A large radiological accident will result in the contamination of surrounding people, animal, vegetation etc. In such a situation assessing of the level of contamination becomes necessary to plan for the decontamination. There are plans existing for evaluating contamination on people. However, there are limited to no plans to evaluate animals. It is the responsibility of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to decontaminate animals. So the objective of this thesis work was to design a scalable gamma radiation portal monitor (RPM) which can be used to assess the level of contamination on large animals like cattle. This work employed a Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) radiation transport code for the purpose. A virtual system of cow, radiation source representing the contamination, cattle chute and different detector configurations were modeled. NaI scintillation detectors were modeled for this work. To find the optimal detector size and configuration, different detector orientations were simulated for different source positions using the MCNP code. Also simulations were carried out using different number and size of the detectors. It was found that using 2" x 4" x 16" detector yielded a minimum detectable activity (MDA) value of 0.4 microCi for 137Cs source.

Antecedents: La síndrome de la hipertensió portal és la més greu complicació de les malalties cròniques del fetge. Estudis anteriors del nostre grup en models experimentals de hipertensió portal van demostrar l’existència d’un procés actiu d’angiogènesi estimulada per VEGF a nivell del territori esplàncnic, i la implicació d´aquesta neovascularització en la formació de vasos col•laterals portosistèmics i en l’establiment de la circulació hiperdinàmica esplàncnica. Objectiu: Determinar els mecanismes reguladors de l´angiogènesi en la hipertensió portal, i avaluar experimentalment noves estratègies terapèutiques per el tractament d´aquesta malaltia. Metodologia: Estudi 1: Es realitza el bloqueig de les vies de senyalització de VEGF i PDGF, per separat o de manera combinada, en rates amb hipertensió portal, i se’n determina l’efecte sobre les alteracions en la circulació esplàncnica. Estudi 2: Es busca aprofundir en el coneixement dels efectes dels agents antiangiogènics en les alteracions associades a la hipertensió portal, determinant l’efecte de Sorafenib, un inhibidor multikinasa amb efectes antiangiogènics, en rates amb hipertensió portal i cirrosi. Estudi 3: Es prova de determinar, que a més de la congestió, hi hauria altres mecanismes implicats en l’esplenomegàlia associada a la hipertensió portal, i que el bloqueig de la via de mTOR, mitjançant Rapamicina, seria efectiu per reduir l’esplenomegàlia. Resultats: Estudi 1: S’assoleix una reversió dels canvis en la circulació esplàncnica més important quan bloquegem les vies de VEGF i PDGF alhora que amb el bloqueig de cadascuna d’elles per separat. Estudi 2: El tractament amb Sorafenib produeix una millora en l’hemodinàmica dels animals amb hipertensió portal, no només a nivell esplàncnic, sinó també hepàtic i intestinal, reduint la inflamació i la fibrosi. Estudi 3: Els resultats posen en relleu la participació de l’angiogènesi, la fibrogènesi o la inflamació en l’esplenomegàlia associada a la hipertensió portal i la reducció de la mida de la melsa mitjançant la inhibició de mTOR.

Research Doctorate - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / This study investigated the extent to which secondary schools utilised online technologies and eLearning within the curriculum. It explored computer technology practices and perceptions of students and teachers as well as the technology development strategies deployed by principals in ten secondary schools. The learning content of each school’s web page was also examined. It was intended that the study’s findings would add to current research about student and teacher computer practices, the integration of ICT with pedagogy and the current state of eLearning practice within schools. The research was conducted using a case study methodology for each of the ten schools and collectively, utilising both quantitative and qualitative approaches. This enabled a holistic interpretation of the data, and was followed by a documentary analysis of the learning content in each school’s web presence. This analysis required the development of a rubric (called the eFactor) which was used to categorise and evaluate each school’s web learning content. The data analysis findings were compared with earlier and current research about computer technology use to identify patterns of similarity and difference between existing research and this study. Similarity was found with students being more frequent users of the Internet than their teachers (Avery et al., 2007) as well as being more adept at using a wider range of computer technology than most of their teachers (Negroponte, 1995; Trinidad et al., 2005).Confirmation too that older members of the teaching staff were more reluctant to use computer technology and less inclined to nominate any educational value for that technology (Cuban, 2001). However, other factors have emerged that may influence school computer technology utilisation and online learning practice. Across the sample of schools, there appeared to be little difference in the nature and extent of female and male student computer use for school-related purposes. One of the most compelling findings was that schools with more comprehensive technology and learning strategies, actively fostered by the school leadership, had the greatest interactive learning presence on their web pages. Schools with the least amount of interactive web presence preferred to focus strategies on achieving technology competence and usually in just one software application. The criteria established for the documentary analysis of each school’s web presence provided a score (the eFactor) allocated to each school according to that school’s use of its webpage for learning. The case study findings were also able to identify common practices and strategies of schools which enabled the establishment of three school groups based on the eFactor being low, medium a or high. The case studies also discriminated between the practices of the schools within each of the groups thereby enabling a clear distinction about the allocations of schools to the three groups. Schools’ adoption of an effective online learning presence requires the development of Information Communications Technology with curriculum pedagogy and is the basis for further research. This study has provided clarification on how Internet learning can be classified thereby enabling a guideline for the development of effective learning tasks. The study has also established a link between the type of technology strategies implemented in a school and the online learning presence of that school. The deployment of multiple technology strategies with pedagogical underpinnings contributes to the diversity of eLearning and the awareness of a wider learning environment.

Zugl.: Linz, Univ., Diplomarbeit

Zugl.: Speyer, Dt. Hochsch. für Verwaltungswiss., Habil.-Schr., 2007

Chemnitz, Techn. Univ., Bachelorarb., [2006].

Zugleich: Diss. Nr. 16993 techn. Wiss. ETZ Zürich, 2006, u.d.T.: Informationstechnische Unterstützung der frühen Phasen der Produkt-Innovation. / Literaturverz.

Thesis (doctoral)--Universität St. Gallen, 2004.

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 2002.

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 2002.