Tesi sul tema "Male Lead"

Forty rats, in groups of ten, were orally dosed with corn oil, corn oil and 2,000 mg/kg trichloroethylene (TCE), corn oil and 2,000 mg/kg lead carbonate, or a mixture of 2,000 mg/kg each TCE and lead carbonate, in an effort to determine whether or not dual administration of both TCE and lead would have an additive effect on neurotoxicity and overall health as indicated by behavioral and physiologic measurements and tissue pathology. A functional observational test battery (FOB) was performed before, during, and after dose administration to assess dose-related changes. The FOB testing assessed behavioral and physiologic measurements such as gait, open field activity, posture, grip strength, and handling reactivity. Pathological examination included assessing dosing related changes in the testis, spleen, heart, liver, kidney-adrenals, and brain. Results indicated that each compound was toxic individually, and that the combination of the two neurotoxicants provided conflicting indications of both reduced and additive toxicity. The toxicity of lead carbonate caused the vast majority of toxic consequences in the study. A reduction in body weight and an increased resistance to cage removal were the only statistically significant changes observed in the FOB that were due to concurrent administration of lead and TCE. Organ-to-body weight and organ-to-brain weight calculations showed evidence of a statistical difference between the lead and lead/TCE dosed animals for liver, kidney-adrenals, and body weight. The significance of these changes is not fully understood.
Master of Science

Rationale: Lead-exposure during developmental periods may alter reinforcing patterns of drugs of abuse in adulthood. Anxiety related mechanisms may also influence drug intake. Interactions between the two altering factors may exist. Objectives: The present study examined the effects of perinatal lead-exposure on cocaine self-administration after a GABAA antagonist pre-treatment. Methods: Female rats were exposed to a regimen of 16 mg lead daily for 30 days prior to breeding with un-exposed males. This continued throughout gestation and lactation until postnatal day (PND) 21. On PND 63, animals were implanted with indwelling jugular catheters. After a 7 day recovery period, animals were trained to self-administer 0.50 mg/kg cocaine intravenously [IV]. After stable responding had been established, testing procedures began using combinations of 0.03 and 0.06 mg/kg cocaine [IV] and 0.00, 0.50, 1.00 and 2.00 mg/kg bicuculline (a GABAA antagonist) intraperitoneal [IP]. Results: Bicuculline pre-treatment caused directionally opposite effects in both treatment groups (Group 0-Lead and Group 16-Lead) at the 0.06 mg/kg cocaine dose. Group 0-Lead animals showed an increase in self-administration, while Group 16-Lead animals showed a decrease in responding on the active (cocaine) lever. Results at the 0.03 mg/kg cocaine dose showed no discernable pattern. Group 0-Lead animals decreased in active lever responding at the 2.00 mg/kg bicuculline dose. Group 16-Lead animals showed no differences in responding at any dose of bicuculline. Conclusions: These data further suggest the influential role of GABA in mediating cocaine reward and the ability of developmental lead-exposure to alter mechanisms mediating drug responsiveness even after exposure has terminated.

Male nurses are but a small percentage of the total nurse population in the United States, and most certainly have potential to increase in numbers if the profession appeared more attractive as a career option for men. The purpose of this research was to discover the decision factors used by males that led them to enroll in Associate Degree nursing programs in Illinois community colleges. To set the background and context, the study explored the history of community colleges and that of nursing. Included was nursing as a profession, nursing in the United States, the country’s impending nursing shortage and the role of men in nursing.

Using a qualitative case study method of design, the study adapted a multi-theoretical framework encompassing gender theory (GT) and career developmental theory (CDT). These theories were further broken down by discussing, in particular, Holland’s Theory (HT) of Personality and Vocational Choice and Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory (KSLT) under CDT. Nine first year male ADN students from three separate Illinois community colleges were individually interviewed. Findings discovered that the first year male students experienced a distinctive decision making process with eight emerging themes revealing the males’ decision making about their ADN enrollment process.

As a result of the study’s findings, MURSE: Resurreccion’s Male Nursing Student Decision Making Pyramid model was developed to elaborate the steps of how males make decisions about their ADN enrollment. An understanding of these factors can provide opportunities for community colleges, and perhaps universities, to improve recruitment and retention of males in nursing programs. A result would be increased numbers of males enrolling in Associate as well as Baccalaureate nursing programs. Such knowledge held by colleges may help to address a manpower solution to the impending worldwide nursing shortage.

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The majority of studies have demonstrated a right hemisphere (RH) advantage for the perception of emotions. Other studies have found that the involvement of each hemisphere is valence specific, with the RH better at perceiving negative emotions and the LH better at perceiving positive emotions [Reuter-Lorenz, P., & Davidson, R.J. (1981) Differential contributions of the 2 cerebral hemispheres to the perception of happy and sad faces.Neuropsychologia, 19, 609¿613]. To account for valence laterality effects in emotion perception we propose an `expectancy¿ hypothesis which suggests that valence effects are obtained when the top-down expectancy to perceive an emotion outweighs the strength of bottom-up perceptual information enabling the discrimination of an emotion. A dichotic listening task was used to examine alternative explanations of valence effects in emotion perception. Emotional sentences (spoken in a happy or sad tone of voice), and morphed-happy and morphed-sad sentences (which blended a neutral version of the sentence with the pitch of the emotion sentence) were paired with neutral versions of each sentence and presented dichotically. A control condition was also used, consisting of two identical neutral sentences presented dichotically, with one channel arriving before the other by 7 ms. In support of the RH hypothesis there was a left ear advantage for the perception of sad and happy emotional sentences. However, morphed sentences showed no ear advantage, suggesting that the RH is specialised for the perception of genuine emotions and that a laterality effect may be a useful tool for the detection of fake emotion. Finally, for the control condition we obtained an interaction between the expected emotion and the effect of ear lead. Participants tended to select the ear that received the sentence first, when they expected a `sad¿ sentence, but not when they expected a `happy¿ sentence. The results are discussed in relation to the different theoretical explanations of valence laterality effects in emotion perception.

Thesis (MScPhysio)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Introduction-The golf swing is a complex, sequenced movement of body segments. This movement is smooth and well timed and is referred to as the kinematic golf sequence. This kinematic sequence illustrates the rotational speed, which occurs between the upper and lower body segments. Hip rotation plays an integral part to a sound kinematic sequence by providing a pivotal point between the upper and lower body segments, ensuring a synchronised golf swing. Hip rotation kinematics during a golf swing has received relatively little attention compared to other body segments’ movements. However, clinicians need to have a clear understanding of the rotational contribution that each hip make during golf swing in order to enhance the athlete’s performance and reduce the risk of injury. The aim of this descriptive research project was to obtain and investigate the total passive and total dynamic rotation range of movement in both the lead and trail hips of healthy, young adult, male golfers. Methodology-Seven, low handicapped, male golfers between the ages of 18 and 40 years were randomly selected in the Western Cape region from areas surrounding Stellenbosch University’s Tygerberg campus. A questionnaire gathered participant demographics that determined participatory eligibility. A preliminary reliability study established a baseline measurement for passive total articular hip rotation. Seatadjusted total passive hip rotation ranges of motion (ROM) measurements were collected with a hand-held inclinometer. Dynamic total hip rotation kinematic data was captured during a golf swing with an 8-camera video analysis system (VICON). Data analyses were performed with Statistica version 10. Hand-held inclinometer intra-rater reliability was determined with a two-way interclass correlation, standard error of measurement and a 95% confidence interval level. A Spearman correlation coefficient determined correlation between the total passive and total dynamic rotation range of movement in both the lead and trail hips. Results-Passive intra-rater reliability was reported as 0.81 (95% CI: 0.46-0.96). The total average passive articular range between the lead (62.1° ±6.4°) and trail hip (61.4° ±3.8°) did not report any significant difference (p=0.8). The total average dynamic golf swing articular range between the lead (29° ± 6.5°) and trail hip (35.° ±7.8°), was reported as significantly (p=0.04) asymmetric. The findings also demonstrated a positive correlation between the passive and dynamic total articular range in a lead hip, whereas a negative correlation was reported in a trail hip. During the golf swing the lead hip utilised 46.4%(± 8) of the total passive available hip rotation, whereas the trail hip utilised 58.8% (±13.2). Discussion and Conclusions-The findings of this study show that, the passive rotation ROM in a hip (LH=62°; TH=61°) of a golf player does not exceed the available range it has during a golf swing. The golfer’s hip utilises 46% of the available passive range of movement in the lead hip and 59% in the trail hip. In the clinical field careful consideration should be given to the motivation behind mobilizing, treating or stretching the hips of a golf player. These findings can be incorporated in future research on the relationship between hip-rotation ROM and reduction in the incidence of injuries amongst golfers.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Inleiding-Die gholfswaai is n komplekse, opeenvolgende beweging van verskeie liggaamsegmente. Hierdie gladde opeenvolgende bewegings word die kinematiese gholfpatron genoem. Hierdie kinematiese opeenvolgende bewegings bied ’n illustrastrasie van die rotasiespoed waarteen die beweging tussen die boonste en onderste liggaamsegmente plaasvind. Heuprotasie speel ’n deurslaggewende rol in hierdie glad verlopende kinematiese proses. Dit dien as ’n spilpunt tussend die boonste en onderste kwadrant, wat op sy beurt weer ’n gesinkroniseerde gholfswaai verseker. Die heuprotasie kinamtieka tydens n gholfswaai het relatief minder aandag ontvang in vergelyking met ander liggaamsegmente. Klinici moet instaat gestel word om ’n duidelike begrip aangaande die bydrae wat heuprotasie tydens ’n golfswaai lewer, te ontwikkel. Die atleet se prestasie kan sodoende verbeter word, en die risiko tot beserings kan ook sodoende voorkom word. Die doel van hierdie beskrywende navorsingsprojek was om te bepaal wat die totale passiewe en die totale dinamies rotasie omvang van die leidende en volgende heupe van gesonde jong mans wat gholf speel, te ondersoek. Metodologie-Sewe gholf-geskoolde manlike gholf spelers met ’n lae voorgee en tussen die ouderdom van 18 en 40 jaar is ewekansig gekies. Hierdie kandidate is gekies uit die omliggende gebiede van die Stellenbosch Tygerberg kampus in die Wes-Kaap waar hulle relatief naby woonagtig was. ’n Vraelys is aangewend om demografiese eienskappe van elke deelnemer in te samel. Hierdie inligting wat deur die vraelys bekom is, is gebruik om te bepaal of die deelnemers in aanmerking is vir die studie. ’n Voorlopige, intra-meter betroubaarheidstudie is gedoen vir passiewe, totale artikulêre heuprotasiemetings wat met ’n hand hanteerbare hoek meter geneem is. ’n Algemene fisiese ondersoek is in die biomeganiese labaratorium afgehandel om te bepaal of die deelnemers geskik is vir die toetse. Sit-aangepaste passiewe totale hip rotasie beweging metings was ingesamel met 'n hand hanteerbare hoek meter. Intra-meter betroubaarheid is bepaal met ’n twee-rigting interklas korrelasie, standaard foutmeting en ’n 95% vertroue interval vlak. Dinamiese totale heup kinematiese rotasiedata is afgeneem met ’n hoë-spoed 3-D videografiestelsel (VICON) tydens 'n gholfswaai. Data-ontleding is bereken met ’n Statistica weergawe 10. Die gemiddelde en Spearman korrelasie koëffisiënt is gebruik as aanwysers van verspreiding. Resultate-Passiewe inter-meter betroubaarheid word geraporteer as 0.81 (95% KI: 0.46-0.96). Die resultate dui op ’n onbeduidende totale passiewe artikulêre reeks verskille tussen die leidende (voorste) (62.1 ± 6.4 °) en volgende (agterste) heupe (61.4 ° ± 3.8 °). ’n Beduidende totale dinamiese artikulêre reeks van die leidende (29 ° ± 6.5 °) en volgende heupe (35.9 ° ± 7.8 °) is tydens die gholfswaai bereik. Verdere resultate toon ’n positiewe korrelasie tussen die passiewe en dinamiese totale artikulêre reeks in die leidende heup, terwyl ’n negatiewe korrelasie gerapporteer word vir die volgende (agterste) heup. Tydens ’n gholfswaai gebruik die leidende heup 46.4% (± 8%) van die totale passiewe beskikbaar heuprotasie, terwyl die opvolgende (agterste) heup 58.8% (± 13.2%) aanwend. Bespreking en gevolgtrekking-Die bevindinge van hierdie studie toon dat tydens ’n gholfswaai, ’n gesonde gholfspeler nie die beskikbare passiewe beweging wat in sy heup bestaan oorskry nie. Slegs 46.4% van die beskikbare passiewe beweging in sy leidende heup word gebruik, en 58.8% van sy agterste heup. Die klinisie moet deeglike oorweging gegee word aan die motivering agter die mobilisering, strekke en die behandeling van die heupe van ’n gholfspeler. Hierdie bevindings kan in toekomstige navorsing geimplimenteer word om die verhouding wat tussen die omvange vand heuprotasie bestaan te ondersoek. Die voorkoming van moontlike toekomstige beserings in gholfspelers kan ook verhoed word.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008.
Title from electronic title page (viewed Sep. 16, 2008). "... in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication." Discipline: Journalism and Mass Communication; Department/School: Journalism and Mass Communication, School of.

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Conservação e Restauro
This project involved the conservation of a 19th century portrait in oils from the Ecomuseu do Seixal (Portugal). The painting of “João Luiz Lourenço” was in very poor condition. Because of the range and severity of the problems presented, it offered an opportunity to explore important aspects of painting conservation in-depth. The approach to its treatment required an empirical investigation of a number of materials and techniques used in the field of conservation/restoration. Of additional interest, the painting exhibits widespread evidence of metal soap (lead carboxylate) aggregates protruding through the paint from the ground layer. The painting’s materials and the metal soaps aggregates were studied and characterised with different analytical techniques: μ-EDXRF (Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence), μ-Raman Spectroscopy, μ-FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and SEM-EDX (Electron Scanning Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy). Part 1: describes the study of the materials and the technique of the painting, and of the metal-soap aggregation within the painting’s ground layer. Observation with the Optical Microscope and with SEM-EDX of paint/ground cross-sections reveals the presence of two visually distinct lead carboxylate aggregates: one, completely white, and the other with a white centre surrounded by distinct red particles identified as red lead (minium: Pb3O4) by μ-Raman. The presence of these two types raises questions about whether there are different starting materials for the aggregates or whether they could be in different states of evolution. Part 2: describes the design and implementation of the conservation/restoration treatment. The treatment of the painting raised challenges and at various stages involved the exploration of non-traditional methods. At every stage during the treatment the consequences of an intervention was carefully considered in relation to the subsequent steps. All decisions were taken according to the painting’s intrinsic conservation problems and materials and with regard to the future environment of the painting.

Violence has been declared a public health problem by the World Health Organisation (1996). Violence prevention strategies are actively used in efforts to rehabilitate offenders during their incarceration, and are intended to prepare them for reintegration into society and to prevent recidivism. Given the lack of research undertaken on violence prevention strategies in the gang-ridden context of Cape Town, South Africa, this dissertation looks at a prison intervention programme, Help I am Free, that uses performance arts as a case study to investigate the potential impacts of such intervention strategies. The paper does so by outlining the experiences of five male gang members before, during, and after their time in prison. Using a cross-sectional qualitative research design, the dissertation explores participants’ life histories and seeks to shed light on the ways in (and degrees to) which such programmes may influence the men’s attitudes towards themselves and others, and the likelihood of their successful reintegration into society. The theoretical frameworks used draw on applied theatre theories, social-cognitive theories, and theories of masculinities. The paper argues that programmes such as Help I am Free may impact participants’ perceptions of self and others strongly, and may also lead to an increased sense of self-worth and motivation to change lifestyle. However, it also indicates the limitations of the programme to achieve sustained success, given the structural barriers which afflict South Africa. The paper outlines a number of challenges that the men face while on parole, and concludes that while prison intervention programmes, and art programmes specifically, may trigger a sense of healing and encourage more positive notions of self, there are more comprehensive strategies in post-release urgently needed in order to prevent recidivism and to achieve authentic social re-integration.

This Master’s thesis has been carried out within the subject area of Production Development and Management and aims to reduce internal lead times in make-to-order (MTO) and job-shop production environments with the use of identified theoretical methods. The reason this particular production environment was chosen was the flexibility and satisfaction it provides its customers. Today, customers expect customised products, a situation which causes problems for manufacturers as they are unable to produce such products in large amounts. In order to investigate problems with these kinds of environments and the causes for long lead times, we have conducted a literature study where we identified the problems these particular kinds of production environments experience regarding production planning and control which are related to the immense amount of time consumed by changeovers because of high demand variance and high requirements for customisation. To affirm the theoretical findings, we opted to undertake a case study and chose Talent Plastics Gislaved AB as our case, because this company utilises an MTO and job-shop production environment for its production of highly customised products with high demand variance. In the analysis of our case, we found that the wastes in the organisation were similar to those identified in the theoretical findings. The current planning system and the current state of the manufacturing lead time system were evaluated and a theoretical framework using a combination of lean production, work load control and constant work-in-process theories was suggested. We claim that concentrating on the reduction of setup times can lead the job-shop towards drastically decreased lead times and a much more effective use of time throughout the organisation. Because the organisation will continue to face problems due to the ever-increasing demand variance and requirements for customisation, there are plenty of opportunities for further research in these kinds of production environments. Emerging theories, such as quick response manufacturing, may also be tested to construct an efficient framework.

Sugar maple trees were fertilized in June 1988 on an individual tree basis in an attempt to improve tree vigour. Fertilizers included K$ sb2$SO$ sb4$, a phosphate and base cations mix, and a commercial organic mix (Maplegro). No effect of fertilization was found on foliar nutrient concentrations and water status of trees during the 1990 growing season. This is possibly the result of dilution in tree biomass, the addition of non limiting nutrients or the experimental design. A positive effect of fertilization on growth was found for one site and, at another, fertilization was found to impair growth. Thus fertilization requirements of declining sugar maple are site specific. Soil Mg was higher around trees fertilized with Maplegro, and trees fertilized with K$ sb2$SO$ sb4$ had low leaf buffering capacities.

Mestrado em Engenharia e Gestão Industrial
Pretende-se com este trabalho, desenvolvido em ambiente industrial, avaliar a implementação do projecto ‘Lean’ na Bi-Silque. Esta é uma análise crítica de algumas dessas acções, levadas a cabo com o apoio de uma empresa de consultoria e também avaliar até que ponto essas acções se coadunam com o tipo de empresa em questão. Durante o tempo de estágio na empresa, o envolvimento pessoal em várias dessas acções, permitiu olhar de uma forma geral para o processo produtivo dos vários sectores da fábrica, podendo formar uma opinião baseada na experiência obtida, mas também fundamentada em bibliografia sobre o tema. Não se tratando esta, de uma típica empresa “make-to-order” ou “make-tostock”, a implementação de acções “Lean”, deve ter em consideração as “nuances” da realidade desta empresa. As acções devem ser orientadas para a agilização do processo produtivo e não se fixando apenas em partes dele, já que este procedimento acaba por não surtir os efeitos desejados, como se irá ver na análise dos dados recolhidos. Para poder justificar a análise feita, além da bibliografia sobre o tema, foram recolhidos indicadores, quer sobre produtividade e rupturas de artigos nas linhas de produção, como também o cumprimento de prazos por parte da empresa para com os seus clientes. Por fim, através da experiência do dia-a-dia da fábrica, este trabalho culmina com algumas sugestões de melhoria de funcionamento organizacional, ao nível da produção, relação interdepartamental, clientes e fornecedores.
The aim of this study, developed in an industrial environment, was to evaluate the implementation of 'Lean' project in Bi-silque. This is a critical analysis of some of the actions carried out, with the support of a consulting firm, to assess the extent to which those actions were consistent with the type of company in question. During the trainee, the personal involvement in several of those actions, allowed me to look in a general way to the production process of the various sectors of the factory, allowing me to form an opinion based on that experience, but also based on literature on the subject. Since it is not this, a typical company "make-to-order" or "make-to-stock", the implementation of actions "Lean", should take into account the "nuances" of the reality of this company. Actions should be geared towards streamlining the production process and not just settling parts of it, since this procedure turns out not have the desired effect, as you will see in the analysis of the data collected. To justify the analysis, in addition to literature on the subject, indicators (KPI’s) were collected either on productivity and disruptions of articles on the production lines, as well as meeting deadlines for the company towards its customers. Finally, through the experience of day-to-day factory, this paper ends with some suggestions for improving organizational functioning, the level of production, interdepartmental relations, customers and suppliers.

Optimum nutritional levels for most commercial hardwoods of eastern Canada are unknown. This thesis dealt with the development of a method to determine nutritional standards using within site variation in tree growth and foliar chemistry. To this end, sugar maple (n = 87) and red maple (n = 39) trees were sampled in summer 2001 at the Station de biologie des Laurentides. Leaves were sampled for nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and Mn) and tree stems were measured for determination of basal area growth (BAG). Similar measurements for trees sampled annually during 1995--2001 were also used to measure the effect of annual variation on nutritional standards. A boundary line approach was used to assess tree growth response to nutrition using nutrient concentrations and Compositional Nutrient Diagnosis (CND) scores as predicting variables. A Basal Area Growth Index (BAGI) was computed using the live crown ratio to correct for the effect of stand density on BAG. An iterative and unbiased protocol was also developed to eliminate outliers. Optimum, critical and optimal range levels were derived from quadratic models significant at P < 0.15.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references (leaf 58).
Value Stream Mapping of the Singapore operations of a multi-national food products packaging company was carried out with the objective of streamlining production in accordance with the World Class Manufacturing philosophy. An opportunity for reduction in WIP and lead time was identified. Simulation models were used, on the make- to-order, serial production system to test three potential solutions to the problem. The models used showed great promise for reduction in WIP and the lead time for both the priority and ordinary products. The role of design as a sorting criterion on the printer was also investigated by a fundamental integer programming model using the Travelling Salesman approach. Results confirming the significance of design in the printer setup process were obtained in the trial run.
by Priyanka Ram Sudhir.
M.Eng.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 57-58).
A high-mix, make-to-order production system can become inefficient when non-value added operations consume too much time, space or labour. To address these issues, cell re-layout is conducted and a CONWIP system is proposed. The cell re-layout started with data collection on current layout, product mix and routings, then the current layout was modified to develop several alternatives, and finally the best alternative was selected based on a set of criteria. The Pull system design began with comparison between Kanban and CONWIP with respect to an actual production system, and then the CONWIP system was selected and a sample case study based on ARENA 12.0 was included to study the characteristics of CONWIP. Finally, transformation of the actual production system to CONWIP was studied in ARENA simulation to determine its optimal CONWIP setting. It can be concluded that the cell layout resulted in improved operator efficiency and savings in area occupied, while the CONWIP system leads to reduction in amount of work-in-process, and stabilization of manufacturing lead time.
by Bo Li.
M.Eng.

Les perturbateurs endocriniens (PE) sont des composés synthétiques capables de se lier aux récepteurs cellulaires et d'imiter ou de bloquer le fonctionnement des hormones naturelles, pouvant ainsi entraîner des effets néfastes sur la santé. Ces dernières années, des hypothèses ont été émises selon lesquelles les PE pourraient également contribuer au développement de maladies allergiques et respiratoires. En outre, il est probable que les PE pourraient déjà agir pendant la grossesse en provoquant un diabète gestationnel (DG) et une hypertension induite par la grossesse, pouvant également provoquer une hypertension et un diabète plus tard dans la vie. Ce travail de thèse a permis de mettre en évidence que l'exposition maternelle aux phtalates et aux métaux lourds (plomb, cadmium et manganèse) pendant la grossesse pourrait être associée au diabète gestationnel, à l'hypertension induite par la grossesse et à l'eczéma/dermatite atopique chez l'enfant. Nous avons utilisé les données de la cohorte Française de naissance mère-enfant, EDEN (Étude des déterminants pré et post-natals du développement de la santé de l’enfant) pour examiner les hypothèses de ce travail de thèse. Nos résultats apportent de nouvelles preuves potentielles sur la relation entre les perturbateurs endocriniens (phtalates et métaux lourds étudiés) et la santé de la mère et de l’enfant, selon lesquelles l’exposition prénatale à certains phtalates et métaux toxiques lourds pourrait jouer un rôle dans le développement du diabète gestationnel et de l’hypertension induite par la grossesse pendant la grossesse et, ultérieurement, un eczéma pendant la petite enfance
All humans are exposed to chemicals in everyday life, from food, indoor environment, cosmetics and other products that surround us at home and at work. Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are man-made compounds that can bind to cell receptors and mimic or block the functions of natural hormones potentially resulting in adverse health effects. In recent years, hypotheses have been put forward that EDCs may contribute also to the development of allergic and respiratory diseases. In addition, it is likely that EDCs could act already during pregnancy by causing gestational diabetes mellitus and pregnancy induced hypertension, which may also trigger to develop hypertension and diabetes mellitus later in life. This dissertation provides evidence that maternal exposure to phthalates and heavy metals (Lead, Cadmium and Manganese) during pregnancy may be associated with gestational diabetes mellitus, pregnancy induced hypertension and later eczema/atopic dermatitis in children. We used ongoing French EDEN-mother child cohort data for our three studies. Our results add new suggestive evidence on the relationship between EDCs (phthalates and heavy metals we studied) and maternal and children health, that prenatal exposure to certain phthalates and heavy toxic metals may play a role in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus and pregnancy induced hypertension during pregnancy and later eczema in early childhood. Future research focusing on larger populations and addressing multiple exposures assessed prenatally and postnatally are required to provide more evidence on possible contributions of emerging pollutants to study the role of phthalates and heavy metals

Purpose – Globalization affects all producing companies with increased complexity in production, stock management and never ending customer demands. The customers of today have a greater range of suppliers than before with even more products to choose from which puts the customer in a strong position. One of many important subjects that companies need to work with to keep their competitiveness strong against each other is to work with continuous improvements in production- and inventory management. This study therefore reviews tied up capital in stock and suggest adequate procedures, which could be applied to decrease the tied up capital.   Method –In order to fulfil the purpose a case study is conducted. Two central research questions are chosen for the study to investigate in a case company. The data collected contains of secondary data, observations and interviews. To accomplish the purpose a theoretical framework has been put together.   Findings – Reducing variations in production and re-designing of the daily production plan is presented as the two procedures with the purpose to achieve a decrease in tied up capital for stock kept units. The study describes these two procedures in general in order to make the solution applicable into various manufacturing company. Further the study claims that gaining flow efficiency should be prioritized instead of resource efficiency, which could be accomplished by the two procedures.    Implications – The study contributes to verifying production theories, foremost about variations in production, Lean manufacturing and the technique of Lead-time mapping.   Limitations – In order to apply the procedures with precision and efficiency some further data and extended studies needs to be performed. This study is performed in a generalizing point of view, which may influence the results.  The study does not capture every aspect of affecting circumstances that might be needed for a successful implementation of suggested procedures.   Keywords – Tied up capital, Lead-time, Lean, Lead-time mapping, Variations, Flow efficiency, Postponement, Just-in-Time, Make-to-stock and Make-to-order.
Syfte – Globaliseringen har gjort att kunden har ett högre utbud att välja mellan och kan därmed ställa högre krav på tillverkande verksamheter. För att fortsatt vara konkurrenskraftig måste verksamheter ständigt utveckla den interna produktion- och materialstyrningen. Studiens ämnar därmed undersöka orsaken till uppkomsten av bundet kapital i lager samt finna potentiella åtgärder som kan vidtas inom verksamheten för att på ett hållbart sätt minska bundet kapital i lager.   Metod – För att uppfylla studiens syfte tillämpas fallstudie. Studien utgår från två frågeställningar som besvaras med hjälp av data från ett fallföretag. Data som samlas är hämtad från sekundärdata, observationer och intervjuer. Därtill har ett teoretiskt ramverk upprättats vilken studien utgår ifrån.   Resultat – Minska variationer samt utförande av en mer detaljerad planering presenteras som studiens två åtgärdsförslag för att minska bundet kapital i lager. Studien beskriver övergripande potentiella tillvägagångssätt för att åstadkomma förslagen. Studien konstaterar att flödeseffektivitet med fördel bör prioriteras framför resurseffektiviteten i verksamheten, vilket uppfylls med hjälp av åtgärdsförslagen.   Implikationer – Studien bidrar inte till nya teorier men verifierar befintliga teorier främst kring variationer i tillverkning, Lean och ledtidskartläggning.   Begränsningar – För att åtgärdsförslagen i studiens resultat ska kunna tillämpas krävs ytterligare data och fördjupade studier för att garantera att samtliga aspekter ska fångas in samt att orsak och påverkan av åtgärderna ska kunna kartläggas. Studien bygger på generaliserande antaganden vilket ger ett generaliserat resultat.   Nyckelord – Lean, Ledtid, Ledtidskartläggning, Variationer, Flödeseffektivitet, Senareläggning, Just-in-Time, Make-to-order och Bundet kapital.

Make-to-order and engineer-to-order companies often have few standard products and a demand that is hard to predict. To get orders the company gives quotations and competes for the customers. This thesis aims to identify the factors contribution to the lead time uncertainty at make-to-order companies and then to suggest a methodology to handle or eliminate some of these factors. A case study was conducted at a medium sized company with a combined make-to-order and engineer-to-order manual production system. The company has long lead times in the order process as well as the assembly process. The lead times for the case company are measured in weeks rather than minutes, hours or days. Information was collected during a three month period through interviews with the employees, attendance in meeting and observations at the shop floor. The information was structured and analyzed using for example anity diagrams, inter-relationship digraphs and a mini risk assessment. A solution was chosen through a matrix diagram, comparing different possible solutions in relation to the identified factors. The investigation showed that the problem area of quoting delivery dates was a significant problem. There is a tendency to give quotations for more than what would be possible to produce, to make sure the company get enough orders. This strategy induce uncertainty to the quoted lead times, since more quotations than what is possible might get accepted and the orders then have to wait for others to be completed. The long lead times further increase the problem, since the impact from the quotation phase is not visible until months later. Many times the company end up with too many orders to full and a stressful environment on the shop floor. The proposed improvements are based on the workload control approach and the two decision points; Customer Enquiry & Order stage and the Job Release stage. The goal is for the company to be able to make well informed and motivated planning decisions where priorities are applied in a systematic way. Focus should therefore be on improving the communication between departments. One important step is visualising the capacity utilisation when looking for a new delivery date. The quoted orders should be taken into account since they imply a contingent demand and use of capacity. The expected outcome of the methodology is that the quoted lead times will be more accurate and the company will have better means to deliver on time.
Företag som jobbar enligt tillverkning-mot-order och utveckling-mot-order har ofta få standardprodukter och en efterfragan som är svår att forutsäga. För att fåbeställningar skickar företaget offerter och konkurrerar om kunderna. Uppsatsen syftar till att identiera de faktorer som bidrar till osäkerhet i ledtiden hos tillverkning-mot-order-företag och sedan föreslå en metod för att hantera eller eliminera några av dessa faktorer. En fallstudie genomfördes på ett medelstort finmekanikföretag som kombinerar tillverkning-mot-order och utveckling-mot-order i ett manuellt produktionssystem. Företaget har långa ledtider i både orderprocessen och monteringen. Ledtiderna hos företaget mäts i veckor snarare än minuter, timmar eller dagar. Information samlades in under en tremånadersperiod genom intervjuer med de anställda, närvaro på möten och observationer av monteringen. Informationen strukturerades och analyserades med hjälp av till exempel släktskapsdiagram, relationsdiagram och en miniriskanalys. En lösning valdes genom ett matrisdiagram, som jämför olika möjliga lösningar i förhållande till de identifierade faktorerna. Undersökningen visade att offereringen av leveranstider var ett betydande problem. Det finns en tendens att offerera mer än vad som skulle vara möjligt att producera, för att se till att företaget får tillräckligt med beställningar. Denna strategi orsakar osäkerhet i de ledtider som offereras, eftersom fler offerter än vad som är mojligt kan accepteras och beställningar får sedan vänta på att andra ska bli klara. De långa ledtiderna ökar problemet ytterligare, eftersom effekterna från offertfasen inte märks förrän månader senare. Många gånger resulterar det i att företaget har allt för många beställningar att jobba med och en stressig miljö i monteringen. De föreslagna förbättringarna bygger på arbetsbelastningskontroll, med beslutspunkter vid kundförfrågan & beställning samt orderstart i montering. Målet är att företaget ska kunna göra väl underbyggda och motiverade planeringsbeslut där prioriteringar tillämpas på ett systematiskt sätt. Fokus bör därför ligga på att förbättra kommunikationen mellan avdelningarna. Ett viktigt steg är att visualisera kapacitetsutnyttjandet när vi letar efter ett nytt leveransdatum. Även de offerter som skickats ut men ännu inte accepterats bör beaktas eftersom de innebär en eventuell efterfrågan och användning av kapaciteten. Det förväntade resultatet av metoden är att de offererade ledtiderna kommer att vara mer exakt och bolaget kommer att ha bättre möjligheter att leverera i tid.

Thesis advisor: Caroline Bicks
Routinely recognized as deeply patriarchal, early modern England is an era in which men and characteristics of the male gender are assumed to have held unrelenting sway over their female counterparts. This description is largely justifiable, particularly given the era's legal codes. However, this thesis seeks to enrich discussions on early modern England by examining its male-female relationships through a markedly different lens. By highlighting the close relationships that existed alongside patriarchal mandates in the era - husband and wife, father and daughter, mother and son - a fuller portrait of the period is sketched. Through an examination of how a variety of genres - medical, religious, and dramatic - grappled with moments of union between the two sexes, particularly physical union and its concurrent or resultant emotional bonds, this thesis offers greater insight into how walls to male-female connection were both raised and bridged in the time period
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2008
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: English
Discipline: College Honors Program

Two studies were conducted to assess physiological responses of declining sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) in southern Quebec to wet acidic precipitation and increased soil fertility. Leaves of sugar maple were relatively acidic, had low external neutralization capacity (ENC = 5.1 $ mu$equiv. H$ sp{+} rm g sp{-1}$) and buffering capacity index (BCI = 103 $ mu$equiv. H$ sp{+} rm g sp{-1}$), and higher ENC/BCI compared to three other tree species. Deciduous species showed a higher BCI and a lower ENC in August. Our results suggest that sugar maple may be relatively sensitive to wet acidic deposition and that leaf buffering capacity is related to photosynthesis potential and seasonal change in foliar Ca concentration. Foliar analyses revealed that fertilization with a mixture of K, Ca, and Mg had significant effects on leaf concentrations of K, free amino acids (FAA) and the ratios of N to K, and FAA to N after two growing seasons. Our results suggest that base cation fertilization improved the N and K status of sugar maple and that leaf carbon partitioning appeared to be more dynamic in fertilized trees.

The small GTPase Rap1 serves as a critical point in signal transduction, somatic cell proliferation and differentiation, and cell cell adhesion through distinct mechanisms. During mouse spermiogenesis, Rap1 is activated and forms a signaling complex with its effector, the serine-threonine kinase B-Raf. To investigate the functional role of Rap1 in male germ cell differentiation, transgenic mice expressing a dominant negative mutant of Rap1 selectively in differentiating spermatids, have been generated. Throughout the phenotypic and biochemical characterization of these mice we found that interfering with Rap1 in haploid male germ cells leads to reduced fertility consistent with an anomalous release of undifferentiating spermatids within the tubule lumen and low sperm counts. These defects correlated with impaired spermatid-Sertoli cell adhesion, also known as apical ectoplasmic specialization (ES). We thus searched, in spermatogenic cells of wild-type and mutant mice, for the presence of adhesion molecules whose function in somatic cells is known to be regulated by Rap1. We found that male germ cells express vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) with a timing strictly related to the apical ES formation and function. We, thus, identified VE-cadherin as a molecular component of apical ES. In conclusion, we suggest the possible involvement of cAMP-Epac-Rap1 signaling in the regulation of apical ES dynamics. Our findings may have clinical implications for understanding male infertility in man.

Cichorium (Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus var. foliosum L.) comprises diploid plant species (2n=18) belonging to the Asteraceae family. These species are biennial or, in the wild, perennial species. They are naturally allogamous due to an efficient sporophytic self-incompatibility system. In addition, outcrossing is promoted by a floral morpho-phenology unfavorable to selfing in the absence of pollen donors (i.e., proterandry, wherein the anthers mature before the pistils) and a favorable competition of allo-pollen grains and tubes (i.e., pollen that is genetically diverse from that produced by the seed parents, usually called auto-pollen). Long appreciated as medical plants by the ancient Greeks and Romans, Cichorium spp. are currently among the most important cultivated vegetable crops. They are generally used as components in fresh salads or, more rarely, cooked according to local traditions and alimentary habits. Although this crop does not contribute greatly to the total agricultural income of each country, it is very important at the local level, as it characterizes the agriculture of limited areas, where from 80 to 90% of the country’s production is concentrated. This is indeed the case of Italy, where the Veneto region accounts for 66% of the national acreage and 59% of the national production of the particular type of red or variegated chicory known as “Radicchio”. Radicchio production was for a long time based on farmer’s populations, which are yearly selected and maintained and whose seed is usually reutilized on farm but may also be sold through private and not officially registered transactions. All these populations, obtained by mass selection and maintained through the inter-crossing of selected parents, have to be considered highly heterozygous and genetically heterogeneous whose behaviour and level of adaptation to different environments and/or cultural conditions depend on the frequency of favourable genes or gene combinations. In each breeding program, selection schemes and methods that can be used and the varietal types than can be breed, depend on plant reproductive barriers (e.g. self-incompatibility) and pollination system (e.g. allogamous), and thus on the genetic structure of populations. As a matter of fact, the strong self-incompatibility system found in chicory hinders obtaining highly homozygous parents, made it generally difficult to propose an efficient F1 seed production scheme. Despite the difficulties encountered in obtaining inbred lines by repeated selfing, the recent discovery of spontaneous male-sterile mutants increased the interest towards the production of F1 hybrid varieties. Indeed, male-sterility, or the inability of plants to produce functional pollen, is needful to the commercial production of hybrid seed by crossing parental inbred lines appropriately selected through progeny tests for assessing their specific combining ability. In this project we developed a genotyping method using molecular markers, useful for assessing the homozygosity and genetic stability of single inbred lines and for measuring the specific combining ability between maternal and paternal inbred lines on the basis of their genetic diversity. This information could be exploited for planning crosses and predicting the heterosis of experimental F1 hybrids on the basis of the allelic divergence and genetic distance of the parental lines. Knowing the parental genotypes would enable not only to protect newly registered varieties but also to assess the genetic purity and identity of the seed stocks of commercial F1 hybrids, and to certificate the origin of their food derivatives. Modern marker-assisted breeding (MAB) technology based on traditional methods using molecular markers such as SSRs and SNPs, without relations to genetic modification (GM) techniques, will now be planned and adopted for breeding of vigorous and uniform F1 hybrids combining quality, uniformity, and productivity traits in the same genotypes. Furthermore, this research project deals with the discovery and genetic analysis of four male-sterile mutants in this species. These mutants, which to the best of our knowledge are the first spontaneous male-sterile mutants ever discovered and described in Radicchio, were characterized in great details for the developmental pathway of micro-sporogenesis and gametogenesis, and the inheritance pattern of the gene underlying the male-sterility trait. A quick molecular diagnostic assay was also developed for the early marker-assisted selection of the genotype associated to male-sterile plants. Hence, male-sterile mutants object of this PhD project were demonstrated to be controlled by a single nuclear gene (ms1) that acts at the recessive status. We were able to map the male-sterility gene on a well saturated and characterized linkage group in a chromosomal region spanning 7.3 cM and 5.8 cM from the ms1 locus. On the whole, this information was crucial to plan a Genotyping-by-Sequencing experiment based on BC1 progenies with the aim of narrowing down the genomic window containing the gene for male-sterility in leaf chicory. Finally, the sequencing and assembly of the first genome draft of leaf chicory, will contribute to increase and reinforce the reliability of Italian seed firms and local activities of the Veneto region associated with the cultivation and commercialization of Radicchio plant varieties and food products; the seed market of this species will have the chance to become highly professional and more competitive at the national and international levels. We assembled a genome draft of an estimated size of 760 Mb. We obtained 58,392,530 and 389,385,400 raw reads through the MySeq and HiSeq platforms, respectively. Overall, we identified 66,785 SSR containing regions. Original data from the bioinformatic assembly of the first genome draft of Radicchio, along with the most relevant findings that emerged from an extensive de novo gene prediction and in silico functional annotation of more than 18,000 unigenes are critically discussed. To uncover the sequence of a given genome means to gain a robust scientific background and technological knowhow, which in short time can play a crucial role in addressing and solving issues related to the cultivation and protection of modern Radicchio varieties. In fact, we are confident that our efforts will extend the current knowledge of the genome organization and gene composition of leaf chicories, which is crucial in the development of new tools and diagnostic markers useful for our breeding strategies, and allow researchers for more focused studies on chromosome regions controlling relevant agronomic traits of Radicchio. In conclusion, the present work is a sort of handbook to better understand the world of a non-model species, i.e. leaf chicory, and it is mainly directed to breeders and seed producers dealing with leaf chicory.
Il genere Cichorium (Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus var. foliosum L.) comprende specie vegetali diploidi (2n=18) appartenenti alla famiglia delle Asteraceae. Queste specie sono generalmente biennali o, in natura, perenni. Si tratta di specie prevalentemente allogame a causa di un efficiente sistema di autoincompatibilità sporofitica. Inoltre, la fecondazione incrociata è favorita da una morfologia fiorale sfavorevole all’autofecondazione, se in assenza di un impollinante (ad esempio la proterandria, ovvero la presenza di antere mature prima dei pistilli). In specie di questo genere si riscontra, inoltre, una forte competizione gametofitica, ovvero il rigetto di polline geneticamente simile a quello prodotto dal parentale femminile. A lungo apprezzate come piante medicinali dagli antichi Greci e Romani, le specie del genere Cichorium sono attualmente tra le più importanti specie orticole coltivate. Sono generalmente utilizzate nella preparazione di insalate fresche o, più raramente, cucinate secondo le tradizioni alimentari locali. Anche se la coltivazione della cicoria non contribuisce largamente all’introito agricolo totale di ogni paese, questa risulta essere molto importante a livello locale, in quanto caratterizza l’agricoltura di aree limitate dove è concentrata la coltivazione dell’80-90% della produzione nazionale di questa coltura. Questo è in effetti il caso dell’Italia dove, il 66% dell’ettarato e il 59% della produzione nazionale di una cicoria da foglia rossa o variegata conosciuta come “Radicchio” è concentrata in Veneto. La produzione di Radicchio è stata per un lungo periodo basata su popolazioni mantenute dagli agricoltori, che venivano di anno in anno selezionate e il cui seme veniva solitamente riutilizzato all’interno del centro aziendale o poteva venir venduto attraverso transazioni private e solitamente non ufficiali. Tutte queste popolazioni, ottenute per selezione massale e mantenute attraverso l’interincrocio di parentali selezionati, devono essere considerate altamente eterozigoti e geneticamente eterogenee; il comportamento e il livello di adattamento di queste popolazioni ai diversi ambienti e condizioni agronomiche, è funzione della frequenza di geni favorevoli e della loro combinazione. In ogni programma di miglioramento genetico, gli schemi e i metodi di selezione che possono essere adottati e le tipologie varietali che possono venir costituite, dipendono dalle barriere riproduttive delle piante (come l’autoincompatibilità), dai sistemi di impollinazione (ad esempio l’allogamia) così come dalla struttura genetica delle popolazioni. La forte autoincompatibilità rinvenuta in cicoria, rende estremamente difficile l’ottenimento di parentali altamente omozigoti nell’ottica di un efficiente schema di ottenimento di ibridi F1. Nonostante le difficoltà incontrate nell’ottenimento di linee inbred attraverso cicli ripetuti di autofecondazione, la recente scoperta di mutanti maschiosterili spontanei ha aumentato l’interesse verso la produzione di varietà ibride F1. La maschiosterilità, o l’incapacità delle piante di produrre polline funzionale, è utile per la produzione di seme ibrido commerciale, attraverso l’incrocio di linee inbred parentali appropriatamente selezionate attraverso test di progenie, per stabilire l’attitudine alla combinazione specifica. In questo progetto abbiamo sviluppato un metodo di genotipizzazione utilizzando marcatori molecolari, utile per stabilire il grado di omozigosi e la stabilità genetica di singole linee inbred e per la misurazione dell’attitudine alla combinazione specifica tra linee portaseme ed impollinante sulla base della loro diversità genetica. Queste informazioni possono essere utilizzate per programmare incroci e predire l’eterosi di ibridi F1 sperimentali sulla base della distanza genetica della linee parentali. Conoscendo il genotipo dei parentali, saremo in grado non solo di proteggere ogni nuova varietà rilasciata sul mercato ma anche di stabilire il grado di purezza e identità varietale del seme ibrido commerciale e di certificare l’origine dei suoi derivati alimentari. La costituzione di varietà ibride F1 vigorose e stabili si avvarrà del breeding moderno assistito da marcatori utilizzando tecnologie quali marcatori SSR e SNP, senza alcun collegamento con tecniche di l’ingegneria genetica, combinando tratti di qualità, uniformità e produttività all’interno degli stessi genotipi. Inoltre, nell’ambito di questo progetto di ricerca abbiamo trattato la scoperta e la caratterizzazione genetica di quattro mutanti maschiosterili in questa specie. Questi mutanti, che da quanto ci risulta dalle informazioni in nostro possesso sono i primi mutanti maschiosterili spontanei mai scoperti e descritti in Radicchio, sono stati dettagliatamente caratterizzati per la via metabolica dello sviluppo della microsporogenesi e gametogenesi e per il modello di ereditarietà del gene responsabile della maschiosterilità. Abbiamo sviluppato un saggio diagnostico basato su marcatori molecolari per la selezione precoce di genotipi associati a piante maschiosterili. In questo modo si è dimostrato che i mutanti maschiosterili oggetto di questo progetto di ricerca sono controllati da un singolo gene nucleare (ms1) che agisce allo stato recessivo. Siamo stati in grado di mappare il gene responsabile della maschiosterilità in una regione cromosomica satura e ben caratterizzata di circa 7.3 cM e 5.8 cM dal locus ms1. Complessivamente queste informazioni saranno fondamentali per la pianificazione di un esperimento di Genotyping-by-Sequencing basato su una popolazione BC1 con l’obiettivo di restringere la finestra genomica contenente il gene responsabile della maschiosterilità in cicoria da foglia. Infine il sequenziamento e l’assemblaggio della prima bozza del genoma di cicoria da foglia discussi in questo studio, contribuiranno ad aumentare e rafforzare la credibilità delle ditte sementiere italiane e delle attività locali in Veneto correlate alla coltivazione e la commercializzazione del Radicchio e prodotti alimentari connessi; il mercato sementiero di questa specie avrà la possibilità di diventare altamente professionale e fortemente competitivo a livello nazionale ed internazionale. Abbiamo assemblato una bozza del genoma della misura stimata di 760 Mb. Abbiamo ottenuto 58.392.530 e 389.385.400 sequenze grezze rispettivamente attraverso le piattaforme di sequenziamento MySeq e HiSeq. Abbiamo identificato complessivamente 66.785 regioni contenenti motivi SSR. Abbiamo riportato i dati bioinformatici di assemblaggio della prima bozza del genoma di Radicchio, insieme ai dati più salienti provenienti da una predizione genica de novo e da una annotazione funzionale in silico di più di 18.000 unigenes. La scoperta del genoma di Radicchio significa l’ottenimento di una base scientifica solida e una conoscenza tecnologica tale da giocare in breve tempo un ruolo cruciale nella risoluzione di problematiche legate alla protezione e la coltivazione di moderne varietà di Radicchio. Siamo fiduciosi che i nostri sforzi amplieranno l’attuale conoscenza dell’organizzazione del genoma e della composizione genica della cicoria da foglia, che si ritengono essere fondamentali nello sviluppo di nuovi strumenti e saggi diagnostici basati su marcatori molecolari utili alle strategie di costituzione varietale e che permettano studi più specifici di tratti cromosomici che controllino aspetti agronomici rilevanti in questa specie. In conclusione, il presente lavoro è da leggersi come una sorta di manuale per meglio capire il mondo di una specie non modello come la cicoria da foglia, orientato prevalentemente verso i costitutori genetici e i produttori di sementi di cicoria.

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 57).
Significant growth in the sales is expected in the coming years for the product family that is the focus of this research. In order to meet the takt time for the future demand, improvement on the current processes and expansion are needed. In this work, Value Stream Mapping was implemented to identify the bottleneck processes: fit up (oval), full welding, and pressure testing. Assembly cell concept, workload balancing and FIFO lanes were proposed countermeasures or improvements to address the capacity shortfall. A decrease of 27% in manufacturing lead time was projected if these improvements were made. In addition, the capacity analysis suggests that an expansion is required in full welding and heat treatment furnace.
by Ricolas Wongso.
M.Eng.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.
The printing sector in Peru constantly faces the need to reduce production time because late deliveries to the customer owing to high manufacturing time are critical problems. Previous studies have proposed using the lean manufacturing philosophy to reduce idle times by improving the flow of information within the production processes in large manufacturing companies but not printing SMEs using these tools in a make-to-order environment. This document focuses on implementing an affordable lean manufacturing model in an SME company with a make-to-order environment to reduce its manufacturing times. Therefore, the Kanban, Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED), and value stream mapping (VSM) processes will be adapted for implementation in these companies. Then, the model is validated through its application in a case study; through process simulation, production times were reduced by 24% for an SME, delivering all orders on time, and eliminating 100% penalty costs for late orders.

Thesis (M. S.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2010.
Committee Chair: Dr. Barbara Boyan; Committee Co-Chair: Dr. Zvi Schwartz; Committee Member: Dr. Hanjoong Jo. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Global plastic pollution of the natural environment is extremely detrimental as it is causing deaths of animal species. More than 80 % of marine litter is made up by plastics and 70 % of those are made up by disposable items. For this reason, the European Parliament has agreed to abolish the top ten single-use plastic items found in the marine environment from the EU market from 2021. Therefore, the fossil-based disposables will need to be substituted by disposables made from renewable materials. It is thus important to investigate the environmental impact of these alternatives through their life cycle in order to support sustainable consumption and production. In this study, environmental impact of disposable plates made from two different renewable materials (paper and leaf) were analysed by means of life cycle assessment (LCA). The aim of the study was to examine the environmental performance of the two plates in the impact category global warming potential (GWP); and reveal the processes with the largest contributions to the overall GWP of each plate. The leaf plate was produced in India and the paper plate in the Nordics, however, both plates were used and disposed of in Uppsala, Sweden. The results showed that the leaf plate has a higher GWP due to its long-distance transport and electricity use derived from fossil fuels. Scenario analysis has proved that its GWP can be reduced when sea transport route is chosen instead of flying and production is increased. When it comes to the paper plate life cycle, the processing stage was identified to contribute the most to the total GWP. It could be further improved by applying a biodegradable layer for its coating. To keep the good performance in GWP the plate should be incinerated with energy recovery. The disposal of the plates has a substantial positive influence on their total carbon footprint as both plates substitute use of fossil fuels. However, the credits allocated for the different waste management options are specific to Uppsala and thus the results of this study should be applied only under similar conditions.

Making sense of anguish is an important process leading to personal growth, development, and overall meaning making. Today's quarterlife students (students between the ages of 20-25) may face a variety of traumatic life events that influence how they grow as individuals and are able to move forward from these experiences. I examine several topics that many quarterlife students experience during these challenging years. As a gay identified individual, I examine aspects of `coming out' and the reluctance of blooming into the individual that I wanted to be. I examine the impact of resenting those individuals who may have hurt you and the ultimate growth that results from the pursuit of forgiveness. I then examine the importance of not sacrificing who you are within romantic relationships, and how being in abusive relationships can inhibit one's ability to be happy. Lastly, I close with how despite all of the traumatic experiences one must overcome, we all have the ability to be happy and construct positive meaning from such times of anguish. Written within a scholarly personal narrative methodology, my thesis examines several generational life events that have the potential to cause anguish, and how one can harness personal growth and meaning making from traumatic past experiences.

This research project investigated individual Australian professional male contemporary dancers’ creative practice, to consider how the concept of ‘moving identity’ develops over a professional dance career. The results from the research study demonstrated that each ‘moving identity’ of the three independent Australian professional male dancers interviewed developed in multivariate ways over their careers as dance practitioners. Established inside the researcher’s practice-led research were a publicly archived series of choreographic scores and improvised online videos entitled 'The Museum of Curiosities'. In conjunction, a resourceful toolbox of 'embodied sampling' strategies was developed from the researcher’s creative practice when investigating his moving identity.

I Sverige och andra länder i världen är det vanligt att man bygger miljöklassade byggnader. Miljöklassade byggnader har idag stor efterfrågan och det finns olika miljöcertifieringssystem som kan användas vid både nybyggnationer och ROT-arbeten. Effektiviseringar i miljöarbete och energifrågor kring byggen är ämnen som miljöcertifieringarna behandlar, därför är det vanligt att dessa frågor och effektiviseringar i miljöarbete även tillämpas på befintliga byggnader för att nå en miljöklassificering. LEED är ett amerikanskt bedömningssystem som är ett av det mest kända miljöcertifieringssystemet i världen och systemet används även i Sverige. Det sätts press på projekteringsgruppen och personerna inom produktionen vid arbete med LEED. För att allt ska fungera enligt LEEDs krav blir det extra viktigt att alla inom bygget har kunskap om vad som krävs av varje enskild person som är involverad i bygget. Hur ska kunskapen kring arbete med LEED kunna förbättras och produktionen effektiviseras? I examensarbetet föreslås att detta ska ske med hjälp av en mall, kallad "Mallen". Mallen ska finnas till hands för alla inom produktionen som i sin tur ska ge ett resultat där kunskapen inom företaget ökar kring LEED men även effektivisera arbetet i samband med att kunskapen ökar. När både kunskapen och effektiviseringen ökat samt visat goda resultat bör en sänkning av inom kostnaden ske.
In Sweden and other countries in the world, it’s common that you build green certified buildings. There’s a great demand for Green buildings and there are different kinds of green building certification systems that can be used in both new construction and repair jobs. Efficiency and energy issues surrounding the building are topics that green building certifications treat, because it is common that these issues and improvements also is applied to existing buildings in order to reach an green building classification. LEED is an American classification system that is one of the most known systems in the world and it’s also used in Sweden. In order to use LEED while constructing a building it puts a pressure on the planning group and even for the people in construction. To make everything work according to the LEED requirements, it will be extra important that everyone within the building process should have knowledge of what is required from each person involved in the construction. How should the knowledge increase and construction efficiency improve? We propose it can be done by using a template which is also called "Mallen". This will be available for all involved in the production process and will result in an increased knowledge about LEED within the company. By that the efficiency of the work increases. When both knowledge and efficiency have increased and shown good results it should then also reduce the costs.

Construction productivity lags behind most industries. In general, the process of construction is carried out in several smaller processes. For the overall construction process to be successful, continuity between these smaller processes must be achieved. This has been the persistent goal of construction productivity improvement for decades now. Waste is generated between the continuing activities by the unpredicted release of work and the arrival of resources. However, in recent decades the construction industry has a great need to improve its productivity, quality and incorporate new technologies to the industry due to increased foreign competition. In the late 1980s, researchers started looking at solving this problem in a more general and structured way based on the philosophy and ideology of lean production. In lean, adopting waste identification/reduction, or meeting the client's needs with minimal resources addresses the performance improvement. With recent developments in the construction industry, introduction of building information modeling (BIM) has had a significant influence on leaner construction. They are both complementary in several important ways. Various studies conducted exhibit that BIM is very crucial in reducing the project cost, site conflicts, project duration, error reduction, better and faster design development, and so on. This brings the question; can BIM be used as a tool for leaner construction? The objective of this thesis is to determine how BIM is helping achieve a leaner construction. More and more companies are adopting BIM as an acceptable waste reduction tool. A comprehensive study of lean theory and BIM was conducted, underscoring ways for BIM to help achieve leaner construction. The research was broadly conducted in three different parts. In the first part, a synthesis is drawn from a literature study to show that BIM helps reduce waste, helps in implementing lean techniques, and achieves lean principles. The second part focuses on the data acquired from a construction company to show that BIM helps reduce project cost, duration and conflicts. The third and the last part focused on getting the perspective view of different professionals in the construction industry on BIM by conducting focus interviews. A comprehensive conclusion was derived based on the findings from the three methods adopted.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Cincinnati, 2006.
Advisor: Dr. Nancy Steinberg Warren. Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed June 5, 2009). Includes abstract. Keywords: Minority; minority recruitment; genetic counseling; health disparities; barriers; characterization; African American; Native American; Hispanic. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2010.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 25-25).
Women in technology have always been a minority and the number of women who are founders of venture backed start-ups is even lower. This research empirically investigates venture capital funding received by entrepreneurs along the twin dimensions of gender and geography. The ideal experiment would have been to study the numbers of entrepreneurs who pitch their ideas to venture capitalists by gender, and correlate that number with attrition rates during each stage, and finally study the funding outcome, fully accounting for survivor bias. This data could not be accessed. Therefore, we decided to use the financial crisis of 2008 which resulted in illiquid capital markets as a proxy, and studied pre- and post-crisis funding outcomes. The study assumes Q3'08 as date of crisis. The results indicate that gender does not affect the chances of receiving follow-on funding. The key factors that affected funding were the participation of reputed investors in the pre-crisis funding event, and geographic location of the venture. Men founders were more likely to receive follow-on funding in Massachusetts compared to women founders, while women had a significantly better chance of receiving funding in California compared to their male counterparts. We then investigated the cause of the surprising results. Our analysis indicated that the majority of the women founders who received pre-crisis funding in California were either experienced entrepreneurs with prior founding experience, or possessed an advanced technical degree (Ph.D.). This was in sharp contrast to the women who founded technology companies in Massachusetts who were mostly first time founders, and the majority did not possess advanced technical degrees.
by Shuba Swaminathan.
M.B.A.

El texto completo de este trabajo no está disponible en el Repositorio Académico UPC por restricciones de la casa editorial donde ha sido publicado.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a proposal of a production management model using lean manufacturing techniques to improve on-time deliveries of a metal-mechanic company that works in a make-to-order (MTO) manufacture of industrial fans environment. The proposal of the research refers to the implementation of a production management model in a metal mechanic company in Peru and analyze the effect in on-time delivery rate of the company. In one month of operation after the implementation of the pro-posed model, the on-time delivery rate of the company increased from 35% to 80%. Likewise, the problems present in the metalworking research company may be the same in many metalworking companies in the country, so the present investigation will serve as an example for the possible solution of the problems of other companies.

This study sought to examine the exercise-induced ST-segment shifts, J₀ and J₆₀, attributable to ECG lead configuration, specifically to evaluate if ischemic changes are modified as a function of using the Mason-Likar lead system. Males (N=30) referred for diagnostic testing underwent a symptom-limited graded exercise test (SLGXT). ST-segment shifts, J₀ and J₆₀, measured as the difference from baseline to recovery minute one, were not significantly different in responses measured from two simultaneous complexes for lead V₅. In frontal lead II, differences were found in the ST-segment response at baseline vs. recovery minute one. All ST-segment shifts were computed as the difference between J_x obtained at resting baseline vs. the J_x obtained at the exercise measurement in the same posture. ST-segment shifts, J₀ and J₆₀, measured at peak-exercise vs. recovery minute one using the Mason-Likar lead system, revealed a significant difference according to the measurement recorded in both leads V₅ and II (p<.05). Comparisons of frequencies for clinically abnormal ST-segment shifts according to ECG lead configuration at recovery minute one when measured from peak-exercise using Mason-Likar were significant in only lead II (p<.05). Observation of the data suggest that the Mason-Likar lead system may affect the interpretation of ischemic ST-segment shifts in lead II. However, these results do not invalidate the interpretation of ischemic ST-segment shifts in lead V₅ using the Mason-Likar lead system.
Master of Science

Mossberg (1998) bekräftar att batch-baserad logstik inom bokbranschen har flertalet negativa konsekvenser. Mossberg (1998) skriver följande; ”ETT PÅGÅENDE RESURSSLÖSERI De osålda böckerna drar på sig transport- och lagerkostnader… …överskottet -- inte sällan mer än halva upplagan! -- makuleras inom en treårsperiod. Bortsett från det stötande i detta resursslöseri bidrar förfarandet till att den svenska bokmarknaden har fått den ’’färskvaruprägel’’ som tidigare berörts -- och som innebär en tidsmässig begränsning av den svenskspråkiga litteraturen.” (Mossberg, 1998)  Mossbergs (1998) iakttagelser stödjer även de observationer vi gjort på fallföretaget. Detta är också grunden till vårt projekt där vi bidrar till ett mera effektivt och hållbart arbetssätt hos en av Sveriges största ekonomiboksproducenter. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka fördelar som enligt teorin kan uppnås vid en övergång från en batch-baserad till en print-on-demand baserad logistikhantering av böcker.    Målet är att presentera rekommendationer för beslutsfattande och framtida strategi för fallföretaget, men också för att hjälpa andra företag med liknande krav och behov. Denna fallstudie genomförs på ett svenskt företag där man i huvudsak arbetar med kundservice/support till företag som använder sig av deras bokföringsprogram och servicetjänster. En viktig del i deras tjänst innebär publicering samt e-försäljning av informationsböcker. Vi har dock kunnat se att ytterst lite görs för att förbättra sin kvalitet inom detta område.  Vår undersökning visar att fallföretaget sammantaget skulle vinna flera fördelar genom att använda sig utav en print-on-demand-lösning. Detta eftersom man skulle förbättra sin kvalitet i alla de avseenden vi fokuserat på, med en lägre totalkostnad, ingen kapitalbindning och en minskad påverkan på miljön.
Mossberg (1998) confirms that batch-based logistics in the book industry has several negative consequences. Mossberg (1998) writes the following;  "AN ONGOING WASTE OF RESOURCES The unsold books are incurring transportation and inventory costs ... ... surplus - often more than half the recipients edition! -- canceled within three years. Aside from the offensive in this waste of resources, this procedure contributes to the fact that the Swedish book market has got the '' fresh character '' as mentioned earlier -- and as entails a temporal limitation of the Swedish-language literature" (Mossberg, 1998)  Mossberg's (1998) findings also support the observations we have made in this study. This constitutes the foundation of this survey, where we contributes for a more effective and sustainable operation at one of Sweden's largest economy book producers.  The purpose of this study is to examine the advantages and disadvantages that come with make-to-stock and a batch based logistics management of books. But also to identify the advantages that, according to the theory, can be achieved in a transition to make-to-order with a print-on-demand solution.   The goal is to present recommendations for decision-making and future strategy for the company where this study took place, as well as to help other companies with similar needs and requirements.  This case study is conducted at a Swedish company which essentially work with customer service / support to businesses using their accounting software and services. An important part of their service means publishing as well as e-books sale of information books. We have noticed that little is done to improve their efficiency and quality in this area.  Our study shows that this company would gain several benefits by making use out of a print-on-demand solution. This because it would improve their quality in all respects we’ve focused on, with a lower total cost, no tied up capital and en reduced environmental impact.

Despite an increasing number of acclaimed abstract animations being created through the application of motion capture technologies there has been little detailed documentation and analysis of this approach for abstract animation production. More specifically, it is unclear what the key considerations are, and what issues practitioners might face, when integrating motion capture movement data into their practice. In response to this issue this study explored and documented the practice of generating abstract visual and temporal artefacts from motion captured dance movements that compose abstract animated short films. The study has resulted in a possible framework for this form of practice and outlines five key considerations which should be taken into account by practitioners who use motion capture in the production of abstract animated short films.

The aim of this paper is to analyze the pattern of speculation-led growth in Turkey. It is dependent on international capital flows, whose continuity becomes more and more critical given the current account deficit, which is estimated to reach 6.1% as a ratio to GDP at the end of 2005. The paper assesses the sustainability of this speculation-led growth in the context of EU enlargement and compares the current state of fragility with former crises in Turkey as well as in East Asia and Latin America. Following a severe financial crisis in 2001, Turkey has entered a new phase of fragile growth led by boom-euphoric expectations. The paper aims at explaining this new phase and the evolution of the risk perceptions of both the creditors as well as the debtors in this "speculation game" based on the post-Keynesian/Minskyan concepts of endogenous expectations and financial fragility. (author's abstract)
Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

The purpose of this thesis is to examine what impact the new phenomena of virtual teams have on a Swedish SMEs internationalization process. The method of the thesis was decided to be a qualitative study, together with an abductive approach. The data was collected by interviewing managers from six different SMEs that have implemented virtual teams in their organization. All companies are located in Sweden, and are active on the international market, or aim to be internationalized in a near future. Multiple theories are presented in the theoretical framework, the theories chosen to support this thesis are Internationalization, Small-medium enterprise, Virtual teams vs physical teams, and cultural dimensions influencing the team. Based on the theories, a conceptual framework model was developed to show the connection between the mentioned theories. All findings extracted from the interviews is presented in the empirical findings chapter, where the primary data describes each case answers regarding the specific topics and theories. The analysis chapter visualizes the connection between empirical findings and the different theories, presenting advantages and challenges when using a virtual team. The conclusion of the thesis show that implementation of virtual teams can help Swedish SMEs leap over stages in a classical internationalization process. The thesis intends to influence managers of SMEs to implement virtual teams to digitalize their company, or to make their internationalization process easier. Ending the thesis with recommendations for future research

In recent years, much focus has been put on the sustainability of water and sanitation development projects. Experts in this field have found that many of the projects of the past have failed to achieve sustainability because of a lack of demand for water and sanitation interventions at a grassroots level. For years projects looked to create this demand through various subsidy schemes, with the "software" of behavior change and education taking a backseat to the "hardware" of infrastructure provision. Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) is a fairly new way of looking at the issues of increasing basic sanitation coverage, promoting good hygiene practices, and facilitating the change in behaviors that is necessary for a level of basic sanitation coverage to be sustained for any significant length of time. CLTS looks to get people to come to the realization that open defecation is dangerous, and that they have to power to stop this practice. The purpose of this research study was to assess the water, sanitation, and hygiene situation on the ground in villages that through CLTS have achieved open defecation free (ODF) status in the Mopti region of Mali, West Africa. This assessment was done through a willingness-to-pay study, that showed how important sanitation infrastructure was in the daily lives of villagers in this region of Mali. This research study also examines any possible correlations between certain socioeconomic data and willingness-to-pay. A questionnaire was developed and completed with 95 household heads spread across 6 of the 21 ODF villages in the region. The results of this research study show that the behavior change brought about by CLTS was sustained. Every household in the study had at least one latrine (total latrines = 186), or had access to a neighbor's latrine because theirs had recently collapsed. Of these latrines 82.3% were reported as meeting the Malian nation government requirements of basic sanitation. 89.3% of the observed latrines were built by the participant families themselves using predominately materials that could be found in or harvested from the local environment (e.g., mud, rocks, sticks). Fifty-three percent of the latrines were built completely free of cost, and of the 88 latrines that were paid for in part or in whole the average cost was about US $13.00. The majority of the participants (64.2%) in the research study reported making improvements and maintaining their latrines, clearly showing the importance of sanitation infrastructure in the 6 study villages. The average cost of this maintenance was about US $1.50. Alongside of willingness-to-pay data, more qualitative data were collected on the relative importance of sanitation infrastructure in the daily lives of people in ODF villages in Mopti. This study found that on average throughout the 6 study villages, about 13% of discretionary funds are saved for or spent on maintenance and improvements to sanitation infrastructure on a monthly basis. When sanitation infrastructure investments were compared with other infrastructure and livelihood investments, on the average it was ranked 7th out of the possible 10. These data seem to indicate that future investment in sanitation infrastructure was not a high priority for the participants. This could be stem from the fact that many of the participants had not directly experienced the need for continued investments, because their original latrines were still functional. The willingness-to-pay regression analysis produced very few statistically valid results. Only a few of the correlations found between willingness-to-pay data and socioeconomic characteristics of the sample were found to be statistically valid. For example, the correlation coefficient between willingness-to-pay for pit maintenance, including emptying when full or covering the pit with top soil, digging a new one, and reconstruction, and education level of the participants was about 1.2 and was statistically valid with a t-statistic of about 2.2. Indicating that the more educated a participant was, the more they would be willing to pay for pit maintenance. None of the overall regressions explained enough of the variability in willingness-to-pay data to be considered statistically valid. Regressions for two scenarios, constructing a cement slab as an improvement to an existing latrine and sealing/lining the pit on an existing latrine with cement, explained 10.3% and 10.4% of the variability in willingness-to-pay data respectively. However, this did not meet the minimum criteria of 15%. While the willingness-to-pay data would have been useful to study partners that are piloting a Sanitation Marketing program in Mali, the main research objective of assessing the CLTS intervention was still met.

Uosialapis klevas (Acer negundo) vienas iš 5 invazinių naikintinų augalų Lietuvoje. Dėl jo agresyvaus skverbimosi į vandens pakrančių bendrijas ir daromos žalos bioįvairovei pradėti tyrimai kuriais siekiama išsiaiškinti uosialapio klevo ekologines ir biologines savybes, populiacijų sudėtį ir daromą poveikį aplinkai. Darbo tikslas – nustatyti uosialapio klevo derėjimo ir vaisių morfologinių požymių priklausomybę nuo medžių amžiaus ir buveinės sąlygų. Darbo uždaviniai: 1. Nustatyti tirtų uosialapio klevo populiacijų moteriškųjų individų brandos amžių; 2. Įvertinti uosialapio klevo kekių dydžio priklausomybę nuo medžio amžiaus ir buveinės sąlygų; 3. Nustatyti vaisių morfologinių požymių priklausomybę nuo medžio amžiaus ir buveinės sąlygų; 4. Ištirti uosialapio klevo vaisių morfologinių požymių įvairovę.
Ash-leaf maple (Acer negundo) is listed among 5 alien invasive plant species in Lithuania. Because of intense invasion to the habitats of river banks and negative influence on biodiversity, investigations on this species biological and ecological caracteristics were started in order to reveal its impact on natural environment. The aim of the work was to reveal fecundity and variation of fruit parameters in relationship with tree age and habitat characteristics. Following tasks were formulated: (1) to reveal age of fecundity of female individuals of ash-leaf maple; (2) to estimate dependence of raceme parameters upon tree age and habitat characteristics; (3) to reveal relationships of fruit morphological parameters with tree age and habitat characteristics; (4) to investigate variation of fruit parameters in and among populations.