Severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua)

The eastern Baltic cod (Gadus morhua) population has been decreasing in the Baltic Sea for at least 30 years. Condition indices of the Baltic cod have decreased, and previous studies have suggested that this might be due to overfishing, predation, lower dissolved oxygen or changes in salinity. However, numerous studies from the Baltic Sea have demonstrated an ongoing thiamine deficiency in several animal classes, both invertebrates and vertebrates. The thiamine status of the eastern Baltic cod was investigated to determine if thiamine deficiency might be a factor in ongoing population declines. Thiamine concentrations were determined by chemical analyses of thiamine, thiamine monophosphate and thiamine diphosphate (combined SumT) in the liver using high performance liquid chromatography. Biochemical analyses measured the activity of the thiamine diphosphate-dependent enzyme transketolase to determine the proportion of apoenzymes in both liver and brain tissue. These biochemical analyses showed that 77% of the cod were thiamine deficient in the liver, of which 13% had a severe thiamine deficiency (i.e. 25% transketolase enzymes lacked thiamine diphosphate). The brain tissue of 77% of the cod showed thiamine deficiency, of which 64% showed severe thiamine deficiency. The thiamine deficiency biomarkers were investigated to find correlations to different biological parameters, such as length, weight, otolith weight, age (annuli counting) and different organ weights. The results suggested that thiamine deficiency increased with age. The SumT concentration ranged between 2.4-24 nmol/g in the liver, where the specimens with heavier otoliths had lower values of SumT (P = 0.0031). Of the cod sampled, only 2% of the specimens had a Fulton's condition factor indicating a healthy specimen, and 49% had a condition factor below 0.8, indicating poor health status. These results, showing a severe thiamine deficiency in eastern Baltic cod from the only known area where spawning presently occurs for this species, are of grave concern

The Other-Directed Adolescent: Associated Personality Processes as Measured by the Rorschach

Other-Directedness examines the extent to which a person sees his or her contemporaries as a source or guide for how to behave in a given situation. It has been linked with both adjustment difficulties and difficulties in interpersonal functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine underlying personality processes using the Rorschach in the late adolescent, college population and the hypotheses were three-fold. It was hypothesized that highly Other-Directed adolescents would have fewer psychological resources for coping with stress as indicated by a low Adjusted D score. It was hypothesized that highly Other-Directed adolescents would have less effective attitudes concerning interpersonal behaviors, as evidenced by more Poor Human Responses than Good Human Responses. It was hypothesized that highly Other-Directed adolescents would display greater dependency needs for closeness and approval through greater total Texture responses. Self-report and Rorschach data was collected from 77 undergraduate men and woman. The data was analyzed nonparametrically given the non-normal distribution of the Rorschach scores. Results did not support any of the hypotheses. Discussion is given to methodological issues, such as limited variance or appropriateness of certain Rorschach variables in a non-patient sample. Further discussion is given to conceptual issues and alternative models

Optimal Periodic Inspection of a Stochastically Degrading System

This thesis develops and analyzes a procedure to determine the optimal inspection interval that maximizes the limiting average availability of a stochastically degrading component operating in a randomly evolving environment. The component is inspected periodically, and if the total observed cumulative degradation exceeds a fixed threshold value, the component is instantly replaced with a new, statistically identical component. Degradation is due to a combination of continuous wear caused by the component\u27s random operating environment, as well as damage due to randomly occurring shocks of random magnitude. In order to compute an optimal inspection interval and corresponding limiting average availability, a nonlinear program is formulated and solved using a direct search algorithm in conjunction with numerical Laplace transform inversion. Techniques are developed to significantly decrease the time required to compute the approximate optimal solutions. The mathematical programming formulation and solution techniques are illustrated through a series of increasingly complex example problems

Water use efficiency and climate legacies dominate beech growth at its rear edge

Rear-edge tree populations are experiencing a combination of higher temperatures and more intense droughts that might push individuals beyond their tolerance limits. This trend towards rising atmospheric [CO2] is concurrent with an increase in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE), which theoretically enhances photosynthesis and decrease evapotranspiration rates, consequently improving tree resistance to drought. However, it remains unclear whether iWUE is favouring tree growth under current climate conditions, particularly when climate and iWUE legacy effects are simultaneously considered. 2. We evaluated this question with an extensive sampling along Iberian rear-edge (dry) populations comprising four mountain ranges and two distinct altitudes. We simultaneously examined the effects of climate and iWUE on secondary growth using annually resolved basal area increments (BAIs) for the period 1901–2017. We used linear mixed models including second-order autocorrelation and 1-year legacy effects of iWUE and summer drought. 3. BAI and iWUE increased across the studied period. iWUE increase was driven by changes in atmospheric CO2 concentration and water availability during the growing season. Climate and iWUE exerted direct and lagged effects on beech growth. Water availability during growing season was the main driver of tree growth, combining direct and indirect effects through its impact on iWUE. Legacy effects of water availability and iWUE were more important than growing season conditions. The net effect of iWUE shifted when lagged effects were considered, resulting in a net negative impact on tree growth. 4. Synthesis: Our results reveal that climate and iWUE legacy effects must be considered to assess the net iWUE effect on secondary growth. Considering lagged effects, the current increase in iWUE is constraining tree growth. Modelling efforts of tree growth response to climate warming should include climate and iWUE legacy effects to adequately assess terrestrial ecosystem carbon balanceEU Feder Funds; EU LIFE, Grant/Award NumberLIFE Soria Forest Adapt [LIFE19 CCA/ES/001181Junta de Castilla y León-Consejería de Educación, Grant/ Award Number: IR2020-1- UVA08; VA171P20Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation, Grant/Award Number: LAUREL PID2019-109906RA- I00 MCIN/AEI/10.13039/5011PROWARM PID2020-118444GA- 100 MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/50Postdoctoral grant IJC2019-040571- I MCIN/ AEI/10.13Predoctoral grant PRE2018-084106 funded by MCIN/AEspRING CGL2017-87309- P MCIN/ AEI/10.13039/50110001

Diversity of Lecidea (Lecideaceae, Ascomycota) species revealed by molecular data and morphological characters

The diversity of lichens, especially crustose species, in continental Antarctica is still poorly known. To overcome difficulties with the morphology based species delimitations in these groups, we employed molecular data (nuclear ITS and mitochondrial SSU rDNA sequences) to test species boundaries within the genus Lecidea. Sampling was done along a north–south transect at five different areas in the Ross Sea region (Cape Hallett, Botany Bay to Mount Suess, Taylor Valley, Darwin Area and Mount Kyffin). A total of 153 specimens were collected from 13 localities. Phylogenetic analyses also include specimens from other regions in Antarctica and non-Antarctic areas. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses agreed in placing the samples from continental Antarctica into four major groups. Based on this phylogenetic estimate, we restudied the micromorphology and secondary chemistry of these four clades to evaluate the use of these characters as phylogenetic discriminators. These clades are identified as the following species Lecidea cancriformis, L. andersonii as well as the new species L. polypycnidophora Ruprecht & Türk sp. nov. and another previously unnamed clade of uncertain status, referred to as Lecidea sp. (L. UCR1)

Diversity of Lecidea (Lecideaceae, Ascomycota) species revealed by molecular data and morphological characters

The diversity of lichens, especially crustose species, in continental Antarctica is still poorly known. To overcome difficulties with the morphology based species delimitations in these groups, we employed molecular data (nuclear ITS and mitochondrial SSU rDNA sequences) to test species boundaries within the genus Lecidea. Sampling was done along a north–south transect at five different areas in the Ross Sea region (Cape Hallett, Botany Bay to Mount Suess, Taylor Valley, Darwin Area and Mount Kyffin). A total of 153 specimens were collected from 13 localities. Phylogenetic analyses also include specimens from other regions in Antarctica and non-Antarctic areas. Maximum parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses agreed in placing the samples from continental Antarctica into four major groups. Based on this phylogenetic estimate, we restudied the micromorphology and secondary chemistry of these four clades to evaluate the use of these characters as phylogenetic discriminators. These clades are identified as the following species Lecidea cancriformis, L. andersonii as well as the new species L. polypycnidophora Ruprecht & Türk sp. nov. and another previously unnamed clade of uncertain status, referred to as Lecidea sp. (L. UCR1)

KAJI EKSPERIMENTAL PENYERAPAN ENERGI TABUNG ALUMINIUM YANG MENGALAMI BEBAN TEKAN ARAH AKSIAL

Energy absorbing structural components are widely used in vehicles, such as car, aircraft, train, ships and others. The aim is to absorb energy during impact and thus lessen the risk of occupant's injuries and limit the damage to the whole structure. Cylindrical shell that deform plastically due to longitudinal loading is one of the efficient energy absorbing structures. In this paper, experiments were carried out on aluminum cylindrical shell which was loaded axially. The diameters of the cylindrical shell were 60 mm and 100 mm, and the thickness was 2 mm. Some collapse trigger mechanisms were investigated, which are: plastic fold trigger, circular hole trigger and oval hole trigger. The experiments will then be compared with analytical results

Neuroanatomical and psychological considerations in temporal lobe epilepsy

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsy and is associated with a variety of structural and psychological alterations. Recently, there has been renewed interest in using brain tissue resected during epilepsy surgery, in particular `non-epileptic¿ brain samples with normal histology that can be found alongside epileptic tissue in the same epileptic patients ¿ with the aim being to study the normal human brain organization using a variety of methods. An important limitation is that different medical characteristics of the patients may modify the brain tissue. Thus, to better determine how `normal¿ the resected tissue is, it is fundamental to know certain clinical, anatomical and psychological characteristics of the patients. Unfortunately, this information is frequently not fully available for the patient from which the resected tissue has been obtained ¿ or is not fully appreciated by the neuroscientists analyzing the brain samples, who are not necessarily experts in epilepsy. In order to present the full picture of TLE in a way that would be accessible to multiple communities (e.g., basic researchers in neuroscience, neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychologists), we have reviewed 34 TLE patients, who were selected due to the availability of detailed clinical, anatomical, and psychological information for each of the patients. Our aim was to convey the full complexity of the disorder, its putative anatomical substrates, and the wide range of individual variability, with a view toward: (1) emphasizing the importance of considering critical patient information when using brain samples for basic research and (2) gaining a better understanding of normal and abnormal brain functioning. In agreement with a large number of previous reports, this study (1) reinforces the notion of substantial individual variability among epileptic patients, and (2) highlights the common but overlooked psychopathological alterations that occur even in patients who become ¿seizure-free¿ after surgery. The first point is based on pre- and post-surgical comparisons of patients with hippocampal sclerosis and patients with normal-looking hippocampus in neuropsychological evaluations. The second emerges from our extensive battery of personality and projective tests, in a two-way comparison of these two types of patients with regard to pre- and post-surgical performance.This work was supported by grants from the following entities: Grant PID2021-127924NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033; Centro de Investigación en Red sobre Enfermedades Neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED, CB06/05/0066); and CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform (PTI) Cajal Blue Brain (PTI-BLUEBRAIN; Spain). RA was supported by ANDIA grant #0011-3947-2021-000023 from the Gobierno de Navarra

The limits of Nečiporuk’s method and the power of programs over monoids taken from small varieties of finite monoids

Cotutelle avec l'École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, Université Paris-Saclay.Cette thèse porte sur des minorants pour des mesures de complexité liées à des sous-classes de la classe P de langages pouvant être décidés en temps polynomial par des machines de Turing. Nous considérons des modèles de calcul non uniformes tels que les programmes sur monoïdes et les programmes de branchement. Notre première contribution est un traitement abstrait de la méthode de Nečiporuk pour prouver des minorants, indépendamment de toute mesure de complexité spécifique. Cette méthode donne toujours les meilleurs minorants connus pour des mesures telles que la taille des programmes de branchements déterministes et non déterministes ou des formules avec des opérateurs booléens binaires arbitraires ; nous donnons une formulation abstraite de la méthode et utilisons ce cadre pour démontrer des limites au meilleur minorant obtenable en utilisant cette méthode pour plusieurs mesures de complexité. Par là, nous confirmons, dans ce cadre légèrement plus général, des résultats de limitation précédemment connus et exhibons de nouveaux résultats de limitation pour des mesures de complexité auxquelles la méthode de Nečiporuk n’avait jamais été appliquée. Notre seconde contribution est une meilleure compréhension de la puissance calculatoire des programmes sur monoïdes issus de petites variétés de monoïdes finis. Les programmes sur monoïdes furent introduits à la fin des années 1980 par Barrington et Thérien pour généraliser la reconnaissance par morphismes et ainsi obtenir une caractérisation en termes de semi-groupes finis de NC^1 et de ses sous-classes. Étant donné une variété V de monoïdes finis, on considère la classe P(V) de langages reconnus par une suite de programmes de longueur polynomiale sur un monoïde de V : lorsque l’on fait varier V parmi toutes les variétés de monoïdes finis, on obtient différentes sous-classes de NC^1, par exemple AC^0, ACC^0 et NC^1 quand V est respectivement la variété de tous les monoïdes apériodiques finis, résolubles finis et finis. Nous introduisons une nouvelle notion de docilité pour les variétés de monoïdes finis, renforçant une notion de Péladeau. L’intérêt principal de cette notion est que quand une variété V de monoïdes finis est docile, nous avons que P(V) contient seulement des langages réguliers qui sont quasi reconnus par morphisme par des monoïdes de V. De nombreuses questions ouvertes à propos de la structure interne de NC^1 seraient réglées en montrant qu’une variété de monoïdes finis appropriée est docile, et, dans cette thèse, nous débutons modestement une étude exhaustive de quelles variétés de monoïdes finis sont dociles. Plus précisément, nous portons notre attention sur deux petites variétés de monoïdes apériodiques finis bien connues : DA et J. D’une part, nous montrons que DA est docile en utilisant des arguments de théorie des semi-groupes finis. Cela nous permet de dériver une caractérisation algébrique exacte de la classe des langages réguliers dans P(DA). D’autre part, nous montrons que J n’est pas docile. Pour faire cela, nous présentons une astuce par laquelle des programmes sur monoïdes de J peuvent reconnaître beaucoup plus de langages réguliers que seulement ceux qui sont quasi reconnus par morphisme par des monoïdes de J. Cela nous amène à conjecturer une caractérisation algébrique exacte de la classe de langages réguliers dans P(J), et nous exposons quelques résultats partiels appuyant cette conjecture. Pour chacune des variétés DA et J, nous exhibons également une hiérarchie basée sur la longueur des programmes à l’intérieur de la classe des langages reconnus par programmes sur monoïdes de la variété, améliorant par là les résultats de Tesson et Thérien sur la propriété de longueur polynomiale pour les monoïdes de ces variétés.This thesis deals with lower bounds for complexity measures related to subclasses of the class P of languages that can be decided by Turing machines in polynomial time. We consider non-uniform computational models like programs over monoids and branching programs. Our first contribution is an abstract, measure-independent treatment of Nečiporuk’s method for proving lower bounds. This method still gives the best lower bounds known on measures such as the size of deterministic and non-deterministic branching programs or formulæ with arbitrary binary Boolean operators; we give an abstract formulation of the method and use this framework to prove limits on the best lower bounds obtainable using this method for several complexity measures. We thereby confirm previously known limitation results in this slightly more general framework and showcase new limitation results for complexity measures to which Nečiporuk’s method had never been applied. Our second contribution is a better understanding of the computational power of programs over monoids taken from small varieties of finite monoids. Programs over monoids were introduced in the late 1980s by Barrington and Thérien as a way to generalise recognition by morphisms so as to obtain a finite-semigroup-theoretic characterisation of NC^1 and its subclasses. Given a variety V of finite monoids, one considers the class P(V) of languages recognised by a sequence of polynomial-length programs over a monoid from V: as V ranges over all varieties of finite monoids, one obtains different subclasses of NC^1, for instance AC^0, ACC^0 and NC^1 when V respectively is the variety of all finite aperiodic, finite solvable and finite monoids. We introduce a new notion of tameness for varieties of finite monoids, strengthening a notion of Péladeau. The main interest of this notion is that when a variety V of finite monoids is tame, we have that P(V) does only contain regular languages that are quasi morphism-recognised by monoids from V. Many open questions about the internal structure of NC^1 would be settled by showing that some appropriate variety of finite monoids is tame, and, in this thesis, we modestly start an exhaustive study of which varieties of finite monoids are tame. More precisely, we focus on two well-known small varieties of finite aperiodic monoids: DA and J. On the one hand, we show that DA is tame using finite-semigroup- theoretic arguments. This allows us to derive an exact algebraic characterisation of the class of regular languages in P(DA). On the other hand, we show that J is not tame. To do this, we present a trick by which programs over monoids from J can recognise much more regular languages than only those that are quasi morphism-recognised by monoids from J. This brings us to conjecture an exact algebraic characterisation of the class of regular languages in P(J), and we lay out some partial results that support this conjecture. For each of the varieties DA and J, we also exhibit a program-length-based hierarchy within the class of languages recognised by programs over monoids from the variety, refining Tesson and Thérien’s results on the polynomial-length property for monoids from those varieties