published_or_final_version / Zoology / Master / Master of Science

The following report has been prepared based upon an assignment given by the company, Ortopedic Care Scandinavia AB. The paper is an exam on basic level, 15 credit points at higher level education within product development. Ortopedic Care Scandinavia AB is working with product development of medical technology products. What makes the corporate unique is the fact that the development is based upon problems encountered by surgeons in their daily work. Suggestions for improvement in technology are given directly by the end users. This paper is based upon such problems. Product development was made on the medical instrument called, suture passer. The instrument is used in endoscopic surgery of the rotator cuff. The cuff is a group of four muscles (and their respective tendons) that stabilize the shoulder. In case of an accident, mostly sport related, these muscles can loosen from the bone. In surgery a suture passer is then used to penetrate the injured tendon with a needle with an attached suture. The passer creates a loop of suture that can be used to attach the damaged tendon. The report is based upon the following problem formulations: The needle has an inconvenient edge that can damage the muscle. The strength of the suture thread is deteriorated by the design of the needle. The suture thread has been known to snap when the surgeon apply to much pressure when tying. If the patient is suffering from subacromial impingement the jaw of the instrument can appear to be clumsy and hard to open. The jaw has sharp teeth which have been known to get stuck in the tendon. The surgeon must then perform an uncontrolled movement which might damage the tendon. The jaw limits the surgeons’ choice of thickness of the suture thread. The thickness of the needle used in the suture passer is limited to one size.  The purpose of the project is to develop a new concept that minimizes the risk for the patient and at the same time the concept should facilitate the work of the surgeon. The concept should meet the set requirements and be presented in the form of renderings of CAD-models and drawings. To achieve this process the instrument uses four different components. The needle, the jaw, the handle and an attachment between the needle and the handle.  Under heading 5, the generating process, each component presents to together with arguments of its design. The instrument consist of 25 components that are all developed from the ground up. The result should be viewed as a thorough concept that can be used for further development. It is recommended that the next step should be an investigation about material choice. When the material is specified a prototype should be manufacture and then used for testing.

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1973. / Typewritten.

published_or_final_version / Zoology / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this paper is to study what the press in Sweden wrote about counterfeiting from 1944 to 1950. By studying how the newspapers wrote about the crime of counterfeiting, the paper aims to give a glimpse of how counterfeiters worked and got their notes in circulation. The analysis is based on a theoretical perspective of a "we" and "they" in which Sweden is compared to the opposite abroad. The paper examines how the security of Swedish banknotes is discussed in Swedish news articles and how they describe counterfeiters and passers. The paper examines forty one newspaper clippings from the period 1944-1950 from twenty five different newspapers from different parts of the country. The study is implemented with previous research of media and counterfeiting. The paper describes nine individual cases of counterfeiting, as well as a longer sequence of events with a criminal gang that is behind the counterfeit notes, where several similar notes are spread in different cities in Sweden. The conclusion is that counterfeiting is a small problem in Sweden during this time and the notes that come out in circulation are relatively poor copies. But the counterfeit notes are not always directly detected and that makes them spread in the country. Counterfeit banknotes are most likely to be detected in public environments such as cafes, shops and bakeries. And also outdoor by different merchants, according to the view of the press. The notes are mostly put in circulation during the evening or night, or when it's rush hour. Swedish banknote quality and safety is often compared to other countries where a "we" and "they" are constructed in the media. The press gives a comprehensive picture of counterfeiters as criminals, mysterious cheaters, fraudsters, artists but also as a dissenting profession.

Thesis--Ph. D., University of Hong Kong. / Typewritten.

Introduced species cause both considerable ecological and economic damage every year. However, not much is known about how certain species are able to establish and spread beyond the site of initial introduction, whereas others do not. Species undergoing range expansion following an introduction may prove to be a valuable resource to invasion biology, but may also be informative in light of species' responses to changing environments (i.e. global climate change). Here, I took advantage of an ongoing range expansion of an introduced vertebrate species. House sparrows (Passer domesticus) were introduced to Mombasa, Kenya in the 1950s and have subsequently expanded their range northwest-ward and now occupy most major cities in Kenya. By comparing older, established populations (i.e. those in Mombasa) with more recently colonized populations at the range edge, it might be possible to determine some of the mechanisms that underlie range expansion in some species and/or populations. In Chapter 1, the background and ideas that motivated the rest of the dissertation is summarized. In Chapter 2, I studied how exploration and glucocorticoids (a hormone released in response to stressors) changed throughout the range expansion. Exploration was greater at the range edge, which is likely to ensure greater discovery of novel resources. Glucocorticoids released in response to restraint were also highest at the range edge, which might facilitate resolution of stressors in unpredictable environments. However, chronically elevated levels of glucocorticoids are often considered maladaptive, unless an individual can appropriately cope with them. Therefore, in Chapter 3, I characterized glucocorticoid receptors (i.e. mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR)) in the hippocampus, an area responsible for negative feedback of glucocorticoids as well as induction of behavioral and physiological response to stressors. I found that MR density was lower relative to GR density at the range edge compared to the site of introduction (Mombasa). I speculate this pattern is a mechanism to resolve the elevated levels of glucocorticoids at the range edge. Taken together, these results indicate that individuals at the range edge have a strong glucocorticoid response to stressors to induce a rapid, strong response to resolve stressors. Subsequently, in Chapter 4, I examined the potential mechanisms of phenotypic change among Kenyan house sparrows. Typically, following an introduction event, genetic diversity undergoes a bottleneck and is greatly reduced compared to the source population; as such, genetic evolution as the main driver of changing phenotypes throughout the range expansion is unlikely. We therefore hypothesized that epigenetic mechanisms (e.g. DNA methylation) may compensate for the expected reduced genetic diversity following an introduction. Although there was no pattern of epigenetic variation among cities (i.e. variation did not increase nor decrease further from the site of introduction), epigenetic variation increased as genetic inbreeding increased (a sign of reduced genetic diversity and bottlenecks), suggesting epigenetic modifications may compensate for reduced genetic diversity following an introduction event. Overall, patterns of phenotypic variation emerged dependent on age of the population- these patterns may prove to be important in other vertebrate range expansions as well. Surprisingly, epigenetic diversity did not correlate with phenotypic variation among populations; however, within-individual studies may reveal epigenotypes are related to certain behavioral or physiological phenotypes. In the future, studies should be designed to address how phenotypic differences arise despite relatively low genetic diversity and overall high genetic admixture among individuals. In Kenyan house sparrows, maintenance of high levels of flexibility and differential developmental influences may be important factors that lead to varying phenotypes dependent on time since colonization.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Florida, 1979. / Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : University Microfilms International, 1981. -- 21 cm. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-166).

Zur genauen Justage und objektiven Qualitätsprüfung von Druckmaschinen ist ein hochgenaues Messgerät zur Passermessung sinnvoll. Ein solches Messsystem wurde unter Verwendung konventioneller Videotechnik basierend auf Bildanalysetechnologien entwickelt. Speziell für das Messsystem entworfene Messelemente werden zur Passermessung gedruckt, mit Videotechnik digitalisiert und mit Hilfe von Bildanalysetechnologien erkannt, bewertet und vermessen. Auf dem Entwicklungsweg zu diesem Messsystem wurden verschiedene Problemkreise analysiert und gelöst. Dazu zählen beispielsweise Methoden zur Signalerfassung und zur Korrektur von Fehlern in optischen Abbildungssystemen. Ausgehend von einer Bewertung bekannter Lösungen zur Passermessung werden Technologien und Strategien für ein Messverfahren zur Passermessung mit konventioneller Videotechnik am Beispiel der Übergabepassermessung aufgezeigt. Nachweismöglichkeiten zur Prüfung der Technologie und Schlussfolgerungen wie wünschenswerte Forderungen für die Zukunft, beispielsweise für Folge- und Weiterentwicklungen, werden formuliert. / A high-precision instrument for register measurement is useful for the exact adjustment and quality control of printing presses. Such a measuring system has been developed on the basis of image analysis methods and the application of conventional video technology. Measuring elements specially designed for the measuring system are printed for register measurement, digitalized with video technology and recognized, evaluated and measured with the help of image analysis methods. On the way to the development of this measuring system various complexes of problems were analysed and solved, among them, for instance, methods of signal recognition and correction of errors in optical imaging systems. Proceeding from the evaluation of known solutions for register measurement, methods and strategies are demonstrated for a method of register measurement with conventional video technology using transfer register measurement as an example. Possibilities to proof the verification of the method, conclusions and desirable demands for the future, such as follow-up and further developments have been formulated.

O Brasil é um dos países com a maior riqueza de aves do mundo (1.677 espécies). A Ordem Passeriformes detém 56% desta riqueza, incluindo o sabiálaranjeira Turdus rufiventris e o pardal Passer domesticus (introduzido), espécies cuja composição, padrão e estrutura da comunidade de helmintos foram investigadas nesta pesquisa. As aves (N=160 de cada espécie) foram capturadas com o auxílio de alçapões e de redes de neblina em paisagens urbanas e rurais da Região Metropolitana de Porto Alegre, RS. Quinze espécies de helmintos foram encontradas no sabiá-laranjeira (sete nematóides, quatro digenéticos, três cestóides e um acantocéfalo), com riqueza média de 2,92 espécies/hospedeiro. No pardal, a riqueza média foi de 0,19 espécies/hospedeiro e cinco espécies de helmintos foram encontradas (dois digenéticos, dois nematóides e um cestóide). Nove espécies foram dominantes, cinco co-dominantes e uma subordinada na comunidade de helmintos do sabiá, enquanto para o pardal, quatro espécies foram dominantes e uma co-dominante. Machos e fêmeas adultos das duas espécies hospedeiras apresentaram comunidades de parasitos semelhantes. Os sabiás-laranjeira adultos, por sua vez, tiveram uma maior riqueza de parasitos do que os juvenis. A fauna parasitária encontrada nestas espécies hospedeiras reflete em grande parte a dieta das aves, considerando que muitas das espécies de helmintos são adquiridas através da ingestão de hospedeiros intermediários infectados. As variações na prevalência apresentada por algumas espécies de helmintos entre as diferentes estações do ano e na riqueza da helmintofauna entre as paisagens rural e urbana são compatíveis com possíveis diferenças na disponibilidade de invertebrados e/ou de outros itens alimentares (tais como frutos) nestas épocas e/ou paisagens dominadas por ambientes distintos.