The relationship between narrative and game mechanics has been researched under terms such as ludonarrative dissonance, ludonarrative resonance and narrative mechanics. Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Trading Card Game which contains game mechanics that symbolically represents sections of the Arthurian legend. In this thesis the mechanics of specific Yu-Gi-Oh! cards were compared to the Arthurian legend. From this analysis were design guidelines derived, on how to represent a narrative with game mechanics. Game objects can be referenced by listing associated cards. The name of a mechanic can help in symbolically tell a narrative. The exclusion of a mechanic can also represent something. The conditions for a mechanic to be available is an area where narrative can be implemented. If a narrative mechanic is surrounded by many other mechanics, the symbolism can be “drowned out”. There is a balance between effective symbolism and a good game mechanic.

As the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency continues to grow, mounting evidence supporting its link with chronic disease strengthens suggesting vitamin D’s candidacy in the prevention and treatment of multiple disease states and their complications. Dietary guidelines, however, do not take sun exposure into account. The present study sought to explore the impact of sun exposure on vitamin D status (serum 25(OH)D), and identify other significant determinants of serum levels which may have the greatest effects on overall health. Participants (n = 34) were pre-menopausal women aged 18 to 50 years (mean age 39 ± 6 years), who had their blood drawn at a local pathology lab and a follow-up appointment at a health assessment lab for the collection of other measurements. Mean serum 25(OH)D level was 64 ± 18 nmol/L, and mean dietary vitamin D intake was approximately 327 ± 229 IU/day. Although 82% of participants were below the RDA guidelines (600 IU/day for females ages 9-50 years) for dietary vitamin D intake, only 32% had serum 25(OH)D levels < 50 nmol/L (the recommended level of sufficiency for bone health) reflecting deficiency. While serum 25(OH)D levels were significantly correlated to dietary vitamin D intake (r = 0.42, p = 0.0139), it is reasonable to assume that participants obtained adequate vitamin D from sun exposure. Fasting serum insulin levels were significantly, positively correlated with BMI (r = 0.83, p < 0.0001), and sun exposure index (Body Surface Area x Minutes of Direct Sunlight) was significantly, positively correlated with serum 25(OH)D levels (fall weekend SEI: r = 0.47, p = 0.0059; spring weekend SEI: r = 0.43, p = 0.0135; average weekend SEI: r = 0.43, p = 0.013; and average overall SEI: r = 0.39, p = 0.0247). Reported sun exposure appeared to be least during winter weekdays and the most during summer weekends. Regression analysis was used to determine the strongest predictors of serum 25(OH)D levels, which were found to be sun exposure, dietary vitamin D intake, skin reflectance, age, BMI, and ethnicity (R2 = 0.58 , p = 0.0031), demonstrating that simple questionnaires, such as those employed in this study, can help to predict serum 25(OH)D status and thus be considered in the future treatment of vitamin D deficiency.

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Nesta tese foram desenvolvidos sensores amperométricos baseados em porfirinas supramoleculares e hidróxido de níquel nanoestruturado e estabilizado na fase alfa, bem como novos materiais baseados em hidróxidos mistos de níquel e cobalto nanoetruturados e estabilizados na fase alfa. Também, um analisador FIA amperométrico, foi desenvolvido em colaboração com o Laboratório de Instrumentação Analítica do IQ-USP, para a determinação e quantificação de SO2 livre em amostras reais, como vinhos, águas de coco e sucos de frutas. Os sensores amperométricos baseados em porfirinas supramoleculares foram empregados na determinação de SO2 livre, presente em sucos de frutas e águas de coco, utilizando um sistema FIA amperométrico. O sistema FIA amperométrico foi constituído de um injetor manual, uma cela amperométrica em fluxo integrada a uma unidade de difusão de gases e um fluxo de uma solução de ácido sulfúrico e de uma solução de eletrólito. Possíveis interferentes como ácido ascórbico, catecol, glicose e benzoato de sódio foram avaliados antes de iniciar as análises das amostras reais. Os resultados das análises foram comparados com o método oficial Monier-Williams. Os níveis de SO2 livre encontrados nas amostras estavam de acordo com o que é preconizado pela Legislação Brasileira. Os eletrodos de FTO, modificados com hidróxido de níquel estabilizado na fase alfa, foram utilizados como sensores amperométricos para a determinação de glicose, usando um sistema FIA amperométrico. Estes sensores apresentaram excelentes respostas lineares em concentrações inferiores a 100 &#181;M. Ainda estes sensores têm apresentado uma sensibilidade específica muito elevada para a glicose, provavelmente associada com a sua natureza nanoestruturada, e consequêntemente sua área superficial aumentada. No entanto o eletrodo modificado apresentou uma tendência de mudar de fase, da fase meta-estável alfa para a fase termodinamicamente estável beta, com o aumento da concentração de glicose. Novos materiais baseados em hidróxidos mistos de níquel e cobalto estabilizados na fase alfa também foram desenvolvidos. A partir de técnicas como difratometria de raio-x e Microbalança Eletroquímica de Cristal de Quartzo (MECQ) foi possível determinar a fase polimórfica dos materiais. Técnicas como AFM e MEV demonstraram que estes materiais são formados por nanopartículas com tamanhos de 5 nm. Estes nanomateriais apresentaram uma maior quantidade de carga específica, em comparação com o hidróxido de níquel puro. E por último um analisador FIA amperométrico automatizado foi desenvolvido para a realização de análises de SO2 livre em amostras líquidas. Este analisador é composto por reservatórios de soluções, sistema de amostragem, sistema de propulsão das soluções, cela FIA amperométrica integrada a uma unidade de difusão de gases, um sensor amperométrico, além de placas controladoras, mini-potenciostato e um software para controlar o equipamento. Uma elevada reprodutibilidade foi alcançada para análises sequenciais de uma amostra, mas quando a amostra foi trocada a reprodutibilidade foi muito baixa, sendo necessário mais desenvolvimento do sistema FIA automatizado nesta área. / New nanomaterials based on mixed nickel and cobalt hydroxides stabilized in the alpha phase, as well as amperometric sensors based on supramolecular porphyrins and stabilized alpha nickel hydroxide were developed in this thesis. An amperometric FIA sulfite analyzer was also developed in colaboration with of Group of Analytical Instrumentation of IQ-USP, for determination of free SO2 present in liquid samples such as wine, coconut water and fruit juices. The amperometric FIA system is constituted by manual injector, amperometric FIA cell with integrated gas diffusion unit and amperometric sensor based on supramolecular porphyrins, whereas sulfuric acid and electrolyte were used as reactive and carrier solution. Some species such as ascorbic acid, cathecol, glucose and sodium benzoate were evaluated as possible interferents before starting the analyses of real samples. The results were compared with those obtained with the official Monier-Williams method. The concentrations of free SO2 found in fruit juices and coconut water were in accordance with Brazilian law. The amperometric FIA sensors for determination of glucose were based on FTO electrodes modified stabilized alpha nickel hydroxide, which presented excellent linear responses at concentrations below 100 &#181;M. These sensors have shown a very high specific sensitivity for glucose probably associated with their nanostructured nature, and consequent enhanced surface area. Nevertheless, the electrode material was shown to have an increasing tendency to change from alpha to the beta phase as function of the glucose concentration. New materials based on mixed nickel and cobalt hydroxides, stabilized in the alpha phase was prepared and characterized by techniques such as X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis and Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance to determine their polymorphic phase. The nanostructured nature of the mixed nickel and cobalt hydroxide materials was confirmed by microscopy techniques such as AFM and SEM. These new materials showed a high specific charge, in fact higher than of nanostructured stabilized alpha nickel hydroxide. An amperometric FIA sulfite analyzer system for liquid samples consisting of solution reservoirs, a sampling system, a solution propulsion system, an amperometric FIA cell with integrated gas diffusion unit, an amperometric sensor based on supramolecular porphyrins, in addition to controller boards, a mini-potentiostat and control software, was developed and tested for determination of free SO2. High reproducibility was achieved for sequential analyses of a sample but the reproducibility after exchange of samples was relatively low, needing further developments in the sampling system.

<p>Ispitivanja hemijskog sastava etarskih ulja i<br />ekstrakata izvedena su na vrsti Myrtus communis<br />L. sa pet lokaliteta iz Crne Gore. Pored toga,<br />ispitana je njihova antioksidantna aktivnost u<br />razlicitim in vitro sistemima kako bi se utvrdio<br />uticaj pomenutih ekstrakata i etarskih ulja na<br />neutralizaciju DPPH, NO, OH i 2- radikala, kao<br />i njihov uticaj na lipidnu peroksidaciju u<br />lipozomima i inhibiciju enzima ksantin-oksidaze.<br />Takode, ispitana je i antibakterijska aktivnost<br />etarskih ulja i ekstrakata ove vrste na 9<br />bakterijskih sojeva, kao i njihov antimutageni<br />potencijal na bakterijskom soju Escherichia coli<br />IC 202.</p> / <p> In this tessis the chemical analysis of the<br /> essential oils and methanolic extracts<br /> from five plant samples of Myrtus<br /> communis L., collected from different<br /> localities in Montenegro, have been<br /> investigate. Beside that, their antioxidant<br /> activity in differwnt in vitro systems has<br /> been study to establish their scavenging<br /> potential towards DPPH, NO, OH, and<br /> O2- free radicals, as wel as their effects<br /> on lipid peroxidation in liposoma and<br /> inhibition enzyme XOD. Also, the<br /> antibacterial activity of the essential oils<br /> and methanolic extract has been study on<br /> 9 bacterial strains, as wel as their<br /> antimutagenic effects on bacterial strain<br /> E. Colli IC202.</p>

<p>U ovom radu je izvr&scaron;eno kvantitativno&nbsp;određivanje i identifikacija biljnih fenola i&nbsp;<br />flavonoida etanolih ekstrakata ploda per&scaron;una&nbsp;(<em>Petroselini fructus</em>), kore kru&scaron;ine (<em>Frangulae&nbsp;cortex</em>), lista pitome nane (<em>Mentha piperitae&nbsp;folium</em>), ploda kima (<em>Carvi fructus</em>) i lista breze&nbsp;(<em>Betulae folium</em>), kao i komercijalnog preparata Vitalplant^&reg;((<em>Frangulae cortex</em>(35 %),&nbsp; <em>Mentha&nbsp;piperitae folium</em>(20%),&nbsp; <em>Carvi fructus</em>(20 %),&nbsp;<em>Petroselini fructus&nbsp;</em>(25 %)). U nastavku&nbsp;istraživanja ispitivana je antioksidantna aktivnosti etanolih ekstrakata primenom&nbsp;direktnih, ESR &ldquo;spin trap&ldquo; spektroskopskih&nbsp;metoda određivanja &ldquo;skevindžer&ldquo; aktivnosti na&nbsp;superoksid anjon i &nbsp;hidroksil radikale i&nbsp;indirektnih, spektrofotometrijskih testova za&nbsp;određivanje skevindžer&ldquo; aktivnosti na DPPH˙&nbsp;radikale, redoks potencijala i helatacione&nbsp;aktivnosti, kao i antioksidantne aktivnosti u&nbsp;sistemu&nbsp; &beta;-karoten-linolna kiselina. Osim navedenog, deo istraživanja je posvećen&nbsp;ispitivanju termičke stabilnosti ekstrakata&nbsp;navedenih biljaka i komercijalnog preparata&nbsp;Vitalplant^&reg;&nbsp;radi sticanja uvida u mogućnost&nbsp;njihove primene u &nbsp;pekarskim proizvodima. U&nbsp;poslednjoj fazi rada, izvr&scaron;eno je određivanje sposobnosti pulvisa i etanolnog ekstrakta komercijalnog &nbsp;preparata Vitalplant^&reg; da inhibiraju oksidaciju lipida u keksu, primenom spektrofotometrijskih testova &ldquo;skevindžer&ldquo; aktivnosti &nbsp;na DPPH˙ radikale i MDA testa. Ispitane biljne sirovine, kao i komercijalni preparat Vitalplant^&reg;&nbsp;su bogat izvor jedinjenja iz klase biljnih fenola. Sve ispitane biljne droge poseduju antioksidantnu aktivnost, koja se značajno ne menja usled termičkog tretmana. Dodatak biljne me&scaron;avine Vitalplant^&reg;&nbsp;, upravo proporcionalno njenom sadržaju, &nbsp;dovodi do povećanja antioksidantne aktivnosti keksa i smanjenja stepena lipidne peroksidacije.&nbsp;</p> / <p>In this paper, quantitative determination and identification of plant phenolics and flavonoids of ethanolic extracts obtained from parsley fruit (<em>Petroselini fructus</em>), buckthorn bark (<em>Frangulae cortex</em>), mint leaves (<em>Mentha piperitae folium</em>), caraway fruit&nbsp; (<em>Carvi fructus</em>), birch leaves (<em>Betulae folium</em>), as well as from commercial preparation Vitalplant&reg; ((<em>Frangulae cortex</em>(35 %), <em>Mentha piperitae folium</em>&nbsp;(20%), <em>Carvi fructus</em>(20 %), <em>Petroselini fructus&nbsp;</em>(25 %)) was performed. In addition, antioxidant&nbsp; activity of ethanolic extracts was tested, by applying direct, ESR &ldquo;spin trap&ldquo; &nbsp;spectroscopic methods for the determination of scavenging activity on superoxide anion and hydroxyl radicals, and indirect, spectrophotometric methods for the determination of DPPH˙ radical scavenging activity, reducing power, chelating activity and antioxidant activity in&nbsp; &beta;-carotene-linoleic acid model system. Moreover, thermal stability of the ethanolic extracts was tested in order to get insight into possible application of the extracts in bakery products. Finally, the ability of the commercial preparation Vitalplant&reg;, in the form of powder and extract, to inhibit oxidative changes of cookies was tested by applying spectrophotometric DPPH radical scavenging and MDA tests.</p><p>According to obtained results, investigated plant samples, including commercial preparation Vitalplant&reg;, are rich source of plant phenolics. Investigated plant drugs possess antioxidant activity, which is not significantly changed after the thermal treatment. Cookie supplementation with commercial preparation Vitalplant&reg; results in&nbsp; better oxidative stability of lipids and enhanced antioxidant activity of the cookies.</p>

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Within the last decades low-dimensional frustrated quantum spin systems have attracted great interest in the field of modern research. In these systems a competition of various magnetic interactions takes place, leading to an energetically degenerated magnetic ground state, and thus to the occurrence of exotic, unconventional physical properties at low temperatures. This thesis focuses on the quasi one-dimensional frustrated spin chain system linarite, PbCuSO4(OH)2. In this compound the basic building blocks are CuO4 plaquettes which are connected to each other along one crystallographic direction, analogue to a chain. The frustration in linarite is established due to the competition between the magnetic interactions. The nearest-neighbor magnetic spins are coupled ferromagnetically along the chain via a coupling constant J1, while the next-nearest neighbors are coupled antiferromagnetically via a coupling constant J2. For this configuration it is not possible to satisfy all magnetic couplings simultaneously, hence the system is magnetically frustrated. In this work, comprehensive thermodynamic and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies demonstrate that linarite is one of the richest and most fascinating compounds in the class of low-dimensional frustrated magnets. By means of susceptibility, magnetization, specific heat, magnetocaloric effect, magnetostriction, and thermal-expansion measurements a rich magnetic phase diagram could be mapped out below a temperature of 2.8 K. The phase diagram contains five different magnetic regions/phases for an external magnetic field pointing along the chain direction. Based on the thermodynamic studies it was possible to calculate the exchange integrals within the frustrated J1-J2 model and extensions of it by using various theoretical approaches. The magnetic microscopic nature of the different long-range magnetic phases present in linarite were investigated by NMR measurements and by collaborative neutron scattering experiments. The ground state (phase I) is identified as an incommensurate elliptical helical structure. Via a theoretical modelling the 1H-NMR spectrum of the ground state could be explained, revealing a rearrangement of the zero-field structure in an external magnetic field of 2.0 T used for the NMR studies. By further increasing the external field the system undergoes a complex spin flop transition in two steps (phase I - phase III - phase IV). In phase III a phase separation takes place where one part of the spins form a circular spiral structure while the remaining fraction form a simple antiferromagnetic structure. In phase IV the remaining circular spiral structure vanishes, so that all spins collectively form the antiferromagnetic collinear phase. The most peculiar physical properties studied in this thesis take place in region V at high fields, showing only tiny features in the thermodynamic properties. The magnetic spins in region V form a sine-wave modulated spin-density structure as identified via NMR and neutron investigations. It is discussed whether region V is related to a multipolar phase or if the spin-density wave structure could possibly coexist with such a phase.