Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Alphanso'

Sociologists have been interested in how individuals in modern society are bound to each other since the inception of the discipline. The 'community question' has seen three broad paradigms in this time. The 'community lost' perspective argues that community belonging and modernity are incompatible. In contrast, 'community saved' research suggest that the nature of modernity has made the benefits of community more salient than ever. Finally, the 'community transformed' approach posits that community has metamorphosed to become more relevant to the modern world. This thesis seeks to explore the form that communities may take in contemporary urban settings, and investigate the processes that underlie their continuation. To this end, an ethnographic case study approach was employed to examine an organisation that appears to both offer and exploit community – Alpha. Alpha is an eleven-week catechetical course that seeks to integrate non-Christians into the Christian community. Identifying and employing three 'ideal type' categories of Alpha guests, I examine the methods that the organisation uses in its efforts to attract new members, keep them attending, and integrate them into the community of the church. I argue that Alpha offers three distinct forms of community, with each appealing to different ideal type guests. The first is a gateway to the larger community of the local congregation. The second is a low-commitment community-in-itself. Finally, Alpha represents a community that offers material benefits to members. Alpha suggests that communities can be successful in attracting members by creating hybridised, multifaceted forms of belonging but that fostering long-term commitment is more problematic. This supports the 'community transformed' position that argues that the forms of belonging that were dominant in pre- and early modernity are less salient today.

Le Modèle Standard (MS) de la physique de particules avec les théories de jauge pour les interactions forte et électrofaible n'a pas encore été mis en défaut par les données expérimentales. Dans les recherches de nouvelle physique, au delà du MS, deux approches sont en général suivies : les recherches exploratoires à la frontière de haute énergie et des tests de précision à des énergies plus basses. Le but de cette thèse est dans le cadre de la deuxième approche, d'obtenir et utiliser des données précises des annihilations e+e− en hadrons, à des énergies de l'ordre 1 GeV. Ces données représentent un ingrédient important pour les tests du MS impliquant la polarisation du vide, comme par exemple la comparaison du moment magnétique du muon avec la théorie, ainsi que pour des tests de QCD et applications. Les différentes parties de cette thèse décrivent quatre aspects de mon travail dans ce contexte. (1) Les mesures de sections efficaces en fonction de l'énergie nécessitent la déconvolution des spectres de données des effets de détecteur. Je propose une nouvelle méthode itérative de déconvolution des données expérimentales, qui présente des améliorations par rapport aux outils existants. On peut déconvoluer, d'une manière dynamiquement stable, des spectres de données qui peuvent être fortement affectées par des fluctuations dans la soustraction du bruit de fond, et simultanément reconstruire des structures qui n'étaient pas initialement simulées. (2) Le coeur expérimental de cette thèse est constitué par l'étude du processus e+e− en K+K−, du seuil jusqu'à 5 GeV, utilisant la méthode de rayonnement dans l'état initial (ISR), par la mesure de e+e− en K+K− gamma avec le détecteur BABAR. Toutes les efficacités utiles sont mesurées utilisant les données expérimentales, et la normalisation absolue est fournie par la mesure simultanée du processus mu mu gamma. J'ai effectué l'analyse complète où une incertitude systématique de 0.7 % a été obtenue sur la résonance dominante, phi. Le facteur de forme du kaon chargé a été mesuré. Il présente une décroissance rapide au delà du phi et des structures distinctes dans la région 1.7-2.5 GeV, où on connaît l'existence de résonances de type vecteur. La dépendance en énergie, à haute masse, est comparée à la prédiction de QCD. On présente aussi les résultats du canal e+e− en pi+pi− , du seuil jusqu'à 3 GeV, pour lequel j'ai effectué la déconvolution des effets de détecteur et j'ai obtenu les résultats finals qui sont comparés avec les données existantes. (3) La prédiction pour le moment magnétique du muon (exprimée par l'intermédiaire de son 'anomalie', i.e. la déviation par rapport à la valeur de Dirac pour le rapport gyromagnétique égale à 2) est calculée dans le cadre su MS. Notre travail concerne seulement la contribution de polarisation hadronique du vide, obtenue à partir des données e+e− par une intégrale de dispersion. Comme la même information peut en principe être obtenue avec des données sur les désintégrations hadroniques du tau, on fait d'abord la mise à jour de la comparaison entre les utilisations des deux sources de données, et on trouve une différence réduite entre les évaluations correspondantes. Le nouveau résultat basé sur les données tau s'écarte de 1.9 déviations standard de la mesure directe. En suite, les nouvelles données précises de BABAR sont inclues dans une analyse combinée utilisant des outils (avec une procédure d'interpolation et moyennage de données améliorée, une propagation des incertitudes plus rigoureuse et une validation systématique) que j'ai développés. Avec les nouvelles données, le désaccord entre les résultats basés sur des données e+e− et tau pour le mode dominant 2 pi est réduit davantage, du 2.4 sigma précédent à 1.5 sigma, dans l'intégrale de dispersion, bien que des différences locales significatives entre les spectre persistent encore. Nous obtenons l'évaluation basée sur des données e+e− a_μ^had LO = (695.5 +- 4.1)*10^-10, où l'incertitude prend en compte toutes les sources. L'incertitude la plus grande pour la prédiction du MS est encore due à la polarisation hadronique du vide, mais elle est maintenant plus petite que l'erreur expérimentale. La comparaison actuelle entre la mesure directe et notre prédiction (basée sur les données e+e−) montre une indication intéressante de nouvelle physique (un effet à 3.2 sigma). (4) Les règles de somme de QCD sont des outils puissants pour obtenir des informations précises sur les paramètres de QCD, comme la constante de couplage fort α_S. Cette étude devrait faire usage de la mesure complète de e+e− en hadrons jusqu'à environ 2 GeV. Comme BABAR n'a pas encore mesuré complètement tous les processus hadroniques, j'ai travaillé sur une situation similaire utilisant les fonctions spectrales des désintégrations hadroniques du tau, mesurées par ALEPH. Je discute en détail la prédiction de QCD perturbatif, obtenue avec deux méthodes différentes : la théorie de perturbations à ordre fixe (FOPT) et la théorie de perturbations avec intégration de contour améliorée (CIPT). Les incertitudes théoriques correspondantes sont étudiées aux échelles de masse du tau et respectivement du Z. On trouve que la méthode CIPT est plus stable par rapport aux contributions manquantes d'ordre supérieur et par rapport à des changements de l'échelle de renormalisation. Il est également montré que FOPT souffre à cause de problèmes de convergence le long du contour d'intégration. La fiabilité d'une classe de modèles pour la fonction d'Adler, basée sur des renormalons, est étudiée dans le contexte de la comparaison entre CIPT et FOPT. On trouve que ces modèles ne sont pas suffisamment contraints pour qu'ils puissent identifier la meilleure méthode à utiliser pour la détermination de α_S(m_τ^2). La détermination de αS est mise à jour et une valeur très précise pour α_S(m_τ^2) est obtenue en utilisant CIPT (0.344 +- 0.005 (exp) +- 0.007 (th)). Une fois évoluée à la masse du Z, cette valeur est en accord avec α_S(m_Ζ^2) mesurée directement à partir de la largeur du Z. Ce résultat représente le test le plus précis du running de α_S en QCD.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Cincinnati, 2006.<br>Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed July 31, 2006). Includes abstract. Keywords: sustained innovation, structuration Includes bibliographical references.

L'experience h1 est un lieu privilegie pour l'etude des jets hadroniques produits lors de la diffusion profondement inelastique d'un electron (27. 5 gev) sur un proton (820 gev). La constante de couplage de l'interaction forte alphas peut etre determinee par la mesure du taux d'evenements a 2 jets dans l'etat final. Le taux d'evenements a deux jets, proportionnel a alphas a l'ordre dominant, constitue une observable particulierement sensible. La methode developpee ici est de mesurer experimentalement ce taux de jets, puis de le corriger des effets d'hadronisation et de resolution du detecteur. Le facteur correctif est estime par l'intermediaire d'un programme simulant les evenements. La mesure experimentale des taux de jets (utilisation des depots d'energie dans le calorimetre a argon liquide) necessite l'utilisation d'algorithme de jets permettant de retrouver une multiplicite similaire a celle du niveau partonique. Les taux de jets corriges sont alors compares aux predictions a l'ordre suivant, permettant de lever l'ambiguite sur l'echelle de renormalisation. L'utilisation de l'algorithme de jade modifie par l'introduction d'une pseudo-particule permet une exploitation optimale des lots d'evenements a grand transfert d'energie (100-4000 gev2) correspondant aux prises de donnees 1994 et 1995. Les taux de jets sont decrits de maniere satisfaisante par les programmes de simulation via de severes coupures angulaires sur les jets a l'avant afin de limiter l'influence des restes du proton. L'erreur sur alphas a la masse du zo est alors dominee par l'incertitude sur la mesure de l'energie hadronique et les effets de resolution sur les jets du point de vue experimental. L'erreur theorique est dominee par la dependance sur l'echelle de renormalisation. Le resultat final est alphas(mz0)=0. 118(8). L'analyse est etendue a de plus faibles transferts d'impulsion (25-100 gev2) en utilisant l'algorithme de kt factorisable, utilisant l'impulsion transferee comme echelle d'energie de regroupement des particules. On observe alors la creation de jets fantomes qui peut etre reduite par une coupure cinematique sur l'angle de diffusion du quark dans le modele naif des partons. Le resultat obtenu confirme le precedent. La precision de la mesure alphas(mz0) realisee dans cette these atteint 7 pour 100. Une precision de 4 pour 100 est envisageable dans l'hypothese d'une amelioration du cadre theorique et/ou d'un accroissement significatif de la luminosite

AbstractThis essay discusses the concepts of eugenics and social caste in Brave New Worldin relation to Aldous Huxley, from a biographical perspective. The essay analyzes how events and personal relationships of Aldous Huxley have influenced the depiction of the concepts social caste and eugenics in his novel Brave New World. Using sources which recount the travels and the personal encounters that Aldous Huxley made throughout his life, this essay makes comparisons and draws conclusions as to how these eventsand relationshipshave affected the depiction of social caste and eugenics in Brave New World

Thesis: S.B., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, June 2016.<br>Page 47 blank. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.<br>Includes bibliographical references (pages 45-46).<br>The CR-39 nuclear track detector is used in many nuclear diagnostics fielded at inertial confinement fusion (ICF) facilities. Large x-ray fluences generated by ICF experiments may impact the CR-39 response to incident charged particles. To determine the impact of x-ray exposure on the CR-39 response to protons and alpha particles, a thick-target bremsstrahlung x-ray generator was used to expose CR-39 to various doses of 30 and 8keV Cu-K[alpha] and K[beta] x-rays. The CR-39 detectors were then exposed to 1-5.5 MeV alphas or 0.5- 9.1 MeV protons. The regions of the CR-39 exposed to x-rays showed a smaller track diameter than those not exposed to x-rays: for example, a dose of 3.0±0.1 Gy causes a decrease of (19±2)% in the track diameter of a 5.5 MeV alpha, while a dose of 6.0±0.1 Gy results in a decrease of (29±1)% in the track diameter of a 3.0 MeV proton. The reduced track diameters were found to be predominantly caused by a comparable reduction in the bulk etch rate of the CR-39 with x-ray dose. A residual effect, due to changes in track etch rate and dependent on incident particle energy, was characterized by an empirical formula.<br>by Jimmy A. Rojas.<br>S.B.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS)<br>The present study investigated the relationship between the Sense Of Coherence and Satisfaction With Life amongst the unemployed. The study attempted to test the following hypotheses. 1. People with a high Sense Of Coherence tend to be satisfied with their lives in general. 2. Demographic variables such as age, gender, race and level of education have an influence on the subjects' scores on the Sense Of Coherence and Satisfaction With Life scales. 3. Length of unemployment has an impact on the subjects' Sense Of Coherence and Satisfaction With Life. In this study, subjects were drawn from the Department of Manpower in the Western Cape region. The data were obtained from a sample of 100 participants. Of this 100, 52 were males. Subjects were asked to complete the Sense Of Coherence and the Satisfaction With Life scales. Statistical procedures that were used are Multiple Linear Regression analysis, Product Moment Correlational Co-efficients, Analysis of Variance test (ANOVA) and the Cronbach Alphas of the various scales. It was found that Sense Of Coherence correlated significantly with Satisfaction With Life, thus supporting the first hypothesis. This led to the conclusion that a person with a strong Sense Of Coherence tends to be more satisfied with his/her life. However, a person with a weaker Sense Of Coherence finds it difficult to make sense out of his/her life. It was also found that most of the demographic variables did not reach any statistical significance. The general trend in this sample was that younger people had higher education and had been unemployed for fewer years. In comparison, older people were found to have less education and had been unemployed for more years. It was concluded that formal and informal education system will be necessary to develop and equip both young and older people with the experience and skills to use at work. This study was concluded by the discussion of the implications of the findings and suggestions for future research.

Specialized in form and function, the sperm cell is a unique microsystem unto itself where in the cytoskeletal processes and structures of the somatic cell often find new purpose and characteristics within the sperm. Unlike other cells in the human body, this unique cell polarizes and transforms itself from a line of germ cells to evolve into a functional, hydrodynamic haploid spermatozoon. The success of fertilization is dependent on this haploid cell and its specially designed vesicular structure, the acrosome, which provides the leading edge of oocyte penetration. To date, there is little insight into the mechanics of how acrosomic vesicles are successfully targeted and transported to the nuclear envelope and tether to its surface. Our laboratory has identified a novel 15 kDa sperm specific histone variant, SubH2Bv, which possesses a distinct and functional nuclear localization signal (NLS) that associates with the acrosomic vesicle. This study provides evidence that SubH2Bv’s bipartite NLS (an NLS with two basic domains linked together by 10-12 amino acid residues) is responsible for directing acrosomic vesicles to the nuclear envelope using the somatic import receptor, karyopherin alpha (Kap α). Based on bipartite NLS-receptor conventions, where karyopherin alpha is known to specifically associate with this NLS-type, SubH2Bv would be the karyophilic cargo and karyopherin alpha would act as part of the underlying transport mechanism. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry characterized Kap α as a membrane-associated sperm protein that is co-localized with SubH2Bv around the proacrosomic granules and the acrosomic vesicle during spermiogenesis. Their co-expression and co-localization, as demonstrated by immunolabelling, suggested a potential binding relationship that was confirmed by a His-tag-recombinant SubH2Bv-pull-down assay. The co-developmental acrosomic expression of Kap α and SubH2Bv in haploid cells, combined with the pull-down evidence of their binding affinity, provides a compelling argument that these two proteins work in concert to traffic the acrosomic vesicles to the nucleus. The exclusion of these two otherwise nuclear proteins from the nucleus, and their co-localization to the subacrosomal region in elongating spermatids, also implies a contingent role for SubH2Bv and Kap α in acrosomal docking, that may involve the classical bipartite/Kap α nuclear import pathway.<br>Thesis (Master, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2008-09-02 16:11:17.429

Reggae music facilitated a cultural dialogue between Jamaican migrant and Canadian host in Toronto during the 1970s and 1980s. Exchanges flowed across the city’s ethnic frontier, bridging black and white youth together in an ‘oppositional’ and musical movement. While migrants enacted their Jamaican ethnicity in places where reggae was played, many non-Jamaicans satisfied a curiosity in the music of their migrant friends. This study examines the process of migration of people and music as seen from both the migrant and the host’s perspective. It is as much about black Jamaicans as it is about white Torontonians. Twenty Jamaicans and twenty non-Jamaicans were interviewed for this project. Though reggae became an expected part of Toronto’s musical vernacular, the Canadian version meant different things to different people. Indeed, sometimes the only thread that tied the varied experiences together was that Toronto was the place where reggae happened. Still, as a hybrid, reggae had rather evolved outside of place. It was a transnational musical form, constantly updated by influences traversing the ‘Black Atlantic’ in an on-going and triangular musical conversation. While Jamaican migrants carried their music with them wherever they went, radio and sound systems broadcast British and North American musics back to Jamaica, informing new musics being created there. Simultaneously, Jamaican music was reimagined by West Indian immigrants, their children and even non-Jamaicans living in Britain’s urban centres and, later on, in Toronto. Yet, as popular as it may have been, Reggae Canadiana never reached the heights it might have and was not nearly as successful as its British counterpart. Nevertheless, the majority of migrants in this study believe that an association with reggae music gave them a psychological advantage in their own acculturation process. Reggae music also served as a bridge between migrant and host, without which, many non-Jamaicans believe that they would have had little or no contact with the Jamaican-Canadian community in Toronto. The impact of this contact transcended a shared affection for music and engendered a vital multicultural dialogue that is somewhat removed from Canada’s official governmental version of multiculturalism.<br>SSHRC; OGS

The process B -> X_s \gamma is known to provide important constraints on extensions of the Standard Model (SM). The present SM prediction for its CP- and isospin-averaged branching ratio reads BR(B -> Xs gamma)^SM = (3.36 +_ 0.23) * 10^-4. It agrees very well with the current experimental average BR(B -> Xs gamma)^exp = (3.43 +_ 0.22) * 10^-4. The experimental accuracy is expected to improve in a significant manner after the Belle-II experiment begins collecting data within the next few years. Consequently, theoretical calculations must also be upgraded to match the experimental precision.<br>A considerable contribution to the current theoretical uncertainty originates from the fact that some of the Next-to-Next-to-Leading-Order strong interaction corrections (called K^(2)_17 and K^(2)_27) have not yet been calculated for an arbitrary value of the charm and bottom quark mass ratio m_c/m_b. Instead, known results for these corrections at m_c=0 and m_c >> m_b/2 serve as a basis for an interpolation in m_c, which introduces around +_3\% uncertainty into BR(B -> Xs gamma)^SM.<br>In order to remove this uncertainty, determining the exact dependence of K^(2)_17 and K^(2)_27 on the c-quark mass is necessary. In the language of Feynman diagrams with unitarity cuts, four-loop diagrams with two mass scales (m_c and m_b) need to be evaluated. The necessary ultraviolet counterterms involve three-loop two-mass-scale diagrams that must be calculated up to O(epsilon) in the dimensional regularization parameter epsilon.<br>In the present thesis, we evaluate [1] the exact dependence on the c-quark mass of all the necessary ultraviolet-counterterm diagrams that contribute to the yet-unknown parts of K^(2)_17 and K^(2)_27. These corrections originate from interferences of four-quark and photonic dipole operators. They are currently responsible for the main uncertainty in the perturbative contribution to B(B -> Xs gamma)^SM.<br>Apart from the calculation for arbitrary m_c, we also evaluate many of the necessary counterterm contributions at m_c=0, and present them to all orders in epsilon wherever possible. Our results have contributed to the evaluation of the m_c=0 boundary for the interpolation, and thus to the recently published updated phenomenological analysis of BR(B -> Xs gamma)^SM [2].<br>The thesis contains many technical details that have not been presented elsewhere, namely explicit expressions for all the relevant quantities in terms of the master integrals, as well as results for these integrals obtained using several different methods, involving Mellin-Barnes techniques and differential equations.<br>[1] M.Misiak, A.Rehman and M.Steinhauser, to be published. [2] M.Misiak, H.Asatrian, R.Boughezal, M.Czakon, T.Ewerth, A.Ferroglia, P.Fiedler, P.Gambino, C.Greub, U.Haisch, T.Huber, M.Kamiński, G.Ossola, M.Poradziński, A.Rehman, T.Schutzmeier, M.Steinhauser and J.Virto, ''Updated NNLO QCD predictions for the weak radiative B-meson decays, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 22, 221801 [arXiv:1503.01789].<br>Proces B -> Xs gamma dostarcza ważnych ograniczeń na rozszerzenia Modelu Standardowego (MS). Zgodnie z aktualnym przewidywaniem MS jego stosunek rozgałęzienia uśredniony względem CP oraz izospinu wynosi BR(B -> Xs gamma^MS = (3.36 +_ 0.23) * 10^-4. Przewidywanie to zgadza się bardzo dobrze z obecną średnią światową wyników eksperymentalnych BR(B -> Xs gamma)^exp = (3.43 +_ 0.22) * 10^-4. Oczekujemy, że dokładność pomiarów znacznie się poprawi, gdy eksperyment Belle-II rozpocznie zbieranie danych w najbliższych kilku latach. Obliczenia teoretyczne muszą zatem również zostać udoskonalone, aby ich dokładność nie była mniejsza od dokładności doświadczalnej.<br>Istotny wkład do obecnej niepewności teoretycznej związany jest z faktem, że niektóre z poprawek od oddziaływań silnych rzędu O(alpha_s^2) (oznaczane przez K^(2)_17 i K^(2)_27) nie zostały jeszcze wyznaczone dla dowolnej wartości stosunku mas kwarków powabnego i pięknego m_c/m_b. Zamiast tego, znane wartości tych poprawek w przypadkach m_c=0 i m_c >> m_b/2 stanowią podstawę ich interpolacji w m_c, co wprowadza niepewność szacowaną na około +_3% w stosunku rozgałęzienia BR(B -> Xs gamma)^MS.<br>Jedyną metodą usunięcia tej niepewności jest wyznaczenie dokładnej zależności poprawek K^(2)_17 i K^(2)_27 od masy kwarku c. W języku diagramów Feynmana z tzw. cięciami unitarnymi oznacza to konieczność obliczenia czteropętlowych diagramów z dwiema skalami masowymi (m_c i m_b). Powiązane z nimi przeciwczłony ultrafioletowe dane są przez trzypętlowe diagramy z dwiema skalami, które należy obliczyc do rzędu O(epsilon) w parametrze regularyzacji wymiarowej epsilon.<br>W niniejszej pracy doktorskiej wyznaczona jest [1] dokładna zależność od masy kwarku c wszystkich niezbędych diagramów z przeciwczłonami ultrafioletowymi, które dają wkład do nieznanych jeszcze części poprawek K^(2)_17 i K^(2)_27. Poprawki te pochodzą od interferencji operatorów czterokwarkowych oraz elektromagnetycznego operatora dipolowego. Odpowiadają one obecnie za największą niepewność przy obliczaniu perturbacyjnego wkładu do BR(B -> Xs gamma)^MS.<br>Oprócz rachunków dla dowolnej wartości m_c wyznaczamy również wiele z niezbędnych wkładów przeciwczłonowych przy m_c=0, i przedstawiamy je do wszystkich rzędów w epsilon, gdziekolwiek tylko jest to możliwe. Nasze rezultaty dały wkład do obliczenia warunku brzegowego przy m_c=0 dla interpolacji, i w ten sposób do niedawno opublikowanej analizy fenomenologicznej rozpadu BR(B -> Xs gamma)^MS [2].<br>Rozprawa zawiera opis wielu aspektów technicznych omawianych rachunków, które nie były przedstawiane w innych publikacjach, w szczególności jawne wyrażenia na wszystkie istotne wielkości poprzez tzw. całki podstawowe, a także wyniki na te całki uzyskane wieloma metodami, m.in. przy pomocy równań różniczkowych oraz algorytmu opartego na twierdzeniach Mellina i Barnesa.<br>[1] M.Misiak, A.Rehman and M.Steinhauser, to be published. [2] M.Misiak, H.Asatrian, R.Boughezal, M.Czakon, T.Ewerth, A.Ferroglia, P.Fiedler, P.Gambino, C.Greub, U.Haisch, T.Huber, M.Kamiński, G.Ossola, M.Poradziński, A.Rehman, T.Schutzmeier, M.Steinhauser and J.Virto, ''Updated NNLO QCD predictions for the weak radiative B-meson decays, Phys. Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 22, 221801 [arXiv:1503.01789].

The a4b2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR), belonging to the family of 'Cys-loop' pentameric ligand-gated ion channels, is one of the most abundant subtypes found in the brain. Several researches have concluded its important role in modulating memory, sleep and attention. Thereby, making it an attractive druggable target due to its implication in several neurological, and psychiatric disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and nicotine addiction. The heteropentameric a4b2 nAChRs are known to arrange in two different stoichiometries; (a4)2(b2)3 and (a4)3(b2)2. Apart from the known and extensively targeted a4-b2 binding sites that are present in both stoichiometries, the distinctive a4-a4 binding site located only in the (a4)3(b2)2 stoichiometry, has become a desirable target to exploit its site-specific functions in formulating treatments for the neurological disorders. The key challenge lies in developing a4-a4 site-selective ligands, as structurally both are closely matched binding sites with only minor differences. Understanding these key differences could pave the way for more potent and selective ligands for the a4-a4 binding site. NS3920, a pyridine-diazepane compound and NS9283, an oxadiazole analogue has been found to be active at the a4-a4 binding site. Based on the potency of NS3920 and selectivity of NS9283, diazepane substituted pyridyl/phenyl hybrids harbouring common structural features of both ligands were designed, with an aim to improve the biological profile of ligands at the a4-a4 binding site. The synthesis of 5- and 6-monosubstituted as well as 5,6-disubstituted pyridyl/phenyl hybrids was achieved through the Buchwald-Hartwig reaction conditions. The biological evaluation of these hybrids was carried out by employing the TEVC electrophysiology and receptor binding assays on (a4)2(b2)3, (a4)3(b2)2 and mutated (a4)2(b2HQT)3 receptor harbouring three interfaces resembling a4-a4 binding site. The results obtained remained largely inconclusive, thus, leading us to the design of modulators. Positive allosteric modulators or PAMs are a newfound interest of the scientific community due to their ability to increase the frequency of channel opening without directly activating the receptor itself, thus, reducing the chances of receptor desensitisation, as PAMs bind at a site away from the orthogonal binding site of classical agonists, like ACh. A small pocket in close proximity to the a4-a4 binding site was identified recently by the collaborators at the University of Sydney, which could prove beneficial in unlocking the full potential of receptor. Several co-crystal structures of known agonists and antagonists were analysed that may have a bond vector directed towards the new pocket. Anabasine and nicotine were chosen as the two lead templates to design and synthesise analogues, because of the presence of a bond vector directed straight towards the newly identified pocket. L-proline catalysed Mannich reductive cyclisation principle was employed for the synthesis of several anabasine and nicotine analogues. Side chain substitution was carried out either via CDI-mediated esterification or base-promoted etherification, to install substituents that can directly interact with the site residues of the identified pocket. Preliminary biological studies have shown that four anabasine ester analogues possess positive modulatory activity at a4-a4 binding site which could be due to direct interaction of sidechain substituents with the site residues.

Krebs ist die zweithäufigste Todesursache weltweit und zählt damit zu den größten Plagen der Menschheit. Jährlich sterben Menschen an den Folgen bösartiger Tumore und stellen Ärzte vor scheinbar unlösbare Aufgaben. Um Krebsgeschwüre effizient bekämpfen oder sogar vollständig beseitigen zu können, ist es enorm wichtig diese früh genug zu diagnostizieren. Oft stellt jedoch genau das in der Praxis ein großes Problem dar und Tumore werden erst dann als solche erkannt, wenn das Zellwachstum schon sehr weit fortgeschritten ist. Eine große Chance für die frühzeitige Erkennung von Krebs bieten unterdessen Deep Learning Algorithmen. Die vorliegende Seminararbeit stellt diese Verfahren und ihre Anwendung in der Krebsdiagnostik vor. Es wird hierbei genauer auf Convolutional Neural Networks eingegangen, die besonders gut geeignet für die Analyse von Gewebebildern sind und unter anderem auch im System von Google's DeepMind zum Einsatz kommen. Die Arbeit analysiert Chancen und Risiken des Einsatzes von Deep Neural Networks bei der Diagnose von bösartigen Tumoren und verschafft dem Leser damit einen ganzheitlichen Überblick über die Anwendung von Deep Neural Networks im Bereich der Onkologie.:1 Einleitung 2 Vom Neuronalen Netz zum Deep Learning Algorithmus 2.1 Grundlagen Künstlicher Neuronaler Netze 2.1.1 Allgemeiner Aufbau 2.1.2 Das Neuron als Grundbaustein 2.1.3 Lernen in neuronalen Netzen 2.1.4 Loss Function und Optimizer 2.2 Convolutional Neural Networks 2.2.1 Convolutional Layer 2.2.2 Pooling Layer 2.2.3 Fully Connected Layer 2.2.4 Lernen und Aktivierung in CNN’s 3 DeepMind als Deep Learning Multitalent 3.1 Bisherige Erfolge 3.2 DeepMind Health 4 Chancen und Risiken in der Krebsdiagnostik 4.1 Aktueller Stand der Brustkrebsdiagnostik 4.2 Chancen von Deep Learning Algorithmen 4.3 Ethische Risiken 4.3.1 False Positives 4.3.2 False Negatives 4.4 Fazit der Risikoanalyse 5 Ausblick

Within athletic domains, athletic identity is a cognitive structure guiding and organising how the person processes self-related information (Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993). Being one of the domains of the self-concept, athletic identity is the “degree of importance, strength, and exclusivity attached to the athlete role that is maintained by the athletes and influenced by environment” (p. 39; Cieslak, 2005). Previous studies have shown that athletic identity is related to various psychological processes such as identity foreclosure and the emotional reactions of athletes to injuries (Grove, Lavallee, & Gordon, 1997). The Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS) is a 10-item quantitative inventory measuring the level of athletic identity (Brewer, Van Raalte, & Linder, 1993). Throughout the past decade, researchers have been examining the psychometric properties and factor structures of the AIMS with samples mainly from English-speaking societies (Brewer & Cornelius, 2001; Hale, James, & Stambulova, 1999). This thesis consisted of two studies. The first one investigated the internal consistency and factor structure of the AIMS within a Hong Kong Chinese sample by performing confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) and Cronbach’s alphas. The author constructed a Chinese version of the AIMS and administered it to 186 Hong Kong athletes. The CFAs showed that multi-dimensional models were better fits than the original unidimenional model. The goodness-of-fit indices of three previously suggested models (and one simplified model) were either above or extremely close to acceptable levels. Considering the possible cultural influences and translation processes, the findings are substantial. In this study, the author also discusses the cultural differences in terms of each factor and overall athletic identity scores. The second study followed up the results of the first study and further explored the construct of athletic identity through qualitative interviews. The author, who was also the interviewer, recruited 13 Hong Kong athletes for in-depth interviews exploring their life experiences of being athletes in Hong Kong. The results revealed that some contributing elements of the participants’ athletic identities seemed well represented by the AIMS items and factors, such as recognition from others (i.e., social identity), sport-related goals, dysphoric emotions associated with injury (i.e., negative affectivity), and perceived importance of sport (i.e., exclusivity). Some themes from the interviews, however, were not represented in the items or factors of the AIMS. For some participants, appearance and accoutrements, such as clothing and equipment, formed part of their overall athletic identities. Also, the author found that the participants’ fantasies about professional athletes were major features of the interviews. These results showed that various cultural characteristics in Hong Kong may influence the development of the participants’ self-identities including athletic identities. The author employed the theory of self-construals (Markus & Kitayama, 1991) and features of Hong Kong culture to explain the results. In the general discussion, the author also discussed the AIMS items, the factor structure, and their connections with Hong Kong athletes’ experiences, based on the qualitative findings. The author recommended some possible items for further development of the AIMS.

This thesis offers a model for the underlying architecture of the narrative reality in science-fiction works by Philip K. Dick, arguing that Dick's fictional worlds are grounded in the pervasive metamorphosis - the overarching perception of the shifting - of the narrative fabric operating under the conditions of non-rationality and non-reality. The hyphenated coinages conveniently stand for the paradigms of the reality and mental configurations in PKD subverting the seemingly natural dichotomizing oppositions and hierarchies of the real/unreal and the rational/irrational. Bringing in Gilles Deleuze's ontology of difference, this thesis explains the non-rationality and non-reality of Dick's worlds in Deleuzian terms as, firstly, inducing the perception of fictional reality as realizing the innate potential of being by the perpetual becoming of being in multiplicity and, secondly, engendering - in the vein of Deleuzian simulacra - the impossibility of apprehending and categorizing fictional reality unequivocally. The thesis considers and evaluates the underlying assumptions and claims common to various approaches to the subject of reality in PKD's fictions in order to provide the essential context for the following development of the theoretical basis for non-rationality and non-reality shifting....