Einleitung Der Faktor Zeit nimmt in unserer heutigen Gesellschaft einen bedeutsamen Platz in den unterschiedlichsten Bereichen unseres Lebens und Wirkens ein. Beispielsweise verbreiten sich Nachrichten weltweit innerhalb von Minuten, Reisezeiten verkürzen sich von Tagen auf mehrere Stunden (Kurpjuweit 2013) und die Hersteller von Unterhaltungselektronik verkürzen die Produktlebenszyklen um neue Produkte schneller am Markt zu platzieren (Scheimann 2011). Die Reduzierung des Produktlebens ist bei vielen anderen Produkten des Konsum- und Investitionsgütermarktes festzustellen, da die Markteintrittsstrategie den möglichen Absatz des Produktes bestimmt (Meffert et al. 2008, S. 445f.). Der Erfolg eines Produktes ist jedoch eine Folge aus unterschiedlichen Aspekten, wobei die Zeit, neben der Qualität und den Kosten, einer der Hauptparameter ist. Demzufolge ist das Zusammenspiel dieser drei voneinander abhängigen Faktoren auch im Produktentwicklungsprozess zu berücksichtigen, um die geforderten Ziele zu erreichen (Burghardt 2013, S. 23). Diese werden durch den technologischen Fortschritt, die veränderten Bedürfnisse der Kunden und den internationalen Wettbewerb bedingt (Cooper 2010, S. 8ff.). Durch den Einsatz von strukturierten Produktentwicklungsprozessen können die Zielvorstellungen abteilungs- und aufgabenübergreifend berücksichtigt und kontrolliert werden. Anwendungsbeispiele für komplexe, aber systematische Produktentwicklungsprozesse sind in der Automobil- und IT-Branche zu finden (Braess 2013; Ruf & Fittkau 2008). Für die Produkte der Sicherheitstechnik muss bei der Entwicklung, Konstruktion und Fertigung jedoch ein Aspekt gesondert betrachtet werden – die Qualität. Es sind sehr hohe Anforderungen und Ansprüche zu erfüllen, die teilweise vom Gesetzgeber festgesetzt wurden, da die Sicherheit von Mensch und Maschine zu gewährleisten ist. Im Bereich des Explosionsschutzes, welcher als ein Teilgebiet der Sicherheitstechnik gilt, ist die Einhaltung von Richtlinien und Normen bei einer Produktentwicklung für den Markteintritt zwingend erforderlich. Neue Bauteile werden u.a. durch aufwändige Prüfungen von benannten Stellen erprobt. Diese Bedingungen beeinflussen den Produktentwicklungsprozess und die Konstruktionsmethodik im Explosionsschutz fundamental und charakterisieren den kosten- und zeitintensiven Vorgang durch aufwändige Iterationen (Träger et al. 2005).

The life history of Isonychia sicca (Walsh) was elucidated from samples collected at Clear Creek from Oct. 1976-Jun. 1978, and Elm Fork of the Trinity River from Sept. 1977-Jun. 1978, Denton County, Texas. Adaptations for existence in an intermittent stream were of primary concern. Eggs are capable of diapausing through hot, dry summers and cold, wet or dry winters. Diapause is broken in the fall after rehydration and/or in the spring. I. sicca is usually bivoltine during a Sept.-Jul. wet period. Observations from Elm Fork indicate that emergence continues to Oct. if the stream remains permanent. Considerable overlap occurs between overwintering, spring, and summer populations.

The photopollution of beaches caused by artificial light sources can interfere with sea turtle hatchlings' ability to orient properly towards the sea. Exhaustion due to extended disorientation crawling may then increase hatchling mortality. This study evaluated the energetic consequences of long-distance crawls in green and loggerhead sea turtle hatchlings. Turtles crawled for 200 m or 500 m on a treadmill, followed by a 30 minute evaluation of swim performance. Metabolic activity was quantified via measures of blood glucose, blood lactate, and oxygen consumption. No significant changes in metabolism resulted from long-distance crawling activity in loggerheads ; however, loggerheads rested for extended periods of time during the crawl trials, often unresponsive to stimuli. This behavior implies that loggerhead hatchlings would be vulnerable to predation or temperature stress due to exhaustion from extended periods of crawling. Further data is required to draw any significant conclusions about long-term disorientatin crawling in green hatchlings. / by Sean Williams. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2012. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Anoxia is characterized by an absence of oxygen supply to a tissue (Dawson- Scully et al., 2010). Unlike humans, Drosophila melanogaster is an organism that can survive low oxygen levels for hours without showing any pathology (Lutz et al., 2003) Under anoxia, the fruit fly loses locomotive activity, resulting in an anoxic coma (Haddad et al., 1997). In this study we investigate the influence of five variables for anoxic tolerance in adult Drosophila: 1) anoxic environment (gas vs. drowning), 2) anoxia duration, 3) temperature (cold [3ÀC] or room temperature [21ÀC]), 4) age (young 2-9 days and old 35-39 days), and 5) PKG variation. Tolerance to anoxia is measured by the time of recovery and survival of the fruit fly from the anoxic coma. The results from this study show that short stress, low temperature, young age, and low PKG activity increased anoxic tolerance. Our findings will lay the foundation to investigate different variables, genes or pharmacological compounds that can modulate neuronal anoxic tolerance. / by Raquel Benasayag Meszaros. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Finding novel compounds that affect neuronal or muscular function is of great interest, as they can serve as potential pharmacological agents for a variety of neurological disorders. For instance, conopeptides have been developed into powerful drugs like the painkiller PrialtTM. Most conopeptides, however, have yet to be characterized, revealing the need for a rapid and straightforward screening method. We have designed a novel bioassay, which allows for unbiased screening of biological activity of compounds in vivo against numerous molecular targets on a wide variety of neurons and muscles in a rapid and straightforward manner. For this, we paired nanoinjection of compounds with electrophysiological recordings from the Giant Fiber System of Drosophila melanogaster, which mediates the escape response of the fly. / by Monica Mejia. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Oxidant stress and injury is inherent in many human diseases such as ischemic vascular and respiratory diseases, heart failure, myocardial infarction, stroke, perinatal and placental insufficiencies, diabetes, cancer, and numerous psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Finding novel therapeutics to combat the deleterious effects of oxidative stress is critical to create better therapeutic strategies for many conditions that have few treatment options. This study used the anoxia-tolerant fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, to investigate endogenous cellular protection mechanisms and potential interactions to determine their ability to regulate synaptic functional tolerance and cell survival during acute oxidative stress. The Drosophila larval neuromuscular junction (NMJ) was used to analyze synaptic transmission and specific motor axon contributions. Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells were used to assess viability. Acute oxidative stress was induced using p harmacological paradigms that generate physiologically relevant oxidant species: mitochondrial superoxide production induced by sodium azide (NaN3) and hydroxyl radical formation via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). A combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches were used to explore the hypothesis that endogenous protection mechanisms control cellular responses to stress by manipulating ion channel conductance and neurotransmission. Furthermore, this study analyzed a group of marine natural products, pseudopterosins, to identify compounds capable of modulating synaptic transmission during acute oxidative stress and potential novel neuromodulatory agents. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2015. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Following nest emergence, sea turtle hatchling dispersal can be disrupted by artificial light or skyglow from urban areas. Mis- or disorientation increases exposure to predation, thermal stress, and dehydration, could consume valuable energy, and thus influence the likelihood of survival. This study utilized laboratory simulations of extended crawl distances and field observations to investigate the energy cost of disorientation crawling on loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and green (Chelonia mydas) sea turtle hatchlings and the impact on the subsequent swim frenzy. Extended crawls increased oxygen consumption, decreased plasma glucose, and reduced green hatchling swim performance following a 200m crawl. Surprisingly, plasma lactate concentrations did not increase with crawl distance, likely due to frequent rest periods that would, however, increase time on the beach and thus exposure to predators. This research may provide managers with physiological data to determine best practices for sea turtle conservation and adds to the biological knowledge of these animals. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Life history within a single species can vary significantly. Many of these differences are associated with varying environmental conditions. Understanding what environmental conditions cue alternate life histories within a single species has been researched extensively. In salmonid fishes, more than almost any other group, varying environmental conditions give rise to individuals within species that take markedly different life history trajectories. Oncorhynchus mykissis a species of salmonid native to the Pacific Northwest region of North America. This species has two life history forms, anadromous and resident. The anadromous form spends a portion of its life in ocean while the resident life history form completes its entire life history in freshwater. Until the decision to migrate and morphological changes associated with smoltification occur, the two life history variants of this species are indistinguishable from each other. This ambiguity in juvenile O. mykiss morphology presents challenges for conservation managers charged with protecting and increasing threatened O. mykiss populations around the Pacific Northwest because conservation efforts cannot be evaluated until juvenile fish make the decision to migrate. Microarray gene expression analysis was used to profile gene expression in juvenile populations of wild and hatchery O. mykiss to identify gene expression variation associated with alternate life history variants. This analysis identified 8 DNA sequences present in both brain and gill tissues that differ in expression in rainbow trout and steelhead hatchery stocks. Differential expression as quantified by microarrays was validated with quantitative real-time PCR. Lastly, the expression of these putative life history markers was preliminarily evaluated in a wild population of O. mykiss at sample locations in the South Fork John Day River Basin, Oregon with known ratios of juvenile anadromous and resident fish.

An approach to understanding and managing anadromous salmon, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus spp.) based on life history and evolutionary adaptive capacities of species and stocks is presented. Species, stocks, and local populations are viewed as systems that are continuously adapting to changing environmental conditions. They have the potential capacity to evolve in different ways in different environments through both life history and evolutionary adaptation. Habitat organization forms a template for genus, species, stock, and local population life history organization. Harvesting, habitat alteration resulting from land use practices and other human activities can alter the organization and adaptive capacities of species and stocks, and thus their long term persistence. The adaptive capacity of Oncorhynchus relative to its habitat and management environment is examined at the species, stock, and local population levels. Life history characteristics of representative stocks and local populations are analyzed using Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DECORANA). Fresh water migration distance and latitude are used to "explain" ordination patterns of Oncorhynchus species in the North Pacific Basin. Fresh water migration difficulty and mean annual runoff are used to interpret life history patterns of Columbia Basin chinook salmon stocks. Upstream migration difficulty and fall water temperatures are used to explain the ordination patterns of local populations of Willamette spring chinook salmon. Fishery management practices are examined in terms of their impacts on the organization and adaptive capacity of species, stocks, and local populations of Oncorhynchus. Management generalizations and guidelines derived from the life history theory are applied to management of Willamette spring chinook salmon. Maintaining habitat changes in the Willamette Basin within the historic range of fluctuations will tend to maximize co-organization of local populations. Management activities should provide relatively constant habitat and fishery conditions for natural selection processes to "organize" life history traits over a period of at least a few generations. Fisheries should selectively harvest local populations that show a high degree of realization of their adaptive capacity. By focusing instead on maximizing the co-organization of stocks, their habitat and fishery environments, and protecting the adaptive capacities of stocks, we will go a long way toward providing long-term sustainability for social communities dependent on fisheries. / Graduation date: 1994

Denna uppsats analyserar om det finns ett samband mellan den snabbt växande tyska exporten och produktutveckling. Genom en segmentering av den tyska tillverkningsindustriexporten i relation till olika produktgruppers internationella konkurrenskraft ges en möjlighet att undersöka skillnader mellan produktsegment med olika internationell konkurrenskraft. Analysen visar att i tidsperioden 2000 till 2002 definierades 76 av 240 produktgrupper ha haft en ökande internationell konkurrenskraft genom en relativ prishöjning. Detta är fler produktgrupper än i någon annan undersökt tidsperiod. De 76 produktgrupperna motsvarar 29,5 procent av det totala tyska exportvärdet, marginellt högre än i någon annan tidsperiod. Produkter med ökande internationell konkurrenskraft genom en relativ prishöjning är också av ett högre värde per kilo export än andra konkurrenssegment. Analysen visare vidare att den internationella efterfrågan på dessa produktgrupper är signifikant högre än för produktgrupper med minskad internationell konkurrenskraft. Dock kunde inga generella skillnader mellan olika konkurrenssegment i relation till avståndskänslighet, kulturell och språklig affinitet samt EU-medlemskap på importandelen av tyska varor påvisas. / In this thesis the relationship between product development of the German manufacturing industry and the rapid German export growth is analyzed. By a segmentation of the German export according to international competitiveness, differences in characteristics of the different segments are analyzed. Positive for Germany is that in the time-period 2000 to 2002, 76 out of 240 analyzed product groups were defined as experienced increased export competi-tiveness through relative price increase; more than in any other analyzed time-period. These 76 product groups constituted 29.5 percent of Germany’s total export value, marginal higher than in any other time-period. The analysis also shows that German product groups with increasing international competitiveness through relative price increase are of higher value than products in other competitive segments. The international demand for product groups with increasing international competitiveness through relative price increase is also higher than for other competitive segments. However, no general significant differences could be shown between different competitive segments in respect to distance sensitiveness, importance of cultural and linguistic affinity and EU-membership on the import share of German products.