This report discusses two examples of the use of Poincare disc models and their different relationships to Euclidean geometry. The topics include light reflection in hyperbolic geometry and the Hyperbolic Pythagorean Theorem; all in relation to the Poincare unit disc and Poincare upper half plane model. / text

A new method of connecting cross-frames to bridge girders had been proposed to alleviate concerns with current design practices. This new, half-pipe detail needs to be examined for fatigue issues that may exist which would make it infeasible as a replacement candidate for the current bent-plate design. A program of laboratory testing was carried out to determine the comparative performance between the half-pipe and the bent-plate designs. These tests were then translated into a finite element model which was examined to determine behavior over a wide range of designs scenarios. Finite element results, along with the laboratory testing data, were used to determine the appropriate use of the half-pipe stiffener. / text

A series of studies from our lab have investigated the threading polyintercalator approach to sequence specific DNA binding using a 1,4,5,8-naphthalene tetracarboxylic diimide (NDI) intercalating unit connected by flexible peptide linkers. Herein is a report of the sequence specificity, as well as a detailed kinetic analysis, of a threading NDI tetraintercalator. DNase I footprinting using two ~500 base pair DNA fragments containing one designed binding site for the tetraintercalator confirmed highly sequence specific binding. Kinetic analyses include 1H NMR, gel mobility-shift assays, and stopped-flow UV measurements to reveal a polyintercalation binding mode that demonstrates significant similarities between association rate profiles and rate constants for the tetraintercalator binding to its preferred versus a random oligonucleotide sequence. Sequence specificity was found to derive almost entirely from large differences in dissociation rates from the preferred versus random oligonucleotide sequences. Interestingly, the dissociation rate constant of the tetraintercalator complex dissociating from its preferred binding site was extremely slow, corresponding to a 16 day half-life at a benchmark 100 mM [Na+]. This dissociation result for the tetraintercalator is one of the longest bound half-lives yet measured, and to the best of our knowledge, the longest for a DNA binding small molecule. Such a long-lived complex raises the possibility of using threading polyintercalators to disrupt biological processes for extended periods. Current focus is given to deciphering a mechanism for the molecular recognition of the tetraintercalator preferred binding site within a long sequence of DNA. Initial DNase I footprinting results on an approximate 500mer DNA sequence containing three sequential preferred binding sites reveal that the tetraintercalator likely locates its designed binding site by a macro- or microscopic dissociation/re-association type of mechanism. Cooperativity is a possible ally to binding, leaving future studies to distinguish the mechanism for molecular recognition in a manner that is capable of circumventing cooperative binding. Taken together, the threading polyintercalation binding mode presents an interesting topology to sequence specific DNA binding. Extraordinarily long dissociation rates from preferred binding sites offers many future possibilities to disrupt biological processes in vivo. / text

Persistence is one of the core criteria in chemical exposure and hazard assessment. It is often defined as the half-life for the removal of a chemical from a specified environment by transformation. Chemicals with long transformation half-lives may pose high risks for wildlife or humans and be subject to long-range transport to remote areas. It is challenging to measure persistence directly in the field in view of the complexity of the natural environment and spatial and temporal variability in environmental conditions that may affect degradation. The mass balance approach is the most commonly used method for field measurement of persistence. In this thesis an alternative to the traditional mass balance approach that uses benchmarking is proposed and evaluated using models and field application. The benchmarking approach compares the relative behavior of chemicals, rather than measuring the absolute value of a property. The unknown property (persistence in this thesis) of test chemicals can be estimated by comparison against another chemical for which this property is known. In Paper I, the potential of benchmarking to measure persistence in the field was evaluated by modeling. A framework for applying benchmarking to measure persistence in the field was developed. Lake systems with hydraulic residence times of the order of months were identified as appropriate field sites to measure the persistence of chemicals that are close to the regulatory thresholds, which are also on the scale of months. Field studies in two Swedish lakes were conducted. Both are shallow lakes, whereas Norra Bergundasjön (Paper II) has a longer residence time (four months) than Boren (one to two months; Paper III). In Paper II the benchmarking approach was tested to measure the persistence of a group of chemicals that were expected to stay in the water phase. Acesulfame K (artificial sweetener) without observable degradation in the lake was used as the benchmark chemical. The persistence of 9 pharmaceuticals and one X-ray contrast agent was measured to range from &lt;1-2 days (ketoprofen) to 580-5700 days (carbamazepine). The results obtained using the benchmarking approach agreed well with the mass balance approach, indicating that the benchmarking approach can be a valid and useful method to measure persistence in the field. In Paper III the seasonality in chemical persistence was investigated by benchmarking. The seasonal difference in chemical persistence was found to be largest between spring and autumn. The persistence of 5 chemicals in spring were lower than in autumn, mainly attributed to lower temperature and less sunlight in autumn. The spatial variation of the persistence of chemicals was observed by comparing the persistence of chemicals in spring in the two lakes. Thus benchmarking is a useful tool to study the temporal and spatial variation of persistence in the real environment.   Paper IV explores the potential of benchmarking thoroughly and the application of benchmarking in a regulatory context. Benchmarking could facilitate more field measurements of persistence, leading to a better understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of persistence in various environments and a basis for lab-to-field extrapolation. Besides quantitative estimation of persistence in the field, benchmarking can be applied to determine the relative magnitude of persistence, called threshold benchmarking which could be a valuable tool in regulatory processes. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

In this thesis, a multirate realization of an interpolation operation is explored. As one of the requirements for proper functionality of the digital pulse-width modulator, a 16-bit digital input signal is to be upsampled 32 times. To obtain the required oversampling ratio, five separate interpolator stages were designed and implemented. Each interpolator stage performed uppsampling by a factor of two followed by an image-rejection lowpass FIR filter. Since, each individual interpolator stage upsamples the input signal by a factor of two, interpolation filters were realized as a half-band FIR filters. This kind of linear-phase FIR filters have a nice property of having every other filter coefficient equal to zero except for the middle one which equals 0.5. By utilizing the half-band FIR filters for the actual realization of the interpolation filters, the overall computational complexity was substantially reduced. In addition, several multirate techniques have been utilized for deriving more efficient interpolator structures. Hence, the impulse response of individual interpolator filters was rewritten into its corresponding polyphase form. This further simplifies the interpolator realization. To eliminate multiplication by 0.5 in one of two polyphase subfilters, the filter gain was deliberately increased by a factor of two. Thus, one polyphase path only contained delay elements. In addition, for the realization of filter multipliers, a multiple constant multiplication, (MCM), algorithm was utilized. The idea behind the MCM algorithm, was to perform multiplication operations as a number of addition operations and appropriate input signal shifts. As a result, less hardware was needed for the actual interpolation chain implementation. For the correct functionality of the interpolator chain, scaling coefficients were introduced into the each interpolation stage. This is done in order to reduce the possibility of overflow. For the scaling process, a safe scaling method was used. The actual quantization noise generated by the interpolator chain was also estimated and appropriate system adjustments were performed.

Half-sibling reconstruction is the task of determining maternal and paternal sibling relationships from observed genotypes of same-generation individuals in a population. Knowledge of how populations are structured allows biologists to understand mating habits of different species, how threatened a population is, and how best to protect threatened or endangered species. This thesis examines the problem of half-sibling reconstruction and explains an accurate and fast heurstic for reconstructing half-siblings. The heuristic reconstructs half-sibling relationships with high accuracy on large biological populations where existing algorithms fail due to running time constraints. In addition to identifying and discussing some of the major problems with half-sibling reconstruction, we also prove that even the task of determining whether a half-sibling reconstruction obeys genetic inheritance laws is NP-complete. Some solutions for overcoming the inherent difficulty of half-sibling reconstruction are also proposed.

Thesis--Odense. / Summary in Danish. Includes indexes. Includes bibliographical references (p. 153-159).

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-07-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:56:40Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 bianchini_w_dr_botfmvz.pdf: 625794 bytes, checksum: 39e58158fd9b6061d06d312f793e4743 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) / Este estudo buscou determinar através da utilização dos isótopos estáveis do carbono a fase em que o bezerro já está apto para ser desmamado e capaz de consumir alimentos sólidos. Para isso foram coletadas ao longo do período experimental amostras de fezes e sangue, para monitorar o comportamento do turnover do carbono em quatro bezerros bubalinos que recebiam dieta C3 em cocho privativo durante amamentação e leite proveniente de búfalas que se alimentavam de pasto C4. As análises isotópicas foram realizadas no Centro de Isótopos Estáveis do Instituto de Biociências da UNESP, campus de Botucatu. Para mensurar o turnover do carbono nos tecidos em determinado intervalo de tempo, foi utilizado o método sigmoidal de regressão de Boltzmann ou a função exponencial do tempo. Os resultados isotópicos das amostras dos animais que foram submetidos à análise por meio do modelo de Boltzmann ou equação exponencial evidenciaram a dinâmica de consumo do grupo durante os primeiros dias de vida. A meia-vida nas fezes do animal 1091 foi de 224,8 dias e no animal 1093 foi de apenas 61,2 dias, no sangue apenas no animal 1093 foi possível determinar a meia-vida, que foi de 125,6 dias e no plasma sangüíneo a meiavida do animal 1091 foi de 63,8 dias, no animal 1093 foi de 88 dias e no animal 1094 foi de 53,3 dias. Portanto, pode-se concluir que fezes não podem ser consideradas marcadores de digesta confiáveis para as condições deste estudo, apenas como indicadores de consumo. Plasma e sangue total foram eficientes em determinar o tempo de desmame para bubalinos Murrah. / This study it searched to determine through the use of stable isotopes of carbon the phase where the year-old calf already is apt to be weaned and capable to consume solid foods. For this samples of blood and faeces had been collected throughout the experimental period, to monitor the behavior of turnover of carbon in four buffaloes year-old calves that received privative C3 diet during breast-feeding and milk proceeding from buffalos that if they fed of C4 grass. The isotopic analyses had been carried through in the Steady Isotope Center of the Institute of Biociências of the UNESP, campus of Botucatu. To measure turnover of carbon in fabrics in determined time interval, the sigmoid method of regression of Boltzmann or the exponential function of the time was used. The isotopic results of the samples of the animals that had been submitted to the analysis by means of the model of Boltzmann or exponential equation had evidenced the dynamics of consumption of the group during the first days of life. The stocking-life in faeces of animal 1091 was of 224,8 days and in animal 1093 it was of only 61,2 days, in the blood only in animal 1093 was possible to determine the stocking-life, that was of 125,6 days and in the plasma sanguine the stocking-life of animal 1091 was of 63,8 days, in animal 1093 it was of 88 days and in animal 1094 it was of 53,3 days. Therefore, it can be concluded that faeces cannot be considered true markers of digestibility for the conditions of this study, as only indicating of consumption... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / A bacia sedimentar do Tacutu, localizada no Estado de Roraima, consiste em um segmento distensivo implantado no Mesozóico (Jurássico Superior - Cretáceo Inferior), hegráben encaixado no Escudo das Guianas, que se alonga na direção nordeste-sudeste, com cerca de 300 km de comprimento, variando entre 30 a 50 km de largura, estendendo-se da República da Guiana, à capital do Estado de Roraima, Boa Vista. Para realização dessa pesquisa foram levados em consideração os dados já existentes a cerca da área em estudo e diversas pesquisas em campo para entendimento do seu processo evolutivo. Dessa forma, buscamos fazer uma abordagem sobre a compartimentação geomorfológica do gráben do Tacutu, utilizando técnicas do aplicativo Argis 9.1, que favoreceu a construção de um modelo digital do terreno / The sedimentary basin of the Tacutu is located in the state of Roraima, Brazil. It is an implanted distensive segment in the Mesozóic (upper Jurassic - lower Cretaceo). It is an half-graben incased in the Shield of the Guianas, prolongated in the northeast direction - southwestern, with about 300 km of length varying 30 the 50 width km, extending itself of the Republic of Guyana to the capital of the state de Roraima, Boa Vista. We consideration the data already concerning the area in study and diverse research to understand the evolution of the process. The approach about the geomorphological compartimentation of graben of Tacutu using techniques of the Geografic Data Sistem by means of aplicatory ArcGis 9.1 that favored the construction of a digital model of the land

The beta+-decay half-lives of the neutron-deficient, odd-odd, N = Z nuclei, 74Rb, 78Y, 82NB and 86Tc were measured following the fragmentation of a primary 92Mo beam at an energy of 60 MeV per nucleon at the GANIL laboratory, France. They were measured by correlating beta+-decays with the implantation of unambiguously identified fragments. The deduced log10 ft1/2-values are consistent with 0+&rarr; 0+, Fermi superallowed transitions, which together with the measured beta+-detection efficiencies suggest T = 1, 1pi- 0+ ground states for these odd-odd, N = Z nuclei. These data represent the heaviest N = Z systems for which Fermi superallowed decays have been established. The results suggest that these nuclei can be used to extend the mass range used to test the Conserved Vector Current hypothesis of the standard model. In addition, an experiment using the reaction 58Ni + 28Si at a beam energy of 200 MeV was performed at the Laboratorio Nationale di Legnaro, Italy, using the EUROBALL spectrometer together with a charged particle silicon detector ball and an array of liquid scintillator neutron detectors. The measured values of the energies of the evaporated, charged-particles and those of the gamma-ray multiplicity (deduced using the liquid scintillator detectors), are used to implement a novel technique for the channel selection of weakly populated evaporation channels.