The consolidation of the wind power industry in the last years requires companies to optimize their performance of the delivery of the wind energy asset’s lifecycle they cover in order to stay in the market. The Asset Management Standard ISO 55000 is a general framework applicable for companies which work with infrastructure assets. As the delivery of wind energy assets is very specific in all aspects of its lifecycle delivery, the Thesis identifies that there is a need for an Asset Management framework which is specific for the wind power industry.This Thesis uses the ISO 55000 and PAS 55 as a base for the development of a wind power industry specific Asset Management framework. The focus is on the lifecycle delivery of the wind energy assets which it traces back to the other Asset Management (AM) aspects. The different wind energy asset’s lifecycle phases Pre-Study, Planning, Construction, Operation and Maintenance and Decommissioning are explained and appended with related working tasks as well as their relation to the overall AM framework. The other AM groups AM Strategy & Objectives, AM Decision Making, Organization & People, Asset Information and Risk & Review are given an introduction to the specific topics.Asset Management is found to be a useful instrument to improve overall company performance and should be considered to be implemented by companies in the wind power industry to bring down the Levelized Cost of Energy of wind power and gain competitive advantage also against fossil fuels as sources of energy production to replace them in a near as possible future.

Insulin resistance and obesity are major public health concerns. The impact of diet and genetics on insulin resistance and obesity is well accepted. Additionally, the gut microbiota has been shown to influence obesity and metabolic disorders. However, much remains to be understood about the role of gut microbiota in the development of insulin resistance and obesity. We utilized a mouse model lacking PAS kinase, a protein involved in cellular metabolism, in order to better understand the relationship between diet, genetics and the gut microbiota. Previous research has shown that mice lacking PAS kinase were protected from the effects of a high fat diet, gaining less weight and showing a better response to insulin. Surprisingly, when PAS-kinase deficient mice were placed on a western-style, high fat, high sugar (HFHS) diet, they became obese and had an impaired response to insulin, much like wild type mice on the same diet. Mutant mice did, however, show more resistance to the effects of the unhealthy diet in one aspect-they maintained normal levels of claudin-1 in the colon, suggesting that they were less likely to develop excessive gut permeability (leaky gut). While significant differences in gut microbial composition were seen in response to the HFHS diet, with shifts in the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and increases in the levels of Actinobacteria, none of the differences correlated with genotype. Unexpectedly, however, within the mice on the HFHS diet and regardless of genotype, the composition of the gut microbiota diverged into two clusters. The mice in one cluster showed more resistance to obesity and their glucose response was like that of wild type mice on a healthy normal chow diet (NCD), while mice in the other cluster showed more weight gain and impaired glucose response. No similar gut microbiota divergence occurred in mice on the NCD, suggesting that the HFHS diet made mice vulnerable to (but did not cause) the development of a harmful gut microbiota, whereas the healthy NCD protected against spontaneous harmful shifts in the composition of the gut microbiota.

This paper is about security of the RFID systems, attacks on them and countermeasures. Attack to obtain secret key from Mifare Classic card was implemented. Options for eavesdropping RFID communication, security of the NFC technology and biometric passports are descibed too.

Genealogical study of the development of the passport and its use on the territory of the Slovak Republic Author: Bc. Janka Lanková University: Charles University in Prague Thesis Advisor: PhDr. Sarah Komasová Place, year: Prague, 2018 Number of pages: 66 pages Academic Degree: Master degree (Mgr.) Key words: passport, Slovak Republic, development, security, panopticon Abstract The thesis analyzes fundamental functions of passport and its development. Specifically, it elaborates on how passports are used in practice, their symbolism, and mainly what is the link between passport and security. Theory of a significant French philosopher, Michel Foucault, serves as lens the issue is looked through. In other words, the research considers Foucault's theory portrayed in "Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison" as one of the main ideas that has led to the maintenance of order by the sense of constant surveillance. Therefore, primary objective of this thesis is to investigate how passport as the document has developed in the territory of the current Slovak Republic, which of its qualities have changed over time, and why the passport is highly relevant and significant for society as well as a legal system. Michel Foucault claims human nature is conditioned to a better self-reflection when it is under the...

This diploma thesis is concerned with the subject of inaccessible social services for people suffering from autism spectrum disorders (hereinafter ASD) and associated challenging behavior. Emphasis is placed on the social care and services in terms of settings of the social system in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part of the thesis aims on bringing a comprehensive view of the current availability of social services for people with ASD and associated challenging behavior. Especially the definition of basic concepts along with introduction of individual actors throughout the system and a description of the current situation in the Czech Republic and in the world. The description of possible causes of the unavailability of social services for persons with ASD and associated challenging behavior is at the core of the empirical part. Data gathering and analysis are based on methods of Grounded theory. The semi-structured interviews with representatives of regions and with the social service providers are used as data sources. Conclusions of the thesis include, in particular, extreme cost and long-term staff shortages, weak legislative support, and fragmented network services planning at the county level. These are the roots of the social services unavailability. These should be resolved during the...

The diploma thesis concerns the interior design for the special education of children with autism spectrum disorders and their demands on the interior which result from their diagnosis of ASD along with its other manifestations. The thesis describes all of the important criteria and requirements for creating interior design and selecting furniture for children with ASD. Input parameters are findings in the area of interior and creation, furniture, and the needs of children with ASD were also identified using questionnaires. The thesis draws on the subject of laws, regulations, and Czech technical standards which are to this date valid in the Czech Republic.

L'objectif principal de ce travail de thèse étant la préparation de nanovecteurs biocompatibles, nous avons mis au point des systèmes catalytiques exempts de métal pour polymériser les différents monomères préparés dérivés de l’acide diméthylmalique. En présence de ces systèmes catalytiques, la polymérisation anionique par ouverture de cycle (aROP) se déroule de manière contrôlée avec une cinétique plus rapide que celle réalisée en présence d’autres organo-catalyseurs déjà décrit dans la littérature. Nous avons ainsi synthétisé trois homopolymères hydrophobes et deux familles de copolymères di-blocs amphiphiles ayant différentes balances hydrophiles/hydrophobes. Des nanoparticules (NPs) ont été préparées par nanoprécipitation à partir des homopolymères hydrophobes et des copolymères à blocs amphiphiles. La taille des NPs varie entre 30 et 170 nm avec de faibles dispersités (PDI ≤ 0,23) et ayant une très bonne stabilité à 4°C et à 37°C. Des études de cytotoxicité in vitro sur la lignée cellulaire d'hépatome HepaRG ont mis en évidence que toutes les NPs ont une faible toxicité à des concentrations inférieures à 3 μM. En parallèle, une sonde fluorescente, le DiR, a été encapsulée dans les NPs lors de la nanoprécipitation sans affecter les caractéristiques et la stabilité des NPs correspondantes. Enfin, des études in vitro utilisant ces NPs chargées en DiR ont montré que ces dernières étaient effectivement captées par les cellules HepaRG avec différents pourcentages de captation. / The main objective of this PhD thesis being the preparation of biocompatible nanovectors, we have set up metal-free catalytic systems to polymerize various prepared monomers derived from dimethylmalic acid. Using such catalytic systems, the anionic ring opening polymerization (aROP) proceeds in a controlled manner with faster kinetics compared to the organo-catalysts already reported in the literature. Three hydrophobic homopolymers and two families of amphiphilic block copolymers with different hydrophilic/hydrophobic balances have been therefore synthesized. Nanoparticles (NPs) have been prepared by nanoprecipitation of these hydrophobic homopolymers and amphiphilic block copolymers. The size of the NPs ranges from 30 to 170 nm with low dispersity values (PDI ≤ 0.23) and high stability at 4°C and 37°C. In vitro cytotoxicity studies on HepaRG hepatoma cell line have highlighted that all the NPs have low toxicity at concentrations lower than 3μM. In parallel, NPs were loaded with the fluorescent probe DiR without altering the characteristics and the stability of the corresponding DiR loaded NPs. Finally, in vitro studies using NPs loaded with DiR have shown that HepaRG cells effectively uptake the NPs in different percentages of uptake.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第21305号 / 人健博第61号 / 新制||人健||5(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 足立 壯一, 教授 藤井 康友, 教授 羽賀 博典 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

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The purpose of the study was to determine if a correlation existed between the Predictive Assessment Series (PAS) Test, marketed by Discovery Education, and the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) Achievement Test in reading, math, and science for grade 4, grade 6, and grade 8. The study included 4th-grade, 6th-grade, and 8th-grade students during the 2008-2009 school year who had taken the ThinkLink Predictive Assessment Series for reading, math, and science in February 2009 and had taken the TCAP reading, math, and science test in April 2009. The approach of the study was quantitative in nature. Data were collected from one school system in East Tennessee. The school system had 5 elementary schools and 1 middle school. Data collection tools used in the study included results from the TCAP test using the paper and pencil format and a computer test, the ThinkLink PAS. Student scaled scores were used for determining the degree of correlation between the TCAP and PAS tests. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Program for the Social Sciences. Based on the analysis and findings of this study, using the ThinkLink PAS test appears to have been successful in predicting how well students will perform on the state assessment. Overall, the correlations between the PAS and TCAP were consistent across grades, across gender within grade levels, and with Title I and Non-Title I students. The findings also show that it was possible to calculate a predicted TCAP score in reading, mathematics, and science. This was an important finding because the ability of the PAS assessment to predict TCAP scores could be another tool to provide educators the opportunity to target students who are potentially at risk of not meeting state benchmark proficiency levels. Based on the findings, there appears to be a strong relationship between the ThinkLink PAS benchmark assessment and the TCAP assessment in reading, math, and science for grade 4, grade 6, and grade 8. The relationships between PAS and TCAP tests in reading, math, and science were consistent across gender within grade levels. According to the results of the test of homogeneity of slopes, the relationships between PAS and TCAP tests in reading, math, and science were also consistent across Title I and Non-Title I schools. The test of homogeneity of slopes showed the slopes regression lines for the scores of Title I and Non-Title I students were the same (parallel) for grade 4, grade 6, and grade 8. Overall, the correlations between PAS and TCAP scores for Title I and Non-Title I students were moderately strong to very strong. The predictive validity of the PAS provides educators valuable time to reteach grade level skills to students who are at risk of scoring nonproficient on the TCAP.