Submitted by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2015-04-24T18:19:07Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mauro Alexandre Paula de Sousa - 2014.pdf: 7399985 bytes, checksum: b0bdd649a43901b5d6a2830d1ba7eed8 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Erika Demachki (erikademachki@gmail.com) on 2015-04-24T18:22:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mauro Alexandre Paula de Sousa - 2014.pdf: 7399985 bytes, checksum: b0bdd649a43901b5d6a2830d1ba7eed8 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-24T18:22:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Mauro Alexandre Paula de Sousa - 2014.pdf: 7399985 bytes, checksum: b0bdd649a43901b5d6a2830d1ba7eed8 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-09-26 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / With the increasing development of large urban centers in the country, the buildings are presenting more audacious forms in respect to the architectural project. The buildings got taller and as a result, the loads imposed to the foundations have also become larger. Knowing this, the concept of piled raft foundations began to be usually employed in many projects. These type of foundations assume that a load portion is supported by the surface layer that is in direct contact with the raft. The piled raft may contain a large number of piles, and some of them bearing high loads and resulting in a pronounced non-linear behavior. Aiming to describe the stress-strain behavior more accurately, a form of nonlinear analysis was implemented in FENF program (Ferramenta Numérica para Análise de Fundações). It is a specific finite element program for 3D foundation analysis of piled rafts. The program was developed at UFG using the language “C” and differs from the others programs by providing a more direct way to access the efforts that the foundation elements are submitted. The dissertation aims to do a literature review of linear and non-linear behavior of foundations and make the implementation of a hyperbolic model for modeling soil behavior. After verifying some literature cases, three different piled rafts (2x2, 4x4 and 6x6) were analyzed considering linear and non-linear soil behavior. The settlement, pile load distribution and internal efforts were compared, discussing the importance of taking into account the non-linear soil behavior. / Com o crescente desenvolvimento dos grandes centros urbanos no país, as edificações passaram a apresentar formas mais arrojadas no que diz respeito à parte arquitetônica, os edifícios ficaram mais altos e como consequência disso as cargas impostas às fundações também passaram a ser maiores. Sabendo disso, o conceito de fundações mistas passou a ser empregado na realização dos projetos. Esses tipos de fundações partem do princípio de que uma parcela do carregamento é absorvida pela camada mais superficial que está em contato direto com o bloco de coroamento ou sapata. Estas fundações mistas, também conhecidas como radier estaqueado, podem conter um número elevado de estacas e algumas delas suportarem carga elevada e com comportamento não linear pronunciado. Visando descrever o comportamento tensão-deformação de maneira mais precisa, foi implementado uma forma de análise não linear no programa FENF (Ferramenta Numérica para Análise de Fundações). Trata-se de um programa de elementos finitos especifico para analise em 3D de fundações estaqueadas e não estaqueadas. O programa foi desenvolvido na UFG em linguagem C e se diferencia dos demais por fornecer de maneira mais direta os esforços nos quais os elementos de fundações estão submetidos. A dissertação tem como objetivo fazer uma revisão bibliográfica do comportamento linear e não linear de fundações e fazer a implementação de um modelo hiperbólico para a modelagem do solo. Após a verificação da literatura, três radiers diferentes (2x2, 4x4 e 6x6), eles foram analisados considerando o solo com comportamento linear e não linear. Os recalques, a distribuição de carga e os esforços internos são comparados, discute-se a importância do comportamento não linear do solo.

Submitted by Luanna Matias (lua_matias@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-03-26T11:58:08Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Douglas Magalhães Albuquerque Bittencourt - 2012.pdf: 7044749 bytes, checksum: fe5d3f4437aa7025f71647fb8c7850f4 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luanna Matias (lua_matias@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-03-26T12:17:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Douglas Magalhães Albuquerque Bittencourt - 2012.pdf: 7044749 bytes, checksum: fe5d3f4437aa7025f71647fb8c7850f4 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T12:17:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Douglas Magalhães Albuquerque Bittencourt - 2012.pdf: 7044749 bytes, checksum: fe5d3f4437aa7025f71647fb8c7850f4 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-06-29 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / A growing demand for better-prepared projects of foundations and able to attend the high degree of structural complexity of the actions has been noted in recent years. However, the current geotechnical design philosophy shows itself outdated or unable to solve these needs, due to the fact that traditional methods of calculating piled foundations often ignore the performance of the block contact with the soil and neglect the influence of the stiffness and the interaction among the elements that makeup the foundation system. To increase the quality of the design of large pile groups, with or without associated columns, there is a need for a more rigorous treatment of the problem and, in order to achieve it, one may employ the concept of piled raft which allows an integrated analysis of the entire set responsible for the performance of the foundation: the raft, the piles and the soil. This approach has a complexity inherent of its formulation; therefore, its development is generally more successful employing numerical methods. In this context, this study aimed to develop a three-dimensional numerical tool in finite elements, using the programming language "C" for the study of piled raft foundations, which was called Ferramenta Numérica para Análise de Fundações (FENF). The program was fully developed during the research period and contrasts the commercial software available at present for outputting the results that are necessary for the project, such as stresses, strains, shear and normal efforts, displacements, and bending moments in the block and the piles etc. In addition, along with the program, a search algorithm was developed which is capable of identifying the best combination of the height and length of the block and cross section of piles that result in a viable solution with the lowest cost. In order to do so, the software employs the linear elastic constitutive model for materials and represents them through finite three-dimensional isoparametric elements with eight nodes and linear interpolation functions for the displacement fields. During its development and after it was complete, the numerical tool has been successfully validated by comparing its results with those of other programs also in finite element or with analytical solutions of the Linear Theory of Elasticity. Two examples of application of FENF have been presented with Exhaustive Search Ordered, in which: one block with 16 and another with 36 piles, allowing us to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and compare its results with those predicted by the simplified manual method. It’s been noticed that the integrated treatment of the foundation system, considering it as a piled raft, allows us to obtain a more economical and safer project. / Tem-se verificado nos últimos anos uma demanda crescente por projetos de fundações mais bem elaborados e capazes de atender ao alto grau de complexidade das ações estruturais. Entretanto, a filosofia de projeto geotécnico atual se mostra defasada ou incapaz de suprir a essas necessidades, uma vez que os métodos tradicionais de cálculo de fundações estaqueadas muitas vezes desprezam o desempenho do contato do bloco com o solo e negligenciam a influência da rigidez e da interação entre os elementos que compõem o sistema de fundação. Para o aumento da qualidade da concepção de grandes grupos de estacas, com ou sem a associação de pilares, é necessário um tratamento mais rigoroso do problema utilizando, por exemplo, o conceito de radier estaqueado. Tal abordagem permite uma análise integrada de todo o conjunto responsável pelo desempenho da fundação: o radier, as estacas e o solo, mas possui uma complexidade inerente a sua formulação sendo que o seu desenvolvimento é geralmente mais bem sucedido empregando-se métodos numéricos. Nesse contexto, este trabalho visou ao desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta numérica tridimensional em elementos finitos, utilizando a linguagem de programação “C”, para o estudo de fundações em radier estaqueado, que foi denominada de Ferramenta Numérica para Análise de Fundações (FENF). O programa foi desenvolvido integralmente durante o período da pesquisa e destaca-se dos programas comerciais atuais por disponibilizar saídas de resultados necessárias ao projeto, como tensões, deformações, deslocamentos, esforços cortantes e normais e momentos fletores para o bloco e para as estacas etc. Além disso, foi desenvolvido e incorporado ao FENF um algoritmo de busca capaz de identificar a melhor combinação de altura de bloco e comprimento e seção transversal de estacas que resultem em uma solução viável tecnicamente e com o menor custo. O programa FENF emprega o modelo constitutivo elástico-linear para os materiais e os representa por meio de elementos finitos tridimensionais isoparamétricos com oito nós e funções de interpolação lineares para os campos de deslocamentos. A ferramenta numérica foi validada com êxito, a partir da comparação de seus resultados com os de outros programas, também em elementos finitos, ou com soluções analíticas da Teoria da Elasticidade Linear. Foram apresentados dois exemplos de aplicação do FENF com a Busca Exaustiva Ordenada, sendo um bloco com 16 e outro com 36 estacas, que permitiram avaliar a eficácia do programa e comparar os seus resultados com os previstos pelo método manual simplificado. Verificou-se que o tratamento integrado do sistema de fundação, considerando-o como um radier estaqueado, permite a obtenção de um projeto mais econômico e mais seguro.

Les propriétés des mousses liquides sont majoritairement gouvernées par les caractéristiques de leurs interfaces liquide/gaz. Nous illustrons ces effets à l'échelle locale par différents exemples : – Les réarrangements topologiques, pendant lesquels les bulles changent de voisines, sont les événements élémentaires à l'origine de propriétés rhéologiques et de stabilité des mousses. En réalisant des expériences sur une assemblée de films dans un cadre cubique, nous avons étudié les mécanismes de formation du nouveau film pour différentes solutions de tensioactifs modifiant les propriétés interfaciales. – L'observation de l'éclatement d'un film de savon unique montre que cette dynamique est ralentie à cause de l'élasticité des interfaces, jusqu'à l'apparition de rides ou de fractures pour une compression critique. – Par des mesures force/déplacement, nous avons montré qu'un radeau de particules se comporte comme un granulaire 2D, qui peut se déformer en-dehors du plan de l'interface, et dans lequel la contrainte peut dépendre de la friction à la paroi. De plus, l'ajout de ponts capillaires entre les particules procure au radeau une meilleure résistance à la traction et à la compression. – En injectant de l'air dans une pâte, nous avons créé des bulles stables dans des conditions permettant l'adsorption des tensioactifs à la surface des particules pour les rendre partiellement mouillantes. En utilisant ce mécanisme dans un système cimentaire, des bulles solides sont alors fabriquées / Properties of liquid foams are mainly governed by the features of liquid/gas interfaces. We illustrate this phenomenon at the local scale through different examples : – Topological rearrangements, i.e. switching of neighboring bubbles, are the elementary process of liquid foams stability and dynamics. Experiments are performed in a cubic assembly of films, in order to investigate the mechanism of creation of the new film for different surfactants solutions and therefore different interfacial properties. – Observation of soap film bursting shows that the dynamics is slowed down because of interfacial elasticity, until wrinkles or cracks appear for a critical compression. – Through strength/displacement measurements, we show that a particle raft behaves as a 2D granular material, which can buckle, and whose stress can depend on wall friction. Moreover, the addition of liquid bridges between particles provides higher compressive and tensile strengths to the raft. – Blowing air into a paste allows creating stable bubbles, when surfactants adsorb at particles surface, modifying their wetting properties. We demonstrate that this method can lead to solid bubbles with a cementitious system

La cryptogéine, une protéine sécrétée par l’oomycète Phytophthora cryptogea, provoque la mise en place de mécanismes de défense chez le tabac, mobilisant au cours des étapes précoces de la signalisation associée, des protéines localisées dans la membrane plasmique (MP). Une fraction membranaire résistante à la solubilisation par les détergents (DIM pour Detergent Insoluble Membrane), enrichie en stérols et en sphingolipides avait été purifiée à partir de la MP de tabac : cette fraction contenait plusieurs protéines impliquées dans la cascade de signalisation induite par la cryptogéine. Chez l’animal, l’association dynamique de protéines à des microdomaines riches en stérols et sphingolipides en réponse à un stress biotique joue un rôle essentiel dans la régulation de la signalisation cellulaire. L’objectif de ce travail était de tester l’hypothèse qu’un tel phénomène puisse se produire dans notre modèle d’étude. La comparaison du protéome de fractions DIMs, purifiées à partir de cellules traitées ou non pendant 5 minutes à la cryptogéine a été réalisée à l’aide d’un marquage isotopique (15N ou 14N) et d’une approche de protéomique quantitative. Le premier résultat est que l’abondance de la majorité des protéines n’est pas modifiée dans les DIMs en réponse à la cryptogéine. Une seule protéine est enrichie dans les DIMs, une isoforme de 14-3-3, tandis que quatre dynamines (DRPs pour Dynamin Related Proteins), impliquées dans le trafic vésiculaire, sont exclues des DIMs en réponse à la cryptogéine. L’étude d’une des dynamines identifiées, DRP1A, a été menée. Nous avons caractérisé les différents gènes codant DRP1A dans le génome du tabac, puis utilisé une approche ARN antisens pour altérer l’expression de cette protéine et nous avons étudié sa localisation subcellulaire à l’aide d’anticorps spécifiques et en observant en microscopie confocale cette protéine fusionnée à la GFP. Cette approche a permis de confirmer la présence de DRP1A dans la fraction DIMs et la diminution transitoire de son association à cette fraction en réponse à la cryptogéine, suite à une dissociation de la fraction membranaire. Ces travaux constituent la première mise en évidence d’une association/dissociation dynamique de protéines aux DIMs de plantes en réponse à un stimulus biologique / Cryptogein, a protein secreted by the oomycete Phytophthora cryptogea, induces defense mechanisms in tobacco. Several proteins involved in the associated signaling pathway were identified and localized on the plasma membrane (PM). A fraction resistant to solubilization by detergent named DIMs for Detergent Insoluble Membranes, enriched in sterols an sphigolipids had been isolated from tobacco PM. It was proved to contain proteins previously identified as actors of the signaling cascade triggered by cryptogein. In animal cells, the dynamic association of proteins to sterol and sphingolipid rich microdomains under the influence of a biological stimulus plays an essential role in the regulation of cellular signaling. The purpose of this work was to test the hypothesis that such a phenomenon might occur in our model. The comparison using isotopic labeling (15N or 14N) and quantitative proteomics, of the composition of DIMs extracted from tobacco cells treated or not by cryptogein, revealed that, although the association to DIMs of most proteins remained unchanged, five proteins had their relative abundance modified after 5 minutes of treatment. One of these was a signaling protein (a 14-3-3 protein) and the four others were related to cell trafficking (4 DRPs, Dynamin Related Proteins). We characterized the DRP1A gene family in tobacco, and set up an antisens RNA antisense to down-regulate the expression of this protein. We studied the intracellular localization of DRP1 using specific antibodies and a GFP fusion. The results confirmed the presence of DRP1 in DIMs and its depletion from this fraction upon cryptogein treatment, through a dissociation from the PM. This is the first evidence of a dynamic association/dissociation of proteins to microdomains in plants upon a biological stimulus

This work attempts to characterize internal modernization and international expansion of Russian speaking organized crime. Special emphasis is placed on the main stages of development of organized crime in the Soviet Union and its current state primarily in Russia and Ukraine. The paper proffer the new definition of modern forms of organized crime and different characteristics of regimes as for the relations between the state and organized crime (criminal syndicalism, mafia, state kleptocracy). The paper characterizes different types of international expansion of Russian speaking groups (regional expansion, global retirement and emigration). In this regard, research was focused primarily on the activities of the Russian speaking organized crime groups in the EU and the Czech Republic. In the last phase of the work I focused my research on some important measured how to reduce risk in the current conditions. Though the work is primarily devoted to organized crime from the CIS countries, it should be noted, modernization of organized crime everywhere in the world takes place by a similar manner. It was therefore necessary to briefly address the wider contextual issues. Working so many places highlights some aspects of the development of organized crime in Italy, USA , Czech Republic, Japan and China.

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) PVDF is a semi-crystalline fluoropolymer that attracted researchers' attention more than a decade ago due to its remarkable properties, such as mechanical strength, thermal stability, chemical resistance, good processability, and excellent aging resistance. Due to these excellent properties, PVDF is applied in many applications such as membranes and filtration, biomedical applications, drug delivery, batteries, energy generation, energy storage, sensors, actuators, and energy harvesting applications. The dissertation was inspired by PVDF’s outstanding properties and applications. First of all, the effect of chain topology of on the crystallization and polymorphism between linear and star PVDF homopolymers were studied. Well-defined linear and stars PVDF homopolymers architectures were synthesized by reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The non-isothermal crystallization study showed an increase in the amount of ferroelectric β-phase with respect to the paraelectric α-phase as the number of arms in the PVDF stars increases. This finding is explained by the increased topological complexity in the stars of several arms, which leads to the preferential formation of the less thermodynamically stable ferroelectric β-phase. Moreover, the isothermal crystallization kinetics of the PVDF stars was faster than the linear PVDF as a result of their speedier nucleation. Secondly, we report the synthesis of poly(n-isopropylacrylamide)-b-poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PNIPAM-b-PVDF), amphiphilic block copolymers with linear and star architectures by RAFT sequential living polymerization. Due to the presence of a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) for PNIPAM (coil-globule transition around 32 °C), the synthesized PNIPAM-b-PVDF block copolymers have thermo-responsive behavior, therefore, potential application in the fabrication of thermo-responsive membranes. All fabricated membranes by nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method exhibited thermo-responsive behavior with water permeability and PEG rejection experiments. Moreover, the several heating-cooling cycles showed that the thermal-responsive behavior of these membranes are reversible and stable. Finally, a suggested potential future work is given to synthesize other PVDF-based block copolymers via sequential living polymerizations.

The use of cell transplantation to treat enzyme deficiency disorders is limited by the immune response targeted against foreign tissue or the use of life-long immunosuppressants. Hiding cells from the immune system in an encapsulation device is promising. Cells encapsulated within an anionic calcium alginate hydrogel bead are protected through a semi-permeable membrane formed by polycation, poly-L-lysine (PLL). A final layer of alginate is added to hide the cationic PLL surface but this has proved to be difficult creating capsules which are prone to fibrotic overgrowth, blocking exchange of nutrients, waste and therapeutic enzymes through the capsule. For long term applications these capsules need to be both biocompatible and mechanically robust. This thesis aims to address the biocompatibility issue of high cationic surface charge by synthesizing polycations of reduced charge using N-(3- aminopropyl)methacrylamide hydrochloride (APM) and N-(2- hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide (HPM) and study the associated mechanical properties of the capsules using micropipette aspiration. Micropipette aspiration was applied and validated for alginate based capsules (gel and liquid core) to quantify stiffness. Varying ratios of APM were used to control the overall charge of the polycations formed while HPM was incorporated as a neutral, hydrophilic, nonfouling comonomer. The molecular weight (MW) was controlled by using reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization. The biocompatibility of these polymers was tested by cell adhesion and proliferation of 3T3 fibroblasts onto APM/HPM copolymer functionalized surfaces and by solution toxicity against C2C12 myoblasts. The ability for the APM/HPM copolymers to bind to alginate and form capsules was also assessed, along with the integrity and stiffness of the capsule membrane with or without additional covalent cross-linking by reactive polyanion, poly(methacrylic acid-co-2-vinyl-4,4- dimethylazlactone) (PMV60). Thermo-responsive block copolymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and 2- hydroxyethylacrylamide (HEA) were also synthesized as potential drug delivery nanoparticles, showing control over micelle morphology with varying NIPAM to HEA ratios. / Thesis / Doctor of Science (PhD) / The treatment of enzyme deficiency disorders by cell transplantation is limited by the immune attack of foreign tissue in absence of immunosuppressants. Cells protected in an encapsulation device has shown promise. Poly-L-lysine, a widely used membrane material in these protective capsules, binds to the anionic gel entrapping living cells because it is highly cationic. The high cationic charge is difficult to hide causing the immune system to build tissue around the capsule, preventing the encapsulated cells from exchanging nutrients and therapeutic enzymes. This thesis aims to replace poly-L-lysine by synthesizing a series of more biocompatible materials of decreasing cationic charge. These materials were studied for the ability to support tissue growth and form stable capsules. The membrane strength was measured using an aspiration method validated for these types of capsules. Reducing the cationic charge of the materials increased the biocompatibility of the capsule membrane but also made for weaker membranes.

In Louisiana, the beds of natural lakes are owned by the state. The locations of property boundary lines separating state property from private lands have usually been set by determining the levels of natural monuments known as ordinary high water marks. The term is confusing and subjective, leading to controversy in reference to its determination. Catahoula Lake in central Louisiana was chosen as a study site because of its large size, its 20-foot variation in water levels, and its low-relief perimeter. Geology, geomorphology, hydrology, archaeology, vegetation, dendrochronology and dendrohydrology of the ancient cypress fringe, nineteenth century land survey records, historical records, and time-series statistics were applied to determine the elevation range of ordinary high water. Research suggests that the level of the ordinary high water natural monument used universally in Louisiana to define lake boundaries is not the correct natural monument. This research suggests that, for example, the natural monument that defines the Catahoula Lake boundary is not a vertical monument, but rather an areal monument that was originally recognized by nineteenth century U.S. government surveyors and embedded in the evidence extracted from their original field notes. The solution coincides with the boundaries of regional land patents and offers a consistent solution to determining the boundaries of thousands of acres of disputed lands. The procedure is applicable to other lake and swamp boundaries in Louisiana and other states.

No description available.

No description available.