This research study represents an important contribution towards fulfilling the long-term objective of the research program in terms of assessing and controlling seismic risks of building structures in low and moderate seismic regions such as Australia. The research outcome enables the existing building stock to be assessed in an inexpensive way. Post-disaster agencies and insurance agencies could then better assess risk exposure. The displacement controlled phenomenon associated with conditions in low and moderate seismic regions has become the basis of a new performance assessment methodology for strength degraded structures. / In low and moderate seismic regions the kinetic energy demand generated by a small or medium magnitude earthquake (M<7) (at an epicentral distance consistence with Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) of up to 80 mm/s on rock) will generally subside when the structure has been displaced to the maximum limit. Current design guidelines in seismic design and assessment of structures has been based on trading-off strength with ductility demand to accommodate large displacement without significant strength degradation to ensure that structures have sufficient energy dissipation capacity. The drift capacity recommended for strength degraded structures is quite low as per the current guidelines which are developed for high seismic regions and it is considered that a structure is deemed unsafe when the lateral strength has degraded by more than 20%. An important investigation has been undertaken to determine if such structures are actually unsafe, should the displacement controlled phenomenon be taken into account. / Therefore, the research described in this thesis is aimed at capitalizing the displacement controlled concept (not to be confused with the displacement based design methods) which is particularly relevant for low and moderate seismic regions for investigating the seismic performance of strength degraded structures. If the peak displacement demand (PDD) and the displacement capacity of the structure are known then the displacement based approach can be applied directly for assessing the performance of the structure. The seismic displacement demand is then simply compared with the displacement capacity to ensure that its gravity load carrying capacity is not compromised in the projected earthquake scenario. / A full scale testing was carried out under quasi-static conditions on a soft-storey building which was representative of existing building stock in low-moderate seismic regions to investigate the force-deformation relationship and drift capacity of soft-storey buildings. Data obtained from the full-scale experimental field studies on the force displacement behaviour of the building has been used as input into the nonlinear time history analyses to study the seismic response behavioral trends of soft-storey buildings. / A new simple methodology for estimating the peak displacement demand of inelastic nonlinear systems, which is based on the elastic displacement response spectra, was introduced. The major findings from the parametric studies shows that highest point on the elastic displacement response spectra can provide a conservative prediction of the maximum displacement demand of non-linear inelastic systems.

abstract: The front end of almost all ADCs consists of a Sample and Hold Circuit in order to make sure a constant analog value is digitized at the end of ADC. The design of Track and Hold Circuit (THA) mainly focuses on following parameters: Input frequency, Sampling frequency, dynamic Range, hold pedestal, feed through error. This thesis will discuss the importance of these parameters of a THA to the ADCs and commonly used architectures of THA. A new architecture with SiGe HBT transistors in BiCMOS 130 nm technology is presented here. The proposed topology without complicated circuitry achieves high Spurious Free Dynamic Range(SFDR) and Total Harmonic Distortion (THD).These are important figure of merits for any THA which gives a measure of non-linearity of the circuit. The proposed topology is implemented in IBM8HP 130 nm BiCMOS process combines typical emitter follower switch in bipolar THAs and output steering technique proposed in the previous work. With these techniques and the cascode transistor in the input which is used to isolate the switch from the input during the hold mode, better results have been achieved. The THA is designed to work with maximum input frequency of 250 MHz at sampling frequency of 500 MHz with input currents not more than 5mA achieving an SFDR of 78.49 dB. Simulation and results are presented, illustrating the advantages and trade-offs of the proposed topology. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2012

La carnitine, un acide aminé crucial pour le transfert intracellulaire des acides gras chez les animaux et les micro-organismes, est présente chez les plantes mais son mode d'implication dans le métabolisme lipidique et dans le développement reste à déterminer. Afin d'étudier le rôle biologique de la carnitine chez Arabidopsis nous avons initié une recherche bioinformatique d'enzymes susceptibles de participer à sa synthèse dans le but d'obtenir des mutants à teneur réduite en carnitine. Des serines hydroxyméthyl transférases (SHMT), des thréonines aldolases (THA) et des aldéhydes déshydrogénases (ALDH) candidates ont été identifiées. Une recherche de mutants, soit caractérisés, soit dans les collections disponibles, ainsi qu'une approche de mutagénèse par micro-ARN artificiel ont été initiées. Ces mutants ont été étudiés sur le plan de leur teneur en carnitine, en précurseur y-butyrobétaïne, et en esters de carnitine. Les enzymes THA ne semblent pas impliquées dans la synthèse de la carnitine et si un mutant faible de SHMT1 présente une réduction de sa teneur, et de la y-butyrobétaïne, l'implication de cette protéine reste à démontrer. L'étude d'un mutant perte de fonction du gène ALDH10A8, et de mutants baisse de fonction du gène ALDH10A9, et une complémentation fonctionnelle de mutants de levure, nous ont permis de montrer que les enzymes ALDH10 sont impliquées dans la voie de biosynthèse de la carnitine en permettant la synthèse de la y-butyrobétaïne. Les mutants des protéines ALDH10, présentant des teneurs réduites en carnitine et en acyl-carnitine, sont désormais disponibles comme outil du rôle de la carnitine chez Arabidopsis. / Carnitine, a crucial amino acid for the intacellular transfer of fatty acids in animals and microorganisms, is present in plants but its mode of implication in lipid metabolism and development remains to be determined. In order to investigate the biological function of carnitine in Arabidopsis, we initiated a bioinformatic search for enzymes that could be involved in its synthesis in order to obtain mutants with a reduced carnitine content. Serine hydroxymethyl transferases (SHMT), threonine aldolase (THA) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) were identified as candidates. A search for mutants, either characterized or in available collections ans an amiRNA mutagenesis approach were carried out. In these mutants, the y-butyrobetaine as carnitine precursor, the carnitine, and carnitine esters were quantified. The THA enzymes do not appear to be involved in the carnitine synthesis and even if a weak mutant of SHMT1 has reduced contents of carnitine and y-butyrobetaine, the involvement of this protein remains to be demonstrated. A study of a knock-out mutant of the ALDH10A8 gene, of knock-down mutants of ALDH10A9 and a functional complementation of a C. albicans ALDH mutant, has confirmed the implication of ALDH10A8 and ALDH10A9 enzymes in the synthesis of y-butyrobetaine within the cartinine biosynthesis pathway. Mutants of the ALDH10 proteins, having significantly reduced carnitine and acyl-carnitine amounts, are now available as tools for studying the role of carnitine in Arabidopsis.

Em um estudo prospectivo e randomizado sobre o posicionamento do componente acetabular na artroplastia total do quadril, 20 quadris foram operados com o auxílio da navegação livre de métodos de imagem e 20 quadris foram operados através do método convencional. Todas as cirurgias foram realizadas pelo mesmo cirurgião com o paciente em decúbito lateral. A avaliação do posicionamento foi feita através da medição tomográfica pós-operatória dos ângulos de anteversão e inclinação cirúrgicos e análise da zona de segurança. Os resultados obtidos foram similares em todas as comparações: anteversão média de 17,4o no grupo navegado e 14,5o no grupo convencional (p=0,215), inclinação média de 41,7o no grupo navegado e 42,2o no grupo convencional (p=0,633), desvio médio do objetivo da anteversão (15o) de 5,5o no grupo navegado e 6,6o no grupo convencional (p=0,429), desvio médio do objetivo da inclinação (40o) de 3o no grupo navegado e 3,2o no grupo convencional (p=0,783) e localização dentro da zona de segurança de 90% no grupo navegado e 80% no grupo convencional (p=0,661). A avaliação tomográfica pós-operatória do posicionamento acetabular na artroplastia total de quadril realizada com o paciente em decúbito lateral foi semelhante ao se comparar a técnica navegada com a técnica convencional / In a prospective and randomised study of the acetabular component position in total hip arthroplasty, 20 hips were operated using imageless navigation and 20 hips were operated using the conventional method. The same surgeon performed all the operations with the patient in the lateral position. The correct position of the acetabular component was evaluated with computed tomography performed after the surgeries, measuring the operative anteversion angle and the operative inclination angle and determining the cases inside the safe zone. The results were similar in all the analyses: a mean anteversion of 17.4o in the navigated group and 14.5o in the conventional group (p=0.215), a mean inclination of 41.7o in the navigated group and 42.2o in the conventional group (p=0.633), a mean deviation from the desired anteversion (15o) of 5.5o in the navigated group and 6.6o in the conventional group (p=0.429), a mean deviation from the desired inclination (40o) of 3o in the navigated group and 3.2o in the conventional group (p=0.783), and location inside the safe zone of 90% in the navigated group and 80% in the conventional group (p=0.661). The acetabular component positions tomography analyses in total hip arthroplasty, performed with the patient in the lateral position, were similar whether using imageless navigation or performing it conventionally

This thesis examines the advisory function of the tales of three prophets (Joseph, David and Solomon) in al-Ṭabarī’s (d. 923/310 AH) History and al-Thaʿlabī’s (d. 1025/416) Tales of the Prophets within their religio-political contexts in Baghdād and Nīshāpūr respectively. The hypothesis is that by reading the tales through the prism of Islamic advice literature, in particular the works of Ibn al-Muqaffaʿ (d. 757 / 139) and Kay Kāʾūs (d. 1084 /476), one sees how these stories convey important ideas about just leadership, friendship and enmity. The thesis, which is based on both a close textual and contextual reading of the tales, contrasts the perspective of the centre (Baghdād), where al-Ṭabarī lived and where caliphal power was situated in the late ninth century, with the view from the edge of the empire (Nīshāpūr), where al-Thaʿlabī lived in a religiously vibrant society. This dissertation, which comprises five chapters, begins by describing the genre of the Tales of the Prophets (Qiṣaṣ al-anbiyāʾ) as adab (cultivated literature), because such works recapture pre-Islamic values and adapt them to Muslim contexts. Al-Ṭabarī’s view from the centre with respect to leadership is characterized by its deliberate distance from non-Islamic monarchical images and its suspicion of Ṣūfīsm. Al-Thaʿlabī’s position on the edge, on the other hand, weds royal images with Ṣūfī ideas, while cautioning against the excessive asceticism of the mystical tradition in Nīshāpūr. For leaders at the centre friendship relies on receiving good counsel which has the positive effect of creating stability in the Empire, whereas for leaders on the edge friendship promotes social harmony. Lastly, the centre and the edge both view enmity as emerging from the leaders’ family circle, but they advise leaders to practise diplomacy as jihād in order to win genuine converts. The centre promotes ṣabr (patient endurance) when confronting enmity, while the edge recommends prayer in coping with grief over calamities. Overall, the tales of the prophets are more than stories; they are lessons in leadership.

OBJECTIUS: Descriure la situació epidemiològica de la tripanosomosi humana africana (THA), també coneguda com malaltia de la son, en el focus de Quiçama, província del Bengo, Angola, i establir un programa de control per la THA.METODOLOGIA: El 1997, 8.796 persones (la població de 31 poblats) van ser examinades serològicament pel Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, l'agent causal de la THA. El 1998 i 1999, les enquestes es van dur a terme en els poblats on s'havien identificat casos de THA el 1997. Els individus van ser examinats amb el test d'aglutinació sobre cartolina per la tripanosomosi (CATT) i posteriorment examinats per determinar la presencia del paràsit. Els individus CATT-positiu en els quals la presencia del paràsit no fou confirmada van ser examinats posteriorment utilitzant el CATT en sèrum diluït, i els qui presentaven un títol d'anticossos superior o igual a ¼ se'ls va realitzar un seguiment seroparasitològic. 16 individus amb un títol d'anticossos inferior a ¼ van ser considerats com no infectats d'acord amb els resultats obtinguts en un estudi previ en el qual es va determinar el títol d'anticossos en un grup de casos confirmats parasitològicament. 86 individus amb un títol final superior o igual a ¼ van ser considerats sospitosos de tripanosomosi i van ser seguits des de juliol 1997 fins juliol 1998 amb controls cada tres mesos.Els malalts amb 10 o menys leucòcits/microlitre i sense tripanosomes en el líquid cefaloraquidi (LCR) van ser classificats com primer estadi de la malaltia. El control vectorial no va ser considerat necessari o possible.RESULTATS: Les principals àrees de transmissió eren a les vores del riu Kwanza amb 5,042 habitants. El 1997 la prevalença de la THA era de 1,97% però va disminuir fins 0,55% el 1998 i 0,33% el 1999. La taxa de recaigudes fou de 3% en els pacients tractats amb pentamidina i 3,5% en els pacients tractats amb melarsoprol. En els pacients tractats amb pentamidina, no va haver-hi diferència en la taxa de recaigues dels pacients amb un LCR inicial de 0-5 leucòcits/microlitre o 6-10 leucòcits/microlitre. La taxa global de mortalitat va ser de 0,6% i la taxa d'encefalopaties arsenicals reactives entre els pacients tractats amb melarsoprol fou de 1,7%. Desprès d'un any de seguiment de casos CATT-positiu sense confirmació parasitològica, 32 individus en els quals el títol d'anticossos va disminuir per sota de ¼ van ser considerats com no infectats, 22 van ser confirmats mitjançant l'observació del paràsit, 17 van continuar en seguiment perquè el seu títol d'anticossos continuava igual o superior a 1/8 però el paràsit no fou observat. 15 individus no es van presentar durant el seguiment. Tenint en compte el criteri habitual només els casos confirmats parasitològicament foren tractats. No obstant això, si s'hagués decidit tractar els individus en els quals no es va poder demostrar la presència del paràsit però que tenien un títol final d'anticossos superior a 1/8, 22 individus inicialment no confirmats però realment infectats s'haurien tractat precoçment, mentre que 5 individus no infectats s'haurien tractat innecessàriament.CONCLUSIÓ: La descripció de la situació epidemiològica de la malaltia va ser actualitzada i les àrees de transmissió van ser definides. Els mètodes de control utilitzats van permetre una reducció de la prevalença de la malaltia. La titulació d'anticossos utilitzant el CATT en sèrum o plasma és útil per prendre decisions a nivell terapèutic. / OBJECTIVE: To update the epidemiological status of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, in the Quicama focus, province of Bengo, Angola, and to establish a HAT control programme.METHODS: In 1997, 8796 people (the population of 31 villages) were serologically screened for "Trypanosoma brucei gambiense". In 1998 and 1999, surveys were carried out in villages where HAT cases had been identified in 1997. Individuals were screened using the card agglutination trypanosomiasis test (CATT), and then examined for the presence of the parasite. CATT-positive individuals in whom the presence of the parasite could not be confirmed were further tested with the CATT using serum dilutions, and those with a positive antibody end titre of 1-in-4 or above were followed-up. Patients with &#8804;10 white cells/microl and no trypanosomes in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were classified as being in the first stage of the disease. Vector control was not considered necessary or feasible. FINDINGS: The main transmission areas were on the Kwanza riverbanks, where 5042 inhabitants live. In 1997, the HAT prevalence was 1.97%, but this decreased to 0.55% in 1998 and to 0.33% in 1999. The relapse rate was 3% in patients treated with pentamidine and 3.5% in patients treated with melarsoprol. In patients treated with pentamidine, there was no difference in the relapse rate for patients with initial CSF white cell counts of 0-5 cells/ microl or 6-10 cells/microl. The overall mortality rate was 0.6% and the rate of reactive arsenical encephalopathy among the melarsoprol-treated patients was 1.7%. 86 individuals with end titres &#8805; 1/4 were followed-up with controls every three months. After one year, 32 individuals whose antibody titres dropped < 1/4 were considered non infected, 22 were confirmed by demonstration of parasites, 17 were further followed-up because antibody titres remained &#8805; 1/8 but parasites could not be found. Fifteen individuals did not show up for testing.CONCLUSION: The epidemiological status of the disease was updated and the transmission areas were defined. The control methods implemented allowed the disease prevalence to be reduced. CATT titration on diluted serum or plasma is useful for making therapeutical decisions.

Em um estudo prospectivo e randomizado sobre o posicionamento do componente acetabular na artroplastia total do quadril, 20 quadris foram operados com o auxílio da navegação livre de métodos de imagem e 20 quadris foram operados através do método convencional. Todas as cirurgias foram realizadas pelo mesmo cirurgião com o paciente em decúbito lateral. A avaliação do posicionamento foi feita através da medição tomográfica pós-operatória dos ângulos de anteversão e inclinação cirúrgicos e análise da zona de segurança. Os resultados obtidos foram similares em todas as comparações: anteversão média de 17,4o no grupo navegado e 14,5o no grupo convencional (p=0,215), inclinação média de 41,7o no grupo navegado e 42,2o no grupo convencional (p=0,633), desvio médio do objetivo da anteversão (15o) de 5,5o no grupo navegado e 6,6o no grupo convencional (p=0,429), desvio médio do objetivo da inclinação (40o) de 3o no grupo navegado e 3,2o no grupo convencional (p=0,783) e localização dentro da zona de segurança de 90% no grupo navegado e 80% no grupo convencional (p=0,661). A avaliação tomográfica pós-operatória do posicionamento acetabular na artroplastia total de quadril realizada com o paciente em decúbito lateral foi semelhante ao se comparar a técnica navegada com a técnica convencional / In a prospective and randomised study of the acetabular component position in total hip arthroplasty, 20 hips were operated using imageless navigation and 20 hips were operated using the conventional method. The same surgeon performed all the operations with the patient in the lateral position. The correct position of the acetabular component was evaluated with computed tomography performed after the surgeries, measuring the operative anteversion angle and the operative inclination angle and determining the cases inside the safe zone. The results were similar in all the analyses: a mean anteversion of 17.4o in the navigated group and 14.5o in the conventional group (p=0.215), a mean inclination of 41.7o in the navigated group and 42.2o in the conventional group (p=0.633), a mean deviation from the desired anteversion (15o) of 5.5o in the navigated group and 6.6o in the conventional group (p=0.429), a mean deviation from the desired inclination (40o) of 3o in the navigated group and 3.2o in the conventional group (p=0.783), and location inside the safe zone of 90% in the navigated group and 80% in the conventional group (p=0.661). The acetabular component positions tomography analyses in total hip arthroplasty, performed with the patient in the lateral position, were similar whether using imageless navigation or performing it conventionally

No description available.

Class of 2017 Abstract / Objectives: The first aim is to assess efficacy of aspirin versus enoxaparin in preventing a venous thromboembolism (VTE) after a total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) within 30 days after discharge. The second aim is to assess the safety of aspirin versus enoxaparin in preventing major bleeding events after a TKA or THA within 30 days after discharge. Methods: This study was a retrospective cohort study with data obtained from an online Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital database. For analysis, the primary outcome was assessed with a Chi-Square test, and the secondary outcome was reported with descriptive statistics.Results: Results: Demographics for 374 patients (TKA, n = 275; THA, n = 99): 90% male, average age of 65, average body mass index (BMI) of 32, 26% smokers, 72% had a history of hypertension, and 60% had a history of dyslipidemia. VTE events 30 days post-operatively: enoxaparin (n = 2), enoxaparin/aspirin (n = 1), and aspirin (n = 2) (P-value = 0.78). Safety events (major bleeding events): enoxaparin (n = 42), enoxaparin/aspirin (n = 7), and aspirin (n = 4). Conclusions: There was no significant difference between the treatment groups for VTE rate 30 days post- operation. The enoxaparin treatment group had the greatest number of safety events compared to the other groups.

Class of 2013 Abstract / Specific Aims:  To determine the efficacy of apixaban when compared to LMWH (enoxaparin) when used as thromboprophylaxis for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and medically ill patients  To determine the safety of apixaban when compared to LMWH (enoxaparin) when used as thromboprophylaxis for patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA), total knee arthroplasty (TKA), and medically ill patients Methods: A systematic search of the literature for randomized controlled trials of apixaban thromboprophylaxis therapy versus enoxaparin was conducted using three databases: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library. Data from five studies with 12,938 total patients were analyzed using Bayesian random effects meta-analysis. To evaluate efficacy, a composite of venous thromboembolism and death during follow-up was measured. To evaluate safety, major and total bleeding events were considered. Main Results: The odds ratio (OR) for the composite outcome of thromboembolism/death was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.33 to 1.29) for apixaban compared to enoxaparin, while there was a similar risk of major bleeding (OR=1.03, 95%CI: 0.36 to 3.73) and total bleeding (OR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.64 to 1.20). Conclusion: These results suggest a lack of clear superiority of apixaban relative to enoxaparin. Apixaban is an oral alternative with similar efficacy and safety to existing anticoagulant therapies.