The doctoral thesis is aimed at research of application possibilities of low-temperature co-fired ceramics, especially its non-conventional usage. It deals with particular topics ensue from electronic chips package design. The thesis also touches optoelectronic sensor application of this ceramics.

This thesis is focused on the effect of plasmatic oxidation of carbon working electrode on its electrochemical response. In the theoretical part, the thesis describes thick film technology, working carbon electrodes, cyclic voltammetry, contact angle measurement and plasma. Experimental part is dedicated to characterization of plasma modified electrode. Results are compare with unmodified electrodes.

Le bulbe Galactique, est cruciale pour comprendre les processus physiques responsables de la formationde la galaxie. L'étude spectroscopique des étoiles vieilles de faible masse permettre de caractériser endétail la chimie et la cinématique du bulbe. Dans cette thèse, nous avons utilisé des données provenantdu Gaia-ESO survey pour mener une étude détaillée du système du disque ainsi que du bulbeGalactique. La distribution de métallicité du bulbe est bimodale. La population riche en métaux montreune cinématique typique de la barre. Elle présente une caractéristique de double RC et recouvre laséquence du disque mince à haute métallicité dans le plan [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H]. Nous associons cesétoiles avec celles de la barre formée à la suite de l'évolution séculaire du disque mince primordial.D'autre part, la population pauvre en métaux présente une cinématique chaude et ne participe pas à laforme en X du bulbe. Ces étoiles semblent imiter la distribution de celles du disque épais dans le plan[Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H]. Quand nous comparons la position en métallicité du genou de cette distribution,qui se trouve à [Fe/H]=-0.37+/-0.09 dex, elle est plus élevée de 0.6 dex par rapport au disque épais. Unmodèle d'évolution chimique permet de bien ajuster cette distribution pour les étoiles du bulbe ensupposant un épisode de formation stellaire rapide (<1 Gyr) et intense. L'origine du bulbe pauvre enmétaux reste encore relativement incomprise, mais divers projets futurs devraient permettre de faire ladistinction entre les processus violents ou ceux liés à une évolution séculaire qui ont pu contribuer à saformation / The Galactic bulge, as a massive and old Galactic component, is key to understand the physicalprocesses responsibles for the formation of the Galaxy. The spectroscopic study of long lived low massstars represents an opportunity to characterize the detailed chemical and kinematical patterns of theeventual mix of stellar populations building up the bulge. In this thesis we made use of data comingfrom the Gaia-ESO survey to conduct a detailed analysis of the disk system as well as bulge stellarpopulations. The bulge metallicity distribution function is bimodal. The metal-rich population exhibitsbar-like kinematics, displays the double RC feature and overlaps the metal-rich end of the thin disksequence in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane. We associate these stars with the bar X-shape bulge formedas the product of secular evolution of the early thin disk. On the other hand, the metal-poor populationpresents isotropic hot kinematics and does not participate in the X-shaped bulge. When compared to thethick disk, bulge stars seem to mimic their distribution in the [Mg/Fe] vs. [Fe/H] plane. Whencomparing the metallicity position of the so called ``knee'', that of the bulge is found to be at [Fe/H]=-0.37+/-0.09 dex, being 0.6 dex higher than that of the thick disk. A chemical evolution model suitablyfits the whole bulge sequence by assuming a fast (<1 Gyr) intense burst of star formation taking place atearly epochs. The origin of the metal-poor bulge still remains unconstrained, but further research shouldallow to distinguish between violent processes or secular evolution for its origin

The subject of this master thesis is the tradition of creating human - made water springs and caring for them in the research area of protected landscape areas Kysuce (in Slovakia) and Beskydy (in Czech Republic). Both areas are characterized by the occurrence of numerous natural springs of water. People from both places have been enhancing surroundings of these springs for a long time. The creation and care of these objects have become over time a form of tradition, coupled with respect for water and nature as a whole. The aim of the thesis is to identify the shift in this tradition and what it signalizes to people. It is also about bringing the context of changes in traditions with global climate change and with changes in the human relationship and management of landscape. In order to analyze this problem, the methods characteristic for the qualitative type of research were used, such as interviews and observation, which were subsequently evaluated by means of a framework analysis. The work is a kind of microetnographic study that deals with a close group of people who are carying for such water springs in mentioned research areas. Key words: water springs, landscape memory, invention of tradition, global climate change, nature protection, thick description, Beskydy, Kysuce

Venezuela faces today an unprecedented social and political collapse that extends beyond the critical economy and the violence; a deadly combination of severe shortages of food and medicine which makes it extraordinarily difficult for most Venezuelans to obtain essential medical care and the adequate minimal nutritional intake to ensure survival. The primary concern of this research is to answer the question of how do visual representations of Venezuela’s humanitarian disaster elucidate the deterioration of the quality of life of its younger citizens? This study aims to examine and better understand the effects and implications of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis on its citizenry through the use of photography as a method of qualitative research, by paying particular attention to young Venezuelans and their role as social and political agents. The study of young people’s reali- ties through photographs provides an unique opportunity to appraise and comprehend real processes of social exchange; the ways in which visual images can be understood differently by different sub- jects in different socio-cultural spheres in the context of a humanitarian disaster. However, in order to enlarge the possibilities of conventional empirical research and withstand the intrinsic subjectivi- ty of qualitative research, these visual representations were inserted into photo-interviews. Both the photographs and the photo-interviews of this study were analysed and interpreted by using the ana- lytical approach of thick description. In this regard, this dissertation seeks to examine the length and complexity of an emergency situation by seeking to raise awareness and procure critical understanding about the colossal dimension of Venezuelan’s humanitarian crisis and its disastrous consequences on more than 30 million people.

Evaporation is a key process for the water exchange between soil and atmosphere, it is controlled by the internal water fluxes and surface vapor fluxes. The focus of this thesis is to visualize and quantify the multiphase flow processes during evaporation from porous media. The retained liquid films in surface roughness (thick-film flow) and angular corners (corner flow) have been found to facilitate and dominate evaporation. Using the representative 2D micromodels (artificial pore networks) with different surface roughness and pore structures, this thesis gives visualizations of the corner and thick-film flow during the evaporation process, presents the enhanced hydraulic continuity by corner and thick-film flow, and tests the validity of the SSC-model which assumes corner flow is dominant for the mass transport during evaporation. Surface roughness and wettability are proved both experimentally and theoretically to play a key role for the time and temperature behaviors of the evaporation process, besides, this thesis shows that for a consistent description of the time-dependent mass loss and the geometry of the corner/thick-film flow region, the fractality of the evaporation front must be taken into account.

Sötvattensmusslor av ordningen unionoida är en av världens mest hotade organismgrupper och tjockskalig målarmussla (Unio crassus) klassas som starkt hotad enligt IUCN:s lista över rödlistade arter. Bevarandearbeten har tidigare utförts där tjockskalig målarmussla har återintroducerats till Klingavälsån och Fyleån i södra Sverige. Vid återintroduktion är utgångspunkten genetiskt släktskap, men när den informationen inte finns väljer man att återintroducera den population som är geografiskt närmast. Syftet med studien var att undersöka ifall geografisk avstånd mellan de fyra vattendragen Bråån, Tommarpsån, Klingavälsån och Fyleån påverkar juvenilöverlevnad. Syftet var även att ta reda på vilken av Bråånmusslor och Tommarpsånmusslor som är bäst lämpad för återintroduktion i Fyleån och Klingavälsån. Jag hade följande hypoteser, (1) Bråånmusslor har högst överlevnad i Bråån, följt av Klingavälsån, Fyleån och Tommarpsån och (2) Tommarpsånmusslor har högst överlevnad i Tommarpsån följt av, Fyleån, Klingavälsån och Bråån. Befruktade musslor fångades in från Bråån och Tommarpsån i maj 2016. Musslorna släppte i från sig glochidielarver som sedan användes till att infektera fiskar. Stensimpor (Cottus gobio) elfiskades från Tommarpsån och elritsor (Phoxinus phoxinus) elfiskades från Bråån, därefter infekterades stensimpor med glochidielarver från Tommarpsån och elritsor med glochidielarver från Bråån. Juvenila musslor släppte från fiskarna 25-35 dagar senare och matades under hela sommaren, därefter sattes musslorna ut i boxar i de fyra vattendragen. Överlevnaden för musslorna mättes och dokumenterades vid två tillfällen. Fyra Kruskal-Wallis tester genomfördes där ”överlevnad” jämfördes med ”vattendrag” för Bråånmusslor och Tommarpsånmusslor. Resultatet stämde inte överens med hypotesen för vare sig Bråånmusslor eller Tommarpsånmusslor, förutom att Bråånmusslor hade lägst överlevnad i det mest avlägsna vattendraget vid andra mättillfället. Överlevnaden för Bråånmusslor skilde sig mellan flera av vattendragen men för Tommarpsånmusslor var det ingen skillnad i överlevnad. Bråånmusslor verkade mer lämpliga för återintroduktion i Fyleån jämfört med Klingavälsån och Tommarpsånmusslor verkade inte sämre lämpade för återintroduktion till vare sig Fyleån eller Klingavälsån. Sammanfattningsvis verkade överlevnaden inte generellt bero på geografisk närhet. Troligtvis har faktorer som lokaladaptation, vattenkvalité och sjukdomar även en påverkan på överlevnaden hos juvenila musslor. / Freshwater mussels are one of the most endangered groups of organisms worldwide, with the thick-shelled river mussel (Unio crassus) being classified as critically endangered according to the IUCN:s red list of threatened species. Conservation efforts have been undertaken in southern Sweden, where the thick-shelled river mussel has been reintroduced to Klingavälsån and Fyleån. Genetic relatedness is typically used as the starting point when reintroducing mussels, but if this information is not available, the population closest geographically is chosen. The objective of this study was to investigate whether the distance between four watercourses, namely Bråån, Tommarpsån, Klingavälsån and Fyleån affects juvenile survival and to determine which population of mussels from Bråån and Tommarpsån is best suited for reintroduction to Fyleån and Klingavälsån. The hypotheses are that (1) Bråån mussels have the highest growth rate in Bråån, followed by Klingavälsån, Fyleån and Tommarpsån, and (2) Tommarpsån mussels have the highest growth rate in Tommarpsån, followed by Fyleån, Klingavälsån and Bråån. Fertilized mussels were collected from Bråån and Tommarpsån in May 2016, and the mussels released glochidia larvae, which were used to infect fish. European bullheads (Cottus gobio) were electrofished from Tommarpsån and European minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) were electrofished from Bråån, and then the European bullheads were infected with glochidia larvae from Tommarpsån and European minnows were infected with glochidia larvae from Bråån. Juvenile mussels let go of the fish 25 – 35 days later and were fed throughout the summer, after which the mussels were placed in boxes in the four watercourses. Survival of the mussels was measured and documented on two occasions. Four Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed where “survival” was compared with “watercourse” for Bråån mussels and for Tommarpsån mussels. The results did not match the hypothesis for either Bråån mussels or Tommarpsån mussels, except for the fact that Bråån mussels had the lowest survival rate in the most remote stream at the second measurement occasion. The survival of the Bråån mussels differed between several of the streams, but for the Tommarpsån mussels there were no significant difference in survival. The Bråån mussels seemed more suitable for reintroduction into Fyleån compared to Klingavälsån, and Tommarpsån mussels did not seem less suitable for reintroduction to either Fyleån or Klingavälsån. In summary, survival did not appear to generally depend on geographic proximity. Factors such as local adaptation, water quality and diseases likely also have an impact on the survival of juvenile mussels.

Siebgedruckte piezokeramische Dickschichten eignen sich für Sensoren, Aktoren oder Ultraschallwandler. Zur Auslegung von Dickschicht-Aktoren werden grundlegende Kenntnisse über die elektromechanischen Eigenschaften benötigt. Diese Arbeit beschreibt die elektromechanischen Eigenschaften piezokeramischer Dickschichten unter Klein- und Großsignalbedingungen. Durch gezielte Variationen der Biegerlänge und Materialien werden Einflüsse auf die Gefügeentwicklung, das Arbeitsvermögen und weitere elektromechanische Kennwerte beschrieben und optimale Herstellungsparameter identifiziert. Interdigitalelektroden (IDE) ermöglichen die Polarisation und Ansteuerung der piezokeramischen Schicht in der Ebene (in-plane). Aufgrund des d 33 -Effektes kommt es zur Dehnung in der Ebene, woraus eine Verdopplung der Biegung in entgegengesetzter Richtung zu through-thickness-Aktoren resultiert. In der Arbeit wird das Arbeitsvermögen siebgedruckter in-plane-Biegeaktoren in Abhängigkeit vom Substratmaterial, von der Biegerlänge und vom piezokeramischen Material beschrieben und diskutiert. An zwei Mikropositioniersystemen wird die Eignung piezokeramischer Dickschichtaktoren für adaptive optische Systeme gezeigt.

The thick shelled river mussel belongs to a highly endangered group of organisms worldwide. A parasitic larval stage is included in the mussel's life cycle where its glochidia larvae attach to the gills of a host fish. The glochidia infection can affect the ability of fish populations to form schools, a behavior that is fundamental to the survival of many fish species. As the mussel is involved in conservation projects where the reintroduction of the glochidia larva is included, one should know more about how the parasite affects its host to be able to make well-founded decisions regarding possible reintroduction. In this study, a group of glochidia-infected minnows is compared to a control group where it was analyzed if the infected fish obtained a higher nearest neighbor distance (NND), a larger average school area (ASA) and a lower movement of the schools (MOS), two and four weeks after being infected. The minnows were infected in vitro where their schooling behavior was recorded with a video camera of which the footage material where analyzed. Collected data were analyzed with 2-way ANOVAS, where the results showed that there is a relationship between infection and changed schooling behavior with respect to the density and area of the fishes in general. NND and ASA increased in the infected group, but not in the non-infected group, at two and four weeks. If the goal through conservation measures is to restore the original balance of the parasite-host interactions of the thick shelled river mussel and the minnow, more research on how mussel parasites affect its fish hosts should be done. / Den tjockskaliga målarmusslan tillhör en starkt hotad organismgrupp över hela världen. Ett parasitiskt larvstadium ingår i musslans livscykel där dess glochidielarver fäster vid gälarna hos en värdfisk. Denna glochidieinfektion kan påverka fiskpopulationens förmåga att bilda stim, ett beteende som är grundläggande för många fiskarters överlevnad. Då musslan är med i bevarandeprojekt där återintroduktion av glochidielarven ingår bör kunskapen fördjupas gällande hur parasiten påverkar sin värd för att kunna ta välgrundade beslut inför eventuella åtgärder. I den här studien jämfördes glochidieinfekterade elritsor med en kontrollgrupp där det undersöks om de infekterade fiskarna får en högre nearest neighbour distance (NND), en större average school area (ASA) och en lägre movement of the schools (MOS) två och fyra veckor efter att de infekterats. Elritsorna infekteras in vitro där deras stimbeteende spelades in med en videokamera för att sedan bildanalyseras. Insamlade data analyserades med 2-vägs-ANOVOR, där resultaten visade att det finns samband mellan infektion och förändrat stimbeteende med avseende på fiskarnas täthet och area generellt. NND och ASA ökade hos de infekterade, men inte för de icke-infekterade under två och fyra veckor. Om målet genom bevarandeåtgärder är att återställa den ursprungliga balansen i parasit-värdinteraktionen för den tjockskaliga målarmusslan och elritsan, bör det undersökas vidare hur musselparasiter påverkar sina värdfiskar.

Fatigue-crack growth data for the lower arm of the Apache helicopter’s scissor assembly is presented from an Army alternate source qualification test. The lower arm model is imported to finite element analysis software to obtain the stress state at a crack location. The stress state and geometry are used in seven fatigue-crack growth cases in NASGRO and AFGROW, with an additional four cases discussed briefly. The results from the fatigue-crack growth routines are compared to the fatigue-crack growth data from the Army’s test. One case reproduces the crack growth data prior to breakthrough. Some cases are shown to be more applicable to this configuration than others are. The process of performing fatigue life estimates is discussed. Suggestions are made on the viability of this approach and possible future avenues for development.