Zugl.: Leipzig, Universiẗat, Diss., 2000.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Human Environment and Design, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Apr. 16, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 106-111). Also issued in print.

Prostaglandins (PG) play a major role in many endogenous processes including inflammation, labor, reproduction, and blood clotting. In the last two decades, these lipid signaling molecules have shown great potential as ocular hypotensive agents. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor in primary open-angled glaucoma (POAG), the second leading cause of blindness world-wide. Currently, prostaglandin F(2α) analogues are the most widely prescribed medications used to treat ocular hypertension. Studies have identified that almost all prostaglandin analogues exhibit anti-hypertensive effects in the eye, although they are not clinically available. Initial studies attributed the decrease in IOP observed to changes in hydraulic conductivity across the pressure-independent or uveoscleral pathway. More recent studies have shown that prostaglandin F(2α) analogues also lower IOP by affecting the pressure-dependent or trabecular pathway--the diseased tissue in POAG. Little is currently known about PG endogenous function, or the etiology of POAG. However, these studies suggest prostaglandin involvement in the maintenance of IOP in humans and identify the potential of PG analogues to treatment ocular hypertension. The research and findings presented in this dissertation address three specific aims designed to test the hypothesis that Endogenous prostaglandins, prostaglandin enzymes and prostaglandin receptors are involved in regulating conventional outflow facility. Specific aim 1 characterizes the distribution and activity of prostamide/prostaglandin F synthase (PM/PGFS) in the mouse and human eye using immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis and thin layer chromatography. Using techniques in biochemistry, molecular biology and physiology, specific aim 2, identifies the presence of the PG-EP₄ receptor within the outflow pathways, and the efficacy of a selective PG-EP₄ agonist, 3,7-dithiPGE₁, is also determined. Finally, specific aim 3 identifies PG-EP4 receptor coupling and downstream signaling using in vitro assays of transfected and primary cell lines to measure cAMP accumulation after treatment with a PG-EP₄ agonist. Collectively, these studies reveal the importance of PGE₂ synthesis and signaling to the conventional outflow pathway. They identify the PG-EP₄ receptor as a regulator of aqueous outflow and provide more specific therapeutic targets for the treatment of POAG.

No description available.

The identification of the distribution of air passengers among airports is an important task of the airport planner. It would be useful to understand how trip makers choose among competing airports. The ultimate purpose of this study is to research into , passengers' choice of airport so that the airport system can be planned on a more reliable basis. The choice of airport of passengers originating from central England in 1975 is explained by constructing multinomial disaggregate behavioural models of logit form. The data used for model calibration, were collected during two Civil Aviation Authority surveys. This work makes contribution to: -The definition of the major determinants of airport choice, -The responsiveness of passengers, choice to changes in these determinants, - The policy implications for the regional airports - The transferability of the model in time and space. The method of analysis has been selected after outlining the potential advantages and shortcomings of logit and probit models and after a test on the validity of the Independence from Irrelevant Alternatives (I.I.A.) property has been carried out. The results show that the multinomial logit model used for the airport choice is good in terms of its explanatory ability and successful in predicting the choices actually made. Travel time to the airport, frequency of flights and air fare are found to be decisive factors for a passenger to select a given airport but are not of equal importance. By influencing-these factors, it appears that there exists room for the transport planner to shift traffic from one airport to another to have an economically and/or environmentally efficient airport system. In their original form, the models have been tested and found not to be transferable to the London area in 1978. However, after a Bayesian updating procedure was applied, the business and inclusive tours models were transferable. The leisure model was not statistically transferable but had a good predictive ability while the domestic model was not transferable. Finally, subsequent directions ·for further research are outlined.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund och syfte: Företag i det privata näringslivet, som tillverkar högteknologiska produkter, möter en dynamisk marknad som styr hur kärnverksamheter med nödvändighet måste anpassa sig för att på ett konkurrenskraftigt vis möta efterfrågade varor och tjänster. För att kunna producera varor och utveckla en verksamhet krävs stödverksamheter som till exempel hanterar fastighetsbehov och facility management tjänster (FM-tjänster). Ett sätt att mäta kostnadseffektivitet i fastighetsbestånd och FM-tjänster kan vara mätbara key performance indicators (KPI). KPI är genom tidigare studier kända. Syftet med studien är att undersöka vilka KPI som är mest kostnadseffektiva. Metod: Studien har inhämtat data genom analys av fastighetsbeståndets delar ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv. Koncernens fastighetbestånd på två olika orter (A & B) har komparativt studerats med målsättningen att hitta skillnader i prestanda och kostnadseffektivitet vid jämförelse av KPI mellan de båda orterna. KPI beräknades och av utvald data kunde analysen finna att det finns större potential i vissa KPI och de har därmed större inverkan på kostnadseffektiviteten. En modell skapades för beslutsprocessen vid förvärv, bibehållande och utveckling samt anskaffning av fastigheter och FM-tjänster. Resultat: Det finns kostnadsposter med hög potential för besparing men vilken post som är mest lönsam att göra besparing i skiftar mellan orterna. KPI måste inte skilja mellan orterna vilket kan betyda att de är kostnadseffektiva eller att de är lika kostnadsdrivande på båda orterna. Optimala värden för KPI saknas (normvärde). Konklusion: KPI kan prioriteras och har olika stor inverkan på kostnadseffektivitet i fastighetsbeståndet. KPI har en inbördes relation. Hur stark relationen är behöver undersökas genom framtida studier. / Background and purpose: Companies in the private sector, which manufactures high-tech products, face a dynamic market that controls how the core activities necessarily have to adapt to a competitive way to meet demand goods and services. In order to produce goods and develop a business requires support activities such as handling property needs and facility management services (FM) services. One way to measure the cost of the property portfolio and FM services can be measurable key performance indicators (KPI). KPI is through previous studies known. The purpose of the study is to investigate the KPI that is most cost effective. Method: The study has collected data through analysis of property portfolio share from an economic perspective. The Group's property portfolios in two different locations (A & B) have been comparatively studied with the aim to identify differences in performance and cost when comparing the KPI between the two places. KPI is calculated and the selected data analysis could find that there is more potential in some KPI with the opportunity to have a greater impact on cost. A model was created for decision-making on the acquisition, retention and development and acquisition of real estate and FM services. Results: There are cost items with high potential for savings but which entry is most profitable to make savings in shift between the resorts. KPI does not distinguish between the resorts which could mean that they are cost-effective or that they are as cost drivers in both locations. Optimal values for KPI are missing (standard value). Conclusion: KPI can be prioritized and have different effects on the cost of the property portfolio. KPI has a peer relationship. How strong the relationship is needs to be examined by future studies.

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building. / Note: Thesis restricted to on campus access. Facility Management (FM) is an emerging industry in Australia and in various nations throughout the world. The annual Australian national investment of the FM industry contributes approximately 4% to GDP and there are more than 404,000 people working in FM service industries. Some conjecture exists to whether or not FM is a discipline in its own right. However, a review of FM history reveals its existence embedded within various organisational operating environments, however, under differing labels. The creation of an acceptable global FM definition is yet to be achieved. The procuring and delivering of FM services is an activity that is predominantly managed from inside an organisation through direct employment (in-house), or by others outside the organisation (outsourcing). The latter has gained considerable popularity of late, yet it is argued that it remains an ill-defined term, resulting in its possible incorrect application to the FM function. Further, there has been some suggestion as to the existence of indiscriminate cycling through these two main forms of FM procurement and delivery methods by organisations that has attracted some debate. Limited research has been performed on the dynamics associated with the decision to manage FM in-house or to outsource the function. It is argued that on a medium to long-term basis there may exist an inadequacy in identifying and associating the drivers of value and costs, as they are perceived by organizations, for the two main procurement and delivery methods of FM. By researching organisational operating environments it was found that in-house and outsourced methods may have different cost and value drivers. Further, each method, under certain conditions, was found to produce a different set of percieved value and costs, seemingly independent from each other. Also, these operating environments seemed to change over time, influencing the percieved FM value and cost levels. This apparent link with organisational operating environments and perceived FM procurement and delivery value and cost suggests that neither method may be regarded as a permanent solution. Thus, under certain conditions, the dynamic alteration of outsourcing levels during these changes in organisational operating environments may capture this value for longer periods of time, whilst minimising the costs associated with FM procurement and delivery.

This research investigates the feasibility of web technology as a means of handling service requests for delivering high quality service in building operation and maintenance. This research proposes a web-based graphic service request (WGSR) system as a pragmatic solution to the limitations of current computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) processes. Service request process in CMMS was developed as text-based, so that it is hard for ordinary tenants to use. Therefore, when tenants have a problem in a facility, they prefer calling in service requests or going to the office instead of using the internet service request application. In practice, work orders and records are often misplaced - resulting in lower efficiency and customer satisfaction. This may be overcome by a system that states information digitally and provides a web-based Graphic Service Request (WGSR) interface. The interface allow customers to report environmental problems in the facility, trace their work order progress, view schedules for maintenance, and provide feedback for service online. The WGSR system is an end-user point-and-click graphical interface that allows residents to request service by selecting a problem fixture on a floor plan image. By using HTML image map tags and combination of location, part, and types of problem identification number, the resident's input produces a text-based problem report for Facility Management (FM) departments that allows them to service requests on the fly. To solve the complexity and inefficiency issues of CMMS, the user interface for the WGRS system consists of a perspective drawing or isometric drawing of each unit's plan. An empirical test of the system and post-task survey was conducted to determine the efficiency and usefulness of the system. The analysis of the results shows the system to be efficient and convenient in several fields, including comprehensibility, navigability, simplicity, clarity, compatibility, and graphic appeal. This result shows that residents prefer to use the WGSR system and could reduce the effort needed to make and receive service request phone calls and input information into a database. The labor and time for daily work could be saved to recognize problems correctly and set the right schedule so that this could be used for preventive work and project work.

Liquid loading in producing gas wells is the inability of the produced gas to remove produced liquids from the wellbore. A review of existing flow loops worldwide revealed that specialized areas of research such as liquid loading in gas wells are still lacking dedicated test facilities. This project presents the design of a new dedicated facility to be located at the TowerLab at the Richardson building with adequate operating conditions to reproduce the flow regimes encountered prior to and after the onset of liquid loading in gas wells. The facility consists of a compressed air system, pipelines for air and water, a pressure vessel containing glass beads, an injection manifold, and flow control and monitoring devices. Our results show that three compressors working in parallel is the most technical and economic configuration for the TowerLab based on the overall costs provided by the supplier, the footprint but most importantly the flexibility. The design of the pressure vessel required a cylindrical body with top and bottom welded-flat head covers with multiple openings to minimize its weight. The pipelines connecting major equipment and injection manifold located at the pressure vessel were selected based on the superficial velocities for air and water. These values also showed the need for independent injection using two manifolds instead of commingling flow through a tee joint. The use of digital pressure gauges with an accuracy of 0.05 to 25% and coriolis or vortex meters to measure air flowrate is also suggested. For the water line, installation of turbine meters results in the most economic approach.