I examine the relationship between the electoral security of congressmen, measured as vote margins in the previous election, and the support Members of Congress offer to their party. I develop a theory that predicts safe members will be more willing to support than vulnerable members and leaders demand more loyalty from safe members than vulnerable. This arrangement is rational and beneficial for leaders and both types of members. Using an OLS regression, I find basic support for my theory.

We consider variations of range searching in which, given a query range, our goal is to compute some function based on frequencies of points that lie in the range. The most basic such computation involves counting the number of points in a query range. Data structures that compute this function solve the well-studied range counting problem. We consider adaptive and approximate data structures for the 2-D orthogonal range counting problem under the w-bit word RAM model. The query time of an adaptive range counting data structure is sensitive to k, the number of points being counted. We give an adaptive data structure that requires O(n loglog n) space and O(loglog n + log_w k) query time. Non-adaptive data structures on the other hand require Ω(log_w n) query time (Pătraşcu, 2007). Our specific bounds are interesting for two reasons. First, when k=O(1), our bounds match the state of the art for the 2-D orthogonal range emptiness problem (Chan et al., 2011). Second, when k=Θ(n), our data structure is tight to the aforementioned Ω(log_w n) query time lower bound. We also give approximate data structures for 2-D orthogonal range counting whose bounds match the state of the art for the 2-D orthogonal range emptiness problem. Our first data structure requires O(n loglog n) space and O(loglog n) query time. Our second data structure requires O(n) space and O(log^ε n) query time for any fixed constant ε>0. These data structures compute an approximation k' such that (1-δ)k≤k'≤(1+δ)k for any fixed constant δ>0. The range selection query problem in an array involves finding the kth lowest element in a given subarray. Range selection in an array is very closely related to 3-sided 2-D orthogonal range counting. An extension of our technique for 3-sided 2-D range counting yields an efficient solution to adaptive range selection in an array. In particular, we present an adaptive data structure that requires O(n) space and O(log_w k) query time, exactly matching a recent lower bound (Jørgensen and Larsen, 2011). We next consider a variety of frequency-based range query problems in arrays. We give efficient data structures for the range mode and least frequent element query problems and also exhibit the hardness of these problems by reducing Boolean matrix multiplication to the construction and use of a range mode or least frequent element data structure. We also give data structures for the range α-majority and α-minority query problems. An α-majority is an element whose frequency in a subarray is greater than an α fraction of the size of the subarray; any other element is an α-minority. Surprisingly, geometric insights prove to be useful even in the design of our 1-D range α-majority and α-minority data structures.

Ultra-low-power circuits are becoming more desirable due to growing portable device markets and they are also becoming more interesting and applicable today in biomedical, pharmacy and sensor networking applications because of the nano-metric scaling and CMOS reliability improvements. In this thesis, three main achievements are presented in ultra-low-power adders. First, a new majority function algorithm for carry and the sum generation is presented. Then with this algorithm and implied new architecture, we achieved a circuit with 75mV supply voltage operation. Last but not least, a 64 bit current-mode majority-function adder based on the new architecture and algorithm is successfully tested at 75mV supply voltage. The circuit consumed 4.5nW or 3.8pJ in one of the worst conditions.

I examine the relationship between the electoral security of congressmen, measured as vote margins in the previous election, and the support Members of Congress offer to their party. I develop a theory that predicts safe members will be more willing to support than vulnerable members and leaders demand more loyalty from safe members than vulnerable. This arrangement is rational and beneficial for leaders and both types of members. Using an OLS regression, I find basic support for my theory.

The aim for this essay is to investigate students attitudes to a local schoolboard with student majority to determin the level of functionality, relevancy and interest for this schoolboard among the students in a Swedish gymnasium in Örebro. This is done by distibution of a questionnaire form to a third of the students in the third grade . The results show that the attitudes overall amongst the students are positive, although the level of interest is low. One explanation for this low level of interest could be the lack of information from the school board to the students. / Vi har valt att i denna uppsats djupare undersöka en specifik form av elevdemokrati: elevmajoritet i lokala skolstyrelser. Försöksverksamhet inleddes 1997 efter att riksdagen godkände ett regeringsförslag om detta, och den skola som undersöks i uppsatsen har deltagit i försöksverksamheten sen starten. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka inställningen till lokal skolstyrelse med elevmajoritet bland gymnasieelever i årskurs 3 genom att klarlägga graden av funktionalitet, relevans och intresse. Undersökningen utgår från en hypotes som formulerats utifrån en rapport från Utbildningsinspektionen. I rapporten fastslås att betydelsen av och intresset för den lokala skolstyrelsen inte uppfattas som betydelsefullt eller intressant av eleverna, och hypotesen består av detta påstående. För att undersöka elevernas inställning till den lokala skolstyrelsen med elevmajoritet delades en enkät ut till en tredjedel av eleverna i årskurs 3 på en gymnasieskola i Örebro. Enkätens frågor undersöker olika aspekter av den lokala skolstyrelsen och de svarandes attityder till detta. Enkät som undersökningsmetod valdes för att få en representativ bild av en större grupps inställning till detta. Undersökningens resultat visar att de flesta av de svarande känner till att eleverna har majoritet i den lokala skolstyrelsen. Däremot är elevernas intresse för den lokala skolstyrelsens arbete lågt, trots att skolstyrelsens funktionalitet bedöms som bra och de frågor som styrelsen behandlar anses viktiga av majoriteten av eleverna. Inställningen har även undersökts utifrån aspekterna kön och programtillhörighet, men ingen av dessa aspekter har uppvisat några väsentliga skillnader mellan grupperna. En förklaring till elevernas låga intresse för den lokala skolstyrelsens arbete kan vara bristfällig information till eleverna från styrelsen sida, något som framkommit i de kommentarer som vissa av eleverna lämnat i enkäten.

In this ethnographic case study I examine the meanings and manifestations of teacher knowledge by inquiring into the perceptions of learning for a group of primary school teachers in Toledo, Belize, Central America. As an outsider, I construct an insider’s view of teachers’ knowledge by representing what these teachers know about teaching and how they have come to know what they know. The lived experiences of the teachers are illuminated as I discuss opportunities and challenges for educators in this region of the world. The insider-outsider relationship is examined as I reflect on my role as a volunteer with a non-profit organization, as well as a researcher and a Canadian secondary school teacher. The following questions structure the study: (1) How does the development of teachers’ knowledge occur in rural communities of the majority world country of Belize? (2) What kind of impact has the Teachers for a Better Belize (TFABB) “Literacy Coaches Program” had on the development of teachers’ knowledge in Toledo, Belize? Results of the study are represented in three distinct ways. The creative ethnography highlights the lived reality of local teachers as I interpreted the typical journey they take in learning to teach. The realist tale, including several detailed participant quotes, illustrates a more explicit map of teacher learning as it connects with current research and literature. The confessional tale represents my highly personal reflections with regard to the research as well as my own learning. Toledo teachers identify many factors affecting their formal learning including economic constraints, geographic isolation and limited resources. Local teachers do, however, recognize and engage in the less formal learning opportunities available to them. They collaborate with peers, seek out mentors, engage in teacher workshops, and reflect on their own practice. An oppressive cloud, however, looms over the educational landscape in Toledo, as teachers describe tacit yet lingering effects of colonialism present in their educational culture. In this study I conclude that to realize improved opportunities for both teachers and students in Toledo, there must be genuine understanding and respect between all educational sectors. By raising the profile of the underrepresented primary teacher in Toledo, this study aims to promote meaningful dialogue between all those involved to nurture the professional knowledge development of teachers.

We consider variations of range searching in which, given a query range, our goal is to compute some function based on frequencies of points that lie in the range. The most basic such computation involves counting the number of points in a query range. Data structures that compute this function solve the well-studied range counting problem. We consider adaptive and approximate data structures for the 2-D orthogonal range counting problem under the w-bit word RAM model. The query time of an adaptive range counting data structure is sensitive to k, the number of points being counted. We give an adaptive data structure that requires O(n loglog n) space and O(loglog n + log_w k) query time. Non-adaptive data structures on the other hand require Ω(log_w n) query time (Pătraşcu, 2007). Our specific bounds are interesting for two reasons. First, when k=O(1), our bounds match the state of the art for the 2-D orthogonal range emptiness problem (Chan et al., 2011). Second, when k=Θ(n), our data structure is tight to the aforementioned Ω(log_w n) query time lower bound. We also give approximate data structures for 2-D orthogonal range counting whose bounds match the state of the art for the 2-D orthogonal range emptiness problem. Our first data structure requires O(n loglog n) space and O(loglog n) query time. Our second data structure requires O(n) space and O(log^ε n) query time for any fixed constant ε>0. These data structures compute an approximation k' such that (1-δ)k≤k'≤(1+δ)k for any fixed constant δ>0. The range selection query problem in an array involves finding the kth lowest element in a given subarray. Range selection in an array is very closely related to 3-sided 2-D orthogonal range counting. An extension of our technique for 3-sided 2-D range counting yields an efficient solution to adaptive range selection in an array. In particular, we present an adaptive data structure that requires O(n) space and O(log_w k) query time, exactly matching a recent lower bound (Jørgensen and Larsen, 2011). We next consider a variety of frequency-based range query problems in arrays. We give efficient data structures for the range mode and least frequent element query problems and also exhibit the hardness of these problems by reducing Boolean matrix multiplication to the construction and use of a range mode or least frequent element data structure. We also give data structures for the range α-majority and α-minority query problems. An α-majority is an element whose frequency in a subarray is greater than an α fraction of the size of the subarray; any other element is an α-minority. Surprisingly, geometric insights prove to be useful even in the design of our 1-D range α-majority and α-minority data structures.

Ultra-low-power circuits are becoming more desirable due to growing portable device markets and they are also becoming more interesting and applicable today in biomedical, pharmacy and sensor networking applications because of the nano-metric scaling and CMOS reliability improvements. In this thesis, three main achievements are presented in ultra-low-power adders. First, a new majority function algorithm for carry and the sum generation is presented. Then with this algorithm and implied new architecture, we achieved a circuit with 75mV supply voltage operation. Last but not least, a 64 bit current-mode majority-function adder based on the new architecture and algorithm is successfully tested at 75mV supply voltage. The circuit consumed 4.5nW or 3.8pJ in one of the worst conditions.

Orientador: Ian Castro-Gamboa / Coorientador: Márcia Nasser Lopes / Banca: Silvia Noeli López / Banca: Renato Lajarim Carneiro / Resumo: No presente trabalho foram detectados e analisados os metabólitos secundários majoritários das espécies Jatropha multifida L. e J. gossypifolia L., fazendo uso de ferramentas quimiométricas de vanguarda, visando a otimização do processo de extração para, posteriormente, obter cromatogramas de fingerprint através da técnica acoplada CLAE-UV/DAD. Para a espécie J. gossypifolia L. a mistura 1 : 1 clorofórmio : isopropanol apresentou a melhor condição de extração enquanto para J. multifida L. a composição 2/3 : 1/6 : 1/6 de etanol : acetona : 1,4-dioxano foi a que obteve a melhor resposta. Os cromatogramas de fingerprint foram realizados fazendo uso de uma coluna monolítica C-18 (5 µm), como fase estacionária, enquanto a fase móvel para análise da espécie J. gossypifolia L. foi composta por água e uma mistura de solventes orgânicos, MeOH : ACN, na proporção (68 : 32), em gradiente exploratório de 5-100% de fase orgânica. Para a espécie J. gossypifolia L., as condições otimizadas foram: temperatura de coluna de 30 °C, fluxo em 2,0 mL·min-1 e o volume de injeção de 30 µL. Para J. multifida L. a fase móvel foi composta por água e uma mistura MeOH : ACN 1 : 1 em gradiente exploratório 5-100% de fase orgânica. A temperatura de coluna de 40 °C, o fluxo de 2,5 mL·min-1 e o volume de injeção foi de 30 µL. Foram realizados bioensaios in vitro, tais como a redução do reagente DPPH (ação antioxidante), inibição da polimerização da hematina bovina (ação antimalárica), inibição enzimática de acetilcolinesterase (doença de Alzheimer) e o ensaio da inibição do crescimento de fungos fitopatógenos. Nenhum dos extratos brutos avaliados, apresentou atividade significativa quando comparados com os padrões. Quanto à detecção dos metabólitos, a aplicação de métodos de desreplicação aos extratos permitiram a identificação de algumas classes... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico baixo) / Abstract: The main goal of this research was to detect and analyze major secondary metabolites from Jatropha multifida L. and J. gossypifolia L. species, using state of art techniques in chemometrics aiming the optimization of the extraction process prior to the acquisition of the fingerprint chromatogram using HPLC-UV/DAD. The optimized extraction condition for Jatropha gossypifolia was the binary mixture 1:1 chloroform:isopropanol, while to Jatropha multifida L. the mixture was ternary consisting of 2/3:1/6:1/6 ethanol:acetone:1,4-dioxane. The fingerprint chromatograms were runned using an exploratory gradient consisting of 5-100% of organic solvent, using a C-18 (5 µm) column, as stationary phase, and then the mobile phase was optimized, through the use of chemometrics for each species. In the case of Jatropha gossypifolia L. the phase consisted in a mixture of 68:32 MeOH:ACN, under a column temperature of 30 oC, injection volume of 30 µL and a flow of 2.0 mL.min-1. For Jatropha multifida L. was 1:1 MeOH:ACN, under column temperature of 40 oC, flow of 2,5 mL.min-1 and an injection volume of 30 µL. Some in vitro bioassays were performed, such as, reduction of the reagent DPPH (antioxidant action), inhibition of polymerization of the haematin bovine (antimalarial), enzymatic inhibition of the acetylcholinesterase (Alzheimer's disease) and the assay of inhibition of the growth of phytopatogenic fungi. None of the crude extracts showed significant activities when compared to the used standards. The application of dereplication methods allowed the identification of some classes of compounds, already reported for Jatropha, such as terpenoids and flavonoids. The strategy developed to performed the dereplication, used an in silico approach through the matching and analysis of the spectrometric and spectroscopic data sets obtained using NMR and HPLC-HRMS(ESI)-MS2 with databases of high... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

106 f. / Submitted by Ana Hilda Fonseca (anahilda@ufba.br) on 2013-04-03T14:21:08Z No. of bitstreams: 4 SUMÁRIO.pdf: 251853 bytes, checksum: 136967f071e8c9dc1f1d9dc61b6ba5ed (MD5) RESUMO.pdf: 90333 bytes, checksum: 6feb676556b5519091aca62ba1aef7f9 (MD5) INTRODUÇÃO.pdf: 4006502 bytes, checksum: 77f35936fb80d965a1c446cf7b35deed (MD5) CAPA.pdf: 247759 bytes, checksum: 0319a707474146fc6565e0c7806729e3 (MD5) / Rejected by Ana Hilda Fonseca(anahilda@ufba.br), reason: Solicito o envio em arquivo único. on 2013-04-18T15:44:07Z (GMT) / Submitted by Ana Hilda Fonseca (anahilda@ufba.br) on 2013-05-20T15:25:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação José Domingos S da Silva.pdf: 4188732 bytes, checksum: 5a2a0590c7239c937525ccc66385274d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Hilda Fonseca(anahilda@ufba.br) on 2013-05-20T15:27:50Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação José Domingos S da Silva.pdf: 4188732 bytes, checksum: 5a2a0590c7239c937525ccc66385274d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-05-20T15:27:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação José Domingos S da Silva.pdf: 4188732 bytes, checksum: 5a2a0590c7239c937525ccc66385274d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / CAPES / Um grande número de estudos epidemiológicos tem mostrado uma relação entre a exposição ao ambiente de partículas em suspensão e os efeitos adversos na saúde humana além de danos à flora, fauna, edificações dentre outros. Segundo alguns estudos o MPA afeta a saúde da população, causando várias patologias do trato respiratório (alergias, asma, enfisema pulmonar) e mortalidade cardiopulmonar, sendo responsável por grande numero de mortes em todo o mundo. Este trabalho teve por objetivo desenvolver e validar metodologia para determinação de íons presentes nas frações PM1 e PM2,5 no Material Particulado Atmosférico da atmosfera do entorno da Baía de Todos os Santos (BTS). Durante o desenvolvimento do trabalho foram coletadas amostras de MPA com a utilização de dois amostradores tipo ciclone com faixa de corte de PM1 e PM2,5 ligados a uma bomba de vácuo a uma vazão fixa de 10L min-1 por períodos de 12h durante 15 dias em três sítios de amostragem nos seguintes períodos: Botelho, Base Naval de Aratu (BNA) e Itaparica. As amostras coletadas foram coletadas e depois analisadas por cromatografia de íons com dois canais. Os íons determinados nos três sítios foram lactato, acetato, butirato, formiato, succinato, oxalato, amônio, fluoreto, cloreto, nitrato, sulfato, fosfato, sódio, potássio, magnésio e cálcio, a seguinte relação entre ânions e cátions nas frações PM1 e PM2,5. Dentre os três sítios o que apresentou maiores concentrações médias destes íons foi Botelho, isso ocorreu devido a sua posição geográfica em relação aos ventos que sopram nesta região durante a estação de inverno na qual as amostras foram coletadas as concentrações menores foram no sitio da BNA por estar em posição geográfica oposta em relação aos ventos. Para todos os sítios a relação iônica equivalente (ânions/cátions) sempre foi maior que um o que mostra que há mais cátions que ânions e, portanto, trata-se de caráter ácido. No sitio de Botelho foi encontrado um prevalência de íons emitidos por fontes industriais, ressuspensão de partículas, por emissão da flora e fonte secundaria. Em BNA houve prevalência de queima de combustível. Em Itaparica houve prevalência de emissões veiculares e de ressuspensão de partículas. / Salvador