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No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alexandre Roriz Blumenschein - 2013.pdf: 1583874 bytes, checksum: d7e7853456cef455bfd20f0c4d3f1754 (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-07-25 / Autologous fat grafts used for filling soft tissue defects have been used for more than a century. Fat is considered an ideal filler because of its low cost, ease of harvest, abundance in the human body and low immunogenic and allergic reaction due to its autologous nature, being largely used in aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is a plasma fraction, with platelet count above baseline, generally obtained via centrifugation of blood. PRP theoretically promotes tissue regeneration due to fact that it concentrates a greater amount of growth factors essential in the process of tissue regeneration and neovascularization. This paper aims to examine if the association of fat grafts and PRP improves graft viability in female rats, through an experimental, randomized and blinded study, which involved 47 animals. These animals underwent fat graft harvest from their inguinal fat deposits and fat grafting subcutaneously to their cranial region. In 22 animals the fat graft was mixed with PRP and in 25 the fat was grafted by itself. After a 100 day period, the animals were sacrificed and the fat grafts were analyzed using scores from 0 (absent) to 4 (abundant), in optical microscopy by two independent and blinded pathologists, by means of the following variables: fat graft cell viability, fat necrosis, tissue inflammation and fibrosis. Regarding fat graft cell viability, the PRP group scored moderate/abundant in 63% of the cases and the fat graft only group scored absent/slight in 72% of the cases (p<0.05). The PRP group presented lower fat necrosis scores and lower tissue inflammation scores when compared to the fat graft only group (p<0.05). The presence of tissue fibrosis was rarely observed in both groups. Tumors (dermoid cysts) within the fat grafts were observed in 3 animals in which the grafts were mixed with PRP. It is concluded that PRP improves the viability and integration of fat grafts in rats, but more studies are needed to fully understand the exact mechanisms that lead to this improvement and assess the safety of the method for use in humans. / Enxertos de gordura autóloga têm sido usados há mais de um século para preenchimento de defeitos de tecidos moles. A gordura é considerada um material de preenchimento ideal, devido ao baixo custo de obtenção, abundância no corpo e baixa reação imunogênica e alérgica, por se tratar de material autólogo, tendo amplo uso na cirurgia plástica estética e reparadora. O plasma rico em plaquetas (PRP) consiste em uma fração de plasma sanguíneo com concentração de plaquetas acima do normal, obtida geralmente através de centrifugação do sangue autólogo que separa os componentes celulares de acordo com seu peso, concentrando as plaquetas de forma seletiva. Esta fração sanguínea (PRP) teoricamente melhora a regeneração de tecidos, por conter em grande quantidade citocinas e fatores de crescimento essenciais no processo de regeneração e neovascularização de tecidos. O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar se a associação de plasma rico em plaquetas a enxertos de gordura em ratas melhora a viabilidade destes enxertos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de delineamento experimental com animais, cego e randomizado. Foram estudados 47 ratas, submetidas à enxerto de gordura autóloga proveniente da região inguinal para a região subcutânea craniana. Vinte e duas ratas foram submetidas a enxerto de gordura autóloga associado a PRP (GCP) e vinte cincos ratas submetidos à enxerto de gordura sem plasma (GSP). Após 100 dias os animais foram sacrificados e as áreas de enxerto de gordura foram analisadas de forma independente e cega, por duas avaliadoras, de acordo com as seguintes variáveis: viabilidade da gordura enxertada, áreas de necrose, inflamação tecidual e áreas de fibrose, a partir de escores de avaliação histológica de 0 a 4 (ausente à abundante). Na avaliação da viabilidade das células gordurosas no enxerto, o GCP apresentou escore abundante em 63% dos casos e o GSP apresentou escore escasso em 72% destes (p<0,05). O GCP apresentou escores de necrose gordurosa e inflamação tecidual menor quando comparado ao GSP (p<0,05). A presença de fibrose tecidual foi pouco observada em ambos os grupos. Como achado histológico, observouse a presença de tumores (cistos dermoides) em três casos do grupo GCP. Conclui-se que o PRP melhora a viabilidade e integração de enxertos de gordura autóloga em ratas, porém novos estudos são necessários para entender completamente esse mecanismo e avaliar a segurança do método para uso em humanos.

Os hemoderivados têm sido utilizados com frequência cada vez maior na medicina equina, sendo caracterizados como um produto autólogo, com maior quantidade de fatores de crescimento e que melhora a capacidade de cicatrização de tecidos com pouco aporte sanguíneo, como tendões e articulações, diminuindo o tempo de recuperação do animal. Sabe-se que os fatores de crescimento são derivados das plaquetas, porém a correlação positiva entre o aumento na contagem plaquetária e a maior concentração de fatores de crescimento ainda é motivo de discussão entre os autores. Com o intuito de se obter um produto final com maior contagem plaquetária, é frequente o aumento da velocidade ou número de centrifugações na metodologia empregada, aumentando o risco de agregação plaquetária precoce. O objetivo do presente trabalho é estudar o efeito da dupla centrifugação no preparo de PRP, por meio da comparação entre contagens plaquetárias, concentrações de fator de crescimento TGF-&#946;1, e grau de ativação plaquetária por meio da porcentagem de agregação. Foram utilizados 12 equinos, machos, de 3 a 5 anos, clinicamente sadios. Para tanto foram realizados dois protocolos distintos: um com centrifugação única e o outro com dupla centrifugação. No primeiro, o sangue com anticoagulante foi centrifugado a 141G/12 minutos; enquanto no segundo a primeira centrifugação foi de 300G/5 minutos seguida de 700G/15 minutos, com repouso entre as mesmas e após. Os produtos obtidos após cada centrifugação foram submetidos à contagem plaquetária, teste de agregação e quantificação de TGF--&#946;1 por meio de kit ELISA. Os resultados obtidos demonstraram maior concentração plaquetária quando utilizado protocolo de dupla centrifugação. Agregometria evidenciou maior ativação das plaquetas durante o preparo do PRP quando submetidas a maiores velocidades de centrifugação (força gravitacional) e não ao fato das amostras serem centrifugadas duas vezes. A quantificação do TGF--&#946;1 não mostrou diferença quando realizado em amostras com apenas uma centrifugação, mas demonstrou valores maiores no produto final da segunda centrifugação. A avaliação por meio de coeficiente de determinação e coeficiente de correlação de Pearson evidenciou correlação positiva entre contagem plaquetária e de TGF--&#946;1. O protocolo com dupla centrifugação se mostrou mais eficaz em concentrar plaquetas e TGF--&#946;1, não sendo prejudicado pela ativação precoce dessas plaquetas durante o preparo. / Blood derived products have been used in equine medicine with increasing frequency, being characterized as an autologous product, with greater amount of growth factors and be capable of improvement the healing capacity in tissues with poor blood supply, such as tendons and joints, reducing the time of recovery of the animal. It is known that the growth factors are derived from platelets, but the positive correlation between the increase in platelet count and the higher concentration of growth factors is still a reason for discussion among the authors. In order to obtain a final product with a higher platelet count, it is frequent to increase the speed or number of centrifugations in the methodology employed, increasing the risk of early platelet aggregation. The aim of the present study is to verify the effect of double centrifugation in PRP preparation by comparing platelet counts, TGF-&#946;1 growth factor concentrations, and degree of platelet activation through percentage of aggregation. Twelve horses, male, aged 3 to 5 years-old, clinically healthy were subjected. Two different protocols were performed: one with single centrifugation and the other with double centrifugation. In the first one, the anticoagulated blood was centrifugated at 141G/12 minutes; while in the second one the first centrifugation was 300G/5 minutes followed by 700G/15 minutes, with rest between them and after. The products obtained after each centrifugation were submitted to platelet counting, aggregation test and measurement of TGF-&#946;1 by ELISA kit. The results showed a higher platelet concentration when double centrifugation protocol was used. The aggregometry test evidenced a greater activation of the platelets during the preparation of PRP when submitted to higher centrifugation velocities (times g), and not to double centrifugation. Quantification of TGF-&#946;1 showed no difference when performed on samples with only one centrifugation, but was higher values in the final product of the second centrifugation. The determination coefficient and Pearsons correlation coefficient showed a positive correlation between the platelet count and TGF-&#946;1 concentration. The double centrifugation protocol proved to be more effective at concentrating platelets and consequently higher amounts of TGF-&#946;1, not being impaired by early activation during obtainment.

During the last year Tieto has been interested in evaluating the potential of a newly developed technology called Rich Ajax Platform (RAP). The RAP technology allows the developer to write Java code and deploy it on the web as a Rich Internet Application (RIA)with similar look and feel as a regular application ran in for example Microsoft Windows. The biggest benefit with a RIA is that it offers similar features to stand-alone applications but these features are deployed via a web server i.e. no installation at the client side is needed. To evaluate this technique a Scrum handler prototype was developed using the RAP. Secondly, a comparison with another similar technique called Google Web Toolkit had been made. The Scrum process is an agile development method which is based on small iterations.The purpose of this study was to create a functional prototype in order to evaluate and demonstrate the RAP technology. The result of the evaluation is that RAP is a strong competitor for developing Web 2.0 applications. Most of the concerns regarding RAP depend on the fact that it is a new technology and is still under development. Since Tieto in Karlstad currently develops RCPapplications, the RAP technology is a logical successor since the developers do not have to learn a new technology.

Ma’at Solution är ett Österrikiskt företag beläget i Linz, som utvecklar affärssystem specialiserade på aktieportföljsoptimering och värdepappers hantering. Företaget önskar komplettera sin nuvarande produkt Ma’at Invest med en Internetversion som delvis ska fungera som substitut men också som komplement till huvudprogrammet.Projektet kallades Ma’at Online. Man vill använda sig av de fördelar som finns i och med det nuvarande Java-utvecklingsverktyget- Eclipse. Exempel på fördelar är möjligheten att förstora och förminska önskade fönster vid behov. Genom det nyutvecklade Adobe (förut Macromedia) Flex är detta nu möjligt även på Internet. Ur denna idé utvecklades ett övergripande mål: - Skapa ett användarvänligt gränssnitt för Ma’at Online med hjälp av Adobe Flex. Initialt analyserades arbetsflödet i det existerande programmet med hjälp av UMLnotation. På så sätt var det enklare att förstå hur programmet var uppbyggt och vilka funktioner som ansågs nödvändiga. Vidare definierades målgruppen för att förstå hur programmet ska användas och vilka krav som bör ställas. Dessa krav utarbetades ytterligare och användes sedan för att omforma arbetsflödet från den nuvarande applikationen. Därefter utvecklades en alternativ design som mötte de utsatta kraven. Slutligen testades programmet på användarna för att säkerställa användbarheten. Ytterligare lades kraft på att skapa ett gränssnitt som tog vara på fördelarna med animation och användarmanipulation för att skapa ett bättre och enklare arbetsflöde som förhindrar frustration och misstag och som istället hjälper användaren vid behov. Ur datateknisk synpunkt undersöktes vilka komponenter som borde användas och hur de kunde skapas i Adobe Flex med hjälp av programmeringsspråket ActionScript. Projektet resulterade i ett användarvänligt och estetiskt gränssnitt baserad på ny revolutionerande teknik som talar till rätt målgrupp och uppfyller de för programmet uppsatta målen. Av utvecklingsarbetet med Adobe Flex har slutsatsen dragits att tekniken fortfarande har komplikationer, men att inom ett par år kommer de funktioner som är vanligt förekommande i standardprogram användas på Internet. / Ma’at Solutions is an Austrian software company located in Linz. The company is specialized in financial business applications such as portfolio management systems.The company wishes to extend its existing product Ma’at Invest with an Internet version that will work as a substitute or complement to the main program. The project is named Ma’at Online. Ma’at Solutions would like to use the advantages in the present program developed in the Java development environment -Eclipse. An example of features that the company would like to transfer to the online version is that the user can enlarge or minimize windows on request. Through the newly released Adobe (former Macromedia) Flex this is possible even on the Internet. From this a general goal was established: - Create the Ma’at Online interface with an optimal usability approach in Adobe Flex. The workflow in the existing application was analyzed with UML-modeling notation. In this way it was easier to understand the purpose of the program and which functions were required. Furthermore the target user was defined to acquire the needs of the users. These requirements were then developed even more and were used in the remodeling of the workflow to better suit an Internet version. In addition to that, an alternative design was developed, that met the requirements stated in the prior stage. At last an evaluation was performed and a test study of the finished prototype was conducted to make sure that the program meets the requirements. During the development process, time was spent on trying to use the advantages of animations and interaction manipulations to create a better and easier workflow that prevents the user from frustration and errors. Instead it is supposed to provide help to the user when needed. The components in the Adobe Flex were investigated and tested to see how they could be created in the scripting language Action Script and if they could fit into the application. The result of the project was that the application is user-friendly and has an aesthetic interface based on an edge-cutting technology. The conclusion of the development process in Adobe Flex is that the technology still has complications, however in a few years, the eatures used in standalone programs will be used on the Internet.

Vi lever idag i en värld där sprickan mellan vad som går att skapa med en desktopapplikation och vad som är möjligt att implementera på en webbsida har blivit mindre än någonsin. För tio år sedan var det inte möjligt att skapa avancerade affärssystem på en webbklient, men i och med att tekniker har utvecklats och nya språk har skapats har även nya möjligheter öppnats framför våra ögon. Frågan är var gränsen går? Vad kan vi egentligen skapa med de webbramverk som finns tillgängliga idag. Det är en av frågorna denna rapport ska svara på. Idag finns det en stor mängd ramverk för att utveckla så kallade Rich Internet Applications, komplexa och dynamiska program som körs direkt från webbläsaren. Dessa har alla olika styrkor och svagheter som är mycket svåra att känna till om man inte studerar ramverken noggrant. I denna rapport beskrivs ramverken Adobe Flex, JavaFX och HTML5. Läsaren kommer få en tydlig bild av hur ramverken kom till, vad de bygger på för tekniker, hur koden ser ut för dem olika samt vad de använder för tekniker för att kommunicera med applikationer skrivna i andra språk. Rapporten kommer även klargöra vilka tekniker de stödjer för att skapa ett snyggt och anpassningsbart grafiskt gränssnitt, hur komponentstödet är utformat och huruvida man kan skapa modulära program med ramverken. Detta kommer utmynna i en analys där ramverkens för- och nackdelar sammanställs vilket slutligen ligger till grund för att jämföra dem med varandra och avgöra vilket ramverk som är bäst anpassat för att skapa omfattande desktopliknande applikationer på webben.

As technology becomes increasingly intelligent and pervasive in the physical context of daily life, it is crucial to consider the design of technological artifacts to develop new interaction paradigms that can expand technological capabilities, shape behaviors, establish new practices, and broaden our worldview. This thesis proposes using principles of animism to inform the design of interactive objects as a way to encourage people to reflect on their relationships with the world around them, and to perceive objects beyond their roles as mere tools or ephemeral fashion products. Animism, as a design metaphor, can be powerful in creating expressive, affective, and empathetic interactions with interactive objects. Through the use of behavioral, physical, and social metaphors, an animistic object can communicate in a more nuanced way with its changing form and behavior within a given context. An animistic object can connect in multi-sensorial ways to provide an individual and idiosyncratic experience, which can afford one to construct new meanings with their surrounding objects and re-form their relationship with them. Animistic objects aim to create a poetic dialogue between themselves and their humans, fostering a deeper relationship that surpasses their utilitarian and aesthetic value. The goal of this thesis is to define animism in the context of industrial and interaction design, examine dimensions of animistic qualities, and evaluate implications of animistic objects in building rapport between human and artifacts.

Streptococcus pyogenes is an important human pathogen. One of the most prominent virulence factors produced by S. pyogenes is SfbI, a surface adhesin composed of three domains: thioester domain (TED), proline-rich repeat domain (PRR) and fibronectin-binding repeat domain (FnBD). The structures and functions of TED and PRR and their contributions to the pathogenesis of streptococcal diseases are unknown. The interaction between PRR and its putative target, the intracellular actin cytoskeleton regulator Arp2/3, was investigated by both in vitro and in vivo studies. PRR was shown to inhibit Arp2/3-dependent actin polymerisation. The expression of PRR in HeLa cells caused disruption to the cytoskeleton of the cells. All data point towards a role of PRR in inhibiting the Arp2/3 complex but more evidence is needed to support this. The N-terminal domain of SfbI (TED) and four homologous domains from S. pyogenes, group G streptococci and Streptococcus pneumoniae were characterised by mass spectrometry, NMR spectroscopy and biochemical assays. All were shown to possess intramolecular thioester bonds, spontaneously formed between sides chains of Cys and Gln residues. Fibrinogen (Fg) was identified as the first binding target of bacterial TEDs with direct evidence that the thioester bond was involved in the interaction with Fg. A pull-down experiment using human plasma showed Fg is a specific binding partner of SfbI-TED. The binding sites were narrowed down to the thioester-forming Gln of SfbI-TED and Lys residues in the Fg-Aα chain, and binding potentially occurred via covalent isopeptide linkage. The data presented here suggest two new roles for SfbI, previously unknown in bacterial pathogenesis. The PRR may be the first bacterial inhibitor of the actin cytoskeleton acting by inhibiting the Arp2/3 complex. Thioester domains appear to be a shared common feature of surface proteins of many Gram-positive pathogens. They may form covalent crosslinks between bacteria and host tissue.

In post-Apartheid South Africa the issues relating to poverty and specifically missional engagement with the poor remains a priority. In order to foster creative imaginations for this missional task, this research focuses on the discourse on four Early Church Fathers’ engagement with the poor. This discourse was brought into dialogue with four Afrikaans Johannesburg churches through phenomenological interviews. Using Susan Holman’s interpretive framework of sensing, sharing and embodying the kingdom dialogue between the teachings and praxis of Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Basil the Great, Augustine and four Johannesburg churches were explored in order to develop proposals for the Johannesburg church’s mission towards the poor. / Dissertation (MA(Theol))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Science of Religion and Missiology / unrestricted

When the agricultural revolution took place, the biodiversity decreased and during the last century more than 90 % of the area of species-rich grasslands has been lost. Fragmentation has occurred with the area lost and insects, e.g. butterflies, suffer because of this. I investigated the impact that surrounding landscapes have on vegetation in species-rich grasslands, by using data from NILS and land use land cover data. I used the area of grassland, forest, water and arable land at radii from 100 m to 40000 m. All landscape structures showed a significant effect on the species density, but at different ranges. Arable and forest were both positive at large radii. Water had a negative effect at short ranges but positive at large ranges. The same was shown for grassland, and that is likely explained by grassland making up a very small proportion of the total area. In conclusion, species density in species-rich grasslands can partly be explained by the surrounding landscape. These results have implication for reserve selection, monitoring and restoration.

In the effort to introduce fuel cell technology in the field of decentralized and mobile power generators, a hydrocarbon reformer to syngas seems to be the way for the market uptake. In this thesis, a potential technology is developed and investigated, in order to convert commercial liquid fuel (diesel, kerosene and biodiesel) to syngas. The fundamental concept is to oxidise the fuel in a oxygen depleted environment, obtaining hydrogen and carbon monoxide as main products of the reaction. In order to extend the flammability limit of hydrocarbon/air mixtures, the rich combustion experiments have been carried out in a two-layer porous medium combustor, which stabilises a flame at the matrix interface and recirculates the enthalpy of the hot products in order to enhance the reaction rates at ultra-rich equivalence ratio. This thesis demonstrates the feasibility of the concept, by exploring characteristic parameters for a compact, reliable and cost effective device. Specifically, a range of equivalence ratios, thermal loads and porous materials have been examined. n-heptane was successfully reformed up to an equivalence ratio of 3, reaching a conversion efficiency (based on the lower heating value of H2 and CO over the fuel input) up to 75% for a packed bed of alumina beads. Thermal loads from P=2 to 12 kW at phi=2.0 demonstrated that heat losses can be reduced to 10%.Similarly, diesel, kerosene and bio-diesel were reformed to syngas in a Zirconia foam burner with conversion efficiency over 60%. The effect of different burners, thermal loads and equivalence ratios have also been assessed for these commercial fuels, leading to equivalent conclusions. A preliminary attempt to reduce the content of CO and hydrocarbons in the reformate has been also performed using commercial steam reforming and water-gas shift reaction catalysts, obtaining encouraging results. Finally, soot emission has been assessed, demonstrating particle formation for all the fuels above phi=2.0, with biodiesel showingthe lowest soot formation tendency among all the fuels tested.