Hold Me Tight: Conversations for Connection is a relationship education program based on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT; Johnson 2004), an empirically supported model of couple therapy with roots in attachment theory. Currently, relationship education is mostly provided through skills-based programs with a focus on teaching communication, problem-solving and conflict resolution skills from the social-learning perspective. The HMT program is different; it targets attachment and emotional connection – aspects central to relationship functioning as identified in the literature. The present study is the first outcome study of the HMT program. The purpose of the study was to examine the trajectory of change for relationship satisfaction, trust, attachment, intimacy, depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms. Couples who participated in this study were from several cities across Canada and the United States. The trajectory for the outcome variables were modeled across baseline, pre-program, post-program and follow-up in a sample of 95 couples participating in 16 HMT program groups. Results of a four-level Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM: Raudenbush & Bryk, 2002) analysis demonstrated a significant cubic growth pattern for relationship satisfaction, trust, attachment avoidance, depressive and anxiety symptoms demonstrating no change from baseline to pre-program and improvements from pre-program to post-program. Scores returned to pre-program levels at follow-up. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that the changes from pre- to post-program were significant with a large effect size. We also looked at couples’ reported ability to engage in the conversations from the program and found that mean scores declined from post-program to follow-up. The results of this initial pilot study suggest that the HMT program is a promising alternative to existing relationship education programs with results comparable to skills-based relationship education programs. The decrease in scores from post-program to follow-up suggests that booster sessions following the completion of the program could be necessary to help couples maintain gains. Limitations and areas for further study are discussed.

La thèse porte sur la caractérisation des réservoirs non conventionnels. Elle cherche à intégrer paramètres sédimentologiques, diagénétiques et structuraux dans un réservoir gréseux "tight" pour prédire ses propriétés hydrauliques. Elle concerne la formation des "Quartzites de Hamra", un des réservoirs pétroliers les plus prolifiques des bassins paléozoïques algériens. Cette formation s’est déposée à l’Arenig dans un environnement marin peu profond. Elle a connu au cours de l’enfouissement une diagenèse siliceuse qui a modifié ses propriétés mécaniques et sa porosité. Les fractures, présentes à toutes les échelles, pallient aux faibles caractéristiques matricielles, et leur géométrie est peu précise. La thèse s’est focalisée sur deux cas de terrain, situés sur la zone de suture panafricaine et un champ à gaz localisé dans la partie centrale du bassin de l’Ahnet. L’étude pluridisciplinaire combine plusieurs approches allant de la télédétection aux analyses de laboratoire. Les résultats montrent que les «Quartzites» se sont déposés dans une rampe sableuse, soumise à une forte hydrodynamique tidale. Le système fracturé est en grande partie influencé par la présence des failles. La diagenèse siliceuse a été favorisée par la maturité minéralogique des faciès et leur richesse en quartz monocristallin. La principale source de silice est interne, et liée à la pression-dissolution. A cette histoire de la diagenèse succède une histoire complexe de la déformation, pendant laquelle on assiste à la création de veines en crack-seal, puis à des circulations hydrothermales, d’une précipitation dominée par les hydroxydes de fer et les phosphates. / This PHD subject is related to the "Characterization of nonconventional reservoirs". It’s purpose is to understand the interactions between sedimentary facies, fracturation and digenesis in a tight gas reservoir, in order to predict its hydraulic properties. This approach was applied to the "Quarzites de Hamra" formation, which is one of the most prolific reservoirs in the Algerian Paleozoic basins. This formation was deposited during Arenig time, in a shallow marine setting, and underwent during its burial history an important quartz cementation which modified its mechanical properties and porosity. Natural fractures are present at all levels and mitigate low matrix porosities, but their geometric attributes still poorly understood and difficult to predict. The thesis was focused on two field cases, located on the Panafrican suture zone, and a tight gas field located in the central part of Ahnet basin. The multi-disciplinary approach we used integrates satellite imagery, field and well data, and laboratory techniques. The results obtained show that the "Quarzites de Hamra" formation was deposited in a tidal clastic ramp. The fracture system is mainly controlled by the presence of faults. The quartz cementation was favored by the mineralogical maturity of the facies and their high mococristalline quartz content. The source of silica is internal, and related to pressure-solution phenomena. The digenetic history is succeeded by a complex history of deformation, during which a system of veins with crack-seal texture was created, followed by hydrothermal circulations resulting mainly in precipitation of phosphates and iron hydroxides.

Die wichtigsten Barrieren des peripheren Nerven sind die Myelin-Barriere und die Blut-Nerven-Schranke. Sie übernehmen eine bedeutende Aufgabe beim Schutz des Nerven vor externen Einflüssen, dem Bewahren der nervalen Homöostase und der Aufrechterhaltung der Nervenleitungsgeschwindigkeit. Eine Öffnung der peripheren Barriere wird oft mit neuropathischen Schmerzen assoziiert. Im Rahmen dieser Dissertation habe ich mittels Immunfluoreszenzfärbung, Permeabilitätstest, Western Blot und Polymerase-Kettenreaktion die Barrierefunktion des peripheren Nervensystems bei weiblichen Cldn12-KO Mäusen untersucht. Sowohl bei den WT Mäusen als auch bei den Cldn12-KO Mäusen konnte eine intakte Barrierefunktion des peripheren Nerven nachgewiesen werden. / The most important barriers of the peripheral nerve are the myelin-barrier and the blood-nerve-barrier. They play an important role in protecting the nerve from external influences, maintaining nerve homeostasis and nerve conduction speed. Opening the peripheral barrier is often associated with neuropathic pain. In this thesis I examined the barrier function of the peripheral nervous system in female Cldn12-KO mice using immunofluorescence staining, permeability test, western blot, and polymerase chain reaction. An intact barrier function of the peripheral nerve could be demonstrated in both the WT mice and the Cldn12-KO mice.

The focus of this report is the derivation of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations for superconductors from a tight-binding model, restricting ourselves to the case of s-wave superconductors.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20381号 / 工博第4318号 / 新制||工||1669(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科電子工学専攻 / (主査)教授 木本 恒暢, 教授 白石 誠司, 准教授 浅野 卓 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

A double-change covering design (dccd) is an ordered set of blocks with block size k is an ordered collection of b blocks, B = {B1,B2, · · · ,Bb}, each an unordered subset of k distinct elements from [v] = {1, 2, · · · , v}, which obey: (1) each block differs from the previous block by two elements, and, (2) every unordered pair of [v] appears in at least one block. The object is to minimize b for a fixed v and k. Tight designs are those in which each pair is covered exactly once. We present constructions of tight dccd’s for arbitrary v when k = 2 and minimal constructions for v <= 20 when k = 4. A general, but not minimal, method is presented to construct circular dccd for arbitrary v when k = 4.

Protocadherine spielen eine wichtige Rolle bei der Entwicklung des Nervensystems und sind an Prozessen der Zellmigration und -differenzierung, sowie der Hemmung von Zellwachstum beteiligt. Um die Funktion und Regulation von Protocadherin gamma C3 (PcdhγC3) an mikrovaskulären Endothelzellen des Großhirns (cEND) und des Kleinhirns (cerebEND) zu untersuchen, wurden die PcdhγC3-Knock-out (KO) Zelllinien mit der CRISPR/Cas9 Methode etabliert. Der KO führt zu verminderten Barriereeigenschaften der Blut-Hirn-Schranke (BHS), was sich in einer erhöhten Permeabilität für Fluoreszein und einem verringerten transendothelialen elektrischen Widerstand (TEER) widerspiegelt. Es konnte eine Veränderung der Wachstumsrate und dem Adhäsionsverhalten der KO-Zellen nachgewiesen werden. Auch die Expression der Tight-Junction-Proteine, sowie einiger Komponenten des Wnt und mTOR Signalwegs wurden durch den KO von PcdhgC3 beeinflusst. / Protocadherins (Pcdhs) play an important role in neuronal development, cell migration and differentiation, as well as inhibition of cell growth. To investigate the function and regulation of Protocadherin gamma C3 (PcdhgC3) on microvascular endothelial cells of the cerebrum (cEND) and cerebellum (cerebEND), PcdhgC3 knock-out (KO) cell lines were generated, using the CRIPS/Cas9 method. The Knock-out lowers the barrier function oft he blood-brain-barrier (BBB), which can be seen in lower transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) and higher permeabilitiy for fluorescein. We detectet a change in the growth rate and the cellular adhesion of the KO-cells. Also the expression of tight-junction proteins, as well as parts oft the Wnt and mTOR signalling pathway are altered by the KO of PcdhgC3.

Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software is commonly used to perform hydraulic analysis for floodplain delineation studies. In addition to floodplains, the hydraulic analysis also includes modeling a floodway in detailed floodplain study areas. Floodway modeling is an iterative process in which the 1% annual chance flood discharge is restricted within a floodway without exceeding a designated increase, called the surcharge (usually 1 foot), in water surface elevation. An engineer models flows along a reach to meet Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) surcharge requirements. We present a tightly coupled system comprising of a commercial GIS (ArcGIS) and HECRAS that automates HECRAS's floodway encroachments modeling. The coupled system takes an automated approach, in which an initial floodway is developed by running HEC-RAS in an iterative fashion with minimal user intervention. A customized ArcGIS visual environment has been developed to edit, remodel, spatially analyze and map floodway boundaries. Four different encroachments fine-tuning options are provided which eliminates the need for a modeler to switch between HECRAS and GIS in the floodway modeling process. Thus, the tool increases the productivity of a modeler by cutting down on manual modeling time during floodway iterations and transition between HECRAS and ArcGIS. The transfer of HECRAS model output into the ArcGIS environment facilitates quick and efficient spatial analysis. The final step in the floodway modeling process is to develop a smooth floodway boundary that can be mapped on a DFIRM. We have developed automated mapping algorithms that accomplish this task. Some manual fine-tuning is required to finalize the floodway to be printed on FEMA's Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). / Ph. D.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common female reproductive tract (FRT) condition characterized by an overgrowth of anaerobic species concurrent with the disappearance of commensal Lactobacilli species, is associated with a 60% increased risk of HIV-1 transmission. However, the role of the FRT epithelia in bacterial vaginosis-associated bacteria (BVAB)-augmented HIV- 1 transmission is unclear. To evaluate the increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition, we treated FRT epithelia with Atopobium vaginae, a prevalent BVAB, to determine the nature of the host response to BVAB exposure. Treatment of endocervical cells with A. vaginae resulted in a 1500-fold increase in the expression of the antimicrobial peptide hBD-2, an inflammatory cytokine response, and delocalization of the tight junction protein ZO-1 from cell borders. Conditioned media (CM) from the coculture of FRT epithelia and A. vaginae also generated an inflammatory immune response and lowered the transepithelial electrical resistance in polarized endocervical monolayers. Changes in HIV-1 infection were measured in TZM-bl reporter cells, which contain a luciferase gene under the control of an HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR) region that is activated by the binding of Tat, an HIV-1 protein that drives viral replication. NFκB is a major host-derived transcription factor that regulates the expression of many genes involved in inflammation and the innate immune response. Interestingly, NFκB has been reported to bind Tat-activated response elements within the LTR of HIV-1, driving viral transcription. TZM-bl cells were treated with CM in the absence of HIV-1, which resulted in increased luciferase production that could be suppressed by the NFκB inhibitor TPCA-1. These data suggest that epithelially derived products from the coculture of FRT cells and A. vaginae enhance HIV-1 infection by causing cervical barrier dysfunction and increasing HIV replication efficiency through NFκB.

Ein hoher Verzehr von Obst und Gemüse scheint das Risiko der Inzidenz verschiedener Erkrankungen zu reduzieren. Es wird vermutet, dass eine Gruppe sekundärer Pflanzeninhaltsstoffe, die Flavonoide, hierfür verantwortlich sind. Mögliche Effekte auf die intestinale Barrierefunktion dieser Substanzklasse sind jedoch weitgehend ungeklärt. Parazelluläre Eigenschaften epithelialer Zellen werden hauptsächlich durch die Zell-Zell-Kontakte der Tight Junction (TJ) insbesondere durch die Proteine Occludin und die Claudine definiert. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Effekte des am häufigsten vorkommenden Flavonoids Quercetin auf die Barrierefunktion der Kolonkarzinom-Zelllinie Caco-2 zu untersuchen. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass Quercetin konzentrationsabhängig (50-200 µM) den transepithelialen Widerstand erhöhte. Die Wirkung von 200 µM Quercetin war bereits nach 4 h Inkubation erkennbar und erreichte nach 48 h maximale Werte. Der Wirkverlust, welcher nach 72 h Inkubation eintrat, konnte durch eine tägliche Gabe des Flavonoids verhindert werden. Weiterhin zeigte sich, dass der Quercetin-induzierte Widerstandsanstieg durch mukosale oder serosale Zugabe gleichermaßen auslösbar war. Western Blot-Analysen der TJ-Proteine Occludin, Claudin-1, -3, -4 und -7 ergaben, dass der durch Quercetin-induzierte Widerstandsanstieg insbesondere mit einer Zunahme der Expression des abdichtenden TJ-Proteins Claudin-4 einherging. Quercetin erhöhte ebenfalls die mRNA-Expression von Claudin-4 (quantitative RT-PCR) und bewirkte eine Aktivierung des Claudin-4-Promotors (Luciferase-Reportergen-Analysen). Mittels Immunfluoreszenz-Färbungen und Laserscanning-Mikroskopie konnte ein vermehrter Einbau von Claudin-4 in die TJ nachgewiesen werden. Funktionelle Untersuchungen mittels radioaktiven Fluxmessungen zeigten, dass das Flavonoid die parazelluläre Permeabilität für Natrium und Chlorid reduzierte, aber die Durchlässigkeit von Mannitol als parazellulärer Marker unverändert blieb. Wir konnten hiermit erstmals nachweisen, dass Quercetin die Expression des abdichtenden TJ-Proteins Claudin-4 in den TJ-Komplex verstärkte, wodurch die Ionen-Durchlässigkeit für Natrium und Chlorid vermindert wurde. Das führte zu einer Abdichtung der intestinalen Barriere. Dieser direkte Effekte von Quercetin könnte eine neue Möglichkeit für die Behandlung oder Prävention von Diarrhöe-bedingten intestinalen Barrieredefekten darstellen. / High dietary intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced disease risk. A group of secondary plant compounds, the flavonoids, are supposed to be important in this respect, but there is still limited information about their effects on intestinal barrier function. Paracellular properties of epithelial cells are defined for the most part by the tight junctional complex with the corresponding tight junction (TJ) proteins occludin and the claudin gene family. Therefore, the aim of our study was to elucidate the effects of quercetin, a common flavonoid, on the barrier function of the colonic epithelial cell line Caco-2. Addition of quercetin to the Caco-2 monolayer applied to the mucosal and serosal culture medium increased transepithelial resistance in a concentration-dependent manner (50-200 µM). The effect of 200 µM quercetin was already observable after 4 hours and reached maximal levels after 48 hours. The loss of action after 72 hours was blocked by a daily addition of the flavonoid. The effect of quercetin was not different after mucosal or serosal addition. Western blot analysis of occludin, claudin-1, -3, -4, and -7 revealed that the resistance rise was associated specifically with an elevated expression of the barrier-sealing TJ protein claudin-4. The mRNA expression and the promotor activity of claudin-4 were found increased by the flavonoid using quantitative RT-PCR and luciferase reporter gene assays. Immunofluorescent staining analyzed by confocal laser scanning microscopy primarily revealed a strong increase of claudin-4, localized within the TJ as well as in subjunctional regions. Radioactive tracer fluxes revealed a reduced paracellular permeability of sodium and chloride by quercetin, whereas the permeability of the uncharged solute mannitol was not altered. We demonstrated that the flavonoid quercetin increases the expression of claudin-4 within the tight junctional complex, which caused a decrease of the paracellular permeability for sodium and chloride. This leads to a sealing of the intestinal barrier for ions. Thus, this novel direct effect of quercetin may be utilized for the treatment or prevention of diarrhea-causing intestinal barrier defects in inflammatory bowel diseases.