Epidemiological studies indicate that maternal vitamin D deficiency may be a candidate developmental risk factor for schizophrenia. For example, people born in winter/spring, urban environments and dark-skinned individuals whose parents migrated to cooler climates are all at increased risk of developing schizophrenia later in life. The biological plausibility that a low prenatal level of vitamin D has an adverse impact on the developing brain has been studied using a developmental vitamin D (DVD) deficient rat model. These animals display molecular and anatomical abnormalities in brain development and alterations in behaviour as adults. Compared with control rats, neonatal DVD-deficient rat brains are different in shape; displaying a thinner cortex and larger lateral ventricles. Moreover, the brains appear to be less differentiated. At adulthood, DVD-deficient rats show an enhanced sensitivity to novelty-, antipsychotic- and psychomimetic- induced locomotion. These observations have lead to the hypothesis that dopamine and/or glutamate neurotransmission may be altered in DVD-deficient rats. Thus, the main aim of this thesis was to further characterise the dopamine and glutamate neurotransmitter systems in DVD-deficient rats. DVD-deficiency resulted in sex and age specific changes in dopamine signalling. At birth, DVD-deficient rats showed altered dopamine metabolism in the forebrain providing the first report of altered dopamine function after DVD-deficiency. Female DVD-deficient rats displayed a post-adolescent (at 3 months of age) enhanced response to amphetamine-induced locomotion. Accompanying this behavioural sensitivity were decreased levels of dopamine 1 and 2 receptor density in the nucleus accumbens. The altered behaviour in female DVD-deficient rats was not associated with increased dopamine release in the prefrontal cortex, caudate putamen or nucleus accumbens. Although a similar increase in the behavioural sensitivity to amphetamine was not observed in male DVD-deficient adult rats, increases in the density of the dopamine transporter were observed in the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens. However, when examined at a mature adult age (6 months) neither the enhanced response to amphetamine, receptor or transporter changes persisted. These results suggest that after puberty a transient change in dopamine receptor signalling manifests as an altered response to amphetamine under certain environmental and experimental conditions. Glutamate signalling was probed with the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801. Adult male DVD-deficient rats showed an enhanced locomotor response to MK-801 and this persisted when examined at a mature adult age. Female DVD-deficient rats showed an enhanced response but this was only observed at the mature adult age examined. No behavioral differences were observed prior to adolescence. This behavioural sensitivity did not appear to be due to altered dopamine release after MK-801 in the prefrontal cortex and caudate putamen. Taken together, male DVD-deficient rats develop a locomotor sensitivity to MK-801 at an earlier age than DVD-deficient females. This behavioural alteration is not associated with altered dopamine function. The combined results from the studies in this thesis present a complex phenotype that suggests altered dopamine and glutamate interactions in DVD-deficient rats that are dynamic; demonstrating both age and sex specific traits. I speculate that the development of these behavioural and neurochemical alterations in DVD-deficient rats follows a similar temporal profile to the symptomology observed in schizophrenia patients. Both behavioural sensitivities to amphetamine and MK-801 are observed in schizophrenia in addition to a delayed onset of symptoms in females. This provides further support for a role of vitamin D in the developing brain and suggests that a transient deficiency can result in long-term behavioural and neurochemical alterations. Together this suggests that the DVD-deficient rat model may be an informative model for exploring the developmental vitamin D deficiency hypothesis of schizophrenia.

The aim of the project is to utilise fly ash (PFA), a waste material/industrial byproduct, with metakaolin (MK), as a partial replacement for Portland cement (PC) in mortar and paste. The influence of various compositions of MK-PFA-PC blends on the resistance to the action of sulphate and synthetic seawater solutions, setting time and heat of hydration will be examined. MK is calcinated clay and is a relatively new pozzolanic material. Although it is a very effective pozzolan it is also very expensive. Using FA, which is a much less expensive material, as a PC replacement material, is problematic, as there is slow and low early strength development whereas MK enhances early strength development. Combining these materials in ternary blends should therefore produce a high performance material at an acceptable cost for use as a pozzolan. However the properties and performance of such a material still need to be fully established. The results of the research show, for the initial and final setting time of binary MK-PC pastes there is a substantial increase at 5% MK and then decreases at 10 and 15% MK before increasing again at 20% MK replacement level. However, with PFA there are different trends to those observed when using MK alone. The initial and final setting time of binary PFA-PC pastes shows a slight increase at 10% PFA and then systematically increases with increase in PFA content up to 40% PFA. Evaluation of sample preparation for porosimetry found that, overall, the compression tested samples show a lower proportion of 'fine pores' (volume (%) 0.05) jam than the cored and cut paste disks. It is deducted that this is due to the widespread microcracking during failure of the cubes under compressive loading thus modifying the pore structure present in the compressive tested samples. In strength development of mortar there is very little advantage in using MK over binary PFA-PC mortar blends when exposed to sulphate solution for up to 2 years. The strength behaviour in seawater is however quite different from that observed in mortar exposed to sulphate solution. As the MK replacement levels increase relative to the PFA levels the resistance to seawater attack improves significantly. In mortar exposed to sulphate solution the durability is greatly improved at high replacement levels in both binary and ternary blends. The durability of mortar exposed to seawater is greatly improved at 30 and 40% total replacement in ternary blended mortars.

No description available.

This diploma thesis deals with the assessment of aroma compounds and free/bound fatty acids in model samples of Edam type cheeses. Various combinations of microbial cultures, basic mesophilic and four selected strains of thermophilic Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus plantarum, were used for cheese production. The main aim was to judge the influence of microbial cultures on content of measured parameters, the changes during ripening were also followed. The HS-SPME-GC-MS method was used for identification and semiquantification of aroma compounds. The lipids from cheese were extracted based on ISO 1735:2004, fatty acids were identified and quantified using GC-FID method after conversion to methyl esters by acid esterification with boron trifluoride in methanol. In total 50 volatile compounds were identified in samples, 11 alcohols, 5 aldehydes, 7 ketones, 6 acids, 10 esters, 3 lactones, 2 sulphur compounds and 6 „others“; all of them are considered as aroma active. About 30–40 compounds were identified in single samples, alcohols, acids and ketones were the predominant. The number as well as the content of compounds identified decreased slightly during ripening. In total 17 free/bound fatty acids were identified in samples, their content also decreased during ripening. Myristic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acids were the predominant. The significant differences (p

In der Arbeit wird die historische Genese des UNESCO Welterbe-Programms zwischen 1960 und 1980 untersucht, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Rolle der sogenannten Entwicklungsländer in diesem Prozess. Die UNESCO engagierte sich in vielen dieser Länder im Bereich des Kultur- und Naturschutzes, zu einem Zeitpunkt an dem der Aufbau eines nationalen Erbes für diese Länder von besonderer Bedeutung war. Die Schlüsselkonzepte des Welterbediskurses: Nationales Erbe, Denkmalpflege und Humanität, sind europäischen Ursprungs und westlicher Natur. In Bezug auf die Entwicklungsländer gestaltete sich die Etablierung eines nationalen Erbes und die Konstruktion eines historischen Narratives in den meisten Fällen als Zusammenarbeit zwischen internationalen Experten und nationalen politischen Eliten. Außerdem galt vielen der involvierten Akteure Kulturtourismus in Entwicklungsländern, angeregt durch Altertümer und wilde Natur, als entscheidende Einnahmequelle für Devisen. Identifikation, Institutionalisierung und Ausübung von Denkmalpflege zu finanzieren war vielfach Bestandteil von Entwicklungshilfeprogrammen und Äthiopien ist ein besonders anschauliches Beispiel für diese Praxis. Die Welterbekonvention wurde in Äthiopien ab 1977 mit großem Erfolg umgesetzt, gleichzeitig jedoch herrschte ein Mangel an entsprechend ausgebildeten Fachkräften – Archäologen, Denkmalpfleger oder Kunsthistoriker– im Land um die Vorhaben tatsächlich umzusetzen. Das wirtschaftliche Potential von Kulturtourismus wurde als vielversprechend gelobt und Gelder für Denkmalpflege und Artenschutz wurden teilweise nur unter der Prämisse der touristischen Erschließung bereitgestellt. Äthiopiens Rolle in der Entstehungsphase des Welterbe-Programms ermöglicht es, die komplexen Prozesse der Wissensproduktion und Politisierung zu verstehen, die den Welterbe-Diskurs so maßgeblich prägen. / This dissertation looks into the historic genesis of the UNESCO World Heritage Programme, and gives a special relevance to the role of so-called developing countries in this. UNESCO was highly active in the field of conservation in these countries at a time that the establishment and promotion of a national heritage was perceived desirable by them. National heritage, conservation and humanitarianism – key concepts promoted in the World Heritage discourse – are European in their origin and Western in their nature. In the context of so-called developing countries, the establishment of a nation’s heritage was often a hybrid effort of international experts and national political elites, serving evolving national narratives. On a more concrete level, many actors involved saw cultural tourism, stimulated by monuments and wildlife, as a crucial source of foreign currency for these countries. Funding the identification and institutionalisation of heritage, and the conservation and management of heritage sites, was a practise occurring within and alongside other forms of technical assistance and developmental aid. Ethiopia provides a particular vivid example of these events. Ethiopia implemented the World Heritage Convention in 1977, with great effort and success. At the same time, the country was confronted with a skills-shortage crisis, due to there being at that time few native Ethiopian archaeologists, conservators, or art historians. The economic potential of heritage tourism in Ethiopia was appreciated early on and funds for conservation were sometimes raised entirely based upon the argument that the conservation of monuments would foster tourism, and development. Understanding the links between Ethiopia and the World Heritage programme during it’s initial phase provides insights into the complex processes of knowledge production, and politics, that constitutes the World Heritage discourse.

No description available.

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit dem Einfluss der NMDA-Rezeptorantagonisten, Memantin, MK-801, CGS und Ifenprodil auf die hypoxieinduzierte Zellschädigung an kortikalen Zellen der Ratte. Außerdem wurde der Einfluss von subtoxischen Konzentrationen von NMDA sowie von Roscovitin, einem Hemmer Cyclin-abhängiger Kinasen, auf die hypoxiebedingte Zellschädigung untersucht. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die neuroprotektive Wirkung dieser Substanzen zu erfassen. Zur Untersuchung der hypoxischen Schädigung wurden zwei 48-Well-Zellkulturplatten mit 15 Tage alten kortikalen Zellen der Ratte verwendet. Eine Kulturplatte wurde für vier Stunden mit HEPES(N-2-Hydroxyethylpiperazine-N’-2-Ethansulfonsäure)-Puffer (ohne Glucose) unter hypoxischen Bedingungen inkubiert. Die zweite Platte, mit glukorisiertem HEPES-Puffer, wurde für vier Stunden unter normoxischen Bedingungen inkubiert. Der HEPES-Puffer wurde nach vier Stunden entfernt, die Kulturplatten mit Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) gewaschen und mit diesem Medium für 24 Stunden unter normoxischen Bedingungen inkubiert. Anschließend wurde das Medium ent¬fernt, durch NMDA, Memantin, Roscovitin, CGS und Ifenprodil ersetzt und die Ansätze für weitere 24 Stunden unter normoxischen Bedingungen inkubiert. Zur Beurteilung der Zellschädigung wurden der Aktivitätsanstieg der Laktat-Dehydrogenase (LDH), die Freisetzung freier Sauerstoffradikale und die Steigerung der Caspase-Aktivität bestimmt. Während die Bestimmung der LDH-Aktivität und die Freisetzung der freien Sauer¬stoff¬radikale nekrotische Veränderungen der Zellen charakterisiert, zeigt eine Zunahme der Caspase-Aktivität apoptotische Vorgänge an. LDH ist ein stabiles zytoplasmatisches Enzym, das in fast allen Körperzellen vorkommt. Beim Absterben der Zelle wird das Enzym durch die Schädigung der Plasmamembran aus der Zelle freigesetzt, so dass es zu einem Anstieg der LDH-Aktivität proportional zur Anzahl der toten Zellen kommt. Diese Aktivität wurde spektrophotometrisch mit einem Mikrotiterplatten-Lesegerät bestimmt. Die Ergebnisse des LDH-Tests zeigen, dass nach der 24-stündigen Behandlung der Zellen mit MK-801 die LDH-Aktivität um 11%, bei Roscovitin um 13%, bei Memantin (5 µM) um 56%, bei Memantin (0,5 µM) um 52% und mit NMDA (5 µM) um 44% signifikant vermindert wurde. Bei einer hypoxiebedingten Schädigung kortikaler Zellen kommt es auch zur Bildung freier Sauer¬stoff¬radikale. 2’,7’-Dichlorfluorescein Diacetat (2’,7’-H2DCF-DA) wird von den Zellen auf¬ge¬nommen und intrazellulär mit Sauerstoff- und Stickstoffspezies zum Fluoreszenz¬farb-stoff 2’,7’-Dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCF) deacetyliert. DCF verbleibt dabei in den Zellen, so dass die Messung der Fluoreszenz der Zellen als Maß für intrazelluläre Oxidationsprozesse verwendet werden kann. Die DCF-Fluoreszenz-Änderung wurde mittels eines Fluorimeters gemessen und die daraus resultierenden Daten mit einer im Fluorimeter integrierten Software bearbeitet. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Freisetzung der freien Sauerstoffradikale, der hypoxiegeschädigten Zellen, signifikant durch Ifenprodil (10 µM) um 119%, Memantin (50 µM) um 88% und NMDA (5 µM) um 134% reduziert wurde. Die hypoxieinduzierte Zellmembranschädigung führt desweiteren zu einem Anstieg der Caspase-Aktivität. Mit Hilfe des Apo-One Homogeneous Caspase-3/7-Assays (Promega) wurde die Aktivität der Caspasen 3 und 7 fluorimetrisch bestimmt. Um die unterschiedliche Zelldichte in den Kulturschalen zu berücksichtigen, wurde eine Proteinbestimmung nach der Bicinchoninsäure-Methode (Smith et al. 1985) durchgeführt. Einen protektiven Effekt auf die Zellschädigung zeigen Memantin und NMDA in Bezug auf die Beeinflussung dieser Caspase-Aktivität. Der hypoxiebedingte Anstieg der Caspase-3-Aktivität konnte nach 24-stündiger Inkubation mit Memantin (5 µM) um 24%, mit Memantin (0,5 µM) um 28% und mit NMDA (5 µM) um 24% vermindert werden. CGS hat in diesen Versuchen keinen protektiven Einfluss auf die hypoxie¬induzierte Zellschädigung. Diese Arbeit zeigt, dass die Applikation niedriger NMDA-Konzentrationen neuroprotektive Effekte auf die Entwicklung der hypoxischen Schädigung von kortikalen Zellen der Ratte hat. Darüber hinaus wird vermutet, dass NMDA sogar einen trophischen Effekt auf das Über-leben der kortikalen Neurone ausübt. Dieser schützende Mechanismus von NMDA scheint denselben, wenn nicht sogar einen größeren protektiven Effekt wie Memantin zu induzieren. Um die Therapiemöglichkeiten der zerebralen Hypoxie durch neuroprotektive Medikamente zu optimieren, wären jedoch weitergehende Untersuchungen besonders als In-vivo-Modelle wünschenswert.

Software size estimation/measurement has been the objective of a lot of research in the software engineering community due to the need of reliable size estimates. FSM Methods have become widely used in software project management to measure the functional size of software since its first publication, late 1970s. Although all FSM methods measure the functional size by quantifying the FURs, each method defined its own measurement process and metric. Therefore, a piece of software has several functional sizes when measured by different methods. In order to be able to compare functional sizes of software products measured by different methods, we need to convert them to each other. In this thesis study, the similarities and differences between four FSM methods, IFPUG FPA, Mark II FPA, COSMIC FFP and ARCHI DIM FSM are investigated and the common core concepts are presented. Accordingly a unification model of the measurement process of all four methods is proposed. The main objective of this model is to measure the functional size of a software system by applying all four methods simultaneously, using a single source of data. In order to have an infrastructure to validate the unification model by conducting empirical studies, a software tool is designed and implemented based on the unification model. Two empirical studies are conducted by utilizing the data of a real project to evaluate both the unification model proposed and the developed tool and the measurement results are discussed.

Popular Object Oriented size metrics and estimation methods are examined. A case study is conducted. Five of the methods (&ldquo / LOC&rdquo / , &ldquo / OOPS&rdquo / , &ldquo / Use Case Points Method&rdquo / , &ldquo / J.Kammelar&rsquo / s Sizing Approach&rdquo / and &ldquo / Mark II FP&rdquo / ) are applied to a project whose requirements are defined by means of use cases. Size and effort estimations are made and compared with the actual results of the project.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:26:39Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2010-02-05Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:15:24Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 santos_rl_me_botfca.pdf: 445446 bytes, checksum: 519c1f4ba1fef0646cb280c8d0582ec6 (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / A ervilha (Pisum sativum L.) é um dos alimentos mais produzidos no mundo. Uma das principais doenças que ocorrem na cultura é o oídio, causada por Erysiphe pisi DC. O controle da doença tem sido realizado por meio de pulverizações com fungicidas, no entanto, o uso de cultivares resistentes deve ser pensado como uma alternativa viável e de efetivo controle no manejo da doença. O trabalho objetivou elucidar a herança da resistência ao oídio na cultivar de ervilha MK-10 e caracterizar alguns aspectos histológicos da infecção de E. pisi nessa cultivar. Para o estudo da herança, as gerações F1, F2, retrocuzamentos e geração F3 de MK-10 com duas populações suscetíveis foram avaliadas em ambiente protegido e a epidemia foi aberta. Nas avaliações histológicas, os seguintes parâmetros foram avaliados: % de germinação dos conídios, % de conídios germinados que formaram apressório, % de conídios germinados com apressório que estabeleceram colônia (% colonização) e número de haustórios por colônia. Para comparar as razões de segregação obtidas no estudo da herança da resistência, adotou-se o teste do Qui-quadrado (X²) e para os dados das análises histológicas, utilizou-se o teste Tukey a 5% de probabilidade. Com base nas segregações obtidas no estudo da herança e nas análises histológicas realizadas, concluiu-se que a resistência de MK-10 ao oídio é devida a um par de alelos recessivos, provavelmente o er1er1 e que a resistência é expressa na fase de pré-penetração, completada por uma morte celular localizada pós-penetração. / The pea (Pisum sativum L.) is the most produced foods in the world. One of the main diseases that occur in the culture is the powdery mildew, caused for Erysiphe pisi DC. The control of the disease has been carried through by means of sprayings with fungicides, however, the use to cultivars resistants must be thought as a viable alternative and of effective control about the handling of the disease. The work objectified to elucidate the inheritance of the resistance to powdery mildew in cultivar of pea MK-10 and to characterize some histological aspects of the infection of E. pisi in this cultivar. For the study of the inheritance, the F1, F2, generations, backcrosses and F3 generations of MK-10 with two susceptible populations had been evaluated in protected environment, the epidemic were open. In the histological evaluations, the following parameters had been evaluated: percentage of germination, percentage of germinated sporelings forming aprressorium, percentage of germinated sporelings with appressorium that established a colony (% colonization) and number of haustoria for colony. To compare the gotten reasons of segregation in the study of the inheritance of the resistance, the test of Qui-square (X²) was adopted and for the data of the histological analyses, the Tukey test was used 5% of probability. On the basis of the segregations gotten in the study of the inheritance and the carried through histological analyses, were concluded that the resistance of MK-10 to the powdery mildew must to a pair of recessive alleles probably er1er1 and that the resistance is express in the pre-penetration phase, completed for a cellular death located post-penetration.