Předmětem tohoto studia bylo prozkoumat reologické chování vodných roztoků vysokomolekulárního hyaluronanu. Byl studován vliv zvyšující se koncentrace biopolymeru v roztoku, která se pohybovala v rozmezí od 1 do 3 hmotnostních procent, a také vliv vzrůstající iontové síly rozpouštědla, způsobené přídavkem chloridu sodného, na viskoelasticitu a stabilitu těchto roztoků. Pro obsáhlejší popis viskoelasických vlastností roztoků byla použita, vedle běžných oscilačních měření, také metoda ceepových testů, ze které bylo možno určit důležité veličity, jako je procentuální poměr viskozní a elastické složky vzorku, rovnovážná poddajnost, viskozita při nulovém smykovém napětí a retardační čas. Ty byly následně porovnávány s výstupy z jiných typů měření, jako jsou právě oscilační a tokové křivky, nebo nesly dopňující informace důležité pro detailnější popis viskoelastických vlastností těchto roztoků. Ke studiu stability vzorků během namáhání pak byla použita metoda peak-hold, která ukázala na velmi dobou mechanickou i časovou odolnost roztoků hyaluronanu a naznačila hranice, za kterými už dochází k trvalému poškození struktury a degradaci řetězců hyaluronanu a je s němi proto potřeba při manipulaci s roztoky tohoto biopolymeru pro jejich další použití v aplikacích počítat.

Extensive research into the lives of professional ballet dancers has been conducted by the psychological and medical fields, but much of this research has focused on problems in the environment, sometimes in a way that further pathologizes dancers. Professional ballet is a highly demanding performance area, yet little research into ballet dancers’ performance lives has been conducted, which further shapes perceptions about this population. This study explores how South African professional ballet dancers’ performance lives are shaped by discourse, and how they draw on available discursive resources to construct their subjectivity and create meaning, and to what ends, in relation to performance. Findings suggest that dancers are caught up in several powerful, dominant discourses, some of which may position them in ways that cause subjective harm, but that alternatives do exist. Insights into the complex web of intersecting discourses surrounding ballet are offered, and questions posed to create possibilities, but ultimately, dancers must decide which positions they want to claim or resist, as they continually form their subjectivities. / Mini Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Psychology / MA Counselling Psychology / Unrestricted

Executive functioning usually refers to one’s ability to regulate one’s behavior, set goals, be mentally flexible, and understand the consequence of one’s actions. However, certain neurodevelopmental disabilities such as Autism, often can negatively impact executive function processes. Although applied behavior analytic (ABA) treatment is the most recommended intervention for autism treatment practitioners rarely assess or target executive functioning within their treatment planning. The present study assessed the relationship between direct and indirect executive functioning scores and a language assessment used by ABA providers. Thirty-nine children with autism spectrum disorder were administered a variety of scales including the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF 2), Comprehensive Executive Functioning Inventory (CEFI), Tower of London (TOL), and the PEAK Comprehensive Assessment (PCA). Obtained data yielded a moderate, negative relationship between the total BRIEF and total PCA scores (r=-0.521, p=.032) and a moderate, positive relationship between CEFI planning and PCA scores (r=0.394, p=.017). However, there was a strong correlation between total PCA scores and TOL scores (r=0.708, p=.005).

The present study evaluated the effects of utilizing derived relational responding protocols to teach non-arbitrary frames of opposition, comparison and distinction to two children with autism across tactile, auditory, and olfactory sensory modalities. Both participants were successful in demonstrating accurate responding across all skill programs, which included the demonstration of transfers of stimulus function. The results for both participants suggest that the programs were effective in fostering skill acquisition among individuals with ASD using the relational frames of opposition, distinction, and comparison by utilizing stimuli with sensory qualities of tactile, olfactory, and auditory modalities respectively.

The increasing electricity production from intermittent energy sources creates both challenges and possibilities in the future energy system. When the controllability in the production of electricity deteriorates, the flexibility of the electricity consumption must increase for the energy system to work. The study examines the possibilities for the profitability strategies load smoothing, peak shaving, participation on the flexibility market and its combinations to reduce the electricity bill for Vasakronan’s office building at Sperlingens Backe 47 in Stockholm using a nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery storage. The results indicated participation on the flexibilitymarket to be the most profitable strategy although none of the strategies nor their combinations managed to reduce the electricity bill of the office building. For an installation of a NiMH battery in the office building to become profitable, the price of NiMH batteries must decrease by approximately 80 %.

Uppsala’s population and infrastructure is expanding at a fast rate. This results in problems with supplying sufficient electrical power during peak hours such as early mornings and late evenings. One of the many ways to solve this issue is through peak shaving by using parked electrical vehicles as batteries to discharge into the power grid (vehicle-to-grid). In this report, the possibilies for peak shaving during peak hours in a mobility house called Dansmästaren are presented, as well as the possibilities for the vehicle-to-grid technology in the future. Dansmästaren has 60 available parking slots for electric vehicles, and a large central battery available.Through simulations using MATLAB, the results show that it’s possible to achieve a considarable degree of peak shaving, while battery degradation is kept reasonably low. Conclusions regarding vehicle-to-grid in the future are that there is a large potential for Vehicle-to-grid to become an important part of tomorrow’s energy system. However, continued research and development is necessary, as well as bigger focus on the social and economic aspects of this technology. A succesful implementation will require cooperation between the grid owners, the industry and the customers.

Windstorms result in significant damage and economic loss and are a major recurring threat in many countries. Estimating surface-level wind speeds resulting from windstorms is a complicated problem, but geostatistical spatial interpolation methods present a potential solution. Maximum sustained and peak gust weather station data from two historic windstorms in Europe were analyzed to predict surface-level wind speed surfaces across a large and topographically varied landscape. Disjunctively sampled maximum sustained wind speeds were adjusted to represent equivalent continuously sampled 10-minute wind speeds and missing peak gust station data were estimated by applying a gust factor to the recorded maximum sustained wind speeds. Wind surfaces were estimated based on anisotropic and isotropic kriging interpolation methodologies. The study found that anisotropic kriging is well-suited for interpolating wind speeds in meso- and macro-scale areas because it accounts for wind direction and trends in wind speeds across a large, heterogeneous surface, and resulted in interpolation surface improvement in most models evaluated. Statistical testing of interpolation error for stations stratified by geographic classification revealed that stations in coastal and/or mountainous locations had significantly higher prediction errors when compared with stations in non-coastal/non-mountainous locations. These results may assist in mitigating losses to structures due to excessive wind events.

The current study investigated the effect of observational learning during equivalence based instruction (EBI). Two boys (Tim and Nate) ages 11 and 12 with Autism Spectrum Disorder participated in the study. Participants received small-group EBI training with an embedded observational learning component twice weekly for six weeks. Both participants were given a trained and observation set containing three classes (Class A, Class B and Class C) consisting of four class members. Participants served as both learners and observers during each training session. Each participant was trained on match-to-sample tasks with relations A-B and B-C and tested for class formation across the trained and observation set. Results showed that Tim was able to derive the untrained A-C and C-A relation at 100% correct on both the trained and observation set of stimuli. After the initial training, Nate averaged at 40% and 55% on the trained and observation set of stimuli, indicating that he was unable to derive the untrained relations. Two remedial training sessions were conducted, where Nate was re-exposed to the A-B and B-C training. After the remedial training, Nate averaged at 85% and 67.5%, indicating strong class formation on the trained set of stimuli, and moderate class formation on the observation set. The current study demonstrated the utility of observational learning during EBI. Limitations and implications for clinical practices are discussed.

The mapped area, in southeastern Idaho, includes part of the Bannock Range, on the west, and Cache Valley, on the east. It is centered about 13 miles northwest of Preston, Idaho, and measures 12 miles in the north-south direction and 8.5 miles in the east-west direction. The Bannock Range, in the western part of the mapped area, consists of Precambrian and Cambrian stratigraphic units. The Precambrian units are as follows: (1) lower Precambrian argillite, (2) Precambrian quartzite, and (3) upper Mutual Formation. The Brigham Formation, which overlies the Mutual, is probably of Cambrian age; however, the lower part may be Precambrian. The Langston, Ute, Blacksmith, Bloomington, and Nounan Formations, all of Cambrian age, crop out locally. The Wasatch and Salt Lake Formations bf Tertiary age overlap older rocks near the western margin of the area. The Salt Lake Formation overlaps older rocks in the foothills along the western side of Cache Valley. It is separated from Precambrian argillite, on the west, by a major north-south gravity fault. Arnphibolite plutons intrude the Precambrian argillite at three localities in the Oxford Peak area; basalt flows and volcanic breccia are also present in the Precambrian argillite. The amphibolite represents metamorphosed diabase. Both the metamorphism of the plutons and the presence of extrusive igneous rocks in the Precambrian argillite indicate that the plutons formed during Precambrian time. Two major thrust faults are present in the Bannock Range. The Oxford Peak thrust fault places the Brigham Formation of Cambrian age, as well as Precambrian quartzite and the Mutual Formation of Precambrian age, over Precambrian argillite. The Clifton thrust fault places carbonate formations of Cambrian age and also a lower Paleozoic undifferentiated unit on various older rocks. Near the northwestern corner of the mapped area, however, the Clifton thrust fault underlies the Brigham Formation. Both thrust faults dip westward except where locally folded; the direction of movement was presumably eastward. The thrust faulting is probably related to the Laramide orogeny which occurred during the Cretaceous Period and the early part of the Tertiary Period. A major gravity fault extends along the eastern side of the Bannock Range. It places Salt Lake Formation of Tertiary age, on the east, against Precambrian argillite, on the west. A relatively short gravity fault, also down on the east, offsets the two major thrust faults east of Oxford Peak. The relative collapse of Cache Valley, during the Tertiary Period, produced great relief and, as a consequence, a major landslide formed northeast of Oxford Peak. It transported Precambrian argillite and overlying Brigham Formation down over Precambrian argillite.

The purposes of these studies were to determine if an acute static stretch influenced isokinetic peak torque (IPT), and to examine if the order in which the warm up routine was performed affected peak knee extension torque. Twenty trained college male students performed maximal isokinetic knee extensions under four conditions: a control consisting of no stretching, a stretch only trial, jog then stretch, and stretch then jog conditions. Each stretch was held for a total volume of 360 s. Measurements were taken on a Biodex System 3 isokinetic dynamometer at speeds of 60º s-1 and 300º s-1. Data were analyzed using t-tests to compare the stretch condition with the control. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between the stretch and the control at 300 º s-1 (p = 0.03 t = 2.42) but not at 60 º s-1 (p = 0.16). A 2 x 3 ANOVA (300 º s-1 x 60 º s-1, and control x stretch then jog x jog then stretch) yielded no significance at either speed (p > 0.05). Conclusions from this study indicate that stretching should not be the sole exercise in a warm-up routine as previous research confirms the decrease in IPT after stretching. Another finding of this study is that the negative effects of stretching can be diminished when combined with an aerobic activity such as jogging prior to performance. Further research is needed to determine the underlying factors that contribute to the post stretch decrease in IPT and the factors that lead to the restoration of force after aerobic activity. Caution is advised since these were controlled tests in a laboratory and results may vary with actual performance.