abstract: A major problem faced by electric utilities is the need to meet electric loads during certain times of peak demand. One of the widely adopted and promising programs is demand response (DR) where building owners are encouraged, by way of financial incentives, to reduce their electric loads during a few hours of the day when the electric utility is likely to encounter peak loads. In this thesis, we investigate the effect of various DR measures and their resulting indoor occupant comfort implications, on two prototype commercial buildings in the hot and dry climate of Phoenix, AZ. The focus of this study is commercial buildings during peak hours and peak days. Two types of office buildings are modeled using a detailed building energy simulation program (EnergyPlus V6.0.0): medium size office building (53,600 sq. ft.) and large size office building (498,600 sq. ft.). The two prototype buildings selected are those advocated by the Department of Energy and adopted by ASHRAE in the framework of ongoing work on ASHRAE standard 90.1 which reflect 80% of the commercial buildings in the US. After due diligence, the peak time window is selected to be 12:00-18:00 PM (6 hour window). The days when utility companies require demand reduction mostly fall during hot summer days. Therefore, two days, the summer high-peak (15th July) and the mid-peak (29th June) days are selected to perform our investigations. The impact of building thermal mass as well as several other measures such as reducing lighting levels, increasing thermostat set points, adjusting supply air temperature, resetting chilled water temperature are studied using the EnergyPlus building energy simulation program. Subsequently the simulation results are summarized in tabular form so as to provide practical guidance and recommendations of which DR measures are appropriate for different levels of DR reductions and the associated percentage values of people dissatisfied (PPD). This type of tabular recommendations is of direct usefulness to the building owners and operators contemplating DR response. The methodology can be extended to other building types and climates as needed. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Architecture 2012

Este trabalho de tese apresenta o Modelo Presença Plus (PPlus) para identificação de pistas textuais denotadoras de presença social em interações discursivas feitas por alunos em fóruns e chats educacionais. O grau de presença social (PS) é um indicativo de como os sujeitos interagem entre si e com o ambiente de aprendizagem; sendo considerado, na literatura, significativo para o desenvolvimento de relacionamentos e fortalecimento de sentimento de pertencimento no grupo. O trabalho se baseia na vertente Pragmática da Linguística, campo que enfatiza a importância de se considerar o contexto de produção dos eventos comunicativos e a dinâmica dialógica entre os interlocutores. Considerando que o mapeamento das interações dos discentes para detectar e avaliar seu grau de presença pode se constituir uma tarefa complexa e morosa para tutores de cursos a distância, desenvolveu-se um software para realizar o processamento automático das mensagens eletrônicas visando torná-lo uma funcionalidade a ser adicionada a ambientes virtuais de ensino e aprendizagem (AVEAs). Apesar de alguns impasses referentes, particularmente, aos aspectos sintáticos dos textos, os resultados obtidos no processamento, por lexicometria, das postagens foram satisfatoriamente semelhantes aos levantados na análise manual. O modelo PPlus e a escala de graus de PS foram também testados em um segundo ambiente disponibilizado na plataforma Moodle, tendo apresentado resultados equivalentes. A sondagem com professores e tutores de cursos a distância forneceu dados que corroboram a proposta de uma ferramenta a ser inserida em AVEAs de modo a facilitar o acompanhamento de estados afetivos, grau de envolvimento e interação entre os participantes no e com o ambiente. / This thesis presents Presence Plus (PPLus), a model for identifying indicators of social presence in text-based interactions made by students in educational forums and chats. The degree of social presence (SP) can be an indicator of how individuals interact among themselves and with the learning environment, and is considered by the literature to be relevant for the development of relationships and the strengthening of the sense of belonging in the group. This study is based on Pragmatics, an area of Linguistics that emphasizes the importance of the context in communicative events and the dialogic dynamics among speakers. Considering that mapping students’ interactions, as well as detecting and evaluating their degree of SP, may be a complex and time-consuming task in distance learning tutoring, a software was developed to do the automatic processing of posts, aiming at making it a possible functionality in virtual learning environments (VLEs). Despite the few conflicting results, mostly related to textual syntactic relations, data from processing tests using lexicometrics were satisfactorily similar to those obtained by manual analysis. The PPlus model and the SP scale were also tested in a different course in the Moodle platform. Results from this experiment presented equally positive data. Feedback from the questionnaire answered by teachers and tutors working in distance learning courses support the proposal of a tool that may facilitate their assessment of affective states, involvement and text-based interaction dents within the environment.

Introdução: Materiais com modificações na formulação original do MTA, incluindo o NeoMTA Plus, têm sido desenvolvidos buscando melhorar suas propriedades físicoquímicas. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a resposta do tecido ósseo de ratos Wistar frente ao implante de NeoMTA Plus em comparação com o MTA Angelus. Metodologia: 24 ratos foram anestesiados e uma broca de baixa rotação foi empregada para confeccionar três cavidades cirúrgicas no fêmur direito. As cavidades cirúrgicas foram preenchidas aleatoriamente com os materiais teste NeoMTA Plus e MTA Angelus ou deixada vazia (controle negativo). Após 7, 30 e 90 dias as características do reparo ósseo foram classificadas em escores com o auxilio de microscópio óptico. As comparações entre os grupos foram realizadas pelo teste de Friedman e as comparações entre os três períodos experimentais em cada grupo foram realizadas pelo teste de Kruskal-wallis, seguido pelo teste de Dunn. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em P<.05. Resultados: Não foram observadas diferenças estatísticas entre os materiais e o grupo controle nos 3 tempos experimentais. Em todos os grupos houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os tempos de 7 e 30 dias e nenhuma diferença foi observada entre os tempos de 30 e 90 dias. Além disso, o reparo em 90 dias foi significativamente melhor do que em 7 dias nos grupos NeoMTA Plus e controle. Conclusões: O NeoMTA Plus demonstrou comportamento biológico satisfatório em contato direto com o tecido ósseo de ratos Wistar, apresentando resultados semelhantes aos grupos MTA Angelus e controle. / Introduction: Materials that alter the original formulation of MTA have been developed to improve physical-chemical properties, including NeoMTA Plus (NMTAP). The aim of the present study was to analyze bone tissue reactions to NMTAP compared to MTA Angelus (MTA-A). Methods: 24 animals were anesthetized and a slow-rotation bur was used to create three surgical cavities in their right femur. Surgical cavities were randomly designated to NMTAP, MTA-A and negative control (empty cavity) groups. After 7, 30, and 90 days histological analysis of the characteristics of bone repair were classified in scores. Friedman’s test performed intergroup comparisons and Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Dunn’s post hoc test, compared the three experimental periods in each group. The significance level was set at P<.05. Results: No differences were found between the materials and control group in each experimental period. In all groups, the bone tissue repair improved from 7 to 30 days and there was no difference from 30 to 90 days. Moreover, the repair at 90 days was significantly better than at 7 in NMTAP and control groups. Conclusions: NeoMTA Plus showed satisfactory biological behavior when in direct contact with rat bone tissue, presenting repair characteristics similar to those produced by MTA Angelus and by the control group.

This thesis deals with the detection of magnetic field perception of cavefishes the Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus). The experiments were carried out in a plus-shaped maze where the direction preference in the individual arms of this maze was studied both in the natural Earth´s magnetic field and in the modified one by using magnets and turning the north-south axis by 90°. The reactions of the specimen on placing a strong magnet close behind the end of the western and later also the eastern arm of the plus-shaped maze were also monitored. It was conclusively found that the Mexican tetra prefer north-south axis. However, after turning the magnetic field by 90° there was no preference of the specimen for the new north-south axis as we expected. Although some of the tests performed here show the perceptiveness of magnetic field of the Mexican tetra and their preference for the noth-south axis, other tests disprove the formulated hypothesis. That is why other new hypotheses about the perceptiveness of the magnetic field should be created so that they could not be disproved in either case. This thesis has served as a stepping stone for further research in the field of magnetoreception of cavefishes.

Les travaux effectués dans cette thèse industrielle concernent l'amélioration du calculateur d'itinéraire de Cityway, société spécialisée dans les technologies de l’information appliquées à la mobilité.Nous avons d'abord établi un état de l'art exhaustif, accompagné d'une mise en perspective de l'existant Cityway avec celui-ci. Cela nous a permis d'aider l'entreprise à prendre du recul sur son produit et de justifier les axes de recherche choisis pour nos travaux.Nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à l'aspect multicritère du problème. En effet, le calculateur, basé sur l'algorithme de Dijkstra, permet de trouver des trajets minimisant une somme pondérée de critères. Nous avons développé un algorithme multilabel permettant de conserver et étendre plusieurs labels au même nœud. Malgré une légère augmentation des temps de calculs, des résultats satisfaisants ont été obtenus dans une application bicritère de ce nouvel algorithme.Nous avons également travaillé sur la génération et la sélection de trajets alternatifs. La génération s'appuie sur les algorithmes monolabel ou multilabel. La sélection s'appuie quant à elle sur la définition d'une distance entre les solutions et des méthodes de regroupement.Enfin, nous nous sommes intéressés à l'optimisation du calcul du critère lexicographique de durée minimale dans le cas bicritère. Pour qu'un trajet soit intéressant, il faut qu'il soit optimal sur les critères usuels, mais aussi qu'il dure le moins longtemps possible. L'utilisation de certaines propriétés sur ce critère permet de réduire des temps de calcul initialement trop longs. / The work carried out in this industrial PhD aims at improving the route planner of Cityway, a company specialized in information technologies applied to mobility. We first established an exhaustive state of the art, and compared it to the existing Cityway product. This allowed us to help the company take a step back from its urgent needs, and justify the research guidelines chosen for our work.We then looked at the multi-criteria aspect of the problem. Indeed, the trip planner, based on the Dijkstra algorithm, makes it possible to find paths minimizing a weighted sum of criteria. We have developed a multilabel algorithm to maintain and extend multiple labels at the same node. Despite a slight increase in computation time, satisfactory results were obtained in a bicriteria application of this new algorithm.We also worked on the generation and selection of alternative routes. The generation algorithm relies on the existing monolabel or newly developed multilabel algorithms. The selection algorithm is based on the definition of a distance between trips and adaptations of existing clustering algorithms to this specific case.Finally, we were interested in what we called the lexicographic criterion. For a trip to be interesting, it must be optimal on the usual criterion of earliest arrival, and, for trips arriving at the same time, on the latest departure criterion. The use of certain properties on this criterion makes it possible to reduce computation times on the bicriteria case.

abstract: Effective Altruism (EA), a moral philosophy concerned with accomplishing the greatest possible good in one’s lifetime, sees little utilitarian and/or humanitarian value in the arts. EA suggests that amidst so much global strife, the time, energy, and finances expended to create fleeting art would be put to better, more practical use in the fight against poverty. However, EA has yet to sufficiently account for sustainable art practice — an art form deeply rooted in utilitarianism and humanitarianism — and the possibility of its accompanying aesthetics as a constituent of utilitarian/humanitarian theories. The first chapter of this thesis illustrates an intersection of EA, sustainability, and aesthetics, detailing ways in which sustainable art and EA philosophy overlap, as well as problematizing EA’s dismissal of contemporary art practice. This chapter also points to sustainable art as one possible alternative art route for practicing artists with EA interests. Chapters two and three present case studies of Danish art collective SUPERFLEX and an American non-profit called the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI) and how their sustainable goals fit the utilitarian and humanitarian scope through which EA functions. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Art History 2017

Submitted by Daniele Amaral (daniee_ni@hotmail.com) on 2016-10-18T17:34:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLRRT.pdf: 1317373 bytes, checksum: 51206e583775263173013e3c30ea57eb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T14:03:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLRRT.pdf: 1317373 bytes, checksum: 51206e583775263173013e3c30ea57eb (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-10-21T14:03:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLRRT.pdf: 1317373 bytes, checksum: 51206e583775263173013e3c30ea57eb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-21T14:03:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissLRRT.pdf: 1317373 bytes, checksum: 51206e583775263173013e3c30ea57eb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-23 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Previous studies have implicated the 5HT1A and 5HT2C serotonin receptors subtypes located within the amygdala in the modulation of defensive behaviors in rodents exposed to the elevated plus-maze (EPM). Further studies have shown that exposure to a threatening stimulus can result in pain inhibition. This study evaluated the effects of intra-amygdala injections of 5HT1A and 5HT2C receptor agonists on open arms antinociception (OAA) in the EPM, and possible alterations of this response with concomitant fluoxetine treatment. Male Swiss mice received 0.1 μl intra-amygdala injections of either 5.6 or 10 nmol of 8-OHDPAT, a 5-HT1A receptor agonist, and an i.p. injection of 0.6% acetic acid, a nociceptive stimulus. After confirming the start of writhing, half of the animals in each group were confined to the OA and half to the EA of the EPM, to record the number of writhes during a five-minute period (Experiment 1) A similar experimental protocol was repeated in the experiments described below. Subsequently, the animals received combined injections of fluoxetine (2.5mg/kg) and 10 nmol of 8-OHDPAT (Experiment 2). In Experiment 3, the animals received injections of either 0.21 or 0.63 nmol of MK-212, a 5-HT2C receptor agonist, and combined injections of fluoxetine (2.5mg/kg) and 0.63 nmol of MK-212 (Experiment 4). Our results showed that intra-amygdala infusions of 8-OH-DPAT enhanced nociception in both arms. Combined administration of fluoxetine and 8-OH-DPAT did not alter the observed effects. Injection of MK-212 increased the OAA, while combined administration of fluoxetine and MK-212 reversed the increase in OAA observed with MK-212 injection. These findings suggest that OAA is mediated by 5-HT2C and 5-HT1A receptors located in the amygdala. Fluoxetine interacted with 5-HT2C receptors, blocking the increase of OAA induced by activation of this serotonin receptor subtype. / Estudos têm demonstrado que os subtipos de receptores serotonérgicos 5HT1A e 5HT2C localizados na amígdala estão envolvidos na modulação de comportamentos defensivos avaliados em camundongos expostos ao labirinto em cruz elevado (LCE). Além disso, evidências demonstram que a exposição a situações ameaçadoras podem resultar em inibição da dor. Este estudo avaliou os efeitos da fluoxetina sobre a modulação da nocicepção pelos receptores 5-HT1A e 5-HT2C da amígdala em camundongos confinados nos braços abertos (BA) e fechados (BF) do LCE. Camundongos machos da linhagem suíço-albino receberam 0,1ul de injeções intra-amígdala de 8-OH-DPAT (agonista do receptor 5HT1A) nas doses de 5,6 ou 10 nmol e em seguida, uma injeção de ácido acético (estímulo nociceptivo), 0,6% (0,1ml/10g por peso corpóreo, i.p.). Após a confirmação do início das contorções, os camundongos foram confinados no BA ou BF do LCE durante 5 minutos para o registro do número de contorções abdominais (Experimento 1). Este protocolo sucedeu-se para os demais experimentos. Subsequentemente, os animais receberam injeções combinadas de fluoxetina (2,5 mg/kg, s.c.) e 10 nmol de 8-OH-DPAT intra-amígdala (Experimento 2). No experimento 3, os animais receberam injeções intra-amígdala de 0,21 ou 0,63mol de MK-212 (agonista do receptor 5-HT2C) e injeções combinadas de fluoxetina (2,5 mg/kg, s.c.) e 0,63nmol de MK-212 intra-amígdala (Experimento 4). Os nossos resultados mostraram que as injeções intraamígdalade 8-OH-DPAT acentuaram a nocicepção nos animais confinados em ambos os braços do LCE. A administração combinada de fluoxetina, e 8-OH-DPAT intra-amígdala não alterou os efeitos observados deste agonista do receptor 5HT1A. A microinjeção de MK-212 aumentou a antinocicepção induzida pelo BA, enquanto a administração combinada de fluoxetina e MK-212 intra-amígdala reverteu o aumento da antinocicepção induzida pelo BA observado com a microinjeção de MK-212 intra-amígdala. Estes resultados mostram que a antinocicepção induzida pelo BA do LCE pode ser mediada tanto pelos receptores 5-HT1A como por receptores 5-HT2C localizados na amígdala de camundongos. Entretanto, o bloqueio do aumento da antinocicepção induzida por situações aversivas promovido pela fluoxetina ocorreu apenas na interação com os receptores 5-HT2C.

Submitted by Lucienne Costa (lucienneferreira@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-04-12T14:56:31Z No. of bitstreams: 1 ALAIN CHARLES DE MELO ALVES - DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 2958576 bytes, checksum: da6d8a9342aea19b0bd4eb2403563d7c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-12T14:56:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ALAIN CHARLES DE MELO ALVES - DISSERTAÇÃO (PPGEQ) 2017.pdf: 2958576 bytes, checksum: da6d8a9342aea19b0bd4eb2403563d7c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-02-17 / Capes / Os processos indústrias em sua maioria são multivariáveis e apresentam uma grande interação entre suas variáveis. A fim de reduzir essas interações algumas técnicas têm sido desenvolvidas. Análise de Componentes Independentes (ICA) tem sido uma técnica bastante promissora quando se deseja reduzir ou até mesmo eliminar o acoplamento entre as variáveis. Essa técnica é usada na separação de fontes desconhecidas. Embora já existam diversos trabalhos recentes sobre a aplicação do ICA em processos industriais, poucos são voltados para aplicação da técnica em colunas de destilação. Este trabalho estabelece uma estratégia de controle aplicado a uma coluna de destilação de alta pureza com recompressão de vapor utilizando o ICA. Além disso, o trabalho estabeleceu uma estratégia de controle para as composições de base e topo. Para tanto foi feita uma comunicação entre o Aspen Plus DynamicsTM e o Simulink/Matlab®. A comunicação foi estabelecida por meio do bloco AMSimulation. Duas estratégias de controle foram comparadas: MPC com o ICA e MPC sem o ICA. Os resultados da estratégia MPC com ICA se apresentaram mais promissoras mostrando que a técnica ICA é uma ferramenta desacoplante útil para sistemas com forte acoplamento. / The industrial processes are in its majority are multivariable and show a high number of interactions between its variables. Some techniques have been developed to target the reduction of these interactions. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) has been a very promising technique when it is desired to reduce or even eliminate the coupling between variables. The ICA technique has been utilized on the separation of unknown sources. Although there are several different studies targeting the application of ICA in industrial processes, just a few of them geared for technical applications in distillation columns. This dissertation attempts to establish a control strategy applied to a high purity distillation column with vapor recompression using the ICA. In addition, the dissertation proposes to establish a control strategy for the bottom and top of compositions. For this will be a communication between the Aspen Plus DynamicsTM and Simulink / Matlab®. The communication will be established through the AMSimulation block. Two control strategies were compared: MPC with ICA and MPC without MPC. The results of the MPC with ICA strategy were shown to be more promising, showing that the ICA technique is a useful decoupling tool for systems with strong coupling.

Thesis (BTech (Fashion Design))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2010 / A research was conducted in order to assist the Young Fuller Figured Women entering and already working in the corporate environment with clothing for the work environment. This research was conducted so that these women may notice a smaller number of incorrect fitting clothes when they shop for formal wear and also to give them guidance on suitable, elegant and stylish clothes for their body size and shape. Two theories namely: 'dress for success' by John Molloy and 'clothing is a code' by Fred Davis were the guidelines jn discovering, understanding and solving the dress problem for the young full figured women. In order to deal with the problem I had to interview some of these women to understand their challenges and frustration regarding dressing suitably for the corporate environment. The results of the interviews showed that the origin of the problem, are the basic block pattems. This was the solution for most of the garment fitting problems that the young fuller figured women experienced daily. A range was designed to serve as an example of how these women can dress for the corporate environment using various suitable fabrics and colours. This range appears formal and yet has a feminine twist to it, making it suitable for the woman who wants to be taken seriously and yet maintain her femininity and elegance. I hope that this research will be a useful tool for the retailers who currently cater for the fuller fIgured women to assist them with the current garment fitting problems and for the designers who plan to enter the fuller figured market: to enter it cautiously and taking the requirements of their potential customers into consideration If the information in this research is applied clothes that the fuller figured women buy will fit correctly the first time and they will not have to pay extra to alter new garments.

Introdução: Materiais com modificações na formulação original do MTA, incluindo o NeoMTA Plus, têm sido desenvolvidos buscando melhorar suas propriedades físicoquímicas. O objetivo do presente estudo foi analisar a resposta do tecido ósseo de ratos Wistar frente ao implante de NeoMTA Plus em comparação com o MTA Angelus. Metodologia: 24 ratos foram anestesiados e uma broca de baixa rotação foi empregada para confeccionar três cavidades cirúrgicas no fêmur direito. As cavidades cirúrgicas foram preenchidas aleatoriamente com os materiais teste NeoMTA Plus e MTA Angelus ou deixada vazia (controle negativo). Após 7, 30 e 90 dias as características do reparo ósseo foram classificadas em escores com o auxilio de microscópio óptico. As comparações entre os grupos foram realizadas pelo teste de Friedman e as comparações entre os três períodos experimentais em cada grupo foram realizadas pelo teste de Kruskal-wallis, seguido pelo teste de Dunn. O nível de significância foi estabelecido em P<.05. Resultados: Não foram observadas diferenças estatísticas entre os materiais e o grupo controle nos 3 tempos experimentais. Em todos os grupos houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os tempos de 7 e 30 dias e nenhuma diferença foi observada entre os tempos de 30 e 90 dias. Além disso, o reparo em 90 dias foi significativamente melhor do que em 7 dias nos grupos NeoMTA Plus e controle. Conclusões: O NeoMTA Plus demonstrou comportamento biológico satisfatório em contato direto com o tecido ósseo de ratos Wistar, apresentando resultados semelhantes aos grupos MTA Angelus e controle. / Introduction: Materials that alter the original formulation of MTA have been developed to improve physical-chemical properties, including NeoMTA Plus (NMTAP). The aim of the present study was to analyze bone tissue reactions to NMTAP compared to MTA Angelus (MTA-A). Methods: 24 animals were anesthetized and a slow-rotation bur was used to create three surgical cavities in their right femur. Surgical cavities were randomly designated to NMTAP, MTA-A and negative control (empty cavity) groups. After 7, 30, and 90 days histological analysis of the characteristics of bone repair were classified in scores. Friedman’s test performed intergroup comparisons and Kruskal-Wallis test, followed by the Dunn’s post hoc test, compared the three experimental periods in each group. The significance level was set at P<.05. Results: No differences were found between the materials and control group in each experimental period. In all groups, the bone tissue repair improved from 7 to 30 days and there was no difference from 30 to 90 days. Moreover, the repair at 90 days was significantly better than at 7 in NMTAP and control groups. Conclusions: NeoMTA Plus showed satisfactory biological behavior when in direct contact with rat bone tissue, presenting repair characteristics similar to those produced by MTA Angelus and by the control group.