The thesis "Nigeria in Historic Perspective, Its Foreign Policy and Current Problems"describes a historic development of Nigeria including current political and economic situation after parliamentary and presidental elections in spring 2007. Historical outline forms the introductory part of the thesis, which is followed by general analysis of Nigerian foreign policy and its activity in chosen African and other international organizations. The other part of the chapter contains an analysis of mutual relations between Nigeria and its surrounding states -- Benin, Niger, Chad, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Next chapter characterizes the oil conflict in the Niger Delta and possible suggestions for its solutions. The closing part presents summary of discovered information.

Les différents scénarios sur l'évolution du climat prévoient une augmentation de la fréquence et de l'intensité des sécheresses. La croissance des arbres forestiers étant fortement conditionnée par la disponibilité en eau, ces changements devraient impacter de manière significative la productivité des forêts plantées. La compréhension de l'impact des facteurs génétiques et environnementaux sur la dynamique de croissance est donc un enjeu majeur pour assurer les niveaux de production des plantations de demain. L'Eucalyptus, grâce à sa croissance rapide et à la disponibilité de ressources génétiques et génomiques, est un modèle biologique idéal pour mener ces recherches.L'objectif de cette thèse est de caractériser l'architecture génétique de la dynamique de croissance à différentes échelles de temps chez l'eucalyptus en relation avec : (i) les variations environnementales, et notamment l'évolution de la disponibilité en eau, et (ii) la composition isotopique du carbone de l'arbre (delta 13C), un caractère lié à l'efficience d'utilisation de l'eau. Pour répondre à cet objectif, un croisement interspécifique Eucalyptus urophylla x E. grandis a été étudié dans quatre dispositifs expérimentaux en République du Congo. Notre approche se base sur la cartographie des loci à effet quantitatif (QTL) et combine : (i) un génotypage haut débit, (ii) une caractérisation inter et intra-annuelle de la croissance et du delta 13C, ainsi qu'un suivi en continu des micro-variations du rayon et (iii) une caractérisation en continu des facteurs environnementaux.Ces travaux ont tout d'abord conduit à la construction des premières cartes génétiques à haute résolution chez l'Eucalyptus. L'analyse de l'architecture génétique du delta 13C a ensuite permis de mettre en évidence des gènes candidats positionnels, potentiellement impliqués dans la variation de ce caractère. Enfin, la caractérisation inter et intra-annuelle de la dynamique de croissance a permis de montrer que l'architecture génétique de la croissance, au stade adulte, est structurée par les réponses à l'environnement au stade juvénile. Ces réponses ont ensuite été analysées grâce aux profils de micro-variations du rayon, permettant ainsi de préciser leurs déterminants génétiques Nos résultats soulignent l'importance de considérer la croissance comme un caractère dynamique, non seulement pour la compréhension de ses bases génétiques, mais également à des fins de sélection de variétés adaptées à un environnement changeant. / Scenarios of climate changes forecast an increase in frequency and intensity of droughts, related to an increase of global temperatures and changes in rainfall distribution. Growth of forest trees highly depends on water availability and will be significantly impacted by these changes. The understanding of the impact of genetic and environmental factors on the growth dynamics is a major challenge to ensure production levels of future planted forests. Eucalyptus, thanks to its rapid growth and the availability of genetic and genomic resources, is a perfect model to conduct this research.The objective of this thesis is to characterize the genetic architecture of growth dynamics in Eucalyptus at different time scales, in relation with: (i) environmental changes, including changes in water availability, and (ii) isotopic composition of carbon (delta 13C), a character associated with water-use efficiency. To this end, an interspecific cross between E. urophylla x E. grandis was studied in four experimental trials in the Republic of Congo. Our approach, based on mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTL), combines (i) a high-throughput genotyping, (ii) a characterization of inter and intra-annual growth dynamics and delta 13C, as well as a continual measurement of stem radial micro-variations and (iii) a continual characterization of environmental factors.First of all, this work led to the construction of the first high-resolution genetic maps in Eucalyptus, improving the sequence of the reference genome. Then, the analysis of genetic architecture of delta 13C enabled the identification of positional candidate genes which might be involved in the variation of this trait. Finally, inter and intra-annual characterization of growth dynamics highlight that genetic architecture of adult growth is structured by responses to the environment at the juvenile stage. These responses were then analyzed using daily profiles of stem radial micro-variations, which enabled the characterization of the genetic determinants of response to the environmental factors at the juvenile stage.Our results highlight the importance of considering growth as a dynamic trait, not only to understand its genetic basis, but also to select in a changing environment.

Tato diplomová práce si klade za cíl seznámit čtenáře se základním konceptem a principy jednosmyčkových modulátorů . Diplomová práce ozřejmuje čtenáři problematiku delta-sigma () modulátorů s jednou zpětnovazební smyčkou. Zabývá se základními principy převzorkování u číslicově-analogových převodníků a rozšiřuje je o teorii tvarování spektra šumu. Vycházeje z této teorie jsou navrženy tři jednosmyčkové modulátory, které běží na 1024 OSR jako alternativa k běžně používáným modulátorům vysokých řádů. Modulátory jsou implementovány do FPGA společně s rekonstrukčním filtrem a podpůrnými bloky. Nakonec byl zkonstruován hardwarový prototyp pro vyhodnocení implementace navrženého DAC.

The scope of my master thesis is a designing computer sound interface including measurement of audio performance. This work is concerning both design analog front - ends and digital support circuits. The sigma delta Analog to Digital (ADC) and Digital to Analog (DAC) converters is included in this conception. Those converters has been made into two separate printed circuit boards. All signal paths in this circuitry are utilizing differential mode that are quoted as balanced among audio engineers. Modern circuit components are used in this design, such as fully differential operational amplifiers, electronically controlled gain preamplifiers, low drop linear stabilizers with low noise level, DC component suppression circuits and low jitter active components. Theoretical part of this thesis contains specification of choosed sound defitions, questioning audio program loudness leveling. Further criteria of suitable active and passive components are included. In this thesis the simulations of fundamental circuits block are meant likewise. Practical part involve complete layout of printed circuit boards of and prototyping. Designed prototype device has wide application usage. It is intended to use not only as industrial computers, but also as dedicated sound converters, measurement cards, mixing consoles, switching matrixes, active loudspeakers, embedded systems.

The Red River Delta in Vietnam is one of the regions whose quaternary aquifers are polluted by arsenic. Chronic toxification by arsenic can cause severe illnesses such as cancer, skin lesions, developmental defects, cardiovascular and neurological diseas-es, and diabetes. In this study, a food processing craft village in the Red River Delta was investigated regarding the potential risk faced by the population due to arsenic. The potential sources of arsenic are the groundwater, the crops grown in the sur-roundings, and animal products from local husbandry. However, the occurrence of arsenic in nature is variable, and its bioavailability and toxicity depend very much on its specification: trivalent compounds are more toxic and often more mobile than pen-tavalent compounds, while inorganic species are generally more toxic than organic ones. Local conditions, such as the redox potential, strongly influence its specification and thus potential bioavailability. The introduction to this work elucidates the key factors which potentially cause human exposure to arsenic: the geological setting of the study area, land and water use pat-terns, and the current state of research regarding the mobilization, bioavailability and plant uptake of arsenic. Although the study area is located in a region where the groundwater is known to be moderately contaminated by arsenic, the level of arsenic in the groundwater in the village had not previously been determined. In this study, water use in the village was examined by a survey among the farmers and by water analyses, which are present-ed in the following chapters. Four main water sources (rain, river, tube well and a pub-lic municipal waterworks) are used for the different daily activities; the highest risk to human health was found to be the bore well water, which is pumped from the shallow Holocene aquifer. The water from the bore wells is commonly used for cleaning and washing as well as to feed the animals and for food processing. Products like noodles and rice wine were examined as well as local pork and poultry. Vegetables from the gardens and rice plants from the surrounding paddy fields were sampled and ana-lyzed. All plants were found to have accumulated arsenic, leafy vegetables showing the highest arsenic concentrations. The results are discussed and compared, and conclusions are drawn in the last part. The reducing conditions in the paddy fields are likely to have a strong influence on arsenic uptake in rice plants and on transport to the aquifer. The installation of a wastewater treatment plant under the research project INHAND, which was funded by the BMBF German Ministry of Education and Research, led to lower arsenic concen-trations in the groundwater. Soaring industrialization, the growing population, and the consumers’ changing behav-ior will widely affect land and water use and hence the potential mobilization of arse-nic. In order to mitigate further human exposure to arsenic, wastewater needs to be treated and the reducing conditions in the rice fields need to be decreased by means of enhanced cultivation methods.:Abstract III Zusammenfassung V Acknowledgements VII Contents IX List of abbreviations XIII List of tables XVII 1 Scope of this work 1 2 Introduction 2 2.1 Geographical and geological setting of the study area 2 2.2 Hydrological situation 5 2.2.1 Surface water 5 2.2.2 Impact of human activities on surface water quality and distribution 6 2.2.3 Hydrogeology 7 2.3 Arsenic occurrence 7 2.3.1 Arsenic toxicity 8 2.3.2 Risk potential of arsenic in diet 10 2.4 Arsenic contamination in the groundwater resources of the Red River Delta 11 2.4.1 Occurrence and origin of arsenic in the Red River Delta 12 2.4.2 Mobilization processes 13 2.4.3 As mobilization in paddy fields 15 2.5 Arsenic occurrence in daily rural activities 16 2.5.1 Arsenic in soil 17 2.5.2 Arsenic in drinking water 19 2.5.3 Phytoaccumulation: Current state of research 20 2.5.4 Bioavailablity 22 2.5.5 Arsenic uptake in rice plants 23 2.5.6 Arsenic in meat and animal products 26 2.5.7 Arsenic uptake in golden apple snails 27 2.5.8 Processing: Wine and noodles 28 2.5.9 Arsenic concentrations in wastewater, activated sludge and digestate 29 2.6 Iron and manganese in the nutrient chain 30 2.7 Land and water use in the Red River Delta 31 2.7.1 Historical and political aspects of rural development in Vietnam 33 2.7.2 Craft villages in the Red River Delta 34 3 Materials and methods 36 3.1 Soil sample analyses 36 3.2 Well sampling 37 3.3 Wastewater and sludge analyses 37 3.4 Food analyses 38 3.5 Site visit and field observations 39 3.6 Questionnaire 39 4 Results 40 4.1 Soil samples 40 4.1.1 Total arsenic and total heavy metal concentrations 40 4.1.2 Sequential fractionation procedure 41 4.2 Arsenic in the water cycle in Dai Lam 43 4.2.1 Groundwater analyses 43 4.2.2 Water use in Dai Lam 47 4.2.3 Wastewater in Dai Lam 50 4.3 Arsenic in sewage sludge 51 4.4 Arsenic in manure samples 52 4.5 Arsenic in food samples 52 4.5.1 Rice 52 4.5.2 Arsenic in leaf vegetables 53 4.5.3 Arsenic in poultry products 56 4.5.4 Arsenic in pork samples 57 4.5.5 Arsenic in snails 57 4.6 Economic and demographic development potential 58 5 Discussion 61 5.1 Soil samples 61 5.2 Groundwater samples 62 5.2.1 High arsenic concentrations 62 5.2.2 Strong temporal and spatial variation 63 5.2.3 Weak correlation between measured parameters 69 5.3 Wastewater and sewage sludge 70 5.4 Pig manure 71 5.5 Daily exposure to As from dietary intake 71 5.6 Effects of land and water use on water quality and public health 76 5.7 Against the background of the transition economy 77 6 Conclusion 80 7 Perspectives (further work) 85 8 References 86 9 Annex 110

This thesis describes in the form of a commentary on own original publications research on the problems of cannabinoids, ie. phytocannabinoids and some synthetic cannabinoids, their pharmacokinetics and effects. The work consists of four thematic areas: the pharmacokinetics of delta-9- tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in rats, depending on the route of administration; THC concentration time profile in humans (after inhalation) and implications for transport safety; the pharmacokinetic profile of synthetic cannabinoids in rats; extraction and determination of phytocannabinoids in plant material. The first part of the thesis was to determine pharmacokinetic profiles of THC, CBD and combination thereof (1:1 weight ratio) in rats with respect to administration common in humans, i.e. inhalation, oral and subcutaneous administration. THC, its metabolites (11-hydroxy-tetrahydrocannabinol, 11-OH-THC; 11-nor-delta-9- carboxytetrahydrocannabinol, THCOOH) and CBD concentrations in serum and brains of animals were monitored at the 24 hours experimental interval during the study. Except for inhalation administration, co-administration of CBD inhibited THC metabolism (after both oral and subcutaneous), resulting in an increase in THC concentrations in both serum and brain of the rats relative to...

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is an evolving field allowing molecular visu- alizations with picometer resolutions. Images are acquired by shooting electrons through molecular samples and detecting the scattered electrons. From such data, 3D shapes of the molecules can be inversely reconstructed. Currently, describing and simulating the cryo-EM image formation is based either on naive transmittance models or complicated wave-function formalisms. In this thesis, we explore the possibility of simulating cryo-EM image formation via Monte Carlo electron tracing. We combine a delta-tracking algorithm with an elec- tron elastic differential cross-section function and Rutherford formulae to derive two Monte Carlo estimators. The derived models are implemented in a high-performance C++/CUDA environment and compared with other common models. Our particle-based simulated images show considerable similarity to the wave-based state-of-the-art multi- slice model. We also evaluate our models on class averages of real measurements. Both of our proposed models have significantly higher normalized cross-correlation scores with the measured class averages when compared to the most commonly used transmittance model. The thesis proves the viability of a particle-based Monte Carlo simulation of elec- tron microscope...

Faience objects were first produced in Egypt in the pre-Dynastic era and were since then deeply connected with ancient Egyptian material culture and everyday life. Faience has been used for vessels, jewellery and for religious objects and the techniques and trends have evolved over time. There is a great amount of faience objects excavated from Naukratis making it a suitable location for this study. This study has used a catalogue with objects excavated in Naukratis to identify trends, Greek and Egyptian faience, and the market for faience in Naukratis. By first introducing the location of Naukratis in the Late Period, the study then provides an overview over faience production techniques both from Egypt and Naukratis. This was then applied to the objects to distinguish reoccurring features and potential cultural influence on the faience production and demand. The aim was to show the exchange of production techniques between Greek and Egyptian faience which can be exemplified by the Greek technique for polychromatic faience showing up in Egyptian faience objects with traditionally Egyptian motifs. The objects revealed a demand for handcrafted faience with Egyptian motifs of animals, fertility gods and a design for both suspension and as standing decoration. This supports later day findings that the city of Naukratis was a city not only dedicated to Greek citizens but had a mixed population. It also showed that while the origin of a faience object is difficult to determine, influences of technique can still be seen. / Fajansobjekt var först skapade i Egyptens fördynastiska tid och har sedan haft en stark samanhörighet med gammal Egyptens materialkultur och vardag. Fajans har använts till att tillverka krukor, smycken och religiösa objekt och teknikerna samt trender från Naukratis har utvecklats över tiden. Det finns en stor del fajansobjekt utgrävda från Naukratis, vilket gör staden en lämplig stad för denna studie. Studien har använt en katalog med objekt utgrävda i Naukratis för att kartlägga trender, grekisk och egyptisk fajans, och marknaden för fajans i Naukratis. Det var sedan applicerad på objekten för att utskilja återkommande egenskaper och möjliga kulturella inflytanden på fajansens produktion och efterfrågan. Syftet var att visa utbyte av produktionstekniker för flerfärgad fajans som uppkommer i egyptisk fajans med traditionellt egyptiska motiv. Objekten visade en efterfrågan för handgjord fajans med egyptiska motiv av djur, fertilitetsgudar och en design som passar både för stående dekorationsobjekt men som också kan hängas upp. Detta stödjer nya diskussioner om att Naukratis inte bara var en stad dedikerad till grekiska medborgare men att staden hade en blandad befolkning. Det visar också att medan fajansobjektens ursprung var svårt att hitta, så kunde inflytande av tekniker fortfarande urskiljas

Eltern mit suchterkrankten Jugendlichen leiden an einem erhöhten Elternstress (ES). Die Gründe für dieses erhöhte Stresserleben sind aktuell noch wenig erforscht. Das Hauptaugenmerk dieser Arbeit war es, potenzielle sozioökonomische Stressoren, welche einen erhöhten ES erklären, zu identifizieren. Zu diesem Zweck füllten PatientInnen und ProbandInnen im Rahmen der großangelegten DELTA-Studie neben vielen weiteren Fragebögen den Elternstressfragebogen (ESF) aus. In einem anderen Fragebogen wurden Daten zur sozioökonomischen Situation der Familien erfasst, außerdem kam der Drug Use Disorder Identification Test (DUDIT) zum Einsatz, um die Suchtstärke der ProbandInnen zu ermitteln. Insgesamt 81 PatientInnen, welche im Zeitraum von Dezember 2017 bis Oktober 2020 in der Suchtambulanz des Universitätsklinikum Dresden behandelt wurden, erfüllten die Einschlusskriterien und wurden der abschließenden Studienkohorte dieser retrospektiven Arbeit hinzugefügt. Eine parallel dazu erstellte Kontrollgruppe beinhaltete 28 ProbandInnen. Es erfolgten deskriptive und inferenzstatistische Analysen der erhobenen Daten. Mittels Varianzanalyse mit Kovariaten (ANCOVA) sollte herausgefunden werden, welche Faktoren den ES beeinflussen. Der elterliche Erwerbsstatus, Schulabschluss und das objektiv messbare Einkommen waren nicht entscheidend für den ES. Auch die Suchtstärke des betroffenen Jugendlichen scheint keinen bedeutenden Einfluss zu haben. Die Varianzanalyse mit Kovariaten (ANCOVA) zeigte einen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen der Höhe des ES und der subjektiv wahrgenommenen finanziellen Situation (F(3,81) = 2,9, p = ,04, η2 par = 0,123). Je schlechter die Familien ihre finanzielle Lage einschätzten, desto höher war der ES. Die Ergebnisse legen die Vermutung nahe, dass die Substanzkonsumstörung (SKS) der Kinder selbst der Auslöser für einen erhöhten ES sein könnte. Eine finanzielle Unterstützung der betroffenen Familien sowie eine Beratung zum Ressourcenmanagement scheinen zur Unterstützung der SKS-Therapie sinnvoll.:1 EINLEITUNG 7 1.1 SUBSTANZKONSUMSTÖRUNGEN BEI JUGENDLICHEN 7 1.1.1 EPIDEMIOLOGIE 8 1.1.2 DIAGNOSEKRITERIEN UND SYMPTOME EINER SUBSTANZKONSUMSTÖRUNG 9 1.1.3 PSYCHOSOZIALE UND SOMATISCHE KONSEQUENZEN BEI SUBSTANZKONSUM IM JUGENDALTER 11 1.1.4 KONSEQUENZEN FÜR DAS UMFELD 12 1.2 ELTERNSTRESS ALS MÖGLICHE KONSEQUENZ EINER SUBSTANZKONSUMSTÖRUNG IM JUGENDALTER 14 1.2.1 NEUROBIOLOGIE DES STRESSES 14 1.2.2 ELTERNSTRESS – THEORETISCHER HINTERGRUND 15 1.3 PROBLEMSTELLUNG UND ZIELE DER ARBEIT 18 2 PATIENTEN UND METHODEN 20 2.1 STICHPROBE 20 2.1.1 BILDUNG DER ANALYSESTICHPROBE 20 2.2 STUDIENDESIGN 21 2.3 INSTRUMENTE 22 2.3.1 ELTERNSTRESSFRAGEBOGEN 22 2.3.2 SOZIODEMOGRAFIE-FRAGEBOGEN 23 2.3.3 DRUG USE DISORDER IDENTIFICATION TEST (DUDIT) 24 2.4 STATISTISCHE METHODEN 25 3 ERGEBNISSE 26 3.1 PATIENTENCHARAKTERISTIKA 26 3.2 SKALENVERGLEICH MIT NORMALBEVÖLKERUNG 28 3.3 PRÄDIKTOREN FÜR ELTERNSTRESS 29 4 DISKUSSION 32 4.1 EINORDNUNG UND INTERPRETATION DER ERGEBNISSE 32 4.2 IMPLIKATIONEN FÜR THERAPIE UND FORSCHUNG 36 4.3 LIMITATIONEN 37 5 ZUSAMMENFASSUNG 39 6 SUMMARY 40

During the launch sequence of the United Launch Alliance Delta IV launch vehicle, large amounts of pure hydrogen are introduced into the launch table and ignited by Radial-Outward-Firing-Igniters (ROFIs). This ignition results in a significant flame, or plume, that rises upwards out of the launch table due to buoyancy. The presence of the plume causes increased and unwanted heat loads on the surface of the vehicle. A proposed solution is to add a series of fans and structures to the existing launch table configuration that are designed to inject ambient air in the immediate vicinity of the launch vehicle's nozzles to suppress the plume rise. In addition to the air injection, secondary fan systems can be added around the launch table openings to further suppress the hydrogen plume. The proposed air injection solution is validated by computational fluid dynamics simulations that capture the combustion and compressible flow observed during the Delta IV launch sequence. A solution to the hydrogen plume problem will have direct influence on the efficiency of the launch vehicle: lower heat loads result in thinner vehicle insulation and thus allow for a larger payload mass. Current results show that air injection around the launch vehicle nozzles and air suppression around the launch table openings significantly reduces the size of the plume around the launch vehicle prior to liftoff.