Thermogravimetry, coupled with a mass spectrometer (TG-MS) was used to investigate the catalytic effect potassium carbonate (K2CO3) and potassium chloride (KCl), on the char conversion and the product gas composition of chars derived from a South African inertinite-rich bituminous coal. Sequential leaching of the coal with HCl-HF-HCl was performed to reduce the mineral matter present in the coal. This was done in order to reduce possible undesirable interactions between the minerals and inorganic compounds in the coal during heat treatments. The leaching process substantially reduced the ash content from 21.5% to less than 3%. K2CO3 and KCl [0.5, 1, 3, 5 K-wt %] were loaded to the demineralized coal, raw coal and demineralized coal with added mineral mixture prior to charring. The mineral mixture was made up of kaolinite, quartz, pyrite, siderite, calcite, anastase and hydromagnesite. The ‘doped’ coal samples were then subjected to heat treatments in a CO2 atmosphere up to 1200 °C. The results obtained showed that both K2CO3 and KCl exhibit a catalytic effect on the char conversion during heat treatments in CO2 atmosphere and the char conversion was increased with increasing loadings up to 5 K-wt% of K2CO3 and KCl. The temperature ranges at which conversion occurred were found to be lower for K2CO3 than for KCl. Subsequently, char conversion occurred over a relatively narrower temperature range for K2CO3 than observed for KCl. The catalytic behaviour of K2CO3 and KCl was confirmed by the results obtained. The results also indicated that the catalytic influence of K2CO3 is greater than that of KCl and that KCl is more susceptible to deactivation by minerals and inorganic compounds present in the coal than K2CO3. Different analytical techniques (XRF and XRD) were used to determine the extent of interaction of the catalysts used with the char material in the 5 K-wt% ‘doped’ coal samples. From the XRF results, it was observed that the K2O content was reduced after heat treatments in CO2, however, no potassium crystalline phases were observed in the XRD results after heat treatments in CO2. The reduced K2O content may be attributed to the potassium been taken up in other mineral matter during char reaction with CO2, forming new amorphous inorganic complex compounds. Thus the potassium retained in the sample after heat treatment, indicated by the XRF results, may be in an amorphous phase. Mass spectrometry (MS) indicated that temperatures at which the maximum rate of evolution of gaseous species occurred were relatively lower for K2CO3 loaded char samples iv than observed for KCl loaded samples. In addition, no mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) peak at 39 atomic mass unit (amu) from the MS results was observed, indicating that no potassium was detected in the gaseous phases for all the char samples. The undetected potassium in the gaseous phase may be due to the detection limit of the MS equipment. The MS results also indicated that addition of the catalyst facilitates the evolution of H2 from the coal char samples. Addition of the catalysts to the samples lowered the temperature at which maximum H2 was given off. The shift to lower temperatures was observed with increased catalyst loadings for both K2CO3 and KCl loaded samples. / Thesis (MSc (Chemistry))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 201

The behaviour of open spandrel brickwork masonry arch bridges (OSBMAB) was studied through model tests and finite element simulations. One three-metre and two five-metre span, full scale OSBMAB were constructed and tested to destruction. Two `partial' models including a combination of spandrel arches and piers, and a five-metre span single arch were also tested with intention of studying the functions of the components of the OSBMAB. To simulate the behaviour of the brickwork masonry arches, three finite element modelling techniques were developed: - (a) smeared modelling method (SMM), in which the failure of brickwork masonry caused by tensile cracking, compressive crushing or sliding is simulated as "loss of stiffness" in the corresponding directions within the domain of the geometry of the arch structure; and (b) discrete modelling method (DMM), in which the failure of brickwork masonry caused by tensile cracking or sliding is simulated as the change in the geometry of the arch structure, i. e., the geometrical discontinuity at prescribed locations; and (c) the mixed modelling method (MMM), in which the main arch, spandrel arches/piers are modelled using the SMM, and the interfaces between the fill and arch are modelled using the DMM. Parametric studies were carried out to investigate the effects of changes in material properties and finite element model related parameters on the behaviour of the OSBMAB, and to justify the values of those parameters adopted in the finite element models using the FE Package ANSYS 5.3. The comparisons were made between the finite element results and those obtained from the model tests. It has been demonstrated in terms of the ultimate loads, the modes of failure and the responses of loads vs. displacements that FE modeling can give good correlation.

The variability of the marker TG5 TG gene and its association with the intramuscular fat and marbling of meat in cattle was studied. Randomly selected population, composed of 237 individuals (bulls) of the Czech Pied cattle breed from four farms in the Czech Republic, waschosen for testing polymorphisms. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify a fragment of TG 545 bp in size. After amplification, the fragments digestion was performed using the restriction endonuclease BstYI. To verify the presence of the PCR product and to identify the sizes of digested frag-ments the horizontal agarose electrophoresis was performed. The population's absolute and relative frequencies of alleles and genotypes were calculated. The calculations reve-aled a high frequency of the T allele (25.98 %). In conclusion, statisticalanalysis was performed. As a result, the influence of C422T polymorphism in the 5'promoter region of the gene on the TG and on the IMT marblinghave not been proven, but on the contra-ry there was detected significant effect (p<0.05) of polymorphism content on the region of Lauric acid (C12:0). The results also reveal some evidence of polymorphism having influence on Timnodonic acid and meat pH.

Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) são amostras de trechos de genes, que funcionam como moldes na síntese de proteínas. Como a quantidade de ESTs coletados nos últimos anos é muito grande, o uso de computadores tornou-se imprescindível para a identificação de genes, proteínas e para a descoberta de genes homólogos. Este trabalho propõe uma metodologia e implementa uma ferramenta para a visualização de ESTs através de um grafo para auxiliar biólogos na exploração e na descoberta de conhecimento sobre estas seqüências. A metodologia inclui agrupamento usando um programa montador de seqüências e, conseqüentemente, a transformação dos grupos em nós de um grafo. O algoritmo BLAST é usado para procurar alinhamentos entre seqüências, representando-os posteriormente por arestas entre as seqüências mais similares. Para a visualização do grafo utilizamos e modificamos a ferramenta TG WikiBrowser conectada a um banco de dados. O resultado é uma ferramenta interativa baseada em código livre e robusto que funciona em ambientesWindows e Linux. Ela possibilita a fácil exploração do grafo, com diversas funcionalidades como, por exemplo: a expansão e filtragem do grafo, a busca por rótulos ou trechos de seqüências e a visualização detalhada de seqüências e grupos de seqüências. Com isso, os biólogos e especialistas em bioinformática ganham mais uma alternativa de investigação da genética / Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) are samples of gene stretches, which play the role of templates in synthesis of proteins. Since the amount of collected ESTs on the past few years is enormous, the use of computers has become essential to fields like gene and protein identification, and gene homology. This work proposes a methodology and a tool for visualization of ESTs as a graph for aiding biologists on exploration and on knowledge discovery about these sequences. The methodology includes clustering of ESTs using an assembly program and, consequently, the transformation of the groups in nodes of a graph. BLAST algorithm is used to search alignments among sequences, later representing them as edges between the most similar sequences. For the graph visualization, we adapted TGWikiBrowser software connected to a database. The result is a robust and open source interactive tool forWindows and Linux. It allows easy graph exploration, with various functionalities, for example: graph expansion and filtering, searching for label or sequence stretches, and detailed visualization of sequences and groups of sequences. Therefore, we hope biologists can count on one more option in genetics research

A membrana amniótica é a camada interna das membranas fetais (placenta), amplamente utilizada em transplantes por ser um tecido que combina propriedades anti-inflamatórias, antimicrobianas e antifibróticas, além da limitada capacidade de provocar reações imunológicas. O uso da membrana fresca tem algumas limitações, como a necessidade de rápida utilização e a impossibilidade de obter total segurança diante de certas infecções. Qualquer tecido biológico utilizado para transplante deve ser estéril. A radioesterilização é uma alternativa para garantir a qualidade e segurança dos tecidos usados em transplantes e outras aplicações clínicas, a fim de minimizar os riscos de contaminação do receptor do tecido, porém a mesma pode causar alterações indesejáveis no tecido. No presente trabalho, foram testadas doses de 10, 15, 25 e 35 kGy, utilizando duas fontes de radiação ionizante: raios gama proveniente de fonte de Cobalto-60 e feixe de elétrons. Na análise qualitativa visual e táctil foi observado que, nas doses mais elevadas (a partir de 25 kGy) para ambas as fontes de radiação, as membranas irradiadas sofreram maior alteração de cor, tornando-se mais amareladas e com diminuição da elasticidade, deixando-as mais rígidas. A colorimetria sólida possibilitou minimizar a subjetividade da análise visual e a microscopia óptica foi essencial para avaliar as alterações histológicas comprovando, respectivamente, que a alteração de cor da membrana e o grau de degradação das camadas subjacentes do tecido tem relação direta com a dose de radiação empregada. Desse modo, as doses de 10-35 kGy podem ser aplicadas nas membranas amnióticas para sua utilização como bandagem biológica, porém, para as doses a partir de 25 kGy deve-se levar em consideração a alteração de coloração e condensação das camadas da membrana se estas forem destinadas para o uso oftálmico ou como substrato transportador para transplante de tecido cultivado in vitro. Com as técnicas de OCT, TG e ensaio de tração não foi possível avaliar as alterações biomecânicas encontradas na análise qualitativa, nas condições experimentais realizadas devido aos desvios-padrão obtidos para as cinco membranas testadas. / The amniotic membrane is the inner layer of the fetal membranes (placenta), widely used in transplantation as it is a tissue that combines properties anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic antimicrobial, and limited ability to induce immune reactions. The use of fresh membrane has some limitations such as the need for rapid deployment and not being completely safe against of certain infections. Any biological tissue used for transplantation should be sterile. The radiosterilization is an alternative to ensure the quality and safety of tissues used in transplants, and other clinical applications to minimize the risk of contamination of the tissue´s receptor, but it can cause undesirable changes in the tissue. In this study, we tested doses of 10, 15, 25 and 35 kGy, using two sources of ionizing radiation: gamma rays from cobalt-60 source and electron beam. In qualitative, visual and tactile analysis it has been observed that higher doses (25 kGy and up, to both sources of radiation) irradiated membranes had a greater color change, becoming yellowed and decreased elasticity, becoming more rigid. The solid colorimetry minimized the subjectivity of visual analysis and optical microscopy was essential to evaluate the histological changes showing, respectively, the color change of the membrane and the degree of degradation of the underlying layers of tissue is directly related to the dose of radiation employed. Thus, doses of 10-35 kGy can be applied in the amniotic membranes for application as a biological bandage, however doses from 25 kGy and up should take into account the changes in color and condensation of the layers of the membrane for ophthalmic use or as a carrier substrate for transplantation of cultured tissue in vitro. With the techniques of OCT, TG and tensile testing was not possible to evaluate the biomechanical findings in the qualitative analysis, the experimental conditions due to the standard-deviations obtained for the five membranes tested.

A membrana amniótica é a camada interna das membranas fetais (placenta), amplamente utilizada em transplantes por ser um tecido que combina propriedades anti-inflamatórias, antimicrobianas e antifibróticas, além da limitada capacidade de provocar reações imunológicas. O uso da membrana fresca tem algumas limitações, como a necessidade de rápida utilização e a impossibilidade de obter total segurança diante de certas infecções. Qualquer tecido biológico utilizado para transplante deve ser estéril. A radioesterilização é uma alternativa para garantir a qualidade e segurança dos tecidos usados em transplantes e outras aplicações clínicas, a fim de minimizar os riscos de contaminação do receptor do tecido, porém a mesma pode causar alterações indesejáveis no tecido. No presente trabalho, foram testadas doses de 10, 15, 25 e 35 kGy, utilizando duas fontes de radiação ionizante: raios gama proveniente de fonte de Cobalto-60 e feixe de elétrons. Na análise qualitativa visual e táctil foi observado que, nas doses mais elevadas (a partir de 25 kGy) para ambas as fontes de radiação, as membranas irradiadas sofreram maior alteração de cor, tornando-se mais amareladas e com diminuição da elasticidade, deixando-as mais rígidas. A colorimetria sólida possibilitou minimizar a subjetividade da análise visual e a microscopia óptica foi essencial para avaliar as alterações histológicas comprovando, respectivamente, que a alteração de cor da membrana e o grau de degradação das camadas subjacentes do tecido tem relação direta com a dose de radiação empregada. Desse modo, as doses de 10-35 kGy podem ser aplicadas nas membranas amnióticas para sua utilização como bandagem biológica, porém, para as doses a partir de 25 kGy deve-se levar em consideração a alteração de coloração e condensação das camadas da membrana se estas forem destinadas para o uso oftálmico ou como substrato transportador para transplante de tecido cultivado in vitro. Com as técnicas de OCT, TG e ensaio de tração não foi possível avaliar as alterações biomecânicas encontradas na análise qualitativa, nas condições experimentais realizadas devido aos desvios-padrão obtidos para as cinco membranas testadas. / The amniotic membrane is the inner layer of the fetal membranes (placenta), widely used in transplantation as it is a tissue that combines properties anti-inflammatory and antifibrotic antimicrobial, and limited ability to induce immune reactions. The use of fresh membrane has some limitations such as the need for rapid deployment and not being completely safe against of certain infections. Any biological tissue used for transplantation should be sterile. The radiosterilization is an alternative to ensure the quality and safety of tissues used in transplants, and other clinical applications to minimize the risk of contamination of the tissue´s receptor, but it can cause undesirable changes in the tissue. In this study, we tested doses of 10, 15, 25 and 35 kGy, using two sources of ionizing radiation: gamma rays from cobalt-60 source and electron beam. In qualitative, visual and tactile analysis it has been observed that higher doses (25 kGy and up, to both sources of radiation) irradiated membranes had a greater color change, becoming yellowed and decreased elasticity, becoming more rigid. The solid colorimetry minimized the subjectivity of visual analysis and optical microscopy was essential to evaluate the histological changes showing, respectively, the color change of the membrane and the degree of degradation of the underlying layers of tissue is directly related to the dose of radiation employed. Thus, doses of 10-35 kGy can be applied in the amniotic membranes for application as a biological bandage, however doses from 25 kGy and up should take into account the changes in color and condensation of the layers of the membrane for ophthalmic use or as a carrier substrate for transplantation of cultured tissue in vitro. With the techniques of OCT, TG and tensile testing was not possible to evaluate the biomechanical findings in the qualitative analysis, the experimental conditions due to the standard-deviations obtained for the five membranes tested.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The 2:1 expandable clay minerals have high importance when present in soil, even in small amount, as in the case of soil with a high degree of secondary alteration. The study of these minerals is essential to understanding the physical and chemical behavior of soils, however, the techniques have not always permitted their suitable concentration, in order to facilitate their study. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the concentration of phyllosilicates clay minerals with 2:1 structure through the technique of selective dissolution of oxides and kaolinite, aiming their study by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The samples were collected in Rio Grande do Sul, in different weather conditions in profiles of Regosols (RRd and RRe), Ferralsol (LVd) and Vertisol (VEo). The clay fraction of A and B horizons of soil were separated and subjected to treatment with dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate and then with warm NaOH in 10 different concentrations, from 0.5 to 5 mol L-1. For mineralogical characterization we used the techniques of X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The results obtained by the analysis of X-ray diffraction showed that for most weathered soils as the Ferrasol, the NaOH solution does not contribute to the concentration of the 2:1 mineral. However, to the Vertisol the solution of NaOH 4.0 mol L-1 was more efficient in the concentration of minerals. To the Regossol RRd no concentration of NaOH solution was effective and to the RRe the concentration of 2.5 mol L-1 solution of NaOH was most suitable for concentrating the 2:1 clay. The extraction of kaolinite and gibbsite by NaOH solution was only partial for kaolinite. The thermal analysis showed predominance of kaolinite and gibbsite in relation to the 2:1 minerals in the samples free of oxides. The most effective treatment for the thermal analysis for 2:1 mineral concentration was NaOH 4 mol L-1 for samples LVd B, RRh A, RRe A and Veo A. The NaOH 3 mol L-1 treatment was more efficient for samples LVd A and VEo B. The relative concentration of 2:1 was higher in samples with dystrophic character. / Os argilominerais 2:1 expansíveis apresentam elevada importância quando presentes nos solos, mesmo em quantidade pequena, como no caso de solos com elevado grau de alteração secundária. O estudo destes minerais é fundamental para o entendimento do comportamento físico-químico dos solos, no entanto, as técnicas utilizadas nem sempre tem permitido a sua concentração adequada, de forma a facilitar o seu estudo. Por isso, este trabalho teve como objetivo analisar a concentração de argilominerais filossilicatos com estrutura 2:1 através da técnica de dissolução seletiva de óxidos e caulinita, visando o seu estudo por difratometria de raios-X e por análise térmica. As amostras analisadas foram coletadas no Rio Grande do Sul, em diferentes condições climáticas, em perfis de Neossolos (RRd e RRe), Latossolo (LVd) e Vertissolo (VEo). A fração argila dos horizontes A e B destes solos foram separadas e submetidas ao tratamento com ditionito-citrato-bicarbonato de sódio e posteriormente com NaOH a quente em 10 concentrações diferentes, a partir de 0,5 até 5 mol L-1. Para a caracterização mineralógica utilizou-se as técnicas de difração de raios-X (DRX), termogravimetria (TG) e análise térmica diferencial (ATD). Os resultados obtidos pelas análises de difratometria de raios-X mostraram que para solos mais intemperizados como o Latossolo a solução de NaOH não contribui para a concentrar os minerais 2:1. No entanto, para o Vertissolo a solução de NaOH 4,0 mol L-1 foi mais eficiente na concentração desses minerais. Os Neossolos apresentaram comportamento distinto, sendo que para o RRd nenhuma concentração da solução de NaOH foi eficiente e para o RRe a concentração de 2,5 mol L-1 da solução de NaOH foi a mais adequada para a concentração dos argilominerais 2:1. A extração da caulinita e gibbsita através da solução de NaOH foi apenas parcial para a caulinita, observou-se a permanência deste mineral em boa parte das concentrações. As análises térmicas mostraram predominância de caulinita em relação à gibbsita e minerais 2:1 nas amostras desferrificadas. O tratamento mais eficiente, pela análise térmica, para concentração de minerais 2:1 foi o NaOH 4 mol L-1 para as amostras LVd B, RRh A, RRe A e VEo A e o tratamento NaOH 3 mol L-1 para as amostras LVd A e VEo B. A concentração relativa de 2:1 foi maior nas amostras com caráter distrófico.

Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) são amostras de trechos de genes, que funcionam como moldes na síntese de proteínas. Como a quantidade de ESTs coletados nos últimos anos é muito grande, o uso de computadores tornou-se imprescindível para a identificação de genes, proteínas e para a descoberta de genes homólogos. Este trabalho propõe uma metodologia e implementa uma ferramenta para a visualização de ESTs através de um grafo para auxiliar biólogos na exploração e na descoberta de conhecimento sobre estas seqüências. A metodologia inclui agrupamento usando um programa montador de seqüências e, conseqüentemente, a transformação dos grupos em nós de um grafo. O algoritmo BLAST é usado para procurar alinhamentos entre seqüências, representando-os posteriormente por arestas entre as seqüências mais similares. Para a visualização do grafo utilizamos e modificamos a ferramenta TG WikiBrowser conectada a um banco de dados. O resultado é uma ferramenta interativa baseada em código livre e robusto que funciona em ambientesWindows e Linux. Ela possibilita a fácil exploração do grafo, com diversas funcionalidades como, por exemplo: a expansão e filtragem do grafo, a busca por rótulos ou trechos de seqüências e a visualização detalhada de seqüências e grupos de seqüências. Com isso, os biólogos e especialistas em bioinformática ganham mais uma alternativa de investigação da genética / Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) are samples of gene stretches, which play the role of templates in synthesis of proteins. Since the amount of collected ESTs on the past few years is enormous, the use of computers has become essential to fields like gene and protein identification, and gene homology. This work proposes a methodology and a tool for visualization of ESTs as a graph for aiding biologists on exploration and on knowledge discovery about these sequences. The methodology includes clustering of ESTs using an assembly program and, consequently, the transformation of the groups in nodes of a graph. BLAST algorithm is used to search alignments among sequences, later representing them as edges between the most similar sequences. For the graph visualization, we adapted TGWikiBrowser software connected to a database. The result is a robust and open source interactive tool forWindows and Linux. It allows easy graph exploration, with various functionalities, for example: graph expansion and filtering, searching for label or sequence stretches, and detailed visualization of sequences and groups of sequences. Therefore, we hope biologists can count on one more option in genetics research

ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / The optimum detector for shaped offset QPSK (SOQPSK) is a trellis detector which has high complexity (as measured by the number of detection filters and trellis states) due to the memory inherent in this modulation. In this paper we exploit the cross-correlated, trellis-coded, quadrature modulation (XTCQM) representation of SOQPSK-TG to formulate a reduced complexity detector. We show that a factor of 128 reduction in the number of trellis states of the detector can be achieved with a loss of only 0.2 dB in bit error rate performance as compared to optimum at P(b) = 10^(-5).

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 18-21, 2004 / Town & Country Resort, San Diego, California / Off-line software based signal analysis can be a valuable tool for detailed examination of transmitter signal characteristics. This paper describes the Advanced Range Telemetry (ARTM) Constant Envelope (CE) offset quadrature phase shift keying (OQPSK) modulation analyzer. It was developed expressly for evaluation of FQPSK-B^(1), FQPSK-JR and shaped OQPSK transmitter signals. Rationale for its creation, underlying assumptions, computation methods, and examples of its data products are presented.