Digital Commons Network^™

A Study Of The Role Of Cytokines In Acute Pancreatitis In Man, Alison Marie Smithies

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Introduction: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease with a diverse aetiology and variableclinical course. The IL-l gene cluster has been implicated in this disease.Aims: The aims of the study were to investigate polymorphisms of the genes encoded within the IL-lgene cluster in patients with acute pancreatitis and normal controls and to determine therelationship between the polymorphisms and protein levels.Methods: Genotype and allele frequencies were determined in controls (n=217) and patients withacute pancreatitis (n=137) using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by digestion withrestriction endonucleases where applicable. Protein levels were determined using in vitrostimulation of PBMCs followed by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent …

Study Of The Effect Of Turbulence On The Properties Of Flocculated Mud, Andrew Manning

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

For the successful management of an estuary, an accurate simulation model predicting sediment transport patterns is a necessity. This requires a knowledge of the vertical mass settling flux (MSF), which is the product of the suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentration and the settling velocity (Ws). However the presence of cohesive sediments (i.e. mud) complicates this description due to the ability of mud particles to flocculate into larger aggregates (floes) which demonstrate faster settling velocities and lower effective densities (pe) than the component cohesive particles. The generation of turbulent shear stress (TSS) within the water column is regarded as having a …

Implementing Marine Pollution Policy : Proposals For Change, Jonathan Peter Richards

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

This study aims to determine the factors that affect the implementation of marine pollution policy, especially with regard to regulation of the hazardous substances which contaminate the marine environment- The purpose is to identify weaknesses in the current regulatory regime and to propose improvements. The study also aims to develop a new strategic framework for the implementation of the recent international policy commitments, which call for the complete cessation of discharges of hazardous substances into the marine environment by the year 2020. Furthermore, the study seeks to provide evidence to support or challenge current theories relating to regulation and policy …

Developments And Benefits Of Liquid Feeding Through Fermentation For The Post-Weaned Pig, Colm Anthony Moran

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

A programme of study was undertaken to assess the safety and palatability of fermented liquid feed. A series of laboratory experiments was conducted to select an inoculant capable of fermenting liquid feed at 20°C. Whilst combinations of cultures dropped the pH the most rapidly, the Lb. plantarum (PC) strain decreased the pH the lowest. A series of trials were conducted using a rifampicin mutant of Lb. plantarum (PC) to examine the fate of the starter culture. In an experiment using liquid milled wheat the addition of the starter culture resulted in an improvement in the inhibition of coliforms over the …

Poetic Anatomy Of The Numinous Creative Passages Into The Self As Beloved, Partou Zia

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

This research is shaped by the actual experience of practice: as painter and writer. My preoccupation is with the nodal moment when conscious awareness is suspended, and both the corporal and psychic involvement in realising the work almost transport one to another zone of effectiveness. This zone, which I name as the poetic zone, is where the numinous enters the ordinary. The investigation for a space/place/moment that lies beyond the logic of acceptable discourse can help initiate and give shape to a new vocabulary - visual or literary. By orchestrating a methodology, which functions on several layers, I have endeavoured …

The Prevalence Of Human Granulocytic Ehrlichiae In Ixodes Scapularis Ticks In Southeastern Georgia, Heather Anne Merten

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) is a newly emerging, tick-borne zoonosis in North America. The agent that causes HGE is very similar to Ehrlichia phagocytophilia and Ehrlichia equi, but has yet to be classified as a separate species.

This study was carried out in order to determine the prevalence rate of HGE infection in blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) in insular and mainland sites in southeastern Georgia using nested PCR techniques. Four locations were studied representing 2 barrier islands and 2 mainland sites. We hypothesized that areas that have low levels of human disturbance and are somewhat isolated will …

The Resistance To Salt Of Brassica Sps. And Improved Resistance By Direct Selection And Mutagenesis, Manal Hassan Eed

Other Faculty of Science and Engineering Theses

Salinity is one of the most serious environmental stresses influencing agriculture drastically decreasing the production of crop plants throughout the world. Due to salinity thousands of hectares of agricultural land are going out of production annually. To cope with the salinity problem, there is keen interest in the development of crop plants displaying resistance to the effects of salinity. A series of experiments was carried out under controlled environmental conditions to determine salt resistance in Rapid Cycling Brassica species (RCB's) at germination early seedling and late growth stage. The effect of increasing salinity concentration was determined in vivo using a …

The Personal And Professional Backgrounds Of Georgia's Female High School Principals, Marjorie H. Hamilton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

The purpose of this study was to describe the personal and professional backgrounds of the female public high school principals in Georgia. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were employed to conduct the research. A demographic questionnaire, which included items addressing personal, educational, and professional background information, was mailed to all of the identified female public high school principals for the 2000--2001 school year. The quantitative data analysis resulting from the demographic questionnaire is presented in the narrative form with corresponding tables. The final item on the questionnaire asked whether or not the respondent would participate in a long, in-depth interview …

A Comparative Study Of The Reproductive Biology Of Sympatric Morning Glories (Ipomoea-Convolvulaceae), Dexter R. Sowell Ii

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations (1964–2006)

Despite the astounding diversity of flowering plants and of mobile organisms that serve as pollinators, sympatric co-flowering plants can potentially share pollinators with each other. This places two selection pressures on plants. First, plants compete for pollinators to visit their flowers and secondly, entice pollinators to be faithful (specialized) and visit only other members of their species. I tested whether sympatric co-flowering plants reduced their selection pressures via temporal partitioning or differential attraction of pollinators using six closely related, sympatric co-flowering morning glories (Ipomoea-Convolvulaceae).

Diurnal flower phenology tightly overlapped, which did not facilitate temporal partitioning of pollinators. However, …

Knowledge About Stroke In Adults From Rural Communities, Julie Billett

Masters Theses

Fifty middle to low-income adult clients of a rural family care center were surveyed in a descriptive correlational study in order to determine their abilities to identify the signs and symptoms of a stroke and their knowledge of stroke risk. Additionally, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient was used to ascertain whether the participants’ level of knowledge was related to their actual stroke risk, as identified by the American Heart Association’s Stroke Risk Tool Descriptive analysis of the item responses revealed that the percentage of the sample correctly identifying individual signs and symptoms ranged from 44 to 77%. When actual stroke risk was …

Federalism And International Human Rights In The New Constitutional Order, Mark V. Tushnet

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This Essay examines the contours of what I have elsewhere called the new constitutional order with respect to international human rights and federalism. The background is my suggestion that the U.S. political-constitutional system is on the verge of moving into a new constitutional regime, following the end of the New Deal-Great Society constitutional regime. The Supreme Court's innovations in the law of federalism in connection with Congress's exercise of its powers over domestic affairs has provoked speculation about the implications of those innovations for the national government's power with respect to foreign affairs. Most of the speculation has been that …

Acute Haemolysis In Childhood Falciparum Malaria, H. Ekvall, P. Arese, F. Turrini, K. Ayi, F. Mannu, Zul Premji, A. Bjorkman

Pathology, East Africa

Acute haemolysis associated with clinical episodes of high-level Plasmodium falciparum parasitaemia was studied in 20 children from an holoendemic area (coastal Tanzania). The change in blood haemoglobin (Hb) concentration ranged from -46 to +5 g/L during the 72-h observation period and was linearly related to maximum parasitaemia. Balance studies between loss of blood Hb, increase in plasma Hb and appearance of Hb in the urine indicated that extravascular clearance of red cells was the predominant mode of erythrocyte clearance. Most subjects, however, showed minor signs of intravascular haemolysis. The plasma Hb was ≪1% of blood Hb and haemoglobinuria was detected …

Mass Transport By Non-Linear Internal Waves On The Malin Shelf, Me Inall, Gi Shapiro, Tj Sherwin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Use Of The Nakhodka-Naoetsu Submarine Cable For Studying The Temporal Variability Of The Integral Water Transport In The Sea Of Japan, Na Pal'shin, Ll Vanyan, Rd Medzhitov, Gi Shapiro, Ma Evdoshenko, H Utada, H Shimizu, Y Tanaka

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.

Maerl - A Spectacular Firth Of Clyde Habitat., Jm Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

Pioneering marine biologists were drawn to study the diversity of organisms found in the Firth of Clyde throughout the 19th century. In 1885, naturalists decided to study this diversity in detail and moved a floating laboratory (the ‘Ark’) from the relatively impoverished waters of the Firth of Forth to Millport on the Isle of Cumbrae. The move proved a great success and one of the numerous advances made over the next decade was the discovery of local maerl communities. The proximity of a range of marine habitats located within sheltered waters clinched the decision to establish the first Scottish marine …

Evangelizing The Secular-Minded: A Training Seminar For The University Seventh-Day Adventist Church In East Lansing, Michigan, Roy Anthony Castelbuono

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Topic

Today in many ways our world has been unified, not by a political empire but by a way of thinking. People today find common ground in a shared experience of living guided by a set of values that spans the divide of culture, language, and history. The process of this transformation is best described by the term “secularization.” Secularization best describes the far-reaching changes we find in our communities and in our personal lives, and is one of the greatest challenges the Seventh-day Adventist Church faces as we begin the twenty-first century.

Purpose

The purpose of this project was …

Development Of Culture And Toxicity Testing Methods For The Freshwater Copepod Bryocamptus Zschokkei, Rebecca Jayne Brown

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the use of a meiofaunal copepod as a test species for assessing the developmental and reproductive effects of toxicants relevant to freshwater ecosystems. The harpacticoid copepod Bryocamptus zschokkei was chosen as a candidate test species as it possesses several attributes (widespread distribution, small size and fast development times) that are considered pre-requisites for toxicity test organisms, and has previously been shown to be a sensitive component of the stream community to contaminant exposure. Prior to conducting toxicity tests with B. zschokkei, studies were performed to evaluate the effects of water hardness and …

Evaluation Of Haematococcus Pluvialis As A Natural Dietary Source Of The Carotenoid Astaxanthin For Rainbow Trout Flesh Pigmentation, Stephen Lagocki

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The efficacy of the lipid soluble carotenoid astaxanthin (biosynthesised as a secondary metabolite by the microalga Haematococcus pluvialis) as a source of pigment to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the flesh of farmed salmonid species has been investigated, using rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as a model. Accretion of astaxanthin within rainbow trout epaxial white muscle was primarily shown to be dependent on dietary inclusion and the type of diet used as a pigment carrier. Different dietary inclusion rates demonstrated a dose response. Cold pressed low oil and commercially extruded high oil diets containing similar astaxanthin concentration were tested, fish receiving …

Molecular Characterisation Of Burkholderia Pseudomallei, Clare Davies

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

A programme of research was carried out to attempt the molecular characterisation of the human and animal pathogen, Burkholderia pseudomallei, the causative agent of melioidosis and the newly described avirulent species, B.thailandensis for comparative purposes. Melioidosis is still little understood, and so the clinical approach to the prevention and control of melioidosis must ultimately rest upon the basic understanding of the causative organism, particularly the pathogenic properties of B.pseudomallei. A range of B.pseudomallei and B.thailandensis isolates were cultured and the extracellular products were isolated and concentrated and an initial study conducted to identify potential target molecules for cloning. Those isolates …

Biomarkers Relevant To Oil And Gas Industrial Activities In Low Temperature Marine Ecosystems, Lionel Andre Yves Camus

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Because of its geographical location, the Arctic environment is considered as pristine. However, expanding industrial activities in the Arctic require assessment of the toxicity of chemicals at low temperature. Biomarkers defined as "biological responses to a chemical or chemicals that give a measure of exposure or toxic effect" were shown to be relevant to measure in situ impact of oil discharges. Most biomarker studies have been performed with temperate organisms. The Arctic is characterised by low stable temperature, strong seasonality in light, resulting in a short primary production in Spring. Therefore, indigenous organisms have developed specific adaptations to live with …

Auditing And Biological Treatment Of Oleochemical Industry Waste, Fauziah Shahul Hamid

Student Works (2000-2009)

The utilization of renewable resources particularly from plant-based industries, such as, in the oleochemical sector makes it possible for further expansion of down-stream process products. However, to remain competitive the pollution generated from this industry should not be taken lightly. Implementation of cleaner technology into the oleochemical process will increase the efficiency of resource utilization of the industry, concurrently reducing quantity of waste generated. Waste audit conducted at Cognis Oleochemical (M) (COM) Sdn. Bhd. indicated that the major process-wastes generated by the facility were glycerol residue (GR) from Cognis Rika (M) Sdn. Bhd. (CRM) and wastewater sludge (WWS) from COM …

Early Evaluation Of Banana Cultivars For Fusarium Wilt Tolerance, Abdulkadir Aden Mohamed

Student Works (2000-2009)

Field evaluation of banana plants for disease tolerance in soil infested with Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense is commonly used. The process is slow as disease expression usually takes 4-5 months, while inoculum concentration, edaphic conditions, temperature and other variables that may affect disease expression are difficult to control. An alternative method of screening plantlets at the nursery stage was developed. The technique consisted of a double tray set up; a perforated inner tray containing sterilized river sand or a sand-clay mixture (4 sand : I clay) on which hardened tissue-cultured plantlets were grown, and a larger outer containment tray …

Chemical Constituents Of Desmos Dumosus, Roxb., Mazdida Sulaiman

Student Works (2000-2009)

The chemical content of the 'leaves and bark of Des mos dumosus has been carried out in this study. The leaves yielded nine isoquinoline type of alkaloids and two flavones. The isoquinoline alkaloids isolated were pronuciferine 37, stepharine 39, nomuciferine 40, (-) - 3 - hydroxynomuciferine 41, norlirioferine 42, asimilobine 43, liriodenine 44, lysicamine 45 and O - methylmoschatoline 46. The flavones were 5 - hydroxy - 6,7 - dimethoxyflavone 47 and 5 - hydroxy - 7,8 - dimethoxyflavone 48. The same flavones, 47 and 48 and the alkaloids 45 and 46 were also present in the bark of this …

2001 Weed Science Research Report - Pink Section, Ndsu Weed Science, Dept. Of Plant Sciences

Plant Sciences Weed Science Reports

The Weed Science team at North Dakota State University conduct field research in the State of North Dakota. This specific document reports on field research conducted in 2001. It includes work on several noxious weeds.

Municipal Wastewater Treatment Using Sequencing Batch Reactor (Sbr) Under Tropical Conditions, Maria Violetta Thomas

Student Works (2000-2009)

In this research project a Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) plant was tested for performance in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Suspended Solids (SS), under different temporal conditions. In addition, the removal of biological nutrients, namely ammoniacal nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen and phosphorous in the form of phosphate, from the sewage, with anaerobic and aerobic operations using SBR was studied. The performance of the SBR plant was observed under two operating conditions whereby the variable studied was the total cycle time of the SBR process; i.e. 8-hour cycle mode and 6-hour cycle mode. The effluent quality …

Municipal Waste Characteristics And Management In Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur, Ratanam Andythaven

Student Works (2000-2009)

The primary purpose of this research was to study comprehensively the municipal waste generation (rate, quantity), waste characterization including (physical, chemical and biological parameters), heavy metal content, waste recovery and recycling, and socio economic aspects of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and management in Taman Bukit Angkasa, Pantai Dalam, Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding areas. The waste characterization and management was determined with actual field observations coupled with questionnaire survey from a random sample of 250 households (200 flats houses, 25 long houses and 25 squatter residences). The quantification and other parameters (heavy metals, water extractable nutrients, nitrogen, pH, acidity, …

Intermountain Planting Guide, Kevin Jensen, Howard Horton, Ron Reed, Ralph Whitesides

All Current Publications

The first consideration prior to seeding is to determine the present level of management being applied to the proposed site. Many sites will recover or improve without seeding if proper management is implemented. Soil is the primary natural resource and its conservation is the most important consideration in seedings.

Insecticides: Ask Questions First, Shoot Later, Dennis Hinkamp

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Currents, A 'Berry' Good Addition To Your Garden, Dennis Hinkamp

All Current Publications

No abstract provided.

Getting It Right From The Beginning: A Critical Examination Of Current Criminal Defense In Texas And Proposal For A Statewide Public Defender System., Rebecca Copeland

St. Mary's Law Journal

Abstract Forthcoming.