No description available.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Display technologies in the current market range from the simple and cheap incandescent bulb behind a graphic overlay to the upwardly expensive flat panel high definition plasma display. To provide a foundation of understanding for Light Emitting Polymers (LEP), samples were imaged in a scanning electron microscope. This was preformed to identify a potential method for answering questions on polymer charge mobility and diffusion mechanisms, which are currently unknown. Light Emitting Polymer (LEP) displays offer a viable alternative to the active matrix style, when an application calls for information to be sent in a simple visible format. By using the flexibility of the fabrication process, LEP displays can be applied to offer a low cost, lightweight, and durable means of communicating information during shipboard damage control and firefighting. A unique screen printing method was used in collaboration with Add-Vision, to produce a prototype that was designed, fabricated and tested for use in Naval shipboard firefighting evolutions. The application of the LEP technology to shipboard damage control was motivated by the experience gained from being both the Officer in Charge of a Naval Firefighting School and from time in the Fleet as a Damage Control Officer. / Lieutenant, United States Naval Reserve

Pathogenic Yersinia cause a manifold of diseases in humans ranging from mild gastroenteritis (Y. pseudotuberculosis and Y. enterocolitica) to pneumonic and bubonic plague (Y. pestis), while all three have a common virulence strategy that relies on a well-studied type III secretion system and its effector proteins to colonize the host and evade immune responses. However, the role of other protein secretion and/or translocation systems in virulence of Yersinia species is not well known. In this thesis, we sought to investigate the contribution of twin-arginine translocation (Tat) pathway and its secreted substrates to the physiology and virulence of Y. pseudotuberculosis. Tat pathway uniquely exports folded proteins including virulence factors across the cytoplasmic membranes of bacteria. The proteins exported by Tat pathway contain a highly conserved twin-arginine motif in the N-terminal signal peptide. We found that the loss of Tat pathway causes a drastic change of the transcriptome of Y. pseudotuberculosis in stationary phase at environmental temperature with differential regulation of genes involved in virulence, carbon metabolism and stress responses. Phenotypic analysis revealed novel phenotypes of the Tat-deficient strain with defects in iron acquisition, acid resistance, copper oxidation and envelope integrity, which we were partly able to associate with the related Tat substrates. Moreover, increased glucose consumption and accumulation of intracellular fumarate were observed in response to inactivation of Tat pathway implicating a generic effect in cellular physiology. We evaluated the direct role of 22 in silico predicted Tat substrate mutants in the mouse infection model and found only one strain, ΔsufI, exhibited a similar degree of attenuation as Tat-deficient strain. Comparative in vivo characterization studies demonstrated a minor defect for ΔsufI in colonization of intestinal tissues compared to the Tat-deficient strain during early infection, whereas both SufI and TatC were required for dissemination from mesenteric lymph nodes and further systemic spread during late infection. This verifies that SufI has a major role in attenuation seen for the Tat deficient strain both during late infection and initial colonization. It is possible that other Tat substrates such as those involved in iron acquisition and copper resistance also has a role in establishing infection. Further phenotypic analysis indicated that SufI function is required for cell division and stress-survival. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that the highest number of differentially regulated genes in response to loss of Tat and SufI were involved in metabolism and transport. Taken together, this thesis presents a thorough analysis of the involvement of Tat pathway in the overall physiology and virulence strategies of Y. pseudotuberculosis. Finally, we propose that strong effects in virulence render TatC and SufI as potential targets for development of novel antimicrobial compounds

No description available.

With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), wireless body area networks (WBANs) are becoming increasingly pervasive in everyday life. Most WBANs are currently working at the IEEE 802.15.4 Zigbee standard. However there are growing interests to investigate the performance of BANs operating at higher frequencies (e.g. millimetre-wave band), due to the advantages offered compared to those operating at lower microwave frequencies. This thesis aims to realise printed conductive traces on flexible substrates, targeted for high frequency wearable electronics applications. Specifically, investigations were performed in the areas pertaining to the surface modification of substrates and the electrical performance of printed interconnects. Firstly, a novel methodology was proposed to characterise the dielectric properties of a non-woven fabric (Tyvek) up to 20 GHz. This approach utilised electromagnetic (EM) simulation to improve the analytical equations based on transmission line structures, in order to improve the accuracy of the conductor loss values in the gigahertz range. To reduce the substrate roughness, an UV-curable insulator was used to form a planarisation layer on a non-porous substrate via inkjet printing. The results obtained demonstrated the importance of matching the surface energy of the substrate to the ink to minimise the ink de-wetting phenomenon, which was possible within the parameters of heating the platen. Furthermore, the substrate surface roughness was observed to affect the printed line width significantly, and a surface roughness factor was introduced in the equation of Smith et al. to predict the printed line width on a substrate with non-negligible surface roughness (Ra ≤ 1 μm). Silver ink de-wetting was observed when overprinting silver onto the UV-cured insulator, and studies were performed to investigate the conditions for achieving electrically conductive traces using commercial ink formulations, where the curing equipment may be non-optimal. In particular, different techniques were used to characterise the samples at different stages in order to evaluate the surface properties and printability, and to ascertain if measurable resistances could be predicted. Following the results obtained, it was demonstrated that measurable resistance could be obtained for samples cured under an ambient atmosphere, which was verified on Tyvek samples. Lastly, a methodology was proposed to model for the non-ideal characteristics of printed transmission lines to predict the high frequency electrical performance of those structures. The methodology was validated on transmission line structures of different lengths up to 30 GHz, where a good correlation was obtained between simulation and measurement results. Furthermore, the results obtained demonstrate the significance of the paste levelling effect on the extracted DC conductivity values, and the need for accurate DC conductivity values in the modelling of printed interconnects.

Surface mining of coal in the country leaves a lot of damage. This type of mining is characterized by the creation of large external dumps. The dumps often contain substrates with toxic substances or substances which become toxic after reaction with air. These substrates are toxic to plants and edaphon. This work is intended to show what properties of substrates are important for phytotoxicity. The location of research was selected including 3 different kinds of substrates, terrain unevenness and a lagoon in the middle. Coordinate grid has been created on the selected location. At each point a test was conducted with plant Sinapis alba and biomass was extracted from a naturally growing vegetation. Further, at the points substrates were collected and values of pH, conductivity and arsenic were measured. Test with plant Sinapis alba was repeated in the laboratory conditions as well. On site GPS coordinates were measured for the mathematical model created in ArcGIS. Experiment has shown the importance of the type of substrate and the geologic description, and then the association between dejection, value of pH and conductivity. Conductivity and pH levels also correlate with the germination Sinapis alba and biomass of naturally growing vegetation.

Ce travail concerne l'intégration, par épitaxie sous jets moléculaires (EJM), de matériaux nitrures d’éléments III (en particulier GaN) sur des substrats et couches tremplins à base d’oxyde de zinc (ZnO). L’objectif était la réalisation et l’étude d’hétérostructures nitrures de type puits quantiques (PQs) (Al,Ga)N/GaN et (In,Ga)N/GaN, en vue d’évaluer leurs potentialités pour la réalisation de diodes électroluminescentes (LEDs). En particulier, deux orientations cristallographiques ont été étudiées : le plan « polaire » (0001) (dit plan C) et le plan « non polaire » (11-20) (dit plan A). Les couches de GaN orientées suivant le plan A (11-20), « a-GaN », ont été épitaxiées sur des tremplins de (Zn, Mg)O (11-20) / saphir (10-12) réalisés par EJM. L’anisotropie de la morphologie de surface, de la microstructure cristalline, ainsi que de l'émission optique des couches de a-GaN, a été mise en évidence. Une série d'échantillons de PQs de a-(GaN/Al0.2Ga0.8N) avec des épaisseurs de puits différentes a été fabriquée, et l'absence d’effet Stark quantique confiné dans ces hétérostructures a été établie. Des procédés de croissance de GaN sur des substrats de ZnO massifs d’orientation A, « a-ZnO », et C, « c-ZnO », ont également été développés. En particulier, des couches de GaN (0001), « c-GaN », avec une polarité Ga- ou N- ont été épitaxiées sur la face O de substrats c-ZnO. Les mécanismes de détermination de la polarité ont été analysés. Des LEDs bleues contenant une zone active constituée de PQs (In, Ga)N / GaN ont été réalisées sur des substrats c-ZnO. Des puissances de sortie atteignant 40 µW à 20 mA et 0,1 mW à 60 mA ont été mesurées. Enfin, des PQs (In, Ga)N / GaN ont été fabriqués sur substrats a-ZnO et comparés à des PQs fabriqués sur c-ZnO avec des conditions de croissance équivalentes. Les résultats indiquent une concentration en In plus importante dans le cas des PQs épitaxiés sur c-ZnO et une polarisation de l’émission de PL suivant la direction <1-100> dans le cas des PQs épitaxiés sur a-ZnO. / This work focus on the integration of III-nitride materials, by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), on ZnO based templates and substrates. The objective is to explore the potential of (Al,Ga)N/GaN and (In,Ga)N/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) grown on ZnO for the fabrication of light emitting diodes (LEDs). In particular, two crystal orientations are studied: the polar (0001) plane (c-plane) and the nonpolar (11-20) plane (a-plane). The structural and optical properties of epitaxial layers are mainly characterized by AFM, SEM, XRD, TEM and PL. A-plane (11-20) GaN layers have been grown on a-(Zn,Mg)O/r-sapphire templates by MBE. The surface morphology, the crystal microstructure, as well as the optical emission of a-GaN layers show strong anisotropic properties. A series of a-plane Al0.2Ga0.8N/GaN MQWs with different well thicknesses have been fabricated and the absence of quantum confined Stark effect in these nonopolar heterostructures has been evidenced. Processes of growing GaN on both c- and a- plane bulk ZnO substrates have been developed. In particular, GaN layers with either Ga- or N- polarities have been grown on O face ZnO, and their polarity determination mechanisms have been analyzed. (In,Ga)N/GaN MQWs based blue LEDs have been demonstrated on c- ZnO substrates. Output powers of 40 µW at 20 mA and 0.1 mW at 60 mA have been measured. Finally, a-plane (In,Ga)N/GaN MQWs are fabricated on bulk a-ZnO substrates and compared with c-plane MQWs grown under similar conditions. PL measurements indicate that a-plane MQWs exhibit a lower In incorporation efficiency and a polarized emission along <1-100> direction.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Jason J. Griffin / Heat and drought tolerance make shantung maple (Acer truncatum) and caddo sugar maple (A. saccharum) good candidates for midwestern landscapes. Improving cutting propagation or mound layering techniques could increase the availability of these species. The influence of time of year, cutting position, and auxin concentration, formulation, and solvent on rooting of stem cuttings of shantung maple was investigated. Semi-hardwood cuttings rooted best (55%). Generally, rooting percentage decreased as indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) concentration increased. Cutting position, auxin formulation, and solvent did not affect rooting. Mean root number and mean root length were unaffected by treatments. Results suggest semi-hardwood cuttings and low IBA concentrations [< 2500 ppm (0.25%)] promote rooting. Auxin concentration influenced rooting of caddo and shantung maple mound layered shoots. Rooting peaked at 15,000 ppm (1.5%) IBA for both caddo (71%) and shantung maples (34%). Mean root number for caddo, but not shantung, increased as IBA concentration increased. Differences in mean root length were not significant. Growers may now propagate caddo maple by mound layering. For shantung maple propagation, stem cuttings are recommended. Propagation substrates can strongly influence rooting success of stem cuttings. Eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) chips (ERC) have been suggested as a propagation substrate component. This report investigated ERC as a perlite substitute in a 3 perlite: 1 sphagnum peat moss (v/v) rooting substrate. Stem cuttings of spreading euonymus (Euonymus kiautschovicus), forsythia (Forsythia x intermedia), English ivy (Hedera helix), lantana (Lantana camara), and coleus (Solenostemon scutellarioides) were rooted in substrates containing increasing concentrations of ERC hammer milled to pass a 4.8 mm (0.19 in) screen. All species rooted well (≥95%) in all substrates except forsythia which rooted poorly in all substrates (8% to 36%). ERC did not affect mean root number or mean root length in any species except spreading euonymus where mean root number peaked at 0% and 100% ERC content and mean root length decreased with increasing ERC content. Bulk density, container capacity, and total porosity increased as ERC replaced perlite. Physical properties of all substrates were suitable for cutting propagation. ERC can effectively replace perlite in rooting substrates for many ornamental species.

As mudanças climáticas devido às ações antrópicas tendem a alterar diversos fatores ambientais, entre eles a temperatura. Um recente prognóstico sobre a elevação da temperatura menciona que em uma escala otimista a temperatura na Terra se elevará em 1.8 graus C até 2100. Esta alteração pode causar diversas modificações nos processos fisiológicos, justificando a realização de estudos para avaliar os efeitos da temperatura na fisiologia dos animais. A Bacia do Paraíba do Sul há muito tempo, vem sofrendo com ações antrópicas, culminando no risco de extinção de espécies endêmicas, sendo este o caso do surubim do Paraíba, Steindachneridion parahybae. Com a possível elevação da temperatura ambiental o risco de extinção da espécie pode se tornar ainda mais eminente, sendo assim, o objetivo do presente trabalho é avaliar se a variação da temperatura da água, dentro dos valores previstos na escala otimista, de 1,8 graus C influencia o crescimento e as respostas fisiológicos dos juvenis de surubim do Paraíba. Foi estabelecido um modelo experimental no qual dois tanques foram cobertos com uma estufa de plástico (grupo Estufa) e outros dois tanques permaneceram sem cobertura (grupo Sem Estufa), com um número inicial de 100 peixes em cada tanque. Nos meses de setembro de 2009 (início), novembro de 2009, janeiro e março de 2010 foram realizadas biometrias em todos os animais, obtendo-se os dados morfométricos e ponderais, além de calcular os seguintes parâmetros zootécnicos: índice hepatossomático (IHS), fator de condição (K), crescimento relativo (CR), taxa de crescimento específico diária (CE), coeficiente de variação (CV), eficiência alimentar (EA) e sobrevivência (S). Amostras dos tecidos musculares e hepáticos, além do plasma foram coletadas em 5 animais de cada tanque experimental nas biometrias, sendo analisada a concentração de lipídeos, proteínas e carboidratos, perfil percentual de ácidos graxos da fração neutra (triglicérides) e polar (fosfolipídios). No plasma foi quantificada ainda a concentração de cortisol e glicose. Os animais do grupo Estufa, no qual a temperatura da água foi mantida cerca de 2 graus C acima do grupo Sem Estufa, apresentaram um maior incremento de massa corpórea em relação aos animais do grupo Sem Estufa, sendo o mesmo padrão observado para CR, CE e EA. Mesmo com um maior crescimento a concentração de lipídeos e proteínas tanto no músculo quanto no fígado foi igual entre os dois grupos, o mesmo ocorrendo com o glicogênio hepático. Por outro lado, o glicogênio muscular foi mais elevado na última coleta nos animais mantidos em temperaturas mais baixas. Na fração polar, os animais de ambos os grupos apresentaram uma respostas de elevação da porcentagem de ácidos graxos saturados e uma queda de polinsaturados, provavelmente relacionado à adaptação homeoviscosa, devido ao gradual aumento da temperatura. Na fração neutra, observou-se que os animais mantidos nas temperaturas mais elevadas utilizaram uma porcentagem maior de ácidos graxos polinsaturados para a obtenção de energia, o que em longo prazo pode ser prejudicial nos processos reprodutivos. Estes resultados sugerem que a elevação da temperatura pode ter ocasionado uma maior atividade enzimática e/ou uma maior eficiência destas enzimas e consequentemente maior crescimento e eficiência alimentar nos animais do grupo Estufa. No entanto, os resultados não permitem estabelecer se o aumento temperatura seria benéfico em todas as fases de desenvolvimento para o surubim do Paraíba. / The climatic changes due to anthropogenic actions tend to alter several environment factors, among them, temperature. A recent prognostic about the temperature increase mentions that in an optimistic level the earth temperature will raise 1.8 degress C until 2100. This change may cause many modifications on the physiological processes, justifying the studies to assess the effects of the temperature in animals physiology. The Paraíba do Sul Basin, for a long time, has been suffering with the anthropogenic actions, culminating in the extinction risk of the endemic species. This is the case of surubim do Paraíba, Steindachneridion parahybae. With the possible rise in the environmental temperature, the risk of species extinction can be even more eminent, therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate if the water temperature variation, within the values predicted in the optimistic level, i.e., 1.8 degrees C influences in the growth and in the physiological processes of surubim do Paraíba juveniles. It was established an experimental design in which two ponds were covered with a plastic greenhouse (Greenhouse group) and another two ponds were kept without the plastic coverage (No Greenhouse group), with an initial population of 100 animals in each tank. In September/2009 (beginning), November/2009, January/2010 and March/2010 the biometrical parameters were registered in all animals in order to obtain the morphometric and weight data, and in addition, to calculate the following parameters: hepatossomatic index (HSI), condition factor (K), specific growth rate (SGR), daily specific growth rate (DSGR), coefficient of variation (CV), feed efficiency (FE) and survival (S). The muscle and liver samples, and also the plasma were collected from 5 fish from each experimental tank in each sampling, and the tissue concentration of carbohydrates, proteins and lipids, fatty acids percentage profile in the neutral (triglycerides) and polar (phospholipids) lipids fractions were measured. The cortisol and glucose concentration were also quantified in the plasma. The Greenhouse group animals, where the water temperature was kept around 2 degrees C higher than the No Greenhouse group, showed an increased weight gain in relation to the animals of the No Greenhouse group, with the same result also found for SGR, DSGR and FE. Even with an increased growth, the proteins and lipids concentration both, in muscle and in the liver were unchanged between both groups, and the same occurred with the liver glycogen. However, the muscle glycogen was higher in the last sampling in the animals vi that were kept in the lower water temperature. In the polar fraction, both groups presented an increase in the percentage of saturate fatty acids and a decrease in the polyunsaturated percentage, probably related with a homeoviscous adaptation, due to the gradual increase in temperature. In the neutral fraction, the animals kept in higher water temperature utilized a higher percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids as energy source, that, in long-term may be prejudicial for reproduction. These results suggest that the increasing temperature could result in a higher enzymatic activity and/or a higher efficiency of these enzymes and consequently, increased growth and feed efficiency in Greenhouse group animals. However, the results do not allow establishing whether the increasing temperature would be beneficial at all stages of development in the surubim do Paraíba.

A citricultura brasileira é considerada a mais competitiva do mundo, principalmente devido às excelentes condições encontradas pelos produtores aqui instalados, com ênfase ao Estado de São Paulo, maior produtor mundial de suco de laranja concentrado. Contudo, as características deste ramo do agronegócio favorecem a existência e propagação de inúmeras pragas e doenças. Recentemente a produção cítrica, em especial a produção de mudas, sofreu grandes mudanças. A CVC (Clorose Variegada dos Citros) doença causada pela bactéria Xylella fastidiosa, provocou a obrigatoriedade da produção de mudas cítricas em ambiente protegido desde janeiro de 2003. A produção de mudas cítricas no Brasil sempre se constituiu em atividade de suma importância para o desenvolvimento desta cultura. Porém, da mesma forma que muda de boa qualidade se constitui em um dos principais alicerces da citricultura, uma ruim pode fadar o citricultor à inviabilidade do negócio. Neste contexto o presente trabalho objetivou estudar as características biológicas das duas principais espécies de plantas daninhas que ocorrem em sistemas de produção de mudas cítricas (Oxalis corniculata L. e Cardamine bonariensis Pers.) quanto as condições ideais para sua germinação, verificar sua ocorrência em substratos e suas matérias primas, verificar a eficiência da compostagem da casca de Pinus em seu controle, avaliar o efeito de herbicidas aplicados em pré emergência sobre o substrato no cultivo de mudas e se a presença de O. corniculata afeta o desenvolvimento de mudas cítricas. Os resultados mostram que para O. corniculata as temperaturas que proporcionaram os maiores porcentuais de germinação (G%) foram 20 e 15 &#176;C constantes, sendo nesta espécie o índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG) superior quando as sementes foram submetidas à temperatura constante de 20 &#176;C, ambos os casos quando houve a presença de luz. Para C. bonariensis as temperaturas que proporcionaram os maiores G% foram 20/30 e 20/35 &#176;C alternadas, sendo que para esta espécie o IVG foi superior quando as sementes foram submetidas à temperatura alternada de 20/30 &#176;C, ambos os casos quando houve a presença de luz. As amostras coletadas dos materiais constituintes dos substratos não apresentaram contaminação por nenhum propágulo de planta daninha, detectável pela emergência de plântulas. O processo de compostagem da casca de Pinus é capaz de inviabilizar sementes de O. corniculata, C. bonariensis, Portulaca oleracea e Digitaria spp, bem como tubérculos de Cyperus rotundus em período de 30 dias. Em relação a aplicação de herbicidas no substrato é possível concluir que para as condições onde o experimento foi conduzido, a utilização dos herbicidas oxyfluorfen, flumioxazin, ametryn e oxadiazon não afeteram o desenvolvimento dos porta-enxertos de limoeiro &#39;Cravo&#39;, em nenhuma das doses utilizadas, sendo que aos 80 dias após o transplantio dos porta-enxertos, os herbicidas oxifluorfen e oxadiazon apresentam bons índices de controle de O. corniculata. A presença de O. corniculata nos vasos de produção de mudas cítricas afeta o desenvolvimento das mudas, sobretudo no que se refere à altura do porta-enxerto e massa seca do enxerto. A convivência das mudas com esta planta daninha não afeta o diâmetro do caule das mudas, a massa seca do porta-enxerto, a massa seca da raiz, bem como a massa seca total da muda. O período crítico de prevenção da interferência obtido no trabalho se estende dos 52 aos 69 DAT, admitindo-se 2,5 % de perdas aceitáveis. / The Brazilian citrus production is considered the most competitive in the world mainly because of the excellent conditions that the producers have, with emphasis to the State of São Paulo, the world&#39;s largest producer of concentrated orange juice. Despite this, the characteristics of this branch of the agribuisiness are favorable to the proliferation of pests and diseases. Recently, the citrus production, especially the nursery production, has suffered significant changes. The CVC, a disease caused by the Xyllella fastidiosa bacteria has forced the young tree production to be conducted in a protected environment since January 1993. The young citrus tree production has always been considered a very important activity for the development of the citrus culture. A good young tree can be considered one of the bases of the citrus production just as well as a bad young tree can be the factor that makes the business non profitable. In this context, the present study has the objective to analyze the biological characteristics of the two main weed species (Oxalis corniculata L. and Cardamine bonariensis Pers.) that occur in the citrus nursery production systems, verifying the ideal conditions in which their germination takes place, their presence in substrates and its primary material, the efficiency of the bark compost in their control, evaluate the application of preemergence herbicides on the substrate used in the nursery production and if the presence of O. orniculata affects the development of the young citrus tree. The results indicate that for O. corniculata the constant temperatures of 15 and 20&#176;C promoted the highest germination indexes and the exposure of seeds to a constant temperature of 20 &#176;C led to the highest levels of GSI. In both cases the seeds where submitted to the presence of light. For C. bonariensis the alternating temperatures 20/30 and 20/35 &#176;C promoted the highest germination indexes and alternating temperature 20/30 &#176;C promoted the highest levels of GSI. In both cases the seeds where submitted to the presence of light. The samples of the primary material of the substrate did not present contamination with weed seeds, detected through weed plant germination. The bark compost process is capable of invalidating the sedds of O. corniculata, C. bonariensis, Portulaca oleraceae and Digitaria spp and Cyprus rotundus tubers in a period of 30 days. In reference to the experiment conducted in this study, the use of the herbicides oxyfluorfen, flumioxazin, ametryn and oxadiazon did not affect de development of the root stock &#39;limoeiro-cravo? in any of the doses, and after 80 days of the transplant of the root stock the herbicide oxyfluorfen and oxadiazon presents good control indexes for O.corniculta. The presence of O. corniculata in the citrus nursery containers affected the development of the young trees, especially the height of the rootstock and the dry mass of the graft; it doesn&#39;t interfere with the development of the stem diameter and of the dry mass of the rootstock, of the roots our the total dry mass of the young tree. The critical period of competition extends it self from 52 to 69 DAT considering 2,5 % of acceptable lost.