Engineers know well from an early point in their training the trials and tribulations of having to make design tradeoffs in order to optimize one performance parameter for another. Discovering tradeoff conditions that result in the elimination of a loss associated with the enhancement of some other parameter (an improvement over a typical tradeoff), therefore, ushers in a new paradigm of design in which the constraints which are typical of the task at hand are alleviated. We call such a design paradigm “tuning” as opposed to “trading off”, and this is the central theme of this work. We investigate two types of microwave electronic devices, namely GaN-based heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs) and tunable ferroelectric-ferrite-based microwave phase shifters. The “tuning” associated with these types of devices arises from the notion of an optimal 2DEG density, capable of achieving higher performance in terms of electron velocity and enhanced reliability in the case of the HFET, and the coupling of ferroelectric and ferrite materials in tunable microwave phase shifters, capable of achieving high differential phase shifts while at the same time mitigating the losses associated with impedance mismatching which typically arise when the phase is tuned. Promises and problems associated with HFET devices based on the intriguing InAlN/GaN material system will be described. We focus on the fundamental problem associated with the induction of the large density of carriers at the interface, namely the disintegration of an excess of longitudinal optical phonons (hot phonons) in the channel. We use microwave measurements in conjunction with stress tests to evidence the existence of an optimal 2DEG density wherein the hot phonon effect can be “tuned,” which allows for enhanced high frequency performance as well as device reliability. Next, we focus on the design, fabrication, and measurement of tunable phase shifters consisting of thin films of BaxSr1-xTiO3 (BST), which has the advantage of having high dielectric tunability as well as relatively low microwave loss. We discuss the design, fabrication, and measurement of a simple coplanar waveguide (CPW) type of phase shifter as well as a more complicated “hybrid” phase shifter consisting of a ferrite (YIG) in addition to BST. The use of such a bilayer allows one to “tune” the impedance of the phase shifters independently of the phase velocity through careful selection of the DC biasing magnetic fields, or alternatively through the use of an additional piezoelectric layer, bonded to YIG whose permeability can then be tuned through magnetostriction.

Martin Beneš Determination of stability constants of charged cyclodextrin comlexes by capillary electrophoresis Abstract Stability constant characterizes binding interaction between an analyte and complexation agent. These interactions play very important role in separation processes of, in other way undistinguishable, compounds, e.g. enantiomers. The most widely used complexation agents are cyclodextrins. Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) belongs to methods suitable for the determination of stability constants. The stability constant is determined from the dependence of the effective mobility of analyte on the increasing concentration of complexation agent in background electrolyte (BGE). If charged CDs are used, the attention must be paid not only to viscosity of the BGE and to the influence of Joule heating on the temperature in the capillary but also to the increasing ionic strength. The thermodynamic stability constants of R,R- and S,S-hydrobenzoin and R- and S-(3-brom- 2-methyl-1-propanol) with cationic modified β-cyclodextrin: 6-monodeoxy-6-mono(3- hydroxy)propylamino-β-cyclodextrin hydrochlorid (PABCD) were determined by affinity capillary electrophoresis. The average temperature (25řC) of the BGE in the capillary was kept constant. This was achieved by decreasing of the cassette temperature...

Title: Curves of constant width Author: Miroslav Němec Department: Department of Mathematics Education Supervisor: RNDr. Antonín Slavík, Ph.D., Department of Mathematics Education Abstract: The aim of this thesis is to familiarize the reader with the notion of the width of a given plane curve, and with curves having the same width in all directions. We focus our attention especially on those curves that are constructible using straightedge and compass. The chapters presenting the definition and measurement of curve width, as well as the construction of curves from circular arcs, are accessible to high-school students. We also briefly mention other related topics, such as the solids of constant width. Keywords: Width of a curve, constant width, construction, properties

In this thesis, the author presents and analyzes two 4-dimensional Constant Envelope Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying constellations. Optimal demodulators for the two constellations are presented, and one of them was designed and implemented by the author. In addition, a novel expanded 16-dimensional CEQ2PSK constellation that doubles the number of points without decreasing the distance between points or increasing the peak energy is generated by concatenating the aforementioned constellations with a particular method and restrictions. This original 16-dimensional set of symbols is set-partitioned and used in a multidimensional Trellis-Coded Modulation scheme along with a convolutional encoder of rate 2/3. Effective gain of 2.67 dB over uncoded CEQ2PSK constellation with low complexity is achieved theoretically. A coding gain of 2.4 dB with 8 dB SNR is obtained by using Monte Carlo simulations. The TCM systems and demodulators were tested under an Additive White Gaussian Noise channel by using Matlab's Simulink block diagrams.

Water is a simple molecule but is an essential part of life. One key aspect of the properties of water is the hydrophobic effect, and whilst there is an appreciation of this phenomenon at the macro-scale (raindrops falling off leaves) and the micro-scale (the structure of cellular systems), a complete understanding at the molecular level still eludes science. Addressing this issue, our studies involve synthetic supramolecular compounds that assemble in water via the hydrophobic effect. First of all, a novel water-soluble deep-cavity cavitand was synthesized. It possesses four endo methyl groups on top rim of the cavitand, eight water-solubilizing carboxylic acid groups coated on the cavitand exterior, and a relatively large hydrophobic interior. Compared to a previous well-studied water-soluble deep-cavity cavitand octa-acid (OA), this novel cavitand (TEMOA) possesses a non-monotonic assembly profile in the presence of a homologous series of straight-chain alkanes. Three supramolecular species were observed: 1:1, 2:2, and 2:2 and they are approximately isoenergetic. Second, we examined the guest-controlled self-sorting in assemblies. A mixture of OA and TEMOA formed hetero-capsular complex driven by the hydrophobic effect. The extent of homo- or hetero-dimerization is intimately tied to the size of the guest being encapsulated. TEMOA is less predisposed to dimerize than OA, thus TEMOA possesses the ability to form various self-assembled states, such as tetrameric and hexameric assemblies. Furthermore, we also discussed our observation of how external stimuli such as changing the nature or concentration of a co-solute salt influences a unique, unusual transition from one assembled state to another.

It has been well reported that the use of multidimensional constellation signals can help to reduce the bit error rate in Additive Gaussian channels by using the hyperspace geometry more efficiently. Similarly, in fading channels, dimensionality provides an inherent signal space diversity (distinct components between two constellations points), so the amplitude degradation of the signal are combated significantly better. Moreover, the set of n-dimensional signals also provides great compatibility with various Trellis Coded modulation schemes: N-dimensional signaling joined with a convolutional encoder uses fewer redundant bits for each 2D signaling interval, and increases intra-subset minimum squared Euclidean distance (MSED) to approach the ultimate capacity limit predicted by Shannon's theory. The multidimensional signals perform better for the same complexity than two-dimensional schemes. The inherent constellation expansion penalty factor paid for using classical mapping structures can be decreased by enlarging the constellation's dimension. In this thesis, a multidimensional signal set construction paradigm that completely avoids the constellation expansion penalty is used in Band-limited channels and in fading channels. As such, theoretical work on performance analysis and computer simulations for Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (Q2PSK), Constant Envelope (CE) Q2PSK, and trellis-coded 16D CEQ2PSK in ideal band-limited channels of various bandwidths is presented along with a novel discussion on visualization techniques for 4D Quadrature-Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (Q2PSK), Saha's Constant Envelope (CE) Q2PSK, and Cartwright's CEQ2PSK in ideal band-limited channels. Furthermore, a metric designed to be used in fading channels, with Hamming Distance (HD) as a primary concern and Euclidean distance (ED) as secondary is also introduced. Simulation results show that the 16D TCM CEQ2PSK system performs well in channels with AWGN and fading, even with the simplest convolutional encoder tested; achievable coding gains using 16-D CEQ2PSK Expanded TCM schemes under various conditions are finally reported.

[pt] Este trabalho propõe um gráfico de controle EWMA para observações individuais ou médias amostrais, com a constante de amortecimento variando entre dois valores de acordo com o valor mais recente da estatística EWMA, para obter detecção mais rápida de alterações pequenas a moderadas na média do processo, e sem a complexidade operacional apresentada por outros esquemas adaptativos, pois o tamanho da amostra e o intervalo de amostragem são mantidos fixos. Já existe um outro trabalho propondo a variação da constante de amortecimento dos gráficos EWMA, mas com base em outro critério: Capizzi e Masarotto (2003). O esquema EWMA adaptativo foi combinado com limites de Shewhart para os valores individuais (ou médias amostrais), para acelerar a detecção de grandes deslocamentos da média do processo, também sem aumento da complexidade operacional. Os NMA1´s - números esperados de amostras até um sinal verdadeiro - foram calculados por um método de aproximação numérica usando um modelo matemático por cadeias de Markov, e comparados com os do esquema EWMA tradicional (com parâmetros fixos) e com os do esquema adaptativo de Capizzi e Masarotto (2003). O esquema proposto tende a fornecer NMA1´s menores para alterações na média acima de 1,0 desvio-padrão, e o esquema de Capizzi e Masarotto (2003) tende a fornecer NMA1´s menores para pequenas alterações. Ambos os esquemas possuem melhor desempenho que o gráfico EWMA com parâmetros fixos. Uma vantagem que pode se tornar decisiva para a adoção do esquema proposto é a simplicidade dos cálculos requeridos para o monitoramento. / [en] This work proposes an EWMA process control chart for individual observations or subgroup averages, in which the smoothing constant varies between two values according to the most recent value of the EWMA statistic, in order to achieve faster detection of small to moderate shifts in the process mean, and without the operational complexities presented by other adaptive schemes, since its sample size and sampling interval do not vary. There is one other work proposing the adaptive variation of the smoothing constant of EWMA charts, but based on a different criterion: Capizzi and Masarotto (2003). The adaptive EWMA scheme was combined with Shewhart limits for the individual values (or subgroup averages), to enhance its sensitivity to large shifts, again with no extra operational burden. The out-of-control average run lengths (ARL1´s) were calculated through a numerical approximation method based on a Markov chain model. The ARL1´s were compared of the proposed scheme, of the traditional (fixed parameter) EWMA chart and of Capizzi and Masarottos´s adaptive EWMA scheme. The proposed scheme generally provides the shortest ARL1´s for shifts in the mean above one standard deviation, and Capizzi and Masarotto´s scheme tends to outperform it for smaller shifts. Both schemes perform better than the fixed parameter EWMA. An advantage that can become decisive for the adoption of the proposed scheme is the simplicity of the calculations required for the monitoring.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo comparar dois modos de operação de destilação em batelada: com refluxo constante e composição do destilado constante. Desenvolveuse um modelo matemático para a destilação em batelada de uma mistura binária (metanol-etanol) para operação com cada um destes modos. O modelo consiste basicamente dos balanços de massa e entalpia, relações e diagramas de equilíbrio líquido-vapor (composição de equilíbrio, temperaturas de bolha e orvalho da mistura), estimativa das propriedades físico-químicas da mistura (calor específico, calor latente de vaporização), determinação do número de estágios ideais necessários à separação (pelo método de McCabe-Thiele), cálculo de cargas térmicas no refervedor e condensador, consumo de utilidades (vapor de água e água de resfriamento), estimativa do tempo de destilação e alguns aspectos econômicos sobre o processo (custos de equipamentos e operacionais, capacidade de produção, lucro mensal). Implementou-se em uma planilha eletrônica este modelo para as simulações matemáticas e análise técnico-econômica do processo. Em escala de laboratório (foram realizados, ao todo, oito ensaios, quatro de refluxo constante e quatro de refluxo variável, utilizando uma coluna de pratos perfurados), constatou-se uma boa concordância entre estes resultados experimentais e os calculados a partir da modelagem. Em seguida, estudaram-se, isoladamente em cada modo de operação e de modo comparativo, as principais variáveis de processo (taxa de refluxo, composição do destilado, quantidade de carga, vazão de destilado, etc.) através de simulações matemáticas, tanto no cenário de uma unidade existente como no caso do projeto de uma instalação nova. Para uma instalação existente, verificou-se, que no modo de destilação com composição de destilado constante, mantendo-se a vazão do vapor de topo constante, o tempo de destilação é menor, a capacidade de destilação é maior, resultando em maior lucro mensal. Para uma instalação a ser projetada, de novo, o processo mais vantajoso é o de refluxo variável e vazão de vapor do topo constante, pois requer menores áreas dos trocadores de calor para uma dada separação num tempo fixo de processo. No entanto, para o processamento de uma dada quantidade num mesmo tempo, à medida que se adota, no projeto, um número maior de estágios de separação na coluna, a diferença de lucro mensal torna-se praticamente indistinta para os modos de destilação estudados. / The aim of this study is to compare two operational methods of batch distillation of a binary system (methanolethanol): constant reflux and constant distillate composition. A phenomenological modeling concerning each mode was developed. It was based on material and enthalpy balances, equilibrium relationships, estimation of physical properties (specific heat and latent vaporization heat of mixtures), determination of ideal stages number (using McCabe-Thiele method), calculation of rebolier and condenser thermal loads and areas, steam and cooling water requirement, distillation time and some economical aspects. The mathematical model was implemented into an electronic spreadsheet. The predicted values were compared to experimental results from eight tests carried out in a laboratory sieve tray column (four at constant reflux and four at constant distillate composition), and a good consistency was found. Then several case studies concerning each distillation mode as well as the comparative performance were accomplished through mathematical simulations. Evaluation of the basic process variables such as reflux rate, initial load, distillate composition and flow rate was done. Rating of an existing plant and design of a new installation were considered in this process analysis. For an existing installation, lower distillation time, as well as higher distillation capacity and monthly profit were observed when distilling with constant distillate composition, keeping constant the flow rate of vapor from the column top. This process is also the more advantageous one when designing a new plant since smaller heat exchanger areas are required. However, to process a quantity in a same time, in a design of a new plan, as number of separation stages increases, monthly profit becomes almost the same among the studied distillation modes.

Mesmo com o grande número de estudos relacionados à proteases do subtipo B e de como suas mutações podem interferir na estrutura, na resistência a inibidores e na eficiência catalítica da enzima, existe ainda uma lacuna de como as mudanças polimórficas de proteases de HIV de outros subtipos de HIV-1 interferem nesses fatores. Nesse contexto insere-se esse trabalho, que utilizou proteases de HIV-1 isoladas de pacientes brasileiros HIV-1 infectados com o subtipo F, e outros dois mutantes, sendo que um do subtipo F e outro do subtipo B para ensaios frente a seis inibidores comercialmente disponíveis: amprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir e saquinavir. Nossos resultados experimentais revelam que os seis inibidores comerciais estudados são significantemente menos ativos para o subtipo F e para as mutantes quando comparados ao subtipo B. Além disso, os valores de vitalidade dessas proteases também são considerados maiores que os obtidos para a proteína selvagem do subtipo B. O acúmulo de mutações comumente detectadas e o polimorfismo natural tornam a protease selvagem do subtipo F cataliticamente suficiente para manter a viabilidade do vírus e garantir alto grau de resistência cruzada frente a todos os inibidores estudados. / Despite years of intense research around the world, HIV continues to represent considerable therapeutical challenge. In order to gain more insights into resistance of polymorphic mutations of existing HIV subtypes toward commercially available pharmaceutics, we studied inhibition of subtypes B and F HIV proteases (PRs) [native and two mutant enzymes clinically identified in Brazilian patients] by six commercial inhibitors (amprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir and saquinavir). Our results show that all these inhibitors have significantly higher Ki values for the subtype F HIV PR (Fwt) and both mutant enzymes than that for the B subtype HIV PR (Bwt). Furthermore, the biochemical fitnesses of these proteases, or their vitalities, are also considerably higher than that of Bwt. The accumulation of commonly detected resistant mutations in HIV PRs with natural polymorphisms turns Fwt sufficiently catalytically active to guarantee the virus viability and confers it a large degree of cross resistance against all studied inhibitors.

No presente trabalho descreve-se: a determinação da permitividade dielétrica complexa através de medidas de fase; a aplicação de técnicas de correlação e análise em séries de Fourier, para a determinação da fase, amplitude, qualidade e deformação do sinal atrasado; os circuitos eletrônicos do medidor de fase e do oscilador de U.B.F. programável; a programação desenvolvida em FORTRAN IV e MACRO-ASSEMBLER para o computador PDP 11/45, utilizado para operar o medidor de fase e o oscilador de U.B.F. / In the present work we describe: the determination of the complex dielectric permittivity by phase shift measurements; the application of correlation and Fourier series analyses to determine the phase shift, amplitude, quality and deformation of the shifted signal; the designed electronic hardware of the phase meter and programmb1e ultra-low frequency oscillator; the developed software written in FORTRAN IV and MACRO- ASSEMBLER for PDP 11/45, to operate the phase meter