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A C*-algebra is called primitive if it admits a *-representation that is both faithful and irreducible. Thus the simplest examples are matrix algebras. The main objective of this work is to classify unital full free products of finite dimensional C*-algebras that are primitive. We prove that given two nontrivial finite dimensional C*-algebras, A1 /= C, A2 /= C, the unital C*-algebra full free product A = A1 * A2 is primitive except when A1 = C^2 = A2. Roughly speaking, we first show that, except for trivial cases and the case A1 = C^2 = A2, there is an abundance of irreducible finite dimensional *-representations of A. The latter is accomplished by taking advantage of the structure of Lie group of the unitary operators in a finite dimensional Hilbert space. Later, by means of a sequence of approximations and Kaplansky?s density theorem we construct an irreducible and faithful {representation of A. We want to emphasize the fact that unital full free products of C*-algebras are highly abstract objects hence finding an irreducible *-{representation that is faithfully is an amazing fact. The dissertation is divided as follows. Chapter I gives an introduction, basic definitions and examples. Chapter II recalls some facts about *-automorphisms of finite dimensional C -algebras. Chapter III is fully devoted to prove Theorem III.6 which is about perturbing a pair of proper unital C*-subalgebras of a matrix algebra in such a way that they have trivial intersection. Theorem III.6 is the cornerstone for the rest of the results in this work. Lastly, Chapter IV contains the proof of the main theorem about primitivity and some consequences.

No description available.

Aspartame is a dipeptide sweetener that can be found in most of the sugar-free products available on the market today. The FDA approved the use of aspartame, but ever since the safety of the consumption of aspartame has been questioned. Thus the aim of this thesis was to determine the effects of aspartame ingestion on the blood coagulation system and the blood filtering organs (liver and kidneys) of the rabbit. The protocol for obtaining blood from a rabbit as well as successful administration of aspartame was perfected. The rabbit was proven as best experimental model, when compared to a mouse, for studying the effects of aspartame on coagulation and haemostasis. The effects of aspartame were determined by: 1.) measuring the factors from the different coagulation pathways, namely the common pathway (factors II, V, X and fibrinogen); factors in the intrinsic pathway (factors VIII, IX), as well as factor VII, found in the extrinsic pathway. The prothrombin time (PT; measures how long blood takes to form a clot) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT; measures recalcification time of plasma) was also measured; 2.) The ultrastructure of the fibrin networks, platelet morphology and endothelial lining were studied; 3.) The histological morphology of the leukocytes, liver and kidney were examined. Results obtained indicated that F VII, X and VIII were decreased with a prolonged prothrombin time. The concentration of circulating fibrinogen increased significantly, which corroborated with results obtained for the ultrastructure of the fibrin networks. The degree of fibrin fibre formation increased the higher the concentration of aspartame and the degree of platelet aggregation occurring, decreased with the increase of aspartame concentration. It is hypothesized that the amount of circulating serotonin decreased. The endothelial lining of the rabbits were damaged with the nuclei appearing apoptotic. The endothelial lining and their tight junctions play an integral part in the functioning of the BBB, in synchronization with cAMP (complexity of tight junctions, decreased due to decreased amount of serotonin), thus it appeared as though the BBB was compromised. The morphology of the leukocytes were altered, specifically that of the eosinophils and heterophils. The granules inside the eosinophils of the aspartame treated rabbit appeared to have increased and were more clearly visible, while the granules in the heterophils appeared to have decreased. The total number of leukocytes also decreased. Thenormal histological morphology of both the liver and kidney were affected by aspartame. Damage to the hepatocytes and their subsequent arrangement were noted. The visceral layer of the capsule of Bowman appeared thickened and the cuboidal epithelium lining the proximal convoluted tubule was also damaged The final judgment and conclusion of the results obtained in this thesis regarding the consumption of abuse doses of aspartame, was that aspartame could lead to bleeding disorders (especially in genetically predisposed individuals), suppressed immunity and a compromised BBB. Trouble can occur with formation of the glomerular filtrate and absorption of fluid from the proximal convoluted tubule, which could result in high blood pressure and an increased probability of dehydration respectively. / Thesis (PhD (Anatomy))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Anatomy / PhD / unrestricted

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2006. / Title from title screen (site viewed on Feb. 6, 2007). PDF text: iv, 86 p. : ill. UMI publication number: AAT 3218333. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche format.

In the Czech Republic, 50 000 people are diagnosed with Celiac disease and the only known treatment for it is a gluten-free diet. For such patients, gluten consumption can provoke inflammation of a small bowel that can result in heavy consequences. Gluten is a protein contained in wheat, rye, barley, and oats and plays an important role in food production, because of its properties. Bakery and other gluten-free products are produced from other types of cereals. They also require a special technological process, separate spaces, and have a much smaller target group of consumers, which can increase their price at the end. People following a gluten- free diet have to be very careful while eating in restaurants and canteens because even a small amount of gluten can harm their health. Health insurance companies in the Czech Republic contribute various amounts to the GFD, however, mostly only for children. The goal of the research was to find out whether and for how much gluten-free food is more expensive than the ordinary one; and how the availability of gluten-free products and meals is assessed by people who have to eliminate gluten due to health reasons. To achieve the goal, quantitative research with a questionnaire survey was used. The questionnaire with 17 questions was filled in by a hundred...

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-04-26Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:06:57Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ricieri_mm_me_sjrp.pdf: 537434 bytes, checksum: e4a423e62415a76e55314da105c70574 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Um grupo G se decompõe sobre um subgrupo S se G þe um produto livre com subgrupo amalgamado S ou uma extensão HNN. Neste trabalho, propusemo-nos a relacionar, sob alguns aspectos, decomposição de grupos e invariantes ends. Mais precisamente, demonstramos os teoremas da forma normal para produtos livres com subgrupo amalgamado e extensões HNN e apresentamos alguns resultados relativos `a teoria de grafos, ends de grupos e pares de grupos, finalizando com a prova de um teorema de Kropholler e Roller, sobre decomposição de grupos, envolvendo a obstrução sing. / A group G splits over a subgroup S if G is a free product with amalgamated subgroup S or an HNN extension. In this work, we are concerned in relating, under some aspects, splittings of groups and invariants ends. More precisely, we prove the theorems normal forms for free products with amalgamated subgroup and HNN extensions and we present some results related with the theory of graphs, ends of groups and pairs of groups, concluding with the proof of a theorem by Kropholler and Roller, on decomposition of groups, involving the obstruction sing.

In this thesis, we investigate examples of random walks on free products of cyclic groups. Free products are groups that contain words constructed by concatenation with possible simplifications[20]. Mairesse in [17] proved that the harmonic measure on the boundary of these random walks has a Markovian Multiplicative structure (this is a class of Markov measures which requires fewer parameters than the usual Markov measures for its description ), and also showed how in the case of the harmonic measure these parameters can be found from Traffic Equations. Then Mairesse and Math ́eus in [20] continued investigation of these random walks and the associated Traffic Equations. They introduced the Stationary Traffic Equations for the situation when the measure is shift-invariant in addition to being μ-invariant. In this thesis, we review these developments as well as explicitly describe several concrete examples of random walks on free products, some of which are new.

<p>Sporedni proizvodi industrijske prerade voća, trop borovnice i maline, postupcima su&scaron;enja i mlevenja prevedeni su u oblik pogodan za aplikaciju u prehrambene proizvode. Ovako dobijeni sastojci imaju visok sadržaj prehrambenih vlakana, esencijalnih masnih kiselina poput linolne i &alpha;-linolenske, a karakteri&scaron;e ih i izbalansiran odnos PUFA/SFA. Od makronutrijenata, u najvećoj koncentraciji prisutni su K, Mg i Ca. Imajući u vidu da su glavne fitohemikalije bobičastog voća polifenolna jediinjenja, u proizvedenim funkcionalnim sastojcima određen je sadržaj ukupnih rastvorljivih polifenola, antocijana i flavonoida, kao i sastav i sadržaj odabranih polifenolnih jedinjenja primenom LC/MS-MS tehnike.<br />Primena osu&scaron;enih i samlevenih tropova kao sastojaka prehrambenih proizvoda ispitana je u formulaciji bezglutenskog keksa, sa ciljem njegovog funkcionalnog obogaćivanja. Za optimizaciju formulacije keksa kori&scaron;ćen je postupak odzivne povr&scaron;ine (RSM), a formulacija u kojoj je bezglutenska sme&scaron;a zamenjena sa 28,2% tropa borovnice i 1,8% tropa maline dobijena je kao optimalna, uzimajući u obzir sve zadate kriterijume. Dodatkom ova dva funkcionalana sastojka u gorenavedenom odnosu, postignuto je značajno pobolj&scaron;anje nutritivnih svojstava bezglutenskog keksa, a dobijeni proizvod po kvalitetu može da parira komercijalno dostupnim funkcionalno obogaćenim keksovima, namenjenim zdravoj populaciji.<br />Rezultati dijetetske interventne studije sprovedene na 20 zdravih, normalno uhranjenih ispitanika ženskog pola, ukazuju da se konzumiranjem kreiranog bezglutenskog keksa u količini od 32 g dnevno, postiže značajna redukcije LDL holesterola, i povećanje nivoa adiponektina u krvi, a budući da se ovaj adipocitni-sekretorni protein dovodi u vezu sa antiinflamatornim i antiaterogenim potencijalom u tretmanu metaboličkog sindroma i dijabetesa tipa 2, može se očekivati protektivno dejstvo kreiranog bezgutenskog keksa.</p> / <p>Blueberry and raspberry pomace, by-products from fruit juice industry, were processed into the new food ingredients by drying and grinding. The obtained functional ingredients are characterized by high content of dietary fibres and essential fatty acids (linoleic and &alpha;-linolenic acid), as well as by optimal ratio of PUFA/SFA. The main macronutrients in dried and ground pomace are K, Mg and Ca. The content of total phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and flavonoids were determined, as well as composition and content of individual phenolic compounds using LC/MS-MS in order to evaluate their antioxidant potential.<br />In the form of dried powder, blueberry and raspberry pomace were used as ingredients in formulation of gluten-free cookies. Response surface methodology (RSM) approach was applied to obtain optimal ingredients proportion. Formulation in which gluten-free flour mixture is substituted with 28.2% of the blueberry and 1.8% of the raspberry pomace was found to be optimal following the used optimization criteria. Addition of blueberry and raspberry pomace has led to a remarkable improvement in nutritional properties, and resulted in a product with similar nutritional profile with commercially available gluten containing cookies.<br />Dietary intervention study on a group of 20 healthy, normal weight female subjects was conducted to investigate the health effect of the created gluten-free cookies. The results showed a significant reduction in levels of LDL cholesterol, and an increase in plasma concentrations of adiponectin, suggesting a potential positive effect of the created product on human health.</p>

Orientador: Ermínia de Lourdes Campello Fanti / Banca: Maria Gorete Carreira Andrade / Banca: Pedro Luiz Queiroz Pergher / Resumo: Um grupo G se decompõe sobre um subgrupo S se G þe um produto livre com subgrupo amalgamado S ou uma extensão HNN. Neste trabalho, propusemo-nos a relacionar, sob alguns aspectos, decomposição de grupos e invariantes ends. Mais precisamente, demonstramos os teoremas da forma normal para produtos livres com subgrupo amalgamado e extensões HNN e apresentamos alguns resultados relativos 'a teoria de grafos, ends de grupos e pares de grupos, finalizando com a prova de um teorema de Kropholler e Roller, sobre decomposição de grupos, envolvendo a obstrução sing. / Abstract: A group G splits over a subgroup S if G is a free product with amalgamated subgroup S or an HNN extension. In this work, we are concerned in relating, under some aspects, splittings of groups and invariants ends. More precisely, we prove the theorems normal forms for free products with amalgamated subgroup and HNN extensions and we present some results related with the theory of graphs, ends of groups and pairs of groups, concluding with the proof of a theorem by Kropholler and Roller, on decomposition of groups, involving the obstruction sing. / Mestre