Hexokinasen bezeichnen eine vielfältige Gruppe von Enzymen, welche zu den Transferasen gezählt werden und den ersten Schritt der Glykolyse katalysieren. In Hefen, Pflanzen und Säugern spielen Hexokinasen darüber hinaus eine wichtige Rolle in regulatorischen Mechanismen wie der Glukoseerkennung und der glukoseabhängigen Signaltransduktion. Aufgrund der Aufgaben der Hefehexokinasen in der Katalyse und der Glukoserepression bedarf es einer besonderen Beziehung zwischen Struktur und Funktion, dessen Zusammenhänge derzeit nur teilweise erklärt werden können. Sowohl Saccharomyces cerevisiae als auch Kluyveromyces lactis sind geeignete eukaryontische Modellorganismen für die Untersuchung der Beziehungen zwischen Proteinbiochemie, Genetik und Physiologie. So beschreibt die Arbeit zum einen Untersuchungen zur Faltung und Stabilität der Hexokinase 2 von Saccharomyces cerevisiae (ScHxk2). ScHxk2 ist aus zwei Domänen mit diskontinuierlichen Peptidsequenzen zusammengesetzt. Mit Hilfe verschiedener spektrometrischer Untersuchungstechniken konnte eine reversible harnstoffinduzierte Entfaltung für ScHxk2 beschrieben werden. Dabei zeigt die Entfaltung einen zweistufigen Übergang mit einem zentralen Intermediat, bei dem jedoch weder die eine noch die andere Domäne gefaltet bzw. ungefaltet vorliegt. Die Intermediate weisen trotz 60%iger Verluste an Sekundärstruktur eine hohe Stabilität von über ∆G = -22 kJ/mol auf. Weiterhin befasst sich diese Arbeit mit der einzigen in Kluyveromyces lactis befindlichen Hexokinase (KlHxk1). Zur weiteren Charakterisierung der KlHxk1 sollten wichtige physiologische Eigenschaften analysiert werden, zumal insbesondere der molekulare Mechanismus der Glukoserepression in Kluyveromyces lactis bislang noch weitgehend ungeklärt ist. Mit Hilfe von Stopped-flow Messungen konnte gezeigt werden, dass sich die monomere KlHxk1 (54 kDa) als die Enzymform mit der hohen Affinität und Aktivität für die zwei glykolytischen Substrate Glukose und ATP darstellt und sich als Kontrollpunkt der Katalyse auf Ebene einer Dimer-Bildung und Dissoziation eignen könnte.

While the single core accretion model for low mass star formation is well developed, it cannot simply be extended into the high mass star formation regime where clustered star formation dominates. The study of intermediate-mass star formation should provide us with insights into how the process of star formation changes for high mass stars. In this thesis observations of H2O line emission from two intermediate-mass candidate Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) made using the HIFI instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory are presented. Modelling of molecular line emission using the radiative transfer code RATRAN is used to put constraints on kinematics and the abundance of water throughout the region by modelling the observed water lines after decomposing them into separate Gaussian components. The medium component of the 752 GHz line from Vela IRS 17 was modelled by using a turbulent velocity of 1.7 km s^-1 and an outer abundance of 6x10^-8. The narrow component of the 752 GHz line from Vela IRS 19 could be modelled using a turbulent velocity of 0.6 km s^-1 and an outer abundance of 6x 10^-8, while the medium component required an outer abundance of 4 x 10^-7 with a turbulent velocity of 2.5 km s^-1. The constraints on water abundance in these star-forming regions are to be used along with studies of water in low and high mass star-forming regions in the effort to improve our understanding of star formation across the entire stellar mass spectrum.

No description available.

In order to investigate the structural features responsible for the cytotoxicity of the naturally occurring lignan nordihydroguaiaretic acid, the synthesis of four structural analogues of NDGA is proposed for the purpose of studying their oxidative metabolism. One analogue in particular (1), a mono-catechol analogue, is successfully synthesized employing a double Stobbe condensation approach. Following synthesis of this compound a series of oxidation experiments is performed consisting of: incubation in rat liver microsomes with and without the trapping agent glutathione (GSH), oxidation with mushroom tyrosinase, oxidation with silver oxide, and oxidation with horseradish peroxidase. Results are analyzed via HPLC and UPLC-MS. It is found that 1 does not autoxidize at pH 7.4 as NDGA does. Two products are produced during incubation of 1 in rat liver microsomes with UPLC-ESI(-)-MS results giving m/z of 879.2 and 574.18. This is consistent with 1 plus 2 GSH and 1 plus 1 GSH respectively; confirming 1 will oxidize to an electrophilic moiety. Oxidation with mushroom tyrosinase is found to produce high levels of product two with m/z 574.2. Oxidation with horseradish peroxidase is found to produce high levels of the m/z 879.2 product. Silver Oxide produced multiple products rather than the expected one major product, but most are found to be inconsistent with the products seen during rat liver microsomal incubation, and are not pursued.

Teach For America (TFA) has seen its profile and list of donors expand tremendously in recent years. Despite its success in attracting support, research on the effectiveness of the program has been inconclusive. This study investigates the impact of TFA on student achievement measured at the state level. Panel data from grades 4 and 8 are analyzed to examine how the presence of TFA corps members in a state impacts student test scores compared to states which have no TFA corps members.

Variational techniques are used to develop a theory for the time evolution of a thin strand of viscous fluid suspended from two points. The shape of the strand is approximated to be a parabola and energy conservation is used to derive a differential equation modeling the change in height over time. Data is collected with a high resolution camera and a strobe light to obtain the position and shape of the strand over multiple intervals of time. Three very different and unexpected types of behaviors are observed depending on the initial thickness and shape of the filament. The approximation fits well with one type of behavior but variations in the thickness of the strand, and consequently in the center of mass, need to be factored in to predict the others.

知識經濟時代，企業為了維持競爭地位，重視技術與專利，原是為防止特定企業技術被複製或模仿。可是因為科技創新研發產品生命週期縮短、產品所涵蓋的專利權量多而複雜、與專利法規制度設計等因素，專利市場也因此而活絡，專利中介者的價值就此產生。專利中介者的存在使企業得以開放式之創新模式，進行組織內外部技術交流，為節省交易成本的種種問題，以及避免侵權爭議，專利中介經營型態開始多樣化，並隨著時間演進，不同型態的營運效益也開始呈現差異。過去中介者偏重於攻擊訴訟、防禦功能、移轉買賣，然而現今最大的專利中介者美國高智公司，其營運模式角色演化類型、價值創造，都與舊有的中介者營運模式不同。 本研究以個案研究與文獻整理方式大略了解高智實際運作方式為何。高智已經擁有自己的實驗室，並且積極與研究單位合作提供研發預算，不同於其他專利事業體被動防禦、積極主張的角色，高智創造出與客戶發展長期的合作關係價值，高智發揮一般中介者降低交易成本之功能，更是主動引進學術研發使其專利商業化。另外，高智近年來也有主動發起專利訴訟，企圖維護該公司的專利資產價值，高智的營運模式在實際運作上雖未有明確的法律爭議，或許未來可能還是會有相關專利法與競爭法的問題。 / In the era of knowledge economy, entrepreneurs gradually take technologies and patents seriously. Patents have been traditionally used to prevent others from copying or imitating valuable technologies. During the past decade, the market for patent application, licensing and transaction began to grow rapidly. Because of shorter production of life cycle, overlapping set of patent rights, and complicated patent systems, many managers adopt the concept of open innovation. There are many obstacles while trading patents; therefore, patent intermediates are arising. As time goes on, these business models changed a lot. Intellectual Ventures, the brand new largest intermediate company, is regarded as a successful intermediary model with a unique business model attempting to bring more performances to the patent market. The major purpose of this study is to explore Intellectual Ventures real operation in the patent market. Intellectual Ventures has its own research lab, monetizes new inventions and cooperates with scholar research units. Intellectual Ventures creates a long term relationship with its clients and develops a different role from other traditional patent entities. Intellectual Ventures not only functions as a traditional intermediate to reduce the transaction costs, but also focuses on the commercialization of new patents and scholar ideas. But recently Intellectual Ventures has been involved in some civil legal activities to assure its own patent asset values, revealing that in the future the practice of Intellectual Ventures business can possibly cause some legal disputes about civil patent activities and antitrust conducts respectively.

In this paper, we study sections of a Calabi-Yau threefold fibered over a curve by K3 surfaces. We show that there exist infinitely many isolated sections on certain K3 fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds and the subgroup of the N´eron-Severi group generated by these sections is not finitely generated. This also gives examples of K3 surfaces over the function field F of a complex curve with Zariski dense F-rational points, whose geometric models are Calabi-Yau. Furthermore, we also generalize our results to the cases of families of higher dimensional Calabi-Yau varieties with Calabi-Yau ambient spaces.

Carbonation is a naturally-occurring process whereby Ca-containing cement phases lose their hydration water and are converted to carbonate minerals by reaction with atmospheric CO&#8322;. As these secondary minerals develop in the microstructure of hydrated cement, porosity, pore-size distribution and permeability are decreased. These are all considered desirable properties in a wasteform. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of carbonation and different pozzolans on the leach performance and mechanical strength of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) wasteforms. Two methods of accelerated cement carbonation were used: <ol> <li>A vacuum carbonation method, where wasteforms are placed in an evacuated, sealed cell and subjected to small additions of CO&#8322; over several days at near vacuum conditions; and <li>A one-step carbonation method, where CO&#8322; gas is added to the wasteform paste as it is being mixed. </ol> Thirteen elemental constituents of interest to the safety assessments of long-term management of Ontario Power Generation's radioactive waste (Cl, N, S, Se, 13C, Th, Pb, Co, Ni, Cu, Sr, Ba and Cs) were stabilised/solidified via cement mix water. Wasteforms were produced with only OPC, OPC and fly ash, or OPC and silica fume. Most wasteforms were carbonated using one of the carbonation methods. Some wasteforms were not carbonated and served as controls. Wasteforms were subjected to either standard leach tests or compressive strength tests. The extent of carbonation was found to be about 20% for vacuum carbonation method, substantially higher than that for one-step treatment (up to about 10%). For vacuum carbonated wasteforms, carbonation occurred at the outer selvages of the wasteforms, whereas one-step treatment resulted in homogenous carbonation. Generally, compared to uncarbonated OPC wasteforms, vacuum carbonation increased leaching of elements that are anionic in cementitious conditions (Cl, N, S, Se, 13C, Th), decreased leaching of large metal cations (Sr, Ba, Cs, Pb) and had negligible effect on the leaching of the elements that form hydroxyl complexes (Co, Ni, Cu). 13C was the only anionic element whose leachability was reduced by vacuum carbonation, as it may be precipitated in the form CO32- in the large quantity of secondary carbonate minerals produced during the vacuum carbonation process. One-step carbonation did not result in substantial reductions in leachability, compared to uncarbonated OPC wasteforms. However, it had an interesting inverse effect on large metal cation leachability from fly ash- and silica fume-containing wasteforms. A model is presented that proposes that porewater pH changes can have an effect on waste element leachability because 1) the C-S-H Ca/Si ratio is dependent on the equilibrating porewater pH and 2) the degree of ion sorption on C-S-H is dependent on the C-S-H Ca/Si ratio. This model should be tested experimentally as it has important implications on wasteform design. Because of this inverse behaviour, overall neither pozzolan outperformed the other with respect to leachability. Generally, for uncarbonated wasteforms, OPC retained the elements more effectively than OPC with pozzolans. For pozzolans, the leachability of these elements from OPC with fly ash was lower than that of OPC with silica fume. Leaching of Cs was anomalously low from uncarbonated OPC wasteforms, but follow-up experimentation did not corroborate this anomaly. Further testing of these wasteforms to determine how the mineralogical fate of Cs can differ between wasteforms is recommended. All wasteforms tested were of acceptable strength (<0. 689 MPa). Fly ash, and, to a greater degree, silica fume, improved wasteform strength when compared to OPC wasteforms. Carbonation treatments had little effect on wasteform strength. This study has provided much information about the leaching characteristics of a representative set of waste elements from several cement-based wasteform treatments. Although it has not indicated a wasteform design that is ideal for all elements studied, it does suggest that some treatments may be effective for certain groups of elements. Most notably, vacuum carbonation shows promise in improving the immobilisation of isotopes of large metal cations such as Sr, Ba, Cs and Pb as well as 14C (as suggested by 13C here) in cement-based wasteforms.

Abstract: According to the curriculum of the Swedish school the pupils should develop their historical consciousness. The aim of this study was to find out which pupils develop this consciousness by listing to an historical novel, talking about that book and writing stories. The study went on for four weeks and the subject of the teaching was the Middle Ages. 28 pupils took part and a variety of methods were used: 1: questionnaire about the lives of the pupils, 2: Making observations of their attitude to the teaching and 3: story writing. The results show that the social background does not influence the development of an historical consciousness. Pupils who wrote diaries, spoke many languages and were interested in history, they had already or could more easily develop one. It is not sure that this depends on the cultural capital, which includes many different parts. Therefore there could still be a connection, this, however, has not been confirmed in this study. It is also shown that pupils who lived in the countryside already had an historical consciousness or could more easily develop one. It is difficult to explain the reasons for this influence.