Dissertationen zum Thema „Broken Chains“

Bars, Chains, and Broken Things is a four-movement work for orchestra with a distinct social narrative: the American prison system. During my time working as a volunteer with the Pendleton Juvenile Correctional Facility, I came to know several young men and their stories. This piece serves as a loosely programmatic work chronicling the four most significant concepts which resonated with me. The individual movements are named and seek to musically represent these ideas: “Abandonment” - a common feeling among the incarcerated, “Imprisonment” - the effects and words of those feeling isolated, “Solace” - a state of calm acceptance, and “False Freedom” - a refutation of the belief that release from the prison system signifies the end of society’s punishment. It is my hope that this work serves as a musical contribution to awareness of the current issues faced in the American prison system.

Abstract

Chained Thoughts Broken by Chains of Thought

An Analysis of the Narrative Style Used in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own

The purpose of this essay is to analyse the narrative style used in Virginia Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own in order to show in which ways it supports and reinforces the author’s arguments in her quest for a more equal society. One of the most prominent stylistic means applied by Woolf is her ‘train of thought’, linking one reflection to another like wagons in a railway convoy or like loops in a chain (therefore also sometimes referred to as ‘chain of thought’ in dictionaries). By examining how different rhetorical devices are applied within this train or chain of thought and in which ways these strategies are linked to the main elements of persuasion (ethos, pathos and logos) in Aristotelian Rhetoric, I have found that one of Woolf’s central themes - the resentment against confinement and the advocacy of androgyny or mixed-gendered thinking - is mirrored in her style. It reflects the author’s call to resist society’s restrictions by its unrestricted combination of different rhetorical strategies; this mixture of stylistic, partly gender-neutral devices helps her to create a common ground where she can reach and appeal to both genders in a very effective and innovative way, thus enabling her chain of thoughts to break some of our chained thoughts.

Ellen Johansson

Engelska C

Abstract The importance of innovation in the agro-food sector and the extension services has gained significance both in the practice and in the academic context. The agro-food sector is facing rapid and fast-spreading challenge such as, increased uncertainty due to rising of food price, resource scarcity and climate change. In this context, innovation and knowledge transfer are starting to became key tools for practitioners to tackle the latest global challenges. However, handling innovation remains a crucial step for many stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. Smallholder farmers, farmers, retailers, processors, public and private institutions, academics, researchers and so on, face different constraints in accessing or spreading innovation, knowledge and capital. This calls for the presence of intermediary organizations. The purpose of the thesis is to firstly present an overview of the role of intermediaries, fostering innovation processes for smallholders farmers; secondly to understand how they can facilitate the development of the agricultural value chain; and finally present an empirical application, understanding the facilitation of innovation processes by Local action groups in the Italian agro-food value chain. The thesis reviews, regardless the specific context, literature on functions of innovation intermediary organizations and the way in which they support smallholder farmers to adopt and participate in innovation processes, thus fostering participation in market exchanges and farmers’ development. Moreover, it aims at contributing to academic debate on innovation intermediaries, by adopting a value chain perspective, entailing an explorative multiple case research based on the theory-building approach. Finally, gives an empirical analysis on the case of Local Action Groups as potential innovation intermediaries within Italian rural development program. Findings highlight (i) that matching function of innovation intermediaries and types of farmers challenges is crucial in order to enhance adoption and diffusion of innovation; (ii) that different types of intermediaries affect the value chain at micro, meso and macro level and finally (iii) which are the main factors that affect the decision to activate innovative measures by local Action Groups within agricultural and rural policy.

Thesis (S.M. in Biology)--Joint Program in Biological Oceanography (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 1999.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 23-30).
Phytoplankton mortality (herbivory) and bacterivory were examined experimentally in West Neck Bay and Coecles Harbor, Long Island, NY from April through September, 1998. Small algae (<5 [tm diameter) dominated phytoplankton communities in both ecosystems throughout the summer, and zooplankton were also small (mostly <40 tm). Generally, plankton abundances were indicative of eutrophic ecosystems. Oscillations in standing stocks and mortality of prey indicated tight coupling of growth and grazing mortality in both bays. Phytoplankton mortality rates accounted for the removal of 14% to 65% of total phytoplankton standing stocks daily, while bacterivory accounted for the removal of 14% to 88% of total bacterial standing stocks daily. Estimates of carbon consumption revealed high energy flux through the nano- and microzooplankton assemblages of these estuarine environments.
by Katie Rose Boissonneault Cellineri.
S.M.in Biology

Leaky buildings are those that show elevated moisture contents of the framing timber, which can subsequently lead to the establishment of fungal and bacterial decay. Prior to this study, the causative agents of the decay in these leaky buildings were unknown, though it was suspected to be one or more species of decay fungi. Therefore, the overall goal of this multi-disciplinary PhD thesis research was to determine the causative agents of decay in leaky buildings of New Zealand in an effort to develop solutions for both their remediation and future prevention. Use of molecular biology methodology and classical mycological techniques based on morphology enabled identification of decay fungi from framing timber and air samples of leaky New Zealand buildings and provided insight into relative importance based on isolation frequency. In most cases, fungi colonising Pinus radiata D. Don were isolated to produce pure cultures. Mycelia from these cultures on agar media were collected to extract DNA. To identify the fungi to the species level, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with fungal specific DNA primer pairs were performed followed by DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Identification was by BLAST (Basic Local Alignment Search Tool) search on sequences in known GenBanks. In total, 421 samples from leaky buildings were processed, predominately untreated P. radiata decayed framing timber and also fibre cement boards and building paper. From these, sixty-eight fungal identifications were made. The only taxa that were isolated with significant frequency were identified as 4 basidiomycete species, as follows, along with the number of times they were isolated from the 421 samples: • Gloeophyllum sepiarium (Wulf.: Fr.) Karst. 13x • Oligoporus placenta (Fries 1865) Gilb. In Ryv.1985 11x • Antrodia sinuosa (Fr.) Karst. 8x • Gloeophyllum trabeum (Fr.) Murr. 4x Although these species were identified repeatedly, in total they represent less than 10% of the total samples and, therefore, it is concluded that the leaky building decay samples represent high fungal biodiversity. An aerial spore study of internal air, wall cavity air and exterior air of leaky buildings was carried out using a Merck MAS-100 instrument which collects spores directly onto selective media plates. Viable fungal aerial spores were detected at every sampling location tested at the leaky buildings, by the criteria of culturing, with a highest mean of 3714 colony-forming units (CFU) per cubic metre found in the cavities of water-damaged walls. This aerial spore study in conjunction with isolation from decayed wood samples from the same leaky buildings enabled identification of G. sepiarium and A. sinuosa at the same test site. The use of carboxymethylcellulose medium further demonstrated the presence of potential cellulose-degrading fungi within and around the location. Overall, the combination of direct sampling of timber and air sampling proved useful for detection of fungal species variability at a multi-unit building. Four decay fungi isolated from New Zealand leaky buildings and two standard control decay fungi (Coniophora puteana and Serpula lacrymans) were submitted to laboratory wood block testing to determine the effectiveness of currently used wood framing preservatives under laboratory conditions before and after a standard leaching regime. P. radiata blocks were treated with water based boron copper azole and solvent based IPBC propiconazole plus tebuconazole (1:1) preservatives and exposed to the basidiomycetes for 12 weeks. Mass loss for the fungal decay-infected samples was recorded of up to 55% for preservative-treated samples, up to 62% mass loss for leached samples and up to 58% mass loss for un-preservative treated samples. Additionally, well defined dosage responses and approximate toxic thresholds were obtained for all preservatives tested. Results suggested that the minimum IPBC retention specified by Hazard Class 1.2 of NZS3640:2003 (0.025% m/m) is on the low side, and demonstrated after the 2 week leaching regime complete loss of efficacy of boron at 0.4% m/m boric acid equivalent (BAE). This PhD research gave a first overview of fungi occurring in New Zealand leaky buildings, and it demonstrated the following key aspects of wood preservation: 1. The isolated test fungus Antrodia sinuosa was more difficult to control with propiconazole plus tebuconazole at retention 0.007% m/m than the known tolerant fungus Oligoporus placenta; 2. Boron at Hazard Class 1.2 retention of 0.4% m/m BAE was not toxic to Oligoporus placenta; 3. Serpula lacrymans exhibited tolerance to the highest retention of 0.06 %m/m tebuconazole plus propiconazole; and 4. Gloeophyllum species appeared susceptible to all wood preservatives. In order to correlate fungal colonisation and wood decay, colonised wood blocks were studied using light microscopy (LM) and field- emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). Microscopic observations of P. radiata wood blocks following a standard wood decay test of twelve weeks of fungal colonisation by Serpula lacrymans, Antrodia sinuosa, Oligoporus placenta and Gloeophyllum sepiarium revealed that the two microscopic techniques employed were complementary by allowing features such as pit membranes, chlamydospores or S3/S2 compound middle lamella interface to be photographed in greater detail, allowing for more precise analyses and interpretation of key findings, as follows: 1. Brown rot fungi directly target their apical growth towards degraded pit apetures; 2. Reliance on light microscopy and observed birefringence as a tool to record changes in cell wall crystallinity associated with brown rot decay alone could be misleading; 3. Presence of fine (≤ 1 m) to wide (≥ 3.5 m) bore-hole and hyphal size ranges, and nearly unchanged cell wall thickness of all wood/test fungal combinations, confirmed active decay at moderate to late stages; 4. Some ray parenchyma cells for Antrodia sinuosa, Oligoporus placenta and Gloeophyllum sepiarium colonised blocks were intact throughout late stages of decay, outlining that they were not preferentially degraded early in the brown rot decay process, and 5. Presence of bore-holes, clamp and medallion clamp formation and resting spores (chlamydospores and arthrospores) are fungal specific, can aid in their differentiation and identification, and should be recorded during wood decay studies, as especially resting spores are an important factor when planning remediation strategies. In summary, this PhD thesis research provided the first comprehensive investigation into the biodiversity of fungi from leaky New Zealand buildings, identified the dominant species and presented details about their micromorphology and their decay patterns. It also demonstrated substantial differences in efficacy of preservative formulations currently (December 2008) approved for framing treatments in New Zealand and possible deficiencies where framing may be subjected to severe leaching. This study also provided the first comparative analyses of viable fungal aerial spores between leaky wall cavities and the surrounding air environment. Subsequently, this research added to the knowledge of the decay fungal species diversity in and around New Zealand leaky buildings, outlined their capabilities to degrade treated and un-treated P. radiata framing timber and illustrated the efficacy of New Zealand approved wood preservatives for their potential as remedial treatment and future prevention.

Background: These days in uncertain circumstances and economic downturn, innovation is very important for organizations. This applies also on Dutch franchise retail organizations (DFRO’s) and its suppliers, which are in focus in this thesis. The authors argue that shop employees working in the physical shops are a valuable source of innovation and can function as a pass-through of consumer information to the management of a DFRO and its suppliers.The main question is, if and how DFRO’s and its supplier use shop employees as a source of innovation? Purpose: To describe and explore the involvement of shop employees in the innovation process of Dutch franchise retail organizations and its suppliers; and to find out possible advantages and disadvantages of shop employees’ involvement in the innovation processes, and directions of innovation in which shop employees are involved. Method: This thesis is written from a social constructivism perspective with the use of a deductive approach. A holistic multiple case-study of eight Dutch franchise retail organizations was applied by using qualitative method. To collect the empirical data 23 semi-structured interviews with shop employees were conducted in combination with several observations. The collected empirical data was analyzed by using cross-case synthesis method. The research quality is based upon trustworthiness and authenticity. Results and conclusions: The highest degree of involvement of the shop employees in the innovation process by both management and suppliers takes place in the last three stages of the innovation process, which are validation, commercialization and evaluation, in offer- and support-related directions of innovations. In other words, the shop employees are more involved in the innovation process in their own working environment rather than in the decision-making level. The results of the study show that shop employees are willing to be more involved in the innovation process and see more advantages than disadvantages for management, suppliers and themselves. Suggestions for future research: Since this thesis gives interesting results, the future research could be done to strengthen and expand those. The authors suggest to increase the amount of researched DFRO’s; to research multiple shop locations of the same DFRO; to take the position, responsibilities and working period of the shop employees more into consideration. Also the authors see a necessity of future research to confirm the mentioned possible disadvantages and advantages of shop employees’ involvement out of a different perspective.

Doutoramento em Bioquímica
Os polissacarídeos são os componentes maioritários dos grãos de café verde e torrado e da bebida de café. Os mais abundantes são as galactomananas, seguindo-se as arabinogalactanas. Durante o processo de torra, as galactomananas e arabinogalactanas sofrem modificações estruturais, as quais estão longe de estar completamente elucidadas devido à sua diversidade e à complexidade estrutural dos compostos formados. Durante o processo de torra, as galactomananas e arabinogalactanas reagem com proteínas, ácidos clorogénicos e sacarose, originando compostos castanhos de alto peso molecular contendo nitrogénio, designados de melanoidinas. As melanoidinas do café apresentam diversas atividades biológicas e efeitos benéficos para a saúde. No entanto, a sua estrutura exata e os mecanismos envolvidos na sua formação permanecem desconhecidos, bem como a relação estrutura-atividade biológica. A utilização de sistemas modelo e a análise por espectrometria de massa permitem obter uma visão global e, simultaneamente, detalhada das modificações estruturais nos polissacarídeos do café promovidas pela torra, contribuindo para a elucidação das estruturas e mecanismos de formação das melanoidinas. Com base nesta tese, oligossacarídeos estruturalmente relacionados com a cadeia principal das galactomananas, (β1→4)-Dmanotriose (Man3), e as cadeias laterais das arabinogalactanas, (α1→5)-Larabinotriose (Ara3), isoladamente ou em misturas com ácido 5-Ocafeoilquínico (5-CQA), o ácido clorogénico mais abundante nos grãos de café verde, e péptidos compostos por tirosina e leucina, usados como modelos das proteínas, foram sujeitos a tratamento térmico a seco, mimetizando o processo de torra. A oxidação induzida por radicais hidroxilo (HO•) foi também estudada, uma vez que estes radicais parecem estar envolvidos na modificação dos polissacarídeos durante a torra. A identificação das modificações estruturais induzidas por tratamento térmico e oxidativo dos compostos modelo foi feita por estratégias analíticas baseadas principalmente em espectrometria de massa, mas também em cromatografia líquida. A cromatografia de gás foi usada na análise de açúcares neutros e ligações glicosídicas. Para validar as conclusões obtidas com os compostos modelo, foram também analisadas amostras de polissacarídeos do café obtidas a partir de resíduo de café e café instantâneo. Os resultados obtidos a partir dos oligossacarídeos modelo quando submetidos a tratamento térmico (seco), assim como à oxidação induzida por HO• (em solução), indicam a ocorrência de despolimerização, o que está de acordo com estudos anteriores que reportam a despolimerização das galactomananas e arabinogalactanas do café durante a torra. Foram ainda identificados outros compostos resultantes da quebra do anel de açúcares formados durante o tratamento térmico e oxidativo da Ara3. Por outro lado, o tratamento térmico a seco dos oligossacarídeos modelo (individualmente ou quando misturados) promoveu a formação de oligossacarídeos com um maior grau de polimerização, e também polissacarídeos com novos tipos de ligações glicosídicas, evidenciando a ocorrência de polimerização através reações de transglicosilação não enzimática induzidas por tratamento térmico a seco. As reações de transglicosilação induzidas por tratamento térmico a seco podem ocorrer entre resíduos de açúcares provenientes da mesma origem, mas também de origens diferentes com formação de estruturas híbridas, contendo arabinose e manose como observado nos casos dos compostos modelo usados. Os resultados obtidos a partir de amostras do resíduo de café e de café instantâneo sugerem a presença de polissacarídeos híbridos nestas amostras de café processado, corroborando a ocorrência de transglicosilação durante o processo de torra. Além disso, o estudo de misturas contendo diferentes proporções de cada oligossacarídeo modelo, mimetizando regiões do grão de café com composição distinta em polissacarídeos, sujeitos a diferentes períodos de tratamento térmico, permitiu inferir que diferentes estruturas híbridas e não híbridas podem ser formadas a partir das arabinogalactanas e galactomananas, dependendo da sua distribuição nas paredes celulares do grão e das condições de torra. Estes resultados podem explicar a heterogeneidade de estruturas de melanoidinas formadas durante a torra do café. Os resultados obtidos a partir de misturas modelo contendo um oligossacarídeo (Ara3 ou Man3) e 5-CQA sujeitas a tratamento térmico a seco, assim como de amostras provenientes do resíduo de café, mostraram a formação de compostos híbridos compostos por moléculas de CQA ligadas covalentemente a um número variável de resíduos de açúcar. Além disso, os resultados obtidos a partir da mistura contendo Man3 e 5-CQA mostraram que o CQA atua como catalisador das reações de transglicosilação. Por outro lado, nas misturas modelo contendo um péptido, mesmo contendo também 5-CQA e sujeitas ao mesmo tratamento, observou-se uma diminuição na extensão das reações transglicosilação. Este resultado pode explicar a baixa extensão das reações de transglicosilação não enzimáticas durante a torra nas regiões do grão de café mais ricas em proteínas, apesar dos polissacarídeos serem os componentes maioritários dos grãos de café. A diminuição das reações de transglicosilação na presença de péptidos/proteínas pode dever-se ao facto de os resíduos de açúcares redutores reagirem preferencialmente com os grupos amina de péptidos/proteínas por reação de Maillard, diminuindo o número de resíduos de açúcares redutores disponíveis para as reações de transglicosilação. Além dos compostos já descritos, uma diversidade de outros compostos foram formados a partir dos sistemas modelo, nomeadamente derivados de desidratação formados durante o tratamento térmico a seco. Em conclusão, a tipificação das modificações estruturais promovidas pela torra nos polissacarídeos do café abre o caminho para a compreensão dos mecanismos de formação das melanoidinas e da relação estrutura-atividade destes compostos.
Polysaccharides are the major components of green and roasted coffee beans, and coffee brew. The most abundant ones are galactomannans, followed by arabinogalactans. During the roasting process, galactomannans and arabinogalactans undergo structural modifications that are far to be completely elucidated due to their diversity and complexity of the compounds formed. During the roasting process, galactomannans and arabinogalactans react with proteins, chlorogenic acids, and sucrose, originating high molecular weight brown compounds containing nitrogen, known as melanoidins. Several biological activities and beneficial health effects have been attributed to coffee melanoidins. However, their exact structures and the mechanisms involved in their formation remain unknown, as well as the structure-biological activity relationship. The use of model systems and mass spectrometry analysis allow to obtain an overall view and, simultaneously, detailed, of the structural modifications in coffee polysaccharides promoted by roasting, contributing to the elucidation of the structures and formation mechanisms of melanoidins. Based on this thesis, oligosaccharides structurally related to the backbone of galactomannans, (β1→4)-D-mannotriose, and the side chains of arabinogalactans, (α1→5)-Larabinotriose, alone or in mixtures with 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid, the most abundant chlorogenic acid in green coffee beans, and dipeptides composed by tyrosine and leucine, used as models of proteins, were submitted to dry thermal treatments, mimicking the coffee roasting process. The oxidation induced by hydroxyl radicals (HO•) was also studied, since these radicals seem to be involved in the modification of the polysaccharides during roasting. The identification of the structural modifications induced by thermal and oxidative treatment of the model compounds was performed mostly by mass spectrometry-based analytical strategies, but also using liquid chromatography. Gas chromatography was used in the analysis of neutral sugars and glycosidic linkages. To validate the conclusions achieved with the model compounds, coffee polysaccharide samples obtained from spent coffee grounds and instant coffee were also analysed. The results obtained from the model oligosaccharides when submitted to thermal treatment (dry) or oxidation induced by HO• (in solution) indicate the occurrence of depolymerization, which is in line with previous studies reporting the depolymerization of coffee galactomannans and arabinogalactans during roasting. Compounds resulting from sugar ring cleavage were also formed during thermal treatment and oxidative treatment of Ara3. On the other hand, the dry thermal treatment of the model oligosaccharides (alone or when mixed) promoted the formation of oligosaccharides with a higher degree of polymerization, and also polysaccharides with new type of glycosidic linkages, evidencing the occurrence of polymerization via non-enzymatic transglycosylation reactions induced by dry thermal treatment. The transglycosylation reactions induced by dry thermal treatment can occur between sugar residues from the same origin, but also of different origins, with formation of hybrid structures, containing arabinose and mannose in the case of the model compounds used. The results obtained from spent coffee grounds and instant coffee samples suggest the presence of hybrid polysaccharides in these processed coffee samples, corroborating the occurrence of transglycosylation during the roasting process. Furthermore, the study of mixtures containing different proportions of each model oligosaccharide, mimicking coffee bean regions with distinct polysaccharide composition, subjected to different periods of thermal treatment, allowed to infer that different hybrid and non-hybrid structures may be formed from arabinogalactans and galactomannans, depending on their distribution in the bean cell walls and on roasting conditions. These results may explain the heterogeneity of melanoidins structures formed during coffee roasting. The results obtained from model mixtures containing an oligosaccharide (Ara3 or Man3) and 5-CQA and subjected to dry thermal treatment, as well as samples derived from spent coffee grounds, showed the formation of hybrid compounds composed by CQA molecules covalently linked to a variable number of sugar residues. Moreover, the results obtained from the mixture containing Man3 and 5-CQA showed that CQA acts as catalyst of transglycosylation reactions. On the other hand, in the model mixtures containing a peptide, even if containing 5-CQA and subjected to the same treatment, it was observed a decrease in the extent of transglycosylation reactions. This outcome can explain the low extent of non-enzymatic transglycosylation reactions during roasting in coffee bean regions enriched in proteins, although polysaccharides are the major components of the coffee beans. The decrease of transglycosylation reactions in the presence of peptides/proteins can be related with the preferential reactivity of reducing residues with the amino groups of peptides/proteins by Maillard reaction, decreasing the number of reducing residues available to be directly involved in the transglycosylation reactions. In addition to the compounds already described, a diversity of other compounds were formed from model systems, namely dehydrated derivatives formed during dry thermal treatment. In conclusion, the identification of the structural modifications in coffee polysaccharides promoted by roasting pave the way to the understanding of the mechanisms of formation of melanoidins and structure-activity relationship of these compounds.

碩士
國立高雄第一科技大學
風險管理與保險所
92
Since 1992,the Ministry of finance announced the test of insurance brokerage was beginning, Owing to the market of insurance to be liberalism and internationalization. There were 394 Insurance Brokers Co.,Ltd included 123 Property insurance and 271 Life insurance（Ministry of finance, 2001）,So we know that many peoples like to start an enterprise in Taiwan, but a scale of insurance brokerage was small depend on the rule of government, the insurance brokerage would supply two million to earnest money . However, The initial of development for market and contract with insurance company was not much. So many domestic insurance companies were used to recruiting Career Agents , but not to adopt Brokerage Agents . Until quite recently, The whole of ecological was modified to monetary system, and All trades and professions adopted a law of labor and capital .The standard of law for many insurance companies tried to establish a system of giving full cooperation with production and marketing. Especial, Since 2002,The law of Financial Holding System was practiced the Bankassurance was in vogue and also several insurance companies to operate an passageway of adopting Brokerage Agent. Right now, there are 28 Life Insurance Companies and 394 companies of Brokerage Agents. Most of Life Insurance Companies would sign a contract with companies of Brokerage Agent except a few companies were implemented with『Regular chain』in market. However, In general, The model of operate a Brokerage Agent was『Regular chain』and 『Franchise business』,during economic scope was restrained . We were look for and visited E- INSURANCE BROKERS CO.,LTD and A- INSURANCE BROKER CO.,LTD. They would be compared by company’s background、operate-ideal、administration、capital- control、common consensus of organization、market-distinction in order to discuss how to run an alliance and franchise chain within Brokerage Agents.

abstract: A semiconductor supply chain modeling and simulation platform using Linear Program (LP) optimization and parallel Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) process models has been developed in a joint effort by ASU and Intel Corporation. A Knowledge Interchange Broker (KIBDEVS/LP) was developed to broker information synchronously between the DEVS and LP models. Recently a single-echelon heuristic Inventory Strategy Module (ISM) was added to correct for forecast bias in customer demand data using different smoothing techniques. The optimization model could then use information provided by the forecast model to make better decisions for the process model. The composition of ISM with LP and DEVS models resulted in the first realization of what is now called the Optimization Simulation Forecast (OSF) platform. It could handle a single echelon supply chain system consisting of single hubs and single products In this thesis, this single-echelon simulation platform is extended to handle multiple echelons with multiple inventory elements handling multiple products. The main aspect for the multi-echelon OSF platform was to extend the KIBDEVS/LP such that ISM interactions with the LP and DEVS models could also be supported. To achieve this, a new, scalable XML schema for the KIB has been developed. The XML schema has also resulted in strengthening the KIB execution engine design. A sequential scheme controls the executions of the DEVS-Suite simulator, CPLEX optimizer, and ISM engine. To use the ISM for multiple echelons, it is extended to compute forecast customer demands and safety stocks over multiple hubs and products. Basic examples for semiconductor manufacturing spanning single and two echelon supply chain systems have been developed and analyzed. Experiments using perfect data were conducted to show the correctness of the OSF platform design and implementation. Simple, but realistic experiments have also been conducted. They highlight the kinds of supply chain dynamics that can be evaluated using discrete event process simulation, linear programming optimization, and heuristics forecasting models.
Dissertation/Thesis
M.S. Computer Science 2012

碩士
明志科技大學
工業工程與管理研究所
98
With the continuous change in economic structure around the world, under the customer-centered business model, logistics have shifted focus from the traditional product shipping services to customized services that aim to satisfy customer’s diversified needs.The third-party logistics companies have followed the trend and moved from the traditional shipping businesses to more diversified, customized operation models to promote – with professional services and reductions in production costs -- a sustainable enterprise operation.However, this logistics management has expanded beyond the scope of a country or a region to one that escapes the geographic limitations. These new models combine and integrate many important strategic functions in enterprise activities to manage the entire supply chain more efficiently.Thus collaboration has become the solution to the problem of fast changing industry environment. It combines a firm’s internal resources, customers, and supplier companies to conduct the most effective resource integration and allocation, to identify and seize market opportunities, and at the end ensure the survival of the firm. This collaboration has been recognized for its merit and become part of the manufacturing industry operation for years, and this thesis applies its concept and model to the service industry, specifically the third part logistics.From collaborative design, synchronized production scheduling, and product development between suppliers and manufacturers; from collaborative marketing and needs planning – this collaboration gradually evolves to collaborative order processing and the sharing of market needs and information between service industry (third-party logistics) and collaborative firms. This research is an empirical study; it uses the random sampling method to select about 300 out of the 533 Keelung Custom Broker Association members (2009 membership); the questionnaires were administered on firm’s site to high level administrators or the person who is responsible to the operation. A total of 78 valid responses were obtained.The results show that in the third-party logistics: (1) the higher the level of collaborative information sharing the higher the logistic performance; (2) the higher the level of collaborative cooperation the higher the logistic performance; (3) the higher the level of market-centeredness the higher the logistic performance; (4) the higher the level of market-centeredness, the more likely that the positive relationship between information sharing and logistic performance will weaken; and (5) the higher the level of market-centeredness, the more likely that the positive relationship between collaborative cooperation and logistic performance will strengthen.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden die ausgekoppelten Rückstände einer stoffgeführten Veredelungskette zur stofflichen Nutzung von Braunkohle charakterisiert, welche aus den Wandlungsstufen Extraktion mit Toluol, Niedertemperaturkonversion (katalytische Pyrolyse und Reaktivextraktion mit superkritischen Lösungsmitteln) und Vergasung besteht. Schwerpunktmäßig wurde die Vergasungsreaktivität der Rückstände untersucht, da sie in der letzten Prozessstufe der Vergasung zugeführt werden. Die Variabilität der Reaktivität der Ausgangsstoffe diente hierzu als Maßstab zur Bewertung der Vergasungsreaktivität der Rückstände der Prozesskette. Im Rahmen der Charakterisierung wurden charakteristische Stoffeigenschaften identifiziert, welche die Vergasungsreaktivität der betrachteten Rohstoffe primär beeinflussen. Dazu zählen die Aromatizität und die Aschezusammensetzung. Auf dieser Basis wurden die Rückstände der Prozesskette bewertet und interpretiert. Es wurden verschiedene experimentelle Methoden (zwei Thermowaagen und ein Festbettverssuchstand) verwendet und gegenseitig validiert. Daneben wurde geprüft, ob die Reaktivität einer Mischung, bestehend aus den Rückständen der Prozesskette, aus den Reaktivitäten der Einzelkomponenten vorausberechnet werden kann und drei Grenzfälle abgeleitet. Basierend auf den im Rahmen der Arbeit generierten konsistenten Datensätzen wurde ein halbempirisches Modell zur Vorausberechnung der Vergasungsreaktivität von Braunkohlen und deren Veredelungsprodukten hergeleitet. Das Modell berücksichtigt die Zusammensetzung der organischen Substanz sowie die Zusammensetzung der anorganischen Substanz einer Kohleprobe und wurde unter Einbezug weiterer Kohleproben erfolgreich validiert.

In impoverished and resource limited communities such as townships, and welfare organizations, areas such as living and sleeping spaces are sometimes shared with animals, and occasionally humans. Dogs play an integral role in our lives and have become part of the family. Therefore, it is probable that ectoparasites, such as ticks, that feed on dogs also feed on other vertebrates, thereby, transmitting pathogens. The primary aim of this study was to screen for the presence of tick-borne pathogens in dogs from welfare organisations and townships in Cape Town, with special focus on Ehrlichia and Babesia spp. The reason for this choice of subject is due to the fact that very few tick-borne infection studies have focused on resource limited communities. Furthermore, welfare organisations have continuously attracted awareness due to the amount of unrestricted work performed by veterinarians in communities with limited resources. Consequently, the topic was borne. A total of 126 blood samples and 509 ticks (adults and nymphs) were collected directly from dogs from four welfare organisations and two townships in Cape Town. Samples were collected from April to July 2014. The four welfare organisations where samples were collected included the Animal Anti Cruelty League welfare organisations in Epping and Bellville, the Lucky Lucy Foundation in Joostenberg Vlakte and The Emma Animal Rescue Society (TEARS), located in the Sunnydale area. Samples were also collected from the Asanda village and Nomzamo, two townships located just outside the Cape Town suburb, the Strand. DNA was extracted from blood and ectoparasites and screened for the presence of Ehrlichia, Anaplasma, Theileria and Babesia species infections using touchdown PCR and RLB hybridization assays. Genus and species-specific probes were used during hybridization in order to identify specific parasite infections in the blood samples and the tick samples pooled according to geographical origin and species. Forty six (36.5%) of the blood samples tested positive for tick-borne pathogen DNA. Of the positive blood samples, 17 (13.5%) were infected with Ehrlichia canis; 16 (12.7%) with Babesia rossi and four (3.2%) samples were infected with Babesia vogeli. Incidental infections were also detected, these included Ehrlichia ruminantium (n=6, [4.7%]), Theileria taurotragi (n=2, [1.6%]) and Anaplasma sp. Omatjenne (n=1, [0.8%]) infections. DNA detected from 10 samples (7.94%) hybridized only to the Ehrlichia/Anaplasma genus-specific probes and four samples (3.17%) hybridized only to the Theileria/Babesia genus-specific probes. None of these 14 samples hybridized to any of the species-specific probes. Collected Rhipicephalus sanguineus (n=457) and Haemaphysalis elliptica (n=52) ticks were grouped into 15 pools, representing both tick species according to specific collection locations. Since only two H. elliptica from Asanda and one R. sanguineus from TEARS were collected, these ticks were mixed in pools of the dominant species as they were too few for DNA extraction. Ticks were collected from the Nomzamo Township (R. sanguineus n=400), Asanda village (H. elliptica n=2; R. sanguineus n=42), TEARS (H. elliptica n=21; R. sanguineus n=1), and the Animal Anti Cruelty League in both Epping (R. sanguineus n=14), and Bellville (H. elliptica n=29), in Cape Town. Analysis by the RLB assay showed that 11 (73.3%) of the 15 tick pools representing both tick species were positive for at least one parasite species. All positive samples hybridized with the Ehrlichia/Anaplasma genus-specific probe. Three (20%) tick pools containing both tick species tested positive for Ehrlichia canis infection, two (13.3%) tested positive for Babesia rossi and Babesia vogeli DNA was identified in one (6.6%) tick pool. The Theileria/Babesia genus-specific probe hybridised in three (20%) tick pools. These three pools were comprised of both R. sanguineus and H. elliptica tick species. These tick pools also tested positive for a specific Babesia tick-borne pathogen. Tick-borne pathogen DNA could not be detected in four (26.6%) tick pools. The fore-mentioned tick-borne pathogen DNA detected in the dog blood samples, and the ectoparasites collected from the same dogs during this study, suggests that dogs play a large role in the endemicity of these pathogens
Environmental Sciences
M. Sc. (Life Science)

Cette thèse présente les travaux de développement de formulations injectables capables de se solidifier in situ, formant ainsi un implant piégeant des microparticules magnétiques en vue du traitement de tumeurs par induction magnétique d'une hyperthermie locale modérée. Nous exposons tout d'abord le contexte physique, biologique et clinique de l'hyperthermie comme traitement anticancéreux, particulièrement des modalités électromagnétiques. Les performances in vitro et in vivo des matériaux et formulations sont alors présentées. L'objet du chapitre suivant est la caractérisation des propriétés physicochimiques, magnétiques, et chauffantes, dans un champ magnétique alternatif (115 kHz, 9 - 12 mT), des microparticules de silice renfermant des nanoparticules d'oxyde de fer superparamagnétiques (SPIONs) et de deux de leurs formulations: un hydrogel d'alginate de sodium et un organogel de poly(éthylène-co-alcool vinylique) dans le diméthylsulfoxide. Finalement, nous présentons le potentiel thérapeutique de 20 minutes d'hyperthermie locale induite après injection de l'organogel superparamagnétique dans un modèle murin sous-cutané de tumeurs nécrosantes de colocarcinome humain.