Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T15:52:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo4515_1.pdf: 709397 bytes, checksum: 32ca7a05bac132d3232f3cc45576b1ac (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / As determinações da troponina cardíaca T (TnT) podem contribuir para o diagnóstico e tratamento de infarto agudo do miocárdio e para a estratificação dos riscos dos pacientes com síndromes coronárias agudas no que respeita ao risco relativo de mortalidade. Neste trabalho, um sistema de microbalança de quartzo por injeção de fluxo baseado na alteração de freqüência elétrica em resposta à ligação antígeno-anticorpo foi empregado para determinação da TnT cardíaca. As variações de freqüências foram registradas por um contador de freqüência acoplado a um microcomputador. O anticorpo monoclonal específico foi imobilizado sobre a superfície de um eletrodo de cristal de quartzo por ligação irreversível via monocamadas auto-organizadas. O adsorbato composto por filme de alcanotiól foi formado incubando uma solução de 2-aminoetanotiol (cisteamina) por 2 h, seguido por glutaraldeído a 2,5% (v/v). Em seguida, anticorpos monoclonais anti- troponina T (anti-TnT) foram covalentemente imobilizados sobre o eletrodo de ouro do cristal de quartzo e foi usada uma solução de glicina (10mM) como agente bloqueante. Com o imunossensor desenvolvido foi possivel medir concentrações de troponina T com limite de detecção de 0,025 ng/mL. A superfície do sensor pode ser regenerada por injeção de uma solução do dodecil-sulfato de sódio 1% (p/v). A determinação da TnT foi realizada em amostras de soros humanos permitindo seu uso nas aplicações clínicas para diagnóstico do IAM

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Mobile Road Mapping Systems (MRMS) are the current solution to the growing demand for high definition road surface maps in wide ranging applications from pavement management to autonomous vehicle testing. The focus of this research work is to improve the accuracy of MRMS by using the principles of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM). First a framework for describing the sensor measurement models in MRMS is developed. Next the problem of estimating the road surface from the set of sensor measurements is formulated as a SLAM problem and two approaches are proposed to solve the formulated problem. The first is an incremental solution wherein sensor measurements are processed in sequence using an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF). The second is a post-processing solution wherein the SLAM problem is formulated as an inference problem over a factor graph and existing factor graph SLAM techniques are used to solve the problem. For the mobile road mapping problem, the road surface being measured is one the primary inputs to the dynamics of the MRMS. Hence, concurrent to the main objective this work also investigates the use of the dynamics of the host vehicle of the system to improve the accuracy of the MRMS. Finally a novel method that builds off the concepts of the popular model fitting algorithm, Random Sampling and Consensus (RANSAC), is developed in order to identify outliers in road surface measurements and estimate the road elevations at grid nodes using these measurements. The developed methods are validated in a simulated environment and the results demonstrate a significant improvement in the accuracy of MRMS over current state-of-the art methods. / Doctor of Philosophy / Mobile Road Mapping Systems (MRMS) are the current solution to the growing demand for high definition road surface maps in wide ranging applications from pavement management to autonomous vehicle testing. The objective of this research work is to improve the accuracy of MRMS by investigating methods to improve the sensor data fusion process. The main focus of this work is to apply the principles from the field of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) in order to improve the accuracy of MRMS. The concept of SLAM has been successfully applied to the field of mobile robot navigation and thus the motivation of this work is to investigate its application to the problem of mobile road mapping. For the mobile road mapping problem, the road surface being measured is one the primary inputs to the dynamics of the MRMS. Hence this work also investigates whether knowledge regarding the dynamics of the system can be used to improve the accuracy. Also developed as part of this work is a novel method for identifying outliers in road surface datasets and estimating elevations at road surface grid nodes. The developed methods are validated in a simulated environment and the results demonstrate a significant improvement in the accuracy of MRMS over current state-of-the-art methods.

Methanogenesis is the biological production of methane and is utilized by methanogenic archaea (methanogens) to generate energy. This process is responsible for 70% of total atmospheric methane, a potent greenhouse gas and an important energy source (natural gas). In the future, reversing methanogenesis in an engineered methanogenic strain could be realized to efficiently convert natural gas into liquid fuels. Methyl coenzyme M reductase (Mcr) catalyzes the final reaction of methanogenesis in methanogens and the first reaction in the anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) carried out by the anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME). Cofactor F₄₃₀, a unique nickel-containing tetrapyrrole, serves as the prosthetic group and catalytic component of Mcr. Recently, multiple F₄₃₀ variants have been discovered in several methanogenic species, including Methanococcus maripaludis, Methanosarcina acetivorans, and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. A novel variant reported here has an exact mass of 1008.3478, a similar absorption spectrum as unmodified F₄₃₀, and associates with purified Mcr from M. acetivorans. Based on the exact mass, this molecule is likely modified with a mercaptopropamide moiety. In some conditions, this modified F₄₃₀ comprises 30-50% of the total F₄₃₀ pool. We also report upon our work to identify the sulfur insertion enzyme required to produce methylthio-F₄₃₀ that functions with Mcr in ANME-1. We hypothesized that the insertion of the methylthio moiety is likely catalyzed by a methylthiotransferase (MTTase) homolog present in ANME. However, purified ANME MTTase does not appear to catalyze this reaction, and instead catalyzes the methylthiolation of N6-threonylcarbamoyladenosine (t6A) in tRNA. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Methanogens are a unique but diverse group of microorganisms that produce methane to generate their energetic needs. The byproduct of their metabolism is methane gas, most of which escapes into the atmosphere. Methanogens produce 70% of Earth's atmospheric methane, which is a gas that has contributed to 20% of global warming since the start of the industrial era. However, methane, which makes up the majority of natural gas, is also an important source of energy, and natural gas generates 40% of the United States' electricity. An issue with natural gas is, as a gas, it readily leaks out in the extraction and transport process. A solution to this is to convert the gas into liquids, which do not display these negatives. It is possible, through a better understanding of how methanogens work, we could produce a methanogen strain that can efficiently convert methane into liquid fuels. The last methane-generating step in methanogenic metabolism uses a protein known as methyl-coenzyme M reductase (Mcr). To do this, Mcr uses a small molecule known as cofactor F₄₃₀. Recently, variants of the standard F₄₃₀ structure have been described, in both methanogens as well as another microbial group known as the anaerobic methanotrophs (ANME). ANME generate their energy through reversing methanogenic metabolism. The work here involves studying why and how methanogens and ANME make F₄₃₀ variants. The hope is this work will reveal either different functionalities of cofactor F₄₃₀ not previously known, or that they influence Mcr catalysis, potentially in the reverse (methane degradation) direction.

The Ballad of Sam Bass is an original. play based on the life of Sam Bass the outlaw. Cowboys camped on the Chisholm trail are entertained by a stranger who sings a song about Sam Bass. Bass was a good-hearted individual who was seduced by his vices, drinking and gambling, and fell into the life of an outlaw. He was successful in eluding the law until he was betrayed by one of his own men, Jim Murphy. In the course of his song, the stranger reveals himself to be Frank Jackson, the only surviving member of Bass's gang. Jackson had talked Bass out of killing Murphy when Bass became suspicious. Creating the song serves as a catharsis for Jackson's guilt.

Volumes of data obtained from the next generation sequencing platforms is growing faster than the available capacity of storage media. Sequencers mainly produce short reads of DNA. However, output of the sequencing machines also contains other information, for example information about read reliability/quality. This data must be archived even after successful complete genome assembly. Standard file format used for this type of data is format SAM (Sequence Alignment/Mapping Format) and its binary compressed version BAM. In this thesis we describe the construction of a better lossless compression scheme for compression of files in the SAM/BAM format. This compression scheme provides better compression ratios than the BAM format. In addition, random access to data in the compressed file is retained. Implementation of this compression scheme is platform independent and allows simple configuration of the compression process. Implementation also offers easy extensibility. Thanks to this, we will be able to respond to changes in current sequencing platforms as well as to changes in the SAM format.

Neste trabalho foi investigado o efeito de vários tratamentos para modificação da superfície na resistência à corrosão do alumínio AA1050 com o objetivo de identificar um potencial substituto ao tratamento de cromatização. Os tratamentos adotados consistiram inicialmente de polimento da superfície até acabamento 1 m, seguido por uma etapa comercial. Este tratamento foi utilizado como preparação preliminar da superfície, anterior aos demais tratamentos testados. Amostras com o tratamento preliminar foram submetidas a diferentes tratamentos de modificação da superfície, especificamente, imersão em solução com moléculas auto-organizáveis (SAM) à base de difosfonato, imersão em água fervente para acelerar o crescimento de óxido-hidróxido de alumínio; uma combinação destes dois últimos tratamentos e cromatização em solução à base de cromo hexavalente. O comportamento de corrosão do alumínio AA1050 submetido aos diferentes tipos de tratamentos foi investigado por ensaios eletroquímicos como: medidas de potencial a circuito aberto em função do tempo de imersão, espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica e ensaios de polarização potenciodinâmica. Utilizou-se solução de 0,5 M de Na2SO4 como meio corrosivo, tamponada a pH = 4,0. Microscopia eletrônica de varredura e análises semi-quantitativas de espectroscopia de energia dispersiva também foram utilizadas como medidas complementares nessa investigação. Observou-se que o tratamento com moléculas auto-organizáveis não se mostrou eficiente para proteção à corrosão para longos períodos de tempo em comparação aos demais tratamentos. A proteção fornecida pelos tratamentos, SAM e em solução a base de cromo hexavalente foi inferior à esperada. A etapa de boemitização ou crescimento acelerado de óxido-hidróxido de alumínio em água fervente se mostrou uma etapa essencial para aumento do desempenho frente à corrosão do alumínio AA1050. Os resultados obtidos para amostras submetidas ao tratamento de aceleração do crescimento de óxi-hidróxido seguido por imersão em solução com moléculas auto-organizáveis proporcionou uma melhora significativa na resistência à corrosão da superfície comparada aos demais tratamentos. / The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of various treatments for surface modification on the corrosion resistance of the aluminum AA1050. All the samples were firstly exposed to a preliminary surface treatment that consisted of surface polishing, up to a finishing of 1 m, succeeded by degreasing in two alkaline solutions and finally deoxidizing in an acid solution. This treatment was used as a preliminary surface preparation and adopted as a reference for comparison with the others. After this treatment, samples were exposed to various treatments for surface modification, specifically, immersion for 3 hours in a solution with self assembling molecules based on diphosphonates (SAM), immersion in boiling water for 20 minutes to promote bohemite growth (bohemitization); a combination of these two last treatments (bohemitization+SAM) and passivation in an hexavalent chromium solution. The objective was to investigate the potential of the tested treatments to replace the ones based on hexavalent chromium that generates toxic residues. The corrosion behavior of AA1050 aluminum samples with the various surface treatments was investigated by electrochemical methods such as: open circuit potential measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization curves. The electrolyte used was a 0.5 mol L-1 Na2SO4 solution, buffered to pH = 4.0. Surface characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were also used in this investigation. The results showed that the treatment with self assembling molecules was not effective to protect the AA1050 aluminum for long periods of exposure to the electrolyte comparatively to the other surface treatments tested. The effect of SAM treatment or passivation with hexavalent chromium solution on the AA1050 aluminum corrosion resistance was unexpected. The bohemitization treatment that consisted of favoring oxide-hydroxide growth by immersion in boiling water increased the corrosion resistance of the AA1050 aluminum, but the highest corrosion resistance was associated to the treatment that combined bohemitization with SAM treatment.

Neste trabalho foi investigado o efeito de vários tratamentos para modificação da superfície na resistência à corrosão do alumínio AA1050 com o objetivo de identificar um potencial substituto ao tratamento de cromatização. Os tratamentos adotados consistiram inicialmente de polimento da superfície até acabamento 1 m, seguido por uma etapa comercial. Este tratamento foi utilizado como preparação preliminar da superfície, anterior aos demais tratamentos testados. Amostras com o tratamento preliminar foram submetidas a diferentes tratamentos de modificação da superfície, especificamente, imersão em solução com moléculas auto-organizáveis (SAM) à base de difosfonato, imersão em água fervente para acelerar o crescimento de óxido-hidróxido de alumínio; uma combinação destes dois últimos tratamentos e cromatização em solução à base de cromo hexavalente. O comportamento de corrosão do alumínio AA1050 submetido aos diferentes tipos de tratamentos foi investigado por ensaios eletroquímicos como: medidas de potencial a circuito aberto em função do tempo de imersão, espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica e ensaios de polarização potenciodinâmica. Utilizou-se solução de 0,5 M de Na2SO4 como meio corrosivo, tamponada a pH = 4,0. Microscopia eletrônica de varredura e análises semi-quantitativas de espectroscopia de energia dispersiva também foram utilizadas como medidas complementares nessa investigação. Observou-se que o tratamento com moléculas auto-organizáveis não se mostrou eficiente para proteção à corrosão para longos períodos de tempo em comparação aos demais tratamentos. A proteção fornecida pelos tratamentos, SAM e em solução a base de cromo hexavalente foi inferior à esperada. A etapa de boemitização ou crescimento acelerado de óxido-hidróxido de alumínio em água fervente se mostrou uma etapa essencial para aumento do desempenho frente à corrosão do alumínio AA1050. Os resultados obtidos para amostras submetidas ao tratamento de aceleração do crescimento de óxi-hidróxido seguido por imersão em solução com moléculas auto-organizáveis proporcionou uma melhora significativa na resistência à corrosão da superfície comparada aos demais tratamentos. / The aim of this work is to investigate the effect of various treatments for surface modification on the corrosion resistance of the aluminum AA1050. All the samples were firstly exposed to a preliminary surface treatment that consisted of surface polishing, up to a finishing of 1 m, succeeded by degreasing in two alkaline solutions and finally deoxidizing in an acid solution. This treatment was used as a preliminary surface preparation and adopted as a reference for comparison with the others. After this treatment, samples were exposed to various treatments for surface modification, specifically, immersion for 3 hours in a solution with self assembling molecules based on diphosphonates (SAM), immersion in boiling water for 20 minutes to promote bohemite growth (bohemitization); a combination of these two last treatments (bohemitization+SAM) and passivation in an hexavalent chromium solution. The objective was to investigate the potential of the tested treatments to replace the ones based on hexavalent chromium that generates toxic residues. The corrosion behavior of AA1050 aluminum samples with the various surface treatments was investigated by electrochemical methods such as: open circuit potential measurements, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization curves. The electrolyte used was a 0.5 mol L-1 Na2SO4 solution, buffered to pH = 4.0. Surface characterization techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy were also used in this investigation. The results showed that the treatment with self assembling molecules was not effective to protect the AA1050 aluminum for long periods of exposure to the electrolyte comparatively to the other surface treatments tested. The effect of SAM treatment or passivation with hexavalent chromium solution on the AA1050 aluminum corrosion resistance was unexpected. The bohemitization treatment that consisted of favoring oxide-hydroxide growth by immersion in boiling water increased the corrosion resistance of the AA1050 aluminum, but the highest corrosion resistance was associated to the treatment that combined bohemitization with SAM treatment.

In the endeavour to abolish from society all forms of ideologies that prescribe the domination of one sex over another, it has become increasingly important to analyse the representation of women in dramatic literature because dramatic literature reflects the philosophies and codes of behaviour which enable individuals to dominate one another in society, and assists in either reinforcing old ideologies or shaping new ones. Although Sam Shepard has been an influential force in the creation of modern drama, his plays reflect a patriarchal ideology that dictates that women are subordinate to men. Shepard's plays dramatise various male predicaments and his female characters are constructed and utilised to express men's experience, not women's. One of the conflicts which besets the male characters is that they desire to return to the womb of the mother, but simultaneously fear that their identities will be engulfed by the mother. In The Rock Garden, Red Cross and Fourteen Hundred Thousand, these desires and fears are demonstrated through the female characters, who are manipulated to represent objects of male desire and/or objects onto which devouring images are projected. Women are therefore represented in a manner in which they are best able to express the male characters' identity related conflicts. In Curse of the Starving Class and Buried Child, characters suffer from receiving insufficient nurture, are spiritually and emotionally impoverished or cursed and appear unable to transform their lives. The female characters are presented as being partly responsible for causing these predicaments since their nurturing, generative and transformative abilities are presented in a negative light. Women are also represented as objects of blame in the male characters' attempts and failures to undergo rebirths and are once again created to express male predicaments. In Fool for Love and A Lie of the Mind, Shepard focuses on the relationships between men and women, but is only able to present the male characters' perspectives and represent male desire. The female characters are regarded, and engaged with, as reflections of the male characters' selves and are frequently utilised to express male desire. If Shepard's plays are persistently applauded and seen as examples to be emulated, we need to closely analyse these dramas that represent women in a manner which expresses male predicaments and which places them in roles that allow men to dominate them.