Denna studie behandlar monsterkroppar i HBO:s tv-serie True Blood (2008 – 2014) och deras tillblivelse samt orientering utifrån skevhet, performativ materia och temporalitet. Med utgångspunkt i Sara Ahmeds queera fenomenologi analyseras empirin genom en queer och reparativ läsning i syfte att studera huruvida True Blood som tv-serie kan ha emancipatorisk och subversiv potential. Studiens empiriska omfång utgörs av sju sända säsonger av True Blood, innehållandes totalt åttio avsnitt, och som urval har primärt tre kvinnliga karaktärer följts. Dessa tre karaktärer definieras ha monsterkroppar utifrån den normativa människokroppen. I analysen diskuteras, förutom de tre valda karaktärerna, även andra monsterkroppar. Slutsatsen är att True Blood som text utmanar och ifrågasätter, genom sina monsterkroppar, normativa föreställningar och räta linjer och därmed anses ha emancipatorisk och subversiv potential.

Cardiovascular complications associated with elevated levels of glucose in the blood (Hyperglycemia, HG) is a growing health concern. HG is known to be associated with a variety of cardiovascular morbidities including higher incidence of electrical disturbances. Although effects of chronic HG have been widely investigated, electrophysiological effects of acute hyperglycemia are relatively less known. Further, hyperglycemic effects on adrenergic response is not widely investigated. We used excised ventricular tissues from mice to record trans-membrane potentials during a variety of pacing protocols to investigate cellular/tissue level electrophysiological effects of acute hyperglycemia and adrenergic stimulation (1µM Isoproterenol, a β-adrenergic agonist). A custom program was used to compute action potential durations (APD), maximal rates of depolarization (dv/dtmax), and action potential amplitudes (APA) from the recorded trans-membrane potentials. From these computed measures, electrical restitution and alternans threshold were quantified. Restitution was quantified using the Standard Protocol (SP; basic cycle length BCL= 200ms), Dynamic Protocol (DP; 200-40ms or until blockade) and a novel diastolic interval (DI) control protocol with Sinusoidal Changes in DI. Results from 6 mice show that acute hyperglycemia causes prolongation of the APD. Effects of adrenergic stimulation during acute hyperglycemia were partially blunted compared with non-hyperglycemic state, i.e. hyperglycemia minimized the decrease in APD that was produced by adrenergic stimulation. Similar, but less consistent (across animals) effects were seen in other electrophysiological parameters such as alternans threshold. These results show that acute hyperglycemia may itself alter cellular level electrophysiology of myocytes and importantly, modify adrenergic response. These results suggest that in addition to long term re-modeling that occurs in diabetes, acute changes in glucose levels also affect electrical function and further may contribute to systemically observed changes in diabetes by blunting adrenergic response. Therefore, further investigation into the electrophysiological effects of acute changes in glucose levels are warranted.

Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Microcantilever sensor has gained much popularity because of its high sensitivity and selectivity. It consists of a micro-sized cantilever that is usually coated on one side with chemical/biological probe agents to generate strong attraction to target molecules. The interactions between the probe and target molecules induce surface stress that bends the microcantilever. This current work applied the molecular dynamics simulation to study the microcantilever system. Lennard-Jones potentials were used to model the target-target and target-probe interactions and bond bending potentials to model the solid cantilever beam. In addition, this work studied the effect of probe locations on the microcantilever deflection. The simulation results suggest that both target-target and target-probe interactions as well as the probe locations affect the arrangement of the bonds; in term of the bonding number, the area containing the bonded molecules, and the distances between them. All these factors influence the microcantilever deflection.

I denna kandidatuppsats undersöks berättelsers retoriska funktion i tidningen Situation Sthlm. Huvudsyftet är att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur berättelserna i tidningen bidrar till att uppnå tidningens publicistiska målsättning. I det ingår det underordnade syftet att undersöka om och i sådana fall hur berättelserna bidrar till att skapa identifikation hos läsarna. Materialet består av sex stycken berättelser som är tagna ur olika nummer av tidningen och samtliga berättelser handlar om hemlösa människor som själva är försäljare av tidningen. Uppsatsen bygger på teorier om vad en berättelse är, berättelsers retoriska funktion samt teorier om identifikation. Analyserna är gjorda efter Sonja K. Foss modell för narrativ analys om än i något reviderade version då inte alla analyskategorier som finns med i originalmodellen används i uppsatsen. Uppsatsen visar på att samtliga berättelser har potential att skapa identifikation och att bidra till den publicistiska målsättningen i någon mån men de berättelser som har potential att engagera flest läsare är de som är specifika på flera olika nivåer. Detta uppnås dels genom att ge detaljerade beskrivningar av miljöer och dels genom att karaktärerna skildras på ett mångdimensionellt och nyanserat sätt i kombination med att deras handlingar upplevs som motiverade och begripliga. Även användandet av topiker är centralt för att uppnå det retoriska syftet. Genom att vissa av berättelserna erbjuder läsarna flera olika topiker (mentala mötesplatser) minskar risken att vissa läsargrupper exkluderas. / This Bachelor thesis investigates the rhetorical function of stories published in the Stockholm based street newspaper, Situation Sthlm. The main purpose of the study is to investigate if, and in such a case how, the stories aid in obtaining the goals set by the newspaper with regards to their publishing criteria. A subordinate purpose to that is to investigate if, and in such a case how, the stories aid in creating a sense of identification for the readers. The materials used, include six stories retrieved from several different issues of Situation Sthlm, and in common each story depicts a homeless person who works as a vendor for the street newspaper. The thesis utilizes several different theories aimed at describing the concept of stories, the rhetorical function of stories as well as theories regarding the concept of identification. The model for narrative analysis established by Sonja K. Foss, has been applied for the analyses performed in this study, the model has however been slightly reduced due to the exclusion of certain categories that are included in the original model. It is concluded in this thesis that the six stories analyzed all have the potential of creating a sense of identification for the reader and that they, to an extent, contribute to the newspaper’s publishing criteria. Nevertheless, the stories that have the potential of capturing the largest amount of readers are those that include several different levels of specificity. This is partially achieved through highly detailed descriptions of the milieus in which the story takes place and partially through highly nuanced and multi-dimensional character portrayals in combination with creating an essence of the character’s actions as being well motivated and comprehendible. The usage of topos is also crucial in order to achieve the rhetorical aims in the stories analyzed. By offering an array of topos (fictional meeting places), which was the case for some of the stories, there is a reduced risk of excluding certain categories of readers.

ABSTRACT EFFECTIVENESS OF CONCEPTUAL CHANGE INSTRUCTION ON OVERCOMING STUDENTS&#039 / MISCONCEPTIONS OF ELECTRIC FIELD, ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND ELECTRIC POTENTIAL ENERGY AT TENTH GRADE LEVEL VATANSEVER, Orhan MS, Department of Secondary Science and Mathematics Education Supervisor: Dr. Mehmet Sancar December 2006, 107 pages The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the conceptual change text based instruction over traditionally designed physics instruction to overcome tenth grade students&amp / #8217 / misconceptions on electric field, electric potential and electric potential energy concepts. To provide conceptual change, conceptual change texts (CCT) were developed by the researcher. An Electric Potential and Electric Potential Energy Concept Test (EPEPECT) which consists of 10-items was developed and used to examine students&amp / #8217 / probable misconceptions. Physics Attitude Scale (PATS) was administered to the students to obtain valid information concerning how conceptual change text based instruction effect students&amp / #8217 / attitudes toward physics. The subjects of this study included two tenth grade level classes from TED Ankara College Private High School in Ankara, Turkey, and a total of 37 students&amp / #8217 / scores were used for the statistical analysis. Students from one of the classes that were randomly assigned participated in traditional instruction and referred as the control group. Students from the other class participated in CCT based instruction and referred as the experimental group. EPEPECT and PATS had been administrated to both groups on two different occasions as pretest and posttest. According to the results of the study, statistically significant differences were found between conceptual change instruction and traditional method. Students taught with CCI showed a better scientific conception related to electric field, electric potential and electric potential energy and elimination of misconceptions than the students taught with traditionally designed physics instruction (TDPI). However, CCI did not increase the students&amp / #8217 / attitudes toward physics as school subject more than TDPI did. That is, conceptual change instruction was not effective in improving positive attitudes toward physics.

In this dissertation, we describe a novel method that we call Diffusing Colloidal Probe Microscopy (DCPM), which integrates Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRM) and Video Microscopy (VM) methods to monitor three dimensional trajectories in colloidal ensembles levitated above macroscopic surfaces. TIRM and VM are well established optical microscopy techniques for measuring normal and lateral colloidal excursions near macroscopic planar surfaces. The interactions between particle-particle and particle-substrate in colloidal interfacial systems are interpreted by statistical analyses from distributions of colloidal particles; dynamic properties of colloidal assembly are also determined from particle trajectories. Our studies show that DCPM is able to detect many particle-surface interactions simultaneously and provides an ensemble average measurement of particle-surface interactions on a homogeneous surface to allow direct comparison of distributed and average properties. A benefit of ensemble averaging of many particles is the diminished need for time averaging, which can produce orders of magnitude faster measurement times at higher interfacial particle concentrations. The statistical analyses (Ornstein- Zernike and three dimensional Monte Carlo analyses) are used to obtain particle-particle interactions from lateral distribution functions and to understand the role of nonuniformities in interfacial colloidal systems. An inconsistent finding is the observation of an anomalous long range particle-particle attraction and recovery of the expected DLVO particle-wall interactions for all concentrations examined. The possible influence of charge heterogeneity and particle size polydispersity on measured distribution functions is discussed in regard to inconsistent particle-wall and particle-particle potentials. In the final part of this research, the ability of DCPM is demonstrated to map potential energy landscapes on patterned surfaces by monitoring interactions between diffusing colloidal probes with Au pattern features. Absolute separation is obtained from theoretical fits to measured potential energy profiles and direct measurement by sticking silica colloids to Au surfaces via electrophoretic deposition. Initial results indicate that, as colloidal probe and pattern feature dimensions become comparable, measured potential energy profiles suffer some distortion due to the increased probability of probes interacting with surfaces at the edges of adjacent pattern features. Measurements of lateral diffusion via analysis of mean square displacements also indicated lateral diffusion coefficients in excellent agreement with rigorous theoretical predictions.

Kern der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Anwendung quantenchemischer Methoden auf Probleme der elektrochemischen Katalyse vor dem Hintergrund der Sauerstoffreduktion, wie sie an kohlenstoffgeträgerten Platinkatalysatoren abläuft. In diesem Zusammenhang werden die Stabilität des Katalysatorsystems und der Mechanismus der Sauerstoffreduktion untersucht, sowie ein Algorithmus zur Berechnung von Molekülen unter einem gegebenen Potential vorgestellt. Zuerst werden die Wechselwirkungen von Platinnanopartikeln mit polyzyklischen Aromaten als Modellverbindungen des Katalysatormaterials untersucht. Weiterhin wird untersucht, wie Modifikationen des Kohlenstoffträgers und variierende Größe des Platinsystems diese Wechselwirkungen beeinflussen. Weiterhin beschäftigt sich diese Arbeit mit dem Reaktionsmechanismus der Sauerstoffreduktion. Zu diesem Zweck wird das Zersetzungsverhalten von H2O2 als mögliches Intermediat der Sauerstoffreduktion an Platinoberflächen untersucht. Weiterhin wird geprüft, inwieweit dem Elektrolyten hinzugefügte Ionen die Zersetzungsreaktionen beeinflussen. Abschließend werden Rückschlüsse auf den Reaktionspfad der Sauerstoffreduktion gezogen. Zuletzt wird ein theoretischer Ansatz zur Berechnung von Systemen im Rahmen der Dichtefunktionaltheorie vorgestellt, bei dem nicht die Anzahl der Elektronen, sondern das elektrochemische Potential vorgegeben ist und die Elektronenzahl potentialabhängig modifiziert wird. Ebenso wird die Relevanz von Rechnungen mit konstantem Potential demonstriert.

Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) is a low-carbon fuel source that is derived from the anaerobic digestion (AD) or thermal gasification (TG) of biomass, or produced using renewable electricity through the methanation of carbon dioxide. This thesis uses a thermodynamic balance to determine the total technical potential of RNG in the United States, as well as the future technical potential of methanation-derived RNG based on growth curves for renewable electricity. Furthermore, this work establishes an analytic decision-making framework for determining on a rolling basis, from an economic standpoint, whether to sell electricity directly to the grid, or produce and sell methanation-derived RNG. This framework is used to establish the economic potential of RNG, based on Texas wind resources. This work details the formulation of a model that determines which production option generates more marginal profit, based on fluctuating electricity and gas prices. The model also aggregates the total amount of electricity and RNG sold, assuming that the main objective is to maximize the marginal profit of integrated wind- and methanation facilities. This work concludes that the annual technical potential of methanation-derived RNG nationally was 1.03 Quads in 2011. The technical potential of biomass-derived RNG was 9.5 Quads. Thus, the total 2011 technical potential of RNG in the United States was 10.5 Quads, or equal to roughly 43% of the total US consumption of natural gas that year. Assuming a constant, 80% electrolyser efficiency, the technical potential of methanation-derived RNG is expected to rise at an average rate of 1.4% per year, following growth curves for renewable power, until the year 2040, when it will be 1.54 Quads. The 2011 economic potential of methanation-derived RNG in Texas was between 2.06×10⁷ MMBTU and 3.19×10⁷ MMBTU, or between 19.4% and 30.1% of the corresponding annual technical potential. Furthermore, the total marginal profit increase from introducing the option of producing and selling methanation-derived RNG was around $366 million, given a ‘best case scenario’ for the state of Texas. / text

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