The aim of thesis is to describe the basic methods called Rapid Prototyping in theory and using one of them to create master model. Master model will be used to create silicone mould where a limited series of wax models will be by means of vacuum casting chamber. They will also be used to make ceramic form in which the final pad will be cast from freely accessible materials. After processing it the suitability of the proposed technologies for the production of the part in question will be assessed.

This master thesis deals with design of injection moulding technology for plastic holder of carbon brushes made of polycarbonate labelled Lexan 945A. The injection is performed into injection mould with hot runner system. Initially there is general study related to plastics and injection moulding technology. Further the study continues with injection moulds with hot runners and ends with computer analysis of injection moulding process. The designed injection mould for production of plastic holders is three-plate, double cavity mould with four hot nozzles and one parting plane, where one of the plates serves for mounting of the hot runner system inside the mould. This work contains part of the drawing documentation and item list of the injection mould. The selected injection moulding machine is Arburg Allrounder 370 U labelled 700-290 according to EUROMAP.

Master’s thesis deals with selection of a proper technology for manufacturing of chosen plastic part. The beginning of thesis contains part survey. Plastic injection was chosen as the most suitable manufacturing technology. Required theoretical knowledge for plastic injection mould designing were extracted in the recherche. Individual chapters deals with plastics, their manufacturing and plastic injection technology with all required knowledge about this technology, machines and moulds. Designing chapter contains every required calculation for mould design and all individual sections of mould design and injection machine selection. Injection simulations and their evaluations are part of this thesis aswell. Assembly and forms drawings as well as other documents used during thesis processing are included in the attachments.

This thesis describes a design of an injection mould for plastic part "Sleeve", that is intended for guiding of sliding door hardware. The part is manufactured from PE-HD, production quantity is 3 000 000 pcs annually. Based on calculations and review of specialized literature the design utilizes hot runners of MH system by Ewicon. The tool is assembled from normalized components by Hasco and an injection press BOY22D was suggested for parts production. Total costs for production of 1 part are 0,26 CZK.

This thesis deals with the production of a plastic body of the aperture by the method of injection moulding. The work includes a design of the injection mould for the given component. First, an appropriate material for the moulded piece was chosen and then the necessary calculations for the injection mould were made. A quadruplex injection mould with a heated inlet nozzle and pullout cores was designed based on these calculations. Modular components were chosen when designing the injection mould. The next part of the thesis contains the selection of the injection moulding machine for the given mould. The conclusion contains a technical-economical evaluation including the cost estimating for the injection mould and cost estimating for one moulded piece.

This project has been developed within the master study of Engineering Technology and Industrial Management a design of manufacturing technology for plastic cogwheel is introduced. The cogwheel will be produced by plastic injection moulding. POM material with a trade name Delrin 100 NC010 from DuPont Company will be used. An injection mould is a tool for producing a plastic cogwheel using injection moulding technology. Production will take place on the machine Allrounder 420 C Golden Edition 1000-290 from Arburg German Company headquartered in Loßburg, where the seat of parent company is situated.

The highest terrestrial biodiversity in Sweden is connected to old grown deciduous trees with tree trunk hollows and dead wood, such as oak and maple. A reduction of deciduous forest and old grown trees from anthropological activities has left many habitats wanting in size and fragmented. Many saproxylic species that are dependent on old grown trees with tree trunk hollows are now threatened. The aim of this study was to further develop artificial habitats (boxes) used for conservation of saproxylic beetles. The boxes were made larger, placed in cities’ green areas and filled with produce from the surrounding areas. The study assessed the effectiveness of these boxes, regarding species richness and composition, compared with earlier studies and tree trunk hollows. The study also aimed to assess what variables might affect the species richness and family and species composition. During April to August 2019, 3454 individuals of 105 saproxylic species were collected in 55 boxes. Of the species dependent on tree trunk hollows, 45% were found in the boxes, compared with tree trunk hollows. Of the variables included shading of the box, the amount of buildings surrounding the box and the amount of forest surrounding the box were found to affect species richness. More shading and a larger forest area increased the species richness in the boxes, and a higher concentration of buildings decreased species richness in the boxes. Conclusively, this study showed that boxes placed in cities’ green areas could act as an alternative habitat for saproxylic beetles.

Doctor Educationis / The fungus Botrytis cinerea is an opportunistic pathogen on a wide variety of crops, causing a disease known as grey mould through infections via wounds or dead plant parts. Synthetic fungicides for controlling this disease are fast becoming ineffective due to the development of resistance. This, coupled with consumers' world wide becoming increasingly conscious of potential environmental and health problems associated with the build-up of toxic chemicals, (particularly in food products), have resulted in pressure to reduce the use of chemical pesticide volumes as well as its residues. An emerging alternative to random chemical synthesis is the study and exploitation of naturally occurring products with fungicidal properties. One group of compounds known as strobilurins produced by Strobilurus species, woodland basidiomycete fungi, is a good example of this phenomenon. Plants produce an enormous array of secondary metabolites, and it is commonly reasoned that a significant part of this chemical diversity serves to protect plants against plant pathogens. A problem with plant-produced compounds as potential fungicides is that in the natural state, they are generally only weakly active compared to synthetic fungicides. There have been reports on the uses of mixtures of synthetic fungicides for the control of plant pathogenic fungi. When utilized in two-way mixtures, such fungicides may maintain or enhance the level of control of a pathogen at reduced rates for both components utilized in combinations, or alone at normal rates. These studies provide an important precedent for the idea of synergism. For this study, we hypothesize that the addition of plant extracts may enhance the antifungal efficacy of the synthetic strobilurin fungicide, kresoxim-rnethyl against B. cinerea. We selected South African medicinal plant species such as Artemesia afra, Elyptropappus rhinocerotis, Galenia africana, Hypoxis hemerocallidea, Siphonochilus aetheopicus, Sutherlundia frutescence, Tulbaghia violacea and Tulbaghia alliaceae for this study. For the in vitro study, indigenous medicinal plant extracts were prepared at twofold dilution concentrations and combined with kresoxim-rnethyl at concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5% (w/v). The B. cinerea mycelial plug assays showed potent antifungal inhibitory effects with the plant extract and kresoxim-rnethyl mixtures. Further analyses of the mixtures indicate synergistic effects between the fungicide and plant extracts. I surmise that these in vitro effects are also achievable in vivo. Combinations of these agents represent an attractive avenue for the development of new management strategies for controlling B. cinerea in the future. A second study was conducted to analyse the final dose rates for synergistic reactions for combinations of kresoxim-methyl and medicinal plant extracts against B. cinerea in vivo. A series of two-fold concentrations of medicinal plant extracts were combined with kresoxim-methyl to conduct decay inhibition studies on Granny Smith apples. Synergistic effects were observed for many of the kresoxim-methyl and plant extract combinations. I, therefore, came to the conclusion that indigenous South African plant species produce modulators that potentiate the activity of fungicides. Whether these synergistic effects are due to the inhibition of fungal multi-drug resistant pumps require further studies at the molecular level. However, these inhibitory effects are likely to be advantageous for developing fungicide formulations and application strategies with low toxicity effects on the environment. This approach not only makes it possible to reduce fungicide concentrations while maintaining adequate decay control, but also ensures a reduction of the chemical residue on the fruit.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Pesticides are designed to control or eliminate pests such as insects, rodents, weeds, bacteria, and fungi. They are used at a global scale for agricultural produce. Although pesticides playa significant role in increasing food production and eliminating diseases, exposure to pesticides may be harmful to non-target organisms. As a result concern over safety and resistance to pesticides has increased and there is pressure to reduce use and search for more environmentally and toxicologically safe and efficacious pesticides. Most pesticides currently in use are synthetic; therefore an alternative to synthetic pesticides is the use of naturally occurring products! botanicals with pesticidal properties. Two plants indigenous to South African with pesticidal properties were chosen for this study. Dicerothamnus rhinocerotis (D. rhinocerotis) and Galenia africana (G. africana) have potential antifungal properties thus, may have potential use on agricultural produce as fungicides. Galenia africana and D. rhinocerotis extracts inhibit growth of B. cinerea (a fungal pathogen) at concentrations greater than 31.25 mg/ml and 125mg/ml respectively. A major consideration in approving pesticides for use is whether they pose an unreasonable risk to humans and to the environment. Toxicity studies are required to determine the safety of the plant extracts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential toxicity of ethanol extracts of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana, which is important when designing practices to reduce or eliminate excess exposure to them. Natural plant products with pesticidal properties could provide an alternative to synthetic pesticides and may thus effectively reduce resistance levels. This first objective of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana on human cell cultures. Human whole blood and the human breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF-7) were treated with varying concentrations of the plant extracts and cytotoxicity determined. Cytotoxicity was measured using several biomarkers. Inhibiotory concentration for a 50% effect (ICso) and no observable effect level (NOEL) values were obtained for D. rhinocerotis and G. africana. The results showed that extracts of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana had cytotoxic effects on the cell cultures. The second objective of this study was to determine the ecotoxicity of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana. A series of acute toxicity tests, with effective concentration for a 50% effect (ECso) and lethal concentration for a 50% effect (LCso) as biomarkers, were conducted to estimate the potential environmental effect of the two plants. The tests were carried out using Vibrio fischeri, Selenastrum capricornutum, Daphnia pulex, and Poecilia reticulata as bioindicators. Results obtained showed that G. africana had higher toxicity units than D. rhinocerotis, thus showing that G. africana is more toxic to the aquatic species used as compared to D. rhinocerotis. The third objective of this study was to investigate the immunomodulatory effects of the two plant extracts. This was achieved by using mouse spleen cell cultures. Exposure of pesticides to the immune system may result in alteration of the normal immune functions. The cytokines IFN-y and IL-4 were used as biomarkers to determine the T-cell activity of the immune system when exposed to the two botanical products. The results obtained showed that both D. rhinocerotis and G. africana decrease of the cytokines interferon gamma (IFN-y) and interleukin-4 (IL-4), thus may have immunotoxic effects. The fourth objective was to investigate the hepatotoxicity of the two plant extracts. Injury to the liver was investigated using a range of clinical biochemical tests that monitor liver enzyme activity and metabolic activity. Primary liver cell cultures were exposed to the plant products in question, after which the biochemical tests were carried out. The enzymes that were monitored were alanine aminotrasferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). The results obtained showed that both of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana may have effects on the liver, as shown by the increased levels of enzymes released from cells upon exposure to plant extracts. The final objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the two plants on the male reproductive system. Injury to the male reproductive system was investigated using testicular cell cultures. Primary cell cultures were stimulated with luteinizing-hormone (LH) and exposed to the plant extracts. LH results in the production of testosterone, thus testosterone was used as a biomarker for assessing reproductive toxicity. The results obtained showed that both of D. rhinocerotis and G. africana have effects on the male reproductive system, as shown by the decreased testosterone secretion. Botanicals provide a simple, inexpensive and environmentally friendly (non-pollution and lesser toxicological concerns) alternative for pest control. However, motivation for the commercial use of botanicals as pesticides requires validating the efficacy of the plant as a pesticide, and also assessing its effects on human health and the environment. An important component of this evaluation involves toxicity studies, which enables cautions of dangerous practices and toxic effects of the plants to be issued.

States that owing to foresight and planning by Portuguese business executives, most firms in Portugal survived the difficult 1970s and 1980s and, as a consequence, are stronger in today's competitive internal and external challenges. Sets out the methodology used and gives data analysis and results in a descriptive way, with the use of explanatory tables. Closes by stating that time-based differentiation may offer new ways for firms competing in highly differentiated markets.