Design and Fabrication of a Retractable Bridge

Volume 7 Issue 12 (December 201

Underwater optical mapping

Peer Reviewe

Renewing and reviving missiological and pastoral movements in the region : 1886-1928

The Christ event marked a new dimension in the study of human history. History was no longer about knitting together events in a set timeline but took on the quality of theology or salvation of mankind. There was now a reference point against which the history could be pitted, pitched, and proliferated. It shifted from the realm of Chronos to Kairos. Christ became the median and the hinge for the study of the universal history. This dissertation is a humble attempt to utilise the services of this refined understanding of history to understand the ecclesial movements generated by the diocese of Daman. The dissertation studies the life of the diocese of Daman as the defining point in the life of the church in the west of India. To know how the church, froth with internal and external challenges, was rescued by the diocese in its efforts to profoundly burrow its roots in India. This dissertation analyses the limits that the church can go to ensure peace and discipline. This is realised through judicious ecclesial reforms and renewal in the ever volatile political, social, geographical, economic, and religious realities. This is achieved by utilising the services of the historical critical method. What sets this dissertation apart is the focused treatment of the role of diocese of Daman in relation to the Padroado and Propaganda conflict in India. The dissertation presents a fresh and novel narration into the ecclesial contribution of the diocese in resolving the conflict and the relevance of these ecclesial movements.Jesus Cristo e a sua circunstância marcaram uma nova dimensão para o estudo da história humana. A história deixou de entretecer eventos numa linha do tempo definida, para ganhar para si mesma a qualidade de teologia ou salvação da humanidade. Passou a haver um ponto de referência com o qual a história pode ser confrontada, verificada e enriquecida. Foi deslocado do reino do Chronos para o Kairos. Cristo tornou-se o meio e a charneira da história universal. Esta dissertação é uma tentativa humilde de usar os serviços desse entendimento refinado da história para compreender os movimentos eclesiais gerados pela diocese de Damão. A dissertação estuda a vida da diocese de Damão como ponto crucial na vida da Igreja na costa ocidental da Índia. Saber como a Igreja, cheia de desafios internos e externos, foi resgatada pela diocese nos seus esforços para se enraizar profundamente na costa ocidental da Índia. Esta dissertação analisa os limites que a Igreja atinge para para garantir a paz e a disciplina. É por meio de judiciosas reformas eclesiais e tendências de renovação que a paz e a disciplina se foram consolidando, mesmo considerando a elevada volatilidade das realidades políticas, sociais, geográficas, económicas e religiosas. Isto é conseguido utilizando os instrumentos do método crítico histórico. O que diferencia esta dissertação é o tratamento focalizado do papel da diocese de Damão em relação ao conflito do Padroado e da Propaganda na Índia. A dissertação apresenta uma atual e inovadora narrativa sobre a contribuição eclesial da diocese na resolução do conflito e a relevância desses movimentos eclesiais hoje.N/

Complement mediated synapse elimination in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a devastating psychiatric disorder with a typically age of onset in late adolescence. The heritability is estimated to be in between 60-80% and large-scale genome-wide studies have revealed a prominent polygenic component to SCZ risk and identified more than three-hundred common risk variants. Despite a better understanding of which genetic risk variants that increases SCZ risk, it has been challenging to map out the pathophysiology of the disorder. This has stalled the development of target drugs and current treatment options display moderate efficacy and are prone to produce side-effects. SCZ is generally considered a neurodevelopmental disorder and it was proposed more than forty years ago that physiological removal of less active synapses in adolescence, i.e., synaptic pruning, is increased in SCZ and hereby causes the core symptoms of the disorder. This theory has then been supported by post-mortem brain tissue and imaging studies displaying decreased synapse density in SCZ. More recently, it was then shown that the most strongly associated risk loci can largely be explained by copy numbers of a gene coding for the complement factor 4A (C4A). As microglia prune synapses with the help of complement signalling, we therefore decided to use a recently developed human 2D in vitro assay to assess microglial uptake of synaptic structures in models based on cells from individuals with SCZ and healthy controls (study I). We observed excessive uptake of synaptic structures in SCZ models and by mixing synapses from healthy controls with microglia from SCZ patients, and vice versa, we showed the contribution of microglial and neuronal factors contributing to this excessive uptake of synaptic structures. We then developed an in vitro assay to study neuronal complement deposition dependent on copy numbers of C4A in the neuronal lines. Complement 3 (C3) deposition increased by C4A copy numbers but was independent of C4B copy numbers (also unrelated to SCZ risk). Similar C4A copy numbers correlated with the extent of microglial uptake of synapses. Microglial uptake of synaptic structures could also be inhibited by the tetracycline minocycline that also decreased risk of developing SCZ in an electronic health record cohort. In study II, we cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from first-episode psychosis patients to measure protein levels of C4A. In two independent cohorts, we observed elevated C4A levels (although not C4B levels) in first-episode patients that later were to develop SCZ and could show correlations with markers of synapse density. However, elevated C4A levels could not fully be explained by more copy numbers of C4A in individuals with SCZ and in vitro experiments revealed that SCZ-associated cytokines can induce C4A mRNA expression while also correlating with C4A in patient-derived CSF. In study III, we set-up a 3D brain organoid models to more fully comprehensively capture processes in the developing human brain and then also included innately developing microglia. We display synaptic pruning within these models and use single cell RNA sequencing to validate them. In conclusion, this thesis uses patient-derived cellular modelling to uncover a disease mechanism in SCZ that link genetic risk variants with bona fide protein changes in living patients

How do wages react to the business cycle? A microeconometric approach

A Work Project, presented as part of the requirements for the Award of a Masters Degree in Economics from the NOVA – School of Business and EconomicsThis study investigates the impact of the business cycle on real wages using a rich data set that matches each employee to an employer. The major innovation that this study brings to academic research is the use of two disaggregated variables as cyclical components: Job Finding Probability (JFP) and Job Separation Probability (JSP). Real wages react positively with the business cycle showing a procyclical behaviour. When JFP, JSP and the unemployment rate increase by 1 p.p., controlling for worker and firm heterogeneity, the real wage of a male worker that has an ongoing job, changes by 0.53%, -3.49% and -1.24% respectively. On the other hand, the real wage of a female worker changes by 0.42%, -0.43% and -0.85% with the same cyclical variables

Tunnel Joberg - Tunnel Excavation in the Glacial Moraine

Import 13/01/2017Diplomová práce se zabývá ražbou tunelu Joberg probíhající částečně v ledovcové moréně. Na tomto tunelu byla vůbec poprvé použitá metoda NRTM v Norsku. Cílem práce je posouzení průběhu ražby ve vybraných příčných řezech s proměnlivou výškou nadloží. Dále zhodnocení vlivu stavby na globální stabilitu morénového svahu. V úvodu práce je specifikována moréna, její vznik, druhy a materiálové složení. Také zahrnuje některé uskutečněné projekty tunelů v severských zemích. Představuje obecné informace o tunelu Joberg a směrové a spádové poměry tunelu. Popisuje geologické poměry zájmového území a zahrnuje technické informace o ražbě. Praktická část obsahuje variantní návrh ražby, zhodnocení výsledků, optimalizaci návrhu a zhodnocení rizik.The thesis deals with the tunnel excavation Joberg partly ongoing in the glacial moraine. NATM method was used at this tunnel for the first time in Norway. The aim of the thesis is to assess the progress of the tunnel excavation in the selected cross section with variable overburden height. Further evaluation includes construction impact on global stability of the morainal slope. In the beginning of the thesis is secified moraine, its origins, types and material composition. Also it includes some made tunnel projects in the Nordic countries. It presents general information about the tunnel Joberg and directional and gradient tunnel conditions. Describes the geology of the area and also includes technical information about the tunnel excavation. The practical part includes alternative excavation design, evaluation of results, design optimalization and risk assessment.224 - Katedra geotechniky a podzemního stavitelstvívýborn

Molecular and epigenetic control of CNS tumour and progenitor cells

Despite advances in diagnosis and treatment, CNS tumours continue to result in high mortality and morbidity. Glioblastoma mutliforme (GBM), the most common primary brain tumour, is a recurrent tumour that despite advances in treatment, continues to demonstrate a median time of survival of 14.6 months. While GBM has a higher incidence in adults, medulloblastoma (MB) is more frequent in children. In this pediatric tumour, more recent therapeutic advances have improved the survival rate, however current treatments result in long lasting effects on cognitive development, subsequently leading to a poor quality of life for the patient. This emphasizes the need to better understand tumour mechanisms in this disease in order to design better treatments that will not only lead to destruction of the tumour, but also will not impact patient quality of life in the long term. The heterogeneity of GBM cells is a huge drawback in current treatment, and can be attributed to the existence of a population of cancer stem cells (CSC). CSC share similar features with stem cells in that they can self renew and proliferate. In paper I, we describe the design and use of a novel system for detection of cancer stem cells involving fluorescent probes called luminescent conjugated oligothiophenes (LCO). We show that pHTMI, an LCO, is an improved cancer stem cell marker compared to existing markers. The role of the cytoskeleton in tumour malignancy is being explored as the cytoskeleton governs physical cellular features such as size, shape and regulates migration and invasiveness. In paper II we explore the cytoskeletal regulators of GBM cells and the effect on these regulators after oncology drugs. We identify a strong correlation between the cytoskeletal regulators and tumour malignancy that can help improve current GBM therapy. Besides regulators of the cytoskeleton in the cytoplasm, the shape of the cell nucleus is affected by chromatin modifiers such as histone deacetylases (HDACs) and histone demethylases (HDMs) In paper III we elucidate the role of histone deacetylases specifically HDAC2 and HDAC3 in controlling differentiation of progenitor cells and the role of transcriptional regulators in overseeing these pathways. Previous studies have also identified the role of histone demethylases in regulating differentiation in progenitor cells. Since medulloblastoma is a developmental tumour, we explored this approach in medulloblastoma cells. In paper IV, we demonstrate the role of retinoic acid (RA) in regulating the expression of the histone demethylase KDM6B/JMJD3 and neuronal genes. Further, we show that there is a cross-talk with KDM6B/JMJD3 and the TGFβ signaling mediator SMAD3 in medulloblastoma cells. A better molecular understanding of the mechanisms of these tumours could ensure improved diagnosis and treating molecular subtypes specifically

Fast underwater color correction using integral images

Underwater image processing has to face the problem of loss of color and contrast that occurs when images are acquired at a certain depth and range. The longer wavelengths of sunlight such as red or orange are rapidly absorbed by the water body, while the shorter ones have a higher scattering. Thereby, at larger distance, the scene colors appear bluish-greenish, as well as blurry. The loss of color increases not only vertically through the water column, but also horizontally, so that the subjects further away from the camera appear colorless and indistinguishable, suffering from lack of visible details. This paper presents a fast enhancement method for color correction of underwater images. The method is based on the gray-world assumption applied in the Ruderman-opponent color space and is able to cope with non-uniformly illuminated scenes. Integral images are exploited by the proposed method to perform fast color correction, taking into account locally changing luminance and chrominance. Due to the low-complexity cost this method is suitable for real-time applications ensuring realistic colors of the objects, more visible details and enhanced visual quality.Peer Reviewe