Recent observations have demonstrated that Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGFs) are able to form complexes with the extracellular matrix protein Vitronectin (VN). These complexes of VN:IGFBP:IGF-I significantly enhance the proliferation and migration of various cell lines including skin and corneal epithelial cells, as well as primary cells derived from human skin and corneal tissue. These enhanced effects arise from co- activation of the IGF-binding type-1 IGF receptor (IGF-1R) as well as activation of the VN-binding αv-integrins. Further studies suggest that these complexes can replace the requirement for serum in the ex vivo expansion of cells. In order to translate the VN:IGFBP:IGF-I technology into techniques for the improved culture of cells, we have designed, expressed and purified synthetic chimeric molecules, consisting of various domains of VN and mature IGF-I, using a baculovirus based expression system. The recombinant VN:IGF-I (rVN:IGF-I) chimeras were secreted into conditioned media of transfected Sf9 insect cells. Purification of the chimeras was achieved via methods including heparin-sepharose chromatography, Q-sepharose ion-exchange chromatography and Ni2+-NTA affinity chromatography. The rVN:IGF-I chimeras were detectable by Western blot analysis using a poly-clonal anti-VN antibody. Functional characterisation studies indicate that the chimeras promote cellular growth and migration to a similar extent as the VN:IGFBP:IGF-I complexes at 10x and 30x molar ratios. Additionally, function blocking antibodies directed to the IGF-1R and the VN binding αv-integrin were able to abolish this effect indicating that co-activation of these receptors is critical to the migratory effect of the chimeras. A functional chimera may lead to the development of cell culture techniques and methodologies that are devoid of xenogeneic or allogeneic support systems, thus paving the way to approved tissue engineering therapeutics that incorporate ex vivo expanded adult stem and progenitor cells.

This master thesis is dealing with the preference of certain categorical structures (VN compounds, nominal syntagmas N de N, N à N and their English equivalent) to denotate a new referent. Its aim is to describe current trends of denominative instrumental neology. The thesis is dividend into two parts: teoretical and practical. Theoretical part provides a brief characteristics of the concerned fields: neology, neologism, compounding, nominal syntagmas and productivity. Practical part includes survey and compares its results with corpus analyses and data obtained from Google browser.

The master´s thesis deals with the evaluation of the efficiency of investment of various types of high voltage lines in terms of capital expenditures and operating expenses. The thesis describes the issue of the regulated environment in the field of electricity, the analysis of the pricing for ensuring the distribution of electricity and the analysis of the capital expenditures and operating expenses of the authorized returns of the distribution company operator. Subsequently, an analysis of the capital expenditures and operating expenses of the overhead and cable lines is processed. The particular components of the operating costs are determined either by annual energy loss per unit of length, an annual hourly labor demand, or an annual cost per unit of length. Another point is the evaluation of the investment efficiency for two different model lines, evaluation of capital expenditures and operating expenses, allowed investment returns and economic evaluation. The conclusion of this pursuit is the comparison of both types of lines, both with the view of capital expenditures and operating expenses, as well as with the view of economic appreciation.

The aim of this work is the reconstruction and development of the distribution network of DS to ensure electricity supply in the required quality to existing customers and new customers connecting to the planned industrial zone Šlapanice. The first part deals with the inclusion of a distribution network in power system, its distribution and composition. Subsequently, the work deals with the description of the management of distribution networks, cable and outdoor leadership and their parameters. It also contains guidelines for the design of high voltage networks. The end of the first part is devoted to calculating the steady operation of the network. In the second part, the proposed project using the PAS DAISY Off-line v 4.00 Bizon. Based on the available evidence is developed steady state operation. We found that lines are overloaded and need to be strengthened with regard to the development of industrial zones and adjusting the network to ensure safe and reliable operation. The conclusion focuses on the economic evaluation of proposed alternatives.

Previous studies demonstrated that IGF-II binds directly to vitronectin (VN) while IGF-I binds poorly. However, binding of VN to integrins has been demonstrated to be essential for a range of IGF-I-stimulated biological effects including IGF binding protein-5 (IGFBP-5) production, IGF type-1 receptor autophosphorylation and cell migration. Thus, this study examined the hypothesis that a link between IGF-I and VN must occur and may be mediated through IGFBPs. Studies using competitive binding assays with VN and [125I]-labelled IGFs in the absence and presence of IGFBPs revealed IGFBP-4, IGFBP-5 and non-glycoyslated IGFBP-3 significantly enhance binding of IGF-I to VN, while IGFBP-2 and glycosylated IGFBP-3 had a smaller effect. Furthermore, binding studies with analogues indicate that glycosylation status of IGFBP-3 and the heparin-binding domains of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 are important in this interaction. The functional significance of IGFs binding to VN on cell migration in MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells was examined and cell migration was found to be enhanced when VN was pre-bound to IGF-I in the presence of IGFBP-3, -4 and -5. The effect required IGF:IGFBP:VN complex formation; this was demonstrated by use of a non-IGFBP-binding analogue, des(1- 3)IGF-I. Additionally, higher doses of IGFs in the presence of VN also could stimulate cell migration. Together, these data indicated the importance of IGFBPs in modulating IGF-I binding to VN and that this binding has functional consequences in cells. Future directions for this work include investigations into the mechanisms underlying formation of the trimeric complex and the associated signalling pathways involved.

Members of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family are mitogenic growth factors which have been shown to play critical roles in both normal growth and development, and tumour biology. The IGF system is complex and the biological effects of the IGFs are determined by diverse interactions between many molecules, including interactions with the extracellular matrix (ECM). Recent observations have demonstrated that IGFs can associate with the ECM protein vitronectin (VN) and this interaction can modulate IGF-stimulated biological functions. It has been demonstrated previously that IGF-II can bind directly to VN, while IGF-I associates with VN indirectly via the involvement of IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) -2, -3, -4 and -5. As the IGF system plays important roles in both normal breast development and in the transformation and progression of breast cancer, this study aimed to describe the effects of substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes on breast cell functions and to dissect the mechanisms underlying these responses. The studies reported in this thesis demonstrate that substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes, containing IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5, are potent stimulators of proliferation and migration in the "normal", non-tumourigenic MCF-10A breast epithelial and MCF-7 breast carcinoma cell lines. Interestingly, substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes were less effective in increasing the migration of the metastatic MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. This, however, is due to these cells expressing the αvβ3 integrin which can support a highly migratory phenotype independent of IGF-I-stimulation. Taken together this suggests a particularly important role for these complexes in stimulating a highly migratory phenotype in pre-invasive or poorly metastatic breast cells. Studies using IGF-I analogues were also undertaken to establish if there was a requirement for ternary complex formation and the type-1-IGF receptor (IGF-1R) in the enhanced migration responses observed. These studies determined IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated migration to be dependent upon both heterotrimeric IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complex formation and activation of the IGF-1R. Furthermore, the enhanced cellular migration was abolished upon incubation of MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells with function blocking antibodies directed at VN-binding integrins and the IGF-IR. In addition, analysis of the signal transduction pathways underlying the enhanced cell migration revealed that the complexes stimulate a transient activation of the ERK/MAPK signaling pathway, while simultaneously producing a sustained activation of the PI3-K/AKT pathway. Optimal intracellular signaling required activation of both the IGF-1R and VN-binding integrins, as antibody mediated inhibition of either receptor led to substantial decreases in both ERK/MAPK and PI3-K/AKT pathway activation. Furthermore, experiments using pharmacological inhibitors of these pathways determined a pivotal role for PI3-K/AKT activation in substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration. In order to confirm an important role for the PI3-K/AKT pathway in these responses, wild-type and activated-AKT was transiently overexpressed in MCF-10A cells. Overexpression of both wild-type and activated-AKT further enhanced cellular migration in response to substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes. However, these responses still required co-activation of the IGF-1R and VN-binding integrins. In an attempt to obtain a global view of the possible molecular mechanisms underpinning IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration, oligonucleotide microarrays were used to screen for candidate genes important for the observed migratory responses. The microarray studies identified 165 genes which were differentially expressed in cells migrating in response to substrate-bound IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes. Gene ontology and functional analysis revealed many of these genes to be significantly associated with biological functions relevant to cancer transformation and progression, including cell growth and proliferation, cell death and cellular movement. In regard to cell migration, a number of the genes identified have previously reported roles in cellular movement, migration and metastasis, which may provide future targets to augment IGF-I:IGFBP:VN-stimulated cell migration. Taken together, the studies reported throughout this thesis have provided the first mechanistic insights into the action of IGF-I:IGFBP:VN complexes and add further evidence to support the involvement of VN-binding integrins and their co-operativity with the IGF-IR in the promotion of tumour cell migration. Importantly, identifying the molecular mechanisms by which IGF:VN complexes enhance breast cell function will lead to not only a better understanding of this critical interaction, but also aid in developing diagnostic tests and therapeutics directed at treating breast cancer.

This master's thesis deals with the area hospital distribution networkand one of the hospital's entry substation. The first part of this master's thesis deals with the project of the new cable network, her gradual revival without any power outages at the collection points. Futher, in this thesis is project of temporary transformer station for supplying power during the reconstruction of the HV switchboard. Subsequently, in this thesis is project of the new HV switchboard in one of the entry substation. new HV switchgear and a new HV substation were projected. Futher, in this thesis is proposed compensation of the whole area, including the HV network.

Hexagonales Wolframbronze (HTB)–FeF3·0.33H2O Xerogel und eine HTB– FeF3·0.33H2O/GO Nanoverbindung wurden zunächst durch einen fluorolytischen Sol-Gel Ansatz bei Raumtemperatur in MeOH erhalten und ihre elektrochemischen Eigenschaften bewertet. Operando Mössbauer Spektroskopie und Röntgendiffraktometrie (XRD) wurden verwendet, um den Mechanismus während der Reaktion mit Lithium zu untersuchen. Das Fluorid zeigte ein komplexes Verhalten und den strukturellen Zerfall der HTB Phase sowie eine allmähliche Umwandlung in Fe-F2–Rutil–ähnliche Nanodomänen, welche sich als Hauptkomponente im Verlaufe der Reaktion ausbildeten. Die XRD-Analyse bestätigte die Amorphisierung des elektroaktiven Materials. Die strukturelle Optimierung von HTB-FeF3·0.33H2O wurde durch eine mikrowellenunterstützte, fluorolytische Sol-Gel-Reaktion in Benzylalkohol erreicht. Das Verfahren ermöglichte die Synthese von phasenreinen Nanopartikeln mit einem Durchmesser von rund 30 nm, zusammen mit der Herstellung eines auf reduziertem Graphenoxid (RGO) basierten Nanokomposits bei verminderter Reaktionszeit. Die Abscheidung auf leitfähigem RGO erwies sich als vorteilhaft für die elektrochemische Leistung des Fluorids, das wiederholten Zyklen zu unterschiedlichen C–Raten standhalten konnte und seine volle Kapazität nach mehr als 50 Zyklen aufrecht erhielt im Gegensatz zum reinen HTBFeF3 ·0.33H2O. Für die Herstellung von aktiven Ionenspeichermaterialien zur Verminderung der Sichereitsrisiken (im Vergleich zur Verwendung von Metallanoden) sind Strukturen wie HTBFeF3 ·0.33H2O notwendig. Hierzu wurden Na–enthaltende Hexafluoroferrat-Nanokomposite hergestellt und mit RGO und teilweise oxidierten Ruß (ox–CB) als leitfähigen Kohlenstoff versetzt. Die Art des Kohlenstoffzusatzes beeinflusste die elektrochemische Leistung stark, wobei mit RGO die größten Verbesserungen erzielt werden konnten / Hexagonal tungsten bronze (HTB)-FeF3∙0.33H2O xerogel and HTB-FeF3∙0.33H2O/GO nanocomposite were firstly obtained by a room temperature fluorolytic sol-gel approach in MeOH, and their electrochemical properties evaluated. Operando Mössbauer spectroscopy and X-Ray diffraction were employed to investigate the reaction mechanism during reaction with lithium. The fluoride evidenced a complex behavior, with structural collapse of the HTB phase and gradual transformation into FeF2-rutile-like nanodomains, becoming the predominant component all along the reaction. XRD confirmed the amorphization of the electroactive material. Structural optimization of HTB-FeF3·0.33H2O was then achieved by a microwave-assisted fluorolytic sol-gel in benzyl alcohol. The procedure allowed the synthesis of phase pure nanoparticles of ~30 nm in diameter, along with the production of a reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-based nanocomposite and the reduction of reaction times. Deposition onto conductive RGO resulted beneficial for the electrochemical performance of the fluoride, which was able to sustain repeated cycling at different C-rates and recovered full capacity after more than 50 cycles with respect to the unsupported HTB-FeF3·0.33H2O. Aiming at the production of active ions-holding materials to solve safety issues related to the use of metallic anodes, necessary with structures such as HTB-FeF3·0.33H2O, Na-containing hexafluoroferrate nanocomposites were produced using RGO and partially oxidized carbon black (ox-CB) as conductive carbons. Carbon type greatly affected the electrochemical performance, whose best improvement was obtained using RGO as support

In dieser Arbeit wurden mit Hilfe einer Kombination aus „metal assisted chemical etching“ (MACE) und Polystyrol-Nanopartikel-Lithographie, Säulen-strukturierte Siliziumoberflächen mit verschiedenen Säulendurchmessern und –längen, wie auch unterschiedlichen Säulenabständen, synthetisiert. Das im Anschluss durchgeführte Elektropolier-Verfahren verhalf dabei, die durch den MACE-Prozess erhöhte Oberflächendefektdichte (DSS) zu reduzieren. Dieses Verfahren wurde von in situ Photolumineszenzmessungen unterstützt. Eine im Anschluss an das Elektropolierverfahren durchgeführte Methylpassivierung erwies sich als notwendig, um den Zustand der reduzierten DSS für einen längeren Zeitraum an Luft stabil zu halten. Die elektropolierten und methylpassivierten Oberflächen wurden als Substrate in Kombination mit dem leitfähigen Polymer PEDOT:PSS für die Herstellung von Hybridsolarzellen verwendet. Im Vergleich zu Zellen deren strukturierte Oberfläche nicht zuvor elektropoliert worden ist, kam es bei den zusätzlich elektropolierten Zellen zu einer Effizienzverbesserung und einer Erhöhung des Kurzschlussstroms (JSC). Elektrochemische Verfahren zur Veränderung der Säulen-Morphologie sind in dieser Arbeit ebenfalls untersucht worden. Um eine strukturierte Oberfläche auch in anderen Bereichen, wie etwa der Biosensorik, verwenden zu können, bedarf es neben der Methylpassivierung weiterer Formen der Funktionalisierung. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde ein Syntheseweg entwickelt, der es ermöglicht direkt an das Siliziumsubstrat gebundene Hydroxylgruppen zu erhalten, ohne dass es zu einer Bildung von intermediären Oxidschichten zwischen Substrat und den Hydroxylgruppen kommt. Diese wurden anschließend mit verschiedenen Silanen umgesetzt, um organische Gruppen an die Oberfläche zu binden. Die gebundenen Silanderivate können im Folgenden weiter modifiziert werden, um die selektive Anbindung von Biomolekülen zu ermöglichen. / Within this work, the “metal assisted chemical etching” (MACE) technique was combined with shadow nanosphere lithography to fabricate nanowire structured Si surfaces with different wire lengths and diameters. Electropolishing procedures subsequent to the wire growth resulted in a reduction of the surface defect density (DSS). The electropolishing procedure was directly monitored with the help of in situ photoluminescence spectroscopy. Previous works already observed a full and air stable surface passivation of flat Si surfaces by methylation. Also in the present work, the nanowire surfaces were methylated after the electropolishing procedure to preserve the reduced DSS. To determine the impact of this method on the solar cell performance, the electropolished and methylated surfaces were combined with the conductive polymer PEDOT:PSS. It revealed that the cells with the electropolished substrates exhibit a higher efficiency and an increased short circuit current (JSC). Different electrochemical procedures to change the wire morphology after the structuring have been investigated as well. To use the Si substrates for applications such as biosensing, different passivation/functionalization techniques besides the methylation are required. In this thesis, a new functionalization procedure was developed to obtain air stable hydroxyl groups that are directly bound to the Si substrate without an intervening oxide layer. To demonstrate the possibility to use these hydroxyl groups in the same way as the hydroxyl groups present on a Si oxide layer, further modifications with different silane species, such as APTES and AMMS, were conducted. In order to generate a more selective anchor group, the bound APTES molecules were further modified by a maleimide derivative, which allow for the selective binding of thiol-containing molecules.

In this thesis 9-12 % Cr steels, used for high-temperaturecomponents in fossil-fired power plants are considered. Thecreep strength of thees steels depend on their microstructurethat consists of a matrix of tempered lath martensite withdensely distributed precipitates. The mechanical properties arestrongly influenced by precipitates present in the matrix andthe more densely distributed they are the higher is thehardening effect. These particles nucleate, grow and coarsenduring use in power plants, leading to a degradation ofmechanical properties. In this thesis the nucleation andcoarsening behaviour of the precipitates in the Cr steels aresimulated by new models and the results are compared withtransmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations of testedmaterials. A model of the nucleation of MX, which mainly isvanadium-nitrides, is presented. MX precipitates are assumed tonucleate on dislocations during annealing. The model takes intoaccount the full multicomponent thermodynamical behaviour ofthe system as well as the strain energy caused by a puredilatoric strain and the shape of the nucleus. The calculationsyield a critical size and shape represented by an oblatespheroid with a radius of a few nanometers and a thickness ofan atomic layer. This is in agreement with TEM observations ofsupercritical particles. A new coarsening model, which takes into account themulticomponent effects, is presented and it has been tested ondifferent systems to validate the model.     Four different carbides, Cr7C3, Mo6C, VC and NbC, in austenitic matrix as well asγ ' in ternary Ni-base super-alloy systems (Ni-Al-Mo)were compared with measurements from literature.     TiC-particles in austenitic stainless steel, ASTM 316Ti,were considered. The simulations were performed taking intoaccount iron and 7 alloying elements. The measurements wereperformed with TEM on samples that had been heat-treated at900° C.     MX and M23C6in a 9 % Cr steel were investigated with energyfiltering transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) andcompared with simulations. The used samples had been heattreated for various periods of time at 600 and 650° Cfor up to 26 000 h. The agreement of the simulations with the experiments wasgood in all cases when reasonable values of the interfacialenergy, the only adjustable parameter, were chosen. Coarsening simulations were also performed to investigatethe influence of changes in composition on the coarsening rate.For MX, in a 9 % Cr steel, the coarsening rate is almostindependent of the V/Nb ratio but highly dependent on theN-content. Also the effect on the coarsening rate for M23C6by adding Co to a Cr steel was investigated bysimulation. Co is known to increase the resistance totempering. The results show that a final average radius of thecarbides after 30 000 h at 600° C decreases with 30 % witha Co addition of 10 mass %. <b>Keywords:</b>Cr steels, nucleation, coarsening, model,DICTRA, precipitates, carbides, carbo-nitrides, MX, VN, M23C6, TiC, TEM, EFTEM, Curie-temperature