Thesis (Ph. D.)--Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

Ageing is accompanied by numerous metabolic changes and age-related diseases. Calorie restriction (CR) is a well-established non-invasive method that reduces the rate of ageing and increases lifespan in a wide range of taxa. Previous studies have highlighted a relationship between the extent of restriction and the extent to which lifespan is increased. However, the mechanisms by which CR mediates its beneficial effects on ageing are yet to be fully understood. I therefore tested three hypotheses which examined the role of metabolic changes in the hypothalamus, the epididymal white adipose tissue and liver on the beneficial effects of CR. A three month graded CR study was performed on 5 month old male C57BL/6 mice. Six different treatments were used: 24 hours ad libitum (AL) feeding, 12 hours AL feeding, 10% CR, 20% CR, 30% CR and 40% CR. Behavioural, physiological and molecular information from each tissue of individual mice were collected. Using this comprehensive data set, I analysed the changes in the transcriptome when exposed to graded CR at both the individual gene level and also using network inferential approaches in the three tissues. My results suggest that CR leads to an overall reduction in the state of inflammation in adipose tissue which may be signalled via secreted cytokines leading to a corresponding reduction in signalling to other tissues. Signal molecules, including those from the adipose tissue, activated the hunger signalling pathway via receptors in the hypothalamus during CR. Responses to CR in the liver were consistent with several current theories reported in the literature and are likely to reflect the combined role of multiple ageing related processes. By constructing multitissue, multi-gene networks I was able to identify potential mechanisms underpinning CR. In conclusion, CR affected multiple biological processes across several different organs in a way consistent with increased healthspan.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-190). Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998. / Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 176-190). Also available on the Internet.

The problem of this study was a comparison of young children's intensity of task—involvement in child—selected activities. A group of 23 children, four to six years of age, was selected as the subjects from a university affiliated child development laboratory school. These children were observed during child-selected activities for five consecutive weeks. The instrument utilized to collect the data was the Intensity Of Involvement Scale, composed of seven categories of intensity from "Unoccupied" to "Complete." To obtain reliable data, two observers were involved in the observation and a carefully planned procedure of observation was followed accurately. The comparison of children's intensity of task-involvement among child-selected activities, using statistical methods of mean and standard deviation, yielded a similar result among various groups of children. The learning centers in which children were involved most intensely were water play, family living, manipulative, and art centers. The children, however, were involved in the reading, block, and writing centers less intensely. In comparing children's intensity of task-involvement between age-groups and sex-groups, the analyses of two-way t-test revealed that age-differences were significant (p<.05) but sex-differences were not significant in children's overall intensity of task-involvement. Also, the results showed that the significance of differences in children's intensity of task-involvement in each child-selected activity depended more upon the age than the sex of children. In addition, individual differences in children's intensity of task-involvement were examined using mean, frequency distribution, and range. The finding was that children differed from one another in their degrees and variability of intensity of task-involvement in child-selected activities.

Purpose: The horizontal stabilization of a building is of great importance in the design of its structural system. Insufficient counteraction of horizontal loads can lead to problems where columns and beams deflect more than the allowable margins. One common horizontal load arises from wind hitting an exterior wall. In this study, four bracing types were analyzed using software to evaluate and compare them, taking various factors into account. The building upon which the study is based is an industrial four-story structure located in Västerås. The building is designed with hinged column bases, which require a stabilization system to maintain its stability. This study aimed to determine the optimal solution for the stabilization system by comparing multiple proposals (X, V, inverted V, and diagonal) considering all factors that significantly influence stabilization. The different proposals were compared in terms of material usage, horizontal displacement, and the number of spans required for steel bracing. Method: Hand calculations were used in this report to design various structural components such as columns, beams, and bracing, which were compared with FEM (Finite Element Method) designs. Additionally, different perspectives were considered within the relevant subject framework, including steel properties, general loads, characteristics, and descriptions of the examined models. Results: After conducting the calculations, it was found that the optimal number of spans required for bracing the industrial steel structure was 32 diagonal braces, placed in the outermost bays on all sides of the building at each floor. This proposal resulted in reduced material usage with a secure horizontal displacement, ensuring stability and durability of the building. Conclusions: In conclusion, this report provides a deep understanding of the importance of stability in buildings, especially when it comes to the safety of occupants and the structural integrity of the building. Proposal 1 has likely met the requirements based on all the calculations and analyzed models that have been conducted, and therefore, diagonal bracing has been chosen as the optimized solution.

[pt] Projetistas de sistemas de comunicações ópticas necessitam estimar o coeficiente de PMD dos enlaces ópticos visando determinar a correspondente penalidade de potência do enlace. Os valores de PMD nas fibras variam aleatoriamente, conseqüentemente a determinação da PMD dos enlaces deverá ser calculada através de metodologias estatísticas. Esta dissertação contém um estudo sistemático da estimação do coeficiente de PMD das seções amplificadas de 02 backbones. Três 03 técnicas estatísticas: Técnica de Monte Carlo, Modelo Gama e Teorema do Limite Central Generalizado, recomendadas pelo Método 1 da norma TIA/EIA TSB 107 foram usadas e os resultados comparados com os valores medidos em campo destas seções. Os resultados das avaliações realizadas mostraram que a metodologia apresentada por esta recomendação induz a uma superestimação do coeficiente de PMD do enlace devido a limitação dos equipamentos de medição e conseqüentemente a uma superestimação da penalidade prevista. Esta superestimação deve-se ao fato da PMD das fibras estar abaixo do limite de sensibilidade dos equipamentos de medida comercialmente disponíveis. A estimação do coeficiente de PMD de enlaces requer então a utilização de equipamentos de medida mais precisos (ainda não disponíveis) ou corrigir esta metodologia de cálculo para a estimação da PMD dos enlaces ópticos com a utilização de fibras/cabos de maior comprimento. / [en] Optical system designers need to estimate the expected PMD coefficient of the links in order to calculate the corresponding power penalty. Fiber PMD values varies randomly, therefore the link PMD estimation shall be calculated by statistical methodologies. This thesis presents a systematic study of PMD estimation of the amplified spans of two backbones. Three statistical techniques: Monte Carlo Technique, Gamma Model and Generalized Central Limit Theorem, recommended by Method 1 from TIA/EIA TSB 107 Guideline were used and the results compared with the field measurement values of these spans. Evaluation results showed that this methodology cause an overestimation of the link PMD coefficient due to a limitation of the measurement eqquipments and consequently an overestimation of the power penalty. This overestimation is due to the fact that fiber PMD is bellow of the resolution limit of the commercially available measurement equipments. Link PMD coefficient estimation needs the use of more precise measurement equipment (Not available yet) or to correct this calculus methodology for the optical link PMD estimation with the use of longer fibers/cables.

Coloured final states are ubiquitous at hadron colliders such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Therefore understanding high energy perturbative quantum chromodynamics (QCD) at these experiments is essential not only as a test of the Standard Model, but also because these processes form the dominant background to many searches for new physics. One such `standard candle' is the production of a dilepton pair in association with dijets. Here we present a new description of this final state (through the production of a Z⁰ boson and γ*). This calculation adds to the fixed-order accuracy the dominant logarithms in the limit of large partonic centre-of-mass energy to all orders in the strong coupling αs. This is achieved within the framework of High Energy Jets. This calculation is made possible by extending the high energy treatment to take into account the multiple t-channel exchanges arising from Z⁰ and gamma* -emissions off several quark lines. The correct description of the interference effects from the various t-channel exchanges requires an extension of the subtraction terms in the all-order calculation. We describe this construction and compare the resulting predictions to a number of recent analyses of LHC data. The description of a wide range of observables is good, and, as expected, stands out from other approaches in particular in the regions of large dijet invariant mass and large dijet rapidity spans. In addition we also present the application of the High Energy Jets framework to two new experimental scenarios. Firstly, we show a comparison of High Energy Jets matched to the ARIADNE parton shower to an ATLAS study of gap activity in dijet events. We see that our description agrees well with the data throughout and in many distributions gives the best theoretical description. This shows the extra logarithmic corrections are essential to describe data already in LHC Run I. Secondly, we present a study of Z⁰/γ* plus dijets at 100 TeV. We compare the behaviour of the high energy logarithmic enhancements to the QCD perturbative series at 7 TeV and 100 Tev and see that at any high energy hadronic Future Circular Collider (FCC) the effects described by our resummation become significantly more important.

The subject of Diploma’s thesis is the design of a road bridge on the R1 expressway, at km 1,293 above the road III/51311. The main content is static calculation of supporting structure consisting of four spans. Four studies were processed and the first variant of double-girder monolithic structure was chosen. The range of spans is ranging from 25 m - 30 m. Double-girder consists of two post-tensioned concrete beams and reinforced concrete slab. Static models and load effects are solved in Scia Engineer. Bridge is located in the horizontal curvature, however, compromise was elected (because of small curvature), assessing the upright design. Calculation is made without effects of temperature, wind loads and horizontal forces causing by traffic.