This project examined the differences in skeletal preservation from several mound sites in the West Central Illinois Valley, spanning the Late Archaic to Late Woodland periods, from approximately 2500 B.C to A.D. 1000: Koster Mounds, containing Early Archaic to Middle Archaic burials from approximately 8700 B.C. to 800 B.C.; Peisker Mounds, containing Early Woodland burials from approximately 625 B.C. to 230 B.C.; Gibson Mounds, containing Archaic, Hopewell, and Late Woodland burials starting 50 B.C. to A.D. 400; and Helton Mounds, containing Late Woodland burials from approximately A.D. 830 to A.D. 1200. The intrinsic factors of bone density and age and sex of the individual were compared statistically with bone inventories and osseous taphonomic conditions to determine if these factors affected preservation. Based on extant inventories each skeleton was scored on the percent of standard measurements possible to take, 24 cranial, 10 mandibular, and 44 postcranial measurements, following Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994), as a proxy for individual element completeness for major portions of the skeleton. Additionally, this project examined more specifically the preservation of the os coxa. The five commonly used areas for sexing (the ventral arc, subpubic concavity, ischiopubic ramus ridge, greater sciatic notch, and preauricular sulcus), following Buikstra and Ubelaker (1994) and Phenice (1969), were examined and scored independently. Three commonly used areas for aging (the pubic symphysis, auricular surface, and acetabulum) following Brooks and Suchey (1990), Phenice (1969) and Calce (2012) were examined and scored independently. Soil samples were collected from two sites and analyzed to determine if soil pH affects the preservation rates of skeletons differently. To assess the amount of data lost in older skeletal assemblages the author tested the hypotheses that (1) denser skeletal portions are most likely to be well-preserved, (2) mature adult males are more likely to be well-preserved than mature adult females, (3) mature adults will be more well-preserved than the remains of juveniles and old adults, and (4) skeletons from more recent time periods will be more well-preserved than skeletons from earlier time periods. The results of the study show, that while there are many factors that influence preservation of skeletal assemblages in the archaeological record, certain factors are more important than others when it comes to skewing the archaeological record. Sex of the individual does not appear significantly to affect the rate of preservation, while age at death and duration of burial, especially when looking at infants compared to adults and individuals buried during the Archaic period compared to individuals buried during the Middle and Late Woodland period, do affect preservation.

BACKGROUND: Gliomas are the most common primary brain malignancy, with more than 16,000 patients diagnosed every year (Ostrom, et al., 2015). Outcomes vary widely depending on tumor grade and treatment, and have been steadily improving with the advent of new therapeutics. Glioma patients frequently undergo chemotherapy to remove residual tumor after surgery, and many of these cytotoxic therapies are known to affect rapidly dividing cells such as ovarian follicles (Vassilakopoulou et al., 2016). The negative effects of chemotherapy on fertility have been demonstrated in patients with breast and colorectal cancer (Bines, et al., 1996; Avastin Prescribing Information). Additionally, infertility has been linked with decreased quality of life, primarily in women (O’Moore et al., 1983; Greil, 1997). Fertility treatments are available for women undergoing cancer treatment, however it is unknown whether these treatments are routinely discussed with glioma patients before initiating chemotherapy. OBJECTIVE: The primary goal of this study was to assess whether female glioma patients are being effectively counselled on their possible loss of fertility and their choices for fertility treatment prior to beginning chemotherapy. To this end, it was also important to understand the barriers preventing patients from obtaining information related to their fertility. Another principle goal of this study was to describe the effects of chemotherapy on a sample of women with glioma. Finally, this study sought to understand the priorities of women with glioma in regards to family planning, and to address these priorities in the context of a comprehensive fertility preservation discussion. METHODS: To assess these endpoints, a survey was designed and delivered to patients being treated at the Neuro-oncology clinic of the University of California, San Francisco. Eligible candidates were identified prior to a clinic visit, and patients were asked whether they would like to participate in the survey. Consenting patients then completed the survey at home or in the clinic. Seventy two women completed the survey. Data was analyzed using STATA Software Version 10.0. RESULTS: Analysis of the survey results showed that only 35% of women receiving chemotherapy reported having a discussion regarding fertility preservation prior to beginning treatment. Of those who reported having this discussion, only 80% were aware that chemotherapy could negatively affect their fertility. Many women reported that while fertility preservation was not important to them at the time of diagnosis, it was a priority for them at the time of survey completion. Most women surveyed expressed a desire to have a fertility preservation discussion with a reproductive specialist. CONCLUSIONS: The data obtained in this study suggest a lack of understanding of the negative effects of chemotherapy which may be addressed with a more comprehensive fertility discussion with glioma patients prior to beginning treatment. Although interest in having children tends to decrease after cancer treatment, the majority of respondents still report wanting a child after treatment. The priorities of women in the study reflect a concern for the health of their future offspring which may be best addressed prior to beginning treatment in order to increase their chances of conceiving at a later date.

While the newly envisioned Smart(er) Grid (SG) will result in a more efficient and reliable power grid, its collection and use of fine-grained meter data has widely raised concerns on consumer privacy. While a number of approaches are available for preserving consumer privacy, these approaches are mostly not very practical to be used due to two reasons: First, since the data is hidden, this reduces the ability of the utility company to use the data for distribution state estimation. Secondly and more importantly, the approaches were not tested under realistic wireless infrastructures that are currently in use. In this thesis, a meter data obfuscation approach to preserve consumer privacy is proposed to implement that has the ability to perform distribution state estimation. Then, its performance on LTE and a large-scale Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network built upon the new IEEE 802.11s wireless mesh standard are assessed. LTE/EPC(Evolved Packet Core) model is used between the gateway and the utility. EPC's goal is to improve network performance by the separation of control and data planes and through a flattened IP architecture, which reduces the hierarchy between mobile data elements. Using obfuscation values provided via this approach, the meter readings are obfuscated to protect consumer privacy from eavesdroppers and the utility companies while preserving the utility companies' ability to use the data for state estimation.The impact of this approach on data throughput, delay and packet delivery ratio under a variety of conditions are assessed.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:35:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-02-24Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:46:39Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 zanatta_as_dr_botib.pdf: 464014 bytes, checksum: 38e4cd00fe40771ac221024213068688 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / Atualmente, a filosofia da sustentabilidade ambiental que foca a preocupação com o uso racional dos recursos hídricos e pesqueiros, em particular a aqüicultura, está aumentando em nossa sociedade. Portanto, é preciso empregar esforços compatibilizando processos antagônicos da produção de alimento versus preservação ambiental. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar as possíveis interferências ambientais (limnológicas e ictiológicas) de um empreendimento de tilapicultura em tanques-rede no reservatório de Chavantes (Médio Rio Paranapanema, SP/PR). Para tanto, foram efetuadas 12 coletas mensais (fev/07-jan/08) de variáveis físico químicas da água e da assembléia de peixes em um trecho vicinal ao sistema de tilapicultura (TR) e outro trecho controle (CR). Em relação às variáveis físico químicas da água apenas a temperatura e o oxigênio dissolvido apresentaram diferenças significativas, sendo a primeira mais elevada no trecho TR e a segunda no trecho CR. Para a assembléia de peixes. Independente do trecho amostrado foram capturados 1274 indivíduos (19 espécies), sendo que cinco espécies foram exclusivas do trecho CR. Dentre os atributos ecológicos tanto a riqueza quanto a diversidade de espécies foram significativamente mais elevadas no trecho CR, assim como a dominância foi para o trecho TR. Os resultados diagnosticados para a dominância podem ser atribuídos devido à elevada representatividade de Pimelodus maculatus no trecho TR, espécie oportunista e onívora, o que favorece a sua adaptação à esse ambiente. Estes dados permitem inferir que o sistema de tilapicultura em tanques-rede está causando consecutivos distúrbios ambientais, os quais estão sendo responsáveis por interferir na integridade ambiental resultando em uma reestruturação significativa da assembléia de peixes na área sob influência da tilapicultura no reservatório de Chavantes / Nowadays the environmental care is focusing on the sustainable use thru the rational occupation of the hydric and fishing sources, particularly aquaculture. For this to occur is necessary a deep correlation between the production system and preservation efforts. The present paper focus on the evaluation of the environmental interferences (limnologyc and ictiologyc) caused by Tilapia cage fish farm activities in the Chavantes reservoir (Middle Paranapanema River SP/PR). This work was based on 12 monthly samplings, occurred between February/2007 to January/2008 focusing on the water physicochemical variation and fish assemblage analysis in two areas: influenced (neighborhood) by cage fish farm (TR) and none influenced area (CR). The water physicochemical analyses shone significant alterations only in the temperature (higher in TR) and dissolved oxygen (higher in CR). A total of 1274 specimens were collected and grouped in 19 species with five species exclusive to stretch CR. The ecological analyses of richness and diversity were significantly higher in the CR zone as the dominance index was higher for TR. The dominance index was considered influenced by the Pimelodus maculatus high representativety in the TR area, this species is considered onivore and opportunist what explain its numerical abundance. These data concludes that the Tilapia cage fish farming is causing successive harm to the natural systems, provoking alterations in the fishing assemblages in the Chavantes reservoir

Orientador: Frederico Ozanam Papa / Banca: Rubens Paes de Arruda / Banca: Fernanda da Cruz Landim / Banca: Maria Denise Lopes / Banca: Andre Maciel Crespilho / Resumo: As biotécnicas de refrigeração e congelação podem causar danos irreversíveis à célula espermática devido ao estresse gerado pela queda de temperatura ou, no caso da criopreservação, pela formação de cristais de gelo intracelulares. Estas alterações resultam na diminuição da longevidade do espermatozóide no trato reprodutor da fêmea e, conseqüentemente, na queda dos índices de fertilidade. Sabendo-se que as alterações das características espermática afetam a viabilidade do sêmen sobre as diferentes formas de preservação seminal e que garanhões de diferentes taxas de fertilidade nem sempre apresentam diferenças significativas nas análises seminais padrões, faz-se necessário uma análise mais específica da células espermática, como a avaliação de vários parametros funcionais em células individuais, o que possivelmente reduziria as incertezas inerentes a previsão da fertilidade na avaliação in vitro do sêmen. Para comprovação desta hipótese três experimentos foram realizados. No experimento 1 o objetivo foi identificar e avaliar as principais modificações ocorridas nas características morfofuncionais do sêmen equino estocado a temperatura ambiente (18-22ºC) por um período de 12 horas. No experimento 2 o objetivo foi verificar a possibilidade de modular estas alterações através de duas temperaturas de refrigeração (5ºC e 15ºC), e, no experimento 3, o objetivo foi avaliar e verificar a relação destas alterações com os índices de fertilidade em sêmen congelado. Para os experimentos 1 e 2, três ejaculados de seis diferentes garanhões foram avaliados quanto a cinética espermática através da análise computadorizada do movimento espermático; para a avaliação morfofuncional foram avaliadas a integridade das membranas plasmática... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Cooling and freezing can cause irreversible damage to sperm cells due to the stress generated by the decrease in temperature or, in the case of cryopreservation, the formation of intracellular ice crystals. These changes result in decreased longevity of sperm in the female reproductive tract and, consequently, a decrease in fertility rates. The changes in sperm characteristics affect the viability of the semen, and these changes vary based on the different preservation techniques used to preserve the semen from different stallions. In addition, fertility rates do not always show significant differences in semen analysis patterns. Therefore, a more specific analysis of sperm cells is necessary. This analysis should include a functional assessment of multiple parameters in individual cells, which might reduce uncertainties in the prediction of fertility based on the in vitro evaluation of semen. To test this hypothesis, three experiments were performed. In experiment 1, the objective was to identify and assess the main characteristic morph functional changes in equine semen that is stored at room temperature (18-22°C) for a period of 12 hours. In experiment 2, the objective was to determine the possibility of modulating these changes using two refrigeration temperatures (5°C and 15°C). In experiment 3, the objective was to evaluate and compare the influence of these changes on fertility rates between semen at various temperatures and in frozen semen. For experiments 1 and 2, the sperm kinetics of three different ejaculates from six stallions were evaluated using a computerized analysis of sperm motility. For morphological and functional assessments, the following parameters were evaluated: plasma and acrosomal membrane integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential, rate of DNA fragmentation, caspase activation and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Orientador: Elias Taylor Durgante Severo / Coorientador: Fred Willians Calonego / Banca: Ademilson Coneglian / Banca: Cláudio Angeli Sansíglo / Resumo: A preservação química de madeira para uso rural é feita, na grande maioria dos casos, utilizando-se a espécie Corymbia citriodora. Essa espécie tem sido a mais aceita no mercado embora sua tecnologia silvicultural e melhoramento genético tenha ficado aquém de outras espécies de Eucalyptus spp. Assim o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de várias espécies de Eucalyptos spp. para substituir o Corymbia citriodora no tratamento preservativo industrial. Para isso foram empregados 3 tratamentos que variavam o tempo de pressão em autoclave, contendo cada um deles 9 espécies comerciais de Eucalyptus spp., com 5 repetições cada. As espécies selecionadas foram extraídas de um mesmo povoamento com 4 anos de idade, e mourões com classe de diâmetro de 10 a 16 cm. Foram utilizados os tratamentos embasaram-se no processo industrial de preservação com variação do tempo de pressão entre 30 minutos, 1 hora e 2 horas. Foram avaliados a massa específica a 0% de umidade, rachaduras e fendas das peças de madeiras e a penetração e a retenção do produto químico CCA-C nos mourões das diferentes espécies. O maior índice de rachaduras de topo do mourão foi observado na espécie E. urophylla x E. grandis I-144 5,9 mm e o menor índice de rachadura de topo foi da espécie E. camaldulensis VM-58 1,2 mm, e o maior índice de abertura de fenda de topo de mourão observada foi para a espécie E. urophylla I-220 com 25,9 mm e o menor índice de abertura de fenda de topo foi da espécie E. urophylla x E. grandis VM19 com 9,3 mm. Conclui-se que é possível a substituição do C. citriodora por novas espécies para uso como mourão preservado quimicamente. Os resultados demonstraram a eficiência do tratamento preservativo nas diferentes espécies com valores de retenção que variaram entre 5,2 e 11,7 kg/m³, respectivamente para as espécies Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis GG100 / Abstract: The preservation of wood chemistry for rural use is made, in most cases, utilizing the type Corymbia citriodora. This species has been widely accepted in the market though its silviculture and genetic improvement technology has lagged behind other species of Eucalyptus spp. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of Eucalytus spp. to replace the Corymbia citriodora in industrial preservative treatment. For that three treatments were applied time varying pressure in an autoclave, each containing nine commercial species of Eucalyptus sp., with 5 replications. The species used were extracted from the same stand 4 years of age and class diameter of 10 to 16 cm. The treatments used in the industrial process of conservation with time-varyng pressure from 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours. We evaluated the density at 0% moisture, cracks and crevices of wood and the penetration and retention of the chemical CCA-C stakes in the different species. The highest top the gatepost end checks were observed in the species E. urophylla x E. grandis I-144 5,9 mm and the lowest was end checks top the species E. camaldulensis VM-58 1,2 mm, and the highest rate of crack opening top of gatepost was observed for the species E. urophylla x E. grandis I-220 with 25,9 mm and the lowest opening slot top was kind of E. urophylla x E. grandis VM-19 with 9,3 mm. It is concluded that it is possible to replace C. citriodora by new species for use as a gatepost chemically preserved. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of preservative treatment in different species with retention values ranging between 5,2 and 11,7 kg/m³, respectively for the species E. urophylla x E. grandis GG-100 half four with pressure and E. urophylla x E. grandis VM-19 with 2 hours of pressure, allowing a wide variation to differentiate and characterize the species studied / Mestre

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:30:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2012-09-28Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:27:07Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 lima_fcc_me_botfca.pdf: 674462 bytes, checksum: c3701abef9b3816bc3df3115365aa2dd (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A preservação química de madeira para uso rural é feita, na grande maioria dos casos, utilizando-se a espécie Corymbia citriodora. Essa espécie tem sido a mais aceita no mercado embora sua tecnologia silvicultural e melhoramento genético tenha ficado aquém de outras espécies de Eucalyptus spp. Assim o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de várias espécies de Eucalyptos spp. para substituir o Corymbia citriodora no tratamento preservativo industrial. Para isso foram empregados 3 tratamentos que variavam o tempo de pressão em autoclave, contendo cada um deles 9 espécies comerciais de Eucalyptus spp., com 5 repetições cada. As espécies selecionadas foram extraídas de um mesmo povoamento com 4 anos de idade, e mourões com classe de diâmetro de 10 a 16 cm. Foram utilizados os tratamentos embasaram-se no processo industrial de preservação com variação do tempo de pressão entre 30 minutos, 1 hora e 2 horas. Foram avaliados a massa específica a 0% de umidade, rachaduras e fendas das peças de madeiras e a penetração e a retenção do produto químico CCA-C nos mourões das diferentes espécies. O maior índice de rachaduras de topo do mourão foi observado na espécie E. urophylla x E. grandis I-144 5,9 mm e o menor índice de rachadura de topo foi da espécie E. camaldulensis VM-58 1,2 mm, e o maior índice de abertura de fenda de topo de mourão observada foi para a espécie E. urophylla I-220 com 25,9 mm e o menor índice de abertura de fenda de topo foi da espécie E. urophylla x E. grandis VM19 com 9,3 mm. Conclui-se que é possível a substituição do C. citriodora por novas espécies para uso como mourão preservado quimicamente. Os resultados demonstraram a eficiência do tratamento preservativo nas diferentes espécies com valores de retenção que variaram entre 5,2 e 11,7 kg/m³, respectivamente para as espécies Eucalyptus urophylla x Eucalyptus grandis GG100 / The preservation of wood chemistry for rural use is made, in most cases, utilizing the type Corymbia citriodora. This species has been widely accepted in the market though its silviculture and genetic improvement technology has lagged behind other species of Eucalyptus spp. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential of Eucalytus spp. to replace the Corymbia citriodora in industrial preservative treatment. For that three treatments were applied time varying pressure in an autoclave, each containing nine commercial species of Eucalyptus sp., with 5 replications. The species used were extracted from the same stand 4 years of age and class diameter of 10 to 16 cm. The treatments used in the industrial process of conservation with time-varyng pressure from 30 minutes, 1 hour and 2 hours. We evaluated the density at 0% moisture, cracks and crevices of wood and the penetration and retention of the chemical CCA-C stakes in the different species. The highest top the gatepost end checks were observed in the species E. urophylla x E. grandis I-144 5,9 mm and the lowest was end checks top the species E. camaldulensis VM-58 1,2 mm, and the highest rate of crack opening top of gatepost was observed for the species E. urophylla x E. grandis I-220 with 25,9 mm and the lowest opening slot top was kind of E. urophylla x E. grandis VM-19 with 9,3 mm. It is concluded that it is possible to replace C. citriodora by new species for use as a gatepost chemically preserved. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of preservative treatment in different species with retention values ranging between 5,2 and 11,7 kg/m³, respectively for the species E. urophylla x E. grandis GG-100 half four with pressure and E. urophylla x E. grandis VM-19 with 2 hours of pressure, allowing a wide variation to differentiate and characterize the species studied

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O transplante hepÃtico à o tratamento padrÃo para os portadores de doenÃa hepÃtica terminal. Com o refinamento da tÃcnica cirÃrgica, melhoria da eficÃcia dos imunossupressores, o entendimento da lesÃo de isquemia-reperfusÃo e o uso de soluÃÃes de preservaÃÃo mais fisiolÃgicas, houve um aumento considerÃvel da sobrevida do enxerto hepÃtico, e consequentemente, da sobrevida do paciente. A soluÃÃo de preservaÃÃo de Collins à a mais simples e a mais econÃmica, sendo utilizada desde 1969 principalmente no transplante renal. A soluÃÃo de Belzer à a mais utilizada mundialmente e preserva o enxerto hepÃtico por um perÃodo maior, entretanto com um custo mais elevado. O presente estudo compara 2 esquemas de perfusÃo hepÃtica utilizando a soluÃÃo de Collins e Belzer. A diferenÃa entre os dois grupos à que a soluÃÃo de Belzer infundida pela veia porta à substituÃda pela soluÃÃo de Collins. Foram avaliados 49 pacientes submetidos a transplante hepÃtico com doador falecido no Hospital UniversitÃrio Walter CantÃdio da Universidade Federal do CearÃ. A funÃÃo hepÃtica apÃs o transplante foi avaliada atravÃs das concentraÃÃes sÃricas de AST, ALT, Bilirrubinas e valores de INR (RelaÃÃo Normatizada Internacional do tempo de protrombina) no primeiro e sÃtimo dia pÃs-operatÃrio. O tempo de isquemia fria foi menor que 10 horas em todos os pacientes. NÃo houve diferenÃa entre os dois grupos nos parÃmetros analisados, exceto no INR do grupo em que foi infundida soluÃÃo de Collins na veia porta, que foi maior no 1 PO. Os dois esquemas de preservaÃÃo hepÃtica podem ser utilizados com seguranÃa, desde que observado um tempo de isquemia fria menor que 10 horas. Houve uma reduÃÃo do custo do transplante no grupo que utilizou um menor volume da soluÃÃo de Belzer / The hepatic transplant is the standard treatment for terminal hepatic illness. With the refinement of the surgical technique, improvement of the effectiveness of the immunosuppressive drugs, the better knowledge of the reperfusion injury and the use of more physiological solutions of preservation, had a considerable increase of the survival of hepatic graft. The Collinsâ preservation solution used since 1969 , in renal transplant, is simplest and most economic preservation solution. The Belzerâs solution is used world wide and preserves hepatic graft for a longer period, although more expensive. The present study it compares 2 projects of hepatic perfusion using the Collins and Belzerâs solution. The difference between the two groups is that the Belzerâs solution perfused for the portal vein is substituted by the solution of Collins. At Walter CantÃdio Hospital of the Federal University of the Cearà 49 patients submitted to hepatic transplant of deceased donors graft were evaluated. The hepatic function after the transplant was evaluated through parameters AST, ALT, INR and Bilirubin in first and the seventh postoperative day. The time of cold ischemia was less than 10 hours in all the patients. There was no difference between the two groups in the analyzed parameters, except in the INR of the group where Collinsâ solution in the portal vein was perfused, which was greater in the 1 postoperative day. The two projects of hepatic preservation can be used with security, as the cold ischemia time is less than 10 hours, however, it had a reduction of the cost of the liver transplant in the group that used a lesser volume of the solution of Belzer.

Submitted by Pedro Henrique Rodrigues (pedro.henriquer@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-04T18:21:26Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao.pdf: 3554160 bytes, checksum: c0e2e7174583a750223705de5cd01844 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T18:21:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao.pdf: 3554160 bytes, checksum: c0e2e7174583a750223705de5cd01844 (MD5) license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-02 / FACEPE / In the development of critical systems it is common practise to make use of redundancy in order to achieve higher levels of reliability. There are well established design patterns that introduce redundancy and that are widely documented in the literature and adopted by the industry. However there have been few attempts to formally verify them with respect to behavioural preservation. In this work, we purpose an approach to specify such design patterns, called here fault tolerant patterns, using HOL. We use the theorem prover HOL4 to prove the compositionality and correctness of the fault tolerant patterns. We illustrate our approach by modelling three classical fault tolerant patterns: homogeneous redundancy, heterogeneous redundancy and triple modular redundancy. Our model takes into account that the original system (without redundancy) computes a certain function with some delay and is amenable to random failures. In order to prove that a fault tolerant pattern preserves the behaviour of its subsystems, we defined new notions of refinement. Systems engineers commonly accept the fact that fault tolerant patterns do not change the functionality of a system. However, this practise is not compatible with the classical refinement notions. Thus we defined axiomatic notions of refinement to prove that the formalised fault tolerant patterns preserve the behaviour of its subsystems. We also proved that our fault tolerant patterns are compositional in the sense that we can apply fault tolerant patterns consecutively and for an arbitrary number of times. The result of that is still a system whose delay, failure model and functionality can be systematically discovered (by proof) with almost no effort. In order to illustrate the usage of the patterns we applied the triple modular redundancy pattern to a simplified avionic Elevator Control System. We showed that once a fault tolerant pattern is verified, the application of it to a specific system and the proof of the behavioural preservation of the resulting system becomes trivial. This work has been done in collaboration with the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.

As society becomes increasingly reliant on information technology for data exchange and long-term data storage the need for a system of data management to document and provide access to the 'societal memory' is becoming imperative. An examination of both the literature and current 'best practice' underlines the absence to date of a proven universal conceptual basis to digital data preservation. The examination of differences in nature and sources of origin, between traditional 'print-based' and digital objects leads to a re-appraisal of current practices of data selection and preservation. The need to embrace past, present and future metadata developments in a rapidly changing environment is considered. Various hypotheses were formulated and supported regarding: the similarities and differences required in selection criteria for different types of Digital Data Objects (DDOs), the ability to define universal threshold standards for a framework of metadata for digital data preservation, and the role of selection criteria in such a framework. The research uses Soft Systems Methodology to investigate the potential of the metadata concept as the key to universal data management. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore the attitudes of information professionals in the United Kingdom towards the challenges facing information-dependent organisations attempting to preserve digital data over the long-term. In particular, the nature of DDOs being encountered by stakeholders, the reasons, policies, and procedures for preserving them, together with a range of specific issues such as: the role of metadata, access to, and rights management of DDOs. The societal need for selection to ensure efficient long-term access is considered. Drawing on - SSM modelling, this research develops a flexible, long-term management framework for digital data at a level higher than metadata, with selection as an essential component. The framework's conceptual feasibility has been examined from both financial and societal benefit perspectives, together with the recognition of constraints. The super-metadata framework provides a possible systematic approach to managing a wide range of digital data in a variety of formats, created/owned by a spectrum of information-dependent organisations.