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With this thesis I will explore the many challenges that confront a leader on a creative project, the difficulties that prevent open communication, and the discoveries that I will use to serve myself on future projects. Through diligent notes during the multiple months that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof took to produce, I was able to re-create what my experience was and how it benefitted me moving forward. This thesis will document the entire process from play selection, through the final product including the response from the audience. Through this document I will try and highlight, how my own skills were tested, expanded, and seasoned throughout the process. In addition to the study of my own learning, this thesis will highlight the valuable advice that I received from instructors, as well as documenting the implementation of said advice in this university setting. In addition to looking at myself, I also will identify some things that I will be on the lookout for in future creative ventures, both from fellow collaborators, and from institutions. Eventually when this process was in the books, I looked back on the experience fondly, and with a sense of pride. I was able to reflect in the post-mortem phase of the production, and identify room for growth, but above and beyond that identify where growth had occurred during the work, not only in this process, but also in my three-year journey at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Compound Aircraft Transport (CAT) flight involves two or more aircraft using the resources of each other; a symbiotic relationship exists consisting of a host, the mothership aircraft and a parasite, the hitchhiker aircraft. Wingtip-docked flight is just as its name implies; the two aircraft are connected wingtip-to-wingtip. Formation flight describes multiple aircraft or flying objects that maintain a pattern or shape in the air. There are large aerodynamic advantages in CAT flight. The aforementioned wingtip-docked flight increases total span of the aircraft system, and formation flight utilizes the upwash from the trailing wingtip vortex of the lead aircraft (mothership) to reduce the energy necessary to achieve and/or maintain a specific flight goal for the hitchhiker and the system. The Stability Wind Tunnel (6 X 6 X 24 foot test section) at Virginia Tech, computational aerodynamic analysis with the vortex lattice method (VLM), and a desktop aircraft model were used to answer questions of the best location for a hitchhiker aircraft and analyze stability of the CAT system. Wind tunnel tests implemented a 1/32 scale F-84E model (hitchhiker) and an outboard wing portion representing a B-36 (mothership). These models were chosen to simulate flight tests of an actual wingtip-docked project, Tom Tom, in the 1950s. That project was terminated after a devastating accident that demonstrated a possible "flapping" motion instability. The wind tunnel test included a broad range of hitchhiker locations: varying spanwise gap distance, longitudinal or streamwise distance, and vertical location (above or below wing) with respect to a B-36-like wing. The data showed very little change in the aerodynamic forces of the mothership, and possibilities of large benefits in lift and drag for the hitchhiker when located slightly aft and inboard with respect to the mothership. Three CAT flight configurations were highlighted: wingtip-docked, close formation, and towed formation. The wingtip-docked configuration had a 20-40 percent performance benefit for the hitchhiker compared to solo flight. The close formation configuration had performance benefits for the hitchhiker approximately 10 times that of solo flight, and the towed formation was approximately 8 times better than solo flight. The VLM analysis completed and reenforced the experimental wind tunnel data. A modified VLM program (VLM CAT) incorporated multiple aircraft in various locations as well as additional calculations for induced drag. VLM CAT results clearly followed the trends seen in the wind tunnel data, but since VLM did not model the fuselage, has assumptions like a flat wake, and is an inviscid computation it did not predict the large benefits or excursions as seen in the wind tunnel data. Increases in performance for the hitchhiker in VLM CAT were on the order of 3 to 4 times that of the hitchhiker in solo flight, while the wind tunnel study saw up to 10 times that of solo flight. VLM CAT is a valuable tool in supplying quick analysis of position and planform effects in CAT flight. Modifications to a desktop F-16 dynamic simulation have been developed to investigate the stability of wingtip-docked flight. These modifications analyze the stability issues linked with sideslip angle as seen by the Tom Tom Project test pilot, when he entered docking maneuvers with 5 degrees yaw to simulate a ``tired pilot". The wingtip-docked system was determined to have an unstable aperiodic mode for sideslip angle greater than 0.0 degrees and an unstable oscillatory mode for sideslip angle greater than 2.0 degrees. There is a small range of sideslip angle that is a stable oscillatory mode, sideslip angle between 0.0 and 2.0 degrees. The variables, altitude and speed, yield little effect on the stability of the system. The sensitivity analysis was indeterminate in distinguishing a state driving the instability, but the analysis was conclusive in verifying the lateral-longitudinal (roll-pitch) coupled motion observed by test pilots in wingtip-docked flight experiments. The parameter with the largest influence on the instability was the change in pitch angular acceleration with respect to roll angle. The aerodynamic results presented in this study have determined some important parameters in the location of a hitchhiker with respect to a mothership. The largest aerodynamic benefits are seen when the hitchhiker wingtip is slightly aft, inboard and below the wingtip of the mothership. In addition, the stability analysis has identified an instability in the CAT system in terms of sideslip angle, and that the wingtip-docked hitchhiker is coupled in lateral and longitudinal motion, which does concur with the divergent "flapping" motion about the hinged rotational axis experienced by the Tom Tom Project test pilot. / Ph. D.

Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Toxoplasma gondii and Sarcocystis neurona are intracellular parasites that infect a wide range of mammalian host species including domestic cats. The prevalence of antibodies to these parasites in cats was examined using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay. E. cuniculi targets the kidneys of rabbits but the prevalence of disease in cats is unknown. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common cause of illness in cats. T. gondii is a widespread parasite of cats; however, it is not considered a major causative agent of CKD. The first hypothesis was that E. cuniculi and T. gondii are unrecognized causes of chronic kidney disease in domestic cats. Serum and plasma samples were examined for protozoal antibodies from 232 feline patients at the VMRCVM Teaching Hospital. Thirty-six of the 232 samples met the IRIS criteria for CKD. Antibodies to E. cuniculi were found in 15 samples, 4 of which came from cats with CKD. Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 63 samples; 10 cats of the 63 had CKD. These were not significantly different from cats with no CKD and the null hypothesis was rejected. Domestic cats, armadillos, raccoons and skunks are intermediate hosts (IH) for S. neurona while opossums are the definitive host (DH). The seroprevalence of S. neurona was examined in domestic cats from Virginia and Pennsylvania. The second hypothesis was that domestic cats are important IH for S. neurona transmission. A low seroprevalence was found in 32 of the 441 cats and the null hypothesis was rejected. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

This thesis is a study of architecture on how to improve the life of homeless animals through strengthening the relationship between us, humans and the animals we live among. There are millions of shelter animals being killed every year which is both dreadful and expensive. This number can be decreased greatly if people acted more responsibly towards the creatures they have domesticated. It is true that most people enjoy taking care of animals, they usually feel a strong emotional connection with them, specially those who share their homes with their pets. The problem is that many find the animal shelters a depressing place filled with sick unwanted animals. How can we, design professionals, encourage people to interact more with animal shelters? How can the design affect both physical and emotional health of these animals? Can architecture raise awareness about the creatures in our urban civilization? This project explores a few design approaches that can teach people about shelters and urban animals and how physically different we are from them. The building is also a study of an animal shelter as a system that can improve their day-to-day life to become healthier and happier. It is proposed that these architectural changes would aid the adoption rate as well as creating a happier pet and owner. / Master of Architecture

Cats are infected with a variety of internal parasites, some of which are zoonotic. Therefore, being able to effectively detect and determine prevalence of internal parasites in cats is important for both feline and human health. Some parasites are easier to detect than others. Diagnosing Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. can be difficult because cysts and oocysts shed in the feces are small, shed intermittently, and require a trained technician to consistently identify them. As a result, infections with these protozoan parasites can be missed. Fecal immunoassays detect antigens in feces and can have increased sensitivity when compared to traditional microscopic techniques, but still do not detect every infection. The current reference standard is an immunoassay known as the direct immunofluorescent assay, but it requires expensive equipment and a long incubation period. As a result, two prototype lateral flow fecal immunoassays, the Cryptosporidium EZ VUE and Giardia EZ VUE, designed by TECHLAB® Inc were evaluated for the ability to detect G. duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp. infections in cats because they are cheap, easy to use, easy to store and easy to interpret. In addition, samples were examined using a 33% zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) centrifugal fecal flotation procedure and the MERIFLUOR® Cryptosporidium/Giardia direct immunofluorescent assay (IFA), which served as the reference test. Other internal parasites found on the centrifugal fecal flotation with zinc sulfate were recorded to determine prevalence. Both EZ VUE fecal immunoassays demonstrated potential in diagnosing infections in cats when compared to centrifugal fecal flotation and the reference. Additionally, a variety of other internal parasites were identified. This included several potentially zoonotic species including Spirometra mansonoides, Ancylostoma sp. and Toxocara cati, which was also the most commonly identified species of parasite. Additionally, it was determined that several factors may contribute to higher prevalence of parasites especially in cats with the status of stray or feral. / M. S.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of iopanoic acid for the treatment of experimentally-induced hyperthyroidism in cats. Animals: 15 healthy adult domestic short hair cats Procedures: Hyperthyroidism was induced by daily subcutaneous administration of levothyroxine for 42 days. On day 28, cats were randomized to a control group receiving a placebo PO every 12 hours, a low dose group receiving 50 mg iopanoic acid PO every 12 hours, and a high dose group receiving 100 mg iopanoic acid PO every 12 hours. Cats were treated for 14 days. Weight and heart rates were obtained on days -8, 0, 28, 35, and 42. Blood was collected for CBC and biochemical analysis and for T4, T3, and rT3 measurement on days -8, 28, 35, and 42. Results: Two cats were removed prior to day 28 due to prolonged anorexia and another on day 36 because of heart failure. The low dose and high dose groups had significantly lower T3 concentrations on days 35 and 42 compared to the control group and to their own T3 concentrations on day 28. The T3 concentrations in cats administered iopanoic acid were not different from those obtained prior to induction of hyperthyroidism. Body weight and food consumption were not altered by iopanoic acid treatment, while heart rate was decreased in the low dose group on day 35 when compared to day 28. Conclusions and clinical relevance: Iopanoic acid was effective in decreasing T3 concentrations, but its effect on clinical signs of hyperthyroidism was less apparent. Studies evaluating the long-term efficacy in cats with naturally-occurring hyperthyroidism are warranted. / Master of Science

A mancha-marrom de Alternaria causada pelo fungo Alternaria alternata f.sp. citri patótipo \"tangerina\" é uma das principais doenças que acometem a cultivo de tangerinas (Citrus reticulata) e alguns de seus híbridos. A infecção ocorre principalmente em folhas e frutos jovens que senescem prematuramente. Para realização de estudos com a finalidade de obtenção de cultivares resistentes, ou para a compreensão dos processos de interação planta-patógeno, é necessária a produção massal de esporos in vitro. Este trabalho, no primeiro momento, buscou desenvolver um método eficaz de obtenção de esporos do fungo em meio de cultura. Para isso, comparou os efeitos de diferentes meios de cultura (BDA e CaCO3-A) e tipos de iluminação (LED e NUV). Além do número de esporos, características como germinação, pigmentação, formação de apressórios e patogenicidade foram avaliadas. Descobriu-se que o melhor método de produção de esporos consistiu da manutenção de colônias em meio CaCO3-A por 3 dias sob LED e em seguida por 4 dias sob NUV, com fotoperíodo de 12 h. A partir de então, no segundo momento, realizaram-se testes com técnicas de microscopia e bioquímica fitopatológica para analisar a interação entre o patógeno e folhas das cultivares suscetíveis Ponkan e Murcott e da resistente Fremont. Notou-se por meio de microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV) que, independentemente da cultivar, o fungo germinou sobre as folhas, formou apressórios e entrou em cavidades estomáticas. Não foi observada, porém, a colonização de tecidos por meio de microscopia de luz. As cultivares suscetíveis responderam à inoculação com acúmulo de peróxido de hidrogênio e reação de hipersensibilidade. A cultivar resistente, por sua vez, não apresentou reação de hipersensibilidade e aumentou a síntese de enzimas relacionadas ao estresse oxidativo (SOD e CAT) e eliminação de espécies reativas de oxigênio. Como se trata de um fungo necrotrófico capaz de detoxificar espécies reativas de oxigênio, presumiu-se que a reação de hipersensibilidade e a morte celular nas cultivares suscetíveis favorecem a infecção e colonização do patógeno, enquanto que na cultivar resistente a ausência de morte celular e detoxificação de espécies reativas de oxigênio podem estar envolvidas na sua capacidade de defesa. Nas cultivares suscetíveis, verificou-se, por meio de microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET), plasmólise e fragmentação de membranas plasmáticas, local indicado como sítio de ação da toxina ACT produzida pelo patógeno. As células da cultivar resistente não apresentaram plasmólise ou alterações nas membranas plasmáticas em decorrência da inoculação do patógeno. / Alternaria brown spot caused by Alternaria alternate f.sp. citri pathotype \"tangerine\" is a important disease that affects tangerine (Citrus reticulate), and some of its hybrids. The infection happens mainly in young leaves and fruits and may cause premature senescence of tissues. To carry out studies in order to obtain resistant cultivars, or to understand the processes of plant-pathogen interaction, it is necessary abundant in vitro spores production. This work, in the first moment, aimed to develop an efficient method for in vitro spore production of the fungus. It was compared the effects of different culture media (BDA and CaCO3-A) and light (LED and NUV). Besides the number of spores, characteristics such as germination, pigmentation, apressoria formation and pathogenicity were investigated. It was found that the best method of spore production consisted of maintaining colonies on CaCO3-A medium for 3 days under LED and then for 4 days under NUV, with photoperiod of 12 h. Thus, in the second moment, assays were carried out using microscopy and phytopathological biochemistry techniques to analyze the interaction between the pathogen and leaves of the susceptible cultivars Ponkan and Murcott, and the resistant Fremont. It was noted by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that independently of the cultivar, the fungus germinated on the leaves, formed apressoria and grew into stomatal cavities. However, colonization of tissues was not observed by light microscopy. Susceptible cultivars responded to inoculation with accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and hypersensitivity reaction. The resistant cultivar did not show hypersensitivity reaction, but increased the synthesis of enzymes (CAT and SOD) related to oxidative stress and elimination of reactive oxygen species. As a necrotrophic pathogen able to detoxify reactive oxygen species, it was assumed that the hypersensitivity reaction and cell death in the susceptible cultivars contribute to infection and colonization of the pathogen. On the other hand, the absence of cell death and detoxification of reactive oxygen species verified in the resistant cultivar may be involved on its capacity of defense. Cell plamolysis and plasma membranes fragmentation, indicated as the site of action of the ACT toxin produced by the pathogen, were verified in the susceptible cultivars by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The cells of the resistant cultivar did not show plasmolysis or alterations in the plasma membranes due to pathogen inoculation.

Submitted by Jorge Silva (jorgelmsilva@ufrrj.br) on 2018-05-08T20:38:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Stela Niero.pdf: 4133052 bytes, checksum: 1da04058828b9cd6d8a4fa2d1c232ba5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-08T20:38:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2017 - Stela Niero.pdf: 4133052 bytes, checksum: 1da04058828b9cd6d8a4fa2d1c232ba5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-28 / The present work sought to analyze the role of Catholic intellectuals in the period after the Second Vatican Council. The research is constituted as a case study of the integristas connected to the magazine Hora Presente, published between the years of 1968 and 1978. The main objective is to understand the relations established by the catholic intellectuals linked to fundamentalist thinking with the other catholic groups and the Brazilian State o during this period of repression and deprivation of the freedoms experienced by the Brazilian intelligentsia. The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) convened in 1961 by Pope John XXIII (1958-1963) sought to establish a direction for the Church in search of a more open dialogue with modernity theological plurality and tolerance of other religious denominations. Undoubtedly, this Council generated discomfort in religious segments of more conservative positions, such as the traditionalists and fundamentalists who did not share the conciliar proposals that sought to open the Church to the modern world. Our object of study is, therefore, constituted by the conservative Catholic intellectuals of the period after the Second Vatican Council. When analyzing the publications of Hora Presente Journal, we intend to understand fundamentalist phenomenology as a conservative Catholic movement that generates social conflicts and an important part in the normative symbolic struggle of Catholicism in Brazil. The theoretical framework used in the research is inserted in the sociology of religion approach in interface with the sociology of the intellectuals, proposing, as mentioned, an analysis of the position of the Catholic intellectuals, in the post-conciliar period. It is important to underline that our privileged source is the Hora Presente Journal. The research is fundamentally qualitative, and is divided into three moments, starting from a historical analysis of the emergence of the fundamentalist catholic current contextualizing it within the process of secularization, in a second moment we present a documentary analysis from the discourses of the fundamentalist intellectual production and in a third moment we analyze the production of Catholic intellectuals in the contemporary world, seeking the discontinuities and permanences in relation to the conflicts discussed previously, to highlight the contemporary events led by the Catholic Church in recent decades. / A partir da an?lise da revista Hora Presente, este trabalho buscou entender o papel dos intelectuais cat?licos no per?odo posterior ao Conc?lio Vaticano II. A pesquisa se constitui como um estudo de caso dos integristas ligados a revista publicada entre os anos de 1968 a 1978. O principal objetivo ? entender as rela??es estabelecidas pelos intelectuais cat?licos ligados ao pensamento integrista com os demais grupos cat?licos e o Estado brasileiro durante esse per?odo de repress?o e priva??o das liberdades vivenciadas pela intelectualidade brasileira. O Conc?lio Vaticano II (1962-1965) convocado em 1961 pelo Papa Jo?o XXIII (1958-1963) buscou estabelecer um direcionamento para a Igreja procurando um di?logo mais aberto com a modernidade tendo uma tend?ncia a pluralidade teol?gica e a toler?ncia a outras denomina??es religiosas. Sem d?vida, esse Conc?lio gerou desconforto em segmentos religiosos de posi??es mais conservadoras como a dos tradicionalistas e integristas que n?o compartilhavam das propostas conciliares que visavam a abertura da Igreja ao mundo moderno. O objeto de estudo ? constitu?do, portanto, pelos intelectuais cat?licos tidos como conservadores do per?odo posterior ao Conc?lio Vaticano II. Ao analisar as publica??es da revista Hora Presente, pretende-se compreender a fenomenologia integrista enquanto movimento cat?lico conservador gerador de conflitos sociais ligados a luta simb?lico- normativa do catolicismo no Brasil. O quadro te?rico utilizado na realiza??o da pesquisa, se insere na perspectiva da sociologia da religi?o, em interface com a sociologia dos intelectuais, propondo, como j? mencionado, uma an?lise do posicionamento dos intelectuais cat?licos, no per?odo p?s conciliar, observando como fonte privilegiada as publica??es da revista Hora Presente. A pesquisa ? fundamentalmente qualitativa, e se divide em tr?s momentos, partindo primeiramente de uma an?lise hist?rica do surgimento da corrente cat?lica integrista contextualizando-a dentro do processo de seculariza??o, num segundo momento apresenta-se uma an?lise documental a partir dos discursos da produ??o intelectual integrista e, num terceiro momento a produ??o de intelectuais cat?licos na contemporaneidade, buscando as descontinuidades e perman?ncias em rela??o os conflitos abordados anteriormente evidenciando os acontecimentos contempor?neos protagonizados pela Igreja Cat?lica nas ?ltimas d?cadas.

Background Swedish nurses are required by law to document nursing care. Studies have proved scarce in nursing documentation with regard to written language, the nursing process and the nurse´s caring perspective. Educating nurses in using the VIPS model have improved nursing documentation. Few studies have included nursing documentation of psychiatric care. Aim The aim of this study was to describe nursing documentation within psychiatric care of inpatient settings. Method A quantitative, retrospective descriptive research design was applied. A total of 60 nursing journals from a psychiatric department of six wards were studied. Data was audited using the Cat-ch-Ing audit instrument that comprises 22 questions reflecting various issues relating to the VIPS model and the nursing process. Measurements of quantity and quality were evaluated for each question using a 4-point scale. Results The nursing documentation showed a better quantity and quality at the patients’ admission for care than the remaining documentation, long duration of hospital stay indicated better quantity of documented nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions, all of the wards showed a poorly quantitative documentation of status after admission for care as well as nursing care plans. Conclusion The nursing documentation within psychiatric care of inpatient settings of one department showed an inadequate documentation of nursing both quantitatively and qualitatively. The nursing care of the patient was neither described nor evaluated. Clinical implications The results suggest that strategies for improving nursing documentation will be needed in the future. In addition, further education in using the VIPS fully can be a means to enhance the nurses’ documentation.