<p>Salivary cortisol and electrocardiogram data was collected at baseline and after a stress-anticipation task in extremely low birth weight (ELBW; < 1000 grams) survivors and normal birth weight (NBW) controls, in order to examine the moderating influence of emotion regulation on the relationship between being born at ELBW and internalizing problems in adulthood. The stress manipulation was an adapted Trier Social Stress Task. The participants were told they would have three minutes to create a speech on one of three predetermined topics (i.e., gun control, same sex marriage, or abortion). After three minutes passed, the particpants were told that there would be no speech. All participants showed a decrease in salivary cortisol levels throughout the day, and an increase in heart rate during the stress anticipation task. When a median split was used to create high and low stress reactive cortisol and heart rate groups, an interaction was found between birth status (ELBW vs. NBW) and group (High vs. Low Stress Reactive Cortisol) on self-reported internalizing problems (anxiety, depression, withdrawal). Those born at ELBW who had high stress reactive cortisol self-reported significantly higher levels of internalizing problems compared to ELBWs with low stress reactive cortisol. Those born at NBW did not differ on self-reported internalizing problems based on their stress reactive cortisol levels. When the moderating effect was probed with a linear regression analysis, the ELBW group was driving the relation between stress reactive cortisol levels and internalizing problems. Taken together, the results suggest that emotion regulation, as indexed by the neuroendocrine system, is moderating the relation between being born at ELBW and internalizing problems in adulthood. This is indicative of a differential susceptibility of risk and resilency in ELBW survivors depending on their ability to regulate their emotions, specifically during periods of stress.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

While studying packs of the eastern timber wolf in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, DNA profiles at 8 microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial control region were found to be similar to those of the red wolf, C. rufus. Based on this it was suggested that both the red wolf and the eastern timber wolf have a common origin, evolving in North America, with the coyote diverging from them 150,000-300,000 years ago and with neither having any recent connection with the gray wolf that evolved in Eurasia. It was further proposed, that the eastern timber wolf retain its original species designation of C. lycaon instead of the present status of a subspecies of the gray wolf. Four "types" or "races" of wolves have been previously described in Ontario. Using DNA profiles, assignment tests identified four groups, which were typified by animals in Algonquin Provincial Park, Pukaskwa National Park, Frontenac Axis and those north of Lake Superior. The tests indicate that Frontenac animals are hybrids between the western coyote and C. lycaon and represent the eastern coyote. Pukaskwa maintains a small wolf population, which is genetically closer to the gray wolves of the Northwest Territories than the surrounding C. lycaon. These may represent an isolated remnant population of the original "Ontario type" (C. lupus). Animals north of Lake Superior were identified as C. lycaon, but represent products of hybridization between C. lycaon and C. lupus. Currently within Ontario, Algonquin Park contains the largest protected area of the eastern timber wolf. DNA profiles, including Y-linked microsatellite loci were used to establish maternity, paternity and kin relationships for 102 animals from 24 packs over a 12-year period. A complex pack structure was identified. A pack is not composed simply of an unrelated breeding pair and their offspring and subordinates appear to enter pack systems through adoption, pack splitting, dispersal and immigration. Relatively high genetic structuring was found between the Park animals and the "Tweed" wolves to the southeast suggesting introgression of coyote genetic material is not a present concern to the integrity of park animals. Evidence of gene flow with animals to the west, northeast and northwest coupled with the high genetic diversity, suggest that the Park animals are not an island population, but the southern part of a larger metapopulation of C. lycaon. Increased interest in the relationship of the red and eastern wolves led to the investigation of a gene in the major histocompatibility complex. Allelic variation in the exon 2 region of the DLA-DQA1 locus was analysed for gray wolves, red wolves, the eastern timber wolf and the western coyote. Twelve alleles were identified, seven of which were previously characterized in dogs. Non-synonomous nucleotide substitutions was 3.0 times higher than the synonomous changes, indicative of strong positive selection. These data provide baselines for the determination of allele frequencies and their distribution across the geographical range of the four species in North America. The results in this thesis have sparked numerous debates with respect to the protection of the wolves in Algonquin Provincial Park and reintroduction of wolves into Northeastern United States. The data support the idea that the C. lycaon population in Ontario is relatively large, numbering in the thousands rather than the hundreds. Concern for the conservation of wolves in Ontario should be directed at the declining numbers of gray wolves present in Ontario. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Inertial stabilized platforms consisting of a two-axis gimbal assembly are often modelled as two independent SISO systems, describing the dynamics of the elevation axis and the azimuth axis respectively. In reality the state of the elevation channel and the state of the azimuth channel affect each other. Hence, the system is better modelled as a MIMO system with coupled dynamics, which means that the system has multiple inputs and outputs, where each input can affect multiple outputs. Since the couplings between the elevation channel and the azimuth channel have a deteriorating effect on control it is of interest to analyse what gives rise to the coupled dynamics and if control performance can be improved by considering the coupled dynamics. For this purpose, this thesis attempts to derive a dynamic model of the system of interest, both with the aid of physical modeling and system identification. Both modeling methods result in models with similar dynamics which seem to capture the coupled dynamics in the relevant frequency range. From the physical modeling it can be inferred that the degree of coupled dynamics depends on the mass distribution of the two-axis gimbal assembly. For the specific configuration of the system used in this investigation, the degree of coupled dynamics proved to be relatively small with relatively small impact on control. Based on the derived models, three types of controllers were implemented, decentralized control, decentralized control with a decoupler and decentralized control with an inner loop for rejection of mutual disturbances acting between the elevation axis and azimuth axis. Compared to standard decentralized control, the decoupler resulted in a somewhat better reference tracking and in a somewhat worsened disturbance rejection. Compared to standard decentralized control, the inner loop disturbance compensator resulted in a somewhat better performance for reference and disturbance rejection. / Inertialstabiliserade plattformar bestående av en tvåaxlig gimbal modelleras ofta som två oberoende SISO system som beskriver dynamiken för rörelse kring elevationsaxeln respektive azimutaxeln. I verkligheten påverkar tillstånden i elevationskanalen samt azimutkanalen varandra. Därmed kan systemet bättre modelleras som ett kopplat MIMO system, vilket innebär ett system med multipla in och utsignaler, där varje insignal kan påverka flera utsignaler. Eftersom den kopplade dynamiken har en försämrande effekt på systemets reglerprestanda är det av intresse att undersöka varför den kopplade dynamiken uppkommer, samt om reglerprestanda kan förbättras genom att beakta den kopplade dynamiken. För att undersöka detta söker denna rapport att med fysikalisk modellering samt systemidentifiering bygga en modell av systemet som innehåller den kopplade dynamiken. Båda metoderna resulterar i modeller med liknande dynamik, som verkar fånga den kopplade dynamiken i det relevanta frekvensspannet. Från den fysikaliska modelleringen kan det härledas att graden av kopplad dynamik beror på massfördelningen av systemet. För den specifika konfigurationen av systemet som var föremål för denna undersökning visar det sig att den kopplade dynamiken är relativt svag med relativt liten inverkan på reglerprestanda. Baserat på de framtagna modellerna implementerades och undersöktes tre typer av controllers, decentralized control, decentralized control med en decoupler, samt decentralized control med en inre loop för kompensering av störningar mellan elevations- och azimutaxeln. Jämfört med endast decentralized control gav decouplern något bättre reglerprestanda med avseende på reference tracking, men något sämre reglerprestanda med avseende på disturbance rejection. Jämfört med endast decentralized control gav en inre loop för kompensering av störningar mellan elevations- och azimutaxeln något bättre reglerprestanda med avseende på reference tracking samt disturbance rejection.

Abstract: Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease that requires interprofessional collaboration. Pharmacological options are currently ineffective, increasing the need for preventative strategies to combat the rise of AD. Considerations of gut-targeted interventions have increased as a key component in the prevention of AD, based on the understanding that the state of the gut microbiome can impact cognitive function through the pathway known as the gut-brain axis. Methods: This scoping review explored information on the gut-brain axis in persons with AD. A comprehensive search was conducted in November 2023. Forty reviews and 13 human studies were analyzed. Results: There is an abundance of information supporting the role of the gut-brain axis in the development and prevention of AD. This information is complex and may deter healthcare professionals outside of neuroscience, medicine, and nutrition from engaging in the literature. Further research is needed from within the SLP’s scope of practice.

Yes / Abstract The budding yeast genome contains regions where meiotic recombination initiates more frequently than in others. This pattern parallels enrichment for the meiotic chromosome axis proteins Hop1 and Red1. These proteins are important for Spo11-catalyzed double strand break formation; their contribution to crossover recombination remains undefined. Using the sequence-specific VMA1-derived endonuclease (VDE) to initiate recombination in meiosis, we show that chromosome structure influences the choice of proteins that resolve recombination intermediates to form crossovers. At a Hop1-enriched locus, most VDE-initiated crossovers, like most Spo11-initiated crossovers, required the meiosis-specific MutLγ resolvase. In contrast, at a locus with lower Hop1 occupancy, most VDE-initiated crossovers were MutLγ-independent. In pch2 mutants, the two loci displayed similar Hop1 occupancy levels, and VDE-induced crossovers were similarly MutLγ-dependent. We suggest that meiotic and mitotic recombination pathways coexist within meiotic cells, and that features of meiotic chromosome structure determine whether one or the other predominates in different regions.

Flera miljoner människor världen över är idag drabbade av depression vilket skapar ett stort lidande. Depression leder även många gånger till självmord. Känt är att tarmmikrobiotan är en viktig del i sjukdomsförloppet [MB1] och att kunna karakterisera tarmmikrobiota som är av psykobiotisk karaktär blir därför viktigt i ett behandlande syfte men också för att kunna ställa diagnos mer objektivt. Syftet med den här litteraturstudien är att genom artikelgranskning i PubMed undersöka vad senaste forskningen säger om tarmmikrobiotans roll i tryptofanmetabolismen med efterföljande effekt på depression. Skiljer sig tarmmikrobiotan och tryptofanmetabolismen mellan individer med och utan depression och kan tarmmikrobiotan och tryptofanmetaboliter användas som biomarkörer för att diagnostisera depression? Resultatet visar att tarmmikrobiotan och vissa tryptofanmetaboliter skiljer sig signifikant åt mellan friska individer och individer med depression. Studiens slutsats är att tarmmikrobiota och tryptofans metaboliter skulle kunna användas som biomarkörer för att kunna diagnostisera depression mer objektivt. Dock förekommer flera olika potentiella confounders som bör tas i beaktning. / Several million people worldwide are today affected by depression, which creates a lot of suffering. Depression also often leads to suicide. It is known that the gut microbiota is an important part of the course of the disease and being able to characterize gut microbiota that is of a psychobiotic nature therefore becomes important for a treatment purpose but also to be able to make a diagnosis more objectively. The aim of this literature study is to examine, through article review in PubMed, what the latest research says about the role of gut microbiota in tryptophan metabolism with subsequent effect on depression. Do gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolism differ between individuals with and without depression and can gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolites be used as biomarkers to diagnose depression? The results show that the gut microbiota and certain tryptophan metabolites differ significantly between healthy individuals and individuals with depression. The study's conclusion is that gut microbiota and tryptophan metabolites could be used as biomarkers to diagnose depression more objectively. However, there are several different potential confounders that should be taken into account.

This thesis deals with designing of C axis for interchangeable heads for milling machining centres with horizontal spindle centre of the slide type. Itâs divided into three parts, whereas the first part contains theoretical introduction to the problematic. The second part deals with systematic analysis of the topic and choosing the right variant for elaboration. The last part forms construction design of the chosen variant, which contains notes on the solution proce-dure, calculations and visualization in form of 3D models.

Text in Afrikaans / The growth and development of Randfontein is analysed within a spatial perspective. The theoretical point of departure is found in settlement geography and in the spatial economic approach. As continuous perspective, the PWV serves as major metroplitan region, of which Randfontein is a functional subsystem. Information has been obtained from businessmen, industrialists, the local authorities and the inhabitants of Randfontein. The economic sectors (mining, manufacturing and services) are analysed 1n terms of their contribution (or lack of) to the course of the economic realities in town. The behaviouristic approach provides a perspective 1n the sense that behavioral patterns are prominently analysed. A special technique of analyses is used to highlight the economic activities of Randfontein (with the graphic illustrations), by determining strong and weak factors. Problems that have been experienced in terms of the economic activities of Randfontein are identified and possibilities for the future are stipulated. / Educational Studies / M.A. (Geography)

The paper presents the development methodology of a hydrostatic pump/motor for use in Parker Hannifin’s advanced series hydraulic hybrid transmissions for medium and heavy duty commercial vehicles. With Parker’s established bent-axis pump/motor technology for heavy duty mobile applications as a basis, it describes the main stages of further development and qualification for demanding automotive main drive transmissions. Parker’s APQP based, customer focused product development model was employed for this development which resulted in the variable bent-axis pump/motor C24 for open circuit hydrostatic transmissions. Positive customer results from a large fleet of in-service refuse collection trucks and parcel delivery vans with Parker advanced hydraulic hybrid drive systems using C24 pumps/motors serve as evidence of Parker’s product development model effectiveness. High reliability, good fuel economy, increased productivity and long brake life of the vehicles can directly be traced back to the streamlined, front-loaded and iterative development model.

Thesis (MSc (Physiological Sciences))--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Early adverse life events appear to increase the susceptibility of developing psychiatric disorders later in life. The molecular mechanisms involved in the development of pathological behaviour remain unclear. Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and alterations in neurotrophic factors have been implicated.