On Probability in Geotechnics. Random Calculation Models Exemplified on Slope Stability Analysis and Ground-Superstructure Interaction

The thesis deals with uncertainty in calculation modelling. Emphasis is put on the design state. Design is a chain of decisions under uncertainty. A probabilistic approach is used to describe the uncertainty and calculations as a way to reveal the uncertainty. Thus, a calculation method becomes an operative tool in a risk analysis, not merely a verification of a prescribed minimum level.<p /> The work is a combination of elements from three different academic disciplines; geotechnics, structural mechanics and statistics. Different aspects from two fields of geotechnical modelling are discussed; slope stability as an example of ultimate limit state problems, and interaction ground /superstructure as an example of serviceability limit state problems.<p /> For the mathematical solution different algorithms are used; mathematical analysis, point estimate method, Monte-Carlo simulation and reliability analysis.<p /> Soil properties are described as random variables. Different uncertainties are accounted for; natural variations, systematic testing errors, random testing errors and errors due to limited testing. Pre-knowledge and test results are combined systematically using Bayesian statistics.<p /> Three different levels of complexity of both slope stability analysis and ground/superstructure interaction are given. In both cases, structural models of the soil are given for the third level. For a slope a constant degree of mobilisation is not a prerequisite. Instead the deformation properties of the soil are considered. In the interaction analysis the soil is described as a continuous shear beam on elastic supports. The structural model of the soil can be calibrated against a more rigorous geotechnical model. To determine volumetric creep deformations in clay a simple creep model is presented, in which the soil deformations can be determined as a sum of elastic/plastic deformations and creep deformations

Optical pumping of charged excitons in unintentionally doped InAs quantum dots

As an alternative to commonly used electrical methods, we have investigated the optical pumping of charged exciton complexes addressing impurity related transitions with photons of the appropriate energy. Under these conditions, we demonstrate that the pumping fidelity can be very high while still maintaining a switching behavior between the different excitonic species. This mechanism has been investigated for single quantum dots of different size present in the same sample and compared with the direct injection of spectator electrons from nearby donors.Comment: 4 pages and 3 figures submitted to AP

Verkkohakemiston hyödyntäminen ja rooli yrityksen markkinoinnissa : case: Salonseudunpalvelut.fi

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on selvittää, minkälainen rooli sähköisellä hakemistossa on yritysten markkinoinnissa ja miten hakemistoa hyödynnetään. Tutkimuksen kohteena on Salonseudunpalvelut.fi -hakemisto, jota ylläpitää Salon Seudun Sanomat. Hakemisto tarjoaa yrityksille mahdollisuuden tuoda esille tuote- ja palvelutarjontansa, tehdä nettitarjouksia ja kertoa ajankohtaisia uutisia. Kyse on uudentyyppisestä palvelusta, joka tarjoaa enemmän kuin pelkät yhteystiedot. Tutkimuksen teoriaosuus kertoo markkinointiviestinnän murroksesta Suomessa. Monissa Euroopan maissa digitaalinen markkinointi on jo tätä päivää, Suomessa vauhti on ollut hitaampaa. On kuitenkin ennustettu, että massamarkkinoinnin aika on loppumassa ja yritykset siirtyvät yhä enemmän kohti henkilökohtaisempaa markkinointia, jolloin asiakassuhde nousee keskeiseksi. Digitaalisen markkinointiviestinnän avulla viesti voidaan suunnata potentiaalisille asiakasryhmille kustannustehokkaasti ja asiakkaat tarpeet huomioon ottaen. Kvalitatiivinen tutkimus toteutettiin puhelinhaastatteluina maaliskuussa 2012 ja siihen osallistui kuusi Salonseudunpalvelut.fi -hakemistossa mukana olevaa yrittäjää. Tutkimuksen mukaan pk-yrittäjät käyttävät digitaalista mainontaa vielä harkiten ja vähäisesti, mutta kiinnostus sitä kohtaan on kasvamassa. Salonseudunpalvelut.fi -hakemisto tukee yritysten muuta mainontaa, joka pääsääntöisesti on edelleen sanomalehtimainontaa. Osa yrittäjistä hyödyntää hakemistoa aktiivisesti, kun taas toisilla hakemiston hyödyntäminen on vähäistä, eikä sen tuomia etuja välttämättä nähdä.The purpose of this thesis is to find out what role digital directory has in company’s marketing and how companies are using it. The object of research is Salonseudunpalvelut.fi -directory which is maintained by Salon Seudun Sanomat (a local newspaper). The directory offers possibility to bring out company’s products and services. There is also a possibility to make product offers and tell latest news of company. Directory is a new service which is much more than contacts. Theoretical part deals with the transform of marketing communications in Finland. In many European countries digital marketing is in use all the time. In Finland the speed of digitalization has been slower. It is estimated that a time of mass marketing is running out and companies will use more and more personal marketing. Moreover, customer relationship will become the most important channel. With digital marketing communications it is possible to direct the message to any potential group cost-effectively and take account the customers’ needs. The used metod is qualitative. Research was carried out in March 2012 by interviewing six entrepreneurs who are involved in the directory. Interviews were made by telephone. According to the research it seems that small companies still use digital marketing with caution and only a little. However, interest is growing. Salonseudunpalvelut.fi -directory supports also companies’ other marketing functions. The most using marketing tool is still newspaper. It seems that some entrepreneurs are very active using the directory, whereas some others do not know how the directory can boost their marketing

Un síntoma de la crisis del italianismo en la música religiosa española : el ataque del arzobispo Bocanegra a Buono Chiodi (1778)

El italianismo constituye uno de los fenómenos más importantes de la historia de la música en España. Su máximo desarrollo coincidió, además, con un período sumamente floreciente de la cultura en general, y muy particularmente de la música, tanto sagrada como profana. Por lo que se refiere a ésta, el italianismo mantuvo todavía su apogeo hasta bien avanzado el siglo XIX, gracias al progresivo auge de la ópera italiana. No ocurrió lo mismo en la música de nuestras catedrales. El italianismo, que hacia mediados del siglo XVIII era fenómeno común en todas las capillas de música de la península, comenzó a mostrar los primeros síntomas de decaimiento ya desde principios del Último tercio de siglo, si no antes. En este estudio nos ocuparemos de un caso concreto pero que tiene un significado universal para toda la música española: la protesta del arzobispo Bocanegra contra la música del italiano Buono Chiodi, maestro de capilla de la catedral de Santiago desde 1770

Fundamental structural and biochemical features for the obestatin/GPR39 system mitogenic action

In 2005, a new peptide derived from the ghrelin peptide precursor, named obestatin, was discovered. One of the most important functions of obestatin is its mitogenic activity. Obestatin and the GPR39 receptor were reported to be involved in the control of mitogenesis of gastric cancer cell lines; this fact prompted us to investigate obestatin/GPR39 signalling and the relationship between the system and gastric cancer progression, and explored their potential functional roles. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to establish the relationship between obestatin and GPR39 receptor in healthy and tumour-like surroundings, from structural to tissue level, to determinate the fundamental parameters of its mitogenic bioactivity. This issue will be accomplished with the following points: 1. To determine the structural features of obestatin required for the interaction with its receptor. 2. To elucidate the detailed activation/regulation mechanism of GPR39 receptor signalling triggered by obestatin. 3. To analyse the role of obestatin/GPR39 system in the development and malignity of tumours. Our results demonstrated that: At structural level, the amidation at the C-terminus is essential to adopt an α-helix structure and stabilize the GPR39 conformations necessary for the full range of receptor activities. Furthermore, human (11-23)-obestatin is able to induce selective coupling to the β-arrestin-dependent signalling, representing the first example of an endogenous biased ligand for GPR39. Meanwhile, mouse and human obestatin exhibit clear conformational differences beyond their primary structure. This evidence supports the species-specific activity of this peptide. Additionally, obestatin-GPR39 interaction might involve an E/Z isomerization of the peptide and the posibility that GPR39 could be acting as a prolyl cis-trans isomerase. Regarding the activation/regulation mechanism of GPR39 signalling triggered by obestatin, our results show that obestatin increases GPR39 phosphorylation and induces receptor endocytosis. In this signalling network, the transactivation process induced by obestatin GPR39-EGFR is a key mechanism, regulated by MMPs. The RTKs and proteases expression profiles confirm the implication of EGFR and MMPs in the obestatin signalling pathway, and introduce other proteases and RTKs in this cross-talk. In human tissues, we observe that the obestatin/GPR39 system regulates pepsinogen secretion. This result provide the first biological function for the obestatin/GPR39 system in healthy stomach. This system also regulates proliferation, motility, EMT, and invasion of gastric cancer cells. More importantly, the GPR39 expression levels found in human gastric adenocarcinomas provide the rationale for including GPR39 as a prognostic marker of these tumours. The ubiquitous expression of GPR39 and its cancer-associated overexpression, together with obestatin, provokes the proliferation and cell motillity of diverse human cancer cell lines. Moreover, these effects depend not only on GPR39, but also on the expression of key components of its signalling pathway, i.e. RTKs, proteases

Formación (y deformación) de palabras en el discurso afectivo-conflictivo. El ejemplo del «texto occitano del periodo revolucionario».

Sin resume

Thermal Behavior of Scots Pine (Pinus Sylvestris) and Silver Birch (Betula Pendula) at 200-230°

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and silver birch (Betula pendula) were heated for 4-8 h in a steam atmosphere at low temperatures (200-230°). The birch feedstock decomposed slightly more extensively (6.4-10.2 and 13.5-15.2% of the initial DS at 200° and 225°, respectively) than the pine feedstock (5.7-7.0 and 11.1-15.2% at 205° and 230°, respectively). The results indicated that the differences in mass loss between these feedstocks were due to mainly the fact that carbohydrates (cellulose and hemicelluloses) were more amenable to various degradation reactions than lignin in intact wood. The degradation reactions were also monitored in both cases by determining changes in the elemental composition of the heat-treated products

Olympic and paralympic games in Brazil: Learning from barcelona and sydney

Between 2014 and 2016, Brazil will host a number of large events, where the Olympics of Rio de Janeiro are the most noteworthy. The tourism industry will be one of the beneficiaries. It has established an objective to bring 10 million tourists in 2016, doubling overseas arrivals. This can create many business opportunities for the industry. This paper analyzes this goal by examining two key factors linked to the Olympics, legacy and new tourism segments, in particular, seniors and accessible tourism. A study using content analysis of the bibliography about Rio 2016 will be applied to determine the current body of knowledge. Following this, a case study will be drawn upon the Barcelona and Sydney Games to establish the key elements of the legacy and their tourist outcomes. The findings will establish the main factors required to meet Brazil's tourist objectives. © RAE