Konstanz, Univ., Diss., 2007.

Univ., Diss.--Mannheim, 2003.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Rutgers University, 2008. / "Graduate Program in Chemistry and Chemical Biology." Includes bibliographical references.

München, Techn. Univ., Diss., 2004.

Universiẗat, Diss., 1980 u.d.T.: Eppler, Birgit: Aggregation von Bacillus cereus und Chlorella vulgaris in Gegenwart von Natriumionen und Kalziumionen--Karlsruhe.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2002--Mainz.

Thesis (B.S.)--Butler University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 52).

In this paper, we first identify semantic heterogeneities that, when not resolved, often cause serious data quality problems. We discuss the especially challenging problems of temporal and aggregational ontological heterogeneity, which concerns how complex entities and their relationships are aggregated and reinterpreted over time. Then we illustrate how the COntext INterchange (COIN) technology can be used to capture data semantics and reconcile semantic heterogeneities in a scalable manner, thereby improving data quality. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Ce travail a été réalisé autour de cinq aspects de l’agrégation des globules rouges (RBCs) sanguins induite par des macromolécules. Une approche rhéologique, ciblée sur la normalisation de la viscosité en fonction du taux d’adsorption des macromolécules et mesurée par un rhéomètre commercial, est proposée. Par cette approche, la contrainte seuil de suspensions de cellules sanguines agrégées est aussi évaluée. De plus, les taux de sédimentation des solutions biologiques utilisées sont aussi mesurés. Nos données microscopiques, incluant des mesures d’indice d’agrégation microscopique, ont eu pour conclusion que la protéine C réactive, une protéine du plasma, n’a pas d’influence sur le phénomène d’agrégation des RBCs. Des mesures microscopiques détaillées de la morphologie des zones de contact des RBCs ont montrées que ces dernières dépendent fortement de la concentration de macromolécules, en accord avec des simulations numériques dont ont pu être extraites des valeurs d’énergie d’interaction. Ces dernières ont en outre pu être directement mesurées par microscopie à force atomique avec pour résultat supplémentaire que la viscosité du milieu peut influencer la mesure de manière significative. Enfin, l’origine physique de l’agrégation est discutée et confirmée par des mesures additionnelles. Ceci permet de concilier deux théories et permet d’expliquer la forme en cloche de l’énergie d’interaction en fonction de la concentration en macromolécules d’une nouvelle manière. / In this work, five aspects of the red blood cell aggregation induced by macromolecules are investigated. A rheological approach focused on the normalization of viscosity as a function of the macromolecular adsorption rates using a commercial rheometer is proposed. Derived from that approach, the yield stress of aggregating red blood cell suspensions is investigated. The sedimentation rates of the utilized biological system are then studied. Microscopical investigations, including measurements of the microscopical aggregation index, lead to the conclusion that the C-reactive protein, a plasma protein, does not influence the aggregation behavior of red blood cells. Detailed microscopical studies on the morphology of the interaction zones of aggregated red blood cells show that these strongly depend on the macromolecular concentration in good agreement with numerical simulations that allow to derive an approximation of the interaction energies. The latter are also directly measured with single cell force spectroscopy using an atomic force microscope with the additional result that the viscosity of the surrounding medium can influence the results significantly. Finally, the physical origin of aggregation is discussed and supported by several additional measurements. This allow to combine two existing theories and explain the bell-shape of interaction energy versus macromolecular concentration curve in a new way.

The purpose of this study is to show the importance of the geography of demand in ecological economics and to provide guidance for future research efforts to incorporate it. The analysis examines gaps in the literature that deal with the spatial variability of potential beneficiaries to ecosystem services and demonstrates the quantitative importance of defining the geography of demand. Since ecosystem service value is anthropocentric, incorporating those who receive benefits into the economic accounting method is a necessary requirement. As the total benefits received from ecosystem functioning declines over space, so too does its economic value. There are two study areas in Illinois used in the analysis. The first is the Des Plaines River wetlands in the Chicago metropolitan area and the other is the Cache River wetlands in rural southern Illinois. This study finds large ranges of value for ecosystem services when the decay of value over space is incorporated. Also, these findings suggest a minimum spatial requirement depending on the scale of aggregation. For a county level scale, a minimum economic jurisdiction of 1,000 km is suggested. Finally, the presence of large numbers of beneficiaries near an ecosystem has the greatest influence on value when the economic jurisdiction is spatially limited. From the steepest distance decay function to the shallowest the Des Plaines wetlands returned a range of values from approximately $971,000 to $2.3 billion and the Cache wetlands values ranged from $0 to $2.5 billion. This paper is not intended to be a case study for the economic valuation of a specific area but rather a demonstration of the necessity for a spatial economic framework that accounts for the delivery and receipt of ecosystem services over space.