CDP-ribitol synthase is a bifunctional reductase and cytidylyltransferase that catalyzes the transformation of D-ribulose 5-phosphate, NADPH and CTP to CDP-ribitol, a repeating unit presem in the virulence-associated polysaccharide capsules of Haemophilus influenzae type a and b (Follens et al., 1999, J Bacterial. 181: 2001). In the work described here, we investigated the order of the reactions catalyzed by CDPribitol synthase and conducted experiments to resolve the question of substrate channeling in this bifunctional enzyme. It was determined that the synthase first catalyzed the reduction ofo-ribulose 5-phosphate followed by cytidylyltransfer to oribitol 5-phosphate. Steady state kinetic measurements revealed a 650-fold kinetic preference for cytidylyltransfer too-ribitol 5-phosphate over o-ribulose 5-phosphate. Rapid mixing studies indicated quick reduction of o-ribulose 5-phosphate with a lag in the cytidylyltransfer reaction consistent with a requirement for the accumulation of Km quantities of o-ribitol 5-phosphate. Signature motifs in the C-terminal and N-terminal sequences of the enzyme (short chain dehydrogenase/reductase and nucleotidyltransferase motifs, respectively) were targeted with site directed mutagenesis to generate variants that were impaired for only one of the two activities (K386A and R18A impaired for reduction and cytidylyltransfer, respectively). Release and free diffusion of the metabolic intermediate o-ribitol 5-phosphate was indicated by the finding that equimolar mixtures of K386A and R18A variants were efficient for bifunctional catalysis. Taken together these findings suggest that bifunctional turnover occurs in distinct active sites of CDP-ribitol synthase with reduction of n-ribulose 5-phosphate, release and free diffusion of the metabolic intermeditate n-ribitol 5-phosphate followed by cytidylyltransfer. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Postural instability is one of the hallmarks of Parkinson's disease (PD), currently evaluated using several subjective tools. However, the nature and degree of the resulting balance deficit is not well specified by these tools. Computerized dynamic posturography (CDP) provides an objective assessment by isolating and quantifying sensory and motor contributions to balance control. The purpose of this study was to compare balance in individuals with PD to a control group using CDP (NeuroCom Smart Balance Master® system). Testing took place at the Southeast Parkinson's disease Research Education and Clinical Center (PADRECC), an interdisciplinary center of excellence for people with PD within a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The 51 PD patients (mean age = 72.18 ± 6.98 years;) were compared to 55 age-matched controls supplied by the CDP manufacturer. Subjects were assessed with three test scales defined by the Smart Balance Master® system: Sensory Organization Test (SOT), Adaptation Test (ADT), and Limits of Stability Test (LOS). All PD population CDP scores were significantly different (a=0.05) than those of a healthy population, except for the SOT Somatosensory subscale (p=0.28), LOS Directional Control subscale (p=0.08), ADT Toes Up subscale (p=0.16) and ADT Toes Down subscale (p=0.23). The Smart Balance Master® system's LOS Movement Velocity, Endpoint Excursion, Maximum Excursion, and Reaction Time subscores and the SOT Composite, Visual, and Vestibular subscores uniquely describe the varying symptoms of the disease. These disease specific abnormalities may provide insight into focused treatment intervention strategies.

This thesis deals with modelling and simulation of management protocols on the data-link layer in OMNeT++ tool. Namely protocol CDP, LLDP and ODR routing. These protocols are described in the first thesis' half and in the second half is described their design and implementation in ANSA project. Correctness of implementation is verified by comparison between simulated and real network examples. Also dependencies on module DeviceConfiguratoru were removed from ANSAINET library.

Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2002--Aachen.

Externally bonding of fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) strips or sheets has become a popular strengthening method for reinforced concrete structures over the last two decades. For most such strengthened concrete beams and slabs, the failure is at or near the FRP-concrete interface due to FRP debonding. The objective of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of the debonding behaviour of the FRP-concrete interface through mesoscale finite element simulation. Central to the investigation is the use of the concrete damaged plasticity (CDP) model for modelling the concrete. The FRP is treated as an elastic material. The numerical simulation is focused on the single shear test of FRP-concrete bonded joints. This problem is known to be highly nonlinear and has many difficulties in achieving a converged solution using the standard static loading procedures. A dynamic loading procedure is applied in this research and various parameters such as time step, loading rate etc. are investigated. In particular, the effect of the damping ratio is investigated in depth and an appropriate selection is recommended for solving such problems. It has been identified that the concrete damage model can have a significant effect on the numerical predictions in the present problem. Various concrete empirical damage models are assessed using cyclic test data and simulation of the single shear test of the FRP-concrete bonded joint and it is proposed that the Birtel and Mark’s (2006) model is the most appropriate one for use in the present problem. Subsequently, the effects of other aspects of the concrete behaviour on the FRP-concrete bond behaviour are investigated. These include the tensile fracture energy, compression strain energy and different concrete compression stress-strain models. These leads to the conclusion that the CEBFIP1990 model is the most appropriate one for the problem. An important issue for recognition is that the actual behaviour of the FRP-concrete bonded joints is three dimensional (3D), but most numerical simulations have treated the problem as two dimensional (2D) which has a number of imitations. True 3D simulation is however very expensive computationally and impractical. This study proposes a simple procedure for modelling the joint in 2D with the 3D behaviour properly considered. Numerical results show that the proposed method can successfully overcome the limitations of the traditional 2D simulation method. The above established FE model is then applied to simulate a large number of test specimens. The bond stress-slip relationship is extracted from the mesoscale FE simulation results. An alternative model is proposed based on these results which is shown to be advantageous compared with existing models. This new model provides the basis for further investigation of debonding failures in FRP strengthened concrete structures in the future.

Thesis (Master of Construction Management))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2019. / This study evaluates both the Contractor Development Programme (CDP) mentorship programme and the emerging contractors’ personal limitations in achieving a successful programme implementation. The objectives of the study were as follows: (i) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the mentorship programme differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (ii) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of contractors with regard to the perception on mentorship programme limitations; (iii) to ascertain whether the perception of limitations of the contractors’ personal limitations differs in accordance with contractor’s profile; (iv) to ascertain whether there is any statistically significant difference between the profiles of emerging contractors with regard to the perception on personal limitations. The study adopted a quantitative research method which was preceded by an exploratory study. The study targeted emerging contractors in the Western Cape. The exploratory study was undertaken at the initial stage of the study to gain more insight in terms of the impact of limited contracting opportunities for emerging contractors on the Western Cape CDP mentorship programme. The data was collected by means of conducting semi-structured interviews to purposely selected emerging contractors, and was subsequently transcribed and analysed using content analysis. With regard to the main study, the questionnaire survey with closed-ended questions was distributed to the population of 16 emerging contractors with CIDB grade 3 and 5. The descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the main study. The study has uncovered a number of gaps in terms of the implementation processes of CDP mentorship programme. In regard to the mentorship programme limitations: The findings have revealed the use of ineffective recruitment and selection methods, the lack of training projects for contractors to tender, the lack of MOUs between the banks and the Western Cape CDP to ease access to credit, the lack of continuity in terms of mentoring services, the failure to evaluate contractors when they enter the mentorship programme, failure to monitor contractors’ development during mentorship, the failure to evaluate contractors when they exit the mentorship programme. In regard to the emerging contractors’ personal limitations: The findings have discovered the lack of tendering skills among contractors, lack of skills in interpreting construction drawings, the lack of planning for construction projects, the lack of estimation, and the lack of negotiation skills with material and plant suppliers. The research concludes by recommending that the Department of Transport and Public Works should review the entire mentorship programme. This will be achieved by appointing a business development practitioner to re-design and re-structure the entire mentorship programme so that it can be able to attract and select suitable contractors while meeting the governments’ objective of developing and promoting of emerging contractors in the construction industry.

Submitted by RONICLEIA BOMFIM (ronya@fbcontabilidade.com.br) on 2017-04-04T13:23:14Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_Roni_2016.pdf: 8098581 bytes, checksum: 72ad86a854fbcd2fb8436a296acdad6f (MD5) Ata da Defesa.pdf: 592335 bytes, checksum: 7d5fbae0b1038437f62bf980bc50c144 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marivalda Araujo (masilva@ufba.br) on 2017-04-04T15:01:57Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_Roni_2016.pdf: 8098581 bytes, checksum: 72ad86a854fbcd2fb8436a296acdad6f (MD5) Ata da Defesa.pdf: 592335 bytes, checksum: 7d5fbae0b1038437f62bf980bc50c144 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-04T15:01:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertacao_Roni_2016.pdf: 8098581 bytes, checksum: 72ad86a854fbcd2fb8436a296acdad6f (MD5) Ata da Defesa.pdf: 592335 bytes, checksum: 7d5fbae0b1038437f62bf980bc50c144 (MD5) / CAPES / Essa pesquisa investigou a relação entre a evidenciação de informações sobre mudanças climáticas e o desempenho econômico-financeiro das empresas brasileiras participantes do CDP Investidores no período de 2012 a 2016. Para mensurar a variável evidenciação de informações sobre mudanças climáticas, utilizou-se como proxy o scoring de Transparência disponibilizado anualmente pelo CDP Investidores com base nas respostas fornecidas pelas empresas. Para o cálculo do desempenho econômico-financeiro das empresas componentes da pesquisa, considerou-se como proxies de desempenho econômico-financeiro, as seguintes métricas contábeis: Retorno sobre Ativos (ROA) e Retorno sobre o Patrimônio Líquido (ROE) e as seguintes métricas de mercado: Retorno anormal das ações e Q de Tobin. Por meio dos resultados deste estudo, verifica-se que é crescente o número de organizações que estão divulgando informações relacionadas às mudanças climáticas, melhorando a transparência de suas ações. Percebe-se também uma tendência crescente de companhias que têm integrado em sua estratégia o tema das mudanças climáticas, que estabelecem metas de redução de emissões de GEE e que assumem compromissos públicos sobre metas de redução de GEE, sobretudo em termos de mitigação das emissões. Dessa forma, por meio dos resultados da análise de regressão em painel encontrou-se uma relação positiva e significativa ao nível de significância de 10% entre o disclosure sobre mudanças climáticas e o Retorno Anormal, confirmando dessa forma a H3. No entanto, não foi encontrado uma relação estatisticamente significativa entre o disclosure sobre mudanças climáticas e o Retorno sobre Ativos, o Retorno sobre o Patrimônio Líquido, e o Q de Tobin, por isso, foram rejeitadas as hipóteses H1, H2 e H4. Tais resultados estão alinhados com o aparato conceitual da teoria da divulgação, porquanto se espera que o mercado de capitais reaja de forma positiva ao disclosure. Os achados desta investigação contribuem para ampliar as discussões acadêmicas no campo de investigação contábil, principalmente para os estudos na área de contabilidade socioambiental. Este estudo limita-se ao período e a amostra investigada e, portanto, não podem servir de base para generalizações sobre o comportamento das empresas. Sugere-se que pesquisas futuras ampliem a amostra para outros países e utilizem um horizonte temporal maior, a utilização de outras proxies para mensurar as informações sobre mudanças climáticas. Além disso, pesquisas poderiam mapear quais são os principais meios de disclosure destas informações e mensurar o seu nível de evidenciação, averiguando as respostas dos questionários do CDP Investidores através de uma análise de conteúdo com o intuito de examinar o crescimento da preocupação dos gestores com a pressão social face os problemas ambientais, poder-se-ia incluir outras variáveis econômico-financeiras no modelo econométrico. Complementarmente, estudos poderiam analisar o tema em questão à luz de outras teorias, como: da legitimidade, da sinalização e institucional. / This research investigated the relation between evidence of information about climatic changes and the economic-financial performance of Brazilian companies which participate of CDP Investors since 2012 to 2016. To measure the variable evidence of information about climatic changes, was used as proxy the scoring of Transparency available yearly by CDP Investors based on answers provided by the companies. For calculate the economic-financial performance of the companies participant of the research, was considered, as economic-financial performance proxies, the following accounting measures: Feedback on Assets (FOA) and Feedback on Net Worth (FONW), and the following market measures: Unnormal Feedback of Assets (UFOA) and Q of Tobin. Through the results of this study, was verified that is growing the number of institution which are disclosing information about climate changes, improving its assets transparency. It is also noticed a growing trend of companies that have composed, in its strategy, the theme climate changes, that set goal of reduction of emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) and that assume public commitment on goals of reduction of emission of greenhouse gases, especially in terms of mitigation of emission. Therefore, by means of the results of the analysis of degression in panel, was found a positive and significant relation, in a level of 10%, between disclosure about climatic changes and the unnormal feedback, confirming, in this way, the H3. However, wasn’t found a statistically significant relation between disclosure on climatic changes and the Feedback on Assets, Feedback on Net Worth and the Q of Tobin, hence the hypotheses H1, H2 e H4 were rejected. These results are aligned with the conceptual display of the theory of disclosure, in as much as it is expected that the capital market react positively to disclosure. The dates of this research contribute to broaden academicals discussions on the field of accounting research, mainly for studies in the area of socio-environmental accounting. This study is limited to the researched period and sample, and, therefore, is not useful as base for generalizations about the behavior of the companies. It is suggested that future researches expand the sample for other countries and use a larger period of time and other proxies to measure the information about climatic changes. Furthermore, researches could chart which are the main ways of disclosure of these information and measure its level of evidence, verifying the answers of the CDP Investors questionnaire, through a content analysis, in order to examine the growing of the managers worry to the social pressure before the environmental problems. It also could include other economic-financial variables in the econometric standard. Additionally, studies could analyze the subject in question in light of other theories like: legitimacy, signalization and institutional.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-08T17:19:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Kohls .pdf: 57388 bytes, checksum: 061e1c40382138d4efd671ca1d144b1a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2003-04-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O presente trabalho teve Poe objetivo projetar, construir e validar um equipamento de baixo custo para pré-nucleação de trinca em CDP entalhado. Teve também por meta mostrar os resultados obtidos nos ensaios de resistência a fratura em metais na determinação do fator de intensidade de tensão critico Kic efetivados em corpos de prova metálicos do tipo SENB, os quais foram pré-trincados no dispositivo de pré nucleação de CDP construído em laboratórios.

The emissions of greenhouse gases need to be cut by 45% between 2010 and 2030 and reach net-zero by around 2050 (IPCC, 2018) to limit global temperature-rise to 1,5 degrees C. More companies are committing to net-zero emissions, but the overall emissions of greenhouse gases in the world are still going up, and previous research shows that there is an implementation gap and lack of plans in companies. This thesis examines the hindering and supporting factors for companies’ net-zero transition. It is also exploring how SBTi, sustainability reporting, and sustainability ratings influence the net-zero transition in companies according to sustainability practitioners. The key findings are that companies alone cannot do the net-zero transition; they are dependent on other stakeholders and factors such as investors, customers and suppliers. Investors and customers are strong drivers for some companies to make the transition to netzero, but they are also the strongest hindering factors not wanting to pay extra or sacrifice dividends for the transition in companies’ value chains. Companies are also dependent on their suppliers and customers to measure and cut their value chain scope 3 emissions. To reach net-zero, new ways of collaboration are needed across the value chain. Internally, the implementation has not started properly in many companies. The key hindering factor internally is money, the investments needed will impact the profits, and often bonuses of managers, and GHG emission reductions need to be valued on the same level as money. Investors and financial actors play a large role pushing companies to set net-zero targets through SBTi. SBTi is a key framework to make companies cut emissions in line with science, but its control mechanisms are weak. If the control mechanisms are strengthened through audits, accountability and litigation, SBTi has the potential to be a very strong supporting factor for companies’ net-zero transition. Sustainability reports and ratings are the way companies communicate their net-zero performance with their stakeholders, but the reports are a polished truth, and it is difficult to understand the net-zero performance in companies. Ratings such as CDP do not reward emission reductions enough, instead they reward processes and documents which can make the companies look greener than they are.

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyze the CDP-method in order to develop and refine the method. The method is developed and presented in Bäckstrand (2012), with the aim to strengthen the competitiveness of manufacturing companies. Someone outside of the development context has never, until now and to the researchers knowledge, refined the method. Methodology: A multiple case study with four companies where used. The empirical data collected within the study where used to evaluate the CDP-method and to refine the method. The presented improvement is based on the empirical data and conceptual models developed from theory. Findings: Three improvements were developed. The first of them changed step 8 of the method, the second can´t be tied to a single step and is therefore an overall suggestion, whereas the third provides a new type of analysis within step 6 of the method. Research limitations: The research was conducted at companies where the CDP-method was already implemented. An implementation at a new company could possibly reveal another type of empirical data, which could be interpreted in a different way. The researchers have also detected areas that couldn’t be investigated within this research, these are identified and left for further research. Theoretical implications: Results from this thesis connect the classification of supply risk by Kraljic (1983) with supply chain strategy by Fisher (1997) to enable a new type of analysis. Furthermore, theory within the standardization and over-specification (e.g. Burt, Petcavage & Pinkerton, 2010; Geldeman & van Weele, 2002) is introduced and incorporated in the CDP-method. A third implication is a reinforced focus on strategy in combination with the CDP-method, which is based on theory regarding strategic alignment (e.g. Gattorna & Walter, 1996; Hines, 2004). Managerial implications: The new analysis should, together with the CDP-method as a whole, strengthen adopting companies supply chain and improve internal and external communication. Originality/value: This thesis provides a new set of analysis in the CDP-method that could benefit practitioners.