Glutathione transferases (GSTs) are good candidates for investigations of enzyme evolution, due to their broad substrate specificities and structural homology. The primary role of GSTs is to act as phase II detoxifying enzymes protecting the cell from toxic compounds of both endo- and exogenous origins. The detoxification is conducted via conjugation with glutathione (GSH), which facilitates their removal from the body. The work presented in this thesis has supported a theory for enzyme evolution when the multiple pathway to novel functions can been seen to involve a “generalist” state from which “specialist” states with a new activities can evolve. The generalist has broader specificity and lower activity than the specialist. The term quasi-species is used for a group or cluster of enzyme variants with similar functional properties, and this entity has been suggested as the fittest group for further evolution. This is based on studies of the evolution of new GST variants in two generation. Three diverging clusters or quasi-species, with diverging substrate selectivity, were identified from a GST M1/M2 library, by using directed evolution (family DNA shuffling), multiple substrate screening and multivariate statistics as tools. One of the clusters was M1-like and the other was M2-like, both functionally and structurally. The third quasi-species diverged orthogonally from the parent-like distributions. Its functional character can be referred to as a “generalist” as it had lower activities with most of the substrates assayed except for epoxy-3-(4-nitrophenoxy)-propane (EPNP) and p-nitrophenyl acetate (pNPA). Another round of family DNA shuffling was made with selected variants from the “generalist” quasi-species. From the second generation three quasi-species emerged with diverging functions and sequences. The major cluster contained enzyme variants that represented a direct propagation of the generalists. Diverging from the generalists was a cluster with high specificity with isothiocyanates (ITCs). Increased ITC specificity and decreased epoxide specificity was observed among the novel variants (specialists). The change in functional properties was attributed to a Tyr116His substitution in the active site. These results demonstrate the usefulness of multivariate analysis in the quest for novel enzyme quasi-species in a multi-substrate space, and how minimal changes in the active site can generate distinctive functional properties. An application of our method could be identification of enzyme quasi-species that have lost their sensitivity with alternative inhibitors.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop a targeted health information package for women to use specifically as a reference during their return to health following a hysterectomy and to subsequently test its usefulness. Method: A quasi-experimental design measured the effectiveness of this package in improving the health and satisfaction outcomes of women compared to those who received the standard information. Women undergoing a hysterectomy for benign reasons who were between the ages of 20 and 60 years were included. There were 55 participants recruited into the control group and 44 into the intervention group. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire both prior to and 14-16 weeks post-surgery. Results: The study found that there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups for their self-reported health, the time taken to return to usual activities and the number of symptoms experienced after surgery. Clinical improvements, however, were noted in the intervention group. A statistically significant difference was found between the groups for the amount written information that they would have preferred for their recovery (X2 8.26 df2 p=0.011). Ninety percent (90%) of the women who received the intervention wanted the same amount of written information to take home whilst 40% of the control group would have preferred more written information. This indicated a positive effect from the intervention. An unexpected finding in this study was that almost 40% of both groups wanted more verbal information and discussion prior to discharge. Conclusion: A valuable aspect of this study was its usefulness in identifying the clinical importance of discussion as part of the discharge process. These findings will be important for health professionals to utilise in their clinical practice for women undergoing a hysterectomy.

Thèse (M.Sc.)--Université Laval, 2007. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 18 sept. 2007). Bibliogr.

Zugl.: Dresden, Techn. University, Diss., 2007.

Inaug.-Diss.: Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät: Köln: 1969. Bibliogr. p. 152 à 161.

General Relativity (GR) is one theory amongst a wider range of plausible descriptions of the Universe. The aim of this thesis is to examine the behaviour of so-called screened theories, which are designed to avoid local tests of modified gravity (MG). We establish that these theories may be treated in a unified manner in the context of halo formation. A prerequisite for this is the clarification that the quasi-static approximation can be applied in cosmologically-plausible scenarios. Amongst the plethora of MG theories, we select three, each of which exhibit a different form of screening. This describes a self-concealing property whereby each theory behaves like GR in the conditions of the local Universe. Only at regions of high energy density (chameleon), large coupling to matter (symmetron) or large derivatives of the scalar field (Vainshtein) does their modified behaviour emerge. We examine f(R), symmetron and DGP gravity in the context of non-linear gravitational collapse for the remainder of the thesis. Relativistic scalar fields are ubiquitous in our modern understanding of structure formation. They arise as candidates for dark energy and are at the heart of many modified theories of gravity. While there has been tremendous progress in calculating their effects on large scales there are still open questions on how to best quantify their effects on smaller scales where non-linear collapse becomes important. In these regimes, it has become the norm to use the quasi-static approximation in which the time evolution of perturbations in the scalar fields are discarded, akin to what is done in the context of non-relativistic fields in cosmology and the corresponding Newtonian limit. We show that considerable care must be taken in this regime by studying linearly perturbed scalar field cosmologies and quantifying the error that arise from taking the quasi-static limit. We focus on f(R) and chameleon models to assess the impact of the quasi-static approximation and discuss how it might affect studying the non-linear growth of structure in N-body numerical simulations. The halo mass function (HMF) n(M) dM is the number of haloes with mass in the range [ M, M+dM ] per unit volume. It has two remarkable properties which render it a useful probe of extensions to general relativity (GR). On the one hand, it is (nearly-)universal, in the sense that it can be written in a form (f(v) which is (practically) insensitive to changes in redshift and cosmological parameters and redshift. We develop a method to generalise fitting functions derived in GR to a variety of screened MG theories, in order to examine whether they are universal in the sense of being insensitive to MG. On the other hand, the HMF is sensitive to both the expansion history of the universe and the non-linear behaviour of spherical collapse via the critical density parameter and the matter power spectrum via the halo resolution. This greatly complicates the theoretical framework required to calculate the HMF, particularly given the sensitivity of chameleon MG to the surrounding environment. We explore a variety of new and existing methods to do so. Finally we re-calibrate the MG halo mass functions with the same rigour as has been done in GR. An important indicator of modified gravity is the effect of the local environment on halo properties. This paper examines the influence of the local tidal structure on the halo mass function, the halo orientation, spin and the concentration-mass relation. We generalise the excursion set formalism to produce a halo mass function conditional on large-scale structure. Our model agrees well with simulations on large scales at which the density field is linear or weakly non-linear. Beyond this, our principal result is that f(R does affect halo abundances, the halo spin parameter and the concentration-mass relationship in an environment-independent way, whereas we find no appreciable deviation from LCDM for the mass function with fixed environment density, nor the alignment of the orientation and spin vectors of the halo to the eigenvectors of the local cosmic web. There is a general trend for greater deviation from LCDM in under-dense environments and for high-mass haloes, as expected from chameleon screening. Given the broad spectrum of MG theories, it is important to design new probes of MG. Despite the fact that we examine only three theories of MG, the techniques and methodology developed in this thesis can be applied to a wide variety of theories and can be extended to improve the results in this work.

BATISTA, Rondinelle Marcolino. Rigidez e estimativas de volume de métricas tipo Einstein. 2016. 66f. Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Matemática, Fortaleza-Ce, 2016 / Submitted by Rocilda Sales (rocilda@ufc.br) on 2016-11-11T13:44:42Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_rmbatista.pdf: 535478 bytes, checksum: 7358fcbe5f72a8a139933cc257dfa85e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rocilda Sales (rocilda@ufc.br) on 2016-11-11T13:45:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_rmbatista.pdf: 535478 bytes, checksum: 7358fcbe5f72a8a139933cc257dfa85e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-11T13:45:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_rmbatista.pdf: 535478 bytes, checksum: 7358fcbe5f72a8a139933cc257dfa85e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / The purpose of this work is to study like-Einstein metrics, namely, Ricci solitons, almost Ricci solitons and quasi-Einstein metrics. First, we deduce two compactness theorem for gradient Ricci solitons satisfying certain special conditions. In the sequel we prove some integral formulae which allow us to prove that every compact almost Ricci solitons with constant scalar curvature must be gradient type. Moreover, we prove that every compact locally conformally at gradient Ricci soliton must be isometric to standard sphere under an integral condition. Finally, we study the growth of the geodesic balls of steady quasi-Einstein metrics. Moreover, we use Einstein quasi-metric theory to prove a triviality theorem and then to produce a certain class of Einstein warped products under a suitable hypothesis in the fiber. / Nosso objetivo nesta tese é abordar uma classe de métricas tipo Einstein, a saber sólitons de Ricci, quase sólitons de Ricci e métricas quasi-Einstein. Primeiramente obteremos dois resultados sobre compacidade de sólitons de Ricci gradiente, supondo que o quadrado da norma do campo que define tal sóliton é integrável e a derivada da função curvatura escalar na direção do gradiente da função potencial é não negativa, ou uma certa limitação inferior da função potencial. Em seguida, provaremos algumas fórmulas integrais para quase sóliton de Ricci compacto, que nos permite provar que todo quase sóliton de Ricci compacto com curvatura escalar constante é gradiente. Além disso, mostraremos que todo quase sóliton de Ricci gradiente localmente conformemente plano é isométrico a esfera euclidiana, desde que satisfaça uma certa condição integral. Prosseguindo, mostraremos que as bolas geodésicas de metricas quasi-Einstein est áveis não compactas tem crescimento no mí nimo linear. Finalmente, usaremos métrica quasi-Einstein, para provarmos um teorema de trivialidade para uma certa classe de produto warped Einstein, sob uma hipótese que envolve a função warped e as constantes de Einstein do produto warped e da fibra.

SILVA, Marcos Raineri da Silva.Variedades quasi-Einstein completas e métricas críticas do funcional volume em variedades compactas com bordo. 2016. 69 f. Tese (Doutorado em Matemática) – Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2016. / Submitted by Rocilda Sales (rocilda@ufc.br) on 2016-11-18T13:40:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_mrsilva.pdf: 676064 bytes, checksum: b3c50c90fe4265ade898b8c259d3882c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rocilda Sales (rocilda@ufc.br) on 2016-11-21T13:51:06Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_mrsilva.pdf: 676064 bytes, checksum: b3c50c90fe4265ade898b8c259d3882c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-21T13:51:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2016_tese_mrsilva.pdf: 676064 bytes, checksum: b3c50c90fe4265ade898b8c259d3882c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / The purpose of this work is to study quasi-Einstein manifolds and Miao-Tam critical metrics. In the first part, we will study the structure at infinity of a complete non-compact quasi-Einstein manifold. In particular, we show that if M is the basis of a warped product Ricci-flat then M is connected at infinity. When M is a quasi-Einstein manifold with λ < 0 there are examples showing that such a result is not true. In this case, we show that M is f -non-parabolic and, under a certain hypothesis on the scalar curvature, M has only one f -non-parabolic end. Furthermore, we obtain two estimates for the volume of the geodesic balls of M. Next, we show that a Bach-flat non-compact quasi-Einstein manifold with λ= 0 and positive Ricci curvature must be isometric to a warped product metric g = dt2+ψ2(t)gL, where gL is an Einstein metric. In the second part, we will study the critical metrics of the functional volume restricted to the set of metrics with constant scalar curvature and boundary prescribed metric on a compact manifold. We obtain a sharp upper bound for the area of the boundary of a Miao-Tam critical metric (M3;g) with non-negative scalar curvature. Moreover, we show that the equality holds if and only if (M3;g) is isometric to a geodesic ball in simply connected space form R3 or S3. Finally, we get a type-Bochner formula for a 3-dimensional Miao-Tam critical metric, which allows us to get the same rigid result provided that/ Ric/ ≤R6 . / O objetivo do trabalho é estudar as variedades quasi-Einstein e métricas críticas de Miao-Tam. Na primeira parte, estudamos a estrutura no infinito de uma variedade quasi-Einstein completa e não-compacta. Em particular, mostramos que se M é a base de um produto warped Ricci-flat, então M é conexa no infinito. Quando M é uma variedade quasi-Einstein com λ < 0 existem exemplos que mostram que tal resultado não é verdadeiro. Neste caso, mostramos que M é f -não-parabólica e sobre uma determinada hipótese sobre a curvatura escalar, que M tem apenas um fim f-não-parabólico. Além disso, obtemos duas estimativas para o volume das bolas geodésicas de M. Em seguida, mostramos que variedades quasi-Einstein Bach-flat não-compactas com λ = 0 e curvatura de Ricci positiva são isométricas a uma métrica produto warped g = dt2+ψ2(t)gL, onde gL é uma métrica Einstein. Na segunda parte do trabalho, estudamos as métricas críticas do funcional volume restrito ao conjunto das métricas com curvatura escalar constante e métrica de bordo prescrita em uma variedade compacta. Obtemos uma estimativa superior sharp para a área do bordo de uma métrica crítica de Miao-Tam (M3;g) com curvatura escalar não-negativa. Além disso, vale a igualdade se, e somente se, (M3;g) for isométrica a uma bola geodésica em espaço forma simplesmente conexo R3 ou S3. Por último, obtemos uma fórmula tipo-Bochner para uma métrica crítica de Miao-Tam tridimensional, a qual nos permite obter o mesmo resultado de rigidez desde que / Ric/ ≤R6. .

L'objet principal de cette thèse est de montrer l'existence de solutions globales des équations d'Einstein-Maxwell avec des données initiales petites, lisses et asymptotiquement euclidiennes, pour des dimensions d'espace supérieures ou égales à 3. Dans ce but, on adapte une méthode de Lindblad et Rodnianski basée sur l'utilisation de la jauge harmonique et la jauge de Lorenz. Dans un second temps, on s'intéresse aux mêmes équations mais avec des données initiales bornées, non nécessairement petites et on montre, là aussi, qu'une solution globale peut être trouvée dans un certain domaine. / The main purpose of this thesis is to show the existence of global solutions for the Einstein-Maxwell equations with small, smooth and assymptotically euclidean date for spatial dimensions greater than or equal to 3. To this end, we adapt a method of Lindblad and Rodnianski based on the use of the harmonic gauge, when the space dimension is equal to 3, for Einstein equations coupled with a scalar field. Here, we choose to work with the harmonic gauge and the Lorenz gauge. In a second step, we look at the same equations but with bounded, not necessarily small, initial data and we show that a global solution can be found in a certain area.

The present study focuses on the sediment deposition and consequent dredging issues in Lower Ohio River at the Olmsted Locks and Dam area-River mile (RM)-964.4 during the ongoing in-the-wet construction methodology. The study reach is between Locks and Dam 53 (RM 962.6) at upstream, and RM 970 at downstream. One dimensional (1-D) HEC-RAS numerical modeling in conjunction with Arc-GIS was employed. Stream flow measurements, velocity, incoming sediment concentration, bed gradation, and annual hydrographic survey data acquired from public archives of USGS and USACE Louisville District were used as inputs. The model was subjected to the 1-D quasi-unsteady and completely unsteady sediment transport module, available in the latest HEC-RAS 5.0 Beta release. Calibration and validation of the hydrodynamic and sediment models were performed using measured water surface elevation, velocity, and sediment loads at measured sections. Post-model calibration and validation, deposition to excavated cross-sections for future dam shells at Olmsted was predicted, which warrants dredging. The study attempted to analyze the sediment transport trend with the focus on depositionat Olmsted Locks and Dam area using the sensitivity analysis approach of transport capacity functions. Moreover, the capability of 1-D HEC-RAS quasi-unsteady and completely unsteady models were assessed in prediction of sediment deposition in the construction area (dam shells excavation area). A temporal deposition prediction model was developed that can potentially replace the current ad-hoc approach used to determine the dredging schedule. Likewise, a representative environmental risk associated with sedimentation in the study area was examined. The model can potentially be used as a decision support tool to analyze the long term impact of sedimentation in the vicinity of Olmsted Locks and Dam if further updates on the river bathymetry, and specific field data are supplemented to the model.