O Estado do Cearà vem se destacando na Ãrea de produÃÃo de flores e plantas ornamentais nos Ãltimos anos e tem apresentado crescimento em vÃrios aspectos, influenciando, dessa maneira, no desenvolvimento da economia cearense. No entanto, apesar da grande importÃncia econÃmica das rosas no Cearà como tambÃm em outras regiÃes do Brasil, hà carÃncia de pesquisas sobre essas flores no paÃs. As informaÃÃes sÃo escassas quanto, por exemplo, Ãs exigÃncias nutricionais de roseiras nas condiÃÃes de produÃÃo no Brasil, bem como sobre as possÃveis associaÃÃes benÃficas estabelecidas com microrganismos edÃficos. Objetiva-se neste trabalho avaliar o efeito da colonizaÃÃo micorrÃzica arbuscular sobre o desenvolvimento de minirosa em um Neossolo QuartzarÃnico do municÃpio de EusÃbio no Estado do CearÃ. O experimento foi conduzido, inicialmente, em estufa e teve continuidade em condiÃÃes de campo apÃs o transplantio. O trabalho foi realizado na empresa Exotic Paisagismo, no municÃpio de EusÃbio-Ce. O solo utilizado foi um Neossolo QuartzarÃnico o qual foi coletado para anÃlises quÃmicas e microbiolÃgicas. As estacas de minirosa, variedade branca, foram plantadas em bandejas contendo solo estÃril ou natural onde foram mantidas por um perÃodo de 30 dias para o enraizamento. Estas estacas tambÃm receberam Ãgua de lagoa estÃril ou natural durante o perÃodo de formaÃÃo de raÃzes. A fase de enraizamento ocorreu em estufa. ApÃs este perÃodo, as mudas foram transplantadas para vasos plÃsticos contendo somente solo natural. Estas plantas, apÃs transplantio, passaram a receber Ãgua da lagoa apenas natural e dois nÃveis de fÃsforo. O experimento foi destrutivo, com duas Ãpocas de coleta, aos 60 (coleta 1) e 90 (coleta 2) DAT, onde foram retiradas trÃs repetiÃÃes de cada tratamento para a realizaÃÃo de anÃlises. O experimento obedeceu a um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 2 ( dois nÃveis de fÃsforo) x 2 (enraizamento em solo estÃril ou natural) x 2 (irrigaÃÃo com Ãgua da lagoa natural ou Ãgua da lagoa estÃril), com 3 repetiÃÃes. Os parÃmetros a serem avaliados foram: massa da matÃria seca da parte aÃrea MSPA, altura da planta, diÃmetro do caule, nÃmero de rosas, determinaÃÃo de P da parte aÃrea, colonizaÃÃo micorrÃzica arbuscular, densidade de esporos e diversidade de FMA no solo e respiraÃÃo basal do solo. Na coleta 2, nas plantas que receberam o nÃvel subÃtimo de P (P2), a colonizaÃÃo precoce aumentou de forma significativa a produÃÃo de MSPA de plantas enraizadas em solo natural em relaÃÃo Ãs plantas enraizadas em solo estÃril. Os FMA podem ter sido estimulados pelo menor suprimento de fÃsforo. Na coleta 2, o aumento da altura das plantas, influenciado pelas condiÃÃes de enraizamento, pode ter sido promovido pelo enraizamento em solo natural, ou seja, pela presenÃa de FMA durante o perÃodo de formaÃÃo de raÃzes. Na coleta 1, as plantas que receberam os tratamentos T5 e T6 foram as Ãnicas parcelas a nÃo apresentarem rosas aos 60 DAT, sendo que, ambos os tratamentos foram compostos pelo fator enraizamento em solo estÃril, ou seja, na ausÃncia de FMA. Na coleta 2, as plantas que receberam os tratamentos T3 e T4 e que, portanto, foram enraizadas em solo natural (prÃ-colonizadas) apresentaram o maior nÃmero de rosas no momento da coleta e, subseqÃente, contagem das rosas. Em relaÃÃo a colonizaÃÃo micorrÃzica, tanto na coleta 1 quanto na coleta 2 o fÃsforo foi, estatÃsticamente, o Ãnico fator a influenciar nos resultados. O enraizamento em solo natural promoveu um maior desenvolvimento da minirosa no solo com menos P disponÃvel. As estacas de minirosas quando enraizadas em solo apresentaram um menor nÃmero de estacas perdidas, maior sobrevivÃncia ao transplantio e melhor crescimento e vigor do que as plantas cultivadas, comercialmente, em pà de coco e casca de arroz carbonizada. / The state of Cearà has been highlighted in the production of flowers and ornamental plants in recent years and has been growing in many ways influencing in the developing the economy of CearÃ. However, despite the great economic importance of roses in Cearà as well as in other regions of Brazil, there is a lack of research on these flowers in the country. Information is scarce as, for example, the nutritional requirements of roses under the conditions of production in Brazil, as well as the possible beneficial associations established with edaphic microorganisms. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization on the development of in a Neosoil Quartzarenic in the EusÃbio county in Cearà state. The experiment was initially conducted under greenhouse conditions and was continued in field conditions after transplanting. The study was conducted at Exotic Landscaping company in the Eusebio county. The soil collected was used for chemical and microbiological analysis. The cuttings rose miniature, white variety, were planted in trays containing sterile soil or natural soil, where they were kept for a period of 30 days for rooting. These cuttings also received sterile water or natural water during the formation of roots. The rooting phase was conducted in greenhouse conditions. After this period, the seedlings were transplanted to plastic pots containing only natural soil. These plants after transplanting began to receive only natural lake water and two different levels of phosphorus. The experiment was destructive, with two samplings periods, to 60 and 90 days after transplanting, and three replicates for each treatment. A factorial completely randomized design 2 (two phosphorus levels) x 2 (roots in sterile soil or natural) x 2 (irrigation with natural pond water or sterile pond water) with four replicates was adopted. The parameters evaluated were: shoot dry matter, plant height, diameter of stalk, number of roses, determination of P in the plant, arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization, spore density and diversity of AMF species and basal soil respiration. To 90 days after transplanting, the plants that received suboptimal levels of P (P2), the early colonization significantly increased the production of shoot dry matter of plants rooted in natural soil when compared to plants rooted in sterile soil. The FMA may have been stimulated by the low supply of phosphorus. To 90 days after transplanting, increased plant height, influenced by the rooting conditions, may have been promoted by the roots in natural soil, or by the presence of AMF during the formation of roots. To 60 days after transplanting, the plants that received the treatments T5 and T6 were the only plots that there were no roses at the this period both treatments were made up by a factor of rooting in sterile soil, eg. in the absence of AMF. To 90 days after transplanting period, the plants that received the treatments T3 and T4 and therefore were rooted in natural soil (pre-colonized) had the largest number of roses at the time of sampling and subsequent counting of roses. Related to mycorrhizal colonization, in both periods, the P factor was, statistically, the only factor to influence the results. Rooting in natural soil promoted the further development of the rose miniature in soil with less P available. The cuttings of rose miniature when rooted in soil had less lost cuttings, increased survival to transplanting and better growth and vigor when compared to plants grown commercially in powder coconut and rice shell.

We present a miniature camera lens design method that uses a freeform surface based on the pedal curve to the ellipse in polynomial form. Two designs are presented and their benefits of optical performance and tolerance sensitivity are compared to designs with conventional aspheric surfaces. We also reverse a freeform design using even aspherical surfaces to show that the optimization solution of a freeform design cannot be reproduced by even aspherical surfaces.

Twenty-two miniatures of the Tarot is a cycle for chamber ensemble related to the twenty-two major arcana of the Tarot. Indeed, the intention of this composition is to capture the esoteric essence for each Major Arcana of the Tarot, making them speak musically in a contemporary language of music. Ideally, this cycle should be performed in the same order as the Tarot cycle, which has a number for each Major Arcana: 1) The Magician, 2) The High Priestess, 3) The Empress, 4) The Emperor, 5) The Pope, 6) The Lover, 7) The Chariot, 8) Justice, 9) The Hermit, 10) The Wheel of Fortune, 11) Strength, 12) The Hanged Man, 13) The Nameless Arcanum, 14) Temperance, 15) The Devil, 16) The Tower, 17) The Star, 18) The Moon, 19) The Sun, 20) Judgment, 21) The World and 22) The Fool.

Thesis (Sc.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Engineering, 1982. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND SCIENCE. / Vita. / Includes bibliographical references. / by Michael Peter Manahan. / Sc.D.

A miniature centrifugal compressor is a key component of a reverse Brayton cycle cryogenic cooling system. The system is commonly used to generate a low cryogenic temperature environment for electronics to increase their efficiency, or generate, store and transport cryogenic liquids, such as liquid hydrogen and oxygen, where space limit is also an issue. Because of space limitation, the compressor is composed of a radial inlet guide vane, a radial impeller and an axial-direction diffuser (which reduces the radial size because of smaller diameter). As a result of reduction in size, in order to obtain the required static pressure ratio/rise, the rotating speed of the impeller is as high as 313 KRPM, if Helium is used as the working fluid. Two main characteristics of the compressor – miniature and high-speed, make it distinct from conventional compressors. Higher compressor efficiency is required to obtain a higher COP (coefficient of performance) system. Even though miniature centrifugal compressors start to draw researchers' attention in recent years, understanding of the performance and loss mechanism is still lacking. Since current experimental techniques are not advanced enough to capture details of flow at miniature scale, numerical methods dominate miniature turbomachinery study. This work numerically studied a high speed miniature centrifugal compressor. The length and diameter are 7 cm and 6 cm, respectively. The study was done on the same physical compressor but with three different combinations of working fluid and operating speed combinations: air and 108 KRPM, helium and 313 KRPM, and neon and 141 KRPM. The overall performance of the compressor was predicted with consideration of interaction between blade rows by using a sliding mesh model. It was found that the specific heat ratio needs to be considered when similarity law is applied. But Reynolds number effect can be neglected. The maximum efficiency observed without any tip leakage was 70.2% for air 64.8% for helium 64.9% for neon. The loss mechanism of each component was analyzed. Loss due to turning bend was found to be significant in each component, even up to 30%. Tip leakage loss of small scale turbomachines has more impact on the impeller performance than that of large scale ones. Use of 10% tip gap was found to reduce impeller efficiency from 99% to 90%. Because the splitter was located downstream of the impeller leading edge, any incidence at the impeller leading edge leads to poorer splitter performance. Therefore, the impeller with twenty blades had higher isentropic efficiency than the impeller with ten blades and ten splitters. Based on numerical study, a four-row vaned diffuser was used to replace a two-row vaned diffuser. It was found that the four-row vaned diffuser had much higher pressure recovery coefficient than the two-row vaned diffuser. However, most of pressure is found to be recovered at the first two rows of diffuser vanes. Consequently, the following suggestions were given to further improve the performance of the miniature centrifugal compressor. 1. Redesign inlet guide vane based on the numerical simulation and experimental results. 2. Add de-swirl vanes in front of the diffuser and before the bend. 3. Replace the current impeller with a twenty-blade impeller. 4. Remove the last row of diffuser.

The ancient Maya adorned themselves with ornamental objects. This study investigates a type of polishing tool used by the ancient Maya to manufacture certain types of ornaments. Five stone polishing tools used by the ancient Maya are presented and analyzed. Relevant artifact forms are examined to establish which types of artifacts were being polished with these tools. An extensive discussion of the archaeological record and artistic representations of miniature earflares and buttons, which were polished with many of these stone polishing tools, is also included because the terminology used to refer to these objects has varied throughout the academic literature and is in need of clarification.

<p>  </p> <p>Miniature mass spectrometers are in a phase of rapid development due to their potential in offering simple yet powerful solutions for a wide variety of unmet biomedical needs. In particular, the combination of ambient ionization methods with miniature mass spectrometers offers an attractive solution for improving patient outcomes and reducing the healthcare burden on patients as well as clinicians opposed to current methods for disease prognosis and diagnosis. </p> <p>There has been a rapid expansion in the commercial offerings of miniature mass spectrometers from commercial vendors, both large and small, including Purspec, Bayspec, MassTech, Waters, and Advion. Despite the large number of instruments that have been made available and the success of many of these systems with analysis of a broad range of biological matrices, much work remains to perform bioanalysis of complex molecules with concentrations that often lie in the ng/mL-µg/mL range. Miniaturization of mass spectrometers is accompanied by design simplifications in comparison to benchtop instruments, so that sacrifices are often made in terms of performance. The figure of merit that is compromised, of course, depends on the design of the instrument itself. Thus, in addition to a good understanding of the operation of the mass spectrometer, it is crucial that the ionization method for the analyte be chosen judiciously, and that the method is suitably optimized to be able to perform the measurements to obtain high quality data for trace analysis. </p> <p>The custom built Mini-12 miniature MS systems at Purdue University is one such miniature mass spectrometer that can be used for making on-site measurements. In this work, I have described my efforts to perform trace analysis of a range of molecules (tenofovir diphosphate, cabotegravir, rilpivirine, and phosphatidylethanol) relevant to HIV treatment and prevention with the Mini-12 system. Based on the most favorable set of conditions for developing a particular assay, method performance parameters are listed for each of the applications described. In all the above applications, the desired detection limits are met by adopting a broad range of strategies with the focus of keeping the method amenable to use at the point-of-care, i.e., ensuring that sample preparation is completed in <4 minutes. The proof-of-concept results obtained with the custom built Mini-12 mass spectrometer at Purdue University lays the groundwork to (i) encourage the introduction of miniature mass spectrometer-based assays for the molecules listed in a clinical setting and (ii) extend the use of miniature mass spectrometer-based assays for other therapeutic regimens that require longitudinal monitoring.</p>

This thesis investigates the design and the performance of low-power microsensors that communicate directly to a satellite or a constellation of satellites. Information is spread using pseudo noise (PN) or Barker codes. The sensors use a single circular microstrip patch element with a wide beamwidth or a miniature phased array antenna that continuously scans to access the satellite(s). The array beam is controlled with a beam-forming network (BFN), which contains 3 or 4-bit phase shifters, which can be made in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) or in monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC). The antennas are designed using array simulation program called 'ARRAY' and the results are used in another simulation program called Advanced Design System (ADS) to simulate the whole sensor package that uses one of the antennas. The simulation results show that a sensor as small as 2.35 cm in diameter is able to send information with data rate of 1 kbps at bit error rate less than 10?? to low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites with a transmitted power of 27.5 microwatts (-15.6 dBm). / Master of Science

Miniature pressure sensors which can endure harsh environments are a highly sought after goal in industrial, medical and research fields. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are the current methods to fabricate such small sensors. However, they suffer from low sensitivity and poor mechanical properties. To fulfill the need for robust and reliable miniature pressure sensors that can operate under high temperatures, a novel type of optical fiber tip sensor only 125μm in diameter is presented in this thesis. The essential element is a piece of hollow fiber which connects the fiber end and a diaphragm to form a Fabry-Pérot cavity. The all-fused-silica structure fabricated directly on a fiber tip has little temperature dependence and can function very well with high resolution and accuracy at temperatures up to 600 °C. In addition to its miniature size, its advantages include superior mechanical properties, biocompatibility, immunity to electromagnetic interference, disposability and cost-effective fabrication. The principle of operation, design analysis, fabrication implementation and performance evaluation of the sensor are discussed in detail in the following chapters. / Master of Science

The intent of this research is to identify a simple diagnostic test to detect abnormal calciuresis and predict calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolith presence in Miniature Schnauzers. We investigated the impact of postprandial time on the specificity of urine calcium:creatine (UCa/Cr) in identifying affected dogs. The hypotheses were: 1) Significant differences exist in fasted and postprandial UCa/Cr between urolith-forming and control schnauzers. 2) UCa/Cr increases significantly from fasted baseline at one or more postprandial time point(s). Urine samples were collected from Miniature Schnauzers with (urolith-formers) and without (controls) CaOx uroliths in a fasted state and 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours after feeding a standardized diet. The change in UCa/Cr from baseline was calculated for each postprandial time. Urolithiasis status and the time point were assessed for impact on the UCa/Cr and change in UCa/Cr using a mixed model ANOVA. Based on 9 urolith-forming and 15 control dogs enrolled, urolith-forming Miniature Schnauzers have significantly higher mean UCa/Cr at 1 hour and 8 hours postprandial timepoints indicating altered calciuresis. The change in UCa/Cr was not significant at any post-prandial time point between or within groups. This pilot study shows male urolith-forming Miniature Schnauzers have excessive calciuresis throughout the day, providing insight into the mechanism behind their formation of CaOx uroliths. If using the Ca/Cr ratio, the postprandial sampling time is not critical. This simple urine measurement has potential as a marker of urolith presence and possibly risk of urolith formation. / Master of Science / Calcium oxalate urinary stones are a frequently encountered problem in Veterinary Medicine, as they have an increased incidence amongst several popular dog breeds; the Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Bichon Frise, Toy Poodle and Dachshund. These stones are a significant source of pain for affected dogs and financial strain for pet owners. The causes of calcium oxalate urinary stone formation are not fully known, but increased urinary calcium has been identified in affected dogs. We are quantifying calcium excretion by performing a measurement called urine calcium to creatinine ratio (UCa/Cr). The hypothesis of this research is that the UCa/Cr will be significantly greater in stone-forming dogs than non-stone forming dogs (controls). The second hypothesis is that the difference between the two groups will be even greater in the hours after feeding. This findings of this study show that Miniature Schnauzers that form calcium oxalate urinary stones have significantly higher mean UCa/Cr than control dogs at multiple points throughout the day. The change in UCa:Ca over the day was not significant. The UCa/Cr proved to be a simply cost-effective biomarker to identify Miniature Schnauzers who may be at risk for CaOx urinary stone formation.