Nutrient availability regulates eukaryotic cell growth. This study focuses on two signaling pathways, involved in sensing amino acids and carbon sources, which allow cells to respond appropriately to their presence. The first part of this study shows that Ssy1, a plasma membrane localized sensor in the Ssy1-Ptr3-Ssy5 (SPS) amino acid sensing pathway, can detect 19 common L-amino acids with different potencies and affinities based on the physiochemical structure of amino acids. Substituents around alpha carbon are critical for amino acid sensing by Ssy1. Furthermore, a high concentration of cysteine is toxic to cells. Inactivation of SPS signaling confers resistance to cysteine. The second part focuses on the regulation of Hap4, the regulatory subunit of the Hap2/3/4/5 transcriptional factor complex. Many components of the 25-subunit Mediator complex negatively regulate HAP4 expression. Srb8 undergoes post-translational modification in response to changes of the carbon source. Gal11 and Med3 positively regulate HAP4 expression.

Manlio Brosio è stato l’unico italiano a ricoprire il ruolo di Segretario Generale della NATO, il quarto in carica dalla fondazione dell’Alleanza, per sette lunghi anni (1964-’71). Durante gli anni della sua guida, l’Alleanza Atlantica dovette fronteggiare alcune fra le più cruciali sfide, a cominciare dal ritiro della Francia gaullista. Da quel momento di potenziale crisi si originarono tuttavia due differenti processi: la riorganizzazione e il trasferimento delle sedi NATO da Parigi a Bruxelles, e, soprattutto, il ripensamento politico dell’Alleanza, a mezzo dello studio che prese il nome di “Esercizio Harmel”. Brosio stesso confessava i propri dubbi circa la capacità della NATO di “sopravvivere alla détente”, a cominciare dai pensieri e timori puntualmente affidati ai suoi diari. Dopo aver tracciato l’evoluzione del pensiero brosiano, intrecciata alla sua carriera diplomatica, la tesi si focalizza poi sull’esame di come il torinese abbia affrontato il ruolo di Segretario Generale, “con coscienza atlantica e cuore italiano”. Instancabile nel suo lavoro, traghettò l’Alleanza in salvo dalla crisi, con una fine ricerca del consenso politico all’interno del Consiglio Atlantico. Con metodo e serietà che gli furono ampiamente riconosciuti, fu in grado di evitare che l’Alleanza “mantenesse il proprio guscio ma perdesse la sostanza”. / Manlio Brosio was the only Italian NATO Secretary General; he was the fourth in charge, from August 1964 through September 1971, his office being one of the longest so far. During Brosio’s seven-year term, the Atlantic Alliance had to face some of the most crucial challenges since its foundation, the first being the withdrawal of the Gaullist France from the military integrated structure, in 1966. Two different processes originated from that moment of potential crisis: the reorganisation and transferral of the NATO Headquarters from Paris to Brussels, and the political rethinking of the Alliance as a whole, through the study which goes under the name of Harmel Report. Projecting the Alliance on the new international framework of improved East-West relations, the Secretary General himself was reflecting upon the key-question “Will NATO survive détente?”; indeed, in his personal diaries (all now published) Brosio revealed his own doubts, fears and sense of inadequacy for the tasks ahead. Having retraced the evolution of Brosio’s political thought and career, the work then focuses on how he approached his difficult position, always honouring his “Atlantic conscience alongside an Italian heart”. Untiring in his work, he steered the Alliance through and out of the potential crisis, always striving to reach consensus in any decision taken during the Council meetings; his seriousness and meticulous method have been widely acknowledged. He finally managed to preserve the fundamental “political ingredient” of the Alliance and to avoid that it “maintain its shell but lose its essence”.

Der internationale Agrarhandel ist zunehmend durch Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards bestimmt. Standards definieren Regeln und Konditionen der Teilnahme an Wertschöpfungsketten und führen dadurch zu einer Umverteilung von Marktanteilen innerhalb dieser Wertschöpfungskette. Für einige Produzenten eröffnen Standards und Zertifizierungssysteme neue Vermarktungsmöglichkeiten, da sie den Zugang zu speziellen Marktsegmenten ermöglichen. Gleichzeitig aber ist der durch die zunehmend strengen Qualitätsstandards eingeleitete Prozess der Umverteilung begleitet von Marginalisierung und Marktausschluss. Dies geschieht, wenn bestimmte Produzenten die Anforderungen der standardisierten oder zertifizierten Produktion nicht erfüllen können. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit analysiert die in Wissenschaft und Politik wiederholt geäußerte Annahme, dass Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards ein spezielles Hindernis für den Marktzugang von Entwicklungsländern auf die Märkte der Industrieländer darstellen. Des Weiteren wird angenommen, dass in Entwicklungsländern insbesondere kleinere Produzenten Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards nicht erfüllen können und an der Marktteilnahme ausgeschlossen werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund geht die vorliegende Arbeit drei zentralen Fragen nach: a) in welcher Weise beeinflussen Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards die Marktanteile der Entwicklungsländer auf dem internationalen Agrarmarkt b) in welcher Weise wirken sich Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards speziell auf kleinbäuerliche Produzenten aus und c) welche Einflüsse entscheiden darüber, dass Produzenten Standards übernehmen oder nicht. Die Ergebnisse der Arbeit zeigen, dass sich die Marktanteile unterschiedlicher Entwicklungsländer unter dem Einfluss zunehmend strenger Nahrungsmittelsicherheits- und Qualitätsstandards sehr unterschiedlich entwickelt haben. Weiterhin deuten die Ergebnisse der Forschungsarbeit darauf hin, dass ein starkes staatliches Engagement und die Einbindung des Privatsektors sich positiv auf die Fähigkeit eines Landes auswirken, mit den neuen Marktanforderungen umzugehen, was dann zu einer positiven Entwicklung der Marktanteile führt. Des Weiteren zeigt sich, dass die kleinbäuerliche Produzenten aus theoretischer Perspektive durchaus einen komparativen Nachteil in der Anpassung an bestimmte Standards haben können, wenn die speziellen Eigenschaften kleinbäuerlicher Produktionssysteme in Betracht gezogen werden. Diese zeichnen sich unter anderem durch die Schwierigkeit aus, Informationen über Standards und Zertifizierungssysteme zu generieren und diese zu implementieren. Dennoch zeigt die im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit durchgeführte Fallstudie des marokkanischen Tomatensektors, dass die Größe der Produktion nur schwach mit den Anpassungskosten korreliert. Die Fallstudie macht deutlich, dass die Produzenten über die Anforderungen und Bedürfnisse der Käufer informiert sein müssen. Ergebnisse der Analyse zeigen, wie wichtig die vertikale Integration in die Wertschöpfungskette ist, um diese Informationen zu erhalten, da diese Informationen kaum horizontal zwischen den Produzenten kommuniziert werden. / The agricultural trading environment is increasingly determined by food safety and quality standards. Standards define the terms of chain membership, imply rules and conditions for participation, and hence lead to processes of (re)distribution within the chain. For some producers, standards may open up new opportunities as they permit market access to particular market segments. At the same time, the process of (re)distributing market shares is accompanied by marginalization and exclusion, as standards may impose prohibitively high barriers for certain producers in terms of the short-term and long-term efforts needed for production under certification. This thesis aims to have a closer look at the concern voiced by many researchers that food safety and quality standards establish a particular burden for exports from developing countries and, within the developing countries, for the small producers. Coming from this starting point the thesis aims to establish a detailed understanding of a) how developing countries` export shares are affected differently by food safety and quality standards, b) the particular impact of food safety and quality standards on small producers and c) the compliance decision process standards at the producer level. Results of the thesis show that developing countries are a heterogeneous group that shows various different tendencies regarding market share development under the impact of strengthening food standards. In addition, the analysis showed that “being small” in terms of export quantity at the country level does not necessarily lead to a negative impact of food safety and quality standards on the export share. Results of the analysis rather hint to the fact that a stronger involvement of the government and the private sector in SPS activities as well as a better communication structure within the country increase SPS capacity of a country and thus have a positive effect on a successful export performance. The same differentiated perspective is necessary to understand the impact of food safety and quality standards on small producers. On a theoretical basis small farmers could well have a comparative disadvantage in complying with quality standards owing to their specific endowments, which hamper their ability to acquire information on the standard and to implement it. However, empirical evidence of the Moroccan case study shows that farm size only correlates marginally with the cost or compliance. The survey rather shows how important the forward integration in the value chain is in order to understand the importance of food safety and quality standards for the marketing performance. To maintain market shares or even increase those in high quality markets, producers need information about the buyers’ requirements. Results of the survey show the importance of vertical coordination and direct information exchange between downstream actors, buyers and producers as information on buyer’s demands is rarely communicated horizontally amongst the farmers themselves.

Nouryon, formerly Akzo Nobel, is a world-leading manufacturer of particles. Already in the 70s, one part of Nouryon was founded in Stockvik where to this day still produce particles of the highest class. When the production of particles is classified under the chemical process industry, the manufacturing process consists of a number of raw materials mixed and reacting with each other in different vessels. Many of the chemicals used are harmful to human health and therefore Nouryon is constantly working to increase safety while at the same time a great focus is on streamlining the manufacturing process. The purpose of the work is to reduce the variation in the manufacturing process by analyzing a particular product family, working with tools based on statistics and historical data, and automatic inspection systems with the basis in camera technology. By reducing the variation, the proportion of First Time Right will increase, which in turn results in reduced costs that arise due to rework. It would also facilitate production planning, reduce downtime for subsequent processes and generally result in a generally more reliable process. By raising the root causes of the variation and addressing these with the help of tools that simplify the daily work, control of the process can be taken and the needs of the customers be ensured. To create an understanding of the chemical process, a current study of how different manufacturing steps were carried out. In addition to this, it was also investigated how the company is currently working on raising problems to the surface and in order to be able to determine how the work with the statistical tools and the inspection system could be fullfilled in the current conditions. The work resulted in a large amount of data that was the basis for a multivariate analysis, a number of proposals for future work and also two separate reports discusses with statistical process control and inspection systems with camera technology. Unfortunately, no quantitative results can be presented in the work because all results are based on actions taken in the longer term.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-10-02T15:15:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Albornoz Cutin_.pdf: 7029333 bytes, checksum: 4d860679c9aa06afa62aa8f896a6950d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-02T15:15:54Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Bruno Albornoz Cutin_.pdf: 7029333 bytes, checksum: 4d860679c9aa06afa62aa8f896a6950d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-23 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / O presente trabalho pretende ampliar o conhecimento relacionado ao desenvolvimento de habilidades sociais na infância, principalmente no que está nas capacidades do design. A fim de auxiliar os profissionais desta área a desenvolverem projetos com maior propriedade sobre o tema, buscou-se compreender como se dá o processo de projetar personagens que estimulem o desenvolvimento das HS e como projetar um SPS dessas personagens, nos quais todos elementos auxiliem nesse desenvolvimento. Foram pesquisados todos os temas considerados importantes para o desenvolvimento da atividade projetual (Design Estratégico e Sistema Produto Serviço / Personagem: Design e Construção / Brinquedos, Personagens e as Habilidades Sociais). O workshop foi realizado com profissionais das áreas de: design, psicologia e comunicação. As atividades foram elaboradas, coordenadas e avaliadas por um conselho. Ao final foram desenvolvidas duas personagens (Golf e Ploft) com seus respectivos SPS. / This paper aims to expand knowledge related to the development of social skills in childhood, especially on what is in the capabilities of the design. In order to assist professionals in this area to develop projects with greater ownership of the issue, we sought to understand how is the process of designing characters that encourage the development of Social Skills (SS) and how to design a PSS these characters, in which all elements assist in the SS development. It has been researched all issues considered important for the development of design activity / workshop (Strategic Design and Product System and Service / Character: Design and Construction / Toys, Character and Social Skills). The workshop was held with professionals in the areas of: design, psychology and communication. The activities were designed, coordinated and evaluated by a board. At the end it was developed two characters (Golf and Ploft) with their SPS.

Submitted by Maicon Juliano Schmidt (maicons) on 2015-05-25T13:46:35Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauro Vinicius Silva Rocha.pdf: 469448 bytes, checksum: 92a0600b9a0d76f6b2ef37af189fdc88 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-25T13:46:35Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mauro Vinicius Silva Rocha.pdf: 469448 bytes, checksum: 92a0600b9a0d76f6b2ef37af189fdc88 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-12-15 / Nenhuma / O presente estudo investiga alternativas para o aprimoramento do sistema produto-serviço. Um estudo de casos múltiplos abrangendo oito indústrias de grande porte, nacionais e multinacionais, dos setores químico e automotivo foi realizado. Nessas organizações foram analisados os problemas internos que influenciam o desempenho da prestação de serviços associada a produtos. Para cada problema identificado foram analisadas as alternativas de solução implantadas, ou passíveis de serem adotadas. Os resultados apontam para um conjunto de processos internos, os quais focalizam apenas a atenção às demandas advindas dos produtos. A consideração desses resultados desvelou um conjunto de elementos que precisam ser considerados para o aprimoramento do sistema produto-serviço. / The present study investigates alternatives for the improvement of product-service system. A multiple case study involving eight national and multinational companies, from chemical and automotive industries, was conducted. In these organizations the internal problems that affect the performance of the provision of services associated with the product were analyzed. For each problem identified alternatives implemented, or likely to be adopted solution were analyzed. The results point to a set of internal processes, which focus attention only to the demands from products. Consideration of these results unveiled a set of elements that need to be considered for the improvement of product-service system.

L'étude a pour objectif l'amélioration de la fiabilité des assemblages électroniques à travers la mise en œuvre de drains composites aluminium/fibres de carbone. Le travail a consisté à 1) modéliser, par la méthode des éléments finis, l'influence des propriétés thermiques et mécaniques du matériau de semelle sur l'assemblage életronique ; 2) élaborer (par frittage sous charge uniaxiale, frittage flash et extrusion à chaud) des matériaux composites aluminium/fibres de carbone ; et 3) lier les microstructures observées aux paramètres des procédés d'élaboration ainsi qu'aux propriétés thermiques et mécaniques mesurées.

<p>The aim of this study is to synthesize a material with high thermal conductivity and a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), useful as a heat sink. Carbon nanofibres (CNF) are first coated with copper by an electroless plating technique and then sintered to a solid sample by either spark plasma sintering (SPS) or hot pressing (HP). The final product is a carbon nanofibre reinforced copper composite. Two different fibre structures are considered: platlet (PL) and herringbone (HB). The influence of the amount of CNF reinforcement (6-24 %wt), on the thermal conductivity and CTE is studied. CNF has an excellent thermal conductivity in the direction along the fibre while it is poor in the transverse direction. The CTE is close to zero in the temperature range of interest. The adhesion of Cu to the CNF surface is in general poor and thus improving the the wetting of the copper by surface modifications of the fibres are of interest such that thermal gaps in the microstructure can be avoided. The poor wetting results in CNF agglomerates, resulting in an inhomogeneous microstructure. In this report a combination of three different types of surface modifications has been tested: (1) electroless deposition of copper was used to improve Cu impregnation of CNF; (2) heat treatment of CNF to improve wetting; and (3) introduction of a Cr buffer layer to further enhance wetting. The obtained composite microstructures are characterized in terms of chemical composition, grain size and degree of agglomeration. In addition their densities are also reported. The thermal properties were evaluated in terms of thermal diffusivity, thermal conductivity and CTE. Cr/Cu coated platelet fibres (6wt% of CNF reinforcement) sintered by SPS is the sample with the highest thermal conductivity, ~200 W/Km. The thermal conductivity is found to decrease with increasing content of CNFs.</p>

I cambiamenti verificatisi nel sistema internazionale nel corso degli ultimi anni hanno avuto una profonda incidenza sul dibattito teorico circa l'uso della forza e i conflitti armati. In particolare, il cambiamento che si è avuto nel warfare ha portato a concentrare l'attenzione su due aspetti particolari della guerra, ovvero la sua giustificazione morale e la relazione tra uso della forza e diritto internazionale. Inoltre, rispetto al passato, la fase successiva ai conflitti assume una rilevanza sempre maggiore. Scopo di questo lavoro è, quindi, da un lato analizzare la teoria della guerra giusta in relazione al diritto internazionale e alle sfide poste dall'attuale sistema internazionale, evidenziandone gli elementi teorici più problematici e, dall'altro, delineare gli elementi normativi necessari per una teoria della pace giusta. Se, infatti, la tradizione teorica relativa a ius ad bellum e ius in bello è ben consolidata, i problemi teorici ed empirici che si pongono circa lo ius post bellum sono nuovi e ancora senza risposta. Il lavoro cerca quindi di formulare gli elementi normativi che dovrebbero regolare lo ius post bellum affinché vengano soddisfatti i requisiti di giustizia post-conflittuale Infine, alla luce degli elementi teorici emersi sono stati analizzati tre conflitti che ben si prestano a valutare empiricamente la teoria della guerra giusta, ovvero il primo conflitto in Iraq del 1991, l'intervento in Kosovo del 1999 e il secondo conflitto in Iraq del 2003. / The changes occurred in the international system during the last decade had a deep influence on the theoretical debate about use of force and armed conflicts. In particular, changes in warfare focused attention on two different aspects of war its moral justifiability and the relation between the use of force and international law. Furthermore, the post-conflict phase is becoming more and more important. The aim of this work is twofold: on one hand, to analyse the relationship between Just War Theory and international law and the challenges raising from the new international system, underlining the most problematic aspects from a theoretical point of view. On the other hand, the aim is to sketch some normative elements of Just Peace Theory. If jus ad bellum and jus in bello theories are well-established, there are many theoretical and empirical problems related to jus post bellum Consequently, this work tries to advance some normative elements required to regulate jus post bellum in order to satisfy requirements of post-conflict justice. Finally, in the light of the elements arisen in the theoretical part of the work, three conflicts particularly relevant for Just War Theory are taken into account: the 1991 war in Iraq, the 1999 intervention in Kosovo e and the 2003 conflict in Iraq.

La conciliabilità lavorativa è un nodo complesso del nostro tempo, che fatica ad essere sciolto. Non si tratta di un problema individuale da risolvere a livello personale, quanto piuttosto di una tematica a rilevanza societaria che richiede pertanto un intreccio virtuoso di progettazione politica, intervento legislativo e misure aziendali a supporto. La questione tuttavia, non si gioca solo a livello istituzionale. Come mostrato dal presente lavoro di ricerca, infatti, lavoratori e le lavoratrici si trovano ad essere, in un quadro di generale incertezza, attori protagonisti di un lento e difficoltoso processo di trasformazione sociale e organizzativa che richiede un consenso unanime ed un accordo trasversale, pena la sua incompiutezza e contraddittorietà. Da qui l'importanza di chiarire e mettere in luce le differenti, e a volte contrapposte, valenze che il tema assume tra i diversi protagonisti del mondo del lavoro e mostrare come le relazioni personali e lavorative, familiari e di coppia, intervengano nella definizione e nell'utilizzo delle misure di conciliazione. / Work-life integration is a complicated knot of our society, difficult to be undone. It is not a personal problem to be solved individually; rather it is a social issue and therefore needs a coherent mix of policy, legislation, organizational measures. Anyway the institutional level is not enough. Actually, as this work shows, men and women are the main characters of a slow and tough process of social and organizational change that requires the agreement of all the parties concerned. Thus it is important to make clear the different, and sometimes contrary, meanings of work-life integration among subjects acting in the labour market and to show how family, gender and labour relationships affect the definition and usage of work-life balance benefits.