No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2001. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 95-100).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-224).

No description available.

Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the world, for which there currently is no effective treatment. One potential method for treating stroke is to stimulate the endogenous neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) in the subventricular zone (SVZ) of adult brain to replace the tissue lost during stroke. Two growth factors that have shown promise in eliciting functional repair in rodent models of stroke are epidermal growth factor (EGF) and erythropoietin (EPO). However, there is a significant challenge in delivering protein drugs in a minimally invasive yet effective manner. In this thesis, a minimally invasive polymer-based system is developed to control the sequential release of EGF followed by EPO. This system comprises of a hyaluronan-methylcellulose (HAMC) hydrogel and two types of polymeric particles, and is applied epicortically to deliver EGF and EPO to stroke-injured mouse brains in a minimally invasive manner. In this thesis, the following are demonstrated: 1) The ability of therapeutics delivered locally to reach the target site after delivery is crucial for the success of local delivery strategies. PEG-modification leads to enhanced penetration distance of EGF. 2) When delivered epicortically to the stroke-injured mouse brain using HAMC, PEG-EGF penetrates further into the brain compared to unmodified EGF. Both EGF and PEG-EGF stimulated NSPC proliferation in the SVZ, but the extent of stimulation is greater when PEG-EGF is delivered compared to unmodified EGF. 3) The transport of EPO is similar in the uninjured and the stroke-injured brain following epicortical delivery from HAMC. EPO delivered epicortically from HAMC is able to reach the SVZ and can enhance neurogenesis in the stroke-injured brain. 4) A composite delivery system is engineered where PEG-EGF and EPO are individually encapsulated in different polymeric particles, and the particles are embedded in the HAMC hydrogel matrix. Stroke-injured animals that receive composite-mediated growth factor treatments ultimately achieve repair comparable to that achieved using a conventional catheter/osmotic minipump infusion system, without causing tissue damage associated with insertion of the infusion system into the brain.

The paper provides a model that assesses the set of complementary components of varying compatibility and its effect towards consumer adoption decisions. The smartphone market is a system good which utilizes the device and a set of compatible applications (apps). The amount of switching costs may vary depending upon the consumer’s decision to switch devices or across platforms. Analyzing the Android ecosystem, the process of custom ROMs (and rooting) and the large set of games, news, etc. apps justify the existence of device-specific and platform-specific apps. The model reinforces the findings of a survey conducted by UBS suggesting the retention rate (i.e. level of switch costs) of Apple users is higher than Android users. The retention among Android devices is much lower in comparison as well. The model observes that the product fragmentation and the interdependence of apps lead to the noticeably lower retention rates across Android devices and platforms.

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 143-151). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Dissertação(mestrado)-Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geografia, Instituto de Ciências Humanas e da Informação, 2009. / Submitted by Caroline Silva (krol_bilhar@hotmail.com) on 2012-06-25T18:01:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE PRODUÇÃO E USO DO.pdf: 3878441 bytes, checksum: bdac358fb2996c0777f7c2bd3f3749b6 (MD5) / Rejected by Sabrina Andrade(sabrinabeatriz@ibest.com.br), reason: on 2012-07-03T21:59:52Z (GMT) / Submitted by Caroline Silva (krol_bilhar@hotmail.com) on 2012-07-05T23:04:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE PRODUÇÃO E USO DO.pdf: 3878441 bytes, checksum: bdac358fb2996c0777f7c2bd3f3749b6 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Bruna Vieira(bruninha_vieira@ibest.com.br) on 2012-08-23T20:29:07Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE PRODUÇÃO E USO DO.pdf: 3878441 bytes, checksum: bdac358fb2996c0777f7c2bd3f3749b6 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-08-23T20:29:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PROGRAMA NACIONAL DE PRODUÇÃO E USO DO.pdf: 3878441 bytes, checksum: bdac358fb2996c0777f7c2bd3f3749b6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / A presente dissertação fundamenta-se nos conceitos de macro sistema técnico, políticas públicas, governança global e desenvolvimento endógeno, para analisar o reflexo no território brasileiro, de uma macro política nacional, com motivações internacionais. O PNPB – Programa Nacional de Produção e Uso do Biodiesel vem para atender demandas mundiais por energias limpas, gerando a princípio uma organização interna, no território Nacional, a fim de preparar o Brasil para ser um dos maiores playres deste mercado mundial. O discurso político no qual está fundamentado o PNPB gerou uma expectativa de desenvolvimento desde dentro, endógeno, a partir da inclusão da agricultura familiar. O modelo tributário criado para que este cenário ocorra será analisado para verificar sua real contribuição com a inclusão social. Um inventário da produção de Biodiesel no Brasil desde a implantação do PNPB, comparativamente por região brasileira demonstrará quem está aproveitando as oportunidades da agroenergia. Comparativamente, o levantamento da produção de oleaginosas no Brasil e a localização das principais usinas produtoras de biodiesel indicarão a matéria-prima que movimenta esse mercado. Para pontuar um estado brasileiro utilizou-se o Rio Grande do Sul, devido à participação deste estado estar em primeiro lugar no ranking de produção do biodiesel brasileiro. / The presented dissertation is reasoned on the concepts of Technical Macro System, Public Policy, Global Governance and Endogenous Development in order to analyze, in Brazilian Territory, the reflex of a National Macro Policy with international motivation. The PNPB (National Program of Production and Use of Biodiesel) pursuits to attend the global demand for clean energy; creating, at first, an internal organization, on National territory, seeking to prepare itself to be one of the biggest players on the global market. The political speech in which is reasoned the PNPB created an expectation of development from the inside, starting with family agriculture. The tributary system created so that this scene occurs will be analyzed in order to verify it’s real contribution to social inclusion. An inventory of Biodiesel production in Brazil since the PNPB implantation, each state comparatively, will demonstrate who is taking benefit from agro energy’s opportunities. Comparatively, the Brazil’s production of oil plants and the location of the main biodiesel producing plants surveys will indicate the raw that moves this market. The State of Rio Grande do Sul was used as base of analysis, because it occupies the first place in Brazilian’s biodiesel ranking; and, in special, a study of COREDE-SUL’s case, observing the possibilities of inserting this area in Rio Grande do Sul in the agro energy market.

Knowledge, innovation, and the pursuit of economic growth are concepts that the economists and policy makers around the world continue to investigate. As policy makers strive to improve the welfare of their nations, research suggests that perhaps innovation is the key that will unlock the gates of prosperity. Frameworks have been developed on how countries should build innovation capacity such as the study done by Furman, Porter and Stern (2002). These frameworks have been used to test developed nations such as Australia, Denmark and the United States as well as developing nations such as Taiwan and South Korea. Their findings suggest that certain strategies were more effective at fostering innovation in developed countries than in developing countries, highlighting that the effects of policy innovation are not homogeneous. This report investigated the innovation strategies that countries use to encourage innovation in order to induce economic transition. The findings suggest that there is an existence of the common innovation infrastructure in countries that are transitioning from efficiency-driven to innovation-driven development. These countries are using the common innovation infrastructure to encourage innovation. However, some countries are more effective at encouraging innovation than others. Measures that work for one country may not necessarily work for others. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / zkgibs2014 / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / MBA / Unrestricted

New food innovation is largely based on consumer demand, and currently many consumers demand healthy foods with clean label ingredient statements and plant-based origins. Sprouted grain products meet these qualifications and thus are growing in popularity. Sweetened products have been made from oats by adding exogenous amylase enzymes to hydrolyze starch into sugars. The purpose of this study was to create a clean label oat sweetener using endogenous enzymes. First, amylase activity under various sprouting conditions was determined for 4 hulless and 10 in-hull oat varieties. Paul (hulless variety) and Horsepower (in-hull variety) had the highest amylase activity after sprouting 120 h at 16°C. The amylase activity in these two varieties was then further optimized by determining the highest amylase activity occurred by sprouting for 120 hours at 24°C. Second, amylase activity was determined for these two varieties after oven-drying and freeze-drying of sprouted oats, followed by a 4-week ambient storage period. Paul decreased in alpha-amylase activity for both oven-dried and freeze-dried samples, whereas Horsepower remained constant in its amylase activity for oven-dried and freeze-dried samples. Stored samples were also analyzed for susceptibility to lipid oxidation using SPME-GC-MS. All hexanal levels rose during the 4-week storage study except for the oven-dried Paul samples which began high and decreased over time. Third, a slurry of sprouted Horsepower oats, oat flour, and water was incubated at 45, 55, and 65°C to determine the optimal temperature needed to create a sweetened paste for use in oat-based food products. Incubation at 55°C had the highest initial rate of sugar production as measured by normal phase HPLC. Amount of sugar produced increased over time and plateaued at 6 h.