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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'NSF system'
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1
Golby, Jessica A. "Genetic analysis of Drosophila NSF function /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/10247.
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Boumenot, Christopher M. "The performance of a Linux NFS implementation." Link to electronic thesis, 2002. http://www.wpi.edu/Pubs/ETD/Available/etd-0523102-121726/.
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Muchie, M., and A. Baskaran. "Towards a Unified Conception of Innovation Systems." Tshwane University of Technology, 2010. http://encore.tut.ac.za/iii/cpro/DigitalItemViewPage.external?sp=1001626.
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In this paper an attempt will be made to identify what has been explicitly recognised as central and peripheral within the systems of innovation concept; the inclusion or exclusion of the factors that are important in understanding the political economy of innovation systems; the themes, issues and range of actors and spaces that must be included in NSI types of appreciative theory or modelling. We suspect that those who focus narrowly tend to exclude important variables that must be included in the understanding of the making and development of innovation systems. Conversely those who focus broadly may include factors that may not be helpful in creating clarity of conception and understanding of the innovation systems application to the problems and challenges of development. It is thus important to reflect and review the variety of ways the system of innovation has been used by the economists who have used the NSI perspective in their search to develop alternative frameworks to understand the problems and challenges of economic system dynamics in general and economic development in particular. We will probe how the search for an alternative economic framework for economic development through the NSI perspective have been applied with a view to advance an argument for its judicious application as an intellectual conceptual tool to help understanding and explanation of the problems and challenges of development and underdevelopment. A unified conception of systems of innovation that includes not only history and culture but also the critical political factor that closely impinges and shapes policies on the economics of innovation will be attempted with a view to valorise the explanatory analytical power of the NSI framework in the context of its value in generating new insights, practices and applications to the general problem of economic development.
4
Dietrich, Hans. "Vergleich des Kreiskolbenmotors System NSU-Wankel mit dem Hubkolbenmotor." Doctoral thesis, Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-115035.
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Marshall, Chrissiejoy. "Yengarrahween Narrloo: Developing an Aboriginal dispute resolution program for NSW." Thesis, Indigenous Heath Studies, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/5691.
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Dispute Resolution has become an integral part of the legal system in Australia. However, disputes in Aboriginal communities regularly remain unresolved and often intensify to violence and injury. The literature review discusses the existing literature, reports and reviews on Aboriginal Dispute Resolution issues including Aboriginal perspectives and the effects of colonisation. It shows that Australian history has been based on racism and ethnocentrism and the impact of this on contemporary issues for Aboriginal people. It defines 'western' Dispute Resolution philosophy, the impracticality and inappropriateness of utilising 'western' Dispute Resolution programs for Aboriginal people without specific adaptation and modifications. The effects of language, specifically Standard English versus Aboriginal English, legalistic language and the consequences on communications for Aboriginal people. This research, is a qualitative study examining the outcomes and satisfaction levels of Aboriginal people who have experienced the Dispute Resolution process designed for Aboriginal people in WA and Qld. The rhetoric and realities of these programs are also debated. In examining these' two existing Aboriginal Dispute Resolution Programs and incorporating Unstructured Key Informant Interviews and Client Feedback Assessments of a narrative style, underpinned by Critical Social Theory, this research attempts to answer the question of whether such programs are useful in Aboriginal Dispute Resolution. In doing this, the thesis presents the reasons of "Why is there a necessity for a distinct and separate Dispute Resolution Program for NSW Aboriginal Communities?"
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Aurikko, Jukka Petteri. "Structural studies of FGF and NGF signalling systems." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.613132.
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Matinrad, Arash. "Design & development of an HSPA system simulator for network planning." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Kommunikations- och transportsystem, 2011. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-69673.
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HSPA planning requires identification of key performance indicators (KPIs), such as infrastructure cost,performance, service quality and the amount of E/M pollution. To evaluate such a framework describing and linking these key elements for HSPA planning and optimization we need to carry out a set of HSPA system-level event-driven simulations under different scenarios. To have such simulations, a new tool should be developed. In this thesis work a simulation tool is developed within NS-3, an open source network simulator. The simulation tool consists several entities to represent a UMTS network and respective nodes in it, and necessary procedures to form a network dynamically. A simple base station removal algorithm in a system level, is developed focusing on the reduction of capital expenditure (CAPEX) of a network. The algorithm defines a cost function in order to remove the most costly base station from network preserving the target coverage percentage. Baseline results show that the simulation tool is working properly and later the results from algorithm indicate that, it is possible to use the algorithm within a dynamic simulation.
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Phan, Kandy Q. "Design and implementation of NFS for a multilevel secure system." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 2004. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA422487.
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Thesis (M.S. in Computer Science)--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2004.<br>Thesis Advisor(s): Cynthia E. Irvine, David J. Shifflett. "March 2004." Includes bibliographical references (p. 73-74). Also available in print.
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Min, Bryan B. "Selection of disposal method for nuclear spent fuel : a plan for the application of the systems engineering process /." Master's thesis, This resource online, 1996. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-02162010-020330/.
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Alghamedy, Fatemah. "ENHANCE NMF-BASED RECOMMENDATION SYSTEMS WITH AUXILIARY INFORMATION IMPUTATION." UKnowledge, 2019. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cs_etds/79.
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This dissertation studies the factors that negatively impact the accuracy of the collaborative filtering recommendation systems based on nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). The keystone in the recommendation system is the rating that expresses the user's opinion about an item. One of the most significant issues in the recommendation systems is the lack of ratings. This issue is called "cold-start" issue, which appears clearly with New-Users who did not rate any item and New-Items, which did not receive any rating.
The traditional recommendation systems assume that users are independent and identically distributed and ignore the connections among users whereas the recommendation actually is a social activity. This dissertation aims to enhance NMF-based recommendation systems by utilizing the imputation method and limiting the errors that are introduced in the system. External information such as trust network and item categories are incorporated into NMF-based recommendation systems through the imputation.
The proposed approaches impute various subsets of the missing ratings. The subsets are defined based on the total number of the ratings of the user or item before the imputation, such as impute the missing ratings of New-Users, New-Items, or cold-start users or items that suffer from the lack of the ratings. In addition, several factors are analyzed that affect the prediction accuracy when the imputation method is utilized with NMF-based recommendation systems. These factors include the total number of the ratings of the user or item before the imputation, the total number of imputed ratings for each user and item, the average of imputed rating values, and the value of imputed rating values. In addition, several strategies are applied to select the subset of missing ratings for the imputation that lead to increasing the prediction accuracy and limiting the imputation error. Moreover, a comparison is conducted with some popular methods that are in common with the proposed method in utilizing the imputation to handle the lack of ratings, but they differ in the source of the imputed ratings.
Experiments on different large-size datasets are conducted to examine the proposed approaches and analyze the effects of the imputation on accuracy. Users and items are divided into three groups based on the total number of the ratings before the imputation is applied and their recommendation accuracy is calculated. The results show that the imputation enhances the recommendation system by capacitating the system to recommend items to New-Users, introduce New-Items to users, and increase the accuracy of the cold-start users and items. However, the analyzed factors play important roles in the recommendation accuracy and limit the error that is introduced from the imputation.
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SHA, Tim Wai. "Functional studies of Influenza A virus NS1 protein." Kyoto University, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/2433/259078.
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Dietrich, Hans [Verfasser]. "Vergleich des Kreiskolbenmotors System NSU-Wankel mit dem Hubkolbenmotor / Hans Dietrich." Dresden : Saechsische Landesbibliothek- Staats- und Universitaetsbibliothek Dresden, 2013. http://d-nb.info/1068152753/34.
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Yalgashev, Olimjon. "Towards nanoscale interconnect for system-on-chip." Thesis, Belfort-Montbéliard, 2015. http://www.theses.fr/2015BELF0270/document.
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La nanocommunication est un nouveau paradigme qui permet de communiquer à l'échelle nanométrique, via des mécanismes moléculaires, électromagnétiques, acoustiques, ou nano-mécaniques. Le cadre général de cette thèse concerne les réseaux de nanocapteurs sans fil et les nanoréseaux sur puce. Plus précisément, il s'agit des architectures d'interconnexion et des protocoles de communication dans la bande de fréquence des Térahertz. En effet, les architectures réseaux et les protocoles de communication existants doivent être repensés en tenant compte des mécanismes de communication à l'échelle nanométrique.En premier lieu, nous nous sommes focalisés sur la nécessité de développer des approches de diffusion efficaces dans le contexte des réseaux de nanocapteurs sans fil. Une approche de diffusion efficace, issue d'une adaptation d'un protocole de la famille des protocoles d'inondation probabilistes, est présenté et son efficacité et validée par simulations à l'aide de Nano-Sim et NS3.En second lieu, une étude approfondie de l'impact des portées de transmission sur les performances du mécanisme de diffusion basé sur les ondes électromagnétiques à l'échelle nanométrique a été effectuée. Les résultats des simulations montrent que l'adaptation des portées des nano-noeuds permet de contrôler le mécanisme d'inondation et de réduire les redondances des paquets tout en augmentant les débits. Une approche adaptative de sélection de portées de transmission contrôlée au niveau des nano-noeuds est proposée. En dernier lieu, nous nous sommes attaqués à un troisième défi en examinant ce nouveau paradigme de nanocommunication dans le contexte de la conception des nanoréseaux sur puce (Network on Chip, NoC)<br>Nanocommunication is a new paradigm that enables connectivity at the nanoscale through molecular, electromagnetic, acoustic, or nanomechanical mechanisms. The general context of this thesis concerns wireless nanosensor networks and nanonetworks on chips. More precisely, the thesis deals with interconnection architectures and communication protocols in the terahertz band. The existing network architectures and communication protocols should be revisited taking into account the communication mechanisms at the nanoscale.First, dissemination approaches in the context of wireless nanosensor networks are addressed. An efficient broadcasting approach is presented and the simulation performance results with Nano-Sim and NS3 show that the proposed scheme is superior to flooding, especially in the cases of excessive broadcasts.Second, we investigated the impact of transmission ranges on the performance of broadcast mechanisms based on electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale. Adaptive transmission range of electromagnetic-based communication approaches are proposed. Simulations are conducted with fixed and adaptive transmission ranges to show the efficiency of the proposed approaches in terms of throughput and latency according to the network density.The third part addresses the hypothesis of using EM-based nanonetwok as an on-chip interconnect for SoCs
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Kratzsch, Alexander. "An Automated, Operating System-independent and Centralized Hardware Inventory : Keeping track of client computers in the NSA lab environment at the University of Skövde." Thesis, Högskolan i Skövde, Institutionen för informationsteknologi, 2015. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-11435.
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Every day system administrators perform many tasks that share one common requirement: information about the system.This information has to be up-to-date and reliable.To collect this information on demand and manually is time consuming and labour intensive.In the Network and Systems Administration (NSA) lab environment at the University of Skövde, there are many computers which need to be administrated.Today this is done by using a shared spreadsheet, a costly method with drawbacks.This project will search for answers to the question ``How can an automated client inventory improve the work of administrators at the NSA lab?''.To answer this question, a prototype will be created and its performance compared with the manual collection of information.In order to create a realistic and useful prototype, a list of requirements for inventories has to be assembled.The prototype has additionally to take the peculiarities of the NSA lab environment into account.The information has to be gathered without any permanent installation of a client, as there are no internal hard drives available.This detail makes it impossible for already existing applications to be deployed.The NSA administrators will then compare the performance of the prototype with the manual collection of data. They will conduct a trial during which they will be observed and afterwards answer some questions about the process. The results of the analysis of this data yielded a number of hypotheses.Common concepts like the time saving by automation get supported by this projects findings, but also less obvious observations are made. With the help of an automated network inventory administrators can become proactive and fix potential issues before they become problems.The extraction of information from a network inventory requires less knowledge about system administration, as the information is presented in an user interface.The user does not need to gather data as this is done by the network inventory.Only the extraction of the right information from the user interface is required.Information useful to the continued development of the prototype was collected as well. Improvements to the user interface as well as more automation should be added to the prototype in order to further improve the efficiency compared to the manual collection of information.
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Arsenio, Janilyn. "Development and application of a vaccinia virus based system to study viral proteins modulating interferon expression and interferon induced antiviral activities." Elsevier, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1993/5068.
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The interferon (IFN) system is integral to antiviral innate immunity in vertebrate hosts. Inside a cell, viral pathogen associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) trigger the IFN response, comprised of IFN induction and an IFN-induced antiviral state. However, viruses have evolved strategies to counteract the IFN system. The E3 protein of vaccinia virus (VV), encoded by the E3L gene, impedes cytokine expression and suppresses the activation and function of antiviral proteins. Deletion of the E3L gene (VVΔE3L) produces an IFN sensitive mutant virus that is replication defective in most human cell lines. Due to the limited human cell lines available to support VVΔE3L replication, the capacity of E3 inhibition of human IFN-induced antiviral activities is not well defined. In this study, VVΔE3L was generated and characterized to facilitate the study of other viral IFN antagonists at modulating human IFN-induced antiviral responses. A human liver carcinoma cell line, Huh7, was found to support VVΔE3L replication. A comprehensive analysis of VVΔE3L IFN sensitivity revealed E3 inhibits all human type I and type II IFN-induced antiviral activities by modulation of the protein kinase R (PKR) pathway.
Influenza non-structural protein 1 (NS1) is well-known to mediate the suppression of IFN induction and IFN action in influenza virus infections. However, the IFN antagonizing potential of influenza NS1 may be virus subtype and/or isolate specific. VVΔE3L was next applied as an expression vector to study influenza NS1 function in modulating IFN-induced antiviral activities and IFN induction in human cells. Recombinant viruses were generated to express influenza NS1 (from avian H5N1 and pandemic viruses 1918 pH1N1, 1968 pH3N2, and 2009 pH1N1) in replacement of E3. It was found that influenza NS1 inhibits human IFN-induced antiviral activity in a subtype and isolate specific manner. Moreover, influenza NS1 differentially regulates human IFN expression in a virus isolate-dependent manner. Altogether, this work highlights the potential of VVΔE3L as an excellent virus model system to study viral proteins modulating IFN expression and IFN-induced antiviral activities in human cells.
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Rizzi, Caterina. "NGF steers microglia toward a neuroprotective phenotype." Doctoral thesis, Scuola Normale Superiore, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11384/85996.
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Microglia are the resident immune cells of the Central Nervous System
(CNS). Beside classic in
ammatory activities shared with macrophages,
microglia actively participate in activity-dependent plasticity and learning processes [1] [2], as sculpting the neuronal circuitry during development [3] [4]. Microglia have been shown to be key players in the
pathogenesis and progression of many neurodegenerative disorders and
they are responsible for brain homeostasis and monitor the brain environment with their ever-moving processes [5] [6]. However, their
role, either promoting or preventing pathology, is debated. On one
hand, excessive activation of microglia leads to oxidative stress, neuroinammation, and eventually neuronal death [7]. On the other hand,
microglial activation might be harnessed to carry out protective activities in the brain, such as phagocytosis of aggregates, synaptic pruning
and formation, and the maintenance of healthy neuronal circuits [8].
Therefore, it is important to identify and modulate selectively the neuroprotective activities of microglia. The idea of microglia cells as the
natural scavengers of the brain becomes especially interesting when
dealing with diseases with the loss of proteostasis such as Alzheimer's
disease.
In the search of neuroprotective agents against neurodegeneration,
neurotrophins have been historically considered as potential therapeutic candidates but usually with actions targeted to natural neuronal population. In this thesis I tested the hypothesis that microglia represent a new target cell for Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in the brain.
So far sparse experiments in the literature suggest this insight.
In the literature microglia cells are known to be a source of neurotrophins [9] [10][11], most notably the Brain Derived Neurotrophic
Factor (BDNF) which has been shown to promote synapse formation
[1] and NGF [12] [13]. However, the extent of the modulation NGF
might exert on physiological microglial functions and how this effect
might come into play in neurodegenerative disorders has not been in-
vestigated yet.
Indeed, the main cellular targets of the neurotrophin Nerve Growth
Factor (NGF) [14] in the central nervous system are considered to be
the cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain (BFCNs) [15], while its
sources are mainly cortical and hippocampal neurons [16].
Consistently, interference with NGF signaling (trkA-NGF signalling)
in the adult brain leads to de cits of the cholinergic system that has
been related to the mechanisms driving neurodegeneration, as in the
AD11 transgenic mouse model [17] [18]. The expression of anti-NGF
antibodies selectively neutralizing mature NGF in the adult brain determines a progressive comprehensive neurodegeneration with neuroinflammation as the earliest observed change, at a presymptomatic phase
[19] [20]. A similar progressive neurodegeneration is observed in trans-
genic mice expressing a neutralizing anti TrkA antibody in the adult
brain [21]. Changes in NGF homeostasis in the brain, with particular
regard to the ratio of NGF to proNGF levels, have also been linked to
Alzheimer's disease [22].
However the overall neurodegenerative picture induced by anti-
NGF or anti-TrkA antibodies in those transgenic models is much
broader than what one would expect on the basis of an action of the
antibodies on the BFCNs exclusively. Moreover, the loss of NGF-TrkA
signaling in the CNS, obtained by conditionally deleting NGF or TrkA
genes in CNS cells derived from nestin-positive cells, has proven not to be sufficient in inducing severe cognitive impairments or neurodegen-
eration in mice [23]. Altogether, this body of results has motivated our
search for non neuronal targets of NGF in the adult brain. Microglia
was a strong candidate, because (1) previous work had suggested that
NGF could modulate some aspects of microglial cells in culture [12]
and (2) transcriptomic studies in the AD11 mouse model expressing
anti-NGF had shown that neuroinammation is the earliest phenotypic alteration, already at a presymptomatic phase (1 month of age; [19] [20]).
In this thesis I show that microglia cells are true target of NGF
both in vivo and in vitro and that the activity carried out by this
neurotrophin on these myeloid cells might result neuroprotective in
the context of Alzheimer's Disease.
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Benedetti, Andrea. "A new method for continuous quality control of nsm cfrp systems." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2014. http://amslaurea.unibo.it/6835/.
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In the last decade the near-surface mounted (NSM) strengthening technique using carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRP) has been increasingly used to improve the load carrying capacity of concrete members. Compared to externally bonded reinforcement (EBR), the NSM system presents considerable advantages. This technique consists in the insertion of carbon fibre reinforced polymer laminate strips into pre-cut slits opened in the concrete cover of the elements to be strengthened. CFRP reinforcement is bonded to concrete with an appropriate groove filler, typically epoxy adhesive or cement grout.
Up to now, research efforts have been mainly focused on several structural aspects, such as: bond behaviour, flexural and/or shear strengthening effectiveness, and energy dissipation capacity of beam-column joints. In such research works, as well as in field applications, the most widespread adhesives that are used to bond reinforcements to concrete are epoxy resins. It is largely accepted that the performance of the whole application of NSM systems strongly depends on the mechanical properties of the epoxy resins, for which proper curing conditions must be assured. Therefore, the existence of non-destructive methods that allow monitoring the curing process of epoxy resins in the NSM CFRP system is desirable, in view of obtaining continuous information that can provide indication in regard to the effectiveness of curing and the expectable bond behaviour of CFRP/adhesive/concrete systems.
The experimental research was developed at the Laboratory of the Structural Division of the Civil Engineering Department of the University of Minho in Guimar\~aes, Portugal (LEST). The main objective was to develop and propose a new method for continuous quality control of the curing of epoxy resins applied in NSM CFRP strengthening systems. This objective is pursued through the adaptation of an existing technique, termed EMM-ARM (Elasticity Modulus Monitoring through Ambient Response Method) that has been developed for monitoring the early stiffness evolution of cement-based materials.
The experimental program was composed of two parts: (i) direct pull-out tests on concrete specimens strengthened with NSM CFRP laminate strips were conducted to assess the evolution of bond behaviour between CFRP and concrete since early ages; and, (ii) EMM-ARM tests were carried out for monitoring the progressive stiffness development of the structural adhesive used in CFRP applications. In order to verify the capability of the proposed method for evaluating the elastic modulus of the epoxy, static E-Modulus was determined through tension tests.
The results of the two series of tests were then combined and compared to evaluate the possibility of implementation of a new method for the continuous monitoring and quality control of NSM CFRP applications.
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May, Linda E. "Development of the Cardiac Beta-Adrenergic System in BAX and NGF Knockout Mice." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2005. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1122136806.
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Wilson-Salt, Anne-Marie. "NSW out-of-home care system: What is the problem represented to be?" Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2022. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/30038.
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Despite extensive reform and investment into the NSW out-of-home care system in NSW, the ‘problem’ as defined by the Government, that the system is too costly and unsustainable, has remained the same. Government funded reviews and inquiries have focused on solving the ‘given’ problem and have traditionally been modernistic and technocratic in their approach. This research identified the need for a different approach, one which would ‘problematise’ problems, or question that which is seen ‘as given.’ It therefore applied a Bacchian (2009) policy analysis methodology, informed by a postmodern ontology.
The Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW (2008), which provided the foundation for the most recent far reaching and in-depth reform of the NSW out-of-home care system, specifically recommending the transfer of out-of-home care service delivery from the government to the non-government system, was the data source for this research. This research uncovered the way in which the subjects of this policy document –children and young people in the care system and their families were problematised. It uncovered how, through the problematisation of these subjects, the Government shifted responsibility for the ‘costs’ or ‘costliness’ of the NSW out-of-home care system, and failure of the system, to these subjects.
This research highlighted how the rights of children and young people were decentred from the policy process; how the needs and behaviour of children and young people were decoupled from their trauma histories; and how families, or kin, were decontextualised from broader social and material inequities and injustices. Implications include not only the importance of broadening the ‘problem definition’ to include rights frameworks and meta-level perspectives, but also the recognition that any novel policy solution in NSW out-of-home care system is likely to be ineffective, if the way which children and young people and their families, or kin, are constructed remains the same.
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Hagberg, Mikael, Stefan Skedebäck, and Barlas Jonas Ramsin. "Jämförelse av nätverksfilsystemsprotokoll i Windowsmiljö." Thesis, University of Kalmar, School of Communication and Design, 2009. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hik:diva-2060.
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<p>Detta arbete handlar om nätverksfilsystemsprotokollen SMB/CIFS, SMB2 och NFSv3. Arbetet baseras på artikeln ”A New Network File System is Born: Comparison of SMB2, CIFS, and NFS” som skrivits av Steven M. French på IBM, Samba Team. I den artikeln saknas det prestandatester och därför känns det relevant att göra prestandatester för att få fram vilket protokoll som har högst hastighet med olika filstorlekar i Windowsmiljö. Dessa tester utfördes mellan två Dell PowerEdge 2900 servar där den första agerade som klient och den andra som filserver. Testerna utfördes en gång utan nätverksfördröjningar (även kallat latens/latency) och en gång med. Detta resulterade i att vi fick stora skillnader i hur snabba protokollen är med och utan nätverksfördröjningar.</p><br><p>This essay is about the networkfilesystem protocols SMB/CIFS, SMB2 and NFSv3. The work is based on the article ”A New Network File System is Born: Comparison of SMB2, CIFS, and NFS” which is written by Steven M. French at IBM, Samba Team. In the article there are no performance tests, we found it relevant to do performance tests to see which networkfilesystem protocol was the fastest with different filesizes in a Windows client environment. These tests were performed between two Dell PowerEdge 2900 servers where one of them was acting client and the other one fileserver. The tests were done once without network latency and once with. This resulted in that we got differences in how fast the protocols were with and without network latency.</p>
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CONVERTINO, Domenica. "Interfacing graphene with peripheral neurons: influence of neurite outgrowth and NGF axonal transport." Doctoral thesis, Scuola Normale Superiore, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/11384/90468.
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Graphene displays properties that make it appealing for neuroregenerative medicine, yet the potential of large-scale highly-crystalline graphene as a conductive peripheral neural interface has been scarcely investigated. In particular, pristine graphene offers enhanced electrical properties that can be advantageous for nervous system regeneration applications.
In this work, we investigate graphene potential as peripheral nerve interface. First, we perform an unprecedented analysis aimed at revealing how the typical polymeric coatings for neural cultures distribute on graphene at the nanometric scale. Second, we examine the impact of graphene on the culture of two established cellular models for peripheral nervous system: PC12 cell line and primary embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons, showing a better and faster axonal elongation using graphene. We then observe that the axon elongation in the first days of culture correlates to an altered nerve growth factor (NGF) axonal transport, with a reduced number of retrogradely moving NGF vesicles in favor of stalled vesicles. We thus hypothesize that the axon elongation observed in the first days of culture could be mediated by this pool of NGF vesicles locally retained in the medial/distal parts of axons. Furthermore, we investigate electrophysiological properties and cytoskeletal structure of peripheral neurons. We observe a reduced neural excitability and altered membrane potential together with a reduced inter-microtubular distance on graphene and correlate these electrophysiological and structural reorganizations of axon physiology to the observed vesicle stalling. Finally, the potential of another 2D material as neural interface, tungsten disulfide, is explored.
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IPPOLITO, VITA MARIA. "Mechanisms of glia-mediated neurodegeneration: modulation by Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and the purinergic system." Doctoral thesis, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10281/70478.
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L’obiettivo del progetto di tesi è stato quello di comprendere i meccanismi di neurodegenerazione mediati dalle cellule gliali e caratterizzare gli eventi molecolari implicati nella neuroprotezione da parte del Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). L’interesse per le cellule gliali si basa sul nuovo concetto di sinapsi tripartita che afferma l’esistenza di una comunicazione bidirezionale tra neuroni e astrociti.
Per questo studio, è stato utilizzato un modello di gliosi reattiva in-vitro basato su popolazioni pure di astrociti e/o microglia attivati mediante trattamento con Lipolissacaride (LPS) o con la citochina pro-infiammatoria TNF-α. Inizialmente, questo sistema è stato usato per studiare gli effetti dell’attivazione gliale sulla proliferazione e l’attività anti-gliosi del NGF, come da precedenti studi in-vivo. Esperimenti di curva di crescita e di incorporazione di BrdU mostrano che sia LPS che TNFα determinano un significativo aumento della proliferazione astrocitaria, che viene ridotto dal co-trattamento con NGF. Per capire il meccanismo mediante il quale il NGF agisce, sono stati studiati i livelli di espressione dei recettori: TrkA e p75. In effetti, i dati ottenuti indicano che i trattamenti con LPS aumentano i livelli di espressione di p75 e diminuiscono i livelli di TrkA. Questo effetto è inibito dal cotrattamento con NGF. Contemporaneamente è stato studiato l’effetto dell’attivazione gliale su sopravvivenza e funzionalità neuronale utilizzando un modello di neuroni corticali esposti a medium condizionato (CM) da astrociti attivati in seguito a trattamento con LPS o TNFα. In effetti, il trattamento con il CM da astrociti attivati diminuisce la sopravvivenza dei neuroni e riduce significativamente i livelli di TrkA, ma non in presenza di NGF. Inoltre, Il NGF inibisce l’aumento di ROS indotto dal trattamento con CM da cellule gliali attivate con TNFα. Un potenziale meccanismo di tossicità potrebbe essere mediato dall’aumento di pro-NGF (precursore del NGF) e metalloproteinasi-9 (MMP-9), responsabile della maturazione e della degradazione del NGF. L’analisi RT-PCR, inoltre, ha portato all’identificazione di diversi geni associati alla funzionalità sinaptica e che sono down- o up-regolati dal trattamento con CM o con NGF. Infine, è stato valutato l’effetto del NGF sulla funzionalità mitocondriale degli astrociti. Esperimenti preliminari, effettuati tramite Seahorse, indicano che il NGF aumenta la capacità respiratoria degli astrociti sia in condizioni basali che in condizioni di stress.
Contemporaneamente sono stati svolti alcuni studi sul ruolo del sistema purinergico nella neuroinfiammazione. L’effetto del sistema purinergico sull’attivazione degli astrociti è stato valutato tramite OxATP, antagonista dei recettori P2X7. I dati mostrano che il co-trattamento cronico con OxATP previene in maniera significativa la proliferazione degli astrociti. Inoltre, il trattamento con OxATP non ha effetto sulla sopravvivenza neuronale e astrocitaria, ma previene la produzione di ROS. Infine, OxATP inibisce la riduzione dei livelli di vGLUT, il trasportatore del glutammato, sia nei neuroni che negli astrociti attivati.
Nel complesso, questi studi identificano due meccanismi di neurodegenerazione mediata dalla glia: uno legato ad alterazione del sistema di supporto neurotrofico da parte del NGF, l’altro legato ad eccessiva attivazione del sistema purinergico.<br>The objective of my thesis project was to understand mechanisms of neurodegeneration mediated by glial cells and characterize the molecular events involved in neuroprotection by Nerve Growth Factor (NGF).
The interest in glial cells is based on the new concept of tripartite synapses and the existence of a bidirectional communication between neurons and astrocytes. For this study, we used a model of in-vitro reactive gliosis based on pure populations of astrocytes and/or microglia activated by Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or the pro-inflammatory cytokine Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNFα). Initially, this system was used to study the effects of glial activation on astrocytes proliferation and evaluate the anti-gliosis activity of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). Experiments of growth rate and BrdU incorporation showed that both LPS and TNFα determined a significant increase in astrocytes proliferation, which was reduced by co-treatment with NGF. At molecular level, we studied expression levels of NGF receptors: TrkA and p75. Our data indicated that treatments with LPS increased expression levels of p75 and decreased TrkA levels. This effect was prevented by co-treatment with NGF.
We also studied the effects of glial activation on neuronal survival and functions by using a model of cortical neurons exposed to conditioned medium (CM) from activated astrocytes following treatment with LPS or TNFα. In fact, treatment with the CM from activated astrocytes decreased the survival of neurons and significantly reduced the levels of TrkA, but not in the presence of NGF. It was also seen that CM from glial cells activated with TNFα, induced a significant increase of ROS, that was completely inhibited by pre-incubation (ON) with NGF.
A potential mechanism of toxicity may be mediated by pro-NGF (precursor of NGF), through the increase of metalloproteinase- 9 (MMP-9), the main protease responsible for maturation and degradation of NGF. RT-PCR analysis also led to the identification of a series of genes that participate to synaptic function and are down- or up-regulated by the treatment with CM and NGF. Finally, we assessed the effect of NGF on astrocytic mitochondrial function. Preliminary experiments, by Seahorse, indicated that NGF increased the respiratory capacity of astrocytes both in basal conditions and under stress conditions.
In parallel, we studied the role of the purinergic system in neuroinflammation. Indeed, several studies have shown that activation of P2X7 receptors (a class of purinergic receptors), induces the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, such as TNFα, and also stimulates the production of superoxides in microglial cells. The effect of the purinergic system on glial activation was assessed by using OxATP, a P2X7 receptor antagonist. Our data showed that chronic co-treatment with OxATP significantly prevented the proliferation of astrocytes. Furthermore, treatment with OxATP had no effect on neuronal survival and astrocytes, but prevented the production of ROS. Finally, OxATP inhibited the decrease of astrocytic and neuronal vGLUT, the glutamate transporter, both in neurons and activated astrocytes.
In conclusion, these studies identify two main mechanisms of glia-mediated neurodegeneration: one based on the alteration of neurotrophic support by NGF, the other due to activation of the purinergic system.
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Lee, Lynette Ann. "Demand planning for specialist medical services for adults with intellectual disability in NSW 2003-2043." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/14524.
Full textAbstract:
In 2004 the New South Wales government initiated the development of a planning framework for improving health services for people with Intellectual Disability. Prompted by a need for information to justify resource allocation for service development within this framework, this thesis was devised: to establish the prevalence of people who met the criteria for the descriptor of Intellectual Disability in NSW, in 2003; to estimate the numbers of people with Intellectual Disability who accessed specialist health care services during 2003-2013; and to predict the demand for specialist health care for this group of people, to 2043. Beginning in 2008, several retrospective and prospective observational studies were conducted on service data, and on convenience cohort clinical data of approximately 1,000 adults with Intellectual Disability. The results were used in a computational system dynamics model to forecast the relevant population figures and consider ‘what-if’ scenarios for planning purposes. It was concluded, in 2015, that the prevalence of people with Intellectual Disability in NSW was likely to have been 57,000 (0.85% of the population) in 2003, and that it will to rise to at least 135,000 (1.3%) by 2043; that approximately one half of adults with Intellectual Disability will be referred to specialist medical officers at least annually; that the numbers of consultant medical officers in neurology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine or other sub-specialties caring for adults with Intellectual Disability, will need to rise from a calculated 14 full time equivalents (FTE) in 2003, to (at least) a predicted 40 FTE in 2043; and that given these relatively small numbers, it is likely that the most efficient model for providing specialist medical care will continue to be one of hub-and-spoke teams (7 suggested for 2043 for NSW) of identified sub-specialist medical officers, registered nurses and allied health professionals working in regions whose boundaries are determined by the varying numbers of adults with Intellectual Disability living in those localities.
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Hermann, Everton. "Dinamismo de servidores de dados no sistema de arquivos dNFSp." reponame:Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da UFRGS, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10183/7821.
Full textAbstract:
Um dos maiores desafios no desenvolvimento de sistemas de alto desempenho é a questão da transferência e armazenamento de grandes quantidades de dados dentro do sistema. Diferentes abordagens tentam solucionar este problema. Entre elas, tem-se os sistemas de arquivos voltados para cluster, como PVFS, Lustre e NFSp. Eles distribuem as funções de armazenamento entre os nós do cluster. Na maioria dos casos, os nós do sistema de arquivos são divididos em duas categorias: servidores de dados e servidores de metadados. Assim, fica a cargo do administrador determinar como estes servidores são dispostos dentro do cluster. No entanto, esta tarefa nem sempre é óbvia, pois grande parte dos sistemas de arquivos exige que os nós destinados ao sistema sejam determinados na sua instalação, sem a possibilidade de alterações posteriores. Uma má configuração inicial pode exigir a reinstalação do sistema, e o fato de não fazer esta reinstalação pode resultar em um serviço que não satisfaz às necessidades dos usuários.O objetivo deste trabalho é propor um modelo de tratamento do dinamismo de servidores de dados em um sistema de arquivos para cluster. Três cenários foram estudados, e para cada um deles foram analisadas estratégias de autoconfiguração do sistema de arquivos emtempo de execução. O primeiro caso tratado foi a adição de servidores de dados por parte do administrador para expandir a capacidade do sistema de arquivos. Testes sobre este caso mostraram que, nas situações onde a distribuição de carga entre os servidores de dados é homogênea, pode-se extrair os melhores resultados do sistema. O segundo caso tratado foi a inserção por parte do usuário de servidores temporários de dados. Esta inserção temcomo objetivo suprir as necessidades temporárias de algumas aplicações. Foram realizados testes comparando o desempenho de aplicações com e sem a utilização de servidores temporários. Em todos os casos, a aplicação com servidores temporários teve maior desempenho, atingindo até 20% de ganho. O último cenário tratado combina técnicas de replicação com o dinamismo de nós. Assim, foi possível manter o sistema de arquivos em funcionamento mesmo após a perda de um servidor de dados. Os resultados mostraram que a perda de servidores de dados pode resultar em desequilíbrio de carga entre servidores, comprometendo o desempenho do sistema de arquivos.<br>One of the most important challenges to high performance systems designers is storing and transfering large amounts of data between the nodes on the system. Different approaches have been proposed to solve this storage performance problem. Cluster file systems, like PVFS, Lustre and NFSp are examples of such systems, as they distribute the functionality of a file system across the nodes of cluster, achieving a high level of parallelism and offering a larger storage space than centralized solutions. Usually the file system nodes are of two types: metadata servers and data servers. The placement of those services on a cluster is left to the cluster administrator. Such configuration is not an obvious task, as most file systems do not allow changing the configuration after the installation. A suboptimal initial configuration may result on a file system that does not fit the users need and changing such configuration may require a file system reinstall. The objective of this work is to propose a model to treat the dynamism of data servers on a cluster file system. Three scenarios were studied and for each one we have designed suitable reconfiguration strategies. The first case has its origin on the system administrator’s actions, adding or removing data servers to change the capacity of the file system. The tests have shown that with an homogeneous load distribution across the servers it was possible to obtain the best results. The second scenario treats the temporary data server insertion by the user. This case aims to provide extra storage capacity to a specified application. Tests were performed comparing applications with and without temporary data servers. On all the cases the application with temporary data server has had better performance results, reaching 20% of performance gain. The last scenario, combines replication techniqueswith server dynamism. Thisway, itwas possible to keep the file systemworking even on data servers failure. The tests have shown that the losts of a nodemay result on load unbalancing on data servers, degrading the overall file system performance.
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Carroll, Brett. "Microbial and geochemical aspects of selenium cycling in an estuarine system Lake Macquarie, NSW /." Connect to full text, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/378.
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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 1999.<br>Title from title screen (viewed Apr. 21, 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Dept. of Chemical Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.
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Fishwick, Elaine. "When the stars align’: decision-making in the NSW juvenile justice system 1990-2005." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/13250.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines decision-making in the New South Wales juvenile justice system. It investigates what factors and which people influenced the setting of policy agendas and the choice of policy options during the period 1990 – 2005. Using data from in-depth interviews with key policy actors and from documentary analysis, it aims to identify the dynamic interplay of historical, institutional, legal, professional, pragmatic and political factors within wider economic, social and public policy contexts to explore how and why juvenile justice policy developed in the way that it did during this period. The time frame for the study begins with the publication of the report Kids In Justice: A Blueprint for the Nineties by the NSW Youth Justice Coalition, and continues to 2005, a year marked by the publication of the NSW Law Reform Commission’s Report on Young Offenders, public street disturbances in suburbs of Sydney and the resignation of the Labor Premier the Hon. Bob Carr on August 6th. This time frame is significant as it epitomizes what appears to be a gradual, although not complete shift in approaches to juvenile justice policy: from the promise of potentially progressive diversionary strategies envisaged in the Kids in Justice Report to an approach which increasingly appeared to be concerned with control and punishment and with appeasing media demands. The thesis is a trans disciplinary study. It draws on insights from law, policy studies, media studies and criminology, and pulls them together to develop a unique analytical approach to juvenile justice. It adopts a blended theoretical perspective by combining key elements of critical social sciences with complexity theory together, in an approach, which has been termed by Byrne (1998, 2011) as ‘complex realism’ and by Carroll (2009) as ‘critical complexity’. The thesis concludes that decision takes place within an historically contingent context of what can be termed ‘negotiated order’. There are elements of certainty in the decision-making process but it is also characterised by serendipity and change. Policy processes are dynamic and change can be at times minimal and incremental and at other times monumental. It is argued that people and their ambitions, emotions, skills and experiences are absolutely fundamental to any understanding of policy and this thesis emphasises their role in decision-making. It is anticipated that the insights gathered from looking at this moment in the history of juvenile justice and the influences on decision-making will not only contribute to a more detailed understanding of the policy process in criminology and related disciplines, but might also provide those engaged in advocacy and reform with some tools for even more effective action.
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Gómez, Colom Javier. "Bond behaviour between CFRP and concrete for NSM systems under sustained loading." Doctoral thesis, Universitat de Girona, 2022. http://hdl.handle.net/10803/673911.
Full textAbstract:
The rehabilitation of civil structures has been gaining importance during the last decades. Owing to their mechanical, corrosion resistance and lightweight properties, Carbon Fibre-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) present an excellent solution to strengthen Reinforced Concrete (RC) structures, being the Near-Surface Mounted (NSM) one of the main used techniques because of a better protection of the FRP against external agents. During their service life, civil structures are submitted to cyclic temperatures due to the day and night cycles, which can affect the durability of the strengthening system. It is therefore of outmost importance to study how these actions can affect the NSM CFRP-concrete bond performance to properly design the strengthening systems and avoid premature failures.
In this thesis, the sustained-loading bond behaviour of NSM CFRP-concrete joints has been evaluated from experimental and numerical points of view. A numerical methodology based on a finite differences model has been implemented to predict the instantaneous global response of the bonded joints. To verify the numerical model, an experimental programme on the instantaneous behaviour of NSM CFRP-concrete specimens was performed through single shear tests until failure. Different values of groove thicknesses and bonded lengths were tested to study the effect of these parameters on the global response of the bonded joint in terms of failure mode and ultimate load. A parametric study was then performed to investigate the effect of the main parameters of the bond-slip law in the ultimate load and effective bonded length.
Afterwards, the effect of high service temperature and sustained loading on the creep behaviour of the bonded joint was studied through (i) single shear tests in NSM CFRP-concrete specimens, and (ii) tensile tests on epoxy adhesive specimens. Five experimental series were carried out inside a climatic chamber under different service temperatures for 1000 hours. In the sustained loading tests, the effect of the sustained load level, the groove thickness and the bonded length were studied. Results showed that the evolution of strain (in the adhesive) and slip at the loaded end (in the NSM CFRP-concrete specimen) increased with the average temperature and the sustained load level.
Thereafter, after sustained loading tests, instantaneous tests were carried out until failure for all the specimens to study the residual capacity of the specimens. An overall slight decrease on the mechanical properties of the bonded joints (ultimate load and stiffness) and the adhesive (tensile strength and elastic modulus) were observed.
Finally, the numerical procedure developed to predict the instantaneous behaviour of the bonded joint was adapted to calculate the creep behaviour of the NSM CFRP-concrete joints by implementing the degradation of the bond-slip law with time. From this numerical methodology, the evolution of slip at the loaded end with time was obtained for each specimen configuration and was compared with the experimental results<br>Durant les últimes dècades, la rehabilitació d’estructures civils ha adquirit especial importància. Els materials compostos de fibra de carboni i matriu polimèrica (en anglès, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymers, CFRP) s’han introduït en el sector com a solució excel·lent per al reforç estructural de formigó armat, gràcies a les seves propietats mecàniques, la seva resistència a la corrosió i la seva lleugeresa. La tècnica del reforç inserit al recobriment (en anglès, Near-Surface Mounted, NSM) ha resultat ser una de les principals metodologies emprades gràcies a la protecció de l’FRP envers als agents externs. No obstant això, la durabilitat del reforç extern es pot veure afectada durant la seva vida útil, ja que les estructures es troben sotmeses a agents externs com càrregues sostingudes i temperatures cícliques degudes al cicle dia-nit. Per tal de dissenyar correctament el sistema de reforç i evitar fallades prematures per desenganxament del CFRP, és extremadament important estudiar com aquestes accions poden afectar a l’adherència entre el formigó i el reforç NSM CFRP.
Aquesta tesi presenta un estudi del comportament de la unió adherida NSM CFRP-formigó des d’un punt de vista experimental i numèric. Inicialment, es va dissenyar una metodologia numèrica basada en un model de diferències finites per a predir la resposta global instantània de les unions adherides. Posteriorment, per a verificar el model numèric, es va realitzar una campanya d’assajos experimentals per estudiar l’adherència de la unió NSM CFRP-formigó a través d’assajos d’adherència fins a la ruptura. Es van assajar espècimens amb diferents valors d’amplada de regata i de longituds adherides per investigar l’efecte d’aquests paràmetres en la càrrega última i el mode de falla de la unió adherida. Mitjançant la metodologia numèrica, es va realitzar un estudi paramètric per investigar la influència dels principals paràmetres de la llei adherència-lliscament en la càrrega última i en la longitud d’adhesió efectiva de les unions adherides.
A continuació, es va estudiar l’efecte de diferents temperatures de servei i nivells de càrrega sostinguda en la fluència de la unió adherida a través de (i) assajos d’adherència d’espècimens NSM CFRP-formigó i (ii) assajos a tracció d’espècimens d’adhesiu epòxid. Es va realitzar un total de cinc campanyes experimentals. Els espècimens es van assajar dins d’una cambra climàtica combinant tres nivells de càrrega sostinguda i diverses temperatures durant 1000 hores. Dels resultats experimentals es va observar que l’evolució de la deformació unitària (en adhesius) i de lliscament a l’extrem carregat (en espècimens NSM CFRP-formigó) augmentava a mesura que la temperatura mitjana de la cambra i el nivell de càrrega sostinguda augmentaven.
Tot seguit, els espècimens sotmesos a assajos en servei es van assajar fins a ruptura per tal d’estudiar-ne la capacitat residual d’aquests. D’aquests assajos es va observar un decreixement general de les propietats mecàniques de les unions adherides (en termes de càrrega última i rigidesa) i dels espècimens d’adhesiu (en termes de resistència a tracció i mòdul elàstic).
Finalment, el procediment numèric desenvolupat per a predir el comportament instantani de les unions adherides va ser adaptat per al càlcul del comportament a llarg termini de la unió NSM CFRP-formigó a partir de la implementació de la degradació de la llei adherència-lliscament amb el temps. Amb aquesta metodologia numèrica es va calcular l’evolució del lliscament a l’extrem carregat amb el temps per a cada configuració d’espècimen i es va fer la comparació amb el corresponent assaig experimental<br>Programa de Doctorat en Tecnologia
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Yassine, Lobna. "Governing through ‘neutrality’: A Poststructural Analysis of Risk Assessment in the NSW Juvenile Justice System." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2019. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/21228.
Full textAbstract:
Internationally, the assessment of risk via the application of standardised assessment tools has become routine practice across criminal justice and penal systems. Ostensibly, risk assessment tools enable the prediction, and thereby prevention, of reoffending and recidivism. The use of risk assessment tools in the juvenile justice system in NSW, Australia is less than 20 years old, yet since 2001 one specific tool, the Youth Level of Service Case Management Inventory Australian Adaptation (YLS/CMI-AA), has become a key technology in interventions with young people. Young offenders who come into contact with the justice system are guaranteed two things: to be assessed for their risk of reoffending, and then to be treated for their offending behaviour, based on their predicted risk. Poststructural analyses of risk assessments have highlighted the way that the concept of ‘risk’ has become central in modern day systems of discipline and punishment and is implicated in both the governing of juvenile offenders and the population more broadly. This thesis builds upon existing work on risk to closely interrogate how juvenile justice risk assessment tools constitute, or make, the ‘problem’ of juvenile offending. The study applies Carol Bacchi’s ‘What’s the problem represented to be?’ (WPR) policy analysis approach to the YLS/CMI-AA 2.0 risk assessment tool and to a corpus of related texts to illuminate how risk assessments regulate, and actively shape who is defined, marked and classified as ‘risky’. In this sense, they are understood to do more than simply ‘predict’ and ‘prevent’. The WPR analysis enables the interrogation of the problem representations, or problematisations, that are lodged within texts such as the assessment tool, user guides and so on. This study demonstrates how the risk assessment tool administered to young people in NSW problematises crime as fixed, static, and something that has always existed, thereby making the imagined standards of behaviour appear to be real and wholly ahistorical. It also produces offenders as having a set of specific and common characteristics that include deviancy, immorality, and various forms of failure. The concept of ‘criminogenic pathways’ is integral to these representations and the risk assessment tool also firms up and naturalises taken-for-granted ideas about how somebody becomes an offender. This thesis contributes to international scholarship on the uptake up of risk discourses in juvenile penality by demonstrating how risk assessment tools have introduced a new form of governing, one that is backed by the ‘neutrality’ of science, and by extension the ‘neutrality’ of the state. The supposed assurance of ‘neutrality’ is used to defend, explain and justify the overrepresentation of certain people in penal systems, and, in Australia, Indigenous young people in particular. In addition, it appears that risk assessment tools function to regulate and discipline both juvenile offenders and ‘non-offending’ people more generally. The thesis also underlines the importance and usefulness of poststructuralist analytic strategies such as the WPR approach to defamiliarise fields concerned with the juvenile offender problem.
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Lombard, Pierre. "NFSP : Une solution de stockage distribué pour architectures grande échelle." Phd thesis, Grenoble INPG, 2003. http://tel.archives-ouvertes.fr/tel-00004373.
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Le stockage de données utilise souvent des systèmes se caractérisant par une grande intrusivité : ceux-ci requièrent de nombreuses modifications logicielles, voire parfois même matérielles, pour être déployés et utilisés. Notre solution consiste à offrir un stockage distribué logiciel pour architectures de type grappes de nature faiblement intrusive dans la mesure où le protocole standard omni-présent du monde Unix, NFS, est utilisé. L'approche retenue se caractérise par une séparation de la gestion des méta-données et des données permettant ainsi de répartir la charge d'entrées/sorties et d'obtenir de meilleures performances. L'ajout de redondance permet aussi de disposer à moindre coût de stockage distribué encore plus performant et plus sûr. Le développement d'outils de transfert efficace inter-grappes et d'un système distribué de fichiers à plus grande échelle a permis de valider notre approche.
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Wittenby, Stephanie, and Mathilda Gunnarsson. "Skolans relevans för socialt arbete : En fallstudie om skolkonceptet NPF-säkring." Thesis, Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för socialt arbete (SA), 2019. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-86203.
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The aim of this study was to examine the protruding school concept NPF-säkring at the public school Källbrinksskolan in Sweden. Pupils with neuropsychiatric disabilities are particularly at risk to not reach the goals of the education and to have high school absence, which can lead to social exclusion later in life. The school in this study are well-known through Swedish media and claim that they have a solution to the challenges the Swedish school system face today therefore they have formed their concept specifically to the pupils with neuropsychiatric disabilities. The aim of this study was to perform a case-study to examine what the concept implies, it’s main logics and how it affects the institution. Using triangulation while studying various documents connected to the school concept, as well as one observation at the school after school hours, five main logics of the school concept became distinguishable. The analysis were divided into two parts where the first part focus on the main logics of the concept analyzed through Universal design of learning as a theoretical perspective and the second part consists of the theory of the Institutions three pillars to understand the institutional function and its relation to its context of the society. As a conclusion it came apparent that the main logics consists of physical environment, flexible structure, relational approach, encouragement for students' self-determination and overall approach at the school. The institutional function of the concept is distinctly connected to the increased awareness regarding the consequences of neuropsychiatric disabilities throughout society and by developing a new school concept, the institution there-by question the traditional Swedish school-system.
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Randolph, Christopher Lee. "REGULATION OF NEUROTROPHIN EXPRESSION IN PERIPHERAL TARGETS." Miami University / OhioLINK, 2006. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=miami1152646527.
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Kim, Dal-Young. "The application of a PRRSV reverse genetic system for the study of nonstructural protein (nsp) function." Diss., Manhattan, Kan. : Kansas State University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2097/317.
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Noronha, Ranjit Mario. "Designing High-Performance And Scalable Clustered Network Attached Storage With Infiniband." The Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1218608130.
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Jonsson, Lisa, and Karin Sallhammar. "User Interface Design for Analysis of Sensor Systems." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Science and Technology, 2003. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-1670.
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<p>In the future network-based Swedish Defence (NBD), attaining information superiority will be of great importance. This will be achieved by a network of networks where decision-makers, information- and weapon-systems are linked together. As a part of the development of NBD, we have performed a study of user interface design for a future network-based tool package for analysis of sensor systems, referred to as the C2SR-system. </p><p>This thesis was performed at Ericsson Microwave Systems AB, Sensor and Information Networks, during the autumn 2002. A pre-study concerning the requirements of usability, trustworthiness and functionality of a userinterface for the C2SR-system was performed. Officers representing the future users in the NBD played an important role when gathering these requirements. Another important part of the pre-study was the evaluation of software that contains parts of the functionality necessary for the C2SR-system. </p><p>On the basis of the results from the pre-study, we have designed a user interface to the future C2SR-system. To demonstrate the most important conclusions, a prototype was implemented.</p>
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Fyfe, Julian. "Performance evaluation of two dairy shed waste management systems in the Southern Highlands of NSW." Faculty of Engineering, 2004. http://ro.uow.edu.au/theses/387.
Full textAbstract:
Rapid changes in regulation, catchment water quality, and public perception are the main driving forces towards more sustainable dairy farming in the Southern Highlands, NSW. A study was undertaken to assess the performance of two established waste management systems in terms of on-farm nutrient control/containment. The systems were installed in the mid-1990s as part of a pilot program to develop best management practice (BMP) pollution control techniques; however they are now considered to be below current BMP standards. The first was a treatment system consisting of stabilisation ponds and constructed wetlands designed to provide low-energy treatment before effluent is (legally) discharged into a creek. The second was a direct application to land system that irrigates raw wastewater onto a designated paddock throughout the year under all weather conditions. Seasonal monitoring of the ponds and wetland treatment system indicated effective pollutant removal throughout the year, achieving net pollutant removals of 94%, 87%, 93%, 67% and 25% for TSS, COD, BOD5, TKN and TP, respectively. A theoretical water balance revealed that addition of 4700 L/d of uncontaminated water was causing notable impairment to the removal efficiency of the system. The performance of the system was also inhibited by excessive sludge accumulation in the anaerobic pond stage, and deficient vegetation, algal growth and P saturation of the substrate in the constructed wetlands. Performance data from the ponds and wetlands were fitted to flow-adjusted first order complete-mix and plug flow models, respectively. Application of the Arrhenius temperature dependence equation revealed that removal of TSS, COD and BOD5 in the ponds was positively related to temperature (θ = 1.209, 1.182 and 1.126, respectively), while temperature had the converse effect on TS and COD removal in the wetlands (θ = 0.966 and 0.951, respectively). Disposal of the effluent from the treatment system is allowing the release of 350 kg/yr of nitrogen and 88 kg/yr of phosphorus directly into a natural creek, which is resulting in measurable degradation of water quality downstream of the discharge point. Upstream TKN and TP concentrations averaged 0.82 and 0.06 mg/L, respectively, while downstream of the discharge the mean concentrations for the same parameters were 4.13 and 1.55 mg/L, respectively. Soil from the land application site was intensively sampled to obtain informative data on chemical properties as affected by effluent treatment. To facilitate the assessment an untreated site was sampled to provide comparative data from land that is utilised according to a typical pasture management regime. Surface runoff was also captured from both the effluent-treated (treated) and untreated sites to investigate nutrient export from the waste application site. The general outcome of the soil analyses was to show that wastewater application is positively affecting the available nutrient pool, but on the whole is exhibiting no greater impact on soil properties than other land use factors such as intensive stocking and pasture improvement. Significant increases in soil nutrient concentrations resulting from waste application were associated with more mobile plant-available nutrient species including extractable phosphorus, nitrate and potassium, which are mostly by-products from natural decomposition of the organic fraction of the applied waste. Otherwise, waste application had no bearing on the net nutrient status of the soil in terms of TP, TN, CEC, and organic matter. Runoff monitoring indicated that mean concentrations of all forms of nutrients were significantly higher in surface runoff from the treated site than in runoff from the untreated site. TKN, NH3-N, TP and DRP concentrations averaged 3.36, 0.77, 0.89 and 0.69 mg/L, respectively, from the untreated site, while the same parameters averaged 20.56, 8.60, 7.77 and 6.44 mg/L, respectively, on the treated site. Concentrations were related to rainfall quantity but not intensity indicating that mechanisms of desorption and dissolution governed nutrient export from effluent treated pasture. Thus contamination of surface runoff was indicative of short-term impacts related to direct wash-off of nutrients from applied waste rather than endemic problems associated with over enrichment of the receiving soil. The evaluation identified major shortcomings associated with the two forms of waste management system under review. Significant modifications to both systems are required in order to achieve complete nutrient containment as required to satisfy regulatory standards. Further research is recommended to determine whether adherence to best management practice (BMP) will prevent nutrient losses and to improve strategic distribution of the nutrient content of dairy shed waste.
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Peyrouze, Nadine. "Conception et realisation d'un systeme de gestion de fichiers nfs efficace et sur de fonctionnement." Rennes 1, 1995. http://www.theses.fr/1995REN10118.
Full textAbstract:
Ce document a pour objet la conception et la realisation d'un systeme de gestion de fichiers (sgf) nfs (network file system) efficace et sur de fonctionnement. Ces deux proprietes sont en effet habituellement difficilement conciliables. Pour reduire le goulot d'etranglement du aux entrees/sorties disque, le sgf repose sur l'utilisation d'un cache des fichiers pour traiter rapidement les requetes des clients en memoire volatile plutot que sur disque. Si le cache augmente les performances du sgf, il a le defaut d'etre vulnerable aux defaillances du serveur puisque celles-ci provoquent la perte des modifications conservees en cache volatile. Il est donc a priori necessaire de reporter systematiquement et immediatement les mises a jour sur disque pour resister aux defaillances. Afin d'offrir un compromis acceptable entre efficacite et surete de fonctionnement du service, nous proposons une solution pour le systeme nfs basee sur l'utilisation d'un cache stable. Le contenu du cache stable a les proprietes d'etre accede rapidement, d'etre modifie atomiquement et d'etre accessible malgre l'occurence d'une defaillance. Ces proprietes sont mises en uvre par la gestion de copies des donnees en memoire volatile d'une machine primaire et d'une machine de secours, mises a jour suivant un protocole de validation. Le cache stable permet d'implementer la surete de fonctionnement du service sans degrader ses performances: (i) l'etat du sgf est modifie atomiquement en reportant les modifications sur la machine de secours a travers un lien de communication rapide plutot que sur disque ; (ii) l'etat du sgf est disponible en memoire de la machine de secours ce qui accelere la reprise du service en cas de defaillance de la machine primaire. L'utilisation du cache stable autorise en outre l'accumulation des modifications sur l'etat logique des fichiers en cache afin de les reporter de maniere groupee sur leur etat physique. Cette technique de report groupe asynchrone permet d'optimiser la gestion du stockage en effectuant des ecritures de grande taille au lieu de multiples petites ecritures sur les fichiers. Nous avons realise, puis evalue, un prototype du systeme propose pour une plate-forme distribuee composee de stations de travail sun et du systeme unix. Les resultats obtenus sont satisfaisants puisque le prototype s'est montre, dans certains cas, jusqu'a deux fois plus rapide que le serveur nfs standard de sun
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Salazar, Ayala Olinda. "El sistema de detracciones del IGV y su influencia en la gestión financiera de la empresa NCF servicios compartidos S.A. año 2017." Bachelor's thesis, Universidad Ricardo Palma, 2018. http://cybertesis.urp.edu.pe/handle/urp/1420.
Full textAbstract:
El objetivo general del trabajo de investigación es demostrar que el sistema de
detracciones del IGV incide en la gestión financiera de la empresa NCF Servicios
Compartidos S.A. Año 2017, a cuyo efecto se siguió el tipo de estudio descriptivo y el
método deductivo-explicativo.
Entre los resultados resaltantes están que el sistema de detracciones afecta en la
aplicación de fondos que son de propiedad de la empresa debido al destino forzado, la
demora en la devolución de fondos lo cual incide financieramente en la administración
del capital de trabajo, a cuyo efecto se ha realizado un análisis financiero de la liquidez
de la empresa.
The general objective of the research work is to demonstrate that the system of
deviations of the IGV affects the financial management of the company NCF Servicios
Shared S.A. Year 2017, for which purpose the type of descriptive study and the
deductive-explanatory method.
Among the outstanding results are that the detraction system affects the
application of funds that are owned by the company due to the forced destination, the
delay in the return of funds which has a financial impact on the administration
of working capital, for which purpose a financial analysis of liquidity has been carried out
of the company.
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Kumža, Mantas. "RFID technologijų panaudojimas gamybos kokybės valdyme." Master's thesis, Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT), 2007. http://vddb.library.lt/obj/LT-eLABa-0001:E.02~2007~D_20070816_144255-99814.
Full textAbstract:
Gamybos pramonės sektorius apima viena iš didžiausių ir pelningiausią rinkos
sektorių pasaulyje. Norėdamos išlikti ir sėkmingai dirbti besikeičiančios konkurencinės rinkos
sąlygomis, įmonės neišvengiamai susiduria su konkurencinio pranašumo didinimo poreikiu.
Tuo tikslu yra kuriamos veiklos vystymo strategijos, taikoma naujų technologijų diegimas,
verslo valdymo procesų tobulinimas, produktų kokybės didinimas, valdymas, kokybės
reikalavimų ir standartų taikymas. Vienas iš gamybos kokybės proceso optimizavimo
sprendimas gali būti RFID technologijos pritaikymas gamybos veiklose. RFID yra viena
naujausių ir besivystančių technologijų, kuri pasaulyje yra pritaikoma ir naudojama įvairiose
srityse.
Įgyvendintas projektas ir jo pasakoje sukurta RFID sistemos modulis, bei priemonės
gali būti naudojamos, ne tik su užsakovo UAB „RTech“ plėtojama „QMS“ (Quality
Management Systems) programinę įrangą, bet ir kaip sąsaja tarp RFID įrangos ir vartotojo
veiklos taikomosios programos. Panaudojus RFID technologas ir sąsajas su RFID
technologijomis galima:
• dalinai automatizuoti gamybos kokybės valdymo procesą,
• padidinti efektyvumą gaminio atsekamume,
• sumažinti broko kontrolę tiekiant gaminius užsakovui.
Šio darbo vienas iš tikslų yra įvertinti sukurta sistemą ir ką būtu galima patobulinti,
kad būtų galima padaryti lankstesne pritaikant darbui su kitomis programinės įrangos
sistemomis. Darbo metu yra tiriami ir analizuojami ISO standartų RFID sistemų modeliai, bei
jų pritaikymo galimybės... [toliau žr. visą tekstą]<br>Manufactory industry is the most profitable sector of world’s market. Companies confronts with competitive market advantages to keep working successfully in continually changing market conditions. Therefore activities development strategies are created, new technologies are used in installation process, perfection of business control process, increasing quality of products, use of standards and quality requirements. The solution of these problems can be use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technologies in manufacture management process. RFID is an automatic identification technology that relies on cheap tags (transponders) that can be attached to objects and storage information on it. The results of this project are RFID systems components witch can be used with other users applications such as „QMS“ (Quality Management Systems) of “RTech” company or other users applications. The successful integration of RFID technologies in manufacture quality management process can give effect in: • Automate and computerize manufacture quality management process; • Increase efficiency of product traceability system process; • Reduce rejects on product supply for consumer’s process. One of the master’s work goals is to evaluate the system, which was created in this work. The system can be improved by ISO standard models and made more flexible to use it for other works.
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Alencar, JÃsy Maria Arruda de. "Seminal plasma proteomic and gene expression and ngf location and receptors (TRK1 and NGFR) in rabbit genital system." Universidade Federal do CearÃ, 2015. http://www.teses.ufc.br/tde_busca/arquivo.php?codArquivo=15600.
Full textAbstract:
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico<br>The aim this study were (i) to map and identify proteins in seminal plasma of New Zealand white rabbits strain, using the techniques of two-dimensional electrophoresis coupled to mass spectrometry and to estimate associations between these proteins with sperm parameters and (ii) characterize expression of the nerve growth factor polypeptide beta ( -NGF) and its cognate neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase type 1 (NTRK1), and nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) at gonads and sex glands in adult New Zealand white rabbits as well as the NGF concentration in seminal plasma of sexually mature animals, using RT - PCR and immunohistochemistry. Also was measured the NGF concentration in the blood and seminal plasma by ELISA. Study 1 was performed at Federal University of CearÃ, in Fortaleza-Ce. Semen samples were collected from 18 adult rabbits, using an artificial vagina. After collecting proceeded to the evaluation of semen quality parameters: total motility, individual progressive motility, sperm concentration, sperm morphology and functional tests: membrane integrity (HOST), acrosomal integrity and vitality. The seminal plasma was obtained by centrifugation of semen, and subjected to two-dimensional electrophoresis. Gels were stained with colloidal Coomassie, scanned and analyzed in PDQuest application. The individual spots were excised from the gels, digested with trypsin, and submitted to mass spectrometry (ESI-QUAD-TOF) to identification. The results were subjected to statistical analysis to verify the existence of associations between the presence and / or intensity of the spots present in the protein maps of seminal plasma with the semen quality parameters. The associations between the parameters of ejaculated sperm and the expression of seminal plasma proteins of rabbits were estimated by multiple regression models using the REG procedure of SAS statistical application (v.9.0, 2002) with STEPWISE selection. 232  69.5 spots/gel were detected with 34 spots consistently present in all gels. These 34 spots corresponded to 15% of the total number of spots, representing 32% of the optical intensity of all the spots. Mass spectrometry identified approximately 95% of the detected spots (identified: 220 spots; analyzed: 232 spots), which corresponded to 87 different proteins. The most abundant proteins were the annexins, zeta-globin, lipocalin, FAM 115 protein and a serpins cluster. Other proteins also have been identified, such as transferrin, heat shock protein, glutathione transferase and others. The NGF (protein nerve growth factor) presence also has been identified which has been reported in other species such as ovulation induction factor. This 87 proteins identified in seminal plasma of rabbits participate mainly of biological processes associated with cellular processes (65.25%), regulation (64.25%) and response to stimuli (22.9%). Significant associations were observed between the proteins identified in seminal plasma of rabbits with sperm evaluated parameters such as individual progressive motility, sperm viability, cells with morphology and functional membranes have been associated with specific proteins. Associations were observed for several proteins with the same sperm parameter. According to literature, this is first report about the proteome of seminal plasma of rabbits and its role on the seminal parameters. Knowledge of these proteins contributes to a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of seminal plasma on sperm function in rabbits. Study 2 was conducted at Università Degli Studi di Perugia in the city of Perugia-Pe, Italy. It was evaluated the expression of NGF protein that was previously identified during study 1. The immunoreactivity and gene expression of NGF and cognate receptors were detected in testis, prostate and seminal vesicle. The highest levels of NGF and NTRK1 transcripts were found in prostate, while intermediate expressions were found in testis. NGFR transcripts were expressed at the same level on both the testis and prostate, and were more abundant than in seminal vesicles. The widespread distribution of NGF in all glandular cells of the prostate, coupled with its high abundance of mRNA on confirm that the prostate is a major source of this neurotrophin in rabbits. In conclusion, the present data suggest that NGF is involved in developmental system and spermatogenesis of testis rabbits and that NGF can act as a potential factor for induction of ovulation, being abundantly present in seminal plasma.<br>Os objetivos deste estudo foram (i) mapear e identificar as proteÃnas do plasma seminal de coelhos da raÃa Nova ZelÃndia Branca, utilizando as tÃcnicas de eletroforese bidimensional associada à espectrometria de massa e estimar associaÃÃes entre essas proteÃnas com os parÃmetros espermÃticos e (ii) caracterizar a expressÃo do fator de crescimento nervoso, poliptido beta ( -NGF), e os seus receptores cognatos neurotrÃficos da tirosina-quinase de tipo 1 (NTRK1) e receptor fator de crescimento nervoso (NGFR) nas gÃnadas e glÃndulas sexuais de coelhos da raÃa Nova ZelÃndia Branca, bem como as concentraÃÃes de NGF no plasma seminal de animais sexualmente maduros, utilizando as tÃcnicas de RT - PCR e imunohistoquÃmica. TambÃm foi dosada a concentraÃÃo da NGF no sangue e no plasma seminal atravÃs da tÃcnica de ELISA. O estudo 1 foi realizado na Universidade Federal do CearÃ, na cidade de Fortaleza-Ce. Foram coletados amostras de sÃmen de 18 coelhos adultos, utilizando- se uma vagina artificial. ApÃs a coleta procedeu-se a avaliaÃÃo dos parÃmetros qualidade seminal: motilidade, vigor, concentraÃÃo espermÃtica, morfologia espermÃtica e os testes funcionais: integridade de membrana, integridade acrossomal e vitalidade. O plasma seminal foi obtido pela centrifugaÃÃo do sÃmen, e submetido à eletroforese bidimensional. Os gÃis foram corados com Coomassie coloidal, digitalizados e analisados no aplicativo PDQuest. Os spots foram cortados individualmente dos gÃis, digeridos com tripsina, e submetidos à identificaÃÃo por espectrometria de massa (ESI- QUAD-TOF). Os resultados obtidos foram submetidos a avaliaÃÃo estatÃstica para verificar a existÃncia de associaÃÃes entre entre a presenÃa e/ou intensidade dos spots presentes nos mapas protÃicos do plasma seminal com os parÃmetros de qualidade seminal. As associaÃÃes entre os parÃmetros dos espermatozoides ejaculados e a expressÃo das proteÃnas do plasma seminal dos coelhos foram estimadas por modelos de regressÃo mÃltipla usando o procedimento REG do aplicativo estatÃstico SAS (v.9.0, 2002) com a seleÃÃo STEPWISE. Foram detectados 232  69,5 spots protÃicos por gel, com 34 spots presentes consistentemente em todos os gÃis. Esses 34 spots corresponderam a 15 % do total do nÃmero de spots, representando 32 % da intensidade Ãptica de todos os spots. A espectometria de massa identicou aproximadamente 95% dos spots detectados (220 spots de um total de 232), que corresponderam a 87 proteÃnas diferentes. As proteÃnas mais abundantes foram as anexinas, zeta-globina, lipocalinas, proteina FAM 115 e um grupamento de serpinas. Outras proteÃnas tambÃm foram identificadas, tais como: transferrina, heat shock protein, glutationa transferase, entre outras. TambÃm foi identificada apresenÃa da proteÃna fator de crescimento nervoso (NGF) que tem sido relatada em outras espÃcies como fator de induÃÃo à ovulaÃÃo. As 87 proteÃnas identificadas no plasma seminal de coelhos participam principalmente dos processos biolÃgicos associados a processos celulares (65,25 %), regulaÃÃo (64,25 %) e resposta a estÃmulos (22,9 %). Foram observadas associaÃÃes significativas entre as proteÃnas identificadas no plasma seminal de coelhos com os parÃmetros espermÃticos avaliados,tais como vigor, nÃmero de cÃlulas viÃveis, morfologia espermÃtica e cÃlulas com membranas funcionais foram associados com proteÃnas especÃficas. Foram observadas associaÃÃes de vÃrias proteÃnas com um mesmo parÃmetro espermÃtico. De acordo com a literatura, este representa o primeiro relato sobre o proteoma do plasma seminal de coelhos e seu papel sobre os parÃmetros seminais. O conhecimento dessas proteÃnas contribuirà para uma melhor compreensÃo dos mecanismos de regulaÃÃo do plasma seminal sobre a funÃÃo espermÃtica em coelhos. O estudo 2 foi conduzido na Università Degli Studi di Perugia, na cidade de Perugia-Pe, ItÃlia. Foi avaliada a expressÃo da proteÃna NGF que foi previamente identificada no estudo 1. A imunorreatividade e a expressÃo gÃnica da NGF e os seus receptores cognatos foram detectados nos testÃculos, prÃstata e vesÃcula seminal. Os nÃveis mais elevados de NGF e NTRK1 transcritos foram encontrados na prÃstata, enquanto expressÃes intermediÃrias foram encontradas no testÃculo. NGFR transcritos foram expressos nos mesmos nÃveis em ambos os testÃculos e da prÃstata e eram mais abundantes do que nas vesÃculas seminais. A distribuiÃÃo generalizada de NGF em todas as cÃlulas glandulares da prÃstata, juntamente com a sua abundÃncia de RNAm relativo, confirmam que a prÃstata à das principais fontes desta neurotrofina em coelhos. Em conclusÃo, os presentes dados sugerem que o sistema NGF està envolvido no desenvolvimento testicular e espermatogÃnese de coelhos e que o NGF pode atuar como um potencial fator de induÃÃo à ovulaÃÃo, sendo abundantemente presentes no plasma seminal.
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Barreto, Linara Souza da Costa. "Shell para desenvolvimento de sistemas especialistas na área de saúde." Universidade Federal do Amazonas, 2007. http://tede.ufam.edu.br/handle/tede/4467.
Full textAbstract:
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Previous issue date: 2007-12-07<br>CNPq - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico<br>The expert systems are computational tools built from argument of strong methods in
artificial intelligence. This argument states that the resolution of complex problems is only
possible when specific knowledge of the nature of the problem to be solved is known. The
construction of expert systems in addition to be a very complex task involves a precious
expenditure of time. Due to this, there are tolls called Shell that allow rapid prototyping of an expert system, demonstrating or not the viability of a Integral System construction. In this work, the main concern was to develop a Shell that was used with priority, but not
exclusively, to diagnosis applications in medicine. In this sense, the system has been provided with the ability to handle linguistic data, data like image and numeric interval data (expressed by ranges of values: a x b). The possibility of working with numerical interval data and with multivalued variables is the main difference between Shell proposed in this work compared to other publications found in literature. In order to be possible to deal with interval data, a specific inference algorithm that incorporates an unification algorithm was developed. It has been given to the system the treatment of uncertainty through certainty factors. There is the possibility of working with multiples targets simultaneously. In the results, an original system was developed for atherosclerosis diagnostics that uses rules with interval variables and a system for AIDS treatment that uses multivalued variables. Moreover, the uncertainty treatment in the Shell proposed is compared with the uncertainty treatment in two other systems nationally developed. As a conclusion, the great application of the proposed system is highlighted, which allows the diagnosis in areas so varied that ranges from radiology to laboratory diagnosis.<br>Os sistemas especialistas são ferramentas computacionais construídas a partir do argumento dos métodos fortes em inteligência artificial. Esse argumento afirma que a resolução de problemas complexos só é possível quando se dispõem de conhecimentos específicos sobre a natureza do problema a ser resolvido. A construção dos sistemas especialistas, além de ser uma tarefa assaz complexa, envolve o dispêndio de tempo. Devido a isso, dispõe-se de ferramentas denominadas de Núcleo de Sistemas Especialistas (NSE) ou Shell, que permitem a prototipagem rápida de um Sistema Especialista, demonstrando ou não a viabilidade da construção de um Sistema Integral. Neste trabalho, a principal preocupação foi desenvolver
um NSE que fosse utilizado de forma prioritária, mas não exclusiva, para aplicações diagnósticas em medicina. Nesse sentido, dotou-se o sistema da capacidade de lidar com dados literais, dados tipo imagem e dados numéricos intervalares (dados expressos por meio de faixas de valores: a x b). A possibilidade de trabalhar com dados numéricos intervalares e com variáveis multivaloradas é o principal diferencial entre o NSE proposto neste trabalho em relação a outras publicações. Para tornar possível o tratamento de dados intervalares, desenvolveu-se um algoritmo de inferência próprio que incorpora algoritmo de unificação também original. Dotou-se o sistema de um tratamento da incerteza por meio de fatores de certeza. Existe a possibilidade de trabalhar-se com múltiplas metas simultaneamente. Nos resultados, desenvolveu-se um sistema original para diagnóstico da aterosclerose que utiliza regras com variáveis intervalares, um sistema para tratamento da AIDS que utiliza variáveis multivaloradas. Compara-se, outrossim, o tratamento da incerteza no NSE proposto com o tratamento da incerteza em outros dois sistemas desenvolvidos nacionalmente. Como conclusão, destaca-se o amplo espectro de aplicações do sistema proposto, que permite o diagnóstico em áreas tão variadas que vão desde a radiologia à diagnóstico com dados laboratoriais.
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Pelissier-Rota, Marjolaine. "Le stress et les maladies inflammatoires cryptogénétiques de l'intestin (MICI) : rôle anti-inflammatoire de la neurostimulation vagale (NSV)." Thesis, Grenoble, 2014. http://www.theses.fr/2014GRENV057/document.
Full textAbstract:
Les maladies inflammatoires chroniques de l'intestin (MICI) se caractérisent par des altérations de la structure épithéliale intestinale conduisant à une augmentation de la perméabilité intestinale. Cette altération de la barrière intestinale, par l'activation du système immunitaire, amène à l'inflammation. Le stress, par la production de neuromédiateurs spécifiques (le « corticotropin-releasing factor », CRF, et ses apparentés les urocortines, Ucn1-3) et de leurs récepteurs (CRF1 et CRF2) pourrait jouer un rôle prépondérant dans l'initiation et la récidive des poussées inflammatoires. Dans une étude préliminaire, nous avons montré que l'activation du CRF2 par l'Ucn3 entraîne une augmentation de la perméabilité intestinale par l'altération des JA. Le stress entraîne également une inhibition du système parasympathique vagal. La stimulation des efférences vagales (VNS) exerce un effet anti-inflammatoire périphérique par la libération d'acétylcholine (ACh) qui, en se liant aux récepteurs nicotiniques (nAChR), inhibe la réponse immuniataire (voie cholinergique anti-inflammatoire). Les récepteurs cholinergiques (nAChR et mAChR) sont également présents au niveau de l'épithélium intestinal, nous avons précédemment observé que les nAChR aurait un effet protecteur de la perméabilité en stabilisant les JA. A l'inverse, les mAChR aurait un effet pro-inflammatoire en potentialiser les effets du stress sur la perméabilité épithéliale<br>Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis suffer from chronic and relapsing intestinal inflammation that favours the development of colitis associated cancer (CAC). This inflammation is initiated by aberrant activations of the innate immune responses associated to intestinal barrier defects. The conventional medical therapies consist to decrease the inflammatory response, which also decrease the risk of colon carcinoma but lead to severe side-effects. Recently, a number of animal studies have demonstrated that innate immune responses are attenuated by stimulation of the efferent arm of vagus nerve (VN) through its neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) that acts on resident macrophages α7 nicotinic receptor (α7 nAChR). ACh also acts as a signalling molecule in epithelial cells through cholinergic receptors such as nAChR or muscarinic (mAChR) receptors. In the current study, we aimed to extend these findings to CAC prevention by treating human adenocarcinoma cell lines through targeting cholinergic receptors with nicotine (which binds nAChR) and ACh (which binds both cholinergic receptors). Using HT-29 and Caco-2 cell lines, we demonstrated that ACh-induced activation of mAChR results in cell dissociation together with changes in expression and localization of intestinal tight and adherens junction proteins. ACh-induced modulation of cell adhesion proprieties correlates with the acquisition of invasive potential. By contrast, nicotine-mediated activation of nAChR maintains epithelial cell organisation. ACh-released by VN stimulation (VNS) could effectively preserve epithelium integrity thus limiting inflammatory response and tumor development. However, attention should be paid on the nature of the cholinergic receptor solicited. Indeed, regarding to the protective effects of nAChR signalling on epithelial cells, activation of mAChR would worsen the disease and led to increase inflammation. These data have important repercussions on the therapeutic potential of VNS in IBD and CAC, which may represent “the yin and yang” of the intestinal homeostasis
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Marshall, Christine Louise. "The role of APPRAISAL in the National Research Foundation (NRF) rating system evaluation and instruction in peer reviewer reports." Thesis, Rhodes University, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002638.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis reports on two aspects of interpersonal meaning in peer reviewer reports for eleven researchers in the Animal and Veterinary Sciences awarded NRF ratings in A1, B1, C1 and Y1 rating categories. These aspects are the evaluation of the researcher applying for a rating, and the instruction to the NRF as to the rating the researcher ought to receive. A full APPRAISAL Analysis (Martin & White 2005) complemented by an investigation of politeness strategies (Myers 1989) is used to analyse the reports and show how the various systems of interpersonal meaning co-function and to what effect. The analysis reveals that there are clear differences between the evaluative and instructive language used in the reports. Those for the A1 rated researchers are characterised by only positive evaluations of the applicant, frequently strengthened in terms of Graduation and contracted in terms of Engagement. Overall there is less Engagement and politeness in these reports rendering them more ‘factual’ than the reports for the other rating categories. The A1 rated researcher is therefore construed as being, incontestably, a leader in his/her field of research, worthy of a top rating. The reports for the B1 and C1 rated researchers are characterised by the increasing presence of negative evaluations. In addition, there are more instances of softened/downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, showing that there is more perceived contention about the evaluations made. The reports for the Y1 rated researchers (a category for young researchers) focus on the applicant’s demonstrated potential to become a leader in the field. In addition to a high incidence of negative evaluations, downscaled Graduation, dialogic expansion and deference politeness, the Y1 reports are also characterised by a high incidence of advice and suggestions from the reviewers concerning the applicant’s work and standing. At a broader level, the analysis reveals that the language used in the reports has a profound influence on the outcome of the rating process. The reports are crucial, not only for evaluating the applicant but, also, more subtly, in directing the NRF towards a specific rating category. It offers insights into what is valued in the scientific community, what is considered quality research, and what leads to international recognition. The research also adds uniquely to current thinking about the language of science and, more particularly, highlights the nuanced understanding of evaluative and instructive language in the reports that is possible if one draws on the full APPRAISAL framework, and insights into politeness behaviour.
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Kalayci, Ahmet Serhat. "Development of Surface Flaw Thresholds for Pre-Cured Fiber Reinforced Polymer and Groove Size Tolerance for Near Surface Mounted Fiber Reinforced Polymer Retrofit Systems." FIU Digital Commons, 2008. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/21.
Full textAbstract:
Since the introduction of fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) for the repair and retrofit of concrete structures in the 1980’s, considerable research has been devoted to the feasibility of their application and predictive modeling of their performance. However, the effects of flaws present in the constitutive components and the practices in substrate preparation and treatment have not yet been thoroughly studied. This research aims at investigating the effect of surface preparation and treatment for the pre-cured FRP systems and the groove size tolerance for near surface mounted (NSM) FRP systems; and to set thresholds for guaranteed system performance. The research included both analytical and experimental components. The experimental program for the pre-cured FRP systems consisted of a total of twenty-four (24) reinforced concrete (RC) T-beams with various surface preparation parameters and surface flaws, including roughness, flatness, voids and cracks (cuts). For the NSM FRP systems, a total of twelve (12) additional RC T-beams were tested with different grooves sizes for FRP bars and strips. The analytical program included developing an elaborate nonlinear finite element model using the general purpose software ANSYS. The model was subsequently used to extend the experimental range of parameters for surface flatness in pre-cured FRP systems, and for groove size study in the NSM FRP systems. Test results, confirmed by further analyses, indicated that contrary to the general belief in the industry, the impact of surface roughness on the global performance of pre-cured FRP systems was negligible. The study also verified that threshold limits set for wet lay-up FRP systems can be extended to pre-cured systems. The study showed that larger surface voids and cracks (cuts) can adversely impact both the strength and ductility of pre-cured FRP systems. On the other hand, frequency (or spacing) of surface cracks (cuts) may only affect system ductility rather than its strength. Finally, within the range studied, groove size tolerance of +1/8 in. does not appear to have an adverse effect on the performance of NSM FRP systems.
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Montero-Menei, Claudia. "Reparation du systeme cholinergique septo-hippocampique lese : etude et caracterisation du role du nerve growth factor (ngf)." Paris 7, 1991. http://www.theses.fr/1991PA077190.
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Cette these etudie le role fonctionnel du ngf sur les neurones cholinergiques du systeme septo-hippocampique de rats adultes et ages et les possibilites de reparer ce systeme neuronal apres lesion de la voie septo-hippocampique. Chez le rat adulte ayant subi une section partielle et unilaterale de la fimbria, l'administration intraventriculaire de ngf pendant un mois empeche la degenerescence des neurones cholinergiques septaux grace a son recepteur exprime par ces neurones. Nous avons aussi montre que le ngf agit sur la survie neuronale et doit etre administre de facon continue au moins pendant deux semaines. Cet effet ne persiste pas apres l'arret du traitement. De plus, le ngf a une action selective sur les neurones cholinergiques et n'agit pas sur les autres neurones septaux. Chez l'animal age (18 mois), l'immunoreactivite pour le recepteur du ngf est toujours presente sur les neurones cholinergiques, et l'administration de ngf previent la degenerescence de ces cellules. Une administration de ngf plus prolongee (5 mois) aide a la reparation du systeme cholonergique septo-hippocampique en stimulant la croissance des axones cholinergiques dans l'hippocampe et en protegeant les neurones pendant quelques mois contre les evenements neurodegeneratifs. Avec le meme objectif de reparation du systeme septo-hippocampique lese, des greffes de cellules de schawnn ont ete effectuees au niveau d'une lesion complete de la fimbria, de facon a etablir un pont et demontrer la provenance septale des fibres cholinergiques. La cellule de schwann est capable de synthetiser un grand nombre de facteurs agissant sur la croissance axonale centrale, parmi lesquels se trouvent le ngf et son recepteur. Nous avons montre qu'une suspension pure de cellules de schwann stimule la regeneration des fibres cholinergiques du systeme septo-hippocampique
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Jones, Elizabeth Ellen. "NEUROTROPHIN EXPRESSION IN SYMPATHETIC NEURONS: INFLUENCES OF EXOGENOUS NGF AND AFFERENT INPUT." Oxford, Ohio : Miami University, 2004. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=miami1089903903.
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Pierce, Suzanne Marie. "Expectations and experience of complaints and notifications about registered health professionals in the Australian national and NSW regulatory systems: A comparative study of complaints and notifications from the perspective of ‘system users’." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/17985.
Full textAbstract:
Receiving and managing complaints is a core function of Australian health practitioner regulators; complaints long recognised as an important source of information about safety and quality of care and identifying practitioners of concern. Identified values for good complaint management include improved accountability and public confidence; consistency and integrity of decision-making; and opportunity to provide resolution, identify trends, take corrective action and make system improvements. Australia has an enviable record in establishing and refining health complaint mechanisms to make them accessible and responsive within a broader culture of safety and learning. Yet this study found both low levels of satisfaction and understanding of the two systems under study. Consequences from these findings include the reputational standing of regulators and preparedness of individuals and organisations to raise future concerns. Respondent expectations of quality complaint processes were found to be congruent with the literature on best practice regulation and complaint management. The most significant factors moderating respondents’ perceptions and experience were power and transparency; accounting for reported views both of operational processes and underlying assumptions of the regulatory model. Regulators were approached to ‘bring to account’, raise the standards of or stop practitioners regarded as unsafe, not competent or not responsive to concerns raised directly. Respondents also looked to regulators to account for themselves; with the same detail and rigour applied to those regulated. Contrary to expectations, respondents were alienated from the detail and resolution of events personal and painful; concerning issues of significance for future patients and practise. The majority reported issues were either not or only poorly addressed; and few were aware of any resultant changes. There is a lack of understanding about the core mandate of health professional regulators; including the rationale for and focus of regulatory effort and underlying concepts and assumptions. Even when dissatisfied, the process is valued; respondents wanting to contribute to improvements. There are opportunities to leverage better their insights to deliver a more efficient and effective regulatory system.
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Prachomrat, Pattamaporn. "Public sector R&D and innovation in an emerging country : an analysis of knowledge flow between public and private sectors in the Thai National System of Innovation." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/33115.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis explores Thailand's efforts to pursue greater competitiveness in global markets by enhancing the effectiveness of its National System of Innovation. The concept of national system of innovation (NSI) has been employed widely to study and describe the development of science, technology and innovation in a national context. NSI studies seek to explain systematic differences between national economies in their innovation performance in terms of the flow of knowledge among actors/players and the impacts of institutions and factors on their relationships or interactions. The concept was formally introduced into Thai policies in 2001 and it was adopted widely by the organisations directed to build up a strong national innovation system. However, the Thai innovation system has been identified by previous studies as a weak and fragmented system. This study investigates the current situation of the Thai NSI by exploring the relationships and the patterns of knowledge flows among actors in the Thai innovation system; heavily focusing on exploitation of public sector research. A comparative study was undertaken of innovations arising as a result of initiatives arising through the Thai NSI policy. Eighteen case studies were undertaken including 6 that were seen as successful and 12 failures. The study was carried out using in-depth interviews with relevant staff in both public and private sectors together with secondary analysis of science and technology policy implementation in Thailand. The interviews show that there are still many problems hindering the attempt to build up an effective relationship between the public and private sectors; many of them fail to construct R&D collaboration and to conduct technology transfer. The influential factors are analysed and identified from the cases. Those found repeatedly among successes, but largely absent in the failure cases include technological readiness, R&D capability, good management skills, and positive attitude towards R&D while some external factors are found specific to the individual case. Some of them can be contingent factors for particular features of the case resulting in diversity among the cases especially successful ones. The analysis of science and technology policy implementation is also integrated to explore the case studies in order to investigate the impact of those policies on the pattern of the Thai innovation system. Particularly, the policy that has been implemented after the introduction of the NSI concept which was intended to fix the linear model of innovation in Thailand. However, the analysis from this research demonstrates that there is a shortcoming in the adoption of the NSI policy in Thailand as it still follows the 'linear plus' model of innovation (Tait and Williams, 1999) revolving around promoting knowledge flows from research. The development of ST&I is embedded in the advanced science (most in the public sector) not for building up the competitive firms. The centre of development is not on firm capability development to create learning economies but on a science push model. To summarise from the empirical findings, the concept of NSI adopted in Thailand is used as a tool to briefly analyse the big picture of science and technology development at the national level and to identify the problems facing the country. However, this concept alone is not enough to stimulate a country's innovation process. The NSI concept has been understood in two broad ways: the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) mode and the Doing, Using and Interacting (DUI) mode. In Thailand the former has prevailed. Secondly, the concept itself is too broad and vague to be used as the main guideline for building up innovative capacity; it only tells what should be done not how to do it. The NSI helps Thailand to initiate change in its ST&I development process although greater attention should be given to the DUI mode. However, the process requires other frameworks to support and translate the NSI concept into the level of action plans. As a result this research suggests that the factors that determine the success of technology/knowledge transfer are not only from the policy level but also other factors from the bottom up level such as social factors determining the relationships among actors.
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Verrell, Andrew George. "Water, nitrogen, crown rot and common root rot interact to limit wheat production in northern NSW cropping systems." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2004. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27955.
Full textAbstract:
A multi-variate approach was undertaken to identify the major components of the
cropping system that interact to affect yield and water use efficiency (WUE) in wheat in
northern NSW. The major components identified from an on-farm monitoring program were
rainfall, soil plant available water (PAW) and nitrogen (N) at sowing, grass weeds (GW),
crown rot (CR) and common root rot (CRR). Combined, these factors accounted for 80%
and 60% of the variation in yield and WUE, respectively.
Principal components analysis showed that the region has two seasons; summer and
winter, and cluster analysis identified six rainfall zones. The three northern zones have
summer dominant rainfall patterns, while the three southern zones have uniform patterns. In
general, rainfall declines and variability increases moving in a westerly direction.
There were 12 major soil types identified and plant available water capacity
(PAWC) ranged from 45 mm (red kurosol) to 221 mm (brown vertosol). While PAWC is
largely determined by clay content, sub-soil sodicity (based on exchangeable Na percentage
= ESP) and salinity also reduced the amount of plant available water (PAW). The impact of
ESP on PAWC in the vertosols varied, as the negative effect of high ESP was off-set by
electrolyte concentrations and the fact that these soils can ‘self—repair’ by cracking. In the low
to medium clay content sub-soils that have no shrink-swell capability, high ESP caused
major reductions in PAWC and this effect started at ESP values below 6%.
A multiple regression model, set at mean in-crop rainfall of 263 mm, predicted
yields (kg/ha) for the maximum, or best observed values, for each variable (holding the other
four at their mean value) as: soil N at sowing 3164, PAW at sowing 3124, CR severity 2966,
CR severity 2990 and GW at tillering 3120. Yield differences between these predicted
values and the mean (2847 kg/ha) were 317, 277, 119, 143 and 273 kg/ha, respectively.
Yield gains for each of these components were minimal.
While PAW and N at sowing were the main components that drive the system, these
model outcomes show that optimising only one component if the others are sub-optimal will
not realise a substantial yield gain. Holding PAW at sowing and rainfall at average values,
with N not limiting (200 ng/ha), eliminating grass weeds and disease resulted in a predicted
yield of 3983 kg/ha which is a gain of 40% over the mean. This equates to a WUE of
12 kg/ha/mm. To maximise yield, growers need to target all of these components within a
cropping system.
Fallows that retain stubble residue now dominate the cropping system and N use has
risen substantially in the last 15 years. The interaction between water, N, CR and CR on
wheat yield and water use was examined in a replicated experiment. The incidence of the CR
pathogen, Fusarium pseudograminearum (F.ps) increased under drought conditions and the
application of N, while the incidence of the CR pathogen, Bipolaris sorokiniana (B.so)
increased under non—water limited conditions. F.ps led to a reduction in grain number per
head and grain weight, while B.so reduced yields through the reduction of tiller density and
grain weight. Yield loss due to the interaction between these disease components in the
absence of severe plant water stress is discussed.
Zero-tillage cropping system strategies are proposed that target high and low PAWC
soils and N fertility. How growers might manage these diseases under these different
cropping system regimes is discussed.
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Sakala, Peter. "Laboratorní scénáře popisující systém DNS." Master's thesis, Vysoké učení technické v Brně. Fakulta elektrotechniky a komunikačních technologií, 2018. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-377122.
Full textAbstract:
The master’s thesis deals with Domain Name System (DNS) and its practical use. It describes hierarchy of domain names, resource record types, protocol used, as well as DNSSEC extension. The most utilized implementations of authoritative and recursive DNS servers are presented. Virtualization, containers and other tools with potential use in labs are described. Two lab scenarios in virtualized environment with instructions for students were designed and developed in this thesis.
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Lacheiner, Karen. "Tubules composed of non-structural protein NS1 of african horsesickness virus as a system for the immune display of foreign peptides." Pretoria : [s.n.], 2006. http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-07092008-103908.
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