This is the first study to investigate and provide definitive evidence that the plant pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi is a significant threat to the mammal fauna of Western Australia. This study investigated the impact of P. cinnamomi-induced habitat disturbance and degradation on Antechinus flavipes leucogaster (yellow-footed antechinus) or mardo. Phytophthora cinnamomi is an introduced and invasive soil-borne plant pathogen that kills many common and structurally important plant species, which results in significant changes to the structural characteristics of affected areas. An evaluation of P. cinnamomi affected and unaffected areas of the northern jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata) forest revealed significant declines in the structure, composition and complexity of all areas affected by P. cinnamomi. Dieback Expression Score values ranged from a mean value of 1.88 ± 1.01 to 3.8 ± 0.41 at the P. cinnamomi affected sites, indicating a high degree of disturbance. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis using 16 habitat variables identified significant (ANISOM: R=0.343, P<0.003) separation among affected and unaffected sites. A SIMPER analysis revealed that ground and shrub cover vegetation, small and total log densities, percentage leaf litter cover, and the densities of small, medium, tall single crowned and total Xanthorrhoea preissii were the greatest contributors separating affected and unaffected areas. Presently, our understanding of how P. cinnamomi affects the fauna of Western Australia is limited. This providing a unique opportunity to examine how P. cinnamomi-induced disturbance impacts upon the mardo. The mardo is a small insectivorous marsupial that is regarded as being common and a habitat generalist that occupies a broad range of forest and woodland habitats throughout the south-west of Western Australia. Until the present study, the specific habitat requirements, and therefore the factors limiting the present distribution of the mardo have received little attention. Therefore, in addition to being the first study to evaluate the impact of P. cinnamomi on Western Australian fauna, this study also provides important information about the present distribution of the mardo. Detection-nondetection mark-release surveys conducted in P. cinnamomi affected and unaffected regions of the northern jarrah forest, revealed that although, mardos were recorded at most sites, the number of mardo individuals, captures and detections were considerably lower at P. cinnamomi affected areas. Patch Occupancy analysis, using an information theoretic approach, revealed that the probability of a mardo occupying a region of the northern jarrah forest affected by P. cinnamomi ranged from a likelihood of 0.0 to 25.0%, while in contrast there was a 41.0 to 51.0% likelihood of a mardo occurring among unaffected regions. This discovery supports the hypothesis that P. cinnamomi-induced habitat disturbance impacts upon the distribution of the mardo. An evaluation of the micro-habitat features important to the mardo using Patch Occupancy modelling using an information theoretic approach identified large logs and X. preissii densities as positive contributors to the present distribution of the mardo in the northern jarrah forest. Indeed, the likelihood of a mardo occupying an area with large logs and dense patches of X. preissii ranged from 62.2% to 85.0%. In contrast, in the P. cinnamomi affected sites with lower X. preissii densities the patch occupancy probabilities ranged from 0.0% to 45.7%. Logs and X. preissii strongly contribute to the understorey and may increase nest locations and cover while offering protection from predators. Mardos may avoid P. cinnamomi affected areas because of lower X. preissii densities, which may result in fewer nest locations, reduced cover and an increased likelihood of predation. However, the results of the study must be treated as preliminary findings, therefore there may be additional environmental related or unrelated to P. cinnamomi factors that may also contribute to the occupancy rates of the mardo. Therefore, further studies and research on the ecology and biology of the mardo is strongly encouraged. Until this research is conducted, P. cinnamomi most be considered as significant threat to the conservation of the mardo. Therefore, the conservation of the mardo in the northern jarrah forest depends on limiting the spread and impact of P. cinnamomi, as well as the retention of large logs and tall X. preissii. Given that large logs and tall X. preissii contribute to the distribution of the mardo, strong consideration must be given to using these natural elements to rehabilitate the most severely disturbed areas of the northern jarrah forest. Consideration must be given to the conservation of other small and threatened mammal species that inhabit susceptible plant communities in the south-west of Western Australia. An understanding of how P. cinnamomi impacts on the mardo and other native mammals will contribute to our ability to control, protect and manage vulnerable communities and ecosystems in Western Australia. If the spread and impact of this pathogen is left unchecked, the ultimate consequence to the conservation of many small to medium native mammals that are dependant on structurally complex habitat may be devastating.

Ulm, Univ., Diss., 2007.

La comunicación celular es un proceso fundamental para la supervivencia de los organismos. Gracias a las distintas vías de comunicación, las células reciben e interpretan mensajes del exterior, los cuales inducen respuestas necesarias para el correcto funcionamiento de dichas células y del organismo que estas constituyen. Los canales iónicos activados por ligandos (LGIC) son proteínas integrales de membrana encargadas de transducir la señal proveniente del exterior hacia el interior celular. Sus vías de transducción son muy variadas, pero en general llevan a dos respuestas fundamentales según el receptor implicado, respuesta de excitación o respuesta de inhibición. Dentro del grupo LGIC existen tres familias de receptores, cada una conformada por varios miembros relacionados evolutivamente. Dichas familias se clasifican como: canales catiónicos activados por glutamato, canales activados por ATP y los receptores pertenecientes a la familia Cys-loop. En el presente trabajo de tesis doctoral estudiamos los mecanismos de activación de dos miembros de la familia de receptores Cys-loop, el receptor de acetilcolina de músculo adulto (AChR) y el receptor de serotonina homopentamérico tipo 3A (5-HT3AR). El AChR es considerado el modelo, tanto estructural como funcional, para todos los miembros de esta familia. Para un mejor entendimiento de los mecanismos que llevan al correcto funcionamiento de dichos receptores, es necesario: a) conocer su estructura molecular y los mecanismos que gobiernan su activación, y b) definir un modelo cinético que logre representar los estados en los cuales se encuentra el receptor y los pasos afectados por mutaciones o moduladores. En base a estudios de mutagénesis dirigida, determinamos el aporte de los residuos 15 de M1 de las subunidades ,  y  para el correcto funcionamiento del AChR. Además, definimos la relación entre el volumen del residuo en dicha posición y el efecto provocado sobre la eficiencia de gatillado del canal. Observamos que para la subunidad  el aumento del volumen del residuo en 15 lleva a una disminución en la constante de gatillado del canal. En cambio, para las otras subunidades, ocurre el efecto opuesto. Demostramos que los residuos 15 de M1 y 11 de M2 de la subunidad  interaccionan directamente. Dicha interacción explicaría la realción observada entre el volumen del residuo en 15 de M1 y la eficiencia del canal, donde la interacción 11-15 se vuelve más significativa al aumentar el volumen del residuo en 15, llevando a una reducción en la eficiencia del gatillado del canal. Debido a la baja conductancia del canal del 5-HT3AR, solo han sido propuestos hasta el momento modelos cinéticos basados en el análisis de corrientes macroscópicas. Utilizando el receptor de serotonina de alta conductancia (5-HT3AR-AC) obtuvimos corrientes macroscópicas y registros de canal único. En base a dichos registros, definimos un modelo cinético que describe con alto grado de exactitud los datos experimentales. Este es el primer modelo que, además de representar lo observado a nivel de corrientes macroscópicas, describe también la activación del receptor a nivel de canal único. Por otro lado, realizamos mutaciones sobre el 5-HT3AR-AC en los residuos 10 y 14 del segmento M4. Dichos residuos fueron demostrados como importantes en el gatillado del AChR y presentan un patrón de conservación particular entre las subunidades de estos dos receptores. Confirmamos que ambos residuos son importantes para el correcto funcionamiento del 5-HT3AR, donde las mutaciones en 10 afectaron la activación del receptor a nivel de canal único y las mutaciones en 14 solo mostraron efectos a nivel de las corrientes macroscópicas. Utilizando los datos obtenidos a partir del receptor mutado en 10 de M4, realizamos el análisis cinético en base al esquema propuesto. Determinamos que las velocidades afectadas fueron fundamentalmente de apertura y cierre del canal, similar a lo demostrado para el residuo equivalente del AChR. Nuestros resultados brindan importante información sobre la intervención de los segmentos transmembranales en el correcto funcionamiento de receptores de la familia Cys-loop. Asimismo, muestran cómo la función de determinados aminoácidos se ha conservado durante la evolución. Además, definimos el primer modelo cinético para el 5-HT3AR, el cual representa correctamente la activación de este receptor, tanto a nivel de corrientes macroscópicas como de canal único. La utilización de este modelo será de gran apoyo al entendimiento de los efectos generados por mutaciones o la acción de moduladores de la funcionalidad de dicho receptor. / Cellular communication is a fundamental process for survival of the organisms. Thanks to different signaling pathways, cells can receive messages from the environment which induce responses that allow appropriate functioning of these cells and the organism that they constitute. Ligand-gated ion channels (LGIC) are integral membrane proteins involve in transduction of signals from the external side of the cell. These signaling pathways are diverse, but in general, they can generate one of both responses: excitatory or inhibitory response. The LGIC group is composed by three different families of receptors: the glutamate-activated cationic channels, the ATP-gated channels, and the Cys-loop receptors. In the present thesis we studied the mechanism of activation of two members of the Cys-loop receptor family, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (AChR) and the homopentameric serotonin type 3A receptor (5-HT3AR). The AChR has been the structural and functional model of all members of this family. For a better understanding of the mechanisms that lead to the correct functioning of these receptors is necessary to: a) know its molecular structure and the mechanisms which govern its activation, and b) define a kinetic model that describes its activation and elucidate how mutations or modulators can affect the transitions between different conformational states. By combining site-directed mutagenesis with electrophysiological studies we determine the contribution of residues at position 15 of M1 in ,  and  subunits to the correct functioning of the AChR. We also define the relationship between the volume of the residue at this position and efficacy for channel gating. We show that the increase in the volume of residue at 15 of M1 of the  subunit impairs channel gating, whereas the opposite effect is observed for the same position in  and  subunits. Furthermore, we demonstrate that there is a direct interaction between residues at 15 of M1 and 11 of M2 of the  subunit. This explains the relationship between the volume of the residue at 15 of M1 and the efficiency of channel: the increase in the volume of the residue at 15 of M1 may restrict the movement of M2 through its interaction with the residue at 11 of M2, thus leading to a reduction in channel gating efficiency. Due to the low conductance of the 5-HT3AR, different kinetics models proposed until now have been based on macroscopic currents. Using the high conductance form of this receptor (5-HT3AR-HC) we recorded macroscopic currents and single-channel events. On the basis of these recordings we defined a kinetic model that closely describes the experimental data. In addition, we introduced mutations at positions 10 and 14 of the M4 transmembrane segment of the 5-HT3AR-HC. Residues at these positions have been shown to be important for the correct functioning of the AChR, and they show a particular conservation pattern among 5-HT3R and AChR subunits. We demonstrate that these residues are important for the appropriate functioning of the 5-HT3AR. Mutations at 10 of M4 affect the single-channel properties, and mutations at 14 of M4 affect the decay rate of macroscopic currents and the potency for activation. With the single-channel data obtained for 5-HT3AR-HC mutated at 10 of M4, we performed kinetic analysis on the basis of the scheme proposed in this thesis. The analysis reveals that mutations at 10 affect mainly opening and closing rates from the slowest open state. This result is similar to that previously reported for AChR, indicating that the function of this position is conserved among members of the same family. Our results provide important information about the involvement of transmembrane segments in the correct functioning of receptors from the Cys-loop superfamily. These results reveal how the function of some amino acids has been conserved along evolution. In conclusion, we defined the first kinetic model for the 5-HT3AR, which perfectly represents the activation of this receptor at both macroscopic and single-channel level. Moreover, our kinetic model provides a foundation for studying the contribution of residues to receptor function and for understanding molecular mechanisms of drug modulation.

Many computer graphic API’s, including OpenGL, emphasize modeling with rectangular patches, which are especially useful in Computer Aided Geomeric Design (CAGD). However, not all shapes are rectangular; some are triangular or more complex. This paper extends the OpenGL library to support the modeling of triangular patches, Coons patches, and Box-splines patches. Compared with the triangular patch created from degenerate rectangular Bezier patch with the existing functions provided by OpenGL, the triangular Bezier patches can be used in certain design situations and allow designers to achieve high-quality results that are less CPU intense and require less storage space. The addition of Coons patches and Box splines to the OpenGL library also give it more functionality. Both patch types give CAGD users more flexibility in designing surfaces. A library for all three patch types was developed as an addition to OpenGL.

Cylindrically conformal microstrip antennas are investigated. Two different structures, namely proximity coupled and E-shaped microstrip antennas are analyzed and information about the design parameters is obtained by means of parametric study. With these structures, cylindrical arrays, having omnidirectional radiation in the circumferential plane of the cylinder, are designed. Proximity coupled cylindrical arrays operate in the 2.3-2.4 GHz aeronautical telemetry band with approximately 4% bandwidth. On the other hand, more than 30% bandwidth is obtained by E-Shaped cylindrical array antenna structure, which also includes the commercial telemetry band. In order to verify the simulation method, a fabricated antenna in literature is simulated and acceptable agreement with simulation and fabrication results obtained.

This thesis investigates the possibility to design printed circuit board (PCB) antennas with a maximum area size of 30 x 30 mm^2 at 2.4 GHz. The resulting antenna parameters are compared to those of a commercial, more costly chip antenna, i.e., Antenova A5645. The antenna parameters that were evaluated were the antenna efficiency, the return loss and the voltage standing wave ratio(VSWR). Three types of antennas were firstly selected to be designed, i.e., the patch antenna, Inverted-F antenna and Meandered Inverted-F antenna. Using basic antenna theory, general RF knowledge and through simulations performed with the dedicated software tool ADS, five antenna designs were finally selected to be manufactured. After manufacturing, the antennas were tested in a radiation chamber. At 2.4 GHz, the best simulated antenna efficiency was 78.7%, the return loss was -33.91 dB and the VSWR was 1.041. Not all these simulated values have been proven experimentally through measurements due to insufficient equipment at the moment of performing the experiments. However, the three types of antennas were evaluated in the radiation chamber for their polarization and these measurement results are very close to the equivalent simulation results.

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