Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:19:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2006-Edival Dan Junior.pdf: 825404 bytes, checksum: 886fcc294103766d329a2552875c3e61 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-11 / This work aimed to analyze the managers and employees opinions about the gains and the effectiveness of the Sistema de Gerenciamento de Pessoal - GDP (Petrobras human performance appraisal system) after four years used as a tool to implement the enterprise s strategies and to provide with information others Humans Resources process. The methodology used was a case study, by a qualitative and quantitative research on Petrobras, aiming to verify the opinions about the alignment between the individuals and the macro-targets (Mission and Vision). The work s structure has been set to identify traps and fails on human performance appraisal process. The bibliographic research have been done aiming to identify, by a comparative analyze, the different aspects and points of view of known Human Resource authors besides the opinions of the Strategic research authors. As result of this bibliographic research, it has been verified that a programmed application of a performance appraisal may contribute for strategies implementation, making competitive advantages for the company. As case study result, it was verified that the managers and employees believe is an important tool to Petrobras. However, GDP s use can be improved. It was verified, also, managers and employees identify the alignment between the individual s activities and the company s strategic objectives, reflecting the unfolding Petrobras objectives. / O presente trabalho teve como objetivo analisar as opini?es dos gerentes e dos empregados da Petrobras quanto ? efici?ncia e os ganhos gerados pelo Sistema de Gerenciamento de Pessoal (GDP) ap?s 4 anos da utiliza??o do mesmo como ferramenta para a implementa??o das estrat?gias da empresa e como gerador de subs?dios para processos de Recursos Humanos. A metodologia utilizada foi um estudo de caso atrav?s de uma pesquisa qualitativa e quantitativa aplicada na Petrobras, visando verificar as diversas opini?es dos gerentes e empregados quanto ao processo de avalia??o de desempenho e quanto o alinhamento dos indiv?duos com os macro-objetivos da organiza??o (Miss?o e Vis?o). A estrutura??o das justificativas e cr?ticas abordadas pelos respondentes pretendeu identificar pontos fortes, falhas e armadilhas na aplica??o do processo na empresa, sugerindo solu??es e melhorias para o alcance das metas planejadas. A revis?o bibliogr?fica buscou identificar, atrav?s de uma an?lise comparativa, os diferentes aspectos e pontos de vista de renomados autores da ?rea de Recursos Humanos e confront?-las com as opini?es dos autores da ?rea de Estrat?gia, objetivando formar uma cr?tica quanto ao processo. Verificou-se, confrontando as opini?es dos autores, que uma aplica??o criteriosa e programada pode contribuir para a implanta??o das estrat?gias, gerando vantagens competitivas para a empresa. Como resultado do estudo de caso, verificou-se que os gerentes e empregados da Petrobras acreditam que o GDP ? importante para a empresa, mas que sua utiliza??o pode ser melhorada. Constatou-se que os gerentes e empregados identificam o alinhamento entre suas atividades individuais e os objetivos da empresa, refletindo o desdobramento das metas organizacionais.

Measurements of gas volume fraction, bubble velocity, chord length and bubble size distributions were performed in the research vessel Athena II operating in Saint Andrew Bay in the gulf coast near Panama City, FL. Double tipped sapphire optical local phase-detection probes were used to acquire indicator functions downstream of the breaking bow wave, behind the masker and at the stern. These indicator functions were also taken at different depths, distances from the hull, operating speeds and headings respect to the waves. The data processing includes the computation of velocity of individual bubbles and chord lengths, resulting in chord length distributions. These chord length distributions are used to obtain bubble size distributions using a novel procedure described in detail. Uncertainty analysis is performed for gas volume fraction, average bubble velocity and chord length. The results indicate that air entrainment increases with ship speed and sailing against the waves at all positions. The bow wave exhibits unsteady breaking that creates bubble clouds, which were characterized and identified by signal processing. At the stern a very strong dependence of bubble size with depth was found, with evidence that bubbles smaller than 500 micrometers are transported through the bottom of the hull and reach the transom. The roller present at the transom, the associated strong unsteadiness and bubble entrainment are well captured, as indicated by the stern results, showing the frothy nature of the upper layer.

Optical tweezers are a technique in which microscopic-sized particles, including living cells and bacteria, can be non-intrusively trapped with high accuracy solely using focused light. The technique has therefore become a powerful tool in the field of biophysics. Optical tweezers thereby provide outstanding manipulation possibilities of cells as well as semi-transparent materials, both non-invasively and non-destructively, in biological systems. In addition, optical tweezers can measure minute forces (< 10-12 N), probe molecular interactions and their energy landscapes, and apply both static and dynamic forces in biological systems in a controlled manner. The assessment of intermolecular forces with force measuring optical tweezers, and thereby the biomechanical structure of biological objects, has therefore considerably facilitated our understanding of interactions and structures of biological systems. Adhesive bacterial organelles, so called pili, mediate adhesion to host cells and are therefore crucial for the initial bacterial-cell contact. Thus, they serve as an important virulence factor. The investigation of pili, both their biogenesis and their expected in vivo properties, brings information that can be of importance for the design of new drugs to prevent bacterial infections, which is crucial in the era of increased bacterial resistance towards antibiotics. In this thesis, an experimental setup of a force measuring optical tweezers system and the results of a number of biomechanical investigations of adhesive bacterial organelles are presented. Force measuring optical tweezers have been used to characterize three different types of adhesive organelles under various conditions, P, type 1, and S pili, which all are expressed by uropathogenic Escherichia coli. A quantitative biophysical force-extension model, built upon the structure and force response, has been developed. It is found, that this model describes the biomechanical properties for all three pili in an excellent way. Various parameters in their energy landscape, e.g., bond lengths and transition barrier heights, are assessed and the difference in behavior is compared. The work has resulted in a method that in a swift way allows us to probe different types of pili with high force and high spatial resolution, which has provided an enhanced understanding of the biomechanical function of these pili. / Optisk pincett är en teknik i vilken mikrometerstora objekt, inkluderande levande celler och bakterier, beröringsfritt kan fångas och förflyttas med hög noggrannhet enbart med hjälp av ljus. Den optiska pincetten har därmed blivit ett kraftfullt verktyg inom biofysiken, som möjliggör enastående precisions-manipulering av celler och semi-transparenta objekt. Dessutom kan denna manipulation göras intracellulärt, dvs. utan att fysiskt öppna eller penetrera cellernas membran. Den optiska pincetten kan även mäta mycket små krafter och interaktioner (< 10-12 N) samt applicera både statiska och dynamiska krafter i biologiska system med utmärkt precision. Optisk pincett är därför en utmärkt teknik för mätning av intermolekylära krafter och för bestämning av biomekaniska strukturer och dess funktioner. Vissa typer av bakterier har specifika vidhäftningsorganeller som kallas för pili. Dessa förmedlar vidhäftningen till värdceller och är därför viktiga vid bakteriens första kontakt. En djupare förståelse av pilis uppbyggnad och biomekanik kan därmed ge information, som kan vara vital i framtagandet av nya mediciner som förhindrar bakteriella infektioner. Detta är av stor vikt i skenet av den ökande antibiotikaresistensen i vårt samhälle. I denna avhandling presenteras konstruktionen av en experimentell uppställning av kraftmätande optiskt pincett tillsammans med resultat från biomekaniska undersökningar av vidhäftande bakteriella organeller. Kraftmätande optisk pincett har använts för att karakterisera tre olika typer av pili, P, typ 1, och S pili, vilka kan uttryckas av uropatogena Escherichia coli. En kvantitativ biofysikalisk modell som beskriver deras förlängningsegenskaper under pålagd kraft har konstruerats. Modellen bygger på pilis strukturella uppbyggnad samt på dess respons som uppmäts med den kraftmätande optiska pincetten. Modellen beskriver de biomekaniska egenskaperna väl för alla tre pili. Dessutom kan ett antal specifika bindnings- och subenhetsparametrar bestämmas, t.ex. interaktionsenergier och bindningslängder. Skillnaden mellan dessa parametrar hos de tre pilis samt deras olika kraftrespons har jämförts. Detta arbete har dels resulterat i en förbättrad förståelse av pilis biomekaniska funktion och dels i en metod som, med hög noggrannhet, tillåter oss att bestämma ett antal biomekaniska egenskaper hos olika organeller på ett effektivt sätt.

Retaining IT employees help them finding a path to entrepreneurship or even investing in spin-offs created by their employees (i.e. future entrepreneurs) is essential for the vitality of the economy. The objective of this thesis is to answer the following research question: “why and how do IT professionals3 decide to quit their salaried employment to start a business?” We do so by proposing a theory related to the under researched area of IT entrepreneurial turnover. The first chapter clarifies the unfolding model (Lee et al., 1999), so that it could be used with confidence (e.g. shock and image violation). The second chapter proposes one new core category, i.e. the Readiness to Quit (RTQ) which is divided into two types, the current RTQ and the Necessary Configuration to Quit (NCQ). We integrate them in a conceptual framework including the context, a chronology and the compatibility test between the current RTQ and the NCQs indicating that the IT professional is ready to quit. The last chapter proposes a second core category, IT Entrepreneurial Epiphany, which connect the shock and the image violations with the current RTQ. The IT Entrepreneurial Epiphany is composed of five lower-level concepts: Business, playing the game; Risk reduction; Timing; Context and opportunity; and finally long-term reason for becoming an entrepreneur. Finally, we discuss the enrichment of the conceptual framework resulting from these new core categories. In sum, we contribute to the research by proposing two core categories embedded in a rich conceptual framework.

<p>Driven by the development of new technologies and an ever expanding knowledge base of molecular and cellular function, Biology is rapidly gaining the potential to develop into a veritable engineering discipline - the so-called `era of synthetic biology' is upon us. Designing biological systems is advantageous because the engineer can leverage existing capacity for self-replication, elaborate chemistry, and dynamic information processing. On the other hand these functions are complex, highly intertwined, and in most cases, remain incompletely understood. Brazenly designing within these systems, despite large gaps in understanding, engenders understanding because the design process itself highlights gaps and discredits false assumptions. </p><p>Here we cover results from design projects that span several scales of complexity. First we describe the adaptation and experimental validation of protein functional assays on minute amounts of material. This work enables the application of cell-free protein expression tools in a high-throughput protein engineering pipeline, dramatically increasing turnaround time and reducing costs. The parts production pipeline can provide new building blocks for synthetic biology efforts with unprecedented speed. Tools to streamline the transition from the in vitro pipeline to conventional cloning were also developed. Next we detail an effort to expand the scope of a cysteine reactivity assay for generating information-rich datasets on protein stability and unfolding kinetics. We go on to demonstrate how the degree of site-specific local unfolding can also be determined by this method. This knowledge will be critical to understanding how proteins behave in the cellular context, particularly with regards to covalent modification reactions. Finally, we present results from an effort to engineer bacterial cell suicide in a population-dependent manner, and show how an underappreciated facet of plasmid physiology can produce complex oscillatory dynamics. This work is a prime example of engineering towards understanding.</p> / Dissertation

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a non-receptor tyrosine kinase. Activated FAK is crucial to many biological processes, such as cell proliferation, migration, and survival, all of which have been implicated in the progression and development of cancer. Tyrosine 925 is a Src-phosphorylation site that is located within the FAT domain in the C-terminal of FAK. It has been suggested that the helix containing Y925 (Helix 1) has to come out of the FAT bundle and the region flanking Y925 has to adopt β-strand conformation. In order to phosphorylate, the mechanisms promoting the required structural changes are unclear. So, Molecular Dynamics (MD) and Constant Force Molecular Dynamics (CFMD) simulations were used to study what makes Y925 accessible for phosphorylation. Under thermal fluctuation only and in the presence or the absence of LD motifs, MD simulations suggest that H1 does not appear to have a propensity to leave the bundle adopt β-strand conformation. Then, two different load scenarios were used; axial and perpendicular with 100 pN constant load applied to H1 N-terminus with the two paxillin LD motifs constrained. For both load scenarios, H1 has two different behaviors: typical and atypical. In the axial load scenario, the first two residues at the N-terminal of H1 (besides Y925) have low propensity to unfold. However, H1 does not show any proclivity to leave the bundle. For the perpendicular load scenario with the absence of P2 (LD motif binds to H1/H4 hydrophobic patch), one simulation out of 21 showed that H1 undergoes the required structural rearrangement. In general, CFMD simulations show that the FAT domain has a very low propensity (3%) to undergo the structural changes needed for Y925 phosphorylation. This has two implications: either mechanical load is insufficient to make Y925 available for phosphorylation and/or this kind of process (structural changes needed for Y925 phosphorylation) is slow process that needs a long time to occur. / text

La polarisation des quarks top produit par interaction électrofaible permet de sonder la structure du vertex Wtb et en particulier de tester le couplage vecteur gauche prévu dans le cadre du Modèle Standard et de rechercher les couplages anormaux droit et tenseur introduits par plusieurs théories au-delà du Modèle Standard. Cette thèse présente la mesure de la polarisation des quarks top produits par interaction électrofaible à partir des données correspondantes à une luminosité integrée de 4,7 fb-1 enregistrées en 2011 par le détecteur ATLAS dans les collisions proton-proton du LHC à l'énergie centre de masse de 7 TeV. La polarisation est extraite des distributions angulaires reconstruites dans une base de spin spécifique pour les événements de production de quark top en voie-t. Le contexte théorique de production de quarks top par interactions forte et électrofaible dans les collisionneurs hadroniques est tout d'abord introduit. Ensuite, le détecteur, les performances de reconstruction des objets physiques ainsi que la sélection des événements avec une signature de top quark électrofaible en voie-t sont décrits. Les méthodes de déconvolution et de convolution utilisées pour extraire la polarisation sont ensuite présentées et testées avec différentes configurations. Les résultats obtenus ainsi que les incertitudes théoriques, expérimentales et statistiques sont finalement examinées. Cette thèse présente la première mesure avec le détecteur ATLAS de la polarisation des quarks top électrofaibles. Les résultats obtenus sont compatibles avec les prédictions du Modèle Standard et contribueront à contraindre de manière significative les couplages Wtb anormaux.

This research reports on a project concerned with the relationship between the person and the environment in the context of achieving a contemplative or existential state – a state which can be experienced either consciously or subconsciously. The need for such a study originated with the desire to contribute to the design of multicultural spaces which could be used for a range of activities within the public and the personal arena, activities including contemplation, meditation and prayer. The concept of ‘sacred’ is explored in the literature review and in primary interviews with the participants of this study. Given that the word ‘sacred’ is highly value-laden and potentially alienating for some people, it was decided to use the more accessible term ‘contemplative’. The outcomes of the study inform the practice of interior design and architecture which tends currently to neglect the potential for all spaces to be existentially meaningful. Informed by phenomenological methodology, data were collected from a diverse group of people, using photo-elicitation and interviews. The technique of photo-elicitation proved to be highly effective in helping people reveal their everyday lived experience of contemplative spaces. Reflective analysis (Van Manen 2000) was used to explore the data collected. The initial stage of analysis produced three categories of data: varying conceptions of contemplation, aspects of the person involved in the contemplation, and aspects of environment involved in contemplation. From this, it was found that achieving a state of contemplation involves both the person and the environment in a dialectic process of unfolding. The unfolding has various physical, psycho-social, and existential dimensions or qualities which operate sequentially and simultaneously. Two concepts emerged as being central to unfolding: ‘Cleansing’ and ‘Nothingness’. Unfolding is found to comprise the Core; Distinction; Manifestation; Cleansing; Creation; and Sharing. This has a parallel with Mircea Eliade’s (1959) definition of sacred as something that manifests itself as different from the profane. The power of design, re-contextualization through utility and purpose, and the existential engagements between the person and environment are used as a basis for establishing the potential contribution of the study to interior design. In this way, the study makes a contribution to our understanding of how space and its elements inspire, support and sustain person environment interaction – particularly at the existential level – as well as to our understanding of the multi-dimensional and holistic nature of this interaction. In addition, it points to the need for a phenomenological re-conceptualisation of the design/client relationship. In summary, the contributions of this research are: the exploration of contemplative experience as sacred experience; an understanding of the design of space as creating engagement between person and environment; a rationale for the introduction of a phenomenological approach to the relationship between designer and clients; and raising awareness of the spiritual in a holistic approach to design.

In this thesis, we study homogenization of optimal control problems in various oscillatory domains. Specifically, we consider four types of domains given in Figure 1 below. Figure 1: Oscillating Domains The thesis is organized into six chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to our work and the rest of the thesis. The main contributions of the thesis are contained in Chapters 2-5. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions of the thesis and possible further directions. A brief description of our work (Chapters 2-5) follows: Chapter 2: Asymptotic behaviour of a fourth order boundary optimal control problem with Dirichlet boundary data posed on an oscillating domain as in Figure 1(A) is analyzed. We use the unfolding operator to study the asymptotic behavior of this problem. Chapter 3: Homogenization of a time dependent interior optimal control problem on a branched structure domain as in Figure 1(B) is studied. Here we pose control on the oscillating interior part of the domain. The analysis is carried out by appropriately defined unfolding operators suitable for this domain. The optimal control is characterized using various unfolding operators defined at each branch of every level. Chapter 4: A new unfolding operator is developed for a general oscillating domain as in Figure 1(C). Homogenization of a non-linear elliptic problem is studied using this new un-folding operator. Using this idea, homogenization of an optimal control problem on a circular oscillating domain as in Figure 1(D) is analyzed. Chapter 5: Homogenization of a non-linear optimal control problem posed on a smooth oscillating domain as in Figure 1(C) is studied using the unfolding operator.

Orientador: Vanderlei Minori Horita / Banca: Ali Tahzibi / Banca: Paulo Ricardo Silva / Resumo: Estudamos intersecções homoclínicas de variedades estável e instável de pontos peródicos. Toda intersecção homoclínica produz um comportamento curioso na dinâmiôa. Nosso modelo de tal fenômeno é a famosa ferradura de Smale, a qual é um conjunto hiperbólico para um difeomorfismo. Além disso, estudamos dinâmica não hiperbólica cuja perda de hiperbolicidade é divido à tangências homoclínicas. Elas tem um papel central na teoria de sistemas dinâmicos. O desdobramento de uma tangência homoclínica produz dinâmicas muito interessantes. Neste trabalho estudamos a criação de cascatas de bifurcações de duplicação de período e um esquema de renormalização para uma tangência homoclínica. / Abstract: We study homoclinic intersection of stable and unstable manifolds of periodic points. Every homoclinic intersection produce a intricate behavior of the dynamics. Our model of such phenomena is the so called Smalesþs horseshoe, which is a hyperbolic set for a di eomorphism. We also study non hyperbolic dynamics whose lack of hyperbolicity is due to homoclinic tangencies. They play a central role in the theory of dynamical systems. The unfolding of a homoclinic tangency produce many interesting dynamics. In this work we study creation of cascade of period doubling bifurcations and a renormalization scheme for a homoclinic tangency. / Mestre