Accuracy of Hotel Feasibility Study Projections

Hotel feasibility studies are critical in the determination of hotel construction, sales and refinancing. Discrepancies have been reported between forecasted results and actual operating results. The author, with funding provided by the Hilton corporation, examines whether such studies under- state or overstate occupancy, average rate, and net income.

Sea Level Rise Map Projections

A presentation of maps illustrating the percentage of land surface remaining at varying sea level rise from 1ft - 12ft in Miami-Dade County.

Conformational dynamics associated with ligand binding to vertebrate hexa-coordinate hemoglobins

Neuroglobin (Ngb) and cytoglobin (Cygb) are two new additions to the globin family, exhibiting heme iron hexa-coordination, a disulfide bond and large internal cavities. These proteins are implicated in cytoprotection under hypoxic-ischemic conditions, but the molecular basis of their cytoprotective function is unclear. Herein, a photothermal and spectroscopic study of the interactions of diatomic ligands with Ngb, Cygb, myoglobin and hemoglobin is presented. The impact of the disulfide bond in Ngb and Cygb and role of conserved residues in Ngb His64, Val68, Cys55, Cys120 and Tyr44 on conformational dynamics associated with ligand binding/dissociation were investigated. Transient absorption and photoacoustic calorimetry studies indicate that CO photo-dissociation from Ngb leads to a volume expansion (13.4±0.9 mL mol-1), whereas a smaller volume change was determined for Ngb with reduced Cys (ΔV=4.6±0.3 mL mol-1). Furthermore, Val68 side chain regulates ligand migration between the distal pocket and internal hydrophobic cavities since Val68Phe geminate quantum yield is ∼2.7 times larger than that of WT Ngb. His64Gln and Tyr44Phe mutations alter the thermodynamic parameters associated with CO photo-release indicating that electrostatic/hydrogen binding network that includes heme propionate groups, Lys 67, His64, and Tyr 44 in Ngb modulates the energetics of CO photo-dissociation. In Cygb, CO escape from the protein matrix is fast (< 40 ns) with a ΔH of 18±2 kcal mol-1 in Cygbred, whereas disulfide bridge formation promotes a biphasic ligand escape associated with an overall enthalpy change of 9±4 kcal mol-1. Therefore, the disulfide bond modulates conformational dynamics in Ngb and Cygb. I propose that in Cygb with reduced Cys the photo-dissociated ligand escapes through the hydrophobic tunnel as occurs in Ngb, whereas the CO preferentially migrates through the His64 gate in Cygbox. To characterize Cygb surface 1,8-ANS interactions with Cygb were investigated employing fluorescence spectroscopy, ITC and docking simulations. Two 1,8-ANS binding sites were identified. One binding site is located close to the extended N-terminus of Cygb and was also identified as a binding site for oleate. Furthermore, guanidinium hydrochloride-induced unfolding studies of Cygb reveal that the disulfide bond does not impact Cygb stability, whereas binding of cyanide slightly increases the protein stability.

Projections for Land Use Change in Brazil:2000-2050, links to files in ArcGIS shapefile format

This data set contains the inputs and the results of the REDD+ Policy Assessment Centre project (REDD-PAC) project (http://www.redd-pac.org), developed by a consortium of research institutes (IIASA, INPE, IPEA, UNEP-WCMC), supported by Germany's International Climate Initiative. Taking a new land use map of Brazil for 2000 as input, the research team used the global economic model GLOBIOM to project land use changes in Brazil up to 2050. Model projections show that Brazil has the potential to balance its goals of protecting the environment and becoming a major global producer of food and biofuels. The model results were taken into account by Brazilian decision-makers when developing the country's intended nationally determined contribution (INDC).

Projections of change in key ecosystem indicators for planning and management of marine protected areas: An example study for European seas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are widely used as tools to maintain biodiversity, protect habitats and ensure that development is sustainable. If MPAs are to maintain their role into the future it is important for managers to understand how conditions at these sites may change as a result of climate change and other drivers, and this understanding needs to extend beyond temperature to a range of key ecosystem indicators. This case study demonstrates how spatially-aggregated model results for multiple variables can provide useful projections for MPA planners and managers. Conditions in European MPAs have been projected for the 2040s using unmitigated and globally managed scenarios of climate change and river management, and hence high and low emissions of greenhouse gases and riverborne nutrients. The results highlight the vulnerability of potential refuge sites in the north-west Mediterranean and the need for careful monitoring at MPAs to the north and west of the British Isles, which may be affected by changes in Atlantic circulation patterns. The projections also support the need for more MPAs in the eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, and can inform the selection of sites.

Projections of change in key ecosystem indicators for planning and management of marine protected areas: An example study for European seas

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are widely used as tools to maintain biodiversity, protect habitats and ensure that development is sustainable. If MPAs are to maintain their role into the future it is important for managers to understand how conditions at these sites may change as a result of climate change and other drivers, and this understanding needs to extend beyond temperature to a range of key ecosystem indicators. This case study demonstrates how spatially-aggregated model results for multiple variables can provide useful projections for MPA planners and managers. Conditions in European MPAs have been projected for the 2040s using unmitigated and globally managed scenarios of climate change and river management, and hence high and low emissions of greenhouse gases and riverborne nutrients. The results highlight the vulnerability of potential refuge sites in the north-west Mediterranean and the need for careful monitoring at MPAs to the north and west of the British Isles, which may be affected by changes in Atlantic circulation patterns. The projections also support the need for more MPAs in the eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea, and can inform the selection of sites.

Étude des projections axonales sérotoninergiques dans un modèle murin de la maladie de Parkinson et des dyskinésies induites par la lévodopa

OBJECTIFS: La libération de dopamine par les afférences à sérotonine (5-HT) du striatum constitue un déterminant pré-synaptique important des dyskinésies induites par la L-Dopa (DILs), un effet délétère du traitement pharmacologique de la maladie de Parkinson. En effet, les axones 5-HT seraient en mesure de libérer de façon non-physiologique de la dopamine lorsque la L-Dopa est administrée au patient, contribuant ainsi à l’expression des DILs. Certaines afférences striatales 5-HT contiennent un transporteur vésiculaire du glutamate (VGluT3) et nous croyons que sa présence puisse avoir un effet synergique sur la libération de dopamine. L’objectif général de ce mémoire est donc d’évaluer la quantité de VGluT3 présent au sein des axones 5-HT et de mesurer son implication dans l’expression des DILs. MÉTHODES : Dix-huit souris C57/Bl6 ont été séparées en trois groupes expérimentaux. Douze souris ont reçu une injection intracérébrale de 6- hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) dans le faisceau prosencéphalique médian afin de léser les afférences dopaminergiques du striatum. Six souris lésées ont reçu des injections systémiques de L-Dopa (12 jours, 1 fois/jour). Six autres souris ont reçu une injection intracérébrale du véhicule afin de servir de contrôle. La sévérité des mouvements involontaires anormaux induits par la L-Dopa (équivalent des dyskinésies) a été quantifiée selon une échelle reconnue. Un double marquage en immunofluorescence pour le transporteur membranaire de la 5-HT (SERT) et le VGluT3 a permis d’évaluer la densité des varicosités SERT+ et SERT+/VGluT3+ dans le striatum dorsal et de comparer ces données entre les trois groupes expérimentaux. RÉSULTATS: Chez les trois groupes de souris, un faible pourcentage des varicosités axonales 5-HT sont également VGluT3+. Ces varicosités doublement marquées sont souvent retrouvées sur une même branche axonale. Aucune différence significative n’a été observée entre les trois groupes expérimentaux en ce qui a trait à la proportion de varicosités SERT+ qui contiennent le VGluT3+. CONCLUSION: Nos données expérimentales ne nous permettent pas de conclure que la densité des varicosités axonales SERT+ ou SERT+/VGluT3+ au sein du striatum dorsal varie en fonction de la sévérité des mouvements involontaires anormaux induits par l’administration de L-Dopa.

Evading Vacuum Noise: Wigner Projections or Husimi Samples?

The accuracy in determining the quantum state of a system depends on the type of measurement performed. Homodyne and heterodyne detection are the two main schemes in continuous-variable quantum information. The former leads to a direct reconstruction of the Wigner function of the state, whereas the latter samples its Husimi Q function. We experimentally demonstrate that heterodyne detection outperforms homodyne detection for almost all Gaussian states, the details of which depend on the squeezing strength and thermal noise.

Calcolo delle coordinate delle stazioni GNSS italiane in Antartide e valutazione dei risultati.

La tesi di carattere sperimentale parla del calcolo, tramite diversi software, delle coordinate tridimensionali di alcune stazioni GNSS antartiche al fine di valutarne ripetibilità e accuratezza. Inoltre si descrive nel dettaglio il progetto nazionale di ricerca in Antartide (PNRA) e l'osservatorio geodetico italiano. Tutto questo anticipato da un ampio capitolo dove si descrive il sistema di posizionamento globale (GPS).

Coordinate di Painlevé-Gullstrand e buchi neri acustici

In questa tesi si introduce il concetto di buco nero acustico come l’analogo sonoro di ciò che rappresenta un buco nero in relatività generale. In primo luogo verrà quindi illustrata la teoria della gravitazione di Einstein, per poi entrare nel dettaglio della soluzione di Schwarzschild e della nozione di buco nero. In secondo luogo si dimostrerà come alcuni sistemi, i fluidi disomogenei in movimento, riescano a riprodurre effetti gravitazionali sotto certe condizioni. In particolare si osserverà come il suono che si propaga in questi fluidi lo faccia lungo delle geodetiche determinate da una "metrica acustica" dipendente da velocità e densità del fluido, che verrà ricavata. Ciò che permetterà di stabilire l’analogia sarà un’estensione analitica della soluzione di Schwarzschild, quella di Painlevé-Gullstrand: si potrà infatti identificare (formalmente) l’elemento di linea acustico con l’elemento di linea di Painlevé-Gullstrand. Si troverà che portando la velocità del fluido a una velocità maggiore di quella del suono, nella zona supersonica le onde acustiche non potranno propagarsi controcorrente ma verranno trascinate nella direzione opposta, come i raggi luminosi vengono trascinati verso la singolarità all’interno dell’orizzonte degli eventi di un buco nero. La zona supersonica verrà quindi chiamata buco nero acustico.

ELEMENTOS DE CARTOGRAFÍA MATEMÁTICA Y SU APLICACIÓN EN LA ELABORACIÓN DE LAS CARTAS GEOGRÁFICAS

En este artículo se analizan algunos de los elementos básicos de la cartografía matemática, partiendo de los aspectos generales como sistemas de coordenadas y superficies de referencia. Se discuten además los elementos cartográficos sobre los esferoides, los datums y la definición de los sistemas de coordenadas geográficas, así como las transformaciones esferoidales. Una vez establecidos los conceptos básicos, se discuten los aspectos fundamentales de la teoría de las proyecciones cartográficas y sus principales características.ABSTRACTThis article analyzes some basic concepts about mathematical cartography, from general aspects such as coordinate systems and reference surfaces. The cartographic elements concerning spheroids, datum and definitions of geographical coordinate systems are discussed, as well as the spheroid transformations. Based on these basic concepts, the fundamental aspects of cartographic projections theory and its main characteristics are discussed.

On The Distinct Molecular Architectures Of Dipping- And Spray-lbl Films Containing Lipid Vesicles.

The introduction of spraying procedures to fabricate layer-by-layer (LbL) films has brought new possibilities for the control of molecular architectures and for making the LbL technique compliant with industrial processes. In this study we show that significantly distinct architectures are produced for dipping and spray-LbL films of the same components, which included DODAB/DPPG vesicles. The films differed notably in their thickness and stratified nature. The electrical response of the two types of films to aqueous solutions containing erythrosin was also different. With multidimensional projections we showed that the impedance for the DODAB/DPPG spray-LbL film is more sensitive to changes in concentration, being therefore more promising as sensing units. Furthermore, with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) we could ascribe the high sensitivity of the LbL films to adsorption of erythrosin.

Cálculos teóricos de afinidades por próton de n-alquilaminas usando o método ONIOM

The ONIOM method was used to calculate the proton affinities (PA) of n-alkylamines (CnH2n+1NH2, n = 3 to 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18). The calculations were carried out at several levels (HF, MP2, B3LYP, QCISD(T), ...) using Pople basis sets and at the QCISD(T) level using basis sets developed by the generator coordinate method (GCM) and adapted to effective core potentials. PAs were also obtained through the GCM and high level methods, like ONIOM[QCISD(T)/6-31+G(2df,p):MP2/6-31G+G(d,p))//ONIOM[MP2/6-31+G(d,p):HF/6-31G]. The average error using the GCM, with respect to experimental data, was 3.4 kJ mol-1.

Sistema de análise de movimento para avaliação da postura vertical durante a corrida no teste de esforço máximo incremental

Universidade Estadual de Campinas . Faculdade de Educação Física