Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'ACE-K'

The Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) is the principal source of information used to assess and regulate the potential hazard and risk for a chemical that has the potential to bioaccumulate in the marine environment, according to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The main objective of this thesis was to estimate the BCFs of two different emerging contaminants in Ruditapes philippinarum (Manila clam) under controlled laboratory conditions: the UV filter 4-methylbenzylidene camphor (4-MBC) commonly used in skincare products, and the artificial sweetener Acesulfame potassium (ACE-K) used as a food additive. Ruditapes philippinarum organisms were exposed directly to 4-MBC and ACE-K nominal concentration of 1, 10 and 100 μg L-1 during 10 days. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) were estimated according to 3 different models for both compounds. The 4-MBC estimated BCFs fall in range of 61553 - 539143 L Kg-1, showing that this compound is very bioaccumulative and could also undergo biomagnification in the marine food chain. On the contrary, estimated ACE-K BCF is consistently lower, in order of 7 L Kg-1 for the nominal exposure concentration of 100 μg L-1. The low ACE-K BCF could be explained by its high solubility in water and thus a rapid metabolization by clams during the experiments. In summary, future research focusing on the marine environment is needed on these two emerging compounds.

The consumer today is affected by a considerably larger number of world surrounding factors than she used to be, borders between different cultures and other consumer differences are being erased to a growing extent. The consumer can easily get its inspiration from many different directions which become clear in the common life. We eat sushi for lunch, we’re driving German cars and we’re having dinner with international business partners. The community also exposes the consumer for a more intense noise from offers, impact and marketing. Never before have so many different actors on the market been competing about the consumers’ attention. In a community where the noise constantly grow more and more intense, the importance of the product function is decreasing to make room for an increasing importance of the brand’s position on the market. The customer no longer buys a garment for its function, but for image or perhaps even the personality it brings along. Acne Jeans and Filippa K are two successful Swedish companies that are established in both Stockholm and Gothenburg. Both of these trademarks offer the customer a lifestyle instead of just a simple product. The purpose of this study is to examine, describe and analyze what Acne Jeans and Filippa K wants to provide with their trademarks and how the customer see these brands concerning consumer buying behavior and attitude. The study will be seen partially from a sender perspective and partially from a receiver perspective. In this essay we have used a human-hermeneutic way of interpretation. We have conducted a qualitative study of how Acne Jeans and Filippa K want to provide their trademarks and what the consumers think about the both brands in Stockholm and Gothenburg. The empiric material in our essay consists of observations of Acne Jeans and Filippa K, and interviews with consumers in both Stockholm as well as in Gothenburg. Through our research we have achieved the conclusion that Acne Jeans wants trough its trademark provide fashionable garments to the customers. The respondents that have made themselves an opinion about the company have a positive image of Acne Jeans. The respondents whom cannot identify themselves with Acne Jeans have a more negative attitude to the company. In Gothenburg the customer has a stronger relationship to the trademark than the Stockholm respondents.Filippa K wants through its trademark provide timeless clothing of high quality to a commercial price to the customers. All the respondents were familiar with the trademark and in one way or another had a connection and relationship with the company. Regardless of age, respondents in both Stockholm and Gothenburg had a positive attitude towards the company; the customer has a high rank of awareness to Filippa K. The associations to the brand are strong and the consumer has a mentally loyal attitude towards Filippa K.

Program: Textilekonomutbildningen

Uppsatsnivå: C

The aim of this master thesis is the comparison of selected methods and parameters for roller bearings diagnostics. Selected statistical parameters are kurtosis, crest factor, and parameter K(t). The other selected methods are envelope analysis, cepstral analysis, and ACEP method. These methods are implemented in LabVIEW software and compared based on noise resistance, computation speed, and overall capability of identifying roller bearing faults.

Depuis le milieu du XXe siècle, l'arbitrage commercial international a connu un développement phénoménal et acquis une importance significative dans le monde des transactions commerciales internationales. Il est effectivement devenu la juridiction mondiale la plus acceptable, la plus fiable et la plus usuelle pour résoudre les différends relatifs au commerce et aux investissements internationaux. Toutefois, il a rencontré des difficultés en ce qui concerne les mesures provisoires et conservatoires ce qui explique la tendance des parties à éviter d’y avoir recours devant les arbitres, au profit des juridictions étatiques pour obtenir les mesures d’urgence dont ils avaient immédiatement besoin. L’inexistence d’un régime procédural capable de bien régir cette matière était la raison principale qui a réduit l’efficacité de l’arbitrage. Pourtant, ce fait a changé grâce aux modifications majeures qui ont été apportées à la Loi type de la CNUDCI en 2006. Cette loi a établi un régime arbitral spécifique aux mesures provisoires et conservatoires. À un stade ultérieur, les règlements modifiés récemment par les centres d’arbitrage qui agissent sur la scène internationale ont beaucoup développé ce régime en le mettant en pratique. Maintenant, en présence d’un régime arbitral particulier régissant les mesures provisoires et conservatoires, il est opportun d’en évaluer en profondeur l’efficacité par rapport à celle du régime étatique classique régissant la même matière. Voilà l’objectif de cette thèse de doctorat qui présente nombre des propositions doctrinales et normatives dans le but d’améliorer autant que possible ce régime arbitral récent.
Since the mid-twentieth century, the International Commercial Arbitration has achieved massive development and has gained significant importance in the world of international business transactions. It has effectively become the most acceptable, reliable and widely preferred jurisdiction for the settlement of international investment and trade disputes. However, for a long time, the failure of arbitration to properly deal with interim measures lead adversaries to avoid resorting to arbitral tribunals preferring the state courts when emergency measures were required. The main reason for this inadequacy was the lack of a comprehensive arbitral regime for governing the interim measures procedure, which in turn lead to a reduction in the effectiveness of international arbitration. This issue was recently addressed thanks to the major amendments to the UNCITRAL Model Law in 2006. This Model Law established a specialized regime to govern the arbitral proceedings for interim measures. More recently, a number of prominent international arbitration centers modified their rules to comprehensively deal with the issue of interim measures and to put it into practice. The introduction of this specialized arbitral regime calls for more effort to evaluate and compare its effectiveness to the juridical state system in dealing with the issue of interim measures. Therefore, the main objective of this doctoral thesis is to provide a thorough and analytical comparison of the two systems and to present a number of doctrinal and legislative proposals aimed at improving the recently introduced arbitral regime.

Sammanfattning Elförsörjning är en av samhällets mest vitala funktioner och el förbrukas daligen av konsumenter. För att konsumentens ska kunna elförsörjas krävs det bland annat att denne ingår avtal om köp av el med elhandelsbolaget. Avtalet ålägger konsumenten en betalningsskyldighet för den förbrukade elen. Försummar konsumenten sin betalningsskyldighet kan elhandelsbolaget, i enlighet med 11 kapitlet ellagen och avtalet, vara berättigat att vidta avbrott i elöverföringen. För att rätten till avbrott i elöverföringen ska få vidtas krävs att vissa förutsättningar är uppfyllda. Dessa förutsättningar utgör en del av konsumentskyddet på elmarkanaden och elhandelsbolaget hindras därmed från att hur som helst vidta avbrott i elöverföringen. Detta konsumentskydd består av ett antal förutsättningar och är alla förutsättningar inte uppfyllda får avbrott i elöverföringen inte vidtas. Exempel på när avbrott i elöveföringen inte får vidtas är när socialnämnden åtar sig betalningsansvaret för elskulden. I realiten torde enbart vissa ekonomiskt utsatta konsumenter beröras av bestämmelserna om avbrott i elöverföringen. Därmed torde socialnämndens betalningsåtagande vara avgörande för dennes fortsatta rätt till el. Socialnämnden beviljar enbart ekonomiskt bistånd som sista möjliga utväg. Därmed kommer enbart vissa av de ekonomiskt utsatta konsumenterna att behålla rätten till el medan övriga berövas denna rätt. Elhandelsbolagets rätt till avbrott i elöverföringen tillförsäkras redan genom lag vilket innebär att standardavtalet är överflödigt. Avtalets grundläggande funktion är att kunna garantera att konsumenten betalar. Därmed bör konsumentens betalningsskyldighet lagstadgas.
Abstract Electricity supply is one of society's most vital functions and electricity is daily consumed by consumers. To be supplied with electricity the consumer must enter into a contract agreement with the electricity trading company. The contract imposes the consumer to pay for the consumed electricity. If the consumer neglects to pay the electricity trading compa-ny may be, in accordance with chapter 11 The Electricy Act and the contract, entitled to discontinue the electricity transmission. Before the company terminates the electricity transmission certain conditions must be met. These conditions are part of the consumer protection on the electricity market and consequently the electricity trading company is hindered from taking unfound disconnection. This protection consists of a set of condi-tions and for the disconnection to be justified all of those conditions must be met. An ex-ample of a condition that hinders the electricity company from pursuing disconnection is if the Social Welfare Board agrees to take on the liability for the electricity debt. In reality on-ly some economically vulnerable consumers are going to be affected by the provisions re-garding disconnection of transmission of electricity. In such cases the Social Welfare Boards’ commitment to pay is crucial for the consumers’ right to continuing consuming electricity. The Social Welfare Board grants the financial assistance as a last possible resort. Therefore only some of the most financially vulnerable consumers will be able to retain electricity, while others are deprived of this right. The Electricity Trading Company’s right to disconnect the transmission of electricity is en-sured already by law which means that the contract is superfluous. The Contracts’ basic function is to ensure that the consumer pays. Therefore the consumers’ obligation to pay should in an explicit manner be legislated.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
Cadmium (Cd) is considered one of the most toxic heavy metals for its ability to affect different tissues, including the brain and the immune system. The molecular mechanisms of toxicity of Cd are not well established, however, it is known that one of the consequences of Cd exposure is the generation of oxidative stress. Conversely, the quercetin, one flavonoid present in various foods performs various therapeutic functions in the body, such as antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective action. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of quercetin on the behavioral tests, the activity of the enzymes acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Na+, K+-ATPase and the δ-dehydratase aminolevulinic acid (δ-ALA-D), as well as parameters of oxidative stress in the central nervous system of adult male wistar rats exposed to CdCl2. The activities of enzymes AChE, NTPDase and adenosine deaminase (ADA) of peripheral lymphocytes, butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in the serum and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in plasma were also measured in the peripheral system of these animals. The rats were exposed to CdCl2 (2.5 mg / kg) and quercetin (5, 25 or 50 mg / kg) by gavage (1 ml/kg) for 45 days. Hence, the animals were divided into eight groups (n = 10-14): saline/control, saline/Querc 5 mg/kg, saline/Querc 25 mg/kg, saline/Querc 50 mg/kg, Cd/ethanol, Cd/Querc 5 mg/kg, Cd/Querc 25 mg/kg and Cd/Querc 50 mg/kg. The groups treated with Cd and quercetin, received the antioxidant quercetin solution after 30 minutes of the administration of Cd solution. At the end of 45 days of the treatment the animals were submitted to training and behavioral tests. After, they were anesthetized by halothane inhalation, and blood collection was performed to set serum, plasma and peripheral lymphocytes apart. Then the animals were euthanized, with part of the brain being removed for analysis of the enzyme δ-ALA-D activity, while the other part of brain was dissected into, cerebral cortex, striatum, cerebellum, hippocampus and hypothalamus, for future enzymatic assays. The results showed that Cd is able to cross the blood brain barrier, therefore, although the amount of Cd accumulated in the different brain structures studied was low, it was significantly higher than in control. Simultaneous treatment of quercetin in Cd exposed animals was ineffective to decrease these levels of Cd. The Cd exposure caused impairment on learning and memory, besides causing an increase in the anxiogenic behavior type. Nevertheless, the treatment with quercetin prevented the undesirable effects caused by exposure to the metal in the anxiety and memory. In relation to enzymatic activities in the brain, it was observed that Cd exposure reduced AChE activity in cerebral cortex and hippocampus, while as activation of the enzyme was observed in hypothalamus. Furthermore, a decrease in the Na+, K+-ATPase enzyme activity in cerebral cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus was observed, as well as a decrease in the δ-ALA-D activity in total brain of Cd exposed animals. Interestingly, the quercetin co-administration in the Cd exposed animals prevented the changes in the activity of the enzymes AChE and Na+, K+-ATPase in different brain structures, though has not restored the δ-ALA-D enzyme activity. It was also observed an increase in ROS production, in lipid peroxidation, in protein oxidation, the levels of double stranded DNA and changes in the antioxidant system, such as, reduction in the glutathione reductase (GR) activity, levels of total thiols (T-SH) and reduced glutathione (GSH), and an increase in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzyme activity in cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus of Cd exposed animals. Co-administration of quercetin in Cd exposed rats was able to prevent totally or partially the changes caused by metal exposure in oxidative stress parameters. It is suggested that quercetin is able to reduce the oxidative damage caused by exposure to these metal and subsequently restore the AChE and Na+, K+-ATPase activities, modulating cholinergic neurotransmission and improving cognitive processes. In relation to the peripheral system, there was an increase in the NTPDase, ADA, AChE, BuChE and MPO activities in Cd exposed rats. Based on these results it is possible to infer that the increase in NTPDase activity is a compensatory effect due to the increase in ATP levels in circulation. It is suggested that decreased levels of ACh are available in the circulation due to increase in the peripheral cholinesterase activity. When rats were treated with the quercetin, flavonoid was able to modulate the activities of these enzymes probably due to the anti-inflammatory property of the compound. Accordingly, it is suggested that quercetin prevents or eases the toxicity caused by exposure to metal due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Therefore, it is believed that the flavonoid may be a promising drug in alternative therapies against toxicity induced by the metal in the central nervous system and peripheral system.
O cádmio (Cd) é considerado um dos metais pesados de maior toxicidade devido a sua capacidade de afetar diferentes tecidos, incluindo o encéfalo, bem como o sistema imunológico. Os mecanismos moleculares de toxicidade do Cd ainda não estão bem estabelecidos, contudo, sabe-se que uma das consequências da exposição ao Cd é a geração de estresse oxidativo. Por outro lado, a quercetina, um flavonoide presente em vários alimentos, exerce diversas funções terapêuticas no organismo, como atividade antioxidante, anti-inflamatória e ação neuroprotetora. Sendo assim, o objetivo do presente estudo foi investigar os efeitos da quercetina sobre os testes comportamentais, a atividade das enzimas acetilcolinesterase (AChE), a Na+,K+-ATPase e a δ-desidratase aminolevulinato (δ-ALA-D), bem como os parâmetros de estresse oxidativo no sistema nervoso central de ratos machos wistar adultos expostos ao CdCl2. Também foi avaliada, no sistema periférico destes animais, a atividade das enzimas AChE, NTPDases e adenosina desaminase (ADA) de linfócitos periféricos, butirilcolinesterase (BuChE) do soro e a mieloperoxidase (MPO) do plasma. Os ratos foram expostos ao CdCl2 (2,5 mg/kg) e quercetina (5, 25 ou 50 mg/kg) por gavagem (1ml/kg) durante 45 dias. Para isso, os animais foram distribuídos em oito grupos (n=10-14): salina/controle, salina/Querc 5mg/kg, salina/Querc 25 mg/kg, salina/Querc 50 mg/kg, Cd/etanol, Cd/ Querc 5mg/kg, Cd/Querc 25mg/kg e Cd/Querc 50 mg/kg. Os grupos tratados com Cd e quercetina receberam a solução antioxidante após 30 minutos da administração da solução de Cd. No final do período de 45 dias de tratamento os animais foram submetidos aos treinos e aos testes comportamentais. Posteriormente, foram anestesiados, através da inalação de halotano, e foi realizada a coleta de sangue e separação de soro, plasma e linfócitos periféricos. Em seguida os animais foram submetidos à eutanásia, com parte do encéfalo sendo retirada para a análise da atividade da enzima δ-ALA-D, enquanto que outra parte foi dissecada em córtex cerebral, estriado, cerebelo, hipocampo e hipotálamo, para posteriores ensaios enzimáticos. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o Cd é capaz de atravessar a barreira hematoencefálica, pois, embora a quantidade de Cd acumulada nas diferentes estruturas encefálicas estudadas tenha sido baixa, ainda assim, foi significativamente maior que o controle. O tratamento concomitante da quercetina nos animais expostos ao Cd foi ineficiente em diminuir estes níveis de Cd. A exposição ao Cd causou prejuízos na aprendizagem e memória, além de causar um aumento no comportamento do tipo ansiogênico. Por outro lado, o tratamento com a quercetina preveniu os efeitos indesejáveis causados pela exposição ao metal na ansiedade e memória. Em relação às atividades enzimáticas no encéfalo, verificou-se que a exposição ao Cd reduziu a atividade da enzima AChE no córtex cerebral e no hipocampo, enquanto que uma ativação da enzima foi observada no hipotálamo. Além disso, observou-se uma diminuição na atividade da enzima Na+, K+-ATPase no córtex cerebral, hipocampo e hipotálamo, bem como uma diminuição na atividade da δ-ALA-D no encéfalo total de animais expostos ao Cd. Interessantemente, a co-administração com a quercetina em animais expostos ao Cd impediu as alterações na atividade das enzimas AChE e Na+, K+-ATPase em diferentes estruturas encefálicas, embora não tenha restaurado a a atividade da enzima δ-ALA-D. Verificou-se, também, um aumento na produção de ROS, na lipoperoxidação, na oxidação de proteínas, nos níveis de DNA dupla fita e alterações no sistema antioxidante, como a diminuição na atividade da enzima glutationa redutase (GR), nos níveis de tióis totais (T-SH) e glutationa reduzida (GSH), e um aumento na atividade da enzima glutationa S-transferase (GST) no córtex cerebral, hipocampo e hipotálamo dos animais expostos ao Cd. A co-administração da quercetina nos ratos expostos ao Cd foi capaz de impedir totalmente ou parcialmente as alterações causadas pela exposição ao metal nos parâmetros do estresse oxidativo. Sugere-se que a quercetina é capaz de diminuir o dano oxidativo causado pela exposição ao metal e, subsequentemente, restaurar a atividade da AChE e Na+, K+-ATPase, modulando, assim, a neurotransmissão colinérgica e melhorando os processos cognitivos. Em relação ao sistema periférico, verificou-se um aumento na atividade das enzimas NTPDase, ADA, AChE, BuChE e MPO nos ratos expostos ao Cd. A partir desse resultado pode-se inferir que o aumento na atividade da NTPDase seja um efeito compensatório devido ao aumento dos níveis de ATP na circulação. Sugere-se que níveis diminuídos de ACh estão disponíveis na circulação devido ao aumento na atividade das colinesterases periféricas. Quando os ratos foram tratados com quercetina o flavonoide foi capaz de modular a atividade dessas enzimas provavelmente devido à propriedade anti-inflamatória do composto. Deste modo, propõe-se que a quercetina previne ou ameniza a toxicidade causada pela exposição ao metal devido a sua atividade antioxidante e anti-inflamatória. Logo, acredita-se que este flavonoide possa ser um fármaco promissor em terapias alternativas contra a toxicidade induzida pelo metal no sistema nervoso central e periférico.

This thesis deals with notes to the financial statements and their explanatory power. Firstly annual financial statement is presented shortly with other context. Then content of the notes to the financial statements is specified in details together with information how should the notes look to provide satisfactory explanatory power. A survey of the real notes was realized for evaluation of these notes. Information stated in the notes were evaluated and the average number of errors in these notes was found out. In the survey it was found out that three errors you can find in the notes of unaudited companies on the average and that the notes of audited companies are worse than the notes of unaudited companies. The main finding is that you can find errors in the notes to the financial statements and these errors can reduce the explanatory power.

O envelhecimento é um processo no qual ocorrem alterações estruturais e funcionais da maioria dos órgãos, que podem levar ao aumento da susceptibilidade a várias doenças associadas à idade. Assim, várias estratégias têm sido investigadas a fim de se reduzir os sintomas relacionados à idade e o exercício físico tem demonstrado efeito neuroprotetor em diferentes modelos experimentais. Nesta tese, investigamos os efeitos do exercício físico moderado sobre a memória e sobre parâmetros bioquímicos no hipocampo e no músculo sóleo de ratos Wistar de 3, 6 e 22 meses de idade. Para isso, foram realizados três experimentos distintos que deram origem aos três capítulos apresentados na tese. No primeiro experimento, estudamos o efeito do exercício físico em ratos de 3 e 22 meses de idade. Neste experimento, o exercício preveniu o déficit de aquisição da memória de referência relacionado à idade. Além disso, preveniu o aumento do estresse oxidativo no hipocampo de ratos envelhecidos e também promoveu o aumento da expressão dos fatores neurotróficos BDNF, NT-3 e IGF-1 no hipocampo destes animais. É importante ressaltar que houve uma correlação positiva entre a redução do estresse oxidativo e a latência para encontrar a plataforma no 5º dia de treino na tarefa de memória de referência, ou seja, a redução do conteúdo de espécies reativas e da lipoperoxidação pelo exercício está correlacionada com a melhora do desempenho de memória dos ratos envelhecidos. No segundo experimento, avaliamos o efeito do exercício físico em ratos de 3, 6 e 22 meses de idade. Corroborando com os resultados apresentados no experimento anterior, foi demonstrado que o exercício físico moderado preveniu os déficits de memória espacial de referência e de trabalho relacionados à idade. O treinamento cognitivo no Water maze aumentou a atividade das enzimas Na+,K+- ATPase e AChE no hipocampo de ratos adultos e envelhecidos. O aumento na atividade da Na+,K+-ATPase foi ainda maior nos ratos envelhecidos submetidos ao exercício físico combinado com o treinamento cognitivo. Além disso, foi observada uma correlação positiva entre a atividade da Na+,K+-ATPase no hipocampo dos ratos envelhecidos exercitados e a latência para encontrar a plataforma no 5º dia de treino na tarefa de memória de referência, ou seja, o aumento da atividade da Na+,K+-ATPase está associado com a melhora do desempenho de memória relacionado ao exercício físico. De acordo com esses dados, também foi observada uma correlação negativa entre a atividade da Na+,K+-ATPase e a diferença (delta) entre a média das latências entre os trials 1 e 4 na tarefa de memória de trabalho, o que demonstra que os ratos envelhecidos exercitados apresentaram um melhor desempenho na tarefa de memória de trabalho associado com o aumento na atividade da Na+,K+-ATPase. No terceiro experimento, investigamos o efeito do exercício físico em ratos de 3 e 22 meses de idade. O exercício aumentou o conteúdo de espécies reativas e a lipoperoxidação no músculo sóleo de ratos jovens. Ratos envelhecidos apresentaram um aumento da lipoperoxidação e uma redução na atividade da enzima catalase. O exercício induziu um aumento dos níveis de espécies reativas, uma redução no conteúdo de sulfidrilas e o aumento de proteínas carboniladas; contudo, promoveu o aumento da atividade das enzimas superóxido dismutase e catalase no sóleo dos ratos envelhecidos. Assim, os resultados do primeiro e do segundo experimento demonstram que o exercício físico preveniu o declínio da memória espacial relacionado à idade e que esse efeito pode ser mediado por fatores que incluem a redução do estresse oxidativo, o aumento da expressão de fatores neurotróficos e o aumento da atividade da enzima Na+,K+-ATPase no hipocampo de ratos envelhecidos. Os resultados do músculo demonstram que o sóleo dos ratos jovens, embora susceptível ao aumento das espécies reativas e lipoperoxidação, não apresentou dano às proteínas, sugerindo que outros mecanismos, como o sistema de defesa antioxidante não enzimático, possam estar atuando para compensar os efeitos do exercício. Além disso, o músculo dos ratos envelhecidos parece ser mais sensível que o dos ratos jovens às alterações do estado oxidativo celular induzidas pelo exercício físico, porque apesar dos animais envelhecidos exercitados apresentarem um aumento na atividade das enzimas antioxidantes, não houve uma redução do dano oxidativo.
Aging is a process in which structural and functional changes occur in most organs and may lead to increased susceptibility to various age-related diseases. Several approaches have been investigated with the aim of reducing age-related symptoms and physical exercise is a therapeutic strategy that has presented neuroprotective action in different experimental models. In this context, some studies show that regular physical exercise is related to the improvement of quality of life and to the prevention of age-related cognitive decline. In the present thesis, we investigated the effect of moderate physical exercise on memory and on biochemical parameters in the hippocampus and soleus muscle in 3, 6 and 22 months-old rats. For that, three different experiments were carried out, which gave rise to the three chapters presented in this thesis. In the first experiment, we studied the effect of physical exercise in 3 and 22 months-old rats. In this experiment, the exercise prevented the age-related acquisition deficit of reference memory. In addition, exercise prevented the increased in oxidative stress and also was able to increase the expression of neurotrophic factors BDNF, NT-3 and IGF-1 in the hippocampus of aged rats. It is important to note that there was a positive correlation between the reduction of oxidative stress and latency to find the platform on the 5th day of training in the reference memory task, i.e., reduction of reactive species levels and lipid peroxidation, might be associated with the exercise-related memory improvement. In the second experiment, we evaluated the effect of physical exercise in 3, 6 and 22 months-old rats. Corroborating with the results presented in the previous experiment, it was demonstrated that moderate physical exercise prevented age-related spatial reference and working memory deficits. It has also been shown that the cognitive training in Water maze increased the activity of the Na+,K+-ATPase and AChE enzymes in the hippocampus of adult and aged rats. The increase in Na+,K+-ATPase activity was even further increased in aged rats that were submitted to physical exercise combined with cognitive training. In addition, a positive correlation was observed between the Na+,K+-ATPase activity in the hippocampus of aged exercised rats and the latency to find the platform on the 5th day of training in the reference memory task, i.e., the increase in Na+,K+-ATPase activity is associated with the exercise-related memory improvement in aged rats. Consistently, a negative correlation between the Na+,K+-ATPase activity and the difference (delta) between the mean latencies of trials 1 and 4 in the working memory task was also found, i.e., the exercised aged rats showed better performance in the working memory task associated with the increase in Na+,K+-ATPase activity. In the third experiment, we investigated the effect of physical exercise in 3 and 22 months-old rats. Exercise increased the reactive species content and lipid peroxidation in soleus muscle of young rats. Aged rats showed an increase in lipid peroxidation and a reduction in the catalase activity. Exercise induced an increase in reactive species levels, a reduction in sulfhydryl content and an increase in carbonyl proteins; however, the exercise was able to increase the superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in the soleus of aged rats. Thus, the results of first and second experiments demonstrate that physical exercise prevents the age-related decline of spatial memory and this effect might be related to the reduction of oxidative stress, increased expression of neurotrophic factors and the increase in the Na+,K+-ATPase activity in the hippocampus of aged rats. The muscle results demonstrate that soleus of young rats, although susceptible to the increased in reactive species and lipid peroxidation, showed no damage to proteins, suggesting that other mechanisms, such as the non-enzymatic antioxidant defense system, may be acting to compensate the effects of exercise. In addition, the muscle of the aged rats seems to be more sensitive than the young rats to changes in the cellular oxidative state induced by exercise, since aged exercised animals showed an increase in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, but there was no reduction of oxidative damage.

Thesis deals with discrete optimization problems. It focusses on faster ways to find good solutions by means of heuristics and parallel processing. Based on ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm coupled with k-optimization local search approach, it aims at massively parallel computing on graphics processors provided by Nvidia CUDA platform. Well-known travelling salesman problem (TSP) is used as a case study. Solution is based on dividing task into subproblems using tour-based partitioning, parallel processing of distinct parts and their consecutive recombination. Provided parallel code can perform computation more than seventeen times faster than the sequential version.

This thesis explores the late-eighteenth-century movement to end Britain’s transatlantic slave trade through recovering one of the major discourses in favour of abolition, namely that of the evangelical Anglicans. This important intellectual milieu has often been ignored in academia and is discovered through examining the sermons, hymns, and prayers of three influential leaders in this movement: Member of Parliament William Wilberforce, pastor and hymn writer John Newton, and pastor and professor Charles Simeon. Their oral texts reveal that at the heart of their discourse lies the doctrine of Atonement. On this foundation these abolitionists primarily built a vocabulary not of human rights, but of public duty. This duty was both to care for the destitute as individuals and to protect their nation as a whole because they believed that God was the defender of the enslaved and that he would bring providential judgement on those nations that ignored their plight. For the British evangelicals, abolishing the slave trade was not merely a means to avoid impending judgement, but also part of a broader project to prepare the way for Jesus’s imminent return through advancing the work of reconciliation between humankind and God as they believed themselves to be confronting evil in all of its forms. By reconfiguring the evangelical abolitionist arguments within their religious framework and social contexts, this thesis helps overcome the dissonance that separates our world from theirs and makes accessible the eighteenth-century abolitionist discourse of a campaign that continues to resonate with human rights activists and scholars of social change in the twenty-first-century.

Dissertação de Mestrado em Segurança Alimentar apresentada à Faculdade de Farmácia
A separação e quantificação dos edulcorantes em estudo foram realizadas por HPLC recorrendo a uma coluna C18 (5 μm, 250 x 4.6 mm), a um fluxo de 0,700 mL/min, utilizando uma fase móvel tamponada consituida por KH2PO4 0.05 M / ACN (85:15), com adição de ácido fosfórico (20 %) de modo a manter o pH a 4,2 – 4,4. A deteção foi efetuada por ultravioleta a um comprimento de onda de 254 nm. O método do padrão externo permitiu quantificar os edulcorantes nas amostras.O presente estudo apresenta como principal objetivo a determinação das concentrações dos edulcorantes acessulfame – K, sacarina e aspártamo em 56 amostras de matrizes líquidas diferentes que foram adquiridas no centro de Portugal, de modo a verificar se de facto as doses máximas de utilização (DMU) estabelecidas pelo Decreto-Lei n.o 394/98 são respeitadas (350 mg/L para o ACE – K, 100 mg/L ou 80 mg/L consoante as bebidas sejam ou não adicionadas com dióxido de carbono para a SAC e 600 mg/L para o ASP).Para validação da metodologia analítica, para além da determinação dos coeficientes de regressão linear (R2), foram também avaliadas a exatidão, a precisão intra-dia e inter-dia. Os limites de deteção (LODs) e os limites de quantificação (LOQs) determinados foram de 9,55 e 28,94 mg/L para o ACE-K, 6,86 e 20,77 mg/L para a SAC e 59,86 e 181,30 mg/L para o ASP.Considerando a análise dos edulcorantes nas amostras, o ACE – K revelou estar presente em 49 das matrizes, surgindo em 100 % das amostras de bebidas desportivas, bebidas energéticas e néctares, em 90 % dos refrigerantes à base de extratos de chás, em 89 % dos refrigerantes tradicionais e em uma amostra de refrigerantes à base de águas minerais, com uma concentração média de 21,89, 202,59, 164,14, 62,55 e 85,29 mg/L, respetivamente. O ASP surgiu em 62,5 % das matrizes analisadas, apresentando uma concentração média de 69,215 mg/L em refrigerantes à base de extratos de chá, 87,82 mg/L em refrigerantes tradicionais, 116,19 mg/L em néctares, 129,33 mg/L em refrigerantes á base de águas minerais e 478,84 mg/L em bebidas energéticas, estando totalmente ausente de bebidas desportivas. A SAC também não foi detetada em bebidas desportivas e em bebidas energéticas, sendo de entre os edulcorantes estudados o menos frequentemente utilizada estando apenas presente em 20 das amostras em estudo, com uma concentração média de 57,27 mg/L em refrigerantes tradicionais, 53,55 mg/L em néctares e 44,31 mg/L em refrigerantes à base de extratos de chás.De acordo com a legislação portuguesa e da União Europeia, a DMU permitida para o ACE – K foi excedida numa amostra de néctar (641,48 mg/L) e no caso do ASP também se verificou que uma amostra de bebida energética excedeu a DMU (679,8 mg/L). Embora menos frequentemente utilizada, observaram-se três situações em refrigerantes à base de extratos de chá (80,5, 101,76 e 82,69 mg/L) e uma em néctares (93,68 mg/L) em que as concentrações de SAC ultrapassaram o estabelecido pela legislação.A ingestão diária estimada (EDI) do ACE – K, da SAC e do ASP para o consumidor português adulto revelou estar bem abaixo da ingestão diária aceitável (ADI). Das seis distintas categorias de amostras analisadas, os refrigerantes tradicionais são responsáveis pela maior EDI do ACE – K e do ASP, 0,14 e 0,12 mg/kg p.c./dia, o que representa 0,911 % e 0,29 % da ADI, respetivamente. Os refrigerantes à base de extratos de chá refletem uma EDI de 0,24 mg/kg p.c./dia para a SAC correspondendo a 9,76 % da ADI, sendo a maior fonte deste edulcorante nas diferentes categorias de bebidas analisadas
Separation and quantification of the sweeteners were performed by HPLC using a C18 column (5 μm, 250 x 4.6 mm) at a flow rate of 0.700 mL/min using a buffered mobile phase consisting of KH2PO4 0.05 M / ACN (85:15), with addition of phosphoric acid (20 %) in order to maintain the pH at 4.2-4.4. Detection was made at a wavelength of 254 nm. The external standard method was used for the quantification.The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the concentrations of the sweeteners acesulfame – K, saccharin and aspartame in 56 samples of different liquid matrices purchased in the central zone of Portugal, in order to verify if the maximum levels of use (DMU) are in accordance with the Decree-Law no. 394/98 (350 mg/L for ACE – K, 80 mg/L and for beverages containing carbonic acid, the dose is 100 mg/L for SAC and 600 mg/L for ASP).To validate the analytical methodology, in addition to the determination of linear regression coefficients (R2), were also evaluated the accuracy, intra-day and inter-day precision. Thelimits of detection (LODs) and limits of quantification (LOQs) were 9.55 and 28.94 mg/L for ACE-K, 6.86 and 20.77 mg/L for SAC and 59, 86 and 181.30 mg/L for ASP.Considering the sweeteners analysis in the samples, ACE – K was present in 49 of theanalysed beverages, being 100 % of sports drinks, energy drinks and nectars, 90 % of teabased soft drinks, 89 % of traditional soft drinks and in one sample of soft drinks based on mineral water, with a mean concentration of 21.89, 202.59, 164.14, 62.55 and 85.29 mg/L, respectively. The ASP was detected in 62.5 % of the analyzed matrices, with an average concentration of 69.215 mg/L in soft drinks based on tea extracts, 87.82 mg/L in traditional soft drinks, 116.19 mg/L in nectars, 129.33 mg/L in soft drinks based on mineral waters and 478.84 mg/L in energetic drinks. In sport drinks, ASP was not detected. SAC was not detected in sport drinks and energy drinks, and was also less frequently used, being present only in 20 of the samples under study, with a mean concentration of 57.27 mg/L in traditional sport drinks, 53.55 mg/L in nectars and 44.31 mg/L in soft drinks based on tea extracts.According to Portuguese and European Union legislation, the maximum allowable dose for ACE – K was exceeded in a nectar sample (641.48 mg/L) and in the case of ASP there was also a sample of energy drink that exceeded DMU (679.8 mg/L). Although less frequently used, three situations were observed in soft drinks based on tea extracts (80.5, 101.76 and 82.69 mg/L) and one in nectars (93.68 mg/L) in which the concentrations of SAC exceeded the recommended level.The estimated daily intake (EDI) of ACE – K, SAC and ASP for the Portuguese adult population was found to be well below the acceptable daily intake (ADI). Of the six different categories of analyzed samples, traditional soft drinks account for the highest EDI of ACEK and ASP, with 0.14 and 0.12 mg / kg bw / day, which represents 0.911 % and 0.29 % of ADI , respectively. Soft drinks based on tea extracts showed an EDI of 0.24 mg / kg bw / day for SAC corresponding to 9.76 % of ADI, being the largest source of this sweetener in the different categories of the analyzed beverages.

碩士
國立臺灣科技大學
工業管理系
100
When the competitor growth rapidly and the market become more competitive, there needs to be a strong focus to enhance and upgrade their service to customer. Best service offers to customer is the only way to keep their customer loyalty. Following the business core value of logistic company, the best service offer can be measured by zero delay, competitive price, and the depot location can be found easily. This study examines the current location set of all depot location X logistic that deploy logistic service in urban area, Jakarta, Indonesia. The goals of this study are to improve the efficiency of coverage in terms of decreasing total travel times, minimize total transportation cost and minimize total cost for a whole. This study employs the proposed methodology of hybrid K-ACO metaheuristic algorithm to solve location allocation problem and will utilize a minimum distance to reach the goals. By using hybrid K-ACO algorithm the number of depot will be open that which gives minimum total cost can be determined. After determining number of depot will be opened, by using trial-error in hybrid K-ACO algorithm the coordinate location to construct new depot and which customers will be served at new depot opened can be known simultaneously. The rest of this study will recommend where the X logistic company should be built the depot and a comparison will be conducted of analyzing the total costs associated with number of depot opened.

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Master's Degree in Technology: Homoeopathy, Technikon Natal, 1997.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a homoeopathic acne complex Sil-Sel-Hep-K-Lap-Puls, which is an abbreviation of its components - Silicea 30CH, Selenium 9CH, Hepar sulphuris 30CH, Kali bromatum 9CH, Arctium lappa 3CH, and Pulsatilla 30CH, in the treatment of acne vulgaris. This study is a double blind randomised placebo-controlled clinical evaluation. Convenience sampling was employed to draw 34 patients, of both sex, median age 21 years from the greater Durban area. Those patients suffering from Acne fulminans, Acne rosacea and Conglobate acne or receiving hormonal, vitamin, Schussler tissue salts, antibiotics and other acne treatments that would affect the acne vulgaris would not be accepted into the treatment. There were 34 patients of which 16 constituted the control group and received only placebo. The remaining 18 were the experimental group and were treated with the homoeopathic acne complex. The homoeopathic acne complex was prepared by the homoeopathic laboratory, Pharma natura. The effect of the homoeopathic acne complex was measured in terms of the reduction in the total number oflesions ie. The Leeds Technique for assessing acne vulgaris - the counting technique.
M

Doctor of Education
Department of Educational Leadership
David Thompson
This present study extended the longitudinal perspective begun by DeBacker (2002) and Jordan (2012) and, when considered wholly, provides insights into the educational experiences offered by districts in the state of Kansas from the years 1992 through 2017, as well as the impacts that changes to school funding had on those experiences. This study assessed selected fiscal and pupil performance variables and examined the impacts that changes to school funding had on those variables, paying close attention to the shift from per pupil funding under the School District Finance and Quality Performance Act (SDFQPA) of 1992 to block grant funding under the Classroom Learning Assuring Student Success (CLASS) Act from 2015 to 2017. In the first phase of this study, Kansas school districts were ordered from wealthiest to poorest based on their assessed valuation per pupil for 2001. To narrow the study population and to ensure that longitudinal analysis could occur, districts that had closed or consolidated by 2016 were removed. For the remaining districts, decile analysis was applied to the population by ranking all 289 school districts from wealthiest to poorest based on 2001 assessed valuation per pupil (AVPP) and by further dividing the population in to ten equal parts (i.e. each decile representing 10% of the population). The population was again narrowed to the representative sample of 112 school districts, with Decile 10 representing the wealthiest 10% of districts, Decile 1 representing the poorest 10%, and Deciles 5 and 6 representing the average wealth districts found in the middle (each representing 10% of the population respectively). This process was repeated for 2011, 2014, and 2016. For this study, 2001 and 2016 served as the bookend years, as DeBacker (2002) had done (1992 – 2001) and Jordan (2012) had repeated (2002 – 2012). Establishing the beginning year as 2001 ensured overlap of years examined by both previous studies and extending through the most recent year of audited data, i.e., 2016. Once the study population was established, data analysis was conducted in two phases. First, fiscal and pupil performance data were analyzed to provide insight into overall health of each district during the years 2001- 2016. Second, survey and interview data were collected and analyzed to glean insights from district leaders for contextual perspective of the impacts that changes to school funding had on districts and their leaders, paying close attention to the years of block grant funding under CLASS. The present study resulted in a critical examination of fiscal and pupil performance variables and the impact that changes to school finance in Kansas had on the educational experience of Kansas pupils.

Informed by institutional ethnography, and taking the problematic from disjunctures in teacher/participants’ experience between actual practice and official policy, this study is an intertextual analysis of print/electronic documents pertaining to students ‘at risk.’ It unpacks the Student Success Strategy in Ontario secondary schools as organized around discourses on risk and safety. Discriminatory classing and racializing processes construct students ‘at risk’ in ways that reproduce socio-economic inequities through premature streaming into pathways geared to post-secondary destinations: university, college, apprenticeship and work. This study questions the accounting logic that reduces education to skills training in workplace literacy/numeracy, and contradicts the official ‘success’ story that promotes Ontario as a model of large-scale educational change. The follow-up intertextual analyses reveal ideological circles that promote ‘evidence-based research’ and ‘evidence-informed practice,’ while actually gearing education to improving ‘results’ on large-scale standardized tests and manufacturing consent for government policies. Questions arise about the lack of transparency and selective use of educational research. A web of behind-the-scenes activities are made visible at public policy think-tanks (e.g. Canadian Council on Learning; Canadian Language and Literacy Research Network), and two little-researched bodies in educational governance — the Council of Ministers of Education Canada (CMEC) and OECD. Although invisible to teachers, the infrastructure for the Student Success Strategy is the Ontario School Information System (OnSIS); this web-enabled data-management technology has built-in capacity to profile students ‘at risk’ and to instigate accountability and surveillance over teachers’ work, with implications for re-regulating teaching practice towards test scores and aggregate statistics. With the intention of transforming education towards genuine equity, and linking the re-organization of social relations in large-scale reform locally, nationally and globally, this study contributes to critical scholarship on the effects of reform policies on people’s lives and extends knowledge of how translocal text-mediated ruling relations operate in education.

The aim of this thesis is to present, analyse, compare and evaluate the current state of digital repositories at universities in the Czech Republic that use a software application for their digital repository. A theoretical part, which introduces the reader into the issue of compilation and operating of digital repositories in the Czech academic context, precedes the practical reserach. The crucial chapter of the practical part are the results of the actual analysis. The results of a supplementary survey of universities that do not run a digital repository with usage of software application and choose a different way of storage and access to their grey literature draw on the results of this analysis. The conclusion of the entire thesis is the outline of future development of the investigated issue and the perspective of further progress of the Czech academic milieu.