Digital Commons Network^™

Characterisation Of Cytokine Gene Polymorphisms In Patients With Acute Pancreatitis, Kevin Sargen

Peninsula Medical School Theses

Background and Aims Acute Pancreatitis is an inflammatory disorder of varied aetiology and outcome. Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-10 are important mediators of disease pathogenesis. To investigate if the TNF and IL-10 gene loci influence susceptibility to and severity of acute pancreatitis, 135 patients with acute pancreatitis, ethnically matched normal controls, and alcoholics without pancreatic disease were studied. Methods Aetiology was classified as being secondary to alcohol, gallstones, or idiopathic. Patients were stratified into groups according to disease severity by assigning an organ failure score. Three TNF microsatellite loci (TNFa, TNFb, and TNFc), the -308 polymorphism within the TNF …

The Deteriorating Ethnic Safety Net Among Arab Immigrants In Chicago, Louise Cainkar

Social and Cultural Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Reflective Process In Nursing Clinicals Using Journaling And Dialogue, Rita Van Horn

Dissertations

Method. Two case studies describe the experiences of (1) 17 students who worked individually in the hospital clinical setting and who answered specific questions about problem solving in a written journal and (2) 20 students who were paired in the clinical setting and who answered the same questions together in a journal shared by the pair. In both case studies the experience was 9 weeks. The written journal questions were designed around a problem-solving process and thoughts and feelings about the clinical experience. A rubric adapted from Boud, Koegh, and Walker’s (1985) reflective model was used to analyze the journal …

Technology Partnership Curriculum Initiative: A Descriptive Case Study Of Its History, Development, And Implementation, Ingrid Wright-Jones

Dissertations

Problem

Curricular reform has a pathetic history. Curriculum documents, some of the major tools of reformers, have had a minor effect on transforming education because the power of pedagogy has been ignored (Cuban, 1993). Teachers in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) system voiced similar concerns about curriculum documents. Additionally, they felt that their 2-4-day in-service training did not adequately prepare them to implement curricular changes. This initiative, aimed at restructuring both the content and process of teaching, was to be implemented in a distance-learning pilot project in eight one-teacher schools.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to: (1) define the …

How Seqra Cases Fared In 1998, Michael B. Gerrard

Faculty Scholarship

In the annals of the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), 1998 should be remembered as the year when developers throughout New York State became frustrated with what they perceived as irrational requirements or excessive delays in the SEQRA process, went to court for redress, and almost uniformly lost. There were 18 attempts at such relief and one highly mixed success.

The Three-Legged Stool Of Corporate Governance Reform, Jayne W. Barnard

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

"Meet My Mentor": A Collection Of Personal Reminiscences, Frank G. Houdek, Edmund P. Edmonds

Journal Articles

Contributors describe the mentoring they received as law librarians. Individually the pieces offer fascinating glimpses of individuals and relationships. Collectively, they demonstrate how important - and how varied - the process of mentoring has been and continues to be for the growth and evolution of the profession.

Political Speech—Restrictions On Ballot-Initiative Petitions, Buckley V. American Constitutional Law Foundation, Mark L. Rienzi

Scholarly Articles

The Supreme Court has repeatedly noted that ballot and election regulations raise difficult questions about the interplay between the First Amendment's heightened protection for political speech, and states' need to regulate ballots and elections to ensure fair and orderly democracy. When making the delicate judgments between protecting political speech and allowing states to regulate elections, the Court has traditionally stated precisely which test it was employing to evaluate individual restrictions. Last Term, in Buckley v. American Constitutional Law Foundation, the Court invalidated several of Colorado's restrictions on the signature-gathering process for ballot initiative petitions. In so doing, the Court failed …

Introduction To The Symposium On Developments In Legal Externship Pedagogy, J.P. "Sandy" Ogilvy

Scholarly Articles

No abstract provided.

Judicial Decision-Making In The Age Of Biotechnology, George P. Smith Ii

Scholarly Articles

The major premise, minor premise, and conclusion of this Article are one and the same - for, they conduce to an acceptance of the fact that the social constructs and legal tools necessary for the modern judiciary to meet head-on and deal with the contentious issues of bioethics and biotechnology are already in place. To resolve problems arising from these potential quagmires, perhaps the major concern is for the courts to remain forever vigilant to the interlinking relationships or synergistic forces found in law, science, ethics, and medicine. Without vigilance and enhanced awareness of the dynamic and fluid situation here, …

An Empowering Approach To Crisis Intervention And Brief Treatment With Preschool Children, Katherine Tyson Mccrea

Social Work: School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Other Works

This paper presents an approach to crisis intervention and brief treatment for young children based on the new psychology, intrapsychic humanism. After presenting central theoretical principles, these principles are applied and treatment guidelines demonstrated in the treatment process of a three-year-old child named Paul. The research design for the case study is naturalistic, uses qualitative methods of data analysis, and draws from the heuristic paradigm (a postpositivist metatheory of social and behavioral research).

A View From The West: Perceptions Of U.S. Dialects From The Point Of View Of Oregon, Laura Hartley

Faculty Publications - Department of Sociology

No abstract provided.

Uniform Cpa Examination Content Specifications Update Study: Information Technology Knowledge Required By Cpas In Public Accounting, Patricia M. Muenzen, Sandra Greenberg, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Board Of Examiners. Content Oversight Task Force

Examinations and Study

No abstract provided.

Conversion Of The Uniform Cpa Examination To A Computer-Based Examination, Joint Aicpa/Nasba Computerization Implementation Committee

Examinations and Study

No abstract provided.

Final Report Of The Conduct Of A Feasibility Study For The Computerization And Implementation Of A Uniform Cpa Examination In Fifty-Four Jurisdictions, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Joint Aicpa/Nasba Computerization Implementation Committee

Examinations and Study

No abstract provided.

Information For Uniform Cpa Examination Candidates, Effective November 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants

Examinations and Study

No abstract provided.

Uniform Cpa Examination, 1999 Edition, Selected Questions & Unofficial Answers Supplement Indexed To Content Specification Outlines, James D. Blum, Ahava Z. Goldman, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Board Of Examiners

Examinations and Study

No abstract provided.

Annual 1999 Academic Affairs Forum: Access To A Quality Education, Ellen N. Junn

Office of the Provost Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Atmospheric Trace Metal Biogeochemistry And Fluxes To Shelf Seas, Christina Louise Wells

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The total concentrations of particulate trace metals (Al. Cd, Co, Cu, Fe. Mn, Na. Ni. Pb, Zn) with analytical quality assurance, have been determined in atmospheric aerosols at two coastal sites, and during cruises in the Celtic Sea. Sampling at a site on the western English Channel covered 19 months and represents one of the most comprehensive time series of trace metals in atmospheric aerosols. Aerosol concentrations of Cd. Cu, Pb and Zn for the English Channel were lower than previously reported and Al. Co and Mn concentrations were similar to literature values. The elements were grouped according to behaviour …

Monitoring Of Trace Metal Behaviour In Natural Waters, David John Whttworth

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

An automated voltammetric dissolved trace metal monitor was developed and validated for in situ analysis of estuarine waters. The system was successfully applied to the determination of Ni concentrations during two studies in the Tamar Estuary. The automated system used Adsorptive Cathodic Stripping Voltammetry (AdCSV) for trace metal analysis with a continuous flow sampling procedure and an on line LTV digestion system to ensure complete breakdown of interfering and metal complexing organic ligands. Its application to the measurement of total dissolved Ni in the Tamar Estuary showed a high measuring frequency of up to 6 fully calibrated samples per hour …

The Measurement And Characterisation Of Aerosol In The Urban Atmosphere (Pm10) And An Evaluation Ofthe Sources Of These Particles By Number, Andrew Lindsay Dye

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The link between human health and the mass of fine particulate matter below 10 µm(PM10) in air is well documented. Current research suggests that the number, size and shape of particles may be of most concern and that in the urban atmosphere combustion sources of PM10, especially diesel engine sources, dominate the line (< 1 µm) and ultra-fine ( <0.1 µm) particles. Despite this, the number, size and shape of particles in urban air has not been reported to any great extent or detail, and the percentage contribution to the numbers of particles from different sources is largely unknown. The objectives of this research were to characterise fine particles with respect to their morphology and thus apportion the sources of particles by number. Urban aerosol above 1 µm was initially examined to study the fluctuations in PM10 number and make retrospective analysis of periods of elevated PM10 for source identification in Plymouth, UK. Aerosol was collected via a Burkard spore trap and examined using light microscopy with image analysis between 16 March 1995 and 31 August 1996, at a background site in Plymouth, UK. Two periods, 19 January-4 February and 10-25 March 1996, identified as UK wide PM10 episodes, were retrospectively studied and compared with PM10 mass measurements. The mean number count for the whole period was 10.5 x 104 ± 7.9 x 104 particles m ˉ³ The two PM10 episodes had elevated average number concentrations of 13.5 x 104 ±7.6 x 104 particles m ˉ³ for 19 January- 4 February 1996, and 13.0 x 104 ± 9.7 x 104 particles m ˉ³ for 10-25 March 1996. During the periods of elevated PM10 the tapered element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) mass of panicles had a low correlation with the particles less than 5 µm and an increased correlation to the particles greater than 5 µm in size. Outside of these peak periods the PM10 TEOM mass was most closely correlated with the number of particles less than 5 µm in size. This work shows the difference in urban aerosol during periods of air quality guideline exceedence. These findings agree with literature that an aged continental aerosol source has a key role in the generation of UK wide PM10 mass exceedances. Further analysis of the line urban aerosol (< 1 µm) was made using direct sampling of urban aerosol on to porous carbon films (PCF) developed in this research. The efficiency of collection was low (ea. 5%) but the samples were representative and enabled transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for sub-micron particle analysis. Measurement was made of the fractal dimensions and diameter of particles. This was used to identify any ageing and ultimately the sources of aerosol. PCF were used in the simultaneous collection of urban roadside and background aerosol, on seven dates between December 1996 and August 1997 in Plymouth, UK. The average perimeter fractal dimension (PFD) of aerosol was consistently significantly greater at the roadside than the background (+ 0.02), indicative of a smoother, aged aerosol at the background site. The sampling of a variety of combustion engines was made for source identification purposes. The particle morphology produced from the diesel engines showed great uniformity of particle morphology with varying speed and load; no consistent significant differences were found. The morphology results were comparable to other density fractal dimensions and perimeter fractal dimension values found in other studies for diesel. A natural log relationship between the median particle size and the median PFD was found for the diesel engine sources but not in petrol samples. This natural log trend was considered as a tentative 'fingerprint' of diesel engine combustion and was in harmony with literature values of PFD for diesel engine particles. Using the fractal measures, size and particle classification the bulk of aerosol was identified as from hydrocarbon combustion sources; ea. 88-92% of the roadside and ea. 77-86% of background. A component of carbon ceno-spheres were identified contributing ea. 6-12% of both the roadside and background aerosol. Non-combustion particles increased from ea. 1-4% of the roadside to ea. 7-9% of the background, as did the proportion of aged combustion particles, from 0-1% of roadside to 2-3% of the background aerosol. A strong correlation for the median size vs. PFD morphology curve between, the roadside and diesel sources (0.93 - 0.95) and the background and petrol sources was found (0.95). The roadside aerosol was significantly different to the petrol source in the l20-220nm size range (p=0.007) and there was a low correlation of the petrol and the roadside size vs. morphology curve (0.66). This suggests the domination of

Volcanic Emissions And Distal Palaeoenvironmental Impacts In New Zealand, Teresa Mary Giles

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis is a palaeoenviromnental investigation into possible non-climatic effects on the environment from volcanic ash fall and toxic emissions outside the blast zone of a volcanic eruption. These effects are determined from palynological and geochemical changes following tephra fall at a range of sites across the North Island of New Zealand which were located at increasing distances from the main volcanic source, the Taupo Volcanic Zone. These sites collectively covered a wide variety of habitats existing under different climatic regimes. The first site is a peat bog at a warm temperate, comparatively unstable coastal location, Matakana Island. The peat …

The Distribution And Reactivity Of Organochlorines In Estuaries, Andrew O. Tyler

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

In February 1997, the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme initiated a protocol to reduce the risks to human health and the environment arising from persistent organic pollutants. The initial list of 12 families of organochlorine pollutants included polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) selected for their persistence, bioaccumulation capacity and toxicity. The aim of this work was to further understanding of the behaviour of these organochlorines (OCs) in estuarine systems. Field surveys were conducted at UK estuarine (Humber, Clyde and Dee) and coastal locations. Sediments were analysed for OCs and a range of …

Antimony Speciation By Chromatographic Sample Introduction To Plasma Spectroscopy, Alen Bruce Guy

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Antimony (Sb), an element in Group V of the Periodic Table, has an ancient and varied chemistry with many applications in industry and medicine. However, although sensitive analytical methods exist for the determination of Sb very tittle is known about the speciation of the element. It is widely known that the toxicity of Sb is not only dependent upon its oxidation state but also its molecular form. Thus this study has utilised chromatographic sample introduction directly coupled to plasma spectroscopic instruments to facilitate separations of Sb based upon molecular form coupled with sensitive detection methods. Fundamental studies, using NMR to …

Automated Flow Injection Instrumentation For Monitoring Nitrogen Species In Natural Waters, Simon Philip Coles

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The provision of high quality analytical data is an essential prerequisite for understanding the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients in the aquatic environment. Due to the instability of samples collected for nutrient determinations however, in situ analysis is preferred. This approach also allows for high temporal and spatial resolution of the data and alteration of the sampling frequency to meet local environmental needs. Chapter One describes the role of nitrogen species, particularly ammonia and nitrate, in the aquatic environment, their sources, and possible environmental effects and summarises analytical techniques for their determination. Solid state miniaturised detectors and their suitability for in …

Structural Characterisation And The Diagenetic Pathways Of C25 Highly Branched Isoprenoid Hydrocarbons, Lesley Anne Johns

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) hydrocarbons have been widely reported in recent sediments. It is known that two species of diatomaceous algae, the diatoms Haslea ostrearia and Rhizosolenia setigera are able to biosynthesise C25 HBI alkenes. Large scale cultures of H. ostrearia studied previously, allowed isolation and characterisation of five HBI polyenes. The stereochemistry of the chiral centres was not reported however. The concentrations of HBIs often decrease with depth in sediment cores but the reasons for this are unknown.

Analytical Applications Of The Peroxyoxalate Chemiluminescence Reaction, Matthew Graham Sanders

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The overall objectives of this thesis were to investigate the potential of the peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence (POOL) reaction for the quantitative detection of target analytes in non-aqueous matrices and to compare quantitative performance with fluorescence detection. The target analytes investigated were polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and aliphatic amines. These were selected as an important class of compounds in engine exhaust emissions and a detergent additive in diesel fuel respectively. Chapter one outlines the challenges of analysing petroleum products and engine exhaust emissions and discusses the potential of luminescence techniques, particularly chemiluminescence (CL), for the quantification of trace components. The chapter also …

Laminated Sediments Of Loch Ness, Scotland: Indicators Of Holocene Environmental Change, Michael Colin Cooper

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

Sediment cores, two approximately 6 metres and one about 1 metre in length, were recovered from the profundal plain of the northern basin of Loch Ness, Scotland. Examination revealed that the sediment is composed of irregular sequences of pale and dark laminations, most sub-millimeter in thickness, some ca 5 mm thick. Enumeration of laminae, and determination of lamination thickness, was carried out using X-radiography and image analysis. A hypothesis was developed that the finer laminations represent varves. This was tested by means of lamination counting, and by radiocarbon dating of material from one 'long' core. Comparison of the two chronologies …

Parental Choice In Secondary Education : Socio-Spatial Dynamics And Motivation, Edward Michael Parsons

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

This thesis has two main aims. First, to establish whether the strengthening in 1988 of the right of parents to choose a secondary school for their child has led to increased travel to out-of-catchment schools in a case study area. Second, to identify the extent of socio-spatial variation of patterns and trends in choice of school. Secondary school transfer data relating to over 16,000 children for 1991 and 1993 to 1995 was analysed in a Geographical Information System (GIS). One hundred and sixty two parents of children about to transfer to secondary school were interviewed with the objective of revealing …

Mercury Species In Natural Gas Condensate, Azman Bin Shafawi

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Theses

The presence of ultra-trace levels of mercury in industrial gas and condensate streams is a cause of both environmental and production concern. The toxic nature of the element, in all forms, together with its ability to shut-down large processing plants dictates a need for its accurate and precise measurement. The study which investigated the recovery of various mercury species, spiked into synthetic and real condensate samples using conventional and new digestion and/or extraction techniques showed recovery was dependent upon the speciation. Using the most efficient technique, L