No description available.

本研究藉由測量制約場地偏好行為及制約活動量兩種制約反應，透過制約期及後測期對藥物配對刺激之操弄，探討制約刺激與酬賞性藥物配對之歷程及其相關之神經機制。本文所使用的為低劑量(1.5 mg/kg)之安非他命，採腹腔注射方式給藥。實驗一探討後測日呈現不同的藥物配對刺激組合對兩種制約反應之影響效果，實驗結果發現受試只對與藥物配對過的兩個以上元素刺激同時出現才能引發受試表現制約場地偏好，且受試對複合刺激的活動量皆顯著高於對單一元素刺激的活動量。實驗二在制約期分別將視覺刺激與觸覺刺激與藥物配對，後測期於藥物配對箱單獨呈現視覺刺激或兩者所組成的複合刺激，測量受試兩種制約反應。實驗結果發現視覺刺激與複合刺激皆能引發制約場地偏好，受試對複合刺激的活動量亦高於對視覺刺激的活動量。實驗三則是於制約前分別破壞受試之杏仁核、背側海馬或腹側海馬，並進行實驗二之制約實驗程序。結果發現破壞杏仁核顯著的減抑單一元素刺激所引發之制約場地偏好，但不影響複合刺激引發之制約場地偏好。破壞背側海馬及腹側海馬減抑複合刺激引發之制約場地偏好。但在制約活動量表現方面，這三個腦組織均未獲得較一致性的結果。總而言之，本研究得到制約刺激之連結強度確實可以透過制約場地偏好及制約活動量反映出差異，且結果支持Rescorla-Wagner元素理論對制約刺激與非制約刺激配對歷程之假設。由破壞杏仁核及海馬對受試表現制約場地偏好造成不等程度之影響，可見杏仁核與海馬所參與以藥物配對的制約之行為功能不同。 關鍵字：心理藥物學，安非他命，制約場地偏好，制約活動，元素理論，整體理論，大白鼠 / By measuring of conditioned place preference (CPP) and conditioned locomotion, the present study manipulated various patterns of environment by composing three different contextual stimuli in the test chamber during different stages of conditioning to investigate behavioral processing and neural mechanisms underlying the association of conditioned stimulus and psychoactive drug. A relatively low dose of amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg) administered via intraperitoneal route was conducted as drug treatment throughout the study. In Experiment 1, the effects of CPP and conditioned locomotion were evaluated as different patterns of contextual stimuli composed in the test chamber presented during post-conditioning stage. The results showed CPP was significantly induced in the environment with context stimuli composed by at least two elements. And, the magnitude of conditioned locomotion induced by compound stimulus was higher than that induced by a single elemental stimulus. In Experiment 2, the effects of CPP and conditioned locomotion induced by a two-element compound stimulus were evaluated in the subjects received the drug pairing with both of each element stimulus in separate during the conditioning stage. The CPP was reliable induced by that compound stimulus. Although such CPP effect could also induced by an elemental stimulus specifically regarding to visual modality, it was not true for the other elemental stimulus manipulated on tactual modality. In Experiment 3, behavioral effects tested on the procedures of Experiment 2 were re-evaluated in the subjects received neurotoxic lesions in the amygdala, the dorsal hippocampus, or the ventral hippocampus before conditioning. While amygdaloid lesion significantly attenuated the CPP induced by elemental stimulus, such lesion did not inhibit the CPP induced by the compound stimulus. Lesions on those two hippocampal subareas disrupted the formation of CPP induced by compound stimulus. Regarding the conditioned locomotion, in contrast to what found on CPP, lesion treatment did not produce reliable effect induced by compound stimulus or elemental stimulus. In conclusion, the present findings on two conditioned responses measured support the assumption of Rescorla-Wagner Model on elemental theory. The lesion data indicate that amygdala and hippocampus are differentially involved in conditioned responses induced by psychoactive drug. Key words: psychopharmacology, amphetamine, conditioned place preference, conditioned locomotion, elemental theory, configural theory, rat.

L’uranium (U) est naturellement présent à l’état de trace dans l’eau (µg.L-1), sa concentration pouvant atteindre localement quelques mg.L-1 du fait des activités anthropiques. Plusieurs études écotoxicologiques sur Danio rerio ont mis en évidence la toxicité, e.g. le stress oxydant, la génotoxicité mais aussi la reprotoxicité (i.e. moins de pontes et d’œufs pondus chez les poissons contaminés) de l’U dont les mécanismes ne sont pas connus.L’objectif de cette étude est de contribuer à la compréhension de la reprotoxicité de l’U par l’élucidation de mécanismes moléculaires perturbés après contamination. Pour cela, des investigations ont été menées sur les ovaires de poissons zèbre Danio rerio, reproduits (R) ou non (NR), après exposition par voie directe en condition de laboratoire à des concentrations représentatives d’environnements contaminés.Ce travail de thèse a été divisé en deux volets. Un premier volet analytique avait pour but la poursuite des développements de méthodes pour l’identification des complexes U-protéines en condition non dénaturante, autour du couplage de techniques de séparation (chromatographie d’exclusion stérique SEC, électrophorèse hors gel OGE) et de détection sensible par spectrométrie de masse élémentaire (ICP MS) et moléculaire (ESI MS). Le second volet a été dédié à l’étude de la reprotoxicité de l’U à l’échelle moléculaire, avec i) l’étude des complexes natifs U-protéines (approche métallomique), et ii) l’analyse différentielle de l’expression des protéines (approche protéomique).Les développements analytiques ont permis de garder le tampon physiologique et non dénaturant d’extraction pour l’étape de séparation OGE, améliorant le taux de recouvrement en U. En écotoxicologie, les principaux résultats montrent que l’ovaire est un organe accumulateur de l’U et que le statut de reproduction a une influence sur le niveau d’accumulation (R<NR). En revanche, cet état a peu d’influence sur sa distribution protéique pour laquelle 4 fractions (dont 1 principale) ont été identifiées, toutes contenant aussi du phosphore. L’identification des cibles potentielles de l’U et des protéines exprimées différentiellement (vtg, GST, GAPDH,…) a montré que les processus biologiques perturbés suite à la contamination sont de deux niveaux : 1/ générique (stress oxydant) et 2/ plus spécifique de la gonade (développement et maturation des ovocytes). En conclusion, ces deux approches complémentaires ont permis de mettre en évidence un effet direct (complexation) et indirect (expression protéique modulée) de l’U, et de proposer l’hypothèse d’un défaut de maturation des ovocytes après contamination. Ce défaut pourrait impacter le développement embryonnaire et in fine expliquer la reprotoxicité observée lors d’études écotoxicologiques précédentes. / Uranium (U) is naturally presents at trace level (µg.L-1) in aquatic environment; its concentration can increase up to a few mg.L-1 due to human activities. Several ecotoxicological studies have shown uranium toxicity in contaminated zebrafishes Danio rerio, e.g. oxidative stress, genotoxicity and reprotoxicity (i.e. lower number of spawn and eggs laid) but mechanisms are not well known.The objective of this study is to contribute to the understanding of uranium reprotoxicity by elucidating the disrupted molecular mechanisms after contamination. Therefore, investigations have been carried out on ovaries from reproduced (R) and non-reproduced (NR) zebrafishes after waterborne exposure in laboratory conditions at environmentally relevant concentrations.This project was divided into two parts. Firstly, analytical investigations were carried out to continue the development of non-denaturing methods for U-protein identification by coupling separative techniques (size exclusion chromatography SEC, off gel electrophoresis OGE) with elemental (ICP MS) and molecular (ESI MS) sensitive mass spectrometry detection. Secondly, studies of U reprotoxicity were investigated by studying i) native U-protein complexes (metallomics approach) and ii) differential analysis of protein expression (proteomics approach)Analytical developments allowed keeping the physiological and non-denaturing extraction buffer for OGE separation step, improving U recovery. In ecotoxicology, the major results showed that ovary is an U accumulating organ and that the reproduction status modifies the accumulation level (R<NR). However, this status is of little influence on its distribution on proteins with 4 fractions (including a major one) determined, all of them coeluting with phosphorus. The identification of U potential targets and of protein expression differences (vtg, GST, GAPDH…) showed that biological processes disrupted after contamination are at two levels: 1/ generic (oxidative stress) and 2/ more specific to gonad (oocyte development and maturation).As a conclusion, these two complementary approaches showed a direct (complexation) and indirect (modification of protein expression) effects of U, and enabled to hypothesize a lack of oocyte maturation after contamination. This defect could impact embryo development and in fine explain the reprotoxicity observed in previous ecotoxicological studies.

Die vorliegende Arbeit stellt die Ergebnisse der methodologischen Entwicklung räumlich aufgelöster Analyse mittels Scanning Laserablation-ICP-Massenspektrometrie dar. Eine neue Behandlung zur Quantifizierung transienter analytischer Signale wurde für die Wiederherstellung von Konzentrationsprofilen vorgeschlagen. Die Anwendung der entwickelten Modelle auf die räumlich aufgelöste Analyse mittels LA-ICP-MS ermöglicht verbesserten Informationsgewinn und lässt dadurch eine höhere räumliche Auflösung erreichen. Die Anwendbarkeit der LA-ICP-MS für die räumlich aufgelöste Bestimmung der Stöchiometrie in supraleitenden Borokarbiden wurde untersucht. Der Einfluss apparativer Größen auf das analytische Signal wurde aufgeklärt, um die Messbedingungen zu optimieren. Zusätzlich wurden Fraktionierungseffekte untersucht, um die Ursache und deren Auswirkung auf die Analyse supraleitender Borokarbiden zu erklären. / This work represents the results of the methodological development of spatially resolved analysis by scanning laser ablation ICP mass spectrometry. A new approach to the quantification of transient analytical signals was proposed to reveal the concentration profile. An application of the developed models on spatially resolved analysis by LA-ICP-MS allows to gain more information from experimental data and hence to achieve better spatial resolution. The applicability of LA-ICP-MS to the spatially resolved determination of the stoichiometry of superconducting borocarbides was investigated. The effect of experimental parameters on analytical signals was elucidated in order to optimize the experimental conditions. In addition, fractionation effects were investigated to identify the causes for fractionation and their influence on the analysis of superconducting borocarbides.

Increasing interest in an effciency enhancement of existing energy sources led to an extended research in the field of thermoelectrics. Especially skutterudites with their high power factor (electric conductivity times Seebeck coefficient squared) are suitable thermoelectric materials. However, a further improvement of their thermoelectric properties is necessary. The relatively high thermal conductivity can be decreased by introducing loosely bound guest ions, whereas atom substitution or nanostructuring (as thin films) could yield an increased power factor. The present work proves the feasibility to deposit single phase skutterudite thin films by MBE technique. In this regard CoSby and FeSby film series were deposited with three different methods: i) codeposition at elevated temperatures, ii) codeposition at room temperature followed by post-annealing, and iii) modulated elemental reactant method. The structural and thermoelectric properties of these films were investigated by taking the thermal stability of the film and the substrate properties into account. Compared to the stoichiometric Sb content of skutterudites of 75 at.%, a small excess of Sb is necessary for achieving single phase skutterudite films. It was found, that the deposited single phase CoSb3 films reveal bipolar conduction (and therefore a low Seebeck coefficient), whereas FeSb3 films show p-type conduction and very promising power factors at room temperature. The need of substrates with a low thermal conductivity and a suitable thermal expansion coefficient is also demonstrated. A high thermal conductivity influences the measurements of the Seebeck coefficient and the obtained values will be underestimated by thermal shortening of the film by the substrate. If the thermal expansion coefficient of film and substrate differ strongly from each other, crack formation at the film surface was observed. Furthermore, the realization of controlled doping by substitution as well as the incorporation of guest ions was successfully shown. Hence, this work is a good starting point for designing skutterudite based thin film structures. Two successful examples for such structures are given: i) a thickness series, where a strong decrease of the resistivity was observed for films with a thickness lower than 10nm, and ii) a FexCo1-xSb3 gradient film, for which the gradient was maintained even at an annealing temperature of 400°C.

This master’s thesis is focused on the LIBS technique for compositional differentiation and relative hardness quantification of selected geological samples. The experimental part of this thesis was conducted at the National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences (NILES) in Cairo, Egypt where a simple LIBS system was constructed. In parallel to the experimental work, the literature review was surveyed with the aim to give a thorough view of the history, fundamentals and all the factors related to LIBS. LIBS is a developing analytical technique, which is used to perform qualitative and semi-quantitative elemental analysis of materials (solid, liquid and gas). The fast data collection and the lack of sample preparation made LIBS be an attractive technique to be used for geological samples. This study was done to improve analytical methods for geochemical analysis of samples during different exploration phases (Mining, filed analysis, etc.), as a real-time analysis method to save money and time spent in labs. For a generation of laser induced plasma, a Q-switched Nd: YAG laser operated at 10 Hz and wavelength of 1064 nm was employed on the surface of the samples. A spectrometer fitted with an intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) was used to disperse and detect the spectrum; then fed to a computer for recording and further processing of the data. The sample set was compiled from samples collected from different areas (South Africa and Namibia). Using principal component analysis (PCA), it was found that LIBS was able to differentiate between the samples even those of the same area. The results from the LIBS technique were correlated with subsequent analysis of the same samples by Particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The feasibility of relative hardness estimation using LIBS was done by measuring the plasma excitation temperature for different samples. LIBS with its advantages as an elemental analysis technique made it possible to estimate the hardness of geological samples. Based on theory and results, an analytical technique for compositional differentiation and quantification of relative hardness of geological samples is proposed. / National Research Foundation (South Africa) / Physics / M Sc. (Physics)

PIXE (Particle Induced X-ray Emission) et PIGE (Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission) sont des méthodes d’analyse par faisceau d’ions, multiélémentaires et non destructives. Elles sont basées sur la détection des rayons X et gamma caractéristiques émis suite à l’interaction de particules chargées avec la matière. La méthode PIXE permet de quantifier les éléments de numéro atomique Z>11 avec une limite de détection au niveau du μg/g (ppm). Les rayons X émis par les éléments légers (Z<11) sont fortement atténués par la matière, limitant la sensibilité de PIXE pour cette gamme de numéro atomique. Ces éléments peuvent légers être analysés, simultanément, par la méthode PIGE. Un des nombreux avantages de la méthode PIXE/PIGE est sa capacité à pouvoir effectuer différentes analyses (cartographie des concentrations, analyse en profondeur, objets précieux). Il est possible d’analyser des échantillons aussi bien homogènes que non homogènes. La méthode PIXE à haute énergie a été développée au cyclotron ARRONAX avec des faisceaux de particules pouvant atteindre 70 MeV. La technique PIXE à haute énergie permet, notamment, l’analyse d’échantillons épais et limite les risques d’endommagement. Premièrement la plateforme PIXE/PIGE à haute énergie est décrite. Ensuite une étude de la méthode PIGE à haute énergie ainsi que la mise en place d’un protocole de mesure de sections efficaces sont présentées. Pour finir les méthodes mises en place ainsi que les résultats obtenus lors de l’analyse de plusieurs types d’échantillons non homogènes (multicouches et granulaires) sont présentés et discutés. / Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Particle Induced Gamma-ray Emission (PIGE) are multi-elemental and non-destructives techniques. They are based on the detection of characteristic X-ray and gamma emission induced by the interaction of accelerated charged particles with matter. Elements with an atomic number Z> 11 can be quantified reaching a limit of detection in the order of μg/g (ppm). X-rays from light elements are strongly attenuate by matter. Therefore, PIXE shows little sensitivity for lights elements. Those elements are analyzed simultaneously using PIGE. One of the benefits of PIXE/PIGE is its ability to perform analysis with different requirement (elemental concentration mapping, in-depth analysis, valuable objects). Homogeneous and non-homogenous samples can be studied thanks to PIXE/PIGE. High energy PIXE (HEPIXE) has been developed at the ARRONAX cyclotron using particles beams up to 70 MeV. Thus analysis of thick samples is achievable using HEPIXE. Using high energy beams can also reduce the risk of damaging the sample. First of all, the high energy PIXE/PIGE platform develop at ARRONAX is described. Then the results given by high energy PIGE analysis and the experimental procedure for gamma emission cross section measurements are discussed. Finally, the methods developed and the results obtained during the analysis of inhomogeneous samples (multi-layer and granular samples) are presented and discussed.

The topic of this diploma thesis is the operational efficiency of heat sources. The work had several goals. The first was to determine the efficiency of the wood boiler according to available calculation methods and to compare the methods among them. The second was to determine the difference in the performance of the flue gas analyzer and the real calculation. Further, to determine the efficiency of a boiler firing different wood species - spruce and hornbeam based on their properties and elemental composition. Experimental measurement of various operating states of effectiveness took place in an older two-generation family house, which was also the subject of the project part. Due to lack of project documentation, it was necessary to focus and plot the object. Afterwards, the building was thermally inspected and the design of the heating system and the reconstruction of the whole heating system was carried out. The project was developed in two variants for two different heat sources - a heat pump and a solid fuel boiler for heating and water preparation. The thesis deals with the technical report, the conceptual solution of the related professions, the evaluation of the heat source variants and the project documentation.

This work deals with the determination of the operational efficiency of solid fules boilers for their inclusion in the relevant emission class according to ČSN EN 303-5. Two steel boilers of the same manufacturer, type and performance but of different ages, were measured. The experimental measurments in the real operation of the boilers were carrien out during the combustion of two types of fuels, namely brown coal and spruce wood.The operational efficiency of the monitored sources was calculated from the measured data using both direct and undirect methods. The found efficiency of the boilers corresponds to the expected values, due to their construction, age and the way of using individual components and regulations. In the project part of this work there is a proposal of heating of the family house for the condition of the building before and after the insulation. The calculation was made for the solid fuel boiler and heat pump. The building is heated by radiators and floor heating. The design of the whole system, technical report and project documentation were prepared for each variant.

Poptávka ze strany vesmírného výzkumu, zdravotnictví a bezpečnostního průmyslu způsobila v posledních letech zvýšený zájem o vývoj materiálů pro detekci a zobrazování vysokoenergetického záření. CdTe a jeho slitina CdZnTe. jsou polovodiče umožnují detekci záření o energiích v rozsahu 10 keV až 500 keV. Šířka zakázaného pásma u CdTe / CdZnTe je 1.46 -1.6 eV, což umožňuje produkci krystalů o vysoké rezistivitě (10^10-10^11 cm), která je dostačující pro použití CdTe / CdZnTe při pokojové teplotě. V mé práci byly zkoumány detektory CdTe/CdZnTe v různých stádiích jejich poruchovosti. Byly použity velmi kvalitní spektroskopické detektory, materiál s nižší rezistivitou a výraznou polarizací, detektory s asymetrií elektrických parametrů kontaktů a teplotně degenerované vzorky. Z výsledků analýzy nízkofrekvenčního šumu je patrný obecný závěr, že zvýšená koncentrace defektů způsobí změnu povahy původně monotónního spektra typu 1/f na spektrum s výrazným vlivem generačně-rekombinačních procesů. Další výrazná vlastnost degenerovaných detektorů a detektorů nižší kvality je nárůst spektrální hustoty šumu typu 1/f se vzrůstajícím napájecím napětí se směrnicí výrazně vyšší než 2. Strukturální a chemické analýzy poukázaly, že teplotní generace detektorů způsobuje difuzi kovu použitého při kontaktování a stopových prvků hlouběji do objemu krystalu. Část mé práce je věnována modifikaci povrchu svazkem argonových iontů a jejímu vlivu na chemické složení a morfologii povrchu.