Ecological impacts of natural estrogens and xenoestrogens in treated wastewater include altered sexual development and sex ratios among continuously exposed organisms. The primary sources of estrogenic activity in wastewater are natural estrogens such as estrone, 17β-estradiol and estriol and synthetic compounds like 17α- ethinylestradiol, alkylphenols and alklphenol ethoxylates. Precursors in raw wastewater can yield estrogenic intermediates during wastewater treatment. All these compounds can be destroyed by biochemical processes conventional wastewater treatment processes, suggesting that conventional processes can be optimized for removal of estrogenic activity from wastewater. Sorption to sludges derived from wastewater treatment affects the fates of hydrophobic xenoestrogens such as nonylphenol, in part because the biodegradability of sorbed contaminants is limited. It may also be possible to tailor sludge stabilization processes to remove trace contaminants, including estrogens. For example, there are significant differences in the efficiencies of aerobic and anaerobic digestion for destruction of alkylphenols and probably other estrogenic compounds with aromatic moieties. Because advanced wastewater treatment is not economically feasible for most communities, there is ample incentive to develop accurate relationships between operational parameters and removal of estrogenic compounds during secondary wastewater treatment. Large quantities of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been used as flame retardants in clothing and plastic products since the 1970s. A small fraction of the PBDEs in manufactured products subsequently enters municipal wastewater. The resistance of these compounds to chemical and biochemical transformations provides opportunities for accumulation in sediments. Balances developed for PBDE congeners indicate that conventional wastewater treatment processes and soil infiltration of treated wastewater in recharge operations do not discriminate significantly among the major congeners in commercially available PBDE products. Accumulation of PBDEs at near part-per-million levels was measured in the sediments at the Sweetwater Recharge Facility in Tucson, Arizona, during 10-15 years of operation. Half times for loss of major PBDE congeners from sediments were decades or longer. Local agricultural soils amended with biosolids over a 20-year period showed similar accumulation of PBDEs. The widespread use of PBDEs in commercial products, compound persistence and toxicity indicate that additional effort is warranted to better understand fate-determining processes for PBDEs in the environment.

Split-screen innebär att filmduken är uppdelad i flera delar. Uppsatsen behandlar filmer där subjektiva upplevelser beskrivs med hjälp av split-screen. Det är ett berättande utifrån en karaktär. En subjektiv upplevelse kan vara en dröm, en hallinucation, ett minne, eller förnimmelse. Split-screen har funnits sen filmens begynnelse och haft sina glansdagar på bland annat 1910-talet och 1970-talet. I och med datorerna är det lättare att skapa split-screeneffekter Vi som publik är också mer vana vid flera datorfönster och bildrutor samtidigt. Split-screen har kommit in i en ny glansdager era. Det finns ett flertal filmer som använder sig av split-screen för att skildra subjektiva upplevelser. Uppsatsens metod är att lyfta fram exempel då det fungerar med split-screen och subjektiva upplevelser.

The purpose of this study was to: obtain and review guidelines for designing on a small screen from several theoretic sources and to purpose own guidelines for this context. There was chosen for the development of 3 different prototypes meant for the use on 3 different mobile devices. Those mobile devices had a different screen size and were: an e-reader, PDA and mobile phone. The prototypes provided the user with a future e-newspaper service (a TV schedule). First design principles for good usability on small screens were abstracted from literature. With this knowledge the three prototypes were developed. The development started with writing down the functional and user requirements for the prototypes. After that the developing process had two stages. The first stage was a low-fidelity prototype, this were sketches of the graphical user interface that was commented by users. The second stage was a high-fidelity prototype, this stage consisted of three fully functional prototypes. The three different prototypes were used in a user evaluation. After the evaluation interviews with the users took place to obtain additional information. In this research the main question was: “What are the challenges for designing the (graphical) user interface, as a part of an e-newspaper service which is aimed at use on multiple devices with heterogeneous screen sizes, to be recognized as the same service?”. The results from this research are three challenges in designing the (graphical) user interface for devices with small screens. These challenges are: how to make the user recognize the service in the software (recognition of service), how to develop one service on multiple devices (use on multiple devices) and how to develop software that it is useful and pleasant to use (usable software). In total fifteen guidelines derived from theory were found, this research shows that thirteen of them are applicable when designing for small screens. Three of those thirteen are reformulated in this study to make them fit better in the context. Next to this, seven additional guidelines were proposed in this study. Examples of the purposed guidelines are: reconstruct the layout from the non-digital service in the interface as much as possible, explore the targeted user group, built further on their mental model and pay attention to possible disabilities of the group, implement extra’s that give users a good reason to use the service and make it easy for the user to select the sought information.

Die Spinozerebelläre Ataxie Typ 3 (SCA3) oder Machado-Joseph-Krankheit (MJD) gehört zur Gruppe der neurodegenerativen Polyglutaminerkrankungen (PolyQ-Erkrankungen) und ist die häufigste autosomal-dominante zerebelläre Ataxie weltweit. Ein in der Länge hochvariabler Polyglutaminabschnitt ist vermutlich die Ursache für die Toxizität der ansonsten nicht verwandten Proteine, welche die PolyQ-Erkrankungen verursachen. Abgesehen von dem verlängerten Polyglutaminbereich scheinen die physiologische Funktion und der zelluläre Kontext dieser Proteine und ihrer Interaktionspartner entscheidend für die spezifische Pathogenese und den Krankheitsverlauf zu sein. Diese Arbeit soll dazu beitragen, genetische Interaktoren zu identifizieren, welche die PolyQ-Toxizität verstärken oder vermindern, um somit die molekularen Krankheitsmechanismen zu entschlüsseln, die durch die Trinukleotid-Wiederholungen ausgelöst werden.  Dafür wurde ein humanes, von Ataxin-3 abgeleitetes Transgen in den Facettenaugen von Drosophila exprimiert.  Die daraus resultierende Degeneration der Photorezeptoren induziert einen Raue-Augen-Phänotyp (Rough Eye Phenotype, REP) in adulten Fliegen. Um genetische Modifikatoren des REP zu identifizieren, wurde die Expression bestimmter Gene (Fliegengene mit einem humanen Ortholog, insgesamt ca. 7.500) augenspezifisch per RNAi vermindert. Mögliche Veränderungen im beobachteten REP sind dann höchstwahrscheinlich auf den RNAi-vermittelten Knockdown der Genexpression zurückzuführen. Damit wären die stummgeschalteten Kandidatengene zur Modifizierung der PolyQ-induzierten Neurotoxizität fähig.  Die auf diese Weise identifizierten Genprodukte sind in verschiedene biologische Prozesse involviert und stehen stellvertretend für unterschiedlichste molekulare Funktionen. Für eine Auswahl von Kandidatengenen wurden zusätzliche Untersuchungen angestellt, um die Art und das Ausmaß der Interaktionen zu bestimmen. Dabei wurden neue Modifikatorengene analysiert, welche z. B. in die Methylierung von tRNA oder den Sphingolipid-Metabolismus involviert sind. Diese Ergebnisse können neue Erkenntnisse bei der Aufklärung der Pathogenese der MJD und anderer PolyQ-Erkrankungen hervorbringen und gleichzeitig zum Verständnis der Rolle von Ataxin-3 und seinen Modulatorproteinen beitragen.

Mobile touch-screen devices have the capability to accept flexible touch input, and can provide a larger screen than mobile devices with physical buttons. However, many of the user interfaces found in mobile touch-screen devices require visual feedback. This raises a number of user interface challenges. For instance, visually-demanding user interfaces make it difficult for the user to interact with mobile touch-screen devices without looking at the screen---a task the user sometimes wishes to do particularly in a mobile setting. In addition, user interfaces on mobile touch-screen devices are not generally accessible to visually impaired users. Basic tactile feedback (e.g., feedback produced by a single vibration source) can be used to enhance the user experience on mobile touch-screen devices. Unfortunately, this basic tactile feedback often lacks the expressiveness for generating vibration patterns that can be used to convey specific information about the application to the user. However, the availability of richer information accessible through the tactile channel would minimize the visual demand of an application. For example, if the user can perceive which button she is touching on the screen through tactile feedback, she would not need to view the screen, and can instead focus her visual attention towards the primary task (e.g., walking). In this dissertation, I address high visual demand issues found in existing user interfaces on mobile touch-screen devices by using spatial tactile feedback. Spatial tactile feedback means tactile feedback patterns generated in different points of the user's body (the user's fingers and palm in this work). I developed tactile feedback hardware employing multiple vibration motors on the backside of a mobile touch-screen device. These multiple vibration motors can produce various spatial vibration patterns on the user's fingers and palm. I then validated the effects of spatial tactile feedback through three different applications: eyes-free interaction, a map application for visually impaired users, and collaboration support. Findings gained through the series of application-oriented investigations indicate that spatial tactile feedback is a beneficial output modality in mobile touch-screen devices, and can mitigate some visual demand issues.

Mobile touch-screen devices have the capability to accept flexible touch input, and can provide a larger screen than mobile devices with physical buttons. However, many of the user interfaces found in mobile touch-screen devices require visual feedback. This raises a number of user interface challenges. For instance, visually-demanding user interfaces make it difficult for the user to interact with mobile touch-screen devices without looking at the screen---a task the user sometimes wishes to do particularly in a mobile setting. In addition, user interfaces on mobile touch-screen devices are not generally accessible to visually impaired users. Basic tactile feedback (e.g., feedback produced by a single vibration source) can be used to enhance the user experience on mobile touch-screen devices. Unfortunately, this basic tactile feedback often lacks the expressiveness for generating vibration patterns that can be used to convey specific information about the application to the user. However, the availability of richer information accessible through the tactile channel would minimize the visual demand of an application. For example, if the user can perceive which button she is touching on the screen through tactile feedback, she would not need to view the screen, and can instead focus her visual attention towards the primary task (e.g., walking). In this dissertation, I address high visual demand issues found in existing user interfaces on mobile touch-screen devices by using spatial tactile feedback. Spatial tactile feedback means tactile feedback patterns generated in different points of the user's body (the user's fingers and palm in this work). I developed tactile feedback hardware employing multiple vibration motors on the backside of a mobile touch-screen device. These multiple vibration motors can produce various spatial vibration patterns on the user's fingers and palm. I then validated the effects of spatial tactile feedback through three different applications: eyes-free interaction, a map application for visually impaired users, and collaboration support. Findings gained through the series of application-oriented investigations indicate that spatial tactile feedback is a beneficial output modality in mobile touch-screen devices, and can mitigate some visual demand issues.

Holy circle whereat invoke waried in symbol and forms, people superimpose their understanding of life, therein lies phenomenon, secret force. Mandala – wayfaring to centre of a periphery, from emotions and minds topsyturvy to unseen poise, pivot, self. A symbol of mandala – eternal thought, fence in everlasting. Formation, transformation. Conceive symbol, to see him inly sight. They quasi to create the inne link power, the thank to event ones own interior reality. Aburden of my graphic collection ,,Internal composition” l created meditations space. Major only purposeis graphic creation whiteness, sublime.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the construct and criterion validity of a shortened form of the Total Individual Progress Level I Pre-kindergarten Screen (TIP-SF). The subjects for the analysis of construct validity were 342 students from a rural and suburban school district in east-central Indiana who were administered the TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance during the years 1985 and 1986. The subjects for the analysis of criterion validity were a subset of 153 students who were administered the TIP and TIP-SF prior to kindergarten entrance in 1985, and were subsequently administered the PMARP prior to their first grade year in 1986.Principal components analysis with varimax rotation was conducted to evaluate the underlying constructs of TIP-SF. From the 28 items entered as variables, 10 factors with eigenvalues greater than 1.00 emerged. One-, two-, three-, four-, and five-factor solutions were successively imposed and evaluated. The solution containing four factors,Scholastic Aptitude, Motor, Eye/Hand Coordination, and Communication, was selected as the "best" solution. The obtained factors were similar in number, but dissimilar in nature to the pre-established subscales.Simple and step-wise multiple regression and canonical correlation analyses were used to evaluate the relative ability of scores obtained from TIP and TIP-SF to predict performance on Primary Mental Abilities Readiness Profile (PMARP) subtests. In each of the four canonical analyses, one significant and meaningful correlation between the sets of predictor and criterion variables was obtained. Step-wise multiple regression analyses were used to determine more specifically the predictive ability of TIP and TIP-SF factors and pre-established subscales. Zero-order correlations were computed between the TIP and TIP-SF total scores and the PMARP subscales.Overall, the results of these analyses indicate that the use of the TIP total score provides the best prediction of PMARP subscales. While the TIP-SF total score reliability is comparable to that for the TIP total score, it was not generally as highly related to the PMARP subscale scores. The linear composites of the TIP and TIP-SF factor scores and TIP pre-established subscale scores were approximately equivalent to one another for the prediction of PMARP scores.

No description available.

An assay was designed to measure the sensitivity of Escherichia coli mutants to bacteriophage infection via growth curves, using a Tecan temperature controlled plate reader. I screened 3985 single-gene deletion strains in Escherichia coli K12 from the Keio collection and identified 43 strains displaying varying degrees of resistance to four different phages, three non-contractile tailed phages (λcI857, HK97, and HK243) and the myoviridae T6, including 20 genes not previously implicated in phage infection. Additional assays, such as adsorption and tests of DNA-injection, were designed to further characterize resistant strains. The use of these assays helped identify varying sensitivities to LPS structure and LamB receptor concentration in the three non-contractile tailed phages, showing HK97 is the most sensitive to changes and HK243 the least. I also found that the periplasmic chaperone, FkpA, is required for HK97 DNA-injection.