In vorangegangenen Arbeiten im eigenen Arbeitskreis wurden sensitive Hydrogelpartikel im mm- und μm-Bereich synthetisiert. Die Reaktion dieser Gele auf Änderung des einwirkenden Stimulus war jedoch nicht schnell genug für die gewünschten Anwendungen in Mikroventilen. Die verwendeten Polymere waren statistische Copolymere aus einem Chromophor (DMIAAm) und einem sensitiven Monomer (NIPAAm) und wiesen daher sehr breite Molmassenverteilungen auf. Mit Hilfe des Chromophores wurde es möglich, Hydrogele im Submikrometerbereich zu synthetisieren. Bei der Vernetzung dieser Polymere mit UVBestrahlung musste immer ein Tensid (SDS) zugesetzt werden, um die Bildung kleiner Aggregate zu unterstützen und gleichzeitig die Bildung großer zu unterdrücken. Ein solches Tensid kann die Anwendung dieser Hydrogele in bestimmten Bereichen, wie in der Medizin, verhindern. Es sollen daher tensidfrei Hydrogele synthetisiert werden. Für die Vernetzung sollte auf die photochemische Variante mit DMIAAm als Chromophor zurückgegriffen werden. Als Ausgangspolymere wären Di- bzw. Triblockcopolymere denkbar, die in wässriger Lösung zu einer Mizellbildung neigen. Aus den oben genannten Problemen ergab sich die folgende Zielstellung für die Arbeit. Es sollten sensitive Hydrogelpartikel erzeugt werden, die in der Lage sind, schnell auf eine Änderung der Temperatur zu reagieren. Eine kurze Reaktionszeit ist nur von Gelpartikeln mit kleinen Dimensionen im nm-Bereich zu erwarten. Weiterhin sollen diese Partikel mit einer Hülle umgeben werden, die für eine Stabilisierung sorgt und die Bildung größerer Aggregate unterbindet. Die Hülle muss so beschaffen sein, dass die Volumenänderung des sensitiven Blocks nicht beeinflusst wird. In dieser Dissertation wurde die kontrollierte radikalische Polymerisation von Acrylaten und Acrylamiden untersucht. Als Methode kam die Reversible-Addition-Fragmentation-chain-Transfer (RAFT) Polymerisation zum Einsatz. Die RAFT wurde gewählt, weil diese im Gegensatz zur ATRP metallionenfrei verläuft und die NMRP nicht für Acrylate geeignet ist. Bei den RAFT-Polymerisationen der verschiedenen Monomere wurden vier unterschiedliche Kettenüberträger verwendet (Schema 33) und folgende Ergebnisse erhalten. Als Lösungsmittel kam 1,4-Dioxan in den Polymerisationen zum Einsatz.

Magistro darbe tiriama ekologinės ir įprastinės žemdirbystės plėtra Dovinės upės baseino Simno, Krosnos ir Igliaukos seniūnijų agrarinėse teritorijose. Darbo tikslas: Įvertinti įprastinės ir ekologinės gamybos ūkių skaičiaus kitimo tendencijas Simno, Krosnos ir Igliaukos seniūnijose. Darbo objektas: Simno, Krosnos ir Igliaukos seniūnijų ekologinės ir įprastinės gamybos ūkiai. Darbo metodai: Mokslinės literatūros analizė, dokumentų analizės metodas, duomenų grupavimas, statistiniai metodai, grafinis vaizdavimas. Darbo rezultatai: Tyrimų rezultatai parodė, kad įprastinės ir ekologinės gamybos ūkių skaičius Simno, Krosnos ir Igliaukos seniūnijose per 2008 metus mažėjo: įprastinės 9,6 procento, ekologinės 14,2 proc. Mažėjimo priežastis - ūkininkaujančių amžiaus didėjimas, nuosavybės į žemę perleidimas kitiems asmenims, pasitraukimas iš prekinės žemės ūkio gamybos. Pagal ES Nitratų direktyva gyvulių skaičius 1 ha turi būti nedidesnis negu 1,7 SG. Išnagrinėjus laikomų gyvulių skaičių nagrinėtose seniūnijose 1 ha vidutiniškai tenka 0,35 - 0,49 sąlyginio gyvulio (SG). Lyginant 2008 metų ir 2007 metų duomenis, sąlyginių gyvulių skaičius tenkantis 1 ha Igliaukos ir Krosnos seniūnijose turi tendenciją mažėti. Igliaukos, Krosnos ir Simno seniūnijos ūkiuose pasėlių struktūroje daugėja javų, o daugiamečių žolių mažėja. Ši tendencija kelia rūpestį dėl galimos agrarinės apkrovos didėjimo Dovinės upės baseine. / Master thesis analyzed ecological and traditional farming development in the Dovines basin Simno, Krosnos and Igliaukos agrarian regions. Aim of the work: to evaluate tendencies of quantity changes in traditional and ecological production farms in Simnas, Krosna and Igliauka regions. Object of the work: ecological and usual farming in Simnas, Krosna and Igliauka districts. Methods: Scientific literature content analysis and synthesis, logical abstracts, sample survey, data grouping, method of statistical analysis, graphic presentation. Results: Research results revealed that number of traditional and ecological production farms in Simno, Krosnos and Igliaukos regions decreased during 2008. Traditional farms decreased 9,6 percent, ecological farms 14, 4 percent. Reduce reasons -farmers' aging, surrender of property to other persons and recession from merchant agriculture production. According to EU Nitrates Directive, the amount of livestock in 1 hectare can not be higher than 1,7 of conditional animal. After evaluation of livestock amount in Simno, Krosnos and Igliaukos regions, it was perceived that in 1 hectare are approximately 0, 35 - 0, 49 of conditional animal. While comparing 2007 and 2008 data, the amount of conditional animals in 1 ha had the tendency to decrease. The amount of corns is growing in crops structure in Simno, Krosnos and Igliaukos regions. Although the quantity of perennial herbs decreasing. This tendency is posing an issue about possible increase of... [to full text]

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<p>Heterogeneous school communities are becoming more apparent under local and global conditions. A school community is more diverse and similar, not only racially but also in respect of&nbsp / economic, cultural, national and ethnic identities. Schools would require leaders who are mindful of the need for conflict sensitivity and social reconciliation within a globalising&nbsp / classroom.Through the lens of critical constructivism, I investigated the extent to which a higher education institution achieved the aims of the ACE in School Leadership, a continuing&nbsp / professional development programme. I relied upon a qualitative research approach to gather rich descriptive data from interviews conducted with nine school leaders who had graduated from the ACE School Leadership programme. The Literature Review is based on readings regarding critical constructivism, globalisation, conflict‐sensitivity and reconciliation.I found that the&nbsp / programme expanded the school leaders&rsquo / basic knowledge about conflict sensitivity and social reconciliation, but not sufficiently in terms of developing a critical consciousness to deal with&nbsp / conflict effectively. I concluded that conflict‐sensitive schools required school leaders that produced knowledge critically through a rigorous process of engagement and reflection. The ACE School Leadership programme had limitations in the extent to which it could prepare and equip school leaders in this regard.</p>

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Högkänslighet, eller så kallad sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS), har beskrivits som ett personlighetsdrag där individen bearbetar sensorisk information på ett djupare och starkare sätt än personer som inte är högkänsliga. Syftet med den aktuella studien var att, med hjälp av självskattningsformuläret ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), undersöka högkänslighet mot skattningar av naturen (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), grubbleri (RRQ-Rumination) och självreflektion (RRQ-Reflection), subjektivt välbefinnande (WHO) och upplevelser av mindfulness (MAAS). Undersökningen skedde via en webb-baserad enkät och omfattade 213 deltagare. Resultatet visade att individer som är mer högkänsliga värderar naturen högre, samt grubblar och reflekterar mer kring sig själva, än mindre högkänsliga personer. Inga signifikanta skillnader förelåg mellan grupperna vad gäller mindfulness eller välbefinnande. Resultatet tyder på att både en interaktion med naturen och mindfulness kan vara gynnsamt för högkänsliga individer. Denna studie kan utgöra en startpunkt för framtida forskning, där experimentella studier med upprepad mätning kan genomföras för att undersöka naturens roll för högkänsliga personer. / Sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) has been described as a personality trait where the individual process sensory information in a deeper and stronger way than people who are not highly sensitive. The aim of the present study was to, with the self-assessment form ”the Highly Sensitive Person Scale” (HSP), examine sensory-processing sensitivity against evaluations of nature (NR, NR-Self, NR-Perspective, NR-Experience), rumination (RRQ-Rumination) and self-reflection (RRQ-Reflection), subjective well-being (WHO) and experiences of mindfulness (MAAS). The survey was done through a web-based questionnaire and included 213 participants. The results showed that individuals who are more highly sensitive value nature higher, and also ruminate and reflect more on themselves, than people who are less highly sensitive. No significant differences existed between the groups concerning mindfulness or subjective well-being. The results suggest that both an interaction with nature and mindfulness can be favourable for highly sensitive persons. This study can serve as a starting point for future research, where experimental studies with repeated measures can be conducted to investigate the role of nature for highly sensitive persons.

Cell-surface engineering has been attracting increased interest in the field of biotechnology, tissue engineering, cell therapy, or biosensors/bioelectronics. Thin nanocoatings or sometimes referred as nanoshells allow for modifying and controlling variety of cell properties, specifically retardation of cell division or growth, masking immunological properties, providing chemical and mechanical resistance to external stressors, and ability to further functionalize shells in order to guide cells attachment, their proliferation and function in artificial environment. Bottom-up approach, utilizing layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly of wide variety of different components (synthetic and natural polyelectrolytes, nanoparticles, and other nano-structures) has been introduced and elaborated to modify cell surfaces. Despite successful examples of the LbL-based cell encapsulation with polyelectrolytes, cytotoxicity of their polycation components possesses severe limitations for this approach. Additionally, by constructing rigid non-permeable shells can suppress the essential properties of cells. In this view, the goal of this research is to explore the formation of cyto-compatible ultrathin coatings from synthetic and natural polymers through utilization of non-cationic counterparts, with possibility to actively control cell division, provide protection from external environment, and temper shell properties in order to elicit or change specific cell response.

The major human activities that have transformed the Earth include agriculture and urbanization. The present study was conducted to contribute to a description of the effect on birds of urbanization and agriculture in an Indian region. Terrestrial bird assemblages were censused along a five-stage urbanisation gradient between January and April 2010-2013 near the city of Amravati, on the Deccan Plateau, Central India. Altogether, 89 species of birds were recorded, with the highest species richness in the rural areas (67 species) and lowest in the urban stage (29 species). The assemblages were significantly nested in all the five stages. Maximum cumulative species abundance (12 399 individuals over four years) was found in the urban stage, and was due to the constant presence of large groups of Rose-ringed Parakeets (Psittacula krameri). The lowest bird abundance was found in the industrial zone (4837 in total), where there was also a nearly two-fold decrease from 2010 to 2013. Thirty-six species demonstrated significant variation in their densities at least in one stage and between at least two months (p&lt;0.05). Densities of 13.9% (n=5) of those species varied significantly in two stages, that of Copsychus saularis in three stages, and of Phoenicurus ochruros, in all five stages. Urban, suburban, periurban and forest stages were characterised by relatively stable species densities (significant changes observed only for 17.2% (n=5), 17.1% (n=6), 12.9% (n=7), and 17.8% (n=16) species, respectively). The additive diversity partitioning indicated that of the overall diversity (gamma-diversity), alpha diversity (within transects located within one stage) contributed 50.1% to the total diversity, and the controbution of within-stage variability was small (2.7%). Additionally, censuses on cultivated fields were taken. In two areas under mixed cropping systems, 53 bird species were identified in the two years period between June and December, 2011 and 2012. Out of the 53 detected species, only 14 were common (recorded at ≥50% of visits). Twenty-one species were recorded at Zadgaon in crops of tur (Cajanus cajan), cotton (Gossypium arboreum) and soybean (Glycine max). Nineteen species were recorded at Bhankhed in jawar (Sorghum bicolor), cotton and mung bean (Phaseolus aureus). At Zadgaon, territorial activity was observed in four species: the House Sparrow (Passer domesticus), Jungle Babbler (Turdoides striata), Yellow-eyed Babbler (Chrysomma sinense) and Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus). The study indicated that four bird species were found under high risk, thirteen species at medium risk and eight species at low risk due to pesticide applications in croplands. The extent of crop damage in fields of groundnut, pearl millet, peas, sorghum, and sunflower was assessed by doing actual field censuses. The sustainable solution for reducing crop damage is a need for the farmers and such techniques will help to avoid direct or indirect effects of use of lethal bird control techniques on bird species diversity. / <p>QC 20141022</p>

The purpose of this study was to develop an economic career choice instrument for grade 121earners, which conforms with the requirements of cultural fairness, validity and reliability. The various facets of adolescent development were analysed from the literature. Self-knowledge (identity) and career knowledge were analysed from various theoretical perspectives. The various facets of adolescent development had a direct influence on the career choice of learners. These facets served as a basis for the development of the different sections for the career choice instrument. In the empirical study a survey was conducted involving 321 grade 12 learners randomly selected from secondary schools in the Potchefstroom region. These learners completed the newly developed instrument. The reliability of the career choice instrument was determined by using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. Factor analysis were used to determine the validity of each section of the instrument. In order to determine whether the career choice instrument was culturally fair, a series of one-way ANOVAS, followed by Tukey tests were performed, whereafter effect sizes were determined. In the study good reliability indices were obtained for all sections of the measuring instrument. The reliability indices obtained from the Cronbach Alpha Coefficients, coincided relatively well with the reliability indices obtained for the MB-10 (Meyer Interest Questionnaire), the Jung Personality questionnaire and the LISRES-Y. Concerning the cultural aspect, the different race groups, white, black and coloured learners, differed significantly in respect of social development and values. Recommendations for further research for the use of the instrument in teaching practice are formulated from the research results, in particular with reference to the designing of a career choice instrument. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001

The purpose of this study was to develop an economic career choice instrument for grade 121earners, which conforms with the requirements of cultural fairness, validity and reliability. The various facets of adolescent development were analysed from the literature. Self-knowledge (identity) and career knowledge were analysed from various theoretical perspectives. The various facets of adolescent development had a direct influence on the career choice of learners. These facets served as a basis for the development of the different sections for the career choice instrument. In the empirical study a survey was conducted involving 321 grade 12 learners randomly selected from secondary schools in the Potchefstroom region. These learners completed the newly developed instrument. The reliability of the career choice instrument was determined by using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. Factor analysis were used to determine the validity of each section of the instrument. In order to determine whether the career choice instrument was culturally fair, a series of one-way ANOVAS, followed by Tukey tests were performed, whereafter effect sizes were determined. In the study good reliability indices were obtained for all sections of the measuring instrument. The reliability indices obtained from the Cronbach Alpha Coefficients, coincided relatively well with the reliability indices obtained for the MB-10 (Meyer Interest Questionnaire), the Jung Personality questionnaire and the LISRES-Y. Concerning the cultural aspect, the different race groups, white, black and coloured learners, differed significantly in respect of social development and values. Recommendations for further research for the use of the instrument in teaching practice are formulated from the research results, in particular with reference to the designing of a career choice instrument. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2001