During an adenovirus infection the accumulation of alternatively spliced mRNAs is subjected to a tight temporal regulation. The IIIa protein is a structural protein expressed exclusively late after infection. To study the significance of the restricted IIIa protein expression we used a Tet-ON regulated adenoviral vector to overexpress the IIIa protein during the early phase of infection. The results show that unregulated IIIa protein expression caused a reduction in late viral protein accumulation and a slight block of viral DNA replication. Further, the results indicate that IIIa splicing might be subjected to a regulation via a feed back loop stimulating its own expression. To improve the efficacy of vectors for regulated transgene expression, we constructed binary adenoviral vectors based on the Tet-ON and Tet-OFF systems. These vectors encode both the transcriptional activator and the tetracycline-regulated expression cassette from the same viral unit, ensuring that each infected cell will express both the activator and the reporter gene. In model experiments this system was shown to result in a tight control of gene expression with no detectable background expression of the transgene and induction levels reaching 500-600 fold. Introduction of dsRNA into a cell will induce a sequence specific degradation of the homologous mRNA via a mechanism named RNA interference (RNAi). The adenovirus VA RNAs are short highly structured RNAs that are expressed in large amounts late during an adenovirus infection. Here we showed that both VA RNAI and VA RNAII functions as virus-encoded suppressors of RNAi, by interfering with the activity of Dicer, the enzyme that cleaves the initial dsRNA to short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that mediate RNAi. Further, the VA RNAs themselves are substrates for Dicer and are cleaved into siRNAs in vivo that are incorporated into active RNA-induced silencing complexes. There is a great interest in developing novel therapeutic strategies based on RNAi. We constructed adenoviral vectors that express short hairpin RNAs, which in vivo will be cleaved to siRNAs that induce sequence-specific RNAi. We compared the efficiency of RNAi induced by vectors based on the viral VA RNAI and the human U6 promoters. Our results suggest that under conditions where the recombinant virus does not replicate, the VA RNA promoter is more effective in down regulating target gene expression, whereas the U6 promoter was more effective under replicative conditions.

Recent technological advances and pervasiveness of wireless communication devices have offered novel and promising solutions to the road safety problem and on-the-go entertainment. One such solution is the Inter-Vehicular Communications (IVC) where vehicles cooperate in receiving and delivering the messages to each other, establishing a decentralized communication system. The communication between vehicles can be made more effective and reliable at the physical layer by using the concept of space-time coding (STC). STC demonstrated that the deployment of multiple antennas at the transmitter allows for simultaneous increase in throughput and reliability because of the additional degree of freedom offered by the spatial dimension of the wireless. However, the use of multiple antenna at the receiver is not feasible because of the size and power limitations. Cooperative diversity, which is also known as user cooperation is ideal to overcome these limitations by introducing a new concept of using the antenna of neighboring node. This technique exploits the broadcast nature of wireless transmissions and creates a virtual (distributed) antenna array through cooperating nodes to realize spatial diversity advantage. Although there has been a growing literature on cooperative diversity, the current literature is mainly limited to Rayleigh fading channel model which typically assumes a wireless communication scenario with a stationary base station antenna above roof-top level and a mobile station at street level. In this thesis, we investigate cooperative diversity for inter-vehicular communication based on cascaded Rayleigh fading. This channel model provides a realistic description of inter-vehicular channel where two or more independent Rayleigh fading processes are assumed to be generated by independent groups of scatters around the two mobile terminals. We investigate the performance of amplify-and-forward relaying for an inter-vehicular cooperative scheme assisted by either a road-side access point or another vehicle which acts as a relay. Our diversity analysis reveals that the cooperative scheme is able to extract the full distributed spatial diversity. We further formulate a power allocation problem for the considered scheme to optimize the power allocated to broadcasting and relaying phases. Performance gains up to 3 dB are obtained through optimum power allocation depending on the relay location.

Enligt Svenskt Vatten ska dagvattensystem vara dimensionerade för att klara ett regnmed en återkomsttid på 10 år. För att utvärdera om ett system är rätt dimensionerat kanen dagvattenmodell upprättas. Det är då viktigt att veta vilka nivåer ledningarna har mendenna information är bristfällig hos många kommuner. Ledningarna borde dock följatopografin i generella drag och borde därför kunna uppskattas därifrån.Syftet med denna studie var därför att utveckla en metod för hur vattenledningarnasnivåer kunde ansättas på ett enkelt sätt utifrån marknivån och hur stor betydelse detskulle ha vid dagvattenmodellering. Ett ytterligare syfte var att även bedöma Lidingöstads dagvattensystem, där information om ledningarnas nivåer saknades, utifrån dennametod. För att metoden skulle vara användbar var det också viktigt att den var enkel attapplicera även för stora dagvattensystem.Delar av Sundbybergs dagvattennät i Stockholms län användes för att utvecklametoden. Där var ledningarnas nivåer kända och en analys av detta resulterade i enmetod där brunnarnas djup, som styr ledningarnas nivåer, ansattes på 2 m djup. Ettundantag var tvunget att göras vid de fall då ledningarna fick bakfall. Där ansattes ettdjup så att ledningen låg horisontellt.Vid utvärdering av hur stor påverkan ansättningen av djupet hade togs hänsyn tillosäkerheten av avrinningskoefficienten genom att använda tre olika scenarier;oförändrad, 30 % lägre samt 30 % högre avrinningskoefficient. För varje brunn vägdesrisken för översvämning ihop från resultatet av dessa tre scenarier och sammanställdesmed att varje brunns trycknivå fick status över mark, under mark eller osäker. Dettagjordes för både modell med kända och med ansatta nivåer. Statusen för varje brunnjämfördes sedan dem emellan för att utvärdera hur bra metoden för att ansättabrunnarnas djup var.Resultatet av studien visar att metoden i stora drag gav samma resultat vad gäller riskenför översvämning jämfört med om nivåerna hade varit kända. Avvikelser uppstodfrämst vid diken men även för enstaka instängda områden och utlopp. För Lidingösdagvattennät hamnade trycknivån för 18 % av brunnarna över marknivån vid ett 10-årsregn och ytterligare 16 % var osäkra. / According to The Swedish Water and Wastewater Association (SWWA), a storm waternetwork must be able to handle a rainfall with a return period of 10 years. In order toevaluate whether a drain system is adequately dimensioned, a storm water model can beestablished. This requires knowledge about the levels at which the conduits are situated,and this information is insufficient in many areas. However, the pipes could largely beassumed to follow the topography and the pipes levels can be estimated from it.Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a method for how the level of stormwater conduits could be assessed from the ground level, and the significance thismethod had for storm water modeling. A further aim was also to, according to thismethod; assess the storm water systems of the Lidingö community, which lackedinformation on the pipe levels. Furthermore, for the method to be useful it wasimportant to make it easily applicable even to large storm water networks.The method was developed using parts of the storm water network in Sundbyberg,Stockholm. The levels of the conduits were known beforehand, and an analysis of themresulted in a method where the depth of the manhole, which controls the levels of theconduits, was estimated to 2 m. An exception had to be made when the conduits were inreverse slope, in which cases horizontal slope was assumed.When evaluating the impact from the depth assessment on the runoff, the uncertaintyfrom the imperviousness was taken into account by using three different scenarios;unchanged, 30% lower and 30% higher imperviousness. The risk of flooding for eachone of the manholes was weighted from the results of these three scenarios. Thisresulted in a pressure level for each manhole, either above ground, below ground orinconclusive. This was done for the model with both known levels for the conduits, andwith the assessed levels. In order to evaluate how well the method for applying thedepth worked, the status of each manhole was compared between the two models.The conclusion from this study was that the method developed here, more or less gavethe same results as when the levels of the conduits were previously known.Discrepancies arose mainly in ditches, but also for a few landlocked areas and outlets.For the Lidingö storm water network, 18 % of the wells ended up with a pressure levelabove ground when applied to a rain with a 10 year return period. Another 16 % of thewells were inconclusive.

Recent technological advances and pervasiveness of wireless communication devices have offered novel and promising solutions to the road safety problem and on-the-go entertainment. One such solution is the Inter-Vehicular Communications (IVC) where vehicles cooperate in receiving and delivering the messages to each other, establishing a decentralized communication system. The communication between vehicles can be made more effective and reliable at the physical layer by using the concept of space-time coding (STC). STC demonstrated that the deployment of multiple antennas at the transmitter allows for simultaneous increase in throughput and reliability because of the additional degree of freedom offered by the spatial dimension of the wireless. However, the use of multiple antenna at the receiver is not feasible because of the size and power limitations. Cooperative diversity, which is also known as user cooperation is ideal to overcome these limitations by introducing a new concept of using the antenna of neighboring node. This technique exploits the broadcast nature of wireless transmissions and creates a virtual (distributed) antenna array through cooperating nodes to realize spatial diversity advantage. Although there has been a growing literature on cooperative diversity, the current literature is mainly limited to Rayleigh fading channel model which typically assumes a wireless communication scenario with a stationary base station antenna above roof-top level and a mobile station at street level. In this thesis, we investigate cooperative diversity for inter-vehicular communication based on cascaded Rayleigh fading. This channel model provides a realistic description of inter-vehicular channel where two or more independent Rayleigh fading processes are assumed to be generated by independent groups of scatters around the two mobile terminals. We investigate the performance of amplify-and-forward relaying for an inter-vehicular cooperative scheme assisted by either a road-side access point or another vehicle which acts as a relay. Our diversity analysis reveals that the cooperative scheme is able to extract the full distributed spatial diversity. We further formulate a power allocation problem for the considered scheme to optimize the power allocated to broadcasting and relaying phases. Performance gains up to 3 dB are obtained through optimum power allocation depending on the relay location.

Thesis (Honors)--College of William and Mary, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-55). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (M.S.)--Marshall University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Includes abstract. Document formatted into pages: contains [83] p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-80).

Thesis (M.A.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 95 p. : ill., maps (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-95).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2009. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 119 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 198 p. : ill. (some col.), maps. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-167).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 125 p. : ill., map. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 90-96).