GABA and 5-HT chitosan nanoparticles enhanced liver cell proliferation and neuronal survival in partially hepatectomised rats: GABAB and 5-HT2A receptors functional

Nanoparticulate drug delivery systems provide wide opportunities for solving problems associated with drug stability or disease states and create great expectations in the area of drug delivery (Bosselmann & Williams, 2012). Nanotechnology, in a simple way, explains the technology that deals with one billionth of a meter scale (Ochekpe, et al., 2009). Fewer side effects, poor bioavailability, absorption at intestine, solubility, specific delivery to site of action with good pharmacological efficiency, slow release, degradation of drug and effective therapeutic outcome, are the major challenges faced by most of the drug delivery systems. To a great extent, biopolymer coated drug delivery systems coupled with nanotechnology alleviate the major drawbacks of the common delivery methods. Chitosan, deacetylated chitin, is a copolymer of β-(1, 4) linked glucosamine (deacetylated unit) and N- acetyl glucosamine (acetylated unit) (Radhakumary et al., 2005). Chitosan is biodegradable, non-toxic and bio compatible. Owing to the removal of acetyl moieties that are present in the amine functional groups of chitin, chitosan is readily soluble in aqueous acidic solution. The solubilisation occurs through the protonation of amino groups on the C-2 position of D-glucosamine residues whereby polysaccharide is converted into polycation in acidic media. Chitosan interacts with many active compounds due to the presence of amine group in it. The presence of this active amine group in chitosan was exploited for the interaction with the active molecules in the present study. Nanoparticles of chitosan coupled drugs are utilized for drug delivery in eye, brain, liver, cancer tissues, treatment of spinal cord injury and infections (Sharma et al., 2007; Li, et a., 2009; Paolicelli et al., 2009; Cho et al., 2010). To deliver drugs directly to the intended site of action and to improve pharmacological efficiency by minimizing undesired side effects elsewhere in the body and decrease the long-term use of many drugs, polymeric drug delivery systems can be used (Thatte et al., 2005).

Delta(1232) isobar excitations in nuclear many-body systems from varios NN interactions.

Delta isobar components in the nuclear many-body wave function are investigated for the deuteron, light nuclei (16O), and infinite nuclear matter within the framework of the coupled-cluster theory. The predictions derived for various realistic models of the baryon-baryon interaction are compared to each other. These include local (V28) and nonlocal meson exchange potentials (Bonn2000) but also a model recently derived by the Salamanca group accounting for quark degrees of freedom. The characteristic differences which are obtained for the NDelta and Delta Delta correlation functions are related to the approximation made in deriving the matrix elements for the baryon-baryon interaction.

Forms of Nitrogen (NO 3 - -N; NO 2 - -N and NH 2 CONH 2 -N) and their relations to A.O.U. in the Indian coastal waters of Arabian Sea

The distribution of three important dissolved forms of nitrogen, viz. nitrate, nitrite and urea in the surface and bottom water samples collected from 27 selected hydrographic profiles, in the Arabian Sea, along the west coast of India is described. Of the three forms, nitrate concentrations were the highest and comparatively higher concentrations were observed in the bottom water. Decomposition of organic matter resulting in the release of the thermodynamically stable nitrogen species, i.e. nitrate, may be the major factor resulting in higher nitrate concentrations at these depths, where the water is also characterized by low values of dissolved oxygen and temperature. The significant positive correlation between A.O.U. and nitrate of the bottom water samples emphasizes the role of oxidative decomposition of organic matter which plays an active role in reducing the oxygen concentrations below the theoretical values since at this depth ( 200 m) the net production is taken to be zero. This is also evidenced by the negative correlation of nitrate with dissolved oxygen and temperature, for the bottom samples

Environmental Geochemistry of Core Sediment in the Cochin Estuary (CE), India

Distribution of toxic metal in the sediment core is an important area of research for environmental impact studies. Sediment cores were collected from two prominent region(C1 and C2) of CE and subjected to geochemical analysis to determine distribution of toxic metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu and Pb ), texture characteristics, total organic carbon (TOC) and CHNS. Statistical analysis was done to understand the interrelationship between the components. In the studied cores, metal contamination level was identified for Pb, Cu; Cr, in C1 and C2 respectively. The metal distribution depends on the granulometric factor, geogenic mineral components and anthropogenic input. Correlation analysis (CA) and Principal component(PCA) analysis also support these results

HelF, a suppressor of RNAi mediated gene silencing in Dictyostelium discoideum

RNA interference (RNAi) is a recently discovered process, in which double stranded RNA (dsRNA) triggers the homology-dependant degradation of cognate messenger RNA (mRNA). In a search for new components of the RNAi machinery in Dictyostelium, a new gene was identified, which was called helF. HelF is a putative RNA helicase, which shows a high homology to the helicase domain of Dicer, to the helicase domain of Dictyostelium RdRP and to the C. elegans gene drh-1, that codes for a dicer related DExH-box RNA helicase, which is required for RNAi. The aim of the present Ph.D. work was to investigate the role of HelF in PTGS, either induced by RNAi or asRNA. A genomic disruption of the helF gene was performed, which resulted in a distinct mutant morphology in late development. The cellular localization of the protein was elucidated by creating a HelF-GFP fusion protein, which was found to be localized in speckles in the nucleus. The involvement of HelF in the RNAi mechanism was studied. For this purpose, RNAi was induced by transformation of RNAi hairpin constructs against four endogenous genes in wild type and HelF- cells. The silencing efficiency was strongly enhanced in the HelF K.O. strain in comparison with the wild type. One gene, which could not be silenced in the wild type background, was successfully silenced in HelF-. When the helF gene was disrupted in a secondary transformation in a non-silenced strain, the silencing efficiency was strongly improved, a phenomenon named here “retrosilencing”. Transcriptional run-on experiments revealed that the enhanced gene silencing in HelF- was a posttranscriptional event, and that the silencing efficiency depended on the transcription levels of hairpin RNAs. In HelF-, the threshold level of hairpin transcription required for efficient silencing was dramatically lowered. The RNAi-mediated silencing was accompanied by the production of siRNAs; however, their amount did not depend on the level of hairpin transcription. These results indicated that HelF is a natural suppressor of RNAi in Dictyostelium. In contrast, asRNA mediated gene silencing was not enhanced in the HelF K.O, as shown for three tested genes. These results confirmed previous observations (H. Martens and W. Nellen, unpublished) that although similar, RNAi and asRNA mediated gene silencing mechanisms differ in their requirements for specific proteins. In order to characterize the function of the HelF protein on a molecular level and to study its interactions with other RNAi components, in vitro experiments were performed. Besides the DEAH-helicase domain, HelF contains a double-stranded RNA binding domain (dsRBD) at its N-terminus, which showed high similarity to the dsRBD domain of Dicer A from Dictyostelium. The ability of the recombinant dsRBDs from HelF and Dicer A to bind dsRNA was examined and compared. It was shown by gel-shift assays that both HelF-dsRBD and Dicer-dsRBD could bind directly to long dsRNAs. However, HelF-dsRBD bound more efficiently to dsRNA with imperfect matches than to perfect dsRNA. Both dsRBDs bound specifically to a pre-miRNA substrate (pre-let-7). The results suggested that most probably there were two binding sites for the proteins on the pre-miRNA substrate. Moreover, it was shown that HelF-dsRBD and Dicer-dsRBD have siRNA-binding activity. The affinities of the two dsRBDs to the pre-let-7 substrate were also examined by plasmon surface resonance analyses, which revealed a 9-fold higher binding affinity of the Dicer-dsRBD to pre-let-7 compared to that of the HelF-dsRBD. The binding of HelF-dsRBD to the pre-let-7 was impaired in the presence of Mg2+, while the Dicer-dsRBD interaction with pre-let-7 was not influenced by the presence of Mg2+. The results obtained in this thesis can be used to postulate a model for HelF function. In this, HelF acts as a nuclear suppressor of RNAi in wild type cells by recognition and binding of dsRNA substrates. The protein might act as a surveillance system to avoid RNAi initiation by fortuitous dsRNA formation or low abundance of dsRNA trigger. If the protein acts as an RNA helicase, it could unwind fold-back structures in the nucleus and thus lead to decreased RNAi efficiency. A knock-out of HelF would result in initiation of the RNAi pathway even by low levels of dsRNA. The exact molecular function of the protein in the RNAi mechanism still has to be elucidated. RNA interferenz (RNAi) ist ein in jüngster Zeit entdeckter Mechanismus, bei dem doppelsträngige RNA Moleküle (dsRNA) eine Homologie-abhängige Degradation einer verwandten messenger-RNA (mRNA) auslösen. Auf der Suche nach neuen Komponenten der RNAi-Maschinerie in Dictyostelium konnte ein neues Gen (helF) identifiziert werden. HelF ist eine putative RNA-Helikase mit einer hohen Homologie zur Helikasedomäne der bekannten Dicerproteine, der Helikasedomäne der Dictyostelium RdRP und zu dem C. elegans Gen drh-1, welches für eine Dicer-bezogene DExH-box RNA Helikase codiert, die am RNAi-Mechanismus beteiligt ist. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, die Funktion von HelF im Zusammenhang des RNAi oder asRNA induzierten PTGS zu untersuchen. Es wurde eine Unterbrechung des helF-Gens auf genomischer Ebene (K.O.) vorgenommen, was bei den Mutanten zu einer veränderten Morphologie in der späten Entwicklung führte. Die Lokalisation des Proteins in der Zelle konnte mit Hilfe einer GFP-Fusion analysiert werden und kleinen Bereichen innerhalb des Nukleus zugewiesen werden. Im Weiteren wurde der Einfluss von HelF auf den RNAi-Mechanismus untersucht. Zu diesem Zweck wurde RNAi durch Einbringen von RNAi Hairpin-Konstrukten gegen vier endogene Gene im Wiltypstamm und der HelF--Mutante induziert. Im Vergleich zum Wildtypstamm konnte im HelF--Mutantenstamm eine stark erhöhte „Silencing“-Effizienz nachgewiesen werden. Ein Gen, welches nach RNAi Initiation im Wildtypstamm unverändert blieb, konnte im HelF--Mutantenstamm erfolgreich stillgelegt werden. Durch sekundäres Einführen einer Gendisruption im helF-Locus in einen Stamm, in welchem ein Gen nicht stillgelegt werden konnte, wurde die Effizienz des Stilllegens deutlich erhöht. Dieses Phänomen wurde hier erstmals als „Retrosilencing“ beschrieben. Mit Hilfe von transkriptionellen run-on Experimenten konnte belegt werden, dass es sich bei dieser erhöhten Stilllegungseffizienz um ein posttranskriptionelles Ereignis handelte, wobei die Stillegungseffizienz von der Transkriptionsstärke der Hairpin RNAs abhängt. Für die HelF--Mutanten konnte gezeigt werden, dass der Schwellenwert zum Auslösen eines effizienten Stillegens dramatisch abgesenkt war. Obwohl die RNAi-vermittelte Genstilllegung immer mit der Produktion von siRNAs einhergeht, war die Menge der siRNAs nicht abhängig von dem Expressionsniveau des Hairpin-Konstruktes. Diese Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass es sich bei der HelF um einen natürlichen Suppressor des RNAi-Mechanismus in Dictyostelium handelt. Im Gegensatz hierzu war die as-vermittelte Stilllegung von drei untersuchten Genen im HelF-K.O. im Vergleich zum Wildyp unverändert. Diese Ergebnisse bestätigten frühere Beobachtungen (H. Martens und W. Nellen, unveröffentlicht), wonach die Mechanismen für RNAi und asRNA-vermittelte Genstilllegung unterschiedliche spezifische Proteine benötigen. Um die Funktion des HelF-Proteins auf der molekularen Ebene genauer zu charakterisieren und die Interaktion mit anderen RNAi-Komponenten zu untersuchen, wurden in vitro Versuche durchgeführt. Das HelF-Protein enthält, neben der DEAH-Helikase-Domäne eine N-terminale Doppelstrang RNA bindende Domäne (dsRBD) mit einer hohen Ähnlichkeit zu der dsRBD des Dicer A aus Dictyostelium. Die dsRNA-Bindungsaktivität der beiden dsRBDs aus HelF und Dicer A wurde analysiert und verglichen. Es konnte mithilfe von Gel-Retardationsanalysen gezeigt werden, dass sowohl HelF-dsRBD als auch Dicer-dsRBD direkt an lange dsRNAs binden können. Hierbei zeigte sich, dass die HelF-dsRBD eine höhere Affinität zu einem imperfekten RNA-Doppelstrang besitzt, als zu einer perfekt gepaarten dsRNA. Für beide dsRBDs konnte eine spezifische Bindung an ein pre-miRNA Substrat nachgewiesen werden (pre-let-7). Dieses Ergebnis legt nah, dass es zwei Bindestellen für die Proteine auf dem pre-miRNA Substrat gibt. Überdies hinaus konnte gezeigt werden, dass die dsRBDs beider Proteine eine siRNA bindende Aktivität besitzen. Die Affinität beider dsRBDs an das pre-let-7 Substrat wurde weiterhin mit Hilfe der Plasmon Oberflächen Resonanz untersucht. Hierbei konnte eine 9-fach höhere Bindeaffinität der Dicer-dsRBD im Vergleich zur HelF-dsRBD nachgewiesen werden. Während die Bindung der HelF-dsRBD an das pre-let-7 durch die Anwesenheit von Mg2+ beeinträchtigt war, zeigte sich kein Einfluß von Mg2+ auf das Bindeverhalten der Dicer-dsRBD. Mit Hilfe der in dieser Arbeit gewonnen Ergebnisse lässt sich ein Model für die Funktion von HelF postulieren. In diesem Model wirkt HelF durch Erkennen und Binden von dsRNA Substraten als Suppressor von der RNAi im Kern. Das Protein kann als Überwachungsystem gegen eine irrtümliche Auslösung von RNAi wirken, die durch zufällige dsRNA Faltungen oder eine zu geringe Häufigkeit der siRNAs hervorgerufen sein könnte. Falls das Protein eine Helikase-Aktivität besitzt, könnte es rückgefaltete RNA Strukturen im Kern auflösen, was sich in einer verringerten RNAi-Effizienz wiederspiegelt. Durch Ausschalten des helF-Gens würde nach diesem Modell eine erfolgreiche Auslösung von RNAi schon bei sehr geringer Mengen an dsRNA möglich werden. Das Modell erlaubt, die exakte molekulare Funktion des HelF-Proteins im RNAi-Mechanismus weiter zu untersuchen.

Autonomes Performance-Management in dienstorientierten Architekturen

Die Bedeutung des Dienstgüte-Managements (SLM) im Bereich von Unternehmensanwendungen steigt mit der zunehmenden Kritikalität von IT-gestützten Prozessen für den Erfolg einzelner Unternehmen. Traditionell werden zur Implementierung eines wirksamen SLMs Monitoringprozesse in hierarchischen Managementumgebungen etabliert, die einen Administrator bei der notwendigen Rekonfiguration von Systemen unterstützen. Auf aktuelle, hochdynamische Softwarearchitekturen sind diese hierarchischen Ansätze jedoch nur sehr eingeschränkt anwendbar. Ein Beispiel dafür sind dienstorientierte Architekturen (SOA), bei denen die Geschäftsfunktionalität durch das Zusammenspiel einzelner, voneinander unabhängiger Dienste auf Basis deskriptiver Workflow-Beschreibungen modelliert wird. Dadurch ergibt sich eine hohe Laufzeitdynamik der gesamten Architektur. Für das SLM ist insbesondere die dezentrale Struktur einer SOA mit unterschiedlichen administrativen Zuständigkeiten für einzelne Teilsysteme problematisch, da regelnde Eingriffe zum einen durch die Kapselung der Implementierung einzelner Dienste und zum anderen durch das Fehlen einer zentralen Kontrollinstanz nur sehr eingeschränkt möglich sind. Die vorliegende Arbeit definiert die Architektur eines SLM-Systems für SOA-Umgebungen, in dem autonome Management-Komponenten kooperieren, um übergeordnete Dienstgüteziele zu erfüllen: Mithilfe von Selbst-Management-Technologien wird zunächst eine Automatisierung des Dienstgüte-Managements auf Ebene einzelner Dienste erreicht. Die autonomen Management-Komponenten dieser Dienste können dann mithilfe von Selbstorganisationsmechanismen übergreifende Ziele zur Optimierung von Dienstgüteverhalten und Ressourcennutzung verfolgen. Für das SLM auf Ebene von SOA Workflows müssen temporär dienstübergreifende Kooperationen zur Erfüllung von Dienstgüteanforderungen etabliert werden, die sich damit auch über mehrere administrative Domänen erstrecken können. Eine solche zeitlich begrenzte Kooperation autonomer Teilsysteme kann sinnvoll nur dezentral erfolgen, da die jeweiligen Kooperationspartner im Vorfeld nicht bekannt sind und – je nach Lebensdauer einzelner Workflows – zur Laufzeit beteiligte Komponenten ausgetauscht werden können. In der Arbeit wird ein Verfahren zur Koordination autonomer Management-Komponenten mit dem Ziel der Optimierung von Antwortzeiten auf Workflow-Ebene entwickelt: Management-Komponenten können durch Übertragung von Antwortzeitanteilen untereinander ihre individuellen Ziele straffen oder lockern, ohne dass das Gesamtantwortzeitziel dadurch verändert wird. Die Übertragung von Antwortzeitanteilen wird mithilfe eines Auktionsverfahrens realisiert. Technische Grundlage der Kooperation bildet ein Gruppenkommunikationsmechanismus. Weiterhin werden in Bezug auf die Nutzung geteilter, virtualisierter Ressourcen konkurrierende Dienste entsprechend geschäftlicher Ziele priorisiert. Im Rahmen der praktischen Umsetzung wird die Realisierung zentraler Architekturelemente und der entwickelten Verfahren zur Selbstorganisation beispielhaft für das SLM konkreter Komponenten vorgestellt. Zur Untersuchung der Management-Kooperation in größeren Szenarien wird ein hybrider Simulationsansatz verwendet. Im Rahmen der Evaluation werden Untersuchungen zur Skalierbarkeit des Ansatzes durchgeführt. Schwerpunkt ist hierbei die Betrachtung eines Systems aus kooperierenden Management-Komponenten, insbesondere im Hinblick auf den Kommunikationsaufwand. Die Evaluation zeigt, dass ein dienstübergreifendes, autonomes Performance-Management in SOA-Umgebungen möglich ist. Die Ergebnisse legen nahe, dass der entwickelte Ansatz auch in großen Umgebungen erfolgreich angewendet werden kann.

High-Speed Semiconductor Lasers based on Low-Dimensional Active Materials for Optical Telecommunication

The scope of this work is the fundamental growth, tailoring and characterization of self-organized indium arsenide quantum dots (QDs) and their exploitation as active region for diode lasers emitting in the 1.55 µm range. This wavelength regime is especially interesting for long-haul telecommunications as optical fibers made from silica glass have the lowest optical absorption. Molecular Beam Epitaxy is utilized as fabrication technique for the quantum dots and laser structures. The results presented in this thesis depict the first experimental work for which this reactor was used at the University of Kassel. Most research in the field of self-organized quantum dots has been conducted in the InAs/GaAs material system. It can be seen as the model system of self-organized quantum dots, but is not suitable for the targeted emission wavelength. Light emission from this system at 1.55 µm is hard to accomplish. To stay as close as possible to existing processing technology, the In(AlGa)As/InP (100) material system is deployed. Depending on the epitaxial growth technique and growth parameters this system has the drawback of producing a wide range of nano species besides quantum dots. Best known are the elongated quantum dashes (QDash). Such structures are preferentially formed, if InAs is deposited on InP. This is related to the low lattice-mismatch of 3.2 %, which is less than half of the value in the InAs/GaAs system. The task of creating round-shaped and uniform QDs is rendered more complex considering exchange effects of arsenic and phosphorus as well as anisotropic effects on the surface that do not need to be dealt with in the InAs/GaAs case. While QDash structures haven been studied fundamentally as well as in laser structures, they do not represent the theoretical ideal case of a zero-dimensional material. Creating round-shaped quantum dots on the InP(100) substrate remains a challenging task. Details of the self-organization process are still unknown and the formation of the QDs is not fully understood yet. In the course of the experimental work a novel growth concept was discovered and analyzed that eases the fabrication of QDs. It is based on different crystal growth and ad-atom diffusion processes under supply of different modifications of the arsenic atmosphere in the MBE reactor. The reactor is equipped with special valved cracking effusion cells for arsenic and phosphorus. It represents an all-solid source configuration that does not rely on toxic gas supply. The cracking effusion cell are able to create different species of arsenic and phosphorus. This constitutes the basis of the growth concept. With this method round-shaped QD ensembles with superior optical properties and record-low photoluminescence linewidth were achieved. By systematically varying the growth parameters and working out a detailed analysis of the experimental data a range of parameter values, for which the formation of QDs is favored, was found. A qualitative explanation of the formation characteristics based on the surface migration of In ad-atoms is developed. Such tailored QDs are finally implemented as active region in a self-designed diode laser structure. A basic characterization of the static and temperature-dependent properties was carried out. The QD lasers exceed a reference quantum well laser in terms of inversion conditions and temperature-dependent characteristics. Pulsed output powers of several hundred milli watt were measured at room temperature. In particular, the lasers feature a high modal gain that even allowed cw-emission at room temperature of a processed ridge wave guide device as short as 340 µm with output powers of 17 mW. Modulation experiments performed at the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) showed a complex behavior of the QDs in the laser cavity. Despite the fact that the laser structure is not fully optimized for a high-speed device, data transmission capabilities of 15 Gb/s combined with low noise were achieved. To the best of the author`s knowledge, this renders the lasers the fastest QD devices operating at 1.55 µm. The thesis starts with an introductory chapter that pronounces the advantages of optical fiber communication in general. Chapter 2 will introduce the fundamental knowledge that is necessary to understand the importance of the active region`s dimensions for the performance of a diode laser. The novel growth concept and its experimental analysis are presented in chapter 3. Chapter 4 finally contains the work on diode lasers.

Identification of Problem-based learning components and their effects on graduates' competencies

This study investigated the relationship between higher education and the requirement of the world of work with an emphasis on the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on graduates' competencies. The implementation of full PBL method is costly (Albanese & Mitchell, 1993; Berkson, 1993; Finucane, Shannon, & McGrath, 2009). However, the implementation of PBL in a less than curriculum-wide mode is more achievable in a broader context (Albanese, 2000). This means higher education institutions implement only a few PBL components in the curriculum. Or a teacher implements a few PBL components at the courses level. For this kind of implementation there is a need to identify PBL components and their effects on particular educational outputs (Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Newman, 2003). So far, however there has been little research about this topic. The main aims of this study were: (1) to identify each of PBL components which were manifested in the development of a valid and reliable PBL implementation questionnaire and (2) to determine the effect of each identified PBL component to specific graduates' competencies. The analysis was based on quantitative data collected in the survey of medicine graduates of Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. A total of 225 graduates responded to the survey. The result of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that all individual constructs of PBL and graduates' competencies had acceptable GOFs (Goodness-of-fit). Additionally, the values of the factor loadings (standardize loading estimates), the AVEs (average variance extracted), CRs (construct reliability), and ASVs (average shared squared variance) showed the proof of convergent and discriminant validity. All values indicated valid and reliable measurements. The investigation of the effects of PBL showed that each PBL component had specific effects on graduates' competencies. Interpersonal competencies were affected by Student-centred learning (β = .137; p < .05) and Small group components (β = .078; p < .05). Problem as stimulus affected Leadership (β = .182; p < .01). Real-world problems affected Personal and organisational competencies (β = .140; p < .01) and Interpersonal competencies (β = .114; p < .05). Teacher as facilitator affected Leadership (β = 142; p < .05). Self-directed learning affected Field-related competencies (β = .080; p < .05). These results can help higher education institution and educator to have informed choice about the implementation of PBL components. With this information higher education institutions and educators could fulfil their educational goals and in the same time meet their limited resources. This study seeks to improve prior studies' research method in four major ways: (1) by indentifying PBL components based on theory and empirical data; (2) by using latent variables in the structural equation modelling instead of using a variable as a proxy of a construct; (3) by using CFA to validate the latent structure of the measurement, thus providing better evidence of validity; and (4) by using graduate survey data which is suitable for analysing PBL effects in the frame work of the relationship between higher education and the world of work.

The prediction of seasonal and inter-annual climate variations and their impacts on the water resources in the eastern seaboard of Thailand

The research of this thesis dissertation covers developments and applications of short-and long-term climate predictions. The short-term prediction emphasizes monthly and seasonal climate, i.e. forecasting from up to the next month over a season to up to a year or so. The long-term predictions pertain to the analysis of inter-annual- and decadal climate variations over the whole 21st century. These two climate prediction methods are validated and applied in the study area, namely, Khlong Yai (KY) water basin located in the eastern seaboard of Thailand which is a major industrial zone of the country and which has been suffering from severe drought and water shortage in recent years. Since water resources are essential for the further industrial development in this region, a thorough analysis of the potential climate change with its subsequent impact on the water supply in the area is at the heart of this thesis research. The short-term forecast of the next-season climate, such as temperatures and rainfall, offers a potential general guideline for water management and reservoir operation. To that avail, statistical models based on autoregressive techniques, i.e., AR-, ARIMA- and ARIMAex-, which includes additional external regressors, and multiple linear regression- (MLR) models, are developed and applied in the study region. Teleconnections between ocean states and the local climate are investigated and used as extra external predictors in the ARIMAex- and the MLR-model and shown to enhance the accuracy of the short-term predictions significantly. However, as the ocean state – local climate teleconnective relationships provide only a one- to four-month ahead lead time, the ocean state indices can support only a one-season-ahead forecast. Hence, GCM- climate predictors are also suggested as an additional predictor-set for a more reliable and somewhat longer short-term forecast. For the preparation of “pre-warning” information for up-coming possible future climate change with potential adverse hydrological impacts in the study region, the long-term climate prediction methodology is applied. The latter is based on the downscaling of climate predictions from several single- and multi-domain GCMs, using the two well-known downscaling methods SDSM and LARS-WG and a newly developed MLR-downscaling technique that allows the incorporation of a multitude of monthly or daily climate predictors from one- or several (multi-domain) parent GCMs. The numerous downscaling experiments indicate that the MLR- method is more accurate than SDSM and LARS-WG in predicting the recent past 20th-century (1971-2000) long-term monthly climate in the region. The MLR-model is, consequently, then employed to downscale 21st-century GCM- climate predictions under SRES-scenarios A1B, A2 and B1. However, since the hydrological watershed model requires daily-scale climate input data, a new stochastic daily climate generator is developed to rescale monthly observed or predicted climate series to daily series, while adhering to the statistical and geospatial distributional attributes of observed (past) daily climate series in the calibration phase. Employing this daily climate generator, 30 realizations of future daily climate series from downscaled monthly GCM-climate predictor sets are produced and used as input in the SWAT- distributed watershed model, to simulate future streamflow and other hydrological water budget components in the study region in a multi-realization manner. In addition to a general examination of the future changes of the hydrological regime in the KY-basin, potential future changes of the water budgets of three main reservoirs in the basin are analysed, as these are a major source of water supply in the study region. The results of the long-term 21st-century downscaled climate predictions provide evidence that, compared with the past 20th-reference period, the future climate in the study area will be more extreme, particularly, for SRES A1B. Thus, the temperatures will be higher and exhibit larger fluctuations. Although the future intensity of the rainfall is nearly constant, its spatial distribution across the region is partially changing. There is further evidence that the sequential rainfall occurrence will be decreased, so that short periods of high intensities will be followed by longer dry spells. This change in the sequential rainfall pattern will also lead to seasonal reductions of the streamflow and seasonal changes (decreases) of the water storage in the reservoirs. In any case, these predicted future climate changes with their hydrological impacts should encourage water planner and policy makers to develop adaptation strategies to properly handle the future water supply in this area, following the guidelines suggested in this study.

Heat stress response for physiological traits in dairy and dual purpose cattle populations on phenotypic and genetic scales

The main objective of this thesis was to determine the potential impact of heat stress (HS) on physiological traits of lactating cows and semen quality of bulls kept in a temperate climate. The thesis is comprised of three studies. An innovative statistical modeling aspect common to all three studies was the application of random regression methodology (RRM) to study the phenotypic and genetic trajectory of traits in dependency of a continuous temperature humidity index (THI). In the first study, semen quality and quantity traits of 562 Holstein sires kept on an AI station in northwestern Germany were analyzed in the course of THI calculated from data obtained from the nearest weather station. Heat stress was identified based on a decline in semen quality and quantity parameters. The identified general HS threshold (THI = 60) and the thermoneutal zone (THI in the range from 50 to 60) for semen production were lower than detected in studies conducted in tropical and subtropical climates. Even though adult bulls were characterized by higher semen productivity compared to younger bulls, they responded with a stronger semen production loss during harsh environments. Heritabilities (low to moderate range) and additive genetic variances of semen characteristics varied with different levels of THI. Also, based on genetic correlations genotype, by environment interactions were detected. Taken together, these findings suggest the application of specific selection strategies for specific climate conditions. In the second study, the effect of the continuous environmental descriptor THI as measured inside the barns on rectal temperatures (RT), skin temperatures (ST), vaginal temperatures (VT), respiration rates (RR), and pulse rate (PR) of lactating Holstein Friesian (HF) and dual-purpose German black pied cattle (DSN) was analyzed. Increasing HS from THI 65 (threshold) to THI 86 (maximal THI) resulted in an increase of RT by 0.6 °C (DSN) and 1 °C (HF), ST by 3.5 °C (HF) and 8 °C (DSN), VT by 0.3 °C (DSN), and RR by 47 breaths / minute (DSN), and decreased PR by 7 beats / minute (DSN). The undesired effects of rising THI on physiological traits were most pronounced for cows with high levels of milk yield and milk constituents, cows in early days in milk and later parities, and during summer seasons in the year 2014. In the third study of this dissertation, the genetic components of the cow’s physiological responses to HS were investigated. Heat stress was deduced from indoor THI measurements, and physiological traits were recorded on native DSN cows and their genetically upgraded crosses with Holstein Friesian sires in two experimental herds from pasture-based production systems reflecting a harsh environment of the northern part of Germany. Although heritabilities were in a low range (from 0.018 to 0.072), alterations of heritabilities, repeatabilities, and genetic components in the course of THI justify the implementation of genetic evaluations including heat stress components. However, low repeatabilities indicate the necessity of using repeated records for measuring physiological traits in German cattle. Moderate EBV correlations between different trait combinations indicate the potential of selection for one trait to simultaneously improve the other physiological attributes. In conclusion, bulls of AI centers and lactating cows suffer from HS during more extreme weather conditions also in the temperate climate of Northern Germany. Monitoring physiological traits during warm and humid conditions could provide precious information for detection of appropriate times for implementation of cooling systems and changes in feeding and management strategies. Subsequently, the inclusion of these physiological traits with THI specific breeding values into overall breeding goals could contribute to improving cattle adaptability by selecting the optimal animal for extreme hot and humid conditions. Furthermore, the recording of meteorological data in close distance to the cow and visualizing the surface body temperature by infrared thermography techniques might be helpful for recognizing heat tolerance and adaptability in cattle.

Face Detection in Still Gray Images

We present a trainable system for detecting frontal and near-frontal views of faces in still gray images using Support Vector Machines (SVMs). We first consider the problem of detecting the whole face pattern by a single SVM classifer. In this context we compare different types of image features, present and evaluate a new method for reducing the number of features and discuss practical issues concerning the parameterization of SVMs and the selection of training data. The second part of the paper describes a component-based method for face detection consisting of a two-level hierarchy of SVM classifers. On the first level, component classifers independently detect components of a face, such as the eyes, the nose, and the mouth. On the second level, a single classifer checks if the geometrical configuration of the detected components in the image matches a geometrical model of a face.

Modelling for Problem Solving in the Large

This a short presentation which introduces how models and modelling help us to solve large scale problems in the real world. It introduces the idea that dynamic behaviour is caused by interacting components in the system. Feedback in the system makes behaviour prediction difficult unless we use modelling to support understanding

Evaluation of effectiveness of the project ‘Caring caregivers of persons in disability situation’. Bogotá - second semester of 2007

The present paper presents the results of a transversal descriptive study which intended to estimate the contribution of the project “Caring for those who take care of people with disabilities” in the areas of: strength of personal and group competences, self care, life project, dexterity in the care process of people with disabilities, and communitarian auto management; that was implemented in 20 urban areas with caregivers of the city of Bogota in the year 2007. The study allowed the nresearches to acknowledge the little change perception that caregivers had in terms of self care, however, the caregivers perceived change in the four areas, although this were not statistically significant in comparison with the general population. There were only significant changes in the communitarian auto management area in 30% of the population. As a result, it is proposed that more extensive, continuous, and sustainable processes are implemented and that this process arises from contention spaces which can be created with the caregivers, from which they can be motivated to participate in other ´processes of collective and individual changes. Also there’s a need to rely on facilitators (professionals and change agents) who have stronger competences on the how to be and the how to interact competences, because there’s a need to manage the psychosocial components in this group of people. Also, we must make organizational processes and the social networks stronger, this is: collective actions are required, because disability is a social fact, and so, the individual issues are just a moment in the process of inclusion of the person with disability, his family and caregiver.

Impacto de un programa de promoción de actividad física en mujeres trabajadoras de dos empresas de Bogotá

Estilos de vida activos y saludables se han asociado con mejoras en calidad de vida de mujeres trabajadoras. Objetivos: establecer la efectividad de un programa de actividad física para mejorar componentes del fitness en mujeres trabajadoras de dos empresas de Bogotá. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio longitudinal, descriptivo de carácter exploratorio, con mediciones previas y posteriores de variables cuantitativas de componentes del fitness. Se incluyeron mujeres trabajadorasde 24 a 49 años, sin factores de riesgos asociados y sin restricciones para la práctica de actividad física de acuerdo con el cuestionario PARQ & YOU. Quince mujeres (37,33 ±9,3) se sometieron voluntariamente a la intervención en actividad física durante un período de 12 semanas, 60 minutos diarios. Para el análisis estadístico de los datos, se empleó el paquete estadístico SPSS 17. Resultados: se presentaron cambios significativos después de la intervención en el índice de masa corporal (IMC) (p = 0,023), resistencia abdominal (p = 0,004) y fuerza en miembros inferiores (MMII) (p = 0,001). No hubo cambios estadísticamente significativos en consumo pico de oxígeno y flexibilidad. Conclusión: a partir de estos resultados, se pudo establecer que el protocolo del programa de promoción de actividad física aplicado produjo cambios en el fitness de las mujeres que lo completaron, lo que significa que este puede ser replicado con resultados efectivos tras su desarrollo.

Relationship between physical capacity and quality of life in workers university

Aim: Examine the relationship between the functional capacity and the quality of life related to health in university workers. Methodology: Cross-sectional study in 146 subjects, divided in two groups: Low functional Capacity (< 9 METs) and High functional Capacity (> 9.1 METs). We evaluated quality of life related to health (HRQOL-Health Questionnaire SF-12) and functional capacity (Questionnaire PAR/PAF) as indicators of health status. Results: 47.3% (69 men) and 52.7% (78 women). The average age of the groups was 35.0 ± 9.7 years (range 19,0-60,0 years). For HRQOL, the average found in the population assessed was 45.2 ± 4.42 (range 33,0-58,1) and 43.8 ± 6.87 (range 19,8-43,8) in components Physical Component Summary (PCS-12) and Mental Component Summary (MCS-12), respectively p = NS. Significant differences were found when comparing functional ability and sex, p<0,001 in both groups. Similarly, sex and mental component MCS-12 (group of Lower Functional) p = 0,049 as well as women and the physical component PCS-12, p = 0,05 between groups. Finally, a better score in HRQL observed in the group of High Capacity and functional components in both sex OR 0.59 (0.25-1.38). Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate the relationship between High functional Capacity and a better HRQOL in this population.