This aim of this thesis was to compare the value of ecological functions of two areas with different intensity of the agricultural management. The expert methods of Seják et al. (2003, 2010) were used for the calculation of the ecological value of the area and of the value of ecosystem services. The BVM (Biotope Valuation Method) was used for the calculation of the ecological value. The Replacement Cost method was used for the calculation of the value of ecosystem services. The following services were evaluated: the flood-protective, production of the above-ground biomass, retention of the nutrients, support of biodiversity, production of oxygen, climatical service, and support of small water cycle. The rate of tillage was used as the indicator of the intensity of the agricultural management (25 % for the area I and 83 % for the area II), which corresponded to the proportion of natural biotops (60 biotops with total area of 108 ha in area I and 35 biotops with total area of 34 ha in area II).

The aim of this thesis is to evaluate two localities with different intensity of agricultural use in terms of ecosystem services provided by nature habitats. In connection with the evaluation of the sites is in the works documented incidence size seminatural habitats, natural calculated value of the studied area using Biotope Vaulation Method (Seják et al., 2003) Application MapoMat developed by the Agency for Nature Conservation and Landscape. The value of ecosystem services is determined through expert analysis by replacement cost. There were differences in the value of ecosystem services important habitats between conventional and organic farming at localities 1 and 4. Natural habitat value conventionally used the site has a 2.53 milKč compared to the organic farming locality where the value was estimated at 194.6 milKč, In this context that the value of ecosystem services locations 1 shows a value of 4438.96 milesCZKyear-1 compared to location 4, calling shows a value of 7905.01 milesCZKyear-1. On this basis, were statistically significant differences in both localities in terms of the frequency of diversity factors examined specimens of ground beetles are examined diversity index P <0001.

My thesis is focused on valuation methods intensively used agricultural landscapes according to the importance of near-natural habitats in terms of their natural values and ecosystem services. This is done at four sites using pitfall traps, where there was a catch beetles (Carabidae). To evaluate the data I used indicators such as the Shannon index serenity. Procedures for calculating the ecological value of the area and the ecosystem services provided I processed according to the proposed method Seják et al., (2010). Rating I performed by BVM (,, habitat valuation methods "). Replacement cost method I used for the calculation of ecosystem services.

The ecological value and the value of ecosystem services of the former military area in Čtyři Dvory in České Budějovice was evaluated in this thesis. The expert method of BVM (?Biotope Valuation Method?) and the Replacement Cost method (cost of technological alternative to ecosystem function) according to Seják et al. (2003, 2010) were applied. Four ecosystem services were evaluated: climatic service (evapotranspiration), little water cycle, oxygen production, and the support of biodiversity. For comparison, the sale price of the area and the ?recreation? value calculated by the contingent valuation (CV) method were also evaluated. The estimated sale price was 837 million CZK, which was by twelve-times higher than the ecological value estimated by the BVM method. Most of the area (57 %) was formed by the biotop XK4 ? pioneer shrub vegetation of atropogenic noncultivated areas with 13 points per m2. The most valuable biotop was V2.2 ? periodic waters with 44 points per m2, which formed 1.5 % of the examined area. The estimated value of ecosystem services was 1 372 millions CZK per year. The realization of all the planned construction projects on the examined area would lead to the depression of the ecological value according to the BVM method by 19.5 millions CZK and the depression of the value of the formerly mentioned four ecosystem services by 459 millions CZK.

From the arrival of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVMs) in Dubuque, Iowa, in 1843 through the death of their foundress in 1887, the BVMs created a group identity that they spread through the dispersion of their schools and that they maintained through regular written and personal contact. The identity they maintained was definitely religious in nature, but it was also equally secular. The BVMs provided a type of teaching that historians and geographers of U.S. education have not yet fully investigated, namely Catholic education. These women regularly taught and administered for lifelong careers; interactions among the women teachers and administrators were both deeply personal and pointedly professional; and these U.S. teachers actively supported and benefited from centralization. The research explores the dispersion pattern of the BVM school system, the nature of the institution through the experiences of BVM teachers and administrators, and the importance of recognizing the intertwining secular and sacred aspects of the congregation and its schools. Rather than reducing U.S. education to public education, the findings in this dissertation about BVM teachers and their schools call for a more nuanced understanding of U.S. education in general, one that includes Catholic education as a part of the whole.

Aktualität des Themas: das vollwertige Kombifutter wird schon lange gebraucht, deshalb ist es sehr interessant, die Struktur solcher Ration und die nutzlichsten Zusätze in dieser Periode zu behandeln. Forschungsziel: Bewertung des Einflusses auf das Wachstumstempo der unterschiedlichen Rationstuktur und des Wertes für die Ferkel. Bei der Fütterung der Tiere mit dem vollwertigen Kombifutter wird ganz ihr genetisches Potential für die Produktionserzeugung benutzt. Die Tiere erhalten dann alle nötigen Nahrungsmittel in entsprechenden Proportionen und zu entsprechender Lebensperiode. Deshalb wird die Produktion der Kombifutter auf der ganzen Welt und in Litauen sehr erweitert. Im Verlauf der beiden Gruppen wurde der Gesundheitszustand der Tiere beoachtet. Die Untersuchungsergebnisse zeigen, dass die Versuchsgruppen der Schweine, die mit ganz balanzierter Ration bei der Anwendung von der Nahrungszusatz Liprot SG -9 gefüttert wurden, wuchsen schneller als die Schweine der Kontrollgruppe mit der Ration VM und Nahrungszusatz M51. Der durchschnittliche Zuwachs der Schweinversuchsgruppe pro 24 Stunden war 766 g oder 5 Prozente im Vergleich mit der Kontrollgruppe (716 g). Nicht nur das höhere Gewicht bekamen die Scvhweine der Versuchsgruppe, sondern auch der Futtergebrauch wurde zu 1 kg Zuwachs geringer. Nach der Berechnung des Futterpreises wurde bemerkt, dass die Selbstkosten des Kombifutters deutlicher geringer sind und der Preis des gebrauchten Futters zu einer Zuwachseinheit... [to full text]

Tissue Engineering A Blood Vessel Mimic While Monitoring Contamination Through Sterility Assurance Testing Navid Djassemi Tissue engineering blood vessel mimics has been proposed as a method to analyze the endothelial cell response to intravascular devices that are used in today’s clinical settings for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Thus, the development of in vitro blood vessel mimics (BVMs) in Cal Poly’s Tissue Engineering Lab has introduced the possibility of assessing the characteristics of cellular response to past, present, and future intravascular devices that aim at treating coronary artery disease. This thesis aimed at improving the methods and procedures utilized in the BVM model. Initial aspects of this project focused on using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) scaffold in conjunction with human endothelial cells to replicate the innermost intimal layer of a blood vessel. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were pressure sodded onto ePTFE scaffolds through cell sodding techniques in an attempt to effectively and consistently replicate and assess the intimal layer. Through each study ePTFE grafts were subjected to different culture times and steady flow rates to observe and compare the differences in the endothelial cell deposition. Results were inconsistent, although moderate cell adhesion was noted throughout each of the BVM setups. Each study exhibited a range of cell sodding density rates. In the second phase of the thesis, contamination assessment protocols were implemented in the BVM lab. The intent of this part of the project was to assess the relative sterility in the cell culture lab, a critical component involved with the success or hindrance of cell and tissue cultures. Using microbiological validated methods, microbiological tests were conducted to examine the levels of microbial growth in and around the tissue engineering lab. Results were tracked over a two month period in the lab with several observations of aerobic microorganism growth on various counter and lab surfaces. Higher growth trends were found on surfaces outside the cell culture lab, in the general TE lab area. These findings were used to provide overall suggestions on tracking microbes for long-term durations in ongoing BVM setups to directly improve the overall sterility assurance of the studies. As the project reached its conclusion a look back at all the BVM setups and contamination assessments lead to a few suggestions for improving aseptic techniques within the TE lab, such as monitoring microbial growth in the culture processes, creating limit specifications, and creating a standardized way to regulate quality control within the lab environment. Furthermore, as the development BVM evolves, the findings from this report can be used with related research for improving the culture conditions of various BVM studies.

Intravascular devices, such as stents, must be rigorously tested before they can be approved by the FDA. This includes bench top in vitro testing to determine biocompatibility, and animal model testing to ensure safety and efficacy. As an intermediate step, a blood vessel mimic (BVM) testing method has been developed that mimics the three dimensional structure of blood vessels using a perfusion bioreactor system, human derived endothelial cells, and a biocompatible polymer scaffold used to support growth of the blood vessel cells. The focus of this thesis was to find an in-house fabrication method capable of making cellular scaffolding for use in the BVM. Research was conducted based on three aims. The first aim was to survey possible fabrication methods to choose a technique most appropriate for producing BVM scaffolding. The second aim was to set up the selected fabrication method (electrospinning) in-house at Cal Poly and gain understanding of the process. The third aim was to evaluate consistency of the technique. The work described in this thesis determined that electrospinning is a viable fabrication technique for producing scaffolding for BVM use. Electrospun scaffolding is highly tailorable, and a structure that mimics the natural organization of nano sized collagen fibers is especially desirable when culturing endothelial cells. An electrospinning apparatus was constructed in house and a series of trial experiments was conducted to better understand the electrospinning process. A consistency study evaluated scaffold reproducibility between different spins and within individual spins while setting a baseline that can be used for comparison in future work aimed at electrospinning.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-08-27T17:42:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 HELDER FERNANDO DE ARAUJO OLIVEIRA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCC 2010..pdf: 2110687 bytes, checksum: 5d2a2c0f6c5039c3f21dd8219d20f122 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-27T17:42:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 HELDER FERNANDO DE ARAUJO OLIVEIRA - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGCC 2010..pdf: 2110687 bytes, checksum: 5d2a2c0f6c5039c3f21dd8219d20f122 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-06-16 / O processo de desenvolvimento de um circuito digital complexo pode ser composto por diversas etapas. Uma delas é a verificação funcional. Esta etapa pode ser considerada uma das mais importantes, pois tem como objetivo demonstrar que as funcionalidades do circuito a ser produzido estão em conformidade com a sua especificação. Porém, além de ser uma fase com grande consumo de recursos, a complexidade da verificação funcional cresce diante da complexidade do hardware a ser verificado. Desta forma, o uso de uma metodologia de verificação funcional eficiente e de ferramentas que auxiliem o engenheiro de verificação funcional são de grande valia. Neste contexto, este trabalho realiza uma reformulação da metodologia de verificação funcional VeriSC, originando uma nova metodologia, denominada BVM (Brazil-IP Verification Methodology). VeriSC é implementada em SystemC e utiliza as bibliotecas SCV (SystemC Verification Library) e BVE (Brazil-IP Verification Extensions), enquanto BVM é implementada em SystemVerilog e baseada em conceitos e biblioteca de OVM (Open Verification Methodology). Além disto, este trabalho visa a adequação da ferramenta de apoio à verificação funcional eTBc (Easy Testbench Creator) para suportar BVM. A partir do trabalho realizado, é possível constatar, mediante estudos de caso no âmbito do projeto Brazil-IP, que BVM traz um aumento da produtividade do engenheiro de verificação na realização da verificação funcional, em comparação à VeriSC / The development process of a complex digital circuit can consist of several stages. One of them is the functional verification. This stage can be considered one of the most important because it aims to demonstrate that a circuit functionality to be produced is in accordance with its specification. However, besides being a stage with large consumption of resources, the complexity of functional verification grows according to the complexity of the hardware to be verified. Thus, the use of an effective functional verification methodology and tools to help engineer the functional verification are of great value. Within this context, this work proposes a reformulation of the functional verification methodology VeriSC, resulting in a new methodology called BVM (Brazil-IP Verification Methodology). VeriSC is implemented in SystemC and uses the SCV (SystemC Verification Library) and BVE (Brazil-IP Verification Extensions) libraries, while BVM is implemented and based on SystemVerilog and OVM (Open Verification Methodology) concepts and library. Furthermore, this study aims the adequacy of the functional verification tool eTBc (testbench Easy Creator), to support BVM. From this work it can be seen, based on case studies under the Brazil-IP project, that BVM increase the productivity of the engineer in the functional verification stage when compared to VeriSC.

Developing a tissue-engineered Blood Vessel Mimic (BVM) to represent diabetic macrovascular disease could expedite design of new vascular devices specifically tailored to diabetic patients. In contribution toward this model, this thesis assessed Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cell (HUVEC) responses to high glucose conditions. Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Cluster of Differentiation 36 (CD36) were selected to signify oxidative stress activity, a hallmark of diabetic macrovascular disease. Next, activity of potential reference genes B2M, HPRT1, and ACTB was assessed. All genes were found to exceed acceptable variability, so the E-ΔC T method of data analysis was selected. Next, cellular responses to high glucose treatment at 10.5 mM glucose and 25.5 mM glucose for 7 and 14 days were measured by qPCR. IL-6 mRNA expression increased significantly (p<0.001) following treatment with 25.5 mM glucose at both timepoints. Finally, fluorescent staining for Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production and cell viability was performed on HUVECs treated with 10.5- and 25.5-mM glucose for 24 and 48 hours. No differences in ROS production or cell viability were detected due to uncontrolled cell damage during the two-hour staining and imaging procedure. This thesis was limited by low reaction efficiency in qPCR reactions due to mistaken purchasing of primers with included probe-quencher reporters. Measurement of reaction efficiency facilitated valid analysis of data collected using these primers. Imaging experiments were unsuccessful due to a lack of incubation equipment designated for cells undergoing live staining and imaging. Alternative imaging assessments of oxidative stress activity were proposed to circumvent this problem.