Monetary cost -efficient query distribution in ISDN -connected heterogeneous databases

Current technology permits connecting local networks via high-bandwidth telephone lines. Central coordinator nodes may use Intelligent Networks to manage data flow over dialed data lines, e.g. ISDN, and to establish connections between LANs. This dissertation focuses on cost minimization and on establishing operational policies for query distribution over heterogeneous, geographically distributed databases. Based on our study of query distribution strategies, public network tariff policies, and database interface standards we propose methods for communication cost estimation, strategies for the reduction of bandwidth allocation, and guidelines for central to node communication protocols. Our conclusion is that dialed data lines offer a cost effective alternative for the implementation of distributed database query systems, and that existing commercial software may be adapted to support query processing in heterogeneous distributed database systems. ^

Implementation of X-ray diffraction in the measurement of residual thermal strains

Microelectronic systems are multi-material, multi-layer structures, fabricated and exposed to environmental stresses over a wide range of temperatures. Thermal and residual stresses created by thermal mismatches in films and interconnections are a major cause of failure in microelectronic devices. Due to new device materials, increasing die size and the introduction of new materials for enhanced thermal management, differences in thermal expansions of various packaging materials have become exceedingly important and can no longer be neglected. X-ray diffraction is an analytical method using a monochromatic characteristic X-ray beam to characterize the crystal structure of various materials, by measuring the distances between planes in atomic crystalline lattice structures. As a material is strained, this interplanar spacing is correspondingly altered, and this microscopic strain is used to determine the macroscopic strain. This thesis investigates and describes the theory and implementation of X-ray diffraction in the measurement of residual thermal strains. The design of a computer controlled stress attachment stage fully compatible with an Anton Paar heat stage will be detailed. The stress determined by the diffraction method will be compared with bimetallic strip theory and finite element models.

Todo nordeste que couber a gente publica: o The New York Times e as representações do nordeste brasileiro na era da política da boa vizinhança (1933-1945)

The Brazilian Northeast has been a constant subject for journalists of one of the world's leading media companies - The New York Times - between 1933 and 1945. This time, the US government implemented a new foreign policy for Latin America - known as the Good Neighbor Policy. It preached, various points including more respect and attention to the countries south of U.S. borders. Because of her geostrategic importance, Brazil was one of the countries that received the most attention of the bureaucracy and American press. This study investigates the multiple Northeast representations formulated in The New York Times' pages when the Americans were spotlight is on the region. It delineates similarities and differences between the NYT, the press and the governments of the United States and Brazil from the ways of conceiving this particular part of Brazil. Through the analysis of texts, photographs and maps, it is dedicated to establish connections between spaces, press and politics of the 1930s and 1940s. These decades there were relevant changes in the political landscape of both countries that permeated the news, reports and articles of NYT. Circumstances such as the 1935 armed uprisings - known as Communist Conspiracy - the installation and operation of the New State, and especially the Brazilian and US participation in World War II and the bilateral negotiations on the installation of US bases in Brazil were cardinal for the various Northeast images that circulated in the publication. The region was repeatedly subject of correspondent of the New York newspaper in Brazil, Frank M. Garcia, but also present on matters of professionals responsible for various sections: review of books, publishing, tourism, foreign affairs, etc. Along the investigated period, the visions of the region made in the articles published in the newspaper that suffered major metamorphoses. Starting with Northeast of the drought, famine and death recurrent in Brazilian literature to the most dangerous point for hemispheric defense, passing through representations of the American West lawless nineteenth century and the Latin America marked by the dominance of exotic nature and stagnation, a space to be transformed by the US technical knowledge.

Estudo fitoquímico e biológico das folhas de Banisteriopsis argyrophylla (A. Juss.) B. Gates (Malpighiaceae)

With the increasing fungi resistance compared with existing drugs on the market and the side effects reported by some compounds with antioxidant properties and enzymatic inhibitors, in particular against α-amylase and α-glucosidase, the discovery of new compounds with biological potential, becomes a need. In this context, natural products can be an important source for the discovery of new active molecular architectures. Then, this study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant activity, the enzymatic inhibitory activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase, the antifungal and cytotoxic activities of ethanolic extract (EE) the leaves of Banisteriopsis argyrophylla (Malpighiaceae) and their fractions, obtained by liquid-liquid extraction using solvents of increasing polarity. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by the free radical DPPH scavenging method (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and the ethyl acetate fractions (FAE) and n-butanol (FB) were the most active, confirmed by the peak current and the oxidation potential obtained by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The inhibitory activity of the α-amylase and α-glucosidase was analyzed considering the reactions between substrates α-(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-β-1,4-galactopiranosilmaltoside (Gal-α-G2-CNP) and 4-nitrophenyl-α-D-glucopyranoside (p-NPG), respectively. Initially, it was found that the EE showed considerable activity against α-amylase (EC50 = 2.89±0.1 μg m L–1) compared to the acarbose used as positive control (EC50 = 0.08±0.1 μg mL–1) and that did not showed promising activity against the α-glucosidase. After this observation we evaluated the inhibitory activity of α-amylase fractions, with FAE (EC50 = 2.33±0.1 μg mL–1) and FB (EC50 = 2.57 ± 0.1 μg mL–1) showing the best inhibitions. The antifungal activity was evaluated against Candida species, and the FAE had better antifungal potential (MIC's between 93.75 and 11.72 μg mL–1) compared with amphotericin as positive standard (MIC = 1.00 and 2.00 μg L–1 for C. parapsilosis and C. krusei used as controls, respectively). The EE (CC50 = 360.00 ± 12 μg mL–1) and fractions (CC50's> 270.00 μg mL–1) were considerably less toxic to Vero cells than the cisplatin used as positive control (CC50 = 7.01 ± 0 6 μg mL–1). The FAE showed the best results for the activities studied, this fraction was submitted to ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS)), and the following flavonoids have been identified: (±)-catechin, quercetin-3-O-β-D-Glc/ quercetin-3-O-β-D-Gal, quercetin-3-O-β-L-Ara, quercetin-3-O-β-D-Xyl, quercetin-3-O-α-L-Rha, kaempferol-3-O-α-L-Rha, quercetin-3-O-(2''-galoil)-α-L-Rha, quercetin-3-O-(3''-galoil)-α-L-Rha and kaempferol-3-O-(3''-galoil)-α-L-Rha,. FAE was submitted to column chromatography using C18 phase, and (±)-catechin was isolated (FAE-A1, 73 mg) and three fractions consisting of a mixture of flavonoids were obtained (FAE-A2, FAE-A3 and FAE-A4). These compounds were identified by thin layer chromatography (TLC) and (–)-ESI-MS. The (±)-catechin fraction showed an MIC = 2.83 μg ml–1 in assay using C. glabrata, with amphotericin as positive control. The fractions FAE-A2, FAE-A3, FAE-A4, showed less antifungal potential in tested concentrations. The identified flavonoids are described in the literature, regarding their antioxidant capacity and (±)-catechin, quercetin-3-O-Rha and kaempferol-3-O-Rha are described as α-amylase inhibitors. Thus, B. argyrophylla is an important species that produces compounds with antioxidant potential that can be related to the traditional use as anti-inflammatory and also has antifungal compounds and inhibitors of α-amylase. Therefore, these leaves are promising resources for the production of new drugs.

Beyond the Convent Walls: The Local and Japan-wide Activities of Daihongan’s Nuns in the Early Modern Period (c. 1550–1868)

This dissertation examines the social and financial activities of Buddhist nuns to demonstrate how and why they deployed Buddhist doctrines, rituals, legends, and material culture to interact with society outside the convent. By examining the activities of the nuns of the Daihongan convent (one of the two administrative heads of the popular pilgrimage temple, Zenkōji) in Japan’s early modern period (roughly 1550 to 1868) as documented in the convent’s rich archival sources, I shed further light on the oft-overlooked political and financial activities of nuns, illustrate how Buddhist institutions interacted with the laity, provide further nuance to the discussion of how Buddhist women navigated patriarchal sectarian and secular hierarchies, and, within the field of Japanese history, give voice to women who were active outside of the household unit around which early modern Japanese society was organized.

Zenkōji temple, surrounded by the mountains of Nagano, has been one of Japan’s most popular pilgrimage sites since the medieval period. The abbesses of Daihongan, one Zenkōji’s main sub-temples, traveled widely to maintain connections with elite and common laypeople, participated in frequent country-wide displays of Zenkōji’s icon, and oversaw the creation of branch temples in Edo (now Tokyo), Osaka, Echigo (now Niigata), and Shinano (now Nagano). The abbesses of Daihongan were one of only a few women to hold the imperially sanctioned title of eminent person (shōnin 上人) and to wear purple robes. While this means that this Pure Land convent was in some ways not representative of all convents in early modern Japan, Daihongan’s position is particularly instructive because the existence of nuns and monks in a single temple complex allows us to see in detail how monastics of both genders interacted in close quarters.

This work draws heavily from the convent’s archival materials, which I used as a guide in framing my dissertation chapters. In the Introduction I discuss previous works on women in Buddhism. In Chapter 1, I briefly discuss the convent’s history and its place within the Zenkōji temple complex. In Chapter 2, I examine the convent’s regular economic bases and its expenditures. In Chapter 3, I highlight Daihongan’s branch temples and discuss the ways that they acted as nodes in a network connecting people in various areas to Daihongan and Zenkōji, thus demonstrating how a rural religious center extended its sphere of influence in urban settings. In Chapter 4, I discuss the nuns’ travels throughout the country to generate new and maintain old connections with the imperial court in Kyoto, confraternities in Osaka, influential women in the shogun’s castle, and commoners in Edo. In Chapter 5, I examine the convent’s reliance upon irregular means of income such as patronage, temple lotteries, loans, and displays of treasures, and how these were needed to balance irregular expenditures such as travel and the maintenance or reconstruction of temple buildings. Throughout the dissertation I describe Daihongan’s inner social structure comprised of abbesses, nuns, and administrators, and its local emplacement within Zenkōji and Zenkōji’s temple lands.

Exploring these themes sheds light on the lives of Japanese Buddhist nuns in this period. While the tensions between freedom and agency on the one hand and obligations to patrons, subordination to monks, or gender- and status-based restrictions on the other are important, and I discuss them in my work, my primary focus is on the nuns’ activities and lives. Doing so demonstrates that nuns were central figures in ever-changing economic and social networks as they made and maintained connections with the outside world through Buddhist practices and through precedents set centuries before. This research contributes to our understanding of nuns in Japan’s early modern period and will participate in and shape debates on the roles of women in patriarchal religious hierarchies.

Black Femininity through the White Speculum: The Implications of Medicosocialism and the Disproportionate Regulation of Black Women’s Reproductive Autonomy

At the crux of health disparities for women of color lies a history of maltreatment based on racial difference from their white counterparts. It is their non-whiteness that limits their access to the ideologies of “woman” and “femininity” within dominant culture. As the result of this difference, the impact of the birth control movement varied among women based on race. This project explores how the ideology attributed to the black female body limited black women’s access to “womanhood” within dominant culture, and analyzes the manners in which their reproductive autonomy was compromised as the result of changes to that ideology through time. This project operates under the hypothesis that black women’s access to certain aspects of femininity such as domesticity and motherhood reflected their roles in slave society, that black women’s reproductive value was based on the value of black children within slave culture, and that both of these factors dictated the manner in which their reproductive autonomy was managed by health professionals. Black people’s worth as a free labor force within dominant culture diminished when the Reconstruction Amendments were added to the constitution and slavery was deemed unconstitutional—resulting in the paradigmatic shift from the promotion of black fertility to its recession. America’s transition to the medicosocial regulation of black fertility through Eugenics, the role of the black elite in the movement, and the negative impact of this agenda on the reproductive autonomy of black women from low socioeconomic backgrounds are enlisted as support. The paper goes on to draw connections between post-slavery ideology of black femininity and modern-day medicosocial occurrences within clinical settings in order to advocate for increased bias training for medical professionals as a means of combating current health disparities. It concludes with the possibility that this improvement in medical training could persuade people of color to seek out medical intervention at earlier stages of illness and obtain regular check-ups by actively countering physicians’ past transgressions against them.

Aneuploidy Tolerance in a Polyploid Organ

Endopolyploid cells (hereafter - polyploid cells), which contain whole genome duplications in an otherwise diploid organism, play vital roles in development and physiology of diverse organs such as our heart and liver. Polyploidy is also observed with high frequency in many tumors, and division of such cells frequently creates aneuploidy (chromosomal imbalances), a hallmark of cancer. Despite its frequent occurrence and association with aneuploidy, little is known about the specific role that polyploidy plays in diverse contexts. Using a new model tissue, the Drosophila rectal papilla, we sought to uncover connections between polyploidy and aneuploidy during organ development. Our lab previously discovered that the papillar cells of the Drosophila hindgut undergo developmentally programmed polyploid cell divisions, and that these polyploid cell divisions are highly error-prone. Time-lapse studies of polyploid mitosis revealed that the papillar cells undergo a high percentage of tripolar anaphase, which causes extreme aneuploidy. Despite this massive chromosome imbalance, we found the tripolar daughter cells are viable and support normal organ development and function, suggesting acquiring extra genome sets enables a cell to tolerate the genomic alterations incurred by aneuploidy. We further extended these findings by seeking mechanisms by which the papillar cells tolerated this resultant aneuploidy.

The large- and small-scale Ca IIK structure of the Milky Way from observations of Galactic and Magellanic sightlines

Aims. The large and small-scale (pc) structure of the Galactic interstellar medium can be investigated by utilising spectra of early-type stellar probes of known distances in the same region of the sky. This paper determines the variation in line strength of Ca ii at 3933.661 Å as a function of probe separation for a large sample of stars, including a number of sightlines in the Magellanic Clouds. 

Methods. FLAMES-GIRAFFE data taken with the Very Large Telescope towards early-type stars in 3 Galactic and 4 Magellanic open clusters in Ca ii are used to obtain the velocity, equivalent width, column density, and line width of interstellar Galactic calcium for a total of 657 stars, of which 443 are Magellanic Cloud sightlines. In each cluster there are between 43 and 111 stars observed. Additionally, FEROS and UVES Ca ii K and Na i D spectra of 21 Galactic and 154 Magellanic early-type stars are presented and combined with data from the literature to study the calcium column density - parallax relationship. 

Results. For the four Magellanic clusters studied with FLAMES, the strength of the Galactic interstellar Ca ii K equivalent width on transverse scales from ∼0.05-9 pc is found to vary by factors of ∼1.8-3.0, corresponding to column density variations of ∼0.3-0.5 dex in the optically-thin approximation. Using FLAMES, FEROS, and UVES archive spectra, the minimum and maximum reduced equivalent widths for Milky Way gas are found to lie in the range ∼35-125 mÅ and ∼30-160 mÅ for Ca ii K and Na i D, respectively. The range is consistent with a previously published simple model of the interstellar medium consisting of spherical cloudlets of filling factor ∼0.3, although other geometries are not ruled out. Finally, the derived functional form for parallax (π) and Ca ii column density (N_CaII) is found to be π(mas) = 1 / (2.39 × 10^-13 × N_CaII (cm^-2) + 0.11). Our derived parallax is ∼25 per cent lower than predicted by Megier et al. (2009, A&A, 507, 833) at a distance of ∼100 pc and ∼15 percent lower at a distance of ∼200 pc, reflecting inhomogeneity in the Ca ii distribution in the different sightlines studied.

BETA-GA2O3: A TRANSPARENT CONDUCTIVE OXIDE FOR POTENTIAL RESISTIVE SWITCHING APPLICATIONS

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Arquitetura da (in)segurança: estudando relações entre configuração espacial, artifícios de segurança e violência urbana no bairro Manaíra, João Pessoa, Paraíba

João Pessoa, the capital city of the state of Paraíba (Northeast Brazil), is reputed throughout the country as a quiet place, although it has been acquiring, over the past years, an urban character with social implications similar to those of major metropolitan Brazilian areas. The new situation is evident by the social inequalities, with the creation of confined spaces, which segregate and cause enclosure of the inhabitants, leading to death the public space. This study correlates accessibility in spatial structure with two types of crime data, burglary and robbery, recorded in 2008 and 2009, by the Secretaria de Segurança da Paraíba (The government agency public in charge of safety), in the district of Manaíra, an upper middle class neighborhood, which has, in recent times, been considered one of the most violent areas in João Pessoa. Sought to understand connections between these events and morpho-social aspects of the built environment, where examined the spatial properties, such as accessibility of the urban net, the presence of control measures, the safety of buildings and their uses. Spatial properties were also validated by the observation of pedestrian flows at strategic points of the study area. It was concluded that the presence of intense flows helps to attract potential thieves, physical security and control offers little protection

Advanced Adhesion Strength Testing Methods of Thin Film Multilayers in Electronic Packaging Systems

With the continued miniaturization and increasing performance of electronic devices, new technical challenges have arisen. One such issue is delamination occurring at critical interfaces inside the device. This major reliability issue can occur during the manufacturing process or during normal use of the device. Proper evaluation of the adhesion strength of critical interfaces early in the product development cycle can help reduce reliability issues and time-to-market of the product. However, conventional adhesion strength testing is inherently limited in the face of package miniaturization, which brings about further technical challenges to quantify design integrity and reliability. Although there are many different interfaces in today's advanced electronic packages, they can be generalized into two main categories: 1) rigid to rigid connections with a thin flexible polymeric layer in between, or 2) a thin film membrane on a rigid structure. Knowing that every technique has its own advantages and disadvantages, multiple testing methods must be enhanced and developed to be able to accommodate all the interfaces encountered for emerging electronic packaging technologies. For evaluating the adhesion strength of high adhesion strength interfaces in thin multilayer structures a novel adhesion test configuration called “single cantilever adhesion test (SCAT)” is proposed and implemented for an epoxy molding compound (EMC) and photo solder resist (PSR) interface. The test method is then shown to be capable of comparing and selecting the stronger of two potential EMC/PSR material sets. Additionally, a theoretical approach for establishing the applicable testing domain for a four-point bending test method was presented. For evaluating polymeric films on rigid substrates, major testing challenges are encountered for reducing testing scatter and for factoring in the potentially degrading effect of environmental conditioning on the material properties of the film. An advanced blister test with predefined area test method was developed that considers an elasto-plastic analytical solution and implemented for a conformal coating used to prevent tin whisker growth. The advanced blister testing with predefined area test method was then extended by employing a numerical method for evaluating the adhesion strength when the polymer’s film properties are unknown.

Crenças e quebranças de um corpo que dança: poéticas do benzimento na criação cênica

This work is a discussion of the artistic process of an artist-researcher made from field research with benzedeiras and benzedores the state of Rio Grande do Norte. This is an investigation on the cultural universe of the popular benzeção as poetic element to the artistic dance. To discuss the different stages of the research and the relationships between the artist-researcher, the benzedeiras/benzedores and the creation/composition scenic, the work takes as reference the triangular relationship created by anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, in his discussion on the effectiveness of symbols of healing, adapted to the context of benzeção . For dialogue between tradition, popular knowledge, scientific and artistic knowledge this work approaches as analytical reference the epistemological model of the type rhizome proposed by Deleuze and Guattari, understanding it as a model that seeks to form a network of relations in different paths of research, to establish connections between elements without target them or subordinating them. In the universe of benzeção , benzedeiras and benzedores carry a symbolic power that issued in whispered prayers, in peculiar gestures that form crosses in space, heal those who seek your prayers and blessing. In this research, the mixture of popular knowledge, artistic and academic knowledge, born an artistic work in the context of Performing Arts, more specifically dance, and between branches, saints, candles and conversations the work allowed other looks poetic for our popular culture, (re)asserting their cultural and human values through the art

Estudo numérico experimental de treliças espaciais feitas com tubos de aço com ponta amassada e espaçadores de madeira para corrigir as excentricidades nos nós de ligação

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Faculdade de Tecnologia, 2015.

Papel das medidas agro-ambientais na gestão da paisagem rural no concelho de Marvão no PNSSM

As paisagens rurais portuguesas construídas e mantidas ao longo dos tempos por sistemas agrícolas tradicionais, estão hoje ameaçadas por motivos tão diversos como o envelhecimento da população, o abandono rural, a intensificação, a homogeneização dos sistemas de produção e a perda de competitividade. Mas apesar destes problemas, estas paisagens agrícolas, suportam ainda várias funções não produtivas, nomeadamente, constituem, um importante suporte de biodiversidade, pelo que a sua manutenção é importante para a conservação destes habitats e espécies. Eventualmente novas formas de gestão destas paisagens devem ser criadas, nomeadamente com base na combinação de várias funções numa perspectiva de multifuncionalidade, através de uma adaptação e integração de políticas públicas. Estando actualmente em discussão o novo programa de Desenvolvimento Rural e a definição das futuras Medidas Agro-Ambientais, e a gestão e o financiamento da Rede Natura 2000, estamos portanto num momento crítico para decisões futuras, que terão forçosamente que interligar, a agricultura, o ambiente e desenvolvimento das zonas rurais portuguesas. Com o intuito de melhor compreender estas problemáticas, em particular, as transformações em curso na paisagem rural, o papel das Medidas Agro-Ambientais e apresentar possíveis soluções, foi efectuado este estudo de caso no concelho de Marvão, concelho típico das áreas marginais agrícolas do interior sul de Portugal. ABSTRACT; The Portuguese rural landscapes built up and kept throughout the times by traditional agricultural systems, are today threatened by so diverse reasons as the ageing of the population, the agricultural abandonment, the intensification, the homogenization of the production systems and the loss of competitiveness. But despite these problems. These agricultural landscapes still support a multitude of non-commodity functions, and particularly they still constitute an important support of biodiversity and thus their maintenance is important for the conservation of these habitats and species. Probably new management forms must be created based on the combination of various functions and the adaptation and integration of public policies. Being currently in discussion the new program of Rural Development and the definition of the future Agri-Environmental Measures, and the management and the financing of the Natura 2000 Network, we are therefore at a critical moment for future decisions that will forcibly have to establish connections, between the agriculture, the environment and the development of the portuguese agricultural areas. With the intention of better understanding these problems and questions, , the transformations taking place in Portuguese peripheric rural areas, and in particular role of the Agri-Environmental Measures, and also for presenting possible solutions, a case study was analyzed in municipality of Marvão, characteristic of the agricultural marginal areas of the interior Southern Portugal.

Aprendizagem na ação revisitada e sua relação com a noção de competência

Este artigo tem como propósito abordar, discutir e propor, a partir de cuidadosa revisão da literatura e resultados de estudo exploratório, uma concepção que procura estabelecer conexões entre as diferentes definições sobre a aprendizagem experiencial e seu papel no desenvolvimento de competências no contexto organizacional. O estudo desenvolvido investigou os aspectos relacionados à aprendizagem e ao desenvolvimento de competências na percepção de universitários que estavam trabalhando e cursando a etapa final do curso de administração. Os resultados revelam: a importância do contexto em que os indivíduos estão inseridos na construção de significados para o processo de aprendizagem; como as situações que surgem no cotidiano podem tornarse veículo neste processo; e permitem dizer que, para instalar uma cultura de aprendizagem que possibilite o desenvolvimento de competências, é necessária compreensão clara das novas diretrizes de uma tarefa educativa voltada para aprendizagem. Na perspectiva de trazer alguma contribuição o estudo conclui propondo um quadro de referências relativamente integrado para a definição e o papel da aprendizagem na ação no desenvolvimento de competências.