Recent studies have shown that the potent phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, sildenafil citrate, induces a powerful cardioprotective effect against ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in rabbit and mouse hearts. However, the effect of this drug in inducing long-term protection against I/R injury remains unknown. The goal of this study was to identify the duration of the protective window of sildenafil citrate as well as vardenafil, a more potent PDE-5 inhibitor. Rabbits were treated with sildenafil (0.7 mg/kg, iv), vardenafil (0.143 mg/kg), or an equivalent volume of saline. After 24 hrs, 48 hrs, 96 hrs, or 7 days of sildenafil treatment, the hearts were subjected to I/R. In the vardenafil groups, the hearts were subjected to I/R at 24 hrs and 7 days after administration of the drug. To evaluate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in cardioprotection, a non-selective blocker of nitric oxide synthase, L-NAME (15 mg/kg, iv) was administered 10 minutes prior to I/R. The results show significant reductions in infarct size in hearts treated with sildenafil and vardenafil as compared to the corresponding saline controls at all time points. The protective effects of sildenafil and vardenafil were abrogated in animals treated with L-NAME. L-NAME had no effect on infarct size in saline treated control rabbits. These data suggest that both sildenafil and vardenafil induce a long-term protective effect against myocardial infarction which is mediated via a NO-dependent pathway. These studies are important in exploiting the clinical potential of PDE-5 inhibitors in terms of protection against ischemia/reperfusion injury in patients with coronary artery disease.

The purpose of this study was to construct a flowmeter that could accurately measure the hydraulic permeability of electrospun fibrinogen scaffolds, providing insight into the transport properties of electrospun scaffolds while making the measurement of their topographical features (fiber and pore size) more accurate. Three different concentrations of fibrinogen were used (100, 120, and 150mg/ml) to create scaffolds with three different fiber diameters and pore sizes. The fiber diameters and pore sizes of the electrospun scaffolds were analyzed through scanning electron microscopy and image analysis software. The permeability of each scaffold was measured and used to calculate permeability-based fiber diameters and pore sizes, which were compared to values obtained through image analysis. Permeability measurement revealed scaffold permeability to increase linearly with fibrinogen concentration, much like average fiber diameter and pore size. Comparison between the two measurement methods proved the efficacy of the flowmeter as a way to measure scaffold features.

This was a multi-faceted mixed methods study that investigated several aspects associated to class size and the perceived effects on student achievement in Title I elementary schools. The data collection in this study was conducted through two separate phases. The first qualitative phase was a case study that was comprised of teacher interviews and classroom observations. The case study took place at a Title I school in Central Virginia, chosen for its diverse representativeness of the student population. Classroom interactions were coded during five-minute segments in each full-day classroom observation, as well as field notes made for specific types of instructional methods being used within each Title I classroom: individualized instruction, small group instruction, connecting personally with students, and incorporating technology into daily instruction. While a majority of the interactions within each classroom were positive, patterns emerged within the negative interactions that occurred. Interview responses indicated that the perceived ideal class size for Title I schools is 12-18 students, as well as provided explanations behind the perceived effects of class size on student achievement. Findings from the first phase were used to create a survey that was distributed during the second qualitative phase of this study. This survey was distributed to the larger Title I teacher population within the same school district to generalize the findings from the case study. Finally, systematic student assessment data was collected to compare the perceived effects of class size to the observed effects of class size on student achievement data. Although the findings from the student achievement data were inconclusive, there were several factors associated to class size that are discussed to explain the observed effects on student achievement data in the case study Title I school.

RESUME :Cette thèse a pour objet d'analyser et d'expliquer les causes et les conséquences des politiques de diversification liées aux investissements dans le secteur bancaire français à la recherche de la taille critique. Au cours de ces dernières décennies, ces organisations ont diversifié leurs investissements par des stratégies de croissance externe et interne. Elles ont également investi dans des secteurs de l'activité économique qui n'ont pas de liens directs avec le métier principal de la banque. Les stratégies de croissance souvent porteuses ont dû faire face aux situations de crise financière majeure ces deux dernières années. L'analyse des stratégies de croissance externe, interne et de diversification ainsi que l'analyse financière des bilans des banques, aux prises avec des mutations liées aux nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication, démontreront la pertinence des choix des investissements entre les stratégies du « be to be » et du « be to c ». Les exigences liées aux ratios prudentiels, la théorie de la valeur, celle de l'agence, les avantages concurrentiels et la théorie de la gouvernance sont autant d'outils méthodologiques et de champs d'investigations que nous utiliserons pour analyser la pertinence des choix stratégiques de diversification pour atteindre un niveau de performance tel, qu'il puisse valider la taille optimale, dite taille critique.La recherche opérationnelle permettra d'une part d'identifier les phénomènes stratégiques et d'autre part d'élaborer un modèle de formalisation lié à la pertinence de la taille critique. De nombreuses approches identifient la taille, via des critères multiples sans en dégager une matrice globale d'exploitation. L'objet théorique de recherche s'appliquera à formaliser ce modèle.Du point de vue méthodologique nous analyserons les Banques Françaises à réseaux de 1990 aux années 2000 – 2006, dans une démarche transversale. Cette approche devrait nous permettre d'un point de vue opérationnel de trouver également des « niches » d'activité porteuse.Au niveau théorique, nous nous appuierons sur les travaux de recherche de Michael Porter « L'Avantage Concurrentiel » et spécifiquement sur les notions de « stratégies génériques ».Si aujourd'hui la notion de « chaîne de valeur » est clairement identifiée dans le secteur bancaire, il n'en demeure pas moins que les stratégies de diversification de ces entreprises transforment cette donnée et que leur rentabilité s'en trouve modifiée, grâce au degré de performance. Néanmoins, la crise que traverse le système bancaire et financier depuis début 2007 vient à la fois renforcer et contredire certaines de ces théories que nous aurons à analyser. / SUMMARY:This thesis aims to analyze and explain the causes and consequences of diversification policies related to investments in the French banking sector in the search for the critical size. Over the last decades, these organizations have diversified their investment by implementing internal and external development strategies. They have also invested in some economic sectors which are not directly linked to the main banking activity. Beneficial growth strategies have had to face major financial crisis over the last two years. By analysing external, internal and diversification development strategies, and the bank balance sheets, that are subject to changes with new information technologies and communication, the choice of investment between "be to be" strategies and "be to c 'will be relevant. The requirements attached to prudential ratios, the value theory, the agency's theory, the competitive advantages and the governance theory are all methodological tools and investigative fields that will be used to analyze the importance of the strategic choices of diversification to reach a level of performance, which can validate the optimal size, called critical size.Operational research on the one hand will allow the identification of the strategic process and on the other hand the development of a formal model linked to the importance of the critical size. Many approaches identify the size; through multiple criteria without defining a global matrix of operation... The purpose of this theoretical research will assure the formalization of this model.From the methodological point of view we will analyze the French banking networks from 1990 to the years 2000 -2006, in a transversal approach. This approach should also allow us from an operational point of view, to find "niches" of profitable activity.At the theoretical level, we will refer to Michael Porter's research of "The Competitive Advantage" and specifically on the notions of "generic strategies".If today the term “chain of value” is clearly identified in the banking sector, the diversification strategies of these companies are however modifying these data and their profitability, thanks to the performance level. Nevertheless, the crisis in the banking and financial system since early 2007 is both reinforcing and contradicting some of the theories that will be analyzed.Moreover, the neo institutional theories will allow us to show that the bankers' rationale is limited and their decisions are dependent on a number of factors, such as the issue of the transaction costs, the informational asymmetric and the contingency factors between strategy and structure. Decision choices do not depend only on opportunities but also on the conditions that make them feasible and profitable for the organization.

Texture of igneous rocks, which includes size, shape and spatial distribution of grains, represents the final record of kinetic and mechanical processes operating during ascent and final emplacement of a magma. However, traditional geochemical approaches cannot assess and verify the physical processes of magma solidification, in particular, crystal nucleation and growth, textural coarsening, or mechanical crystal-melt interactions. In this work, I apply stereological methods to quantitatively characterize the textures and to interpret the crystallization history of granitic rocks in the Western Krušné hory/Erzgebirge and Vogtland. The Western Krušné hory/Erzgebirge granites consist of three suites: biotite granites (Kirchberg), muscovite-biotite microgranites (Walfischkopf), and topaz-zinnwaldite alkali- feldspar granites (Eibenstock), which consist of eight intrusive units and two aplite dyke sets. The entire granite sequence exhibits an extreme and nearly continuous differentiation range, but in detail the evolutionary trends of each suite are independent, and individual intrusive units are also clearly compositionally separated. The granites consist of 29-43 vol.% quartz, 20-30 vol. % plagioclase, 22-31 vol. % K-feldspar, 2-9 vol. % biotite, <2 vol. % muscovite, and minor topaz and apatite. All...

The topic of this master thesis was the effects of pattern, size and background contrast of prey on discrimination learning of avian predators. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of selected components of warning coloration on aversive discrimination learning of avian predators of different age and sex. The choosen model organism was the Great tit (Parus major). The comparision was done between hand-reared naïve birds and wild-caught adults of different age and sex. The experiment was taking place in the experimental cage with one way mirror. The experiment used a design of simultaneous task with two pray which differed in one component of the coloration (pattern, size and background kontrast). The differencies in the ability of discrimination learning was found just between hand-rared naïve birds and wild-caught adults. Better results were shown by the wild-caught adults. The ability of discrimination learning of wild-caught adults was not influenced by the age and sex. Pattern was the only significant component of the warning coloration due to which the birds were able to memorise the discrimination task. Key words: avoidance learning, unpalatable prey, pattern, size, background, contrast

This work attempts to offer an insight into the problematic of the genus Elettariopsis Baker, the last unrevised genus in the subfamily Alpinioideae (Zingiberaceae). Phylogenetic analyses are performed on ITS, matK and DCS sequence data and correlated with absolute genome size and biogeographical distribution of the samples. Elettariopsis as a genus is found to be weakly supported and strongly supported only with the addition of some species of Amomum Roxb., including the type species A. subulatum. The absolute genome size in this group is greater than in the outgroup represented by members of the Zingiberoideae subfamily. The evidence given by sequence data further suggests that Elettariopsis is divided into two well-supported groups, the "E. curtisii" group and the "E. triloba/E. unifolia" group, each of which contains several well-supported clades. In the analysis of absolute genome size it is shown that the absolute genome size in the "E. triloba/E.unifolia" group is higher than in the "E. curtisii" group. These two groups also differ slightly in their biogeographical distribution, the group G being distributed in only in Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand, while members of group H are also occurring in Singapore and Indonesia (Borneo). Keywords: Zingiberaceae, Elettariopsis, South-East Asia, ITS,...

Thesis is focused on study of phlebotomus generative attributes development and body dimension influence for some determinant notes therefore is divided into two thema parts. First thematic part of thesis is heeding to rotation of outer genitalia of chosen phlebotomus subgenus males and their representatives: Adlerius (Phlebotomus arabicus), Larroussius (Phlebotomus orientalis and Phlebotomus tobbi), Euphlebotomus (Phlebotomus argentipes), Paraphlebotomus (Phlebotomus sergenti), Phlebotomus (Phlebotomus papatasi), Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia longipalpis) and Sergentomyia (Sergentomyia schwetzi). In this parts was discovered and compared time of station of genitalia for chosen subgenera. Also the time from emergence of adults to rotation and rotation time dependence on adults daytime eclosion was measured. Times of rotation time duration including that of times from rotation beggining were at subgenuses expressively different, from S. schwetzi with the shortest rotation time of 12 hours to P. sergenti with the longest with average time rotation of 32 hours. Further were compared rotations of two genuses within subgenus Larroussius: P. orientalis a P. tobbi. Here also were each rotation times expressively different that do not validate the rotation should be specific for given subgenus. Observed was also...

This paper uses data from The Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) for year 2013 to estimate the effect of family size on parent's wellbeing. To address the possible endogeneity in family size we use "multiple births" as exogenous origin of variation in family size. First finding shows insignificant effect of the additional child on parent's wellbeing. However, when we examine if the effect of number of children is significantly different for men and for women, we receive significant results. The number of children positively influences mother's wellbeing, but for fathers, there do not exist clear result. Finally, we examine if big family is poor family and our finding reveals, that number of children positively increases income of household. JEL Classification D31, I31, J13 Keywords wellbeing, family size, instrumental variable, income Author's e-mail andrea.havrilova@gmail.com Supervisor's e-mail gebicka@fsv.cuni.cz

La structure de taille et la distribution spatiale du zooplancton ont été étudiées dans deux écosystèmes : une baie de la côte Ouest de la péninsule antarctique et le golfe du Lion en mer méditerranée occidentale. L'acquisition des spectres a été permise par l'utilisation de deux capteurs optiques : le ZooScan / ZooProcess et le Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC). L'impact de différents types de forçages sur les spectres de taille des communautés zooplanctoniques a été mis en évidence dans les deux écosystèmes côtiers, notamment grâce aux caractéristiques des spectres de biomasse normalisée. Le long de la péninsule Antarctique, la fin de l'automne est une période charnière à tous les niveaux trophiques avec la baisse de la production primaire et l'agrégation du krill (Euphausia superba) dans les baies continentales. Les données ADCP ont permis de localiser dans une des baies le plus grand banc de krill échantillonné depuis 20 ans. L'étude du comportement alimentaire du krill en réponse à la baisse de la production primaire a montré l'impact du krill sur les spectres de taille des communautés mésozooplanctoniques, et en particulier sur les espèces de petites tailles. Un autre type de forçage a été mis en avant dans le golfe du Lion, où les structures physiques très variables induites par les apports du Rhône, le courant Liguro-Provençal et les vents influent directement sur la distribution spatiale du zooplancton. Des sous-régions ont été identifiées à partir de corrélations entre des paramètres physiques tels que la stratification de la colonne d'eau et des paramètres biologiques tels que la concentration en chl-a ou la pente des spectres de biomasse normalisée. / Zooplankton size structure and spatial distribution were investigated in a bay along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and in the Gulf of Lion in Western Mediterranean Sea. Zooplankton size spectra were determined with the use of two optical sensors, the Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) and the ZooScan / ZooProcess system. Using features of the biomass size spectrum is was possible to identify different forcing processes that affected zooplankton size spectrum and spatial distribution in the two ecosystems. In WAP, late fall is a transition time at all the trophic levels, with the decrease of primary production and the aggregation of Antarctic krill (Euphausia Superba) in continental bays. ADCP data permitted to find in a bay the largest Antarctic krill swarm reported in the last twenty years. Study of krill feeding behavior in response to the decrease of primary production showed impact of krill on mesozooplankton size spectrum and especially a decrease of the small size species abundance. A different type of forcing was found in the Gulf of Lion, where zooplankton spatial distribution was affected by physical structures such as the inputs by the Rhône river, the Liguro-Provençal current and winds. The correlation between physical and biological parameters e.g. water masses stratification, chl-a concentration, slope of the normalized biomass size spectrum (NBSS), allowed the identification of three different regions in the Gulf of Lion. These potential habitats show different zooplankton size structure, with strong NBSS slopes close to the coast and weaker NBSS slopes in the zone of the Rhône plume influence.