Förlust av biologisk mångfald är den planetära gräns som överskrids mest, och medför bland de största hoten mot biosfärens integritet. Reptiler är funktionella delar i ekosystem, men habitatförlust, förändrad markanvändning och klimatförändringar orsakar globala populationsminskningar. Ekologisk övervakning möjliggör förståelse för arters tillstånd, och utveckling av bevarandeåtgärder. Denna förekomststudie syftar till att undersöka lokal reptilfauna, som inventerades med artificial cover objects (ACO) i två naturområden på Billingen, ett av de västsvenska platåbergen, i Skövde kommun 2021. Data från miljöbeskrivning och inventering samt över väderförhållanden samlades in, och samband mellan observationer och miljöfaktorer testades med statistiskt t-test för positiva skillnader mellan datagrupper. Skogsödla (Zootoca vivipara), kopparödla (Anguis fragilis), snok (Natrix natrix) och huggorm (Vipera berus),alla allmänna reptilarter i regionen, observerades i undersökningsområdet. Nio observationer gjordes under 20 regnfria dagar i juni och juli, med temperaturer över 18°C. Biotopkvaliteterna brynmiljöer och nektarresurser, solexponering och de öppna biotoperna beteshage och elledningsgata, förekom i signifikant högre utsträckning där observationer gjordes, än på platser utan observationer. Markfuktighet, mänsklig närvaro, naturvärden och områdesskydd uppvisade ingen signifikans. Resultaten överensstämmer med andra studier om reptilarternas habitat, och kan ses gälla på lokal nivå trots ett relativt litet dataunderlag. Effektiva reptilbevarande åtgärder i närområdet kan innebära upprätthållande och skapande av ytor med hög solinstrålning och strukturell komplexitet, fortsatt men inte utökat lågintensivt naturbete, samt ökad halt avträdslagsblandning och brynmiljöer i produktionsskog. Kunskapen kring reptilers ekologi, samtövervakningen av populationer, behöver utökas. Det rekommenderas vidare studier om reptiler, deras habitat och bevarande av biologisk mångfald på lokala nivåer. / Biodiversity loss is the most exceeded planetary boundary, and entails some of the largest threats against biosphere integrity. Reptiles are functional parts of ecosystems, but habitat loss and changes in land use and climate are causing global population declines. Ecological monitoring enables understanding of species’ conditions, and development of conservation measures. This occurrence study aims to investigate local reptile fauna, surveyed using artificial cover objects (ACOs), in two areas on Billingen, one of Western Sweden’s table mountains, in Skövde municipality 2021. Environmental, survey and weather data were collected, and relations between observations and environmental factors were tested with statistical t-test for positive differences between data groups. Zootoca vivipara, Anguis fragilis, Natrix natrix and Vipera berus, all regionally common reptile species, were observed in the investigated area. Nine observationswere made during 20 rain-free days in June and July, with temperatures above 18°C. Solarexposure, biotope qualities Forest edges and Nectar resources, and the open biotopes Pasture and Powerline corridor, occurred in significantly higher extent where observations were made, than on sites without observations. Soil moisture, Human presence, Natural values and Environmental protection did not exhibit any significance. The results correspond to other studies on the reptilespecies’ habitat, and may apply on a local scale despite a relatively small data amount. Effective conservation measures for local reptiles can imply maintaining and creating spaces with high solar radiation and structural complexity, continued but not extended low-intensity grazing, and increasing tree species mixture and edge zones in production forests. Knowledge on reptile ecology and population monitoring needs to increase. Further studies on reptiles and biodiversity conservation on local scales are recommended.

In der Verzahnungsberechnung werden Lösung meist nur optimiert und nicht neu gedacht. In Hinblick auf neue Fertigungsverfahren, erreicht „Out of the box“-Denken häufig deutliche Verbesserungen in technischer und ökonomischer Sicht. Die Software next|gear ermöglicht derart disruptives Vorgehen. Um einen ganzheitlichen Ansatz in der Verzahnungsentwicklung zu erreichen, wurde ein hyperbolisches Grundkonzept entwickelt, das die meisten der bekannten konstant übersetzenden Getriebetypen beschreiben kann. Neben der freien Wahl von zwei Achsen und Zähnezahlen, einschließlich negativer Zahlen bei Innenverzahnungen, gibt es für die Berechnung der kinematischen Auslegung drei weitere kontinuierliche Parameter, die die äußere Form des Zahnrades beschreiben. Diese Berechnungsgrundlage entfaltet das meiste Potential im Zusammenhang mit den Freiheiten, die junge Fertigungsverfahren mit Kunststoff z.B. im Spritzgussverfahren erlaubt. Hier sind die Fertigungsrestriktionen in der Regel andere als bei spanabhebenden Verfahren. Nichtdestotrotz könne auch sämtliche konventionelle Fertigungsverfahren mit dem Berechnungskonzept, basierend auf der Konjugation von Oberflächenpunkten, abgebildet werden. Mit dem Ansatz, einen durchgängigen Berechnungsprozess für alle einbezogenen Verzahnungsarten zu beschreiben, wird aufgezeigt, welche Herausforderungen in der Geometrieberechnung gelöst werden konnten. Dies wird am Beispiel eines Planetengetriebes mit innenverzahnter Schraubradverzahnung gezeigt, das inzwischen in Serie für die Automobilindustrie hergestellt wird. / In gear calculation, solutions are usually only optimised and not rethought. With regard to new manufacturing processes, 'out of the box' thinking often achieves significant improvements from a technical and economic perspective. The next|gear software enables such a disruptive approach. In order to achieve a holistic approach to gear development, a hyperbolic basic concept was developed that can describe most of the known constant-ratio gear types. In addition to the free choice of two axes and numbers of teeth, including negative numbers for internal gears, there are three further continuous parameters for calculating the kinematic design, which describe the external shape of the gear. This calculation basis unfolds the greatest potential in connection with the freedom that young manufacturing processes with plastic, e.g. injection moulding, allow. The manufacturing restrictions here are generally different to those for machining processes. Nevertheless, all conventional manufacturing processes can also be modelled with the calculation concept based on the conjugation of surface points. The approach of describing a consistent calculation process for all types of gearing involved shows which challenges could be solved in geometry calculation. This is demonstrated using the example of a planetary gearbox with internal helical gearing, which is now produced in series for the automotive industry.

Based on a broad survey of the reception of Firdausī’s Shāhnāma in medieval times, this dissertation argues that Firdausī’s oeuvre was primarily perceived as a book of wisdom and advice for kings and courtly élites. The medieval reception of the Shāhnāma is clearly manifested in the comments of medieval authors about Firdausī and his work, and in their use of the Shāhnāma in the composition of their own works. The production of ikhtiyārāt-i Shāhnāmas (selections from the Shāhnāma) in medieval times and the remarkable attention of the authors of mirrors for princes to Firdausī’s opus are particularly illuminating in this regard. The survey is complemented by a close textual reading of the Ardashīr cycle in the Shāhnāma in comparison with other medieval historical accounts about Ardashīr, in order to illustrate how history in the Shāhnāma is reduced to only a framework for the presentation of ideas and ideals of kingship. Based on ancient Persian beliefs regarding the ideal state of the world, I argue that Ardashīr in the Shāhnāma is represented as a Saviour of the world. Within this context, I offer new interpretations of the symbolic tale of Ardashīr’s fight against a giant worm, and explain why the idea of the union of kingship and religion, a major topic in almost all medieval Persian mirrors for princes, has often been attributed to Ardashīr. Finally, I compare the Ardashīr cycle in the Shāhnāma with nine medieval Persian mirrors for princes to demonstrate that the ethico-political concepts contained in them, as well as the portrayal of Ardashīr, remain more or less the same in all these works. Study of the Shāhnāma as a mirror for princes, as this study shows, not only reveals the meaning of its symbolic tales, but also sheds light on the pre-Islamic roots of some of the ethico-political concepts presented in the medieval Perso-Islamic literature of wisdom and advice for kings and courtiers.

Based on a broad survey of the reception of Firdausī’s Shāhnāma in medieval times, this dissertation argues that Firdausī’s oeuvre was primarily perceived as a book of wisdom and advice for kings and courtly élites. The medieval reception of the Shāhnāma is clearly manifested in the comments of medieval authors about Firdausī and his work, and in their use of the Shāhnāma in the composition of their own works. The production of ikhtiyārāt-i Shāhnāmas (selections from the Shāhnāma) in medieval times and the remarkable attention of the authors of mirrors for princes to Firdausī’s opus are particularly illuminating in this regard. The survey is complemented by a close textual reading of the Ardashīr cycle in the Shāhnāma in comparison with other medieval historical accounts about Ardashīr, in order to illustrate how history in the Shāhnāma is reduced to only a framework for the presentation of ideas and ideals of kingship. Based on ancient Persian beliefs regarding the ideal state of the world, I argue that Ardashīr in the Shāhnāma is represented as a Saviour of the world. Within this context, I offer new interpretations of the symbolic tale of Ardashīr’s fight against a giant worm, and explain why the idea of the union of kingship and religion, a major topic in almost all medieval Persian mirrors for princes, has often been attributed to Ardashīr. Finally, I compare the Ardashīr cycle in the Shāhnāma with nine medieval Persian mirrors for princes to demonstrate that the ethico-political concepts contained in them, as well as the portrayal of Ardashīr, remain more or less the same in all these works. Study of the Shāhnāma as a mirror for princes, as this study shows, not only reveals the meaning of its symbolic tales, but also sheds light on the pre-Islamic roots of some of the ethico-political concepts presented in the medieval Perso-Islamic literature of wisdom and advice for kings and courtiers.

<p></p><p>This doctoral dissertation takes the reader through a journey where applied shear rheology and flow-velocimetry are used to understand the mesoscopic factors that control the flow behavior of three microstructured fluids. Three individual protocols that measure relative physical and mechanical properties of the flow are developed. Each protocol aims to advance the particular transformation of novel soft materials into a commercial product converging in the demonstration of the real the chemical, physical and thermodynamical factors that could potentially drive their successful transformation. </p> <p> </p> <p>First, this dissertation introduces the use of rotational and oscillatory shear rheometry to quantify the solvent evaporation effect on the flow behavior of polymer solutions used to fabricate isoporous asymmetric membranes. Three different A-B-C triblock copolymer were evaluated: polyisoprene-<i>b</i>-polystyrene-<i>b</i>-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (ISV); polyisoprene-<i>b</i>-polystyrene-<i>b</i>-poly(<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>-dimethylacrylamide) (ISD); and polyisoprene-<i>b</i>-polystyrene-<i>b</i>-poly(<i>tert</i>-butyl methacrylate) (ISB). The resulting evaporation-induced microstructure showed a solution viscosity and film viscoelasticity strongly dependent on the chemical structure of the triblock copolymer molecules. </p> <p> </p> <p>Furthermore, basic shear rheometry, flow birefringence, and advanced flow-velocimetry are used to deconvolute the flow-microstructure relationships of concentrated surfactant solutions. Sodium laureth sulfate in water (SLE₁S) was used to replicate spherical, worm-like, and hexagonally packed micelles and lamellar structures. Interesting findings demonstrated that regular features of flow curves, such as power-law shear thinning behavior, resulted from a wide variety of experimental artifacts that appeared when measuring microstructured fluids with shear rheometry.</p> <p> </p> <p>Finally, the successful integration of shear rheometry to calculate essential parameters to be used in a cost-effective visualization technique (still in development) used to calculate the dissolution time of polymers is addressed. The use of oscillatory rheometry successfully quantify the viscoelastic response of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solutions and identify formulations changes such as additive addition. The flow behavior of PVA solutions was correlated to dissolution behavior proving that the developed protocol has a high potential as a first screening tool.</p><br><p></p>

Ce travail combine l'électrochimie à l'interface liquide - liquide avec le procédé sol - gel pour la modification interfaciale avec de la silice mésoporeuse. Dans la première partie de ce travail, l’interface liquide – liquide macroscopique a été utilisée pour séparer la solution aqueuse de l'espèce de précurseur de silice hydrolysées (tétraéthoxysilane (TEOS)) de l'agent tensioactif cationique (cethyltrimethylammonium (CTA+) qui a agi comme un template et a été dissous dans le dichloroéthane. Le dépôt de matériau de silice a été déclenchée par le transfert du CTA+ à partir de la phase organique vers la phase aqueuse. CTA+ qui a transféré à la phase aqueuse a catalysé la réaction de condensation de la silice sur l’interface liquide – liquide. Le dépôt de silice à des interfaces liquide – liquide miniaturisées était la deuxième partie de ce travail. Les dépôts stables sur le côté de l'interface ont été synthétisés in situ par voie électrochimique. La stabilité mécanique des dépôts de silice permis un traitement thermique de la silice. Basé sur les techniques d’imagerie (par exemple SEM) il a été constaté que les dépôts forment des hémisphères pour des temps plus long. La réaction interfaciale a également été suivie in situ par spectroscopie Raman confocale. Caractéristiques moléculaires de l'interface ont été modifiées de manière spectaculaire une fois les espèces CTA+ ont été transférés à la phase aqueuse. Les interfaces liquide – liquide miniaturisés et modifiés ont également été évaluée avec le transfert voltampérométrique / This work combines the electrochemistry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) with the Sol – Gel process of silica leading to an interfacial modification with mesoporous silica using soft template. In the first part of this work the macroscopic liquid – liquid interface was employed to separate the aqueous solution of the hydrolyzed silica precursor species (tetraethoxysilane (TEOS)) from the cationic surfactant (cethyltrimethylammonium (CTA+)) dissolved in the dichloroethane. The silica material deposition was controlled by the electrochemical CTA+ transfer from the organic to the aqueous phase. Template transferred to the aqueous phase catalyzed the condensation reaction and self-assembly resulting in silica deposition at the interface. Silica deposition at the miniaturized ITIES (membranes supporting array of micrometer in diameter pores were used in this regard) was the second part of this work. Silica interfacial synthesis performed in situ resulted in stable deposits growing on the aqueous side of the interface. Mechanical stability of the supported silica deposits allowed further processing – silica material was cured. Based on imaginary techniques (e.g. SEM) it was found that deposits forms hemispheres for longer experimental time scales. Interfacial reaction was also followed with in situ confocal Raman spectroscopy. Molecular characteristics of the interface were changed dramatically once CTA+ species were transferred to the aqueous phase. Array of microITIES modified with silica was also assessed by ion transfer voltammetry

Plusieurs indices suggèrent que le repliement du chromosome et la régulation de l’expression génétique sont étroitement liés. Par exemple, la co-expression d’un grand nombre de gènes est favorisée par leur rapprochement dans l’espace cellulaire. En outre, le repliement du chromosome permet de faire émerger des structures fonctionnelles. Celles-ci peuvent être des amas condensés et fibrillaires, interdisant l’accès à l’ADN, ou au contraire des configurations plus ouvertes de l’ADN avec quelques amas globulaires, comme c’est le cas avec les usines de transcription. Bien que dissemblables au premier abord, de telles structures sont rendues possibles par l’existence de protéines bivalentes, capable d’apparier des régions parfois très éloignées sur la séquence d’ADN. Le système physique ainsi constitué du chromosome et de protéines bivalentes peut être très complexe. C’est pourquoi les mécanismes régissant le repliement du chromosome sont restés majoritairement incompris.Nous avons étudié des modèles d’architecture du chromosome en utilisant le formalisme de la physique statistique. Notre point de départ est la représentation du chromosome sous la forme d’un polymère rigide, pouvant interagir avec une solution de protéines liantes. Les structures résultant de ces interactions ont été caractérisées à l’équilibre thermodynamique. De plus, nous avons utilisé des simulations de dynamique Brownienne en complément des méthodes théoriques, car elles permettent de prendre en considération une plus grande complexité dans les phénomènes biologiques étudiés.Les principaux aboutissements de cette thèse ont été : (i) de fournir un modèle pour l’existence des usines de transcriptions caractérisées in vivo à l’aide de microscopie par fluorescence ; (ii) de proposer une explication physique pour une conjecture portant sur un mécanisme de régulation de la transcription impliquant la formation de boucles d’ADN en tête d’épingle sous l’effet de la protéine H-NS, qui a été émise suite à l’observation de ces boucles au microscope à force atomique ; (iii) de proposer un modèle du chromosome qui reproduise les contacts mesurés à l’aide des techniques Hi-C. Les conséquences de ces mécanismes sur la régulation de la transcription ont été systématiquement discutées. / Increasing evidences suggest that chromosome folding and genetic expression are intimately connected. For example, the co-expression of a large number of genes can benefit from their spatial co-localization in the cellular space. Furthermore, functional structures can result from the particular folding of the chromosome. These can be rather compact bundle-like aggregates that prevent the access to DNA, or in contrast, open coil configurations with several (presumably) globular clusters like transcription factories. Such phenomena have in common to result from the binding of divalent proteins that can bridge regions sometimes far away on the DNA sequence. The physical system consisting of the chromosome interacting with divalent proteins can be very complex. As such, most of the mechanisms responsible for chromosome folding and for the formation of functional structures have remained elusive.Using methods from statistical physics, we investigated models of chromosome architecture. A common denominator of our approach has been to represent the chromosome as a polymer with bending rigidity and consider its interaction with a solution of DNA-binding proteins. Structures entailed by the binding of such proteins were then characterized at the thermodynamical equilibrium. Furthermore, we complemented theoretical results with Brownian dynamics simulations, allowing to reproduce more of the biological complexity.The main contributions of this thesis have been: (i) to provide a model for the existence of transcrip- tion factories characterized in vivo with fluorescence microscopy; (ii) to propose a physical basis for a conjectured regulatory mechanism of the transcription involving the formation of DNA hairpin loops by the H-NS protein as characterized with atomic-force microscopy experiments; (iii) to propose a physical model of the chromosome that reproduces contacts measured in chromosome conformation capture (CCC) experiments. Consequences on the regulation of transcription are discussed in each of these studies.