This diploma thesis focuses on the issue of women delaying pregnancy and parenthood to later in life. The aim of this thesis is to map out the health risks related to pregnancies in mothers who are over 35 years old, to find out the reasons for the later in life pregnancy and whether women realize the health risks associated. The thesis describes the health risks resulting from pregnancies in older women at the time of the birth and using the method of linear regression to analyze the dependence of the mother age of 35 or higher on the low birth weight of the live birth. Further, the issue of postponing pregnancy and motherhood is examined from women's point of view in more detail through the method of semistructured interviews, especially the reasons for delaying pregnancy and information about health risks. The results show that with women, who become pregnant at an older age, there is a certain increase in health risks; however, generally women are not very well informed about these complications. Keywords: fertility, fertility timing, health risks

Situationen där man som musiker måste spela med någon som man aldrig tidigare har spelat med är något som dyker upp med jämna mellanrum, och något som man måste lära sig att hantera. Jag som basist har ett särskilt intresse av att mitt samspel med en trummis ska sitta särskilt bra, och har därför i det här arbetet valt att fokusera på hur jag timingmässigt kan förbättra mitt samspel med en trummis. Jag har valt att undersöka samspelet genom att skriva tre etyder i olika stilar och spela dessa med två stycken trummisar som jag aldrig tidigare hade spelat med. Resultatet visar att hur jag spelar eller tänker under själva speltillfället spelar mindre roll än förberedelserna med materialet och genrekunskapen.

Against a backdrop of controversy surrounding market timing, this research assesses the merits of a tactical asset allocation strategy for the South African market. The purpose of this research is to assess whether a simple quantitative method - initially presented by Faber (2007) - can successfully reduce volatility and increase returns of selected indices within the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). The All Share (ALSI), Financial&Industrial (FINI), Resource (RESI), Africa Gold Mining (AGMI), Government Bond (GOVI) and Property Unit Trust (PUTI) indices were examined. A strategy based on a ten-month simple moving average was compared against a buy-and-hold strategy, with results presented for these strategies both excluding and including transaction costs. The strategies were tested over a 50-year period from 1961 to 2010. The results show that superior risk-adjusted returns are possible even in the presence of high transaction costs. Further insights suggest that tactical asset allocation strategies yield improved performances when used in specific sectors and/or asset classes, instead of in consolidated sectors represented by the market.Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The existence of cosmic strings was proposed in the mid-seventies as a by-product of the various phase transitions that occured in the early Universe. Cosmic strings are one-dimensional topological defects; structures of extremely high energy density with infinitesimal widths and lengths of cosmological size. After they were proposed, cosmic strings with GUT energy scales became very popular as a potential source for galaxy formation, but after CMB observations ruled out this possibility, they stopped attracting much scientific attention. The whole field was revived as part of superstring theory, where the formation of cosmic (super)string networks is a very common characteristic of brane inflation models, allowing them to acquire energies over a much more extended range. Attempts to detect cosmic strings centers on the three most basic observational signatures they create: CMB anisotropies, gravitational lensing events and the stochastic gravitational wave background they are expected to have created. So far, no detection of cosmic strings has been achieved. Their non-detection has inevitably led to setting constraints on their most important characteristic; their lineal energy density (or tension) which describes their energy scale. The topic of this thesis is how to use pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) in order to set constraints on the string tension. The limits PTAs can set on the amplitude of the stochastic gravitational wave background at ~nHz frequencies can be used to set constraints on the string tension. Such an effort is much more complicated than CMB or gravitational lensing investigations due to the large number of unknown cosmic string model parameters which are involved and for which, not only we do not have any observational evidence for their value, but moreover, they can acquire values over very wide ranges. So far, previous investigations were based on assumptions about these parameters and on the specific gravitational wave emission mechanism from cosmic string loops. In this work we have constructed a new code to reproduce the gravitational wave background from a cosmic string network, based on the widely accepted one scale model. Using this, we have performed numerous simulations to study the effects on the gravitational wave spectrum for each cosmic string model parameter, covering the whole parameter space of interest for each of them. Moreover, we have also extended the application of our code in order to describe cosmic string networks which create loops on more than one scale, models of which have recently appeared in the literature. In particular, we have investigated cosmic string networks which create loops at two distinct scales and loops with scales described by a log-normal distribution After studying the properties of the gravitational wave spectrum from cosmic strings, we combined our simulations with the most stringent limit so far on the stochastic gravitational wave background imposed by the EPTA. This limit is provided as a function of the slope of the gravitational wave background and we have also used this information for the first time to acquire even more accurate results. In our approach, we did not make any assumption about the values of the cosmic string model parameters, investigating all possibilities and we managed to compute a conservative and completely general constraint on the cosmic string tension, G mu<5.3x10 -7, which is slightly weaker than the current constraints set by CMB and gravitational lensing. We concluded our work by estimating the projected constraints that are expected to be achieved by near future experiments like LEAP, and ultimately by the SKA, to find an improvement of at least two orders of magnitude, significantly outperforming the expected constraints by future CMB investigations.

Previous investigations comparing direct versus indirectly cued movements have consistently shown that indirectly cued movements take longer to prepare (Neely and Heath, 2010) and involve the recruitment of additional brain areas (Connolly et al., 2000). This increase in processing time has been associated with the additional cognitive transformations required of the task (Neely and Heath, 2010). In the present study we investigated whether differences between direct versus indirectly cued movements are also reflected in the time course of motor preparation. Participants performed a targeting task, moving directly to the location of a visual cue (i.e., directly cued movement) or to a location that differed by 60˚, 90˚, or 120˚ with respect to the visual cue provided (i.e., indirectly cued movements). Participants were instructed to initiate their movements concurrently with an anticipated go-signal. To examine the time course of motor preparation, a startling acoustic stimulus (SAS, 124dB) was randomly presented 150 ms, 500 ms, or 1000 ms prior to the go-signal. Results from the startle trials revealed that the time course of motor preparation was similar regardless of the angle of rotation required and hence whether it was a direct or indirectly cued trial. Specifically, motor preparation was delayed until less than 500 ms prior to movement initiation for both direct and indirectly cued movements. These findings indicate that similar motor preparation strategies are engaged for both types of cued movements, suggesting that the time to prepare a motor response may be similar regardless of whether a cognitive transformation is required.

Drosophila melanogaster is an invaluable model organism for the study of basic neuroscience. Using two previously characterized mating behaviours (Longer- and Shorter-Mating Duration), this research aims to further our knowledge of the neural circuit involved in each, and shed light on the mechanism by which four SIFamide producing neurons are involved in both. We also seek to investigate the involvement of core circadian clock genes in interval timing mechanisms. To do so, we investigated the populations of SIFamide receptor expressing neurons necessary for each behaviour and studied the contribution of circadian clock genes within the SIFamide signalling pathway. Our main experimental approach consisted of population specific knock-downs of the SIFamide receptor, the impact of which was assessed using a simple behavioural assay. This approach was complemented by rescue experiments and feminization of neurons. Finally, our investigation of the circadian clock was mediated by circadian gene knock-downs in SIFamide expressing neurons. Our results show that SIFamide signalling for each mating behaviour is mediated by segregated signalling to different, non male-specific SIFamide receptor expressing neuronal populations. We further demonstrate that SIFamide expressing neurons are not involved in the interval timing mechanism of these mating behaviours via core circadian gene contribution. This work presents preliminary results towards the investigation of a novel model of decision-making via neuronal signalling.

The purpose of this work was to investigate experiencing death and loss through school shootings from a developmental time period and theory-based perspective. This topic was chosen based on recent media coverage and controversy surrounding school shootings. This research looks at school shootings from the perspective of the Structural Functionalism Theory and applies the theory to recent situations of school shootings around the United States. From this theory, the developmental timing of loss following a school shooting was taken into account by observing the stages of development in which loss may have occurred and how each child may react to a school shooting based on their development. This research concluded that school shootings can extremely disruptive to the structure and the functioning of individuals in many roles within the school and community.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) marks a new era for particle physics. Thanks to the very high energy of the proton beams, and to the large amount of data collected in years 2010-12, the physicists at CERN can test the standard model (SM) consistency, can explore the scalar sector, and search for any hint of new physics. A measurement of the Z boson pair production cross section using proton-proton collisions at 7 and 8 TeV center-of-mass energy, recorded by the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) experiment is presented. Diboson production at the LHC is of particular interest: it validates rare SM processes never tested before with high accuracy, it probes the electroweak boson self-interactions, and it constitutes a background for many physics searches such as the searches for the Higgs boson or supersymmetry. The ZZ production cross section is measured via the decay channel ZZ to 2l2v. The data used for the analysis have been recorded in years 2011 and 2012 by CMS and correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 5.1 fb-1 at 7 TeV and 19.6 fb-1 at 8 TeV. The data are selected requiring the presence of two isolated leptons (electrons or muons) of the same flavor with high transverse momentum (pT). In addition, events containing jets or additional leptons are vetoed, and it is applied a selection based on the dilepton pT, on the dilepton invariant mass, and on the transverse momentum imbalance (Emiss). The main SM backgrounds for this analysis are the Z/gamma+jet (Drell-Yan) process, the fully leptonic tt and single-top decay, and the WW and WZ diboson processes. The Z/gamma + jet process has no neutrinos in the final state, thus it has no large Emiss, but its cross section at the Z-peak is four orders of magnitude larger than the ZZ production. For this reason, even if the fraction of Z/gamma + jet events reconstructed with significant instrumental Emiss is not large, a high Emiss cut must be applied in order to improve the signal purity. High Emiss in Z/gamma + jet events is due to misreconstruction of physical objects, and to the additional energy deposits arising from the other proton-proton interactions occurring in the same bunch crossing (pileup). These effects are not well described in simulation, for this reason a high statistic control sample has to be used in order to model these tails from data. The fully leptonic tt, the single-top decay, and the WW process have been estimated in a control sample obtained requiring exactly one electron and one muon in the final state. The WZ process instead, has been estimated directly from the simulation. All the background shapes and normalizations are then constrained to data from a fit to the shape of a discriminating variable (e.g. Emiss), allowing only the ZZ signal normalization to freely vary. The selected data were also analyzed to search for anomalous triple gauge couplings (aTGC) involving the ZZ final state, and subsequently combined with the ZZ to 2l2l' final state data, to increase the sensitivity. In the absence of signs of new physics we set limits on the relevant aTGC parameters. Between 2023 and 2025, to extend its discovery potential and/or characterize any new signal possibly discovered, the LHC will increase its instantaneous luminosity by a factor of 10 beyond its design value. The increasing in luminosity will produce an average of 140 pileup interactions, this will represent an issue for the trigger and the reconstruction, degrading the jet and photon energy resolution and all the physic objects isolation quantities. In order to maintain full sensitivity, from low to high energy scales under severe pileup and radiation conditions, the L1 trigger, the tracker, the ECAL endcap and the HCAL, and the forward muon system will be upgraded. Moreover it will be fundamental to tag and remove the extra activity from PU interactions in order to correct the relevant variables measurements. The last part of the thesis will test the utility of timing in pileup mitigation and object reconstruction. Timing could be exploited for the association of photons, electrons and jets to their collision vertices, for particle identification, or to reject energy deposits coming from secondary vertices. A time measurement, extract from simulation, will be used in several reconstruction algorithms, showing improvements in particle reconstruction. / Doctorat en Sciences / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This final project solves a proposal of mechanism for splitting of unfilled cans before a can filling process in the food industry. From all possible options such as the one with a simple conception, easy applicated in practice and at a low price, should be chosen. The selected option is constructed and drawn in a 3D programme called AUTODESK Inventor 10. Please, see the attached technical drawings for the chosen parts.

abstract: Limited spectral access motivates technologies that adapt to diminishing resources and increasingly cluttered environments. A joint positioning-communications system is designed and implemented on \acf{COTS} hardware. This system enables simultaneous positioning of, and communications between, nodes in a distributed network of base-stations and unmanned aerial systems (UASs). This technology offers extreme ranging precision ($<$ 5 cm) with minimal bandwidth (10 MHz), a secure communications link to protect against cyberattacks, a small form factor that enables integration into numerous platforms, and minimal resource consumption which supports high-density networks. The positioning and communications tasks are performed simultaneously with a single, co-use waveform, which efficiently utilizes limited resources and supports higher user densities. The positioning task uses a cooperative, point-to-point synchronization protocol to estimate the relative position and orientation of all users within the network. The communications task distributes positioning information between users and secures the positioning task against cyberattacks. This high-performance system is enabled by advanced time-of-arrival estimation techniques and a modern phase-accurate distributed coherence synchronization algorithm. This technology may be installed in ground-stations, ground vehicles, unmanned aerial systems, and airborne vehicles, enabling a highly-mobile, re-configurable network with numerous applications. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2019