Improved interpretation of satellite altimeter data using genetic algorithms

Genetic algorithms (GA) are optimization techniques that are based on the mechanics of evolution and natural selection. They take advantage of the power of cumulative selection, in which successive incremental improvements in a solution structure become the basis for continued development. A GA is an iterative procedure that maintains a 'population' of 'organisms' (candidate solutions). Through successive 'generations' (iterations) the population as a whole improves in simulation of Darwin's 'survival of the fittest'. GA's have been shown to be successful where noise significantly reduces the ability of other search techniques to work effectively. Satellite altimetry provides useful information about oceanographic phenomena. It provides rapid global coverage of the oceans and is not as severely hampered by cloud cover as infrared imagery. Despite these and other benefits, several factors lead to significant difficulty in interpretation. The GA approach to the improved interpretation of satellite data involves the representation of the ocean surface model as a string of parameters or coefficients from the model. The GA searches in parallel, a population of such representations (organisms) to obtain the individual that is best suited to 'survive', that is, the fittest as measured with respect to some 'fitness' function. The fittest organism is the one that best represents the ocean surface model with respect to the altimeter data

Digitally enhanced: Adorno for the 21st-Century

Theodor Adorno is an influential figure in cultural studies, philosophy, and musicology. However, a re-examination of Adorno\u27s framework in the context of contemporary media studies is necessary because audio production and distribution technologies have changed dramatically since Adorno\u27s time of writing. In this thesis, I apply Adorno\u27s critical framework to the electronic artist Owl City. In doing so, I enhance Adorno\u27s model of analysis in order to allow for both regressive and progressive interpretations of contemporary music culture. I argue that social media facilitate a more efficacious culture industry, and that digital media facilitate a progressive form of escaping from the culture industry\u27s oppression

O papel do dialeto no desempenho de alunos na prova de proficiência Deutsches Sprachdiplom I

This paper investigates the role of Hunsrückisch, a dialect spoken by German descendents in South Brazil, in regard to the performance of high school students in the proficiency exam Deutsches Sprachdiplom (DSD-I). The article will first discuss the concept of bilinguism and then analyzes the performance of bilingual students (Portuguese/German) from the Instituo de Educação Ivoti in DSD-I exams over the last 5 years

PENGARUH KEDISIPLINAN, MOTIVASI KERJA, DAN PERSEPSI GURU TENTANG KEPEMIMPINAN KEPALA SEKOLAH TERHADAP KINERJA GURU SMKN 1 PURWOREJO PASCA SERTIFIKASI

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh kedisiplinan, motivasi kerja, dan persepsi guru tentang kepemimpinan kepala sekolah terhadap kinerja guru SMKN 1 Purworejo pasca sertifikasi. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah teknik analisis regresi ganda dengan taraf signifikan 5%. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa: (1) Tidak terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan antara disiplin kerja terhadap kinerja guru di SMKN 1 Purworejo pasca sertfikasi, dengan tingkat pengaruh variable kedisiplinan sebesar 0,106; (2) Tidak terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan antara Motivasi kerja terhadap kinerja guru di SMKN 1 Purworejo pasca sertfikasi, dengan tingkat pengaruh variable Motivasi kerja sebesar 0,074; (3) Tidak terdapat pengaruh yang signifikan antara persepsi guru tentang kepemimpinam kepala sekolah terhadap kinerja guru di SMKN 1 Purworejo pasca sertfikasi, dengan tingkat pengaruh persepsi guru tentang kepemimpinam kepala sekolah sebesar 0,027; (4) Terdapat hubungan yang signifikan antara variabel disiplin kerja, motivasi kerja, dan persepsi guru tentang kepemimpinam kepala sekolah secara simultan terhadap kinerja guru di SMKN 1 Purworejo pasca sertfikasi, dengan tingkat pengaruh sebesar 0,123

Algoritmo para la atención odontológica del paciente discapacitado

Fil: Messa, L. M.. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Odontologí

Projecte d’hàbitat d’interès social “El Sartén”

Aquest projecte fi de carrera de l'ETS d'Arquitectura té per objectiu principal fer una proposta d'organització del territori i de parcel·lació concebuda des del punt de vista de desenvolupament integral que, a més de solucionar els problemes diagnosticats pels actors involucrats, incorporés els principis de participació en la planificació, capacitació en el procés i flexibilitat en el disseny. Es plantejava un projecte d'HÀBITAT, i no tan sols de ‘habitatge' o d'‘urbanització', que aportés possibilitats, en compte d'imposar restriccions.Este proyecto fin de carrera de la ETS de Arquitectura parte de una petición de la Oficina de Planificación Metropolitana de San Salvador (OPAMSS) al autor para que tomase como tema el Proyecto de Hábitat Popular de El Sartén de Parcelación, Urbanización y Edificación, donde se quería reubicar a unas 500 familias damnificadas por el huracán Mitch (1998) y los posteriores terremotos del 2001.Peer Reviewe

Effects of ageing, a high-fat diet and physical exercise on skeletal muscle morphology

Age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength can lead to reduced independence, quality of life and life expectancy, which may be exacerbated by an increased high-fat intake and a low physical exercise. This thesis investigated the effects of ageing, high-fat diet (HFD) and regular physical training on muscle morphology. Specifically, in study I, we compared intramyocellular lipid (IMCL) levels, capillarisation, fibre type and size, and oxidative capacity of fibres in locomotor (soleus and EDL) and respiratory (diaphragm) muscles in 20- (young-adult) and 79-week-old (early ageing) mice. Early ageing was characterised by an absence of muscle wasting in soleus, the EDL atrophied while the diaphragm hypertrophied without changes in the capillary numbers supplying a fibre, or their oxidative capacity. In study II, we studied the effects of a HFD on the morphology of the soleus, EDL and diaphragm in 20- and 79-week-old mice. Old mice were more susceptible to morphological alterations with a HFD compared to young mice. All fibre types showed similar adaptations in response to a HFD but they were muscle-specific with the EDL being least responsive. In study III, we assessed fibre type grouping in the vastus lateralis of athletes and nonathletes (19 - 85 years old) and evaluated to what extent any observed grouping, indicative of cycles of denervation and reinnervation following motor neuron loss, is more than expected from the fibre type composition of the muscle. Since regular physical exercise may stimulate fibre reinnervation, we hypothesised that master athletes have larger fibre groups than agematched non-athletes. An ‘enclosed fibre’ was any muscle fibre of a given type surrounded by fibres of the same type only. A ‘fibre group’ was defined as a group of fibres with at least one enclosed fibre. The prevalence of observed fibre type grouping was similar to that expected from the fibre type composition. No age-related effect on group size and group number in athletes or non-athletes was found. In conclusion, the current thesis described the morphological changes of CD-1 mouse skeletal muscles during ageing as muscle specific. Additionally, using the same mouse model, HFDinduced muscle morphological alterations depending on diet duration and age, varied between muscles. Moreover, the results of the current thesis do not show evidence for improved reinnervation of muscle fibres with regular physical training. Nevertheless, histological examination may not provide the full extent of ageing related motor unit remodelling

The young star cluster population of M51 with LEGUS – I. A comprehensive study of cluster formation and evolution

Recently acquired WFC3 UV (F275W and F336W) imaging mosaics under the Legacy Extragalactic UV Survey (LEGUS), combined with archival ACS data of M51, are used to study the young star cluster (YSC) population of this interacting system. Our newly extracted source catalogue contains 2834 cluster candidates, morphologically classified to be compact and uniform in colour, for which ages, masses and extinction are derived. In this first work we study the main properties of the YSC population of the whole galaxy, considering a mass-limited sample. Both luminosity and mass functions follow a power-law shape with slope −2, but at high luminosities and masses a dearth of sources is observed. The analysis of the mass function suggests that it is best fitted by a Schechter function with slope −2 and a truncation mass at 1.00 ± 0.12 × 10^5 M⊙. Through Monte Carlo simulations, we confirm this result and link the shape of the luminosity function to the presence of a truncation in the mass function. A mass limited age function analysis, between 10 and 200 Myr, suggests that the cluster population is undergoing only moderate disruption. We observe little variation in the shape of the mass function at masses above 1 × 10^4 M⊙ over this age range. The fraction of star formation happening in the form of bound clusters in M51 is ∼ 20 per cent in the age range 10–100 Myr and little variation is observed over the whole range from 1 to 200 Myr