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Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Entwicklung zweier interaktiver Apps mithilfe Matlab App Designer. Die Apps „Die verteilte Drehstromwicklung 1.0“ und „Die Stromortskurve 1.0“ beschreiben wichtige Aspekte des Aufbaus und der Funktionsweise der Drehstrommaschinen. In der jeweiligen Bedienoberfläche kann der Anwendende mithilfe von Schaltern, Drehknöpfen und Checkboxen Einstellungen vornehmen. Daraufhin findet im Quellcode im Hintergrund ein komplexes Berechnungsverfahren statt und infolge werden grafische Darstellungen in der Oberfläche ausgegeben. Diese beschreiben komplexe physikalische Ereignisse in der Maschine entsprechend der eingestellten Parameter. Die Apps wurden für den Einsatz in der Lehre entwickelt. Das Ziel der Apps ist es, den Anwendenden durch eine interaktive Lernoberfläche die komplexe Funktionsweise der Maschine zu veranschaulichen. Theoretische Lerninhalte können mit ihnen visualisiert und besser verstanden werden. Die Apps sind intuitiv aufgebaut und einfach zu bedienen.:1. Einleitung 2. Die verteilte Drehstromwicklung 1.0 2.1 Die Oberfläche der App 2.2 Die Funktionsweise der App 2.3 Interpretation der Ergebnisse 3. Die Stromortskurve 1.0 3.1 Die Stromortskurve der Drehstromasynchronmaschine 3.1.1 Die Oberfläche der App 3.1.2 Die Funktionsweise der App 3.1.3 Interpretation der Ergebnisse 3.2 Die Stromortskurve der Drehstromsynchronmaschine 3.2.1 Die Oberfläche der App 3.2.2 Die Funktionsweise der App 3.2.3 Interpretation der Ergebnisse 4. Zusammenfassung 5. Anhang

The thesis proposes a mobile app design along with an innovative business plan aiming to encourage sustainable purchasing. To uncover the limitations in current design practices, firstly, represented examples of sustainable design were reviewed. Then, in an attempt to bridge the gap between sustainability and design commercialization, the techniques of persuasion were studied. It is to figure out how to incorporate hot triggers into computational technologies. As an outcome of the study, the final deliverable is a social networking application that provides sustainable product reviews. Instead of following a traditional sustainable design framework, the final deliverable focuses on creating an efficient supply-and-demand circulation for sustainable products. It delivers a unique corporate proposition showing how the system works, gaining modest profits while promoting sustainable development. Based on an online survey and the user study, the value of the proposed idea was validated. Also, the usability and functionality of the app were improved based on participant feedback. / Master of Science

Yes / Romantic relationships are extremely important to people’s happiness and well-being, yet many people do not seek advice with relationship issues or may do so only once serious problems arise. Paired is a commercially available relationships app. Launched in October 2020, it currently has over 12,000 daily active users, predominantly in the US and UK. Public self-management of care (i.e. self-help) is target for technological investment, as digital health and well-being apps gain popularity. There are currently over 318,000 health apps available worldwide, with a further 200+ new health apps coming onto the market each day. Research has shown that mobile health (mHealth, i.e. health and well-being apps) can be effective in supporting behaviour change: helping us to adopt and maintain healthy behaviours. However, many health and well-being apps are not based on reliable research evidence, the only indication of an app’s quality deriving from ‘user reviews’. Paired is evidence-based. Focusing on the area of romantic relationships, it seeks to support and enhance couple relationships, before the point when professional help may be needed. Researchers at The Open University (OU) and the University of Brighton evaluated the effectiveness of Paired, using a mixed methods approach... We created the Quality of Relationship Index (QRI), a rigorously-developed measure of overall relationship quality. We found that quality of communication – the underpinning dimension of all relationship maintenance behaviour – was most strongly related to overall relationship quality... In developing the QRI, we explored change in different aspects of relationship quality, whilst using Paired... Integration of the findings from our analyses of different data sources, and the ‘dose-response’ effect that we consistently observed, together give us confidence that Paired is responsible for the improvements to relationship quality that its users enjoy. / The Open University

Yes / Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a convenient test of stereopsis in the clinic that is both robust and reliable and capable of providing a measure of variability necessary to make valid comparisons between measurements obtained at different occasions or under different conditions. Methods: Stereo acuity was measured based on principles derived from the laboratory measurement of stereopsis (i.e., staircase method). Potential premeasurement compensations are described if there is a significant degree of ocular misalignment, reduced visual acuity, or aniseikonia. Forty-six adults at McGill University, 44 adults at Auckland University, and 51 adults from the University of Bradford, with an age range of 20 to 65 years old and normal or corrected-to-normal vision participated in this study. Results: Stereo acuity within this normal population was widely distributed, with a significant percentage (28%) of the population with only coarse stereo (>300 arc seconds). Across subjects, the SD was approximately 25% of the mean. Measurements at two different times were strongly (r = 0.79) and significantly (P < 0.001) correlated, with little to no significant (P = 0.79) bias (0.01) between test and retest measures of stereopsis. Conclusions: The application enables measurements over the wide disparity range and not just at the finest disparities. In addition, it allows changes in stereopsis of the order of 1.9 to be statistically distinguished.

Master of Science / Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering / Naiqian Zhang / Mobile apps are useful tools for many different purposes. In agriculture, apps can be used to check the weather and markets, control irrigation, and monitor machine activity among other uses. This research project is a collaboration between Kansas State University and AGCO and includes the development of two apps, using MIT Application Inventor and Google App Engine. Kansas State University was responsible for developing the apps user interface and functionality while AGCO provide the data needs for the apps through Google App Engine. The first app is called Crop Maturity App and measures Growing Degree Days from a crops planting date. The second app is called Combine Efficiency App and determines the performance of a combine harvesting based on its speed. AGCO provided the server support for these apps from a weather service and their own combines that are connected. This project demonstrates the possibility of an open-source development environment with AGCO machine data.

No presente trabalho analisam-se os aspectos geomorfológicos de três setores da bacia hidrográfica do rio Cotia, localizada a oeste da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo. Foram elaborados mapas com esboço geomorfológicos de cada setor a partir de base cartográfica na escala 1:25.000, imagens de satélite e fotografias aéreas. A análise das fotografias áreas e imagens de satélite, juntamente com a revisão bibliográfica da área de estudo, permitem a identificação e caracterização das feições geomorfológicas, bem como a sua dinâmica no intervalo de 40 anos (1962-2002). A planície fluvial é entendida como um sistema que reflete as mudanças ocorridas na bacia hidrográfica. As feições geomorfológicas estão localizadas na planície de inundação. Considera-se a planície fluvial como leito regular (leito maior). Essa delimitação estabelece o critério para aplicação de Área de preservação Permanente (APP). Os setores (A,B e C) estudados apresentam características geomorfológicas semelhantes. A expansão urbana sobre a planície fluvial dos setores é crescente. Faz-se necessário o estabelecimento de áreas de proteção na planície. A dinâmica fluvial estabelece os limites de expansão da urbanização. / This paper analyses the geomorphological features from three sectors in the Cotia Rivers basin, located in the western part of the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo. Some Maps have even been drawn starting from a cartographic base on the scale of 1:25.000, satellite images and aerial photographs. The scan of the aerial photographs andsatellite images, with a bibliographic review in this study area, allow the identification and characterization of the geomorphological features, as well as their dynamic during 40 years (1962 2002). The fluvial plain is understood how a system that reflects the changes occurring in the basin. The geomorphological features are located at the flood plain. The fluvial plain is considered like a regular riverbed (flood prone width). This delimitation provides criteria to the application of a Permanent Preservation Area (APP). The sectors (A, B and C) were studied contains similar geomorphological characteristics. The urban sprawl on the fluvial plain in the sectors is increase. It is necessary the establishment of protection areas at the plain. The fluvial dynamic establishes the urban sprawl limits.

Le précurseur de la protéine amyloïde (APP) est une protéine transmembranaire qui, après coupure séquentielle par les sécrétases β et γ, produit des peptides Aβ trouvés dans les plaques séniles de patientsatteints d’Alzheimer. Par contre, la forme soluble de l’APP (sAPPα), produite après coupure par une sécrétase α, augmente la survie cellulaire, la croissance des neurites et la synaptogénèse. L’APP est coupéeau site α par 3 métalloprotéases : ADAM9, ADAM10 et ADAM17.Notre laboratoire a montré que la stimulation du récepteur purinergique P2X7 (P2X7R) provoque la coupure protéolytique du précurseur de la protéine amyloïde (APP). Le Dr Delarasse a établi que la voie non amyloïdogénique est mise en jeu et que c'est le fragment sAPPα, neuroprotecteur, qui est produit. Deplus, le laboratoire a précédemment démontré que ce ne sont pas les alpha-sécrétases ADAM9, 10 et 17 qui sont responsables du clivage protéolytique de l'APP après stimulation du P2X7R dans les cellules de neuroblastome Neuro2a.Durant mes travaux de thèse, nous avons étudié la voie biochimique menant à la libération du fragments APPα. L’activation du P2X7R stimule la phosphorylation et la translocation rapide à la membrane plasmique de protéines, appelées ezrine, radixine et moesine (ERM) qui ont la capacité d’établir un lien entre la région cytosolique du P2X7R et la F-actine. Les ERM jouent un rôle crucial dans la coupure protéolytique de l’APP par les métalloprotéases ADAM. En effet, l’inhibition de l’expression des ERM par RNA interférence aboutit à une absence de coupure de l’APP. Par ailleurs, nous avons observé que les MAPKERK1/2 et JNK et la ROCKinase sont nécessaires à la phosphorylation activatrice des ERM et jouent donc un rôle en amont des ERM. Enfin, nous avons mis en évidence le rôle de la PI3K en aval des ERM.Par ailleurs, nous avons démontré que l’activation du récepteur purinergique P2X7 entraînait la coupure protéolytique de la molécule NrCAM par ADAM17 aboutissant à la libération du fragment soluble del’ectodomaine de NrCAM. Les résultats obtenus indiquent que la coupure de NrCAM est dépendante de l’activation et de la fixation des ERM à NrCAM. Ces résultats suggèrent fortement que les ERM sont indispensables à la coupure protéolytique de différents substrats après stimulation du P2X7R.Les données obtenues mettent en évidence un mécanisme moléculaire original et important qui fait jouer aux ERM un rôle central de « liens moléculaires » dans le clivage protéolytique des protéines transmembranaires. A ce stade de notre étude, nous émettons l’hypothèse que les ERM agissent en aval du récepteur P2X7, en liant les substrats et/ou les protéases qu’ils regroupent à la membrane plasmique favorisant ainsi le clivage des substrats. / The amyloid protein precursor (APP) can be cleaved in neural cells by α-secretases to produce the soluble APP ectodomain (sAPPα), which is neuroprotective. We have shown previously that activation of the purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2X7R), a member of the P2X receptor family of ATP-gated cation channels, triggers sAPPα shedding from neural cells. Here, we demonstrate that theactivation of Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin proteins (ERM) is required for the P2X7R-dependent proteolyticprocessing of APP leading to sAPPα release. Indeed, the down regulation of ERM by siRNA blocksthe P2X7R-dependent shedding of sAPPα. We also show that P2X7R stimulation triggers thephosphorylation of ERM. Thus, ezrin translocates to the plasma membrane to interact with P2X7R.Using specific pharmacological inhibitors, we have established the order in which several enzymestrigger the P2X7R-dependent release of sAPPα. Thus, a Rho-kinase and the MAPK modules ERK1/2and JNK act upstream of ERM while a PI3Kinase activity is triggered downstream. This work for the first time identifies ERM as major partners in the regulated non-amyloidogenic processing of APP. Inaddition, we have recently established that the stimulation of P2X7R leads to the proteolytic cleavage of NrCAM by ADAM17 and the shedding of the soluble extracellular domain of NrCAM. Our results clearly show that the proteolytic cleavage of NrCAM is dependant of ERM activation and fixation tothe intracellular region of NrCAM. Thus, our results strongly suggest that ERM are required for the proteolytic cleavage of numerous substrates after P2X7R stimulation. Our findings suggest that ERM play a central role in the proteolytic cleavage of transmembrane proteins and act as molecular linkswhich aggregate ADAMs and substrates at the plasma membrane promoting the cleavage of substrates.

<p>Alzheimer Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. One of the neuropathological hallmarks of AD is the senile plaques in the brain. The plaques are mainly composed of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide. Aβ is generated from the amyloid precursor protein, APP, when it is first cleaved by the β-secretase and subsequently the γ-secretase complex. The γ-secretase complex cleaves at different sites, called γ and ε, where the γ-cleavage site generates Aβ peptides of different lengths and ε-cleavage generates the APP intracellular domain (AICD). The two major forms of Aβ is 40 and 42 amino acids long peptides, where the latter is more prone to aggregate and is the main component in senile plaques. The γ-secretase complex is composed of four proteins; Pen-2, Aph-1, nicastrin and presenilin (PS). The PS protein harbours the catalytic site of the complex, where two aspartate residues in position 257 and 385 (Presenilin 1 numbering) are situated. Most Familial AD (FAD) mutations in the PS gene cause a change in the γ-cleavage site, leading to a shift from producing Aβ40 to the longer more toxic variant Aβ42. Frequently, this often leads to impairments of the AICD production. Another substrate for the γ-secretase complex is Notch. It is important to maintain the Notch signaling since an intracellular domain (NICD) is formed after cleavage by the γ-secretase complex in the membrane (S3-site) and this domain is involved in transcription of genes important for cell fate decisions.</p><p>It has been reported that certain APP luminal juxtamembrane mutations could drastically alter Aβ secretion, however their effect on AICD production remains unknown. In this study we want to analyse wether the juxtamembrane region is important for the AICD production. To gain more insight into the luminal juxtamembrane function for γ-secretase-dependent proteolysis, we have made a juxtamembrane chimeric construct. A four-residue sequence preceding the transmembrane domain (TMD) of APP (GSNK), was replaced by its topological counterpart from the human Notch1 receptor (PPAQ). The resulting chimeric vector C99GVP-PPAQ and the wildtype counterpart were expressed in cells lacking PS1 and PS2 (BD8) together with PS1wt. We observed that the chimeric construct did not alter production of AICD when using a cell based luciferase reporter gene assay monitoring AICD production. We also introduced a PS1 variant lacking a big portion of the large hydrophilic loop, PS1∆exon10, since our group has previously observed that this region affect Aβ production¹⁴³. We found that the absence of the large hydrophilic loop in PS1 gave a 2-fold decrease in AICD-GVP formation from C99GVPwt compared to PS1wt.  The activity of PS1wt and PS1Δexon10 using C99GVP-PPAQ as a substrate gave similar result as the C99GVPwt substrate, i.e. a 2-fold decrease in AICD-GVP formation when comparing PS1Δexon10 with PS1wt. From this data we therefore suggest that the four residues in the juxtramembrane domain (JMD) (GSNK) is not altering ε-cleavage of APP when changed to Notch1 counterpart, PPAQ. Furthermore, we also show that the 2-fold decrease in AICD-production by the PS1Δexon10 molecule is not changed between the two substrates C99GVPwt and C99GVP-PPAQ. This indicates that the luminal region of APP is not directly involved in the ε-site processing. If the luminal region is affecting processing in the γ-cleavage sites, remains however to be investigated.</p>

Alzheimer Disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder in the world. One of the neuropathological hallmarks of AD is the senile plaques in the brain. The plaques are mainly composed of the amyloid β (Aβ) peptide. Aβ is generated from the amyloid precursor protein, APP, when it is first cleaved by the β-secretase and subsequently the γ-secretase complex. The γ-secretase complex cleaves at different sites, called γ and ε, where the γ-cleavage site generates Aβ peptides of different lengths and ε-cleavage generates the APP intracellular domain (AICD). The two major forms of Aβ is 40 and 42 amino acids long peptides, where the latter is more prone to aggregate and is the main component in senile plaques. The γ-secretase complex is composed of four proteins; Pen-2, Aph-1, nicastrin and presenilin (PS). The PS protein harbours the catalytic site of the complex, where two aspartate residues in position 257 and 385 (Presenilin 1 numbering) are situated. Most Familial AD (FAD) mutations in the PS gene cause a change in the γ-cleavage site, leading to a shift from producing Aβ40 to the longer more toxic variant Aβ42. Frequently, this often leads to impairments of the AICD production. Another substrate for the γ-secretase complex is Notch. It is important to maintain the Notch signaling since an intracellular domain (NICD) is formed after cleavage by the γ-secretase complex in the membrane (S3-site) and this domain is involved in transcription of genes important for cell fate decisions. It has been reported that certain APP luminal juxtamembrane mutations could drastically alter Aβ secretion, however their effect on AICD production remains unknown. In this study we want to analyse wether the juxtamembrane region is important for the AICD production. To gain more insight into the luminal juxtamembrane function for γ-secretase-dependent proteolysis, we have made a juxtamembrane chimeric construct. A four-residue sequence preceding the transmembrane domain (TMD) of APP (GSNK), was replaced by its topological counterpart from the human Notch1 receptor (PPAQ). The resulting chimeric vector C99GVP-PPAQ and the wildtype counterpart were expressed in cells lacking PS1 and PS2 (BD8) together with PS1wt. We observed that the chimeric construct did not alter production of AICD when using a cell based luciferase reporter gene assay monitoring AICD production. We also introduced a PS1 variant lacking a big portion of the large hydrophilic loop, PS1∆exon10, since our group has previously observed that this region affect Aβ production143. We found that the absence of the large hydrophilic loop in PS1 gave a 2-fold decrease in AICD-GVP formation from C99GVPwt compared to PS1wt.  The activity of PS1wt and PS1Δexon10 using C99GVP-PPAQ as a substrate gave similar result as the C99GVPwt substrate, i.e. a 2-fold decrease in AICD-GVP formation when comparing PS1Δexon10 with PS1wt. From this data we therefore suggest that the four residues in the juxtramembrane domain (JMD) (GSNK) is not altering ε-cleavage of APP when changed to Notch1 counterpart, PPAQ. Furthermore, we also show that the 2-fold decrease in AICD-production by the PS1Δexon10 molecule is not changed between the two substrates C99GVPwt and C99GVP-PPAQ. This indicates that the luminal region of APP is not directly involved in the ε-site processing. If the luminal region is affecting processing in the γ-cleavage sites, remains however to be investigated.