Usabilidade de site e tecnologia wiki aplicadas ao jogo de xadrez no ambiente virtual =: Usability of site and wiki technology applied to the chess set in virtual environment

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Anthropogenic edges, isolation and the flowering time and fruit set of Anadenanthera peregrina, a cerrado savanna tree

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Phase space properties and chaotic transport for a particle moving in a time dependent step potential well

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A Comparison of Induction Motor Starting Methods Being Powered by a Diesel-Generator Set

Starting induction motors on isolated or weak systems is a highly dynamic process that can cause motor and load damage as well as electrical network fluctuations. Mechanical damage is associated with the high starting current drawn by a ramping induction motor. In order to compensate the load increase, the voltage of the electrical system decreases. Different starting methods can be applied to the electrical system to reduce these and other starting method issues. The purpose of this thesis is to build accurate and usable simulation models that can aid the designer in making the choice of an appropriate motor starting method. The specific case addressed is the situation where a diesel-generator set is used as the electrical supplied source to the induction motor. The most commonly used starting methods equivalent models are simulated and compared to each other. The main contributions of this thesis is that motor dynamic impedance is continuously calculated and fed back to the generator model to simulate the coupling of the electrical system. The comparative analysis given by the simulations has shown reasonably similar characteristics to other comparative studies. The diesel-generator and induction motor simulations have shown good results, and can adequately demonstrate the dynamics for testing and comparing the starting methods. Further work is suggested to refine the equivalent impedance presented in this thesis.

Die Beziehung zwischen genetischem Polymorphismus von Populationen und Umweltvariabilität: Anwendung der Fitness-Set Theorie

Die Beziehung zwischen genetischem Polymorphismus von Populationen und Umweltvariabilität: Anwendung der Fitness-Set Theorie Das Quantitative Fitness-Set Modell (QFM) ist eine Erweiterung der Fitness-Set Theorie. Das QFM kann Abstufungen zwischen grob- und feinkörnigen regelmäßigen Schwankungen zweier Umwelten darstellen. Umwelt- und artspezifische Parameter, sowie die bewirkte Körnigkeit, sind quantifizierbar. Experimentelle Daten lassen sich analysieren und das QFM erweist sich in großen Populationen als sehr genau, was durch den diskreten Parameterraum unterstützt wird. Kleine Populationen und/oder hohe genetische Diversität führen zu Schätzungsungenauigkeiten, die auch in natürlichen Populationen zu erwarten sind. Ein populationsgrößenabhängiger Unschärfewert erweitert die Punktschätzung eines Parametersatzes zur Intervallschätzung. Diese Intervalle wirken in finiten Populationen als Fitnessbänder. Daraus ergibt sich die Hypothese, dass bei Arten, die in dichten kontinuierlichen Fitnessbändern leben, Generalisten und in diskreten Fitnessbändern Spezialisten evolvieren.Asynchrone Reproduktionsstrategien führen zur Bewahrung genetischer Diversität. Aus dem Wechsel von grobkörniger zu feinkörniger Umweltvariation ergibt sich eine Bevorzugung der spezialisierten Genotypen. Aus diesem Angriffspunkt für disruptive Selektion lässt sich die Hypothese Artbildung in Übergangsszenarien von grobkörniger zu feinkörniger Umweltvariation formulieren. Im umgekehrten Fall ist Diversitätsverlust und stabilisierende Selektion zu erwarten Dies ist somit eine prozessorientierte Erklärung für den Artenreichtum der (feinkörnigen) Tropen im Vergleich zu den artenärmeren, jahreszeitlichen Schwankungen unterworfenen (grobkörnigen) temperaten Zonen.

Landscape and well-being: a scoping study on the health-promoting impact of outdoor environments

OBJECTIVES: The present literature review conceptualises landscape as a health resource that promotes physical, mental, and social well-being. Different health-promoting landscape characteristics are discussed. METHODS: This article is based on a scoping study which represents a special kind of qualitative literature review. Over 120 studies have been reviewed in a five-step-procedure, resulting in a heuristic device. RESULTS: A set of meaningful pathways that link landscape and health have been identified. Landscapes have the potential to promote mental well-being through attention restoration, stress reduction, and the evocation of positive emotions; physical well-being through the promotion of physical activity in daily life as well as leisure time and through walkable environments; and social well-being through social integration, social engagement and participation, and through social support and security. CONCLUSION: This scoping study allows us to systematically describe the potential of landscape as a resource for physical, mental and social well-being. A heuristic framework is presented that can be applied in future studies, facilitating systematic and focused research approaches and informing practical public health interventions.

Thermodynamics of Forming Water Clusters at Various Temperatures and Pressures by Gaussian-2, Gaussian-3, Complete Basis Set-QB3, and Complete Basis Set-APNO Model Chemistries; Implications for Atmospheric Chemistry

The Gaussian-2, Gaussian-3, complete basis set- (CBS-) QB3, and CBS-APNO methods have been used to calculate ΔH° and ΔG° values for neutral clusters of water, (H2O)n, where n = 2−6. The structures are similar to those determined from experiment and from previous high-level calculations. The thermodynamic calculations by the G2, G3, and CBS-APNO methods compare well against the estimated MP2(CBS) limit. The cyclic pentamer and hexamer structures release the most heat per hydrogen bond formed of any of the clusters. While the cage and prism forms of the hexamer are the lowest energy structures at very low temperatures, as temperature is increased the cyclic structure is favored. The free energies of cluster formation at different temperatures reveal interesting insights, the most striking being that the cyclic trimer, cyclic tetramer, and cyclic pentamer, like the dimer, should be detectable in the lower troposphere. We predict water dimer concentrations of 9 × 1014 molecules/cm3, water trimer concentrations of 2.6 × 1012 molecules/cm3, tetramer concentrations of approximately 5.8 × 1011 molecules/cm3, and pentamer concentrations of approximately 3.5 × 1010 molecules/cm3 in saturated air at 298 K. These results have important implications for understanding the gas-phase chemistry of the lower troposphere.

[Evaluation of the "Schema-focused Emotive Behavioural Therapy" (SET) for Patients with Personality Disorders: Results of a Randomised Controlled Trial.]

The "Schema-focussed Emotive Behavioral Therapy" (SET) was developed by our research group as a new group therapy approach for patients with personality disorders from all clusters (A to C; DSM-IV). It was evaluated in a randomised controlled study (n = 93). Data were collected before and after treatment as well as one year after study entry. A completer analysis was conducted with matched subgroups (n = 60). After therapy, SET patients improved in the outcome domains interactional behavior, strain, and symptomatic complaints (IIP-D, GAF, VEV-VW, BSI-P). Furthermore, they showed a significant lower dropout rate. At the follow-up assessment, Cluster C patients of the experimental group deteriorated with regard to symptomatic complaints (BSI-P). In contrast, cluster B patients improved more over time compared to control subjects. SET seems to be an adequate and effective group therapy with effects that seem to be stable over time, especially for patients with Cluster B diagnosis.

Application of well log tomography to the Dundee and Rogers City Limestones, Michigan Basin, USA

The Michigan Basin is located in the upper Midwest region of the United States and is centered geographically over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. It is filled primarily with Paleozoic carbonates and clastics, overlying Precambrian basement rocks and covered by Pleistocene glacial drift. In Michigan, more than 46,000 wells have been drilled in the basin, many producing significant quantities of oil and gas since the 1920s in addition to providing a wealth of data for subsurface visualization. Well log tomography, formerly log-curve amplitude slicing, is a visualization method recently developed at Michigan Technological University to correlate subsurface data by utilizing the high vertical resolution of well log curves. The well log tomography method was first successfully applied to the Middle Devonian Traverse Group within the Michigan Basin using gamma ray log curves. The purpose of this study is to prepare a digital data set for the Middle Devonian Dundee and Rogers City Limestones, apply the well log tomography method to this data and from this application, interpret paleogeographic trends in the natural radioactivity. Both the Dundee and Rogers City intervals directly underlie the Traverse Group and combined are the most prolific reservoir within the Michigan Basin. Differences between this study and the Traverse Group include increased well control and “slicing” of a more uniform lithology. Gamma ray log curves for the Dundee and Rogers City Limestones were obtained from 295 vertical wells distributed over the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, converted to Log ASCII Standard files, and input into the well log tomography program. The “slicing” contour results indicate that during the formation of the Dundee and Rogers City intervals, carbonates and evaporites with low natural radioactive signatures on gamma ray logs were deposited. This contrasts the higher gamma ray amplitudes from siliciclastic deltas that cyclically entered the basin during Traverse Group deposition. Additionally, a subtle north-south, low natural radioactive trend in the center of the basin may correlate with previously published Dundee facies tracts. Prominent trends associated with the distribution of limestone and dolomite are not observed because the regional range of gamma ray values for both carbonates are equivalent in the Michigan Basin and additional log curves are needed to separate these lithologies.

LakeMIP Kivu: evaluating the representation of a large, deep tropical lake by a set of one-dimensional lake models

The African great lakes are of utmost importance for the local economy (fishing), as well as being essential to the survival of the local people. During the past decades, these lakes experienced fast changes in ecosystem structure and functioning, and their future evolution is a major concern. In this study, for the first time a set of one-dimensional lake models are evaluated for Lake Kivu (2.28°S; 28.98°E), East Africa. The unique limnology of this meromictic lake, with the importance of salinity and subsurface springs in a tropical high-altitude climate, presents a worthy challenge to the seven models involved in the Lake Model Intercomparison Project (LakeMIP). Meteorological observations from two automatic weather stations are used to drive the models, whereas a unique dataset, containing over 150 temperature profiles recorded since 2002, is used to assess the model’s performance. Simulations are performed over the freshwater layer only (60 m) and over the average lake depth (240 m), since salinity increases with depth below 60 m in Lake Kivu and some lake models do not account for the influence of salinity upon lake stratification. All models are able to reproduce the mixing seasonality in Lake Kivu, as well as the magnitude and seasonal cycle of the lake enthalpy change. Differences between the models can be ascribed to variations in the treatment of the radiative forcing and the computation of the turbulent heat fluxes. Fluctuations in wind velocity and solar radiation explain inter-annual variability of observed water column temperatures. The good agreement between the deep simulations and the observed meromictic stratification also shows that a subset of models is able to account for the salinity- and geothermal-induced effects upon deep-water stratification. Finally, based on the strengths and weaknesses discerned in this study, an informed choice of a one-dimensional lake model for a given research purpose becomes possible.

Well-being and learning in school

Although there are various definitions for the term “well-being,” it is agreed that well-being in school represents a set of subjective feelings and attitudes toward school. Moreover, enjoyment (some use the term “happiness”) is recognized as a core element of well-being in general as well as at school. Well-being in school is defined as an indicator of the quality of scholastic life, and contributes to students’ physical and psychological health and development. As such it is strongly connected to learning. Well-being in school consists of cognitive, emotional, and physical components, i.e., a learner’s thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Consequently, it differs significantly from an individual’s cognitive appraisals like satisfaction, or from discrete positive emotions like enjoyment. Well-being in school can be described through the relationship of positive and negative aspects of school life

A Parametric Test of Perfect Ranking in Balanced Ranked Set Sampling

Many techniques based on data which are drawn by Ranked Set Sampling (RSS) scheme assume that the ranking of observations is perfect. Therefore it is essential to develop some methods for testing this assumption. In this article, we propose a parametric location-scale free test for assessing the assumption of perfect ranking. The results of a simulation study in two special cases of normal and exponential distributions indicate that the proposed test performs well in comparison with its leading competitors.

Measurement of the TeV atmospheric muon charge ratio with the complete OPERA data set

The OPERA detector, designed to search for νμ → ντ oscillations in the CNGS beam, is located in the underground Gran Sasso laboratory, a privileged location to study TeV-scale cosmic rays. For the analysis here presented, the detector was used to measure the atmospheric muon charge ratio in the TeV region. OPERA collected chargeseparated cosmic ray data between 2008 and 2012. More than 3 million atmospheric muon events were detected and reconstructed, among which about 110000 multiple muon bundles. The charge ratio Rμ ≡ Nμ+/Nμ− was measured separately for single and for multiple muon events. The analysis exploited the inversion of the magnet polarity which was performed on purpose during the 2012 Run. The combination of the two data sets with opposite magnet polarities allowedminimizing systematic uncertainties and reaching an accurate determination of the muon charge ratio. Data were fitted to obtain relevant parameters on the composition of primary cosmic rays and the associated kaon production in the forward fragmentation region. In the surface energy range 1–20 TeV investigated by OPERA, Rμ is well described by a parametric model including only pion and kaon contributions to themuon flux, showing no significant contribution of the prompt component. The energy independence supports the validity of Feynman scaling in the fragmentation region up to 200 TeV/nucleon primary energy.

Biotic and abiotic parameters and cynobacteria abundance during an experimental set-up with varying pCO2 conditions

Heterocystous cyanobacteria of the genus Nodularia form extensive blooms in the Baltic Sea and contribute substantially to the total annual primary production. Moreover, they dispense a large fraction of new nitrogen to the ecosystem when inorganic nitrogen concentration in summer is low. Thus, it is of ecological importance to know how Nodularia will react to future environmental changes, in particular to increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations and what consequences there might arise for cycling of organic matter in the Baltic Sea. Here, we determined carbon (C) and dinitrogen (N2) fixation rates, growth, elemental stoichiometry of particulate organic matter and nitrogen turnover in batch cultures of the heterocystous cyanobacterium Nodularia spumigena under low (median 315 µatm), mid (median 353 µatm), and high (median 548 µatm) CO2 concentrations. Our results demonstrate an overall stimulating effect of rising pCO2 on C and N2 fixation, as well as on cell growth. An increase in pCO2 during incubation days 0 to 9 resulted in an elevation in growth rate by 84 ± 38% (low vs. high pCO2) and 40 ± 25% (mid vs. high pCO2), as well as in N2 fixation by 93 ± 35% and 38 ± 1%, respectively. C uptake rates showed high standard deviations within treatments and in between sampling days. Nevertheless, C fixation in the high pCO2 treatment was elevated compared to the other two treatments by 97% (high vs. low) and 44% (high vs. mid) at day 0 and day 3, but this effect diminished afterwards. Additionally, elevation in carbon to nitrogen and nitrogen to phosphorus ratios of the particulate biomass formed (POC : POP and PON : POP) was observed at high pCO2. Our findings suggest that rising pCO2 stimulates the growth of heterocystous diazotrophic cyanobacteria, in a similar way as reported for the non-heterocystous diazotroph Trichodesmium. Implications for biogeochemical cycling and food web dynamics, as well as ecological and socio-economical aspects in the Baltic Sea are discussed.

Palaeolake Rehwiese, NE-Germany, Younger Dryas varved data set RW09

The first 1400-year floating varve chronology for north-eastern Germany covering the late Allerød to the early Holocene has been established by microscopic varve counts from the Rehwiese palaeolake sediment record. The Laacher See Tephra (LST), at the base of the studied interval, forms the tephrochronological anchor point. The fine laminations were examined using a combination of micro-facies and ?-XRF analyses and are typical of calcite varves, which in this case provide mainly a warm season signal. Two varve types with different sub-layer structures have been distinguished: (I) complex varves consisting of up to four seasonal sub-layers formed during the Allerød and early Holocene periods, and, (II) simple two sub-layer type varves only occurring during the Younger Dryas. The precision of the chronology has been improved by varve-to-varve comparison of two independently analyzed sediment profiles based on well-defined micro-marker layers. This has enabled both (1) the precise location of single missing varves in one of the sediment profiles, and, (2) the verification of varve interpolation in disturbed varve intervals in the parallel core. Inter-annual and decadal-scale variability in sediment deposition processes were traced by multi-proxy data series including seasonal layer thickness, high-resolution element scans and total organic and inorganic carbon data at a five-varve resolution. These data support the idea of a two-phase Younger Dryas, with the first interval (12,675 - 12,275 varve years BP) characterised by a still significant but gradually decreasing warm-season calcite precipitation and a second phase (12,275 - 11,640 varve years BP) with only weak calcite precipitation. Detailed correlation of these two phases with the Meerfelder Maar record based on the LST isochrone and independent varve counts provides clues about regional differences and seasonal aspects of YD climate change along a transect from a location proximal to the North Atlantic in the west to a more continental site in the east.