Orientadora: Karin Adriane Henschel Pobbe Ramos / Banca: Eliane Aparecida Galvão Ribeiro Ferreira / Banca: Ricardo Magalhães Bulhões / Resumo: A literatura apresenta profunda relevância para a formação integral do sujeito. Repensar e modificar a maneira de ler o texto literário contribui para a vida social e cognitiva do indivíduo, levando-o a desenvolver sua capacidade crítica e argumentativa e compreender o mundo em que vive. A leitura é uma atividade complexa que implica na produção de sentidos, mas o discurso que inflama de dentro das escolas é que os alunos não gostam e não leem. Sobre leitura é importante que os alunos leiam obras que atendem a indústria do entretenimento como também dos clássicos literários, ambas em "choque" no ambiente escolar. O propósito do estudo não se resume a atacar o cânone literário e supervalorizar a literatura de massa ou vice-versa e nem ratificar afirmações de que os alunos não leem ou estão distante de "bons livros", mas sim problematizar essa bipolarização - cânones versus best-sellers. O trabalho não apenas confirmou as leituras realizadas pelos alunos, mas constatou a presença e a comercialização de outra literatura (os best-sellers) que não somente os clássicos. Sobre a comercialização dentro das escolas dos livros para a massa esta se dá por meio da Revista Avon (Avon Moda & Casa), permitindo cunhar o neologismo "avonesca" para designar os livros comercializados e lidos por consumidores dessa linha de cosméticos. Para tanto, foi utilizado a pesquisa qualitativa de cunho etnográfico e revisão bibliográfica que serviram de base para compreender os fenômenos em "choque" ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The literature presents profound relevance to the integral formation of the subject. To rethink and modify the way of reading the literary text and contribute to the individual's social and cognitive life, leading him to develop his critical and argumentative capacity, to making him understand the world in which he lives. The literature is a complex activity that implies the production of meanings, but the inflammatory discourse within schools is that students do not like and do not read. About literature, it is important for the students to read works that serve the entertainment industry as well as literary classics, both in "shock" in the school environment. The purpose of the study is not simply to attack the literary canon and overestimate the mass literature or vice versa, nor to ratify affirmations that students do not read or are far from "good books", but rather to problematize this bipolarization - canons versus best-sellers. The work not only confirmed the readings made by students, but found the presence and commercialization of other literature (the best sellers) that not only the classics. On the marketing within the schools of the books for the mass this happens through Revista Avon (Avon Moda & Casa), allowing to coin the neologism "avonesca" to designate the books bought and read by consumers of this line of cosmetics. For that, it was used the qualitative research of ethnographic character and bibliographical revision that served as base to understand ... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

ITC/USA 2011 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Seventh Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 24-27, 2011 / Bally's Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada / With the increasing demand on available frequencies used for Telemetry transmission, it is important for the test ranges to be good stewards of the spectrum. One method is a new use of Best Source Selection. This method consists of placing data-quality encapsulators at the output of each of the TM receivers used. This system works without the need to use pattern detect which allows for the use of Best Source Selection without the need for decrypting the data. In conjunction with new system architecture, this setup is how the Atlantic Test Range is using best source selection in the future.

The Stochastic Diffusion Search (SDS) was developed as a solution to the best-fit search problem. Thus, as a special case it is capable of solving the transform invariant pattern recognition problem. SDS is efficient and, although inherently probabilistic, produces very reliable solutions in widely ranging search conditions. However, to date a systematic formal investigation of its properties has not been carried out. This thesis addresses this problem. The thesis reports results pertaining to the global convergence of SDS as well as characterising its time complexity. However, the main emphasis of the work, reports on the resource allocation aspect of the Stochastic Diffusion Search operations. The thesis introduces a novel model of the algorithm, generalising an Ehrenfest Urn Model from statistical physics. This approach makes it possible to obtain a thorough characterisation of the response of the algorithm in terms of the parameters describing the search conditions in case of a unique best-fit pattern in the search space. This model is further generalised in order to account for different search conditions: two solutions in the search space and search for a unique solution in a noisy search space. Also an approximate solution in the case of two alternative solutions is proposed and compared with predictions of the extended Ehrenfest Urn model. The analysis performed enabled a quantitative characterisation of the Stochastic Diffusion Search in terms of exploration and exploitation of the search space. It appeared that SDS is biased towards the latter mode of operation. This novel perspective on the Stochastic Diffusion Search lead to an investigation of extensions of the standard SDS, which would strike a different balance between these two modes of search space processing. Thus, two novel algorithms were derived from the standard Stochastic Diffusion Search, ‘context-free’ and ‘context-sensitive’ SDS, and their properties were analysed with respect to resource allocation. It appeared that they shared some of the desired features of their predecessor but also possessed some properties not present in the classic SDS. The theory developed in the thesis was illustrated throughout with carefully chosen simulations of a best-fit search for a string pattern, a simple but representative domain, enabling careful control of search conditions.

Best disease (OMIM 153700) is an early-onset, autosomal dominant maculopathy characterized by egg yolk-like lesions in the central retina. The disease gene, the vitelliform macular dystrophy gene type 2 (VMD2), encodes a 585-aa VMD2 transmembrane protein, termed bestrophin. The protein is predominantly expressed on the basolateral side of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and is thought to be involved in the transport of chloride ions. Bestrophin as well as three closely related VMD2-like proteins (VMD2L1-L3) contain multiple putative transmembrane (TM) domains and an invariant tripeptide (RFP) motif in the N-terminal half of the protein. This and the tissue-restricted expression to polarized epithelial cells are typical features of the VMD2 RFP-TM family. Best disease is predominantly caused by missense mutations, clustering in four distinct „hotspots“ in the evolutionary highly conserved N-terminal region of the protein. To further augment the spectrum of mutations and to gain novel insights into the underlying molecular mechanisms, we screened VMD2 in a large cohort of affected patients. In total, nine novel VMD2 mutations were identified, raising the total number of known Best disease-related mutations from 83 to 92. Eight out of nine novel mutations are hotspot-specific missense mutations, underscoring their functional/structural significance and corroborating the dominant-negative nature of the mutations. Of special interest is a one-basepair deletion (Pro260fsX288) encoding a truncated protein with a deletion of an important functional domain (TM domain four) as well as the entire C-terminal half of bestrophin. For the first time, a nonsense mutation leading to a 50 % non-functional protein has been identified suggesting that on rare occassions Best disease may be caused by haploinsufficiency. Molecular diagnostics strongly requires a reliable classification of VMD2 sequence changes into pathogenic and non-pathogenic types. Since the molecular pathomechanism is unclear at present, the pathogenicity of novel sequence changes of VMD2 are currently assessed in light of known mutations. We therefore initiated a publicly accessible VMD2 mutation database (http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/humangenetics/vmd2.html) and are collecting and administrating the growing number of mutations, rare sequence variants and common polymorphisms. Missense mutations may disrupt the function of proteins in numerous ways. To evaluate the functional consequences of VMD2 mutations in respect to intracellular mislocalization and/or protein elimination, a set of molecular tools were generated. These included the establishment of an in vitro COS7 heterologous expression assay, the generation of numerous VMD2 mutations by site-directed mutagenesis as well as the development of bestrophin-specific antibodies. Surprisingly, membrane fractionation/Western blot experiments revealed no significant quantitative differences between intact and mutant bestrophin. Irrelevant of the type or location of mutation, incorporation of mutant bestrophin to the membraneous fraction was observed. Thus, impaired membrane integration may be ruled out as causative pathomechanism of Best disease consistent with a dominant-negative effect of the mutations. In a different approach, efforts were directed towards identifying and characterizing the VMD2 RFP-TM protein family in mouse. While clarification of the genomic organization of murine Vmd2 was required as basis to generate Vmd2-targeted animals (see below), the study of closely related proteins (Vmd2L1, Vmd2L2 and Vmd2L3) may provide further clues as to the function of bestrophin. For this, biocomputational as well as RT PCR analyses were performed. Moreover, the novel genes were analyzed by real time quantitative RT PCR, displaying predominant expression in testis, colon and skeletal muscle of Vmd2, Vmd2L1 and Vmd2L3 transcripts, respectively as well as in eye tissue. Interestingly, neither an ORF was determined for murine Vmd2L2 nor was the transcript present in a panel of 12 mouse tissues, suggesting that murine Vmd2L2 may represent a functionally inactive pseudogene. The murine Vmd2L3 gene, as its human counterpart, is a highly differentially spliced transcript. Finally, generating mouse models of Best disease will provide essential tools to investigate the pathophysiology of bestrophin in vivo. We have initiated the generation of two different mouse lineages, one deficient of Vmd2 (knock-out) and the other carrying a human disease-related mutation (Tyr227Asn) in the orthologous murine gene (knock-in). Genetic engineering of both constructs has been achieved and presently, four ES clones harboring the homologous recombination event (Vmd2+/-) have been isolated and are ready for the subsequent steps to generate chimeric animals. The resulting mouse lineages will represent two key models to elucidate the functional role of bestrophin in Best disease, in RPE development and physiology. / Morbus Best (OMIM 153700) ist eine autosomal dominant vererbte Makulopathie mit juvenilem Beginn. Charakteristisch sind Eidotter-ähnliche Läsionen im zentralen Bereich der Retina. Das krankheitsverursachende Gen, das vitelliforme Makuladystrophie-Gen Typ 2 (VMD2), kodiert für ein 585 Aminosäuren langes Transmembranprotein. Das als Bestrophin bezeichnete Protein ist vorwiegend auf der basolateralen Seite des retinalen Pigmentepithels (RPE) exprimiert und wahrscheinlich am Transport von Chloridionen beteiligt. Bestrophin wie auch die drei eng-verwandten VMD2-ähnlichen Proteine (VMD2L1-L3) gehören zur Familie der VMD2 RFP-TM Proteine und sind durch putative Transmembrandomänen (TM) und ein invariantes Tripeptid (RFP) gekennzeichnet. Morbus Best wird hauptsächlich durch „missense“ Mutationen verursacht die in vier Bereichen („hotspots“) akkumulieren. Um das Mutationsspektrum zu erweitern und darüber hinaus den zugrundeliegenden molekularen Mechanismus weitergehend aufzuklären, wurde das VMD2 Gen in betroffenen Patienten untersucht. Insgesamt wurden neun bisher nicht beschriebene Mutationen identifiziert, wodurch sich die Anzahl der bekannten krankheitsassoziierten Mutationen auf 92 erhöhte. Wie die meisten der bisher bekannten Mutationen befinden sich acht „missense“ Mutationen in den sogenannten „hotspots“ des Gens. Dies unterstreicht die funktionelle bzw. strukturelle Bedeutung der betroffenen Regionen sowie den dominant-negativen Effekt der Mutationen. Bemerkenswert ist eine atypische 1-Basenpaar-Deletion (Pro260fsX288) in Exon 7. Denn erstmals wurde eine „nonsense“ Mutation im VMD2 Gen identifiziert, die 50 % nicht-funktionelles Protein zur Folge hat. In seltenen Fällen scheint daher die durch „nonsense“ Mutationen bedingte Haploinsuffizienz der Krankheit zugrunde liegen. Die molekulare Diagnostik verlangt eine zuverlässliche Einteilung der VMD2 Sequenzänderungen in pathogene und nicht-pathogene Gruppen. Da der molekulare Pathomechanismus zurzeit weitgehend ungeklärt ist, wird die Pathogenität neuer Sequenzänderungen aufgrund bereits bekannter Mutationen eingestuft. Es wurde daher eine öffentlich zugängliche VMD2 Mutationsdatenbank eingerichtet (http://www.uni-wuerzburg.de/humangenetics/vmd2.html), in der die wachsende Zahl an Mutationen, Sequenzvarianten und Polymorphismen gesammelt und verwaltet wird. „Missense“ Mutationen können die Proteinfunktion auf verschiedene Weise beeinträchtigen. Geeignete molekulare Assays wurden daher etabliert, um die funkionellen Auswirkungen der VMD2 Mutationen in Hinblick auf die intrazelluläre Lokalisation zu untersuchen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde ein heterologes COS7 Expressionssystem entwickelt, es wurden verschiedene Mutationen mittels „site-directed mutagenesis“ generiert sowie Bestrophin-spezifische Antikörper hergestellt. Überraschenderweise konnte anhand von Membranfraktionierungs- und Westernblot-Analysen keine signifikanten quantitativen Unterschiede zwischen intakten und mutierten Bestrophin nachgewiesen werden. Unabhängig von Art oder Position der Mutation konnte der Einbau von mutiertem Bestrophin in die Membran gezeigt werden. Die Experimente deuten erstmalig darauf hin daß eine fehlerhafte Membranintegration als kausaler krankheitsverursachender Mechanismus ausgeschlossen werden kann. Dies liegt in Übereinstimmung mit dem dominant-negativen Effekt der Mutationen. In einem alternativen Ansatz wurde die VMD2 RFP-TM Proteinfamilie im Mausgenom identifiziert und charakterisiert. Während die Aufklärung der genomischen Struktur des Vmd2 Gens die Grundlage zur Herstellung Vmd2 transgener Mäuse darstellte (siehe unten), gewährte die Charakterisierung der eng verwandten Vmd2L1-L3 Mausgene weitere Einblicke in die Funktion des Bestrophins. Hierzu wurden bioinformatische sowie RT PCR Analysen durchgeführt. Darüber hinaus wurde die präferientielle Expression der jeweiligen Transkripte in Testis, Kolon und Skelettmuskel sowie Augengewebe anhand von „real-time quantitative“ RT PCR nachgewiesen. Interessanterweise stellt Vmd2L2 wahrscheinlich ein funktionell inaktives Pseudogen dar. Ähnlich wie sein humanes Gegenstück wird das Maus Vmd2L3- Transkript auf mRNA Ebene differentiell prozessiert. Mausmodelle für Morbus Best stellen grundlegende Hilfsmittel dar, die Pathophysiology von Bestrophin in vivo zu untersuchen. Es wurde die Herstellung zweier verschiedener Mauslinien initiiert: zum einen ein Vmd2-defizientes „knock-out“ Modell, zum anderen eine „knock-in“ Maus, die eine humane krankheitsassoziierte Mutation (Tyr227Asn) im mausorthologen Gen trägt. Die entsprechenden Konstrukte wurden hergestellt und in ES Zellen eingeschleust. Ausgehend von bislang vier isolierten ES Klonen, die den Vmd2+/- Genotyp tragen, können nun in nachfolgenden Schritten chimäre Tiere generiert werden. Die resultierenden Mauslinien repräsentieren neue experimentelle Ansätze, die funktionelle Rolle des Bestrophins in Morbus Best sowie in der Entwicklung und Physiologie des RPEs aufzukären.

Orientador: Arnaldo Cortina / Resumo: A proposta inicial deste trabalho é investigar o fenômeno da leitura sob o ponto de vista do leitor, buscando os livros mais lidos. Partindo do pressuposto de que os livros mais vendidos são também os livros mais lidos, já que seria impossível determinar com exatidão o que os leitores mais lêem sem se valer do respaldo do mercado, pretende-se chegar aos livros campeões de venda, os chamados best-sellers. A definição do corpus da dissertação surgiu quando a revista semanal Veja trouxe em sua capa, de 12 de março de 2003, o sucesso de vendagem dos livros de Luís Fernando Veríssimo, destacando-o como o escritor mais lido no país. Despertada a curiosidade, o primeiro passo foi estabelecer exatamente qual foi a obra mais vendida do autor gaúcho. Para tal empreendimento, consultou-se uma coluna contida nessa mesma revista, a lista dos livros mais vendidos no mercado. Chegou-se, então, ao livro líder de vendagem: A mentiras que os homens contam. Contendo 40 crônicas, foram selecionados dessa obra dez textos para a constituição do corpus de análise. Definido o objeto, parte-se para o objetivo central do trabalho. É sabido que uma das leituras mais consumidas no mercado editorial tem sido os textos de humor. Valendo-se da semiótica greimasiana, como as nuanças da enunciação no processo de leitura, além de teorias que tratam do fenômeno do riso, o trabalho irá investigar como e por quais recursos o enunciador desses textos constrói o efeito risível. / Abstract: The proposal initial of this work is to investigate the phenomenon of the reading under the point of view of the reader, searching the read books more. Leaving of the estimated one of that the sold books more are also the read books more, since it would be impossible to determine with exactness what the reader ones more read without if being valid the support of the market, is intended to arrive at champion books of selling, the calls best-sellers. The definition of the corpus of the dissertation appeared when the weekly magazine Veja brought in its cover, of 12 of March of 2003, the success of sale of books of Luis Fernando Veríssimo, detaching it as the read writer more in the country. Awaked the curiosity, the first step was to establish which accurately was the sold workmanship more of the author gaucho. For such enterprise, a column contained in this was consulted same magazine, the list of sold books more in the market. It was arrived, then, to the leader book of sale: As mentiras que os homens contam. Contending 40 chronicles, had been selected of this workmanship ten texts for the constitution of the analysis corpus. Defined the object, it has been broken for the central objective of the work. It is known that one of the consumed readings more in the publishing market has been the mood texts. Using itself the greimasiana semiotics, as nuances of the enunciation in the reading process, beyond theories that deal with the phenomenon of the laugh, the work will go to investigate as and for which resources the enunciator of these texts constructs the laughable effect. / Mestre

Scores on a state comprehensive assessment test showed that writing skills of 4th grade students enrolled in a K-8 magnet school in the southeastern part of the United States were below target. The assistant principal of the K-8 magnet school explained that a review of 3-year longitudinal data revealed that the number of students who met proficiency for the 4th grade writing assessment decreased by 1% each year. The purpose of this case study was to gain an understanding from teachers about the best practices on how to improve students' writing skills. Denzin and Lincoln's constructivist theoretical concepts of accommodation and assimilation of learning were the basis of the conceptual framework. The research focused on how 3rd and 4th grade magnet school teachers described best practices to improve their students' writing skills. Data were gathered from three sources: (a) semistructured interviews with 5, 3rd grade and 5, 4th grade literacy teachers, (b) review of 10 lesson plans and 10 students' writing samples, and (c) 10 classroom observations. Based on the findings from the data, the following themes led to the professional development training: (a) oral activities to discuss as a class, (b) group discussions to gather feedback, (c) feedback to monitor progress, and (d) corrections. This professional development training is intended to strengthen the participating teachers' abilities to improve the writing skills of their students. The implications for positive social change is training teachers how to effectively instruct diverse elementary students to communicate effectively in writing.

5 pp. / As long term investments, trees are expected to provide benefits for extended periods of time, usually decades. Trees planted in locations where they cannot survive or where they create problems rarely stay in place for any length of time. Trees experiencing shortened lives waste money, create hazards, and fail to perform their intended horticultural function. The bulletin highlights the importance of selecting a tree right for the location in which it will be planted. Key suggestions for making sound horticultural decisions along with ten examples of trees planted in locations where problems can far outweigh the benefits are presented.

No description available.

There are currently no accepted frameworks or methodologies to compare and evaluate national land administration systems. Comparisons, however, are an important source for learning and for identifying strengths and weaknesses. Part of the difficulty for adopting a common comparison framework for land administration systems is that they are in constant reform and, more importantly, they have strong social and cultural links and implications. Land administration systems reflect the particular and different perceptions that societies have of their land. (For complete abstract open document)

Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2003.