Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) include chronic diseases involving the airways and other structures of the lung. In the current circumstance of Vietnam, people are exposed to numerous risk factors of CRD, such as heavy smoking, high frequency of pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic helminthiasis, allergic factors, migration and urbanization (the last associated with traffic-related pollution). The phenotype diagnoses should take into account the risk factors of each individual besides the clinical features, while the differential diagnoses mostly depend on the available techniques in each healthcare center. Our aim was to improve the differential diagnoses of the 3 most frequent CRDs: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and COPD – asthma overlap syndrome (ACOS), in Vietnam. In the first part, we evaluated the prevalence of the allergen sensitization among patients with CRD, in regard to the urban and rural area in the South of Vietnam. House dust mites and cockroach droppings were the most frequent sensitizer. Compared with participants born in the urban setting, those born in the rural environment were less frequently sensitized and this protective effect disappeared in the case of migration from rural to urban areas. In the second part, we evaluated skin prick test as a method to screen dust mite sensitization in CRD in southern Vietnam. The data suggested that, in the present circumstance, skin prick test can be used to screen mite sensitization. In the third part, we evaluated the risk of mite sensitization in the native and migrant population, in regard to several environmental factors. Consistently with the hygiene hypothesis, compared to urban, exposure to high endotoxin concentration in rural was a protective factor against allergic sensitization. We reported for the first time that this effect was reversible among the migrants from rural to urban setting in association with lower endotoxin exposure. In the fourth part, we have defined asthma, COPD and ACOS based on clinical symptoms, cumulative smoking and airway expiratory flow with reversibility, on one side, and the age-related of the different phenotypes, on the other side. We hypothesized that the cumulative exposure to noxious particles should increase the age-related prevalence of COPD, while due to the immunosenescence process, the prevalence of IgE-mediated asthma should decrease with age, and ACOS prevalence being not related to age due to the combined mechanisms.  In conclusion, we showed in the South of Vietnam that:1) mites and cockroach allergens were the most frequent sensitizer in chronic respiratory diseases;2) the skin prick test to mite has been validated to screen mite sensitization;3) associated with a reduced level of endotoxin level, migration from rural to the urban setting was a risk factor of mite sensitization in chronic respiratory diseases;4) based on the clinical symptoms, spirometric values, and cumulative smoking, the diagnosis of asthma, COPD and ACOS have been made and their prevalence were 25, 42 and 33%, respectively. / Doctorat en Sciences biomédicales et pharmaceutiques (Médecine) / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Das Higgs-Teilchen ist essentiell für die Erzeugung von Massen für Fermionen und Eich- bosonen der schwachen Wechselwirkung. Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Masse und die Zerfallsbreite des Higgs-Teilchens einzugrenzen. Grundlage für die Berechnung physikalischer Größen ist dabei das Pfadintegral, welches mittels Monte-Carlo Simulationen bestimmt wird. Ein polynomieller Hybrid-Monte- Carlo-Algorithmus berücksichtigt dabei alle dynamischen Freiheitsgrade der Fermionen. Die chirale Natur der Fermionen werden mit Hilfe des Neuberger- Overlap-Operators beschrieben. In dieser Arbeit wird das Standardmodell auf den Higgs-Yukawa-Sektor eingegrenzt, welcher keine Eichbosonen enthält und lediglich ein degeneriertes Quark-Doublet berücksichtigt. Anhand des Higgs-Teilchen-Propagators werden die Ergebnisse aus der Git- terstörungsrechnung bis zu einer Schleife mit denen aus der Monte-Carlo- Simulation verglichen. Für die untersuchten Parameter, stimmen die Ergeb- nisse aus der Störungstheorie mit den Monte-Carlo-Daten sehr gut überein. Ein Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist die Analyse der Resonanzparameter des Higgs-Teilchens. Die Resonanzmasse und die Resonanzbreite werden bei schwachen als auch bei starken quartischen Kopplungen untersucht. Das Higgs-Teilchen erscheint nicht als asymptotisch stabiles Teilchen, sondern als Resonanz. In allen Fällen liegt die Resonanzbreite unter 10% der Resonanzmasse. Die Resonanzmasse wird sodann mit der Propagatormasse verglichen. Für alle betrachteten Kopplun- gen gibt es eine hervorragende Übereinstimmung beider Größen. Zuletzt gilt es, den Einfluss einer schweren vierten Generation von Quarks auf die obere und untere Massenschranke des Higgs-Teilchens zu untersuchen. Alle numerischen Resultate involvieren eine umfassende Analyse der Volu- menabhängigkeit und erfordern zwingend eine Extrapolation ins unendliche Volumen. / The Higgs boson is a central part of the electroweak theory and is crucial to generate masses for fermions and the weak gauge bosons. The goal of this work is to set limits on the mass and the decay width of the Higgs boson. The basis to compute the physical quantities is the path integral which is here evaluated by means of Monte Carlo simulations thus allowing for fully non perturbative calculations. A polynomial hybrid Monte Carlo algo- rithm is used to incorporate dynamical fermions. The chiral symmetry of the electroweak model is incorporated by using the Neuberger overlap operator. Here, the standard model is considered in the limit of a Higgs-Yukawa sector which does not contain the weak gauge bosons and only a degenerate doublet of top- and bottom quarks are incorporated. Results from lattice perturbation theory up to one loop of the Higgs boson propagator are compared with those obtained from Monte Carlo simulations. At all values of the investigated couplings, the perturbative results agree very well with the Monte Carlo data. A main focus of this work is the investigation of the resonance parameters of the Higgs boson. The resonance width and the resonance mass are investigated at weak and at large quartic couplings. The Higgs boson does not appear as an asymptotic stable state but as a resonance. In all considered cases the Higgs boson resonance width lies below 10% of the resonance mass. The obtained resonance mass is compared with the mass obtained from the Higgs boson propagator. The results agree perfectly at all values of the quartic coupling considered. Finally, the effect of a heavy fourth generation of fermions on the upper and lower Higgs boson mass bound is studied. All numerical results presented in this work involve extensive finite volume analysis and an extrapolation to infinite volume is inevitable.

A fim de colaborar com o conhecimento dos vários aspectos das diferentes populações e suas interações para o manejo e conservação dos recursos naturais, foram analisadas a dinâmica populacional e a dieta de três espécies do gênero Stellifer (Sciaenidae), coletadas de agosto de 2003 a outubro de 2004 em áreas rasas da Enseada de Caraguatatuba, com influência mínima dos rios e estuários da região. Os indivíduos de Stellifer rastrifer (n=3183), S. brasiliensis (n=357) e S. stellifer (n=116) concentraram-se em geral na porção sul da enseada e houve diferença entre o tamanho das três espécies (S. rastrifer > S. stellifer > S. brasiliensis), que apresentaram um padrão de variação do comprimento ao longo do tempo bastante semelhante. Todas se mostraram essencialmente carcinófagas, com variação sazonal dos itens alimentares e alta sobreposição alimentar entre elas. Stellifer rastrifer permitiu uma análise de aspectos reprodutivos e de crescimento. A quantidade de fêmeas com gônadas em maturação e maduras foi muito pequena, bem como os valores do índice gonadossomático foram baixos indicando que a área não seja usada para desova. Os valores estimados para os parâmetros de crescimento (L?=20,9, K=0,37 e Z=2,81) indicam que haja uma segregação espacial entre jovens e adultos e que a taxa de mortalidade encontrada deva incluir em sua composição uma elevada taxa de migração dos jovens para áreas mais profundas, onde se supõe que completem seu desenvolvimento. / Intending to collaborate with some knowledge about ecosystems functioning for its suitable management and the conservation of natural resources, it was analyzed the populational dynamics and diet of three species belonging to the genus Stellifer (Sciaenidae), collected from August 2003 to October 2004, in shallow areas of Caraguatatuba Bay, where there was the least influence as possible of rivers and estuaries placed in the region. Species were Stellifer rastrifer (n=3183), S. brasiliensis (n=357) and S. Stellifer (n=116), wich focused at the southern area of the Bay. Species were significantly different from each other for size (S. rastrifer > S. stellifer > S. brasiliensis), although they have shown a quite similar pattern of length variation over time. They all fed upon basically crustaceans, with marked seasonal variation of food items and high dietary overlap among them. Stellifer rastrifer abundance allowed reproductive aspects analysis and the determination of growth parameters. The number of mature gonads in females was very small and gonadosomatic index values throughout the year were low, thus indicating that it is not a sapwn area. The growth parameters calculated (L?=20.9, K=0.37 and Z=2,81) indicate that there is a spatial segregation by size and that the mortality rate must, therefore, include a high rate of older individuals migration to deeper areas, where it is assumed that they complete their development.

Estudo da alimentação de 23 espécies de peixes da Enseada do Araçá (São Sebastião, Estado de São Paulo) foi desenvolvido com a finalidade de detectar variações intra e interespecíficas. Foi baseado na análise de conteúdos estomacais, utilizando-se o índice de importância relativa dos itens alimentares. Análises multivariadas foram realizadas por meio do índice de dissimilaridade de Bray-Curtis, UPGMA, nMDS e PCA. Das principais espécies estudadas, Caranx latus, Cynoscion jamaicensis, Synodus foetens e Trichiurus lepturus foram classificadas como piscívoras e sua dieta não variou sazonalmente; Diplectrum formosum, Diplectrum radiale, Gymnothorax ocellatus e Lutjanus synagris foram classificadas como piscívoras/bentófagas e houve alguma variação temporal em suas dietas. Prionotus punctatus é carcinófaga e apresentou pequena variação sazonal na dieta; Orthopristis ruber e Pomadasys corvinaeformis são bentófagas e apresentaram um amplo espectro de itens alimentares. A dieta de ambas variou significantemente entre verão e inverno. Diapterus rhombeus é também bentófaga, alimentou-se principalmente de Polychaeta e apresentou alguma variação sazonal na dieta. Foi identificado que os peixes se utilizam, em alguma proporção, de alimentos disponíveis na Enseada do Araçá, por vezes alterando sua dieta de acordo com a disponibilidade de presas no local. Diferentes grupos tróficos foram identificados, evidenciando o compartilhamento de mesmos itens e também a partilha de alimentos, possivelmente decorrente da coevolução das espécies, das presas e do ambiente. / Study on feeding habits of 23 fish species the Araçá Sound (São Sebastião, São Paulo state, Brazil) was developed with the purpose of detecting intra and interspecific variations. The study was based on stomach content analysis, using the index of relative importance of the items. Multivariate analyses using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index, UPGMA, nMDS, and PCA were developed. Caranx latus, Cynoscion jamaicensis, Synodus foetens, and Trichiurus lepturus were classified as piscivorous and their diet didn\'t vary seasonally; Diplectrum formosum, Diplectrum radiale, Lutjanus synagris, and Gymnothorax ocellatus were classified as piscivorous/benthofagic, showing some temporal variation in their diet. Prionotus punctatus fed on crustaceans, having little temporal diet variability; Orthopristis ruber and Pomadasys corvinaeformis had a large spectrum of food items and were identified as benthofagic. Their diets varied greatly between summer and winter. Diapterus rhombeus was also classified as benthofagic, feeding mostly on olychaeta, showing some temporal diet changes. It was identified that the fishes prey, in some level, on the available food resources of the Araçá Sound, sometimes changing their diets according to the availability of preys in the area. Evidence of feeding overlap and the food partitioning was observed, possibly as a result of coevolution of species, of preys, and environment.

High prevalence of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the legislation movement impacted the placement of students with ASD in general education settings. Hence, the increase raised the need to conduct research for ASD populations, and to examine the effectiveness of these interventions. With the increase of single case-design (SCD) studies, there is a demand to include SCD in the evaluation of evidence- based practices (EBPs), to analyze and interpret SCD results in meaningful ways beside visual analysis, and to generate effect size estimates. This dissertation contains four systematic literature reviews which examine single-case intervention research targeting academic, social communication, play, and functional life skills for children with ASD in school settings. 132 studies with 924 AB phase contrasts were analyzed using visual analysis and three non-overlap measures. Sensitivity and specificity of Tau-U, IRD, and Baseline Corrected Tau were tested on detecting intervention effects. Also, the three methods were examined in their agreement with interpretations based on the visual analysis and the effect of confounding factor on their scores. The analysis demonstrated that the three methods performed fairly well in distinguishing effective from non-effective interventions. The three non-overlap methods had a moderate to substantial level of agreement with visual analysis. The author recommended further research on the impact of confounding factors especially baseline trend and autocorrelation as well as the use of effect size methods with high sensitivity and visual aids to improve the reliability and accuracy of visual analysis.

Estudo da alimentação de 23 espécies de peixes da Enseada do Araçá (São Sebastião, Estado de São Paulo) foi desenvolvido com a finalidade de detectar variações intra e interespecíficas. Foi baseado na análise de conteúdos estomacais, utilizando-se o índice de importância relativa dos itens alimentares. Análises multivariadas foram realizadas por meio do índice de dissimilaridade de Bray-Curtis, UPGMA, nMDS e PCA. Das principais espécies estudadas, Caranx latus, Cynoscion jamaicensis, Synodus foetens e Trichiurus lepturus foram classificadas como piscívoras e sua dieta não variou sazonalmente; Diplectrum formosum, Diplectrum radiale, Gymnothorax ocellatus e Lutjanus synagris foram classificadas como piscívoras/bentófagas e houve alguma variação temporal em suas dietas. Prionotus punctatus é carcinófaga e apresentou pequena variação sazonal na dieta; Orthopristis ruber e Pomadasys corvinaeformis são bentófagas e apresentaram um amplo espectro de itens alimentares. A dieta de ambas variou significantemente entre verão e inverno. Diapterus rhombeus é também bentófaga, alimentou-se principalmente de Polychaeta e apresentou alguma variação sazonal na dieta. Foi identificado que os peixes se utilizam, em alguma proporção, de alimentos disponíveis na Enseada do Araçá, por vezes alterando sua dieta de acordo com a disponibilidade de presas no local. Diferentes grupos tróficos foram identificados, evidenciando o compartilhamento de mesmos itens e também a partilha de alimentos, possivelmente decorrente da coevolução das espécies, das presas e do ambiente. / Study on feeding habits of 23 fish species the Araçá Sound (São Sebastião, São Paulo state, Brazil) was developed with the purpose of detecting intra and interspecific variations. The study was based on stomach content analysis, using the index of relative importance of the items. Multivariate analyses using the Bray-Curtis dissimilarity index, UPGMA, nMDS, and PCA were developed. Caranx latus, Cynoscion jamaicensis, Synodus foetens, and Trichiurus lepturus were classified as piscivorous and their diet didn\'t vary seasonally; Diplectrum formosum, Diplectrum radiale, Lutjanus synagris, and Gymnothorax ocellatus were classified as piscivorous/benthofagic, showing some temporal variation in their diet. Prionotus punctatus fed on crustaceans, having little temporal diet variability; Orthopristis ruber and Pomadasys corvinaeformis had a large spectrum of food items and were identified as benthofagic. Their diets varied greatly between summer and winter. Diapterus rhombeus was also classified as benthofagic, feeding mostly on olychaeta, showing some temporal diet changes. It was identified that the fishes prey, in some level, on the available food resources of the Araçá Sound, sometimes changing their diets according to the availability of preys in the area. Evidence of feeding overlap and the food partitioning was observed, possibly as a result of coevolution of species, of preys, and environment.

A fim de colaborar com o conhecimento dos vários aspectos das diferentes populações e suas interações para o manejo e conservação dos recursos naturais, foram analisadas a dinâmica populacional e a dieta de três espécies do gênero Stellifer (Sciaenidae), coletadas de agosto de 2003 a outubro de 2004 em áreas rasas da Enseada de Caraguatatuba, com influência mínima dos rios e estuários da região. Os indivíduos de Stellifer rastrifer (n=3183), S. brasiliensis (n=357) e S. stellifer (n=116) concentraram-se em geral na porção sul da enseada e houve diferença entre o tamanho das três espécies (S. rastrifer > S. stellifer > S. brasiliensis), que apresentaram um padrão de variação do comprimento ao longo do tempo bastante semelhante. Todas se mostraram essencialmente carcinófagas, com variação sazonal dos itens alimentares e alta sobreposição alimentar entre elas. Stellifer rastrifer permitiu uma análise de aspectos reprodutivos e de crescimento. A quantidade de fêmeas com gônadas em maturação e maduras foi muito pequena, bem como os valores do índice gonadossomático foram baixos indicando que a área não seja usada para desova. Os valores estimados para os parâmetros de crescimento (L?=20,9, K=0,37 e Z=2,81) indicam que haja uma segregação espacial entre jovens e adultos e que a taxa de mortalidade encontrada deva incluir em sua composição uma elevada taxa de migração dos jovens para áreas mais profundas, onde se supõe que completem seu desenvolvimento. / Intending to collaborate with some knowledge about ecosystems functioning for its suitable management and the conservation of natural resources, it was analyzed the populational dynamics and diet of three species belonging to the genus Stellifer (Sciaenidae), collected from August 2003 to October 2004, in shallow areas of Caraguatatuba Bay, where there was the least influence as possible of rivers and estuaries placed in the region. Species were Stellifer rastrifer (n=3183), S. brasiliensis (n=357) and S. Stellifer (n=116), wich focused at the southern area of the Bay. Species were significantly different from each other for size (S. rastrifer > S. stellifer > S. brasiliensis), although they have shown a quite similar pattern of length variation over time. They all fed upon basically crustaceans, with marked seasonal variation of food items and high dietary overlap among them. Stellifer rastrifer abundance allowed reproductive aspects analysis and the determination of growth parameters. The number of mature gonads in females was very small and gonadosomatic index values throughout the year were low, thus indicating that it is not a sapwn area. The growth parameters calculated (L?=20.9, K=0.37 and Z=2,81) indicate that there is a spatial segregation by size and that the mortality rate must, therefore, include a high rate of older individuals migration to deeper areas, where it is assumed that they complete their development.

<p>The increase of women’s labor force participation, the diversity of family constellations, many men’s increased participation in childcare, and the development of flexible working arrangements have stimulated research on the relationship between work and non-work. In this thesis, the interaction between work and non-work is examined in the case of home-based telework, an example of flexible working arrangement. Because of the disappearance or blurring of the traditional boundaries in time and space, the consequences of these working conditions for individuals need to be analyzed. The overall aim of this thesis is to study the interaction between work and non-work in home-based telework and to analyze the following issues:</p><p>- conflict versus facilitation as related to the segmentation and integration of work/non-work domains</p><p>- the nature and role of boundaries</p><p>- the physical and mental aspects of work activities within the domains</p><p>The thesis is based on quantitative as well as qualitative data. In general, the results show that the domains of work and non-work do interact with each other in various ways and dimensions. The employees reported some degree of overlap spatially, temporally, and mentally, and limited overlap was preferred by the majority. The results show the importance of boundaries, as they are needed in order to bring structure and legitimacy to the work (carried out in the home/private domain) and to detach from work. The teleworking women reported less effective restoration than the non-teleworking women, while the teleworking men reported slightly more effective restoration than the non-teleworking men. Generally, the results showed that work tended to intrude more on family and non-work than vice versa. Individuals who experienced conflict between the domains of work and non-work also reported a lower degree of life satisfaction. Significant associations were found between facilitation (positive spillover) and life satisfaction and recovery.</p>

The increase of women’s labor force participation, the diversity of family constellations, many men’s increased participation in childcare, and the development of flexible working arrangements have stimulated research on the relationship between work and non-work. In this thesis, the interaction between work and non-work is examined in the case of home-based telework, an example of flexible working arrangement. Because of the disappearance or blurring of the traditional boundaries in time and space, the consequences of these working conditions for individuals need to be analyzed. The overall aim of this thesis is to study the interaction between work and non-work in home-based telework and to analyze the following issues: - conflict versus facilitation as related to the segmentation and integration of work/non-work domains - the nature and role of boundaries - the physical and mental aspects of work activities within the domains The thesis is based on quantitative as well as qualitative data. In general, the results show that the domains of work and non-work do interact with each other in various ways and dimensions. The employees reported some degree of overlap spatially, temporally, and mentally, and limited overlap was preferred by the majority. The results show the importance of boundaries, as they are needed in order to bring structure and legitimacy to the work (carried out in the home/private domain) and to detach from work. The teleworking women reported less effective restoration than the non-teleworking women, while the teleworking men reported slightly more effective restoration than the non-teleworking men. Generally, the results showed that work tended to intrude more on family and non-work than vice versa. Individuals who experienced conflict between the domains of work and non-work also reported a lower degree of life satisfaction. Significant associations were found between facilitation (positive spillover) and life satisfaction and recovery.

Für das Funktionieren von Verstärkungsschichten aus Textilbeton ist eine sichere Kraftübertragung zwischen den einzelnen Verbundbaustoffen sicherzustellen. Aufgrund der sehr hohen Garnzugfestigkeiten sind besonders bei Verwendung textiler Bewehrungen aus Carbon sehr effektive Verstärkungen herstellbar. In Textilbetonbauteilen sind hierbei im Regelfall Übergreifungsstöße der textilen Bewehrungslagen nicht zu vermeiden. Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich daher mit der experimentellen und analytischen Bestimmung der Übergreifungslängen textiler Bewehrungsstrukturen innerhalb von Textilbetonverstärkungsschichten. / A safe introduction and transmission of the acting forces is crucial for the functioning of composite materials. Because of the very high yarn tensile strengths of textile reinforcements made of carbon, the manufacturing of very effective TRC strengthening layers is possible. In TRC members, overlap joints within the textile layers usually cannot be avoided. This contribution deals with the experimental and analytical determination of the lap lengths of textile fabrics within a textile reinforced concrete strengthening layer.