Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancer-related causes of death among men. Chemotherapy is mainly used for treatment of its later stages, accompanied by unpleasant side effects. So far, the treatment of advanced stages of prostate cancer has not been sufficient, and new more effective alternatives are needed. The application of the TRAIL cytokine, which induces apoptosis in tumor cell, but is not toxic to nonmalignant cells, seems to be a promissing approach. However, TRAIL-based therapy is often limited by the emerging cancer cell resistance. Overcoming the resistance can be achieved by combination therapy of TRAIL with effective sensitizers. Within this work, a combination of TRAIL with platinum-based chemotherapeutic drugs such as cisplatin or its novel derivative LA-12 was applied in order to facilitate the elimination of prostate cancer cells. In the experimental part of this work, using Western blot and flow cytometry analysis it was shown that TRAIL in combination with CDDP or LA-12 effectively enhanced apoptosis in three human prostate cancer cell lines. This effect was accompanied with increased activation/amount of several proapoptotic Bcl-2 family proteins, while no changes in the level of the receptors for TRAIL were observed. These results demonstrated that especially the combination...

The diploma thesis deals with the creation of a geographic information system for the needs of cycling. The Brno Wine Trail is an area of interest. The whole project is implemented on Esri's ArcGIS platform. Data were collected outdoor using the Collector Classic mobile application and the Trimble R1 GNSS handheld receiver. The project was processed in ArcMap 10.4. and subsequently published on ArcGIS Online. The result of the thesis is a free web application. Users can view the course of the trail according to various criteria and points of interest there. Among other things, the thesis includes basic database queries and simple analytical task on the measured data. A file in the *.kmz format is the one of the outputs for the presentation of data.

TRAIL ligand can trigger apoptosis of permissive human cells via engagement of its two pro- apoptotic receptors TRAIL-R1 (DR4) and TRAIL-R2 (DR5). Its ability to induce apoptosis independently on p53 status and to selectively kill cancer cells in vitro and in vivo made this ligand an attractive target in cancer research. However, acquired resistance of primary cancer cells, unsatisfactory outcome of clinical trials and recent studies arguing that TRAIL might under specific conditions promote cancer progression, opened new plethora of questions, which need to be addressed. Though both receptors DR4 and DR5 are ubiquitously expressed, different types of tumours show preference for either of the receptors. The relative participation of DR4 and DR5 in TRAIL- induced signalling is still largely unknown. To analyse TRAIL receptor-specific signalling, I prepared Strep-tagged, trimerised variants of recombinant human TRAIL ligands with high affinity for either DR4 or DR5 receptor. Using these receptor-specific ligands, I examined a contribution of individual pro-apoptotic receptors to TRAIL-induced signalling pathways. I found that in TRAIL resistant colorectal HT-29 cells but not in pancreatic PANC-1 cancer cells, DISC formation and initial caspase-8 processing proceeded comparably in both DR4- and...

As part of the programme BA Forest Engineering at Hochschule WeihenstephanTriesdorf, University of Applied Sciences (HSWT), Department of Forestry we introduced a Forest Training Trail (FTT) to complement our curriculum with a strong focus on applied training in the field. The core of the FTT is (i) the trail itself with several sites with different focus and (ii) a questionnaire. Every semester a new trail at a new site within the training forest is set up. Usually, the trail encompasses four to six stations, each station representing a thematic focus of the training in the BA 'Forest Engineering', e.g. vegetation, silviculture, hunting, environmental protection, soil or other aspects. The students form teams of three and walk the FTT with a questionnaire and a map of the trail. After the deadline for handing in the questionnaires a master solution of the FTT is published on the faculty homepage in order to give students an opportunity for a self-feedback. The results of the regular evaluation show a high acceptance by the students. Our conclusion after four years of experience with the FTT is that the design as competition and game including a trophy resulted in a very high acceptance and participation with joy.

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Background: Physical activity has a great impact on cognition, it contributes to the brain working faster and more efficiently. Research has shown that physical activity can be a good tool for increasing concentration in young people. Objective: The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of the physical activity that takes place during a lesson in Physical education on students' concentration with the help of a sports lesson. Methods: the study used a so-called trail making test, which is a tool for comparing the concentration between two different times. Twenty-five students belonging to two different classes were included in the study. The reference group had to complete the test twice after two sedentary lessons. The research group completed the first test after a sedentary lesson and the second test after physical activity in the form of a sports lesson. Results: During Test Session one, the intervention group needed an average of 129.84 seconds to complete both Part A and Part B of the test. The reference group needed an average of 106.2 seconds to complete both Part A and Part B of the test. During Test Session two, the intervention group needed an average of 83,93 seconds to complete both Part A and Part B of the test. The reference group needed an average of 61,63 seconds to complete both Part A and Part B of the test. Conclusion: The values that this study gave could therefore not demonstrate any connection between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in students at a secondary school.

Tires, being the only component of the vehicle in contact with the road surface, are responsible for generating the forces for maintaining the vehicle pose, orientation and stability of the vehicle. Additionally, the on-board advanced chassis control systems require estimation of these tire-road interaction properties for their operation. Extraction of these properties becomes extremely important in handling limit maneuvers such as Double Lane Change (DLC) and cornering wherein the lateral force transfer is dependent upon these computations. This research focuses on the development of a high-fidelity vehicle-tire model and control algorithm framework for vehicle trajectory tracking for vehicles operating in this limit handling regime. This combined vehicle-tire model places an emphasis on the lateral dynamics of the vehicle by integrating the effects of relaxation length on the contact patch force generation. The vertical dynamics of the vehicle have also been analyzed, and a novel double damper has been mathematically modeled and experimentally validated. Different control algorithms, both classical and machine learning-based, have been developed for optimizing this vertical dynamics model. Experimental data has been collected by instrumenting a vehicle with in-tire accelerometers, IMU, GPS, and encoders for slalom and lane change maneuvers. Different state estimation techniques have been developed to predict the vehicle side slip angle, tire slip angle, and normal load to further assist the developed vehicle-tire model. To make the entire framework more robust, Machine Learning algorithms have been developed to classify between different levels of tire wear. The effect of tire tread wear on the pneumatic trail of the tire has been further evaluated, which affects the aligning moment and lateral force generation. Finally, a Model Predictive Control (MPC) framework has been developed to compare the performance between the conventional vehicle models and the developed vehicle models in tracking a reference trajectory. / Doctor of Philosophy / In our rapidly advancing world, self-driving or autonomous vehicles are no longer a vision of the future but a reality of today. As we grow more reliant on these vehicles, ensuring their safety and reliability becomes increasingly critical. Unlike traditional vehicles, self-driving cars operate without human intervention. Consequently, the onus of passenger and pedestrian safety falls squarely on the vehicle's control systems. The efficiency and effectiveness of these control systems are pivotal in preventing accidents and ensuring a smooth ride. One vital aspect of these control systems lies in understanding the tires' behavior, the only parts of the vehicle that are in contact with the road surface. A tire's interaction with the road surface significantly impacts the vehicle's handling and stability. Information such as how much of the tire is in contact with the road, the forces and moments generated at this contact point, becomes valuable for optimizing the vehicle's performance. This is particularly crucial when a vehicle is turning or cornering, where the forces developed between the tires and the road are key to maintaining control and stability. In this research, a framework has been designed to improve the vehicle performance, primarily by improving the modeling of tire lag dynamics. This refers to the delay or 'lag' between a change in tire conditions (such as pressure, wear, and temperature) and the corresponding change in tire behavior. In addition, in this research a vertical dynamics model of the vehicle has also been developed incorporated with a novel double damper suspension system. To complete the entire framework, the effect of tire wear over time and how this affects its performance and safety characteristics has also been examined. By estimating and understanding this wear, we can predict how it will affect the dynamic properties of the tire, thus improving the reliability and efficiency of our autonomous vehicles. The last piece of this framework comprises the development of an MPC controller to track a reference trajectory and evaluate the performance of the developed model.

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Rapporten behandlar ett examensarbete för högskoleingenjörsprogrammet inom innovationsteknik och design, utfört av Rebecca Magyar. Uppdragsgivare för projektet var Home Structures Sweden AB och arbetet riktade sig till det egna varumärket Irislights med Peter Nordin som handledare på företaget.   Irislights är en produkt som består av en LED-slinga för inomhusbruk. Produkten är tänkt att vara kreativ för kunden färg- och formmässigt vilket låter kunderna själva kombinera handgjorda bomullsbollar som fästs kring en diod på slingan. Projektets huvudsakliga uppgift var att generera en lösning för fästning av befintlig produkt med avseende på kundernas behov i att hänga upp slingan. Den valda lösningen ska ge kunden utrymme för att utnyttja sin egen kreativitet.   Arbetet utgick ifrån designprocessen där en förstudie var inledande fas för arbetets uppbyggnad. Förstudien innefattade en kartläggning av kommande trender inom inrednings- och belysningsbranschen, undersökning av kundernas behov och reflekterande arbete kring framtidens inredningsuttryck. Undersökning av teknik ingick även i förstudien för att få mer information kring befintlig produkt samt krav denna kom att ställa på det framtagna koncept som rapporten berör. Eftersom nuvarande produkt och den framtagna upphängningskonstruktionen ska samverka med varandra kommer uppställda krav vara av betydelse för utformningen. Ifrån detta skapades idéer som sedan genererades fram till slutgiltigt produkt förslag.   Den valda utformningen presenteras genom skisser, CAD-konstruktion, ritningar samt en skalenlig prototyp. Ett materialval gjordes även på produkten i materialvals programmet CES EduPack för att ge förslag på ett miljövänligt alternativ sett till framställning av materialet vid preliminär produktion. / This report describes a Bachelor Theisis of Science in Innovation and Design, conducted by Rebecca Magyar. The project was carried out for Home Structures Sweden AB directed to their own brand Irislights with Peter Nordin as task manager.   The existing product Irislights consists of one product, a LED trail for indoor use. The product is supposed to be creative in terms of color and pattern and let the customers combine and create a personalized light trail. The project's main task was to generate a fastening function for the existing product with consideration to customer needs. Also develop the chosen soulution with oppurtunity to provide the customer oppurtunity to us their own creativity.   The implementation of the work was based on a survey of future trends in interior design and in the lightning industry, also by analysing customer needs. Requirements was developed after creating understanding about the existing technology in Irislights which affected the chosen concept so it could be practicable in reality. Based on a feasibility study ideas was created which generated a final product suggestion. The chosen concept was presented through sketches, a modell in 3D-CAD , CAD-drawings and a full-scale prototype. The selection of material was also made in the program CES EduPack to give suggestions on an environmentally friendly alternative in terms of energy consumption in the primary production of a material.

The overall objective of this study is to compile the ethnohistory and contemporary perspectives of selected historically connected Hispanic communities that were affected by the OST. The project can be divided into two parts: 1) a brief history of each community under study and its historic relationship to the OST, and 2) a description of contemporary community views of the trail. Of special interest will be any contemporary knowledge related to the role played by the trail (and/or events related to the trail’s history and use) that affected the history and perspective of each community. Also of interest will be any places or resources along the trail that have significant cultural meaning to the subject communities. The selected communities targeted by this project are intended to sample the range of ethnic, geographic, and historically-connected populations along the trail routes. These include Hispanic communities associated with the development of the trail, communities founded by emigrant populations known to have used sections of the trail as migration routes in the 19th century, communities that were established to support trail trade, and communities that were founded along the trail after its period of historic use. The following communities participated in this study: Abiquiú, New Mexico, Gallina, New Mexico, San Luis, Colorado, Agua Mansa, California, and San Gabriel, California.