Matrix Representation of the Stationary Measure for the Multispecies TASEP

In this work we construct the stationary measure of the N species totally asymmetric simple exclusion process in a matrix product formulation. We make the connection between the matrix product formulation and the queueing theory picture of Ferrari and Martin. In particular, in the standard representation, the matrices act on the space of queue lengths. For N > 2 the matrices in fact become tensor products of elements of quadratic algebras. This enables us to give a purely algebraic proof of the stationary measure which we present for N=3.

An investigation of worn work roll materials used in the finishing stands of the hot strip mill for steel rolling

The surface failure characteristics of different work roll materials, i.e. High Speed Steel, High Chromium Iron and Indefinite Chill Iron, used in the finishing stands of a hot strip mill have been investigated using stereo microscopy, 3D optical profilometry, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results show that the surface failure mechanisms of work rolls for hot rolling are very complex, involving plastic deformation, abrasive wear, adhesive wear, mechanical and thermal induced cracking, material transfer and oxidation. Despite the differences in chemical composition and microstructure, the tribological response of the different work roll materials was found to be strongly dependent on the material microstructure and especially the presence and distribution of microstructural constituents, such as the different carbide phases and graphite (in the case of Indefinite Chill Iron). Cracking and chipping of the work roll surfaces, both having a negative impact on work roll wear, are strongly influenced by the presence of carbides, carbide networks and graphite in the work roll surface. Consequently, the amount of carbide forming elements as well as the manufacturing process must be controlled in order to obtain an optimised microstructure and a predictable wear rate.

The attractiveness of the work is affected when production of handcrafted log houses moves indoors

Viewed from a historical perspective, a shift has occurred within the forestry and wood sector towards indoor work. In Sweden, the production of handcrafted log houses has now also begun to move indoors. With a point of departure in development processes within the log house sector involving working indoors, education, work attractiveness, between 2001-2005, the aim of this study was to compare indoor work with outdoor work, based on log house builders' experience of working on handcrafted log houses. Methods used in the interactive development project involving apprentices, experienced log house builders and researchers, were participation with continuous documentation of experiences and opinions; questions; interviews; and measurement of the work environment. The Attractive Work Model has been used in order to analyse perceptions and values. The changes, 15 out of 22 areas, were perceived both negatively and positively. Therefore, it can not be said that working on traditional, handcrafted log houses becomes more attractive if it is moved indoors. The majority wanted to work both outdoors and indoors, while most of the others only wanted to work outdoors. The results indicate that there is scope for developing more attractive work indoors by utilising experiences from log house builders and closely related activities such as the forestry and wood sector. Changes made within one area of work attractiveness affect other areas. Further research is needed both with regard to comparisons between indoor and outdoor work and regarding the interaction between the areas that are identified in the Attractive Work Model.

Molecular architecture of thin films fabricated via physical vapor deposition and containing a poly(azo)urethane

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

A high dynamic range method for the direct readout of a dynamic phase change in homodyne interferometers

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Orientation dependence of stored energy of cold work in semi-processed electrical steels after temper rolling

Microhardness measurements were carried out in a low carbon lamination steel after 6% of temper rolling, in order to evaluate local variations of work hardening as a function of crystallographic orientation. EBSD (electron back scattered diffraction) was used to determine grain orientations with respect to individual rolling planes and rolling directions. Hardness was shown to increase with the local Taylor factor. TEM observations and a well-known dislocation hardening model were used to confirm the equivalence between hardness values and the stored energy of cold work. A definite correlation between stored energy and Taylor factors could therefore be established, being more consistent than previous data reported in the literature. The improvement was thought to be related to the rather small plastic deformation, during which Taylor factors could be considered to remain constant. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Methodology for Building Service-Oriented Applications in the Presence of Non-Functional Properties

This thesis presents ⇡SOD-M (Policy-based Service Oriented Development Methodology), a methodology for modeling reliable service-based applications using policies. It proposes a model driven method with: (i) a set of meta-models for representing non-functional constraints associated to service-based applications, starting from an use case model until a service composition model; (ii) a platform providing guidelines for expressing the composition and the policies; (iii) model-to-model and model-to-text transformation rules for semi-automatizing the implementation of reliable service-based applications; and (iv) an environment that implements these meta-models and rules, and enables the application of ⇡SOD-M. This thesis also presents a classification and nomenclature for non-functional requirements for developing service-oriented applications. Our approach is intended to add value to the development of service-oriented applications that have quality requirements needs. This work uses concepts from the service-oriented development, non-functional requirements design and model-driven delevopment areas to propose a solution that minimizes the problem of reliable service modeling. Some examples are developed as proof of concepts

Development and validation of a Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri DNA microarray platform (XACarray) generated from the shotgun libraries previously used in the sequencing of this bacterial genome

Background. From shotgun libraries used for the genomic sequencing of the phytopathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (XAC), clones that were representative of the largest possible number of coding sequences (CDSs) were selected to create a DNA microarray platform on glass slides (XACarray). The creation of the XACarray allowed for the establishment of a tool that is capable of providing data for the analysis of global genome expression in this organism. Findings. The inserts from the selected clones were amplified by PCR with the universal oligonucleotide primers M13R and M13F. The obtained products were purified and fixed in duplicate on glass slides specific for use in DNA microarrays. The number of spots on the microarray totaled 6,144 and included 768 positive controls and 624 negative controls per slide. Validation of the platform was performed through hybridization of total DNA probes from XAC labeled with different fluorophores, Cy3 and Cy5. In this validation assay, 86% of all PCR products fixed on the glass slides were confirmed to present a hybridization signal greater than twice the standard deviation of the deviation of the global median signal-to-noise ration. Conclusions. Our validation of the XACArray platform using DNA-DNA hybridization revealed that it can be used to evaluate the expression of 2,365 individual CDSs from all major functional categories, which corresponds to 52.7% of the annotated CDSs of the XAC genome. As a proof of concept, we used this platform in a previously work to verify the absence of genomic regions that could not be detected by sequencing in related strains of Xanthomonas. © 2010 Moreira et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

Draft programme of regional statistical work for Latin America and the Caribbean, July 2005-June 2007

Includes bibliography

Draft programme of statistical work of the ECLAC system, 2006-2007

Includes bibliography

Probing the infraed behavior of the ghost-gluon vertex in quantum chromodynamics

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Situation of unpaid work and gender in the Caribbean: The measurement of unpaid work through time-use studies

Includes bibliography.

Direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization as a tool for developing microenvironments for evaluation of bacterial growth

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

The restructuring of labour in Brazil in the 2000s: flexible work and the precarisation of working life

This article argues that the precarisation of employment that has taken place in Brazil since the 1990s has been fundamentally different in kind from earlier forms of precariousness, which took place outside the formal economy. The new forms of precariousness are taking place within the sphere of the economy controlled by transnational corporations. Although they have only reached critical mass during the 2000s, the ground was prepared by ‘post neoliberal’ restructuring, including labour law reforms, that took place in Brazil during the 1990s and introduced new forms of flexible working. The article argues that the new condition of labour now emerging in Brazil, which is a structural feature of labour under global capitalism, is characterised by psychosocial dynamics that cause: first, class desubjectivation; second, a ‘seizure’ of the waged worker's subjectivity; and third, the reduction of living labour to the status of a workforce treated as goods. Comprehending these changes necessitates a related change in the theoretical and methodological framework in which the precariousness of work is studied, one that incorporates within its scope the issues of workers' health and the quality of working life.

Teachers Formation in Higher Education: Some Aspects under the Light of Education-Work Relations

This text is mainly aimed to address essential aspects of teacher formation in the light of education-work relations in the higher education, from our systematic experience in higher education teaching, particularly teaching and research in the field of Didactics discipline. This formulation is justified considering our concern in seeking to situate this discussion in the context of bringing together knowledge areas and the field of teaching knowledge. Still, our choice to develop such an approach in the light of work-education relationship is due to the belief about the possibilities of seeking to overcome the requirements imposed by capitalism to our educational system, within the possible contradictions of these relationships. In this context the teachers’ formation in higher education gains social and strategic importance, taking on the task of forming individuals of “action-reflection-action” in a society established historically based on the social relations which settle in the light of capital’s multiple determinations. It appears that, in this sense, the major confrontations have been given within the discussions about what to prioritize or combine in the list of criteria and content for teacher’s formation. In Didactic, we seek to emphasize discussions that we consider with a philosophical background, referring to the orientation of teaching practice in knowledge of contemporary ideological struggle; socio-historical, referring to the possibility of formation of disciplines, among them Didactic, and curriculums and references to support its guidance in the process of teacher’s formation. This context of discussion is based on the concrete teaching practice with a view to transformation and to search for new syntheses in terms of knowledge and in terms of historical reality. Then therefore, our methodological approach grounded in the dimensions of the same unit: historical materialism as posture, method and as praxis.