNA. / Felaktigt tryckt som Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 715

Cette thèse s'inscrit dans le cadre de la théorie des systèmes linéaires dans les dioïdes. Cette théorie concerne la sous-classe des systèmes à événements discrets modélisables par les Graphes d'Événements Temporisés (GET). La dynamique de ces graphes peut être représentée par des équations récurrentes linéaires sur des structures algébriques particulières telles que l'algèbre (max,+) ou l'algèbre (min,+).Ce mémoire est consacré à l'analyse de performances des systèmes dynamiques qui peuvent être modélisés graphiquement par des Graphes d'Événements Temporisés Généralisés (GETG). Ces derniers, contrairement au GET, n'admettent pas une représentation linéaire dans l'algèbre (min,+). Pour pallier à ce problème de non linéarité, nous avons utilisé une approche de modélisation définie sur un dioïde d'opérateurs muni de deux lois internes : loi additive correspondant à l'opération (min), et loi multiplicative équivalente à la loi de composition usuelle. Le modèle d'état obtenu, est utilisé pour évaluer les performances des GETG. Pour cela, nous avons proposé une nouvelle méthode qui a pour but de linéariser le modèle mathématique régissant l'évolution dynamique du modèle graphique, dans le but d'obtenir un modèle (min,+) linéaire. La deuxième partie de cette thèse est consacrée au problème qui consiste à déterminer les ressources à utiliser dans une ligne de production, en vue d'atteindre des performances souhaitée. Ceci est équivalent à déterminer le marquage initial de la partie commande du GETG.

Le Network Calculus est une théorie visant à calculer des bornes pire-cas sur les performances des réseaux de communication. Le réseau est modélisé par un graphe orienté où les noeuds représentent des serveurs, et les flux traversant le réseau doivent suivre les arcs. S'ajoutent à cela des contraintes sur les courbes de trafic (la quantité de données passées par un point depuis la mise en route du réseau) et sur les courbes de service (la quantité de travail fournie par chaque serveur). Pour borner les performances pire-cas, comme la charge en différents points ou les délais de bout en bout, ces enveloppes sont combinées à l'aide d'opérateurs issus notamment des algèbres tropicales : min, +, convolution-(min, +)... Cette thèse est centrée sur l'algorithmique du Network Calculus, à savoir comment rendre effectif ce formalisme. Ce travail nous a amené d'abord à comparer les variations présentes dans la littérature sur les modèles utilisés, révélant des équivalences d'expressivité comme entre le Real-Time Calculus et le Network Calculus. Dans un deuxième temps, nous avons proposé un nouvel opérateur (min, +) pour traiter le calcul de performances en présence d'agrégation de flux, et nous avons étudié le cas des réseaux sans dépendances cycliques sur les flux et avec politique de service quelconque. Nous avons montré la difficulté algorithmique d'obtenir précisément les pires cas, mais nous avons aussi fourni une nouvelle heuristique pour les calculer. Elle s'avère de complexité polynomiale dans des cas intéressants.

Serial killers are present in most Media today: TV-shows, books, magazines, news shows and music. Research about them has been made in many fields, such as criminology, psychology and psychiatry. There is also research about the serial killer as a cultural being. In my paper I have looked into the serial killer in fiction. I have chosen to compare two novels that deal with the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The novels are Lotta Lotass’ Min röst skall nu komma från en annan plats i rummet and Joyce Carols Oates’ Zombie. By examining how the novels relate to the actual case and how they describe the violence and the person,I wanted to see if fiction can give a contrasting picture of how serial killers are usually described. I wanted to know if itis possible for fiction to represent serial killers as persons rather thanas inhuman monsters. My paper shows that although the novels differ in a lot of aspects, they both manage to contrast the picture of Dahmer. Zombieis more loosely based on Dahmer than Min röst, but focuses more on the violence. The Dahmer character in Zombie is more psychologically complex than the one in Min röst, but they both manage to describe the characters as human and they both avoid the stereotypical representation of serial killers.

Individuella vårdplaner för cancerpatienter infördes 2009 i och med den nationella cancerstrategin och syftar till att ge varje patient en samlad bild av besök, behandling och sjukdom. I den här uppsatsen undersöks olika strategier för mottagaranpassning i fyra regioners Min vårdplan för patienter med bröstcancer. Med utgångspunkt i den systemisk-funktionella grammatiken görs en interpersonell analys av tilltal och omtal respektive modalitet, för att dels kunna beskriva vilka mottagare som pekas ut i texten och erbjuds identifikation, och dels undersöka hur avsändarna kommunicerar information av olika karaktär till mottagarna. För att besvara det senare grundar sig analysen även till viss del i indirekthet och artighetsstrategier. Resultatet visar att de fyra vårdplanerna alla har ett relativt konsekvent du-tilltal, särskilt i introduktionsavsnitt som fungerar relationsskapande. Ibland specificeras du:et genom efterställda attribut av typen ”[du] som har fått diagnosen bröstcancer”. Men ibland övergår tilltalet till ett mer distanserat omtal i information av mer känslig eller hotande karaktär, till exempel i beskrivningar av känslor, sociala påföljder eller biverkningar. I sådan information är det även vanligt att använda modalitet av lägre sannolikhets- och vanlighetsgrad, som ett sätt att förmildra det som påstås. Resultatet visar också en skillnad i hur uppmaningar uttrycks: instruktioner av viktigare, och kanske därmed mer hotande, karaktär uttrycks oftare inkongruent med du-tilltal och förpliktelsemodalitet, möjligen som ett sätt att rikta dessa viktiga uppmaningar till mottagaren och med modalitetsmarkörer förklara hur viktigt det är att uppmaningen följs. De största skillnaderna mellan de fyra vårdplanerna visar sig i omtal av kvinnor och män och därmed vem man signalerar att mottagaren av texten är. Det leder till en avslutande diskussion om för- och nackdelar med mottagaranpassning – kan inkludering bli exkluderande?

Tang, Kin Yat Gary. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 215-231). / Abstract also in Chinese. / Table of content / TABLE OF CONTENT --- p.I / ACKNOWLEDGEMENT --- p.IV / ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS --- p.V / LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES --- p.VII / ABSTRACT --- p.IX / Chapter CHAPTER 1 --- INTRODUCTION --- p.1 / Research Background and Objective --- p.1 / Research Design --- p.4 / Research Significance --- p.5 / Plan of Dissertation --- p.7 / Chapter CHAPTER 2 --- ELECTORAL COORDINATION: BACKGROUND OF FURTHER EXPLORATION --- p.9 / What is the Pro-democracy Camp? --- p.9 / Electoral Coordination in a Competitive Authoritarian Regime --- p.13 / Literature Review: Factors behind Performance of Electoral Coordination --- p.23 / Summary --- p.32 / Chapter CHAPTER 3 --- THEORY AND HYPOTHESES --- p.33 / What is Electoral Coordination? Conceptualization and Operationalization of Dependent Variables --- p.33 / Identifying Independent Variables --- p.38 / Further Analytical Dimensions --- p.47 / Research Method --- p.51 / Summary --- p.52 / Chapter CHAPTER 4 --- 1998 & 2000 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTIONS --- p.54 / Background of Elections --- p.54 / Candidate Lists --- p.62 / Electoral Platform --- p.64 / Practice of Vote Division --- p.68 / Election Forum at Mass Media --- p.73 / Summary --- p.81 / Chapter CHAPTER 5 --- 2004 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION --- p.84 / Background of Election --- p.84 / Background of Strategic Coordination --- p.90 / Strategic Coordination and Mission of The pro-democracy camp --- p.92 / Decision-Making Mechanism of Strategic Coordination --- p.94 / Result of Strategic Coordination --- p.95 / Summary --- p.122 / Chapter CHAPTER 6 --- 2008 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ELECTION --- p.125 / Background of Election --- p.125 / Candidate Lists --- p.133 / Electoral Platforms --- p.136 / Practice of Vote Division --- p.141 / Electoral Forum in Mass Media --- p.144 / Dispute about Support of Anson Chan --- p.152 / Summary --- p.153 / Chapter CHAPTER 7 --- ILLUSTRATION FROM CASE STUDIES --- p.156 / Observation of Electoral Coordination of The pro-democracy camp --- p.156 / Factors Constitutes to the Variation of Level of Electoral Coordination: An Evaluation --- p.165 / Further Analytical Dimensions --- p.177 / Summary --- p.185 / Chapter CHAPTER 8 --- CONCLUSION --- p.187 / Key Concepts of the Research: A Short Review --- p.188 / Electoral Coordination of the pro-democracy camp: Summary of the Story --- p.189 / Research Implication and Further Discussion --- p.196 / Research Limitations and Insight for Further Research --- p.199 / APPENDICES --- p.203 / BIBLIOGRAPHY --- p.215

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-13T17:08:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HugoCBBM_Pag_01_ate_39.pdf: 2186297 bytes, checksum: 50eee43ecd70d5922a46c8062df5dbe6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-12-08 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior / It is presented an integrated geophysical investigation of the spatial distribution of faults and deformation bands (DB?s) in a faulted siliciclastic reservoir analogue, located in Tucano Basin, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and permeability measurements allowed the analysis of the influence of DB?s in the rock permeability and porosity. GPR data were processed using a suitable flow parametrization in order to highlight discontinuities in sedimentary layers. The obtained images allowed the subsurface detection of DB?s presenting displacements greater that 10 cm. A good correlation was verified between DB?s detected by GPR and those observed in surface, the latter identified using conventional structural methods. After some adaptations in the minipermeameter in order to increase measurement precision, two approaches to measure permeabilities were tested: in situ and in collected cores. The former approach provided better results than the latter and consisted of scratching the outcrop surface, followed by direct measurements on outcrop rocks. The measured permeability profiles allowed to characterize the spatial transition from DB?s to undeformed rock; variation of up to three orders of magnitude were detected. The permeability profiles also presented quasi-periodic patterns, associated with textural and granulometric changes, possibly associated to depositional cycles. Integrated interpretation of the geological, geophysical and core data, provided the subsurface identification of an increase in the DB?s number associated with a sedimentary layer presenting granulometric decrease at depths greater than 8 m. An associated sharp decrease in permeability was also measured in cores from boreholes. The obtained results reveal that radagrams, besides providing high resolution images, allowing the detection of small structures (> 10 cm), also presented a correlation with the permeability data. In this way, GPR data may be used to build upscaling laws, bridging the gap between outcrop and seismic data sets, which may result in better models for faulted reservoirs / O presente trabalho apresenta a utiliza??o integrada de t?cnicas geof?sicas para investigar a distribui??o espacial de falhas e bandas de deforma??o (BD`s) em afloramentos an?logos de reservat?rios silicicl?sticos na Bacia do Tucano no Estado da Bahia, nordeste do Brasil. Foram utilizadas as ferramentas geof?sicas de Radar Penetrante no Solo (GPR) e miniperme?metro, em estudos integrados com a geologia estrutural, com o intuito de analisar o impacto causado pelas BD?s nas condi??es permo-porosas da rocha. Os dados de GPR foram processados utilizando uma parametriza??o adequada para real?ar descontinuidades nas camadas sedimentares. Esta parametriza??o possibilitou a detec??o, em subsuperf?cie, das BD s que apresentam rejeitos maiores que 10 cm. Uma boa correla??o foi verificada entre as BD?s detectadas pelo GPR e BD?s identificadas em superf?cie usando fotos a?reas de pequeno formato e mapas estruturais de detalhe da ?rea investigada. Ap?s adapta??es no miniperme?metro, que possibilitaram melhor precis?o nas medidas, foram testadas duas metodologias de medi??o de permeabilidade: in situ e em amostras ou testemunhos. A metodologia que forneceu melhor resultado foi a primeira, que consiste de raspagem do afloramento seguida da medi??o nos locais raspados. Os perfis de permeabilidade obtidos permitiram caracterizar a transi??o entre BD?s e rocha s?; varia??es de at? tr?s ordens de grandeza foram verificadas. Tamb?m foram identificados nos perfis de permeabilidade padr?es aproximadamente peri?dicos, associados com diminui??es granulom?tricas e texturais em algumas f?cies sedimentares, possivelmente ligados a ciclos deposicionais. A interpreta??o conjunta dos dados geol?gicos, geof?sicos e de po?os rasos, proporcionou a identifica??o, em subsuperf?cie, de um aumento do n?mero de BD`s e uma diminui??o granulom?trica, a partir de 8 m de profundidade. Esta mudan?a est? associada com uma brusca diminui??o da permeabilidade a partir desta profundidade, que foi confirmada em medi??es realizadas em testemunhos extra?dos de po?os. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que as se??es de GPR, al?m de proporcionarem imagens de alta resolu??o, detectando estruturas decacentim?tricas, tamb?m apresentaram correla??o com os dados de permeabilidade. Potencialmente, o GPR pode ser usado na composi??o de leis de escala, servindo de liga??o entre dados de afloramento e dados s?smicos convencionais, auxiliando no entendimento do impacto de falhas, fraturas e BD`s nas condi??es permo-porosas de um reservat?rio de petr?leo

The payoff functions of contingent claims (options) of one variable are prominent in Financial Economics and thus assume a fundamental role in option pricing theory. Some of these payoff functions are continuous, piecewise-defined and linear or affine. Such option payoff functions can be analysed in a useful way when they are represented in additive, Boolean normal, graphical and linear form. The issue of converting such payoff functions expressed in the additive, linear or graphical form into an equivalent Boolean normal form, has been considered by several authors for more than half-a-century to better-understand the role of such functions. One aspect of our study is to unify the foregoing different forms of representation, by creating algorithms that convert a payoff function expressed in graphical form into Boolean normal form and then into the additive form and vice versa. Applications of these algorithms are considered in a general theoretical sense and also in the context of specific option contracts wherever relevant. The use of these algorithms have yielded easy computation of the area enclosed by the graph of various functions using min and max operators in several ways, which, in our opinion, are important in option pricing. To summarise, this study effectively dealt with maximum and minimum operators from several perspectives

Ant algorithms have been used for a variety of combinatorial optimization problems. One of these problems, where ant algorithms haven't been used, is the design of transition rules for cellular automata (CA). Which is a problem that this master's thesis is focused on. This work begins with an introduction into ant algorithms and a overview of its applications, followed by an introduction into CA. In the next part the author proposes a way how to encode rules of CA into a graph which is used in ant algorithms. The last part of this thesis contains an application of encoded graph on elitist ant system and MAX-MIN ant system. This is followed by experimental results of creating transition rules for CA problems by these algorithms.

The aim of this study was to examine how heroes are constructed in two article series, “My local hero” and “Swedish Heroes”. The study intended to investigate similarities and differences between a local perspective and a national perspective, similarities and differences between the modern story of the hero and the myth of the hero and journalistic use of stereotypes. We used a rhetorical analysis to study 19 articles from Mitt i Stockholm and 7 articles from Aftonbladet. The result of our analysis showed that there are differences between the journalistic ways of describing the heroes qualities. In summary these are bravery, uniqueness, devotion, self-sacrifice and hard work. We found a pattern that showed that journalism use stereotypes in order to simplify and establish various roles in stories. The hero, as well as the battle and the vulnerable are ascribed stereotypical qualities that we consider establish these roles. We found similarities and differences regarding the journalistic way of describing the hero compared to the myth of the hero. Several dramaturgical differences was shown in the analysis. The hero did not always come from something humble but was placed straight into a battle and these stories contained a battle or a journey but not necessarily both. Our analysis also showed that the articles from Aftonbladet tended to offer stories with a focus towards details that where sensational, spectacular or shocking. Articles from Mitt i Stockholm occasionally had similar characteristics but more restrained and they often tended towards a concrete describing of the hero.