No description available.

The main objective of this thesis is to develop novel misfit functions for full-waveform inversion such that (a) the estimation of the long-wavelength model will less likely stagnate in spurious local minima and (b) the inversion is immune to wavelet inaccuracy. First, I investigate the pros and cons of misfit functions based on optimal transport theory to indicate the traveltime discrepancy for seismic data. Even though the mathematically well-defined optimal transport theory is robust to highlight the traveltime difference between two probability distributions, it becomes restricted as applied to seismic data mainly because the seismic data are not probability distribution functions. We then develop a misfit function combining the local cross-correlation and dynamic time warping. This combination enables the proposed misfit automatically identify arrivals associated with a phase shift. Numerical and field data examples demonstrate its robustness for early arrivals and limitations for later arrivals.%, which means that a proper pre-processing step is still required. Next, we introduce differentiable dynamic time warping distance as the misfit function highlighting the traveltime discrepancy without non-trivial human intervention. Compared to the conventional warping distance, the differentiable version retains the property of representing the traveltime difference; moreover, it can eliminate abrupt changes in the adjoint source, which helps full-waveform inversion converge to geologically relevant estimates. Finally, we develop a misfit function entitled the deconvolutional double-difference measurement. The new misfit measures the first difference by deconvolution rather than cross-correlation. We also present the derivation of the adjoint source with the new misfit function. Numerical examples and mathematical proof demonstrate that this modification makes full-waveform inversion with the deconvolutional double-difference measurement immune to wavelet inaccuracy.

Agroecosystem sustainability as a framework for agriculture production systems requires attention to detail to multiple facets of the underlying production system. Production systems must achieve optimal cash crop yields while remaining profitable. Likewise, production practices must be tailored to reduce its environmental footprint. Identifying practices that encourage improved soil physical and chemical properties while maintaining yields have largely been challenging. Cover crops have been an integral part of the conversation regarding practices that can generally improve those properties of soil responsible for overall soil health. Use of winter cereal cover crops (WCCC’s) have shown promise as a tool for reducing soil and nutrient run-off, thereby reducing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) nonpoint source pollution in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). However, corn-cash crop yield penalties are often incurred following the use of WCCC’s such as winter cereal rye (Secale cereal) (WCR), as N is immobilized by cover crop residues in the decomposition processes. Additionally, traditional planting methods of cover crops have resulted in reductions of harvestable populations of corn and soybeans. These problems indicate a necessity for novel cover crop planting methods that reduce the consequential outcomes of implementing traditional cover crop practices. Using a method called “Skipping the corn row” (STCR), otherwise identified as “precision planted” cover crops, we aimed to reduce the cash crop yield-limiting interactions of cover crop residues within the cash crop row. We hypothesized that removing cover crop biomass from the subsequently planted cash crop row (chapter 1) could minimize N immobilization by residues, thereby increasing our subsequent yield potential and economic optimum return to N (EORN). In novel cover crop planting methods preceding soybeans (chapter 3), our hypothesis indicated that mixtures of WCR and crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) would impact biomass accumulation of weed communities, while novel measures that allowed for reduced seeding rates would permit competitive soybean yields while reducing input costs for cover crop seed. Chapter 2 focused on interseeding mixtures of WCR and crimson clover, where we hypothesized that residual rates would marginally impact percent cover of WCR and crimson clover mixtures. Our results indicated, in chapter one, that reducing seeding rate by using STCR planting method did indeed drive seed cost savings while improving yield and EORN in comparison to a traditionally planted cover crop. Our results in chapter 3 also indicated reduced seeding rates found in novel planting methods improved the on-farm economics of using cover crops while maintaining healthy soybean yields. Lower-than-average rainfall accumulations later in the growing season coupled with cover crop residues likely influenced soil moisture retention, benefiting the cash crop during the dry spell, helping maintain yields. Interseeding methods, as studied in chapter 2, did not show any significant impact on corn grain yield or yield components. Subsequently, half- and full-rate residual herbicides did not impact percent cover of cover crops. However, use of residual herbicides should be consistent with all herbicide labels and laws, and producers should use label-recommended amounts to maintain maximum efficacy of herbicides and to prevent resistant weed populations. Also, interseeded cover crops failed to successfully establish, resulting in minimal cover crop biomass in later sampling dates.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第24996号 / 医博第5030号 / 新制||医||1069(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 齊藤 博英, 教授 滝田 順子, 教授 小川 誠司 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

No description available.

During the 2000 presidential race, then Texas Governor George W. Bush advocated transforming and reforming how the Department of Defense (DoD) acquires new weapon systems. He promised a "revolution" that would "skip a generation of technology," in order to "move on to futuristic weapons without necessarily buying all those in development." This thesis examines President Bush's proposal and analyzes the potential impact on DoD and the defense industry. Ultimately the research revealed that there are ways to improve the acquisition process and protect the defense industry. The primary conclusion of the research is that it is feasible to skip current weapon systems in development, in order to begin research and development of the next-generation weapon systems. However, DoD will be impacted through higher operations and sustainment (O & S) costs to sustain existing weapon systems if weapon systems currently in development are skipped. The acquisition professionals that participated in this study believe these O & S costs could increase up to 10% per year for anywhere from five to 20 years depending on the type of system. This thesis makes additional recommendations and areas of further research. / Captain, United States Marine Corps

L’épissage en cis des précurseurs d’ARN messager (pre-ARNm) est une stratégie intéressante afin de réparer des gènes dont la régulation transcriptionnelle est déterminante pour la fonction de la protéine. Les mutations touchant le gène dysferline (DYSF) sont liées au développement de dystrophies musculaires: la dystrophie musculaire des ceintures de type 2B et la myopathie distale de Miyoshi. Une stratégie à modifier l’épissage en cis des pre-ARNm du gène DYSF est le procédé SMaRT (pour spliceosome-mediated mRNA trans-splicing), une technique de réparation de l'ARN messager au moyen d'un complexe de trans-épissage appelé PTM (pour pre-mRNA trans-splicing molecule). Le procédé SMaRT utilisant le complexe PTM permet le remplacement d’importantes portions de pre-ARNm tout en préservant l’intégrité totale du transcrit. Dans un soucis d’obtenir un trans-epissage efficace, seuls les introns codant pour les pre-ARNm de DYSF présentant de forts signaux d’épissage répartis de façon disparate ainsi que des tailles très différentes furent ciblées par les PTMs dans des myoblasts humains ne possédant pas de dysferlin. Le trans-épissage de deux introns ciblés du gène DYSF engendra une formation correcte de la protéine dysferlin dans des mutants DYSF-/- de souris. Les niveaux de protéine fonctionnelle furent toutefois modérés, mais similaires aux taux de récupération obtenus par des stratégies précédentes de trans-épissage ciblant d’autres gènes. Néanmoins, parmi les introns ciblés avec succès dans cette étude et dans des essais précédents, des critères concordants ont pu être identifiés afin de faciliter le choix des introns à cibler pour de futures stratégies de trans-épissage. / RNA-based therapy is an approach to cure genetic disorders with no intervention into endogenous spatiotemporal gene regulation. I established two approaches for the dysferlin gene, (i) spliceosome-mediated pre-mRNA trans-splicing (SmaRT) and (ii) exon-skipping, in order to rescue dysferlin mutations leading to Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy 2B and Miyoshi Myopathy. SmaRT permits the correction of numerous mutations of a gene by a single pre-mRNA trans-splicing molecule (PTM) by exchanging multiple exons of a gene for a healthy mRNA sequence. The PTM binds to intronic sequence and competes with the endogenous pre-mRNA for the binding of the spliceosome. I designed PTMs to exchange the 3’ part of the dysferlin messenger and determined two functioning PTMs bytransduction of human myoblasts and intramuscular injection in wild-type and DYSF-/- mice and could show dysferlin protein rescue in DYSF-/- mice.By exon-skipping exons carrying mutations can be excised from pre-mRNA in masking exon or intron internal sequences defining the exon in the splicing process. I employed antisense oligonucleotides (AONs) of tricyclo-DNA in order to excise dysferlin exon 32. It was shown to be particularly feasible for systemic application, making it suitable for diseases affecting different compartments of skeletal muscle and other organs. The dysferlin exon 32 has been shown to be dispensable for known functions of the dysferlin protein. I designed tc-DNA AONs leading to efficient skipping in patient myoblasts and in wild-type mice following intramuscular injection. I am collaborating to investigate effects of exon 32 skipping in an Exon-32-STOP mouse model.

Ground reaction force (GRF) data collected and synchronized with film data to determine peak GRF and calculate moments about ankle and knee during rope skipping. Two, five minute conditions were analyzed for 10 subjects. Condition 1 was set rate and style. Condition 2 was subjects' own rate and style. Means and standard deviations were reported for peak GRF, ankle and knee moments. One way ANOVAs reported no significant difference between conditions for variables measured. Efficiency and nature of well phased impacts during rope skipping may be determined by combination of GRF, similarities in magnitude and direction of joint moments, and sequencing of segmental movements. Technique and even distribution of force across articulations appear more important than magnitudes of force produced by given styles.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(医学) / 甲第19229号 / 医博第4028号 / 新制||医||1011(附属図書館) / 32228 / 京都大学大学院医学研究科医学専攻 / (主査)教授 髙橋 良輔, 教授 妻木 範行, 教授 井上 治久 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Medical Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

Given the high prevalence of childhood overweight, school-based programs aiming at nutritional behavior may be a good starting point for community-based interventions. Therefore, we investigated associations between school-related meal patterns and weight status in 1215 schoolchildren. Anthropometry was performed on-site in schools. Children reported their meal habits, and parents provided family-related information via questionnaires. Associations between nutritional behavior and weight status were estimated using hierarchical linear and logistic regression. Analyses were adjusted for age, socio–economic status, school type, migration background, and parental weight status. Having breakfast was associated with a lower BMI-SDS (βadj = −0.51, p = 0.004) and a lower risk of being overweight (ORadj = 0.30, p = 0.009), while having two breakfasts resulting in stronger associations (BMI-SDS: βadj = −0.66, p < 0.001; risk of overweight: ORadj = 0.22, p = 0.001). Likewise, children who regularly skipped breakfast on school days showed stronger associations (BMI-SDS: β = 0.49, p < 0.001; risk of overweight: OR = 3.29, p < 0.001) than children who skipped breakfast only occasionally (BMI-SDS: β = 0.43, p < 0.001; risk of overweight: OR = 2.72, p = 0.032). The associations persisted after controlling for parental SES and weight status. Therefore, our data confirm the school setting as a suitable starting point for community-based interventions and may underline the necessity of national programs providing free breakfast and lunch to children.