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This text is partial record and narrative of the process and productions of Orphans by Lyle Kessler that opened on March 29th 2007 for a four day run ending on April 1st, The Pillowman by Martin McDonagh that opened October 28th 2007 for a three day run ending on October 30th, and Terra Nova by Ted Tally that opened on February 21st 2008 for a four day run ending on February 24th. The majority of the text follows the three shows from Spring 2007, Fall 2007, to Spring 2008, focusing on the process of direction of each production. Incorporated in the writing are the experiences, lessons, and complications that arose while directing the three shows. The text contains several notes on directing, acting, collaboration, choreography, casting, rehearsal and different perspectives on the creative process of the productions: all combined create an aesthetic inherent in the author's three years of study at the Virginia Commonwealth University Theatre Pedagogy Program with an emphasis in Acting and Directing.

With recent advances and cost reductions in next generation sequencing (NGS), the amount of genetic sequence data is increasing rapidly. However, before patient specific genetic information reaches its full potential to advance clinical diagnostics, the immense degree of genetic heterogeneity that contributes to human disease must be more fully understood. For example, although large numbers of genetic variations are discovered during clinical use of NGS, annotating and understanding the impact of such coding variations on protein phenotype remains a bottleneck (i.e. what is the molecular mechanism behind deafness phenotypes). Fortunately, computational methods are emerging that can be used to efficiently study protein coding variants, and thereby overcome the bottleneck brought on by rapid adoption of clinical sequencing. To study proteins via physics-based computational algorithms, high-quality 3D structural models are essential. These protein models can be obtained using a variety of numerical optimization methods that operate on physics-based potential energy functions. Accurate protein structures serve as input to downstream variation analysis algorithms. In this work, we applied a novel amino acid side-chain optimization algorithm, which operated on an advanced model of atomic interactions (i.e. the AMOEBA polarizable force field), to a set of 164 protein structural models implicated in deafness. The resulting models were evaluated with the MolProbity structure validation tool. MolProbity “scores” were originally calibrated to predict the quality of X-ray diffraction data used to generate a given protein model (i.e. a 1.0 Å or lower MolProbity score indicates a protein model from high quality data, while a score of 4.0 Å or higher reflects relatively poor data). In this work, the side-chain optimization algorithm improved mean MolProbity score from 2.65 Å (42nd percentile) to nearly atomic resolution at 1.41 Å (95th percentile). However, side-chain optimization with the AMOEBA many-body potential function is computationally expensive. Thus, a second contribution of this work is a parallelization scheme that utilizes nVidia graphical processing units (GPUs) to accelerate the side-chain repacking algorithm. With the use of one GPU, our side-chain optimization algorithm achieved a 25 times speed-up compared to using two Intel Xeon E5-2680v4 central processing units (CPUs). We expect the GPU acceleration scheme to lessen demand on computing resources dedicated to protein structure optimization efforts and thereby dramatically expand the number of protein structures available to aid in interpretation of missense variations associated with deafness.

The Swedish regulation concerning fixed-term contract has been a topic for discussion during the last decade. It has been criticised for not following the council’s directive 1999/70/EG on the measures to prevent the abuse of fixed-term contracts. Since 2016 the regulation has changed. It has changed in order to have the legislation within the purpose and measures set in the fixed-term directive. This essay aims to clarify whether the new Swedish legislation is in accordance with the framework agreement attached to the directive on fixed-term contracts. This will be done by analysing the measures established in the framework agreement and the purpose of the directive, then compare the result with the Swedish legislation. This part of the essay will be written using the legal dogmatic methodology. Since fixed-term contracts are more common among young people this essay will focus on how fixed-term contract, and regulations on fixed-term contracts, will affect the position of young people in the labour market. It is obvious that there are some difficulties to harmonize a legislation that suits all the social partners on the labour market. In fact, it can almost be impossible. By illuminate the political discussion regarding the use of fixed-term contracts it will help to understand why this matter is so complex and how it can be a stepping stone or a dead-end job. This will be done with a legal policy method.

La filtration membranaire est une technique séparative utilisée fréquemment comme procédé permettant de retenir et d'extraire les microorganismes présents dans un fluide. Le mécanisme de sélectivité classiquement admis dans ce procédé est l'exclusion par la taille. Cependant, nos travaux ont permis de mettre en évidence un transfert de microorganismes à travers la structure poreuse des membranes au cours d'opérations de filtration, alors que les dimensions des cellules vivantes en suspension sont supérieures au diamètre moyen des pores de la membrane, entrainant une diminution du taux de récolte des microorganismes et une contamination de la phase perméat. Les caractéristiques morphologiques et nanomécaniques des cellules bactériennes sélectionnées pour nos travaux ont été observées et les propriétés du matériau membranaire modèle ont été mesurées. Grâce à ces informations, le transfert des bactéries aux premiers instants d'une filtration frontale a pu être évalué et le rôle de différents paramètres opératoires appliqués (type de souche bactérienne, composition physico-chimique de fluide filtré, PTM) a pu être commenté. Ainsi, nos résultats ont permis de préciser les mécanismes de sélectivités appliqués aux bactéries à Gram positif et à Gram négatif qui différent du fait des caractéristiques structurales de la paroi bactérienne (épaisseur et élasticité de la couche de peptidoglycane). Enfin, l'évolution du transfert de cellules vers la phase perméat a également été suivie et la mise en place du dépôt bactérien colmatant à la surface de la membrane a été observée. Le rôle de ce dépôt structuré sur les variations de débit et de transfert a donc pu être mis en évidence pour les trois modèles bactériens sélectionnés. Nos résultats ont permis de définir des conditions critiques (physiques, chimiques et biologiques) pour lesquelles le transfert de cellules bactériennes par déformation est amplifié au cours d'une filtration membranaire frontale. / Membrane filtration is a separation technique commonly used as a method for removing and extracting microorganisms present in a fluid. The selectivity mechanism is size exclusion. However, our work has highlighted transfer of microorganisms through the porous membrane structure during filtration operations, even if the size of the living cell in suspension is greater than the average pore size of the membrane, resulting in lowering of the accumulation rate of the microorganisms and thus contamination of the permeate phase. Morphological and nanomechanical characterization of selected bacteria cells used for our work were performed and the properties of the model membrane were analyzed. With this information, the transfer of bacteria dunring the first moments of the dead-end filtration has been evaluated and the role of operating parameters (type of bacteria strains, physicochemical composition of filtered fluid, TMP) has been studied. Thus, our results have clarified the selectivity mechanisms applied to Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria strains because of different structural characteristics of the bacterial cell wall (thickness and elasticity of the peptidoglycan layer). Finally, evolution of cells transfer to the permeate phase has also been followed, and the bacterial deposit clogging the membrane was observed. The role of the structured deposit on the variations in flow and transfer has been demonstrated for the three selected bacterial models. Our results have defined critical conditions (physical, chemical and biological) where the transfer of bacterial cells is amplified by deformation during a frontal membrane filtration.

The topic of my thesis is to study the complex reconstruction of the locomotive servicing depot Praha Liben. The locomotive depot is both operational maintenance and repair trains. The section reconstruction begins in turnout number 1, the whole area locomotive depot will be reconstructed. The main task is to propose an exchange of stepped old construction turnout for turnout new one in the whole area of the depot. The total number of changed points is 27. Depot demolition tasks in order to extend the track number 10 on the minimum usable effective length of 105 meters is the other task. Establishment of two dead-end tracks number 15 and 17 will be extend to an effective length of 105 metres. Retaining wall with PU componentsis designed along track 17. The next task is to solve the drainage area. The area will be drained interconnected system drains into the sewer and trench walls.

Utgångspunkten för projektet är en undersökning av mina egna minnen av grundskolan. Genom att rita upp skolan ur minnet och analysera utvalda rumsligheter har jag undersökt vad jag minns av skolbyggnaden och varför. Upplevelsen av många av rumsligheterna jag minns som spännande handlade om ett upptäckande. En organisering av rumsligheterna i relation till riktning ledde till en idé om en spatial struktur och orienterbarhet utifrån två korsande axlar. Inre riktningar i relation till två korsande axlar har analyserats genom Palladios Villa Rotonda och Palazzo Della Torre.  Riktningarna från undersökningen har satts i relation till platsens riktningar. Undersökningen resulterade i två volymer med en passage mellan. Genom passagen spänner den yttre primära axeln mellan en mur framför skolan mot vägen och skogen som utgör den bortre gränsen för skolgården.  I skärningspunkten av axlarna finns en innegård, ett förrum till byggnaderna och den inre tvärgående axeln. Den inre axeln ger en spatial struktur kring vilka rum är organiserade. Ett pelarsystem bidrar till att framhäva riktningarna i byggnaden. En lång förhall omgiven av pelare leder från entréerna vid innergården fram till slutpunkten för den inre axeln, ett ljusrum som sträcker sig genom våningsplanen. Den norra delen för de yngre barnen har en trappa framför ljusrummet, trappan återkommer för de äldre barnen i den södra delen bakom ljusrummet. I anslutning till korridorer och allmän yta finns rum med kvalitéer från undersökningen att upptäcka. / The starting point of the project is an analysis of my own memories of elementary school. By drawing up the school from memory and analyzing selected spaces, I have investigated what I remember about the school building and why. The experience of many of the spaces I remember as exciting was about a discovery. An organization of spatial relationships in relation to direction led to an idea of a spatial structure and orientation based on two intersecting axes. Internal directions in relation to two intersecting axes have been analyzed by Palladios Villa Rotonda and Palazzo Della Torre.   The directions from the analysis have been put in relation to the directions of the site. The the analysis resulted in two volumes with a passage between. Through the passage, the outer primary axis spans a wall in front of the school towards the road and the forest which constitutes the far border of the schoolyard.   At the intersection of the axes is an inner courtyard, an vestibule for the buildings and the inner transverse axis. The inner axes provides a spatial structure around which rooms are organized. A pillar system helps to emphasize the directions in the building. A long vestibule surrounded by pillars leads from the entrances by the inner courtyard to the end point of the inner vestibule, a light room that extends through the floors. The northern part for the younger children has a staircase in front of the light room, the staircase recur for the older children in the southern part behind the light room. In connection with corridors and public areas, there are rooms with qualities from the analysis to be discovered.

Cette thèse concerne les phénomènes locaux qui se produisent dans une pile à combustible à membrane (PEMFC) fonctionnant en mode bouché. Ce mode de fonctionnement consiste à alimenter l’anode en hydrogène sec tout en maintenant sa sortie fermée ce qui favorise l’accumulation d’eau et d’azote (issus du compartiment cathodique) près de la sortie anodique. Certaines régions sont donc convenablement alimentées en gaz tandis que d’autres ne le sont plus. Ces déséquilibres s’accompagnent de hausses localisées de potentiel (à l'anode et à la cathode) qui accélèrent la dégradation du catalyseur et de son support carboné à la cathode. Afin d’étudier ces dégradations à une échelle locale, une cellule segmentée novatrice permettant la mesure simultanée des densités de courant et des potentiels locaux a été développée. Des protocoles de vieillissement accélérés reposant sur un fonctionnement prolongé en mode bouché montrent que les pics de potentiel ont pour conséquence, après quelques heures, une distribution non-uniforme de la surface active (ECSA) à la cathode et des courants le long de la cellule : les dommages sont plus prononcés dans les zones les plus touchées par le déficit en hydrogène. Des études paramétriques et un modèle numérique permettent de comprendre que le déficit en hydrogène résulte principalement de l’accumulation d’eau liquide dans les canaux de l’anode, bien que l'azote joue également un rôle. Par conséquent, la gestion de l’eau impacte fortement les variations de potentiel à la cathode et donc leurs conséquences en termes de dégradation ; basées sur ces constatations, des solutions sont proposées pour améliorer les durée de vie des piles / This work investigates the local transient phenomena occurring in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) operated with a dead-ended anode. The dead-end mode consists in closing the anode outlet, which leads eventually to local hydrogen starvation due to the excessive accumulation of liquid water and nitrogen (because of membrane crossover) in the anode compartment. Such fuel-starvation events may remain undetected but can entail a significant rise of the anode (and thus cathode) potentials and accelerate carbon corrosion and catalyst degradation. To access local information, we developed an innovative segmented linear cell with reference electrodes along the gas channels. By simultaneously monitoring the local potentials and current densities during operation, we assessed the impact of fuel starvation and observed strong local cathode potential excursions close to the anode outlet. Aging protocols based on fuel cell operation with a dead-ended anode (longer than in real use condition) showed non-uniform cathode ElectroChemical Surface Area (ECSA) losses and performance degradation along the cell area: the damage was more severe in the regions suffering the longest from fuel starvation. Parametric studies completed by numerical simulations showed that the fuel starvation is mainly governed by liquid water accumulation in the anode channels, as well as nitrogen crossover through the membrane. As a consequence, water management impacts significantly the cathode potential variations and thus the resulting electrode degradation. Starting from this founding, we propose strategies to improve fuel cell lifetime

Absent Presence: Women in American Gangster Narrative investigates women characters in American gangster narratives through the principal roles accorded to them. It argues that women in these texts function as an “absent presence,” by which I mean that they are a convention of the patriarchal gangster landscape and often with little import while at the same time they cultivate resistant strategies from within this backgrounded positioning. Whereas previous scholarly work on gangster texts has identified how women are characterized as stereotypes, this dissertation argues that women characters frequently employ the marginal positions to which they are relegated for empowering effect. This dissertation begins by surveying existing gangster scholarship. There is a preoccupation with male characters in this work, as is the case in most gangster texts themselves. This preoccupation is a result of several factors, such as defining the genre upon criteria that exclude women, promoting a male-centred canon as a result, and making assumptions about audience composition and taste that overlook women’s (and some women characters’) interest in gangster texts. Consequently, although the past decade saw women scholars bringing attention to female characters, research on male characters continues to dominate the field. My project thus fills this gap by not only examining the methods by which women characters navigate the male-dominated underworld but also including female-centred gangster narratives. Subsequent chapters focus on women’s predominant roles as mothers, molls, and wives as well as their infrequent role as female gangsters. The mother chapter demonstrates how the gangster’s mother deploys her effacement as an idealized figure in order to disguise her transgressive machinations (White Heat, The Sopranos). The moll chapter examines how this character’s presence as a reforming influence for the male criminal is integral to the earliest narratives. However, a shift to male relationships in mid- to late-1920s gangster texts transforms the moll’s status to that of a moderator (Underworld, The Great Gatsby). On the other hand, subsequent non-canonical texts feature molls as protagonists and illustrate the potential appeal of the gangster figure to women spectators (Three on a Match). Subsequently, the wife chapter explores texts that show presence is manifested in the wife’s cultivation of a traditional family image, while absence is evident in her exposure of this image as a façade via her husband’s activities (The Godfather, Goodfellas). In the following female gangster chapter, I examine how gender functions to render this rare character a literal absent presence such that she is inconceivable as a subject (Lady Scarface, Lady Gangster). Expanding upon this examination of gender, a final chapter on the African-American female gangster (in Set It Off and The Wire) explores how sexuality, race, and female—as well as “gangsta”—masculinity intersect to create this character’s simultaneous hypervisibility and invisibility. By examining women’s roles that often are overlooked in a male-dominated textual type and academic field, this dissertation draws scholarly attention to the ways that peripheral status can offer a stealthy locus for self-assertion.