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Proteomics And Ecotoxicoldgy:.Marine Invertebrates And Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Anne Bjornstad

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The key problem faced by environmental scientists is to predictand recognize the damaging effects of chemical pollutants on natural biota. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the potential for proteomics in ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment (ERA), with the hypothesis that proteomic technologies (i.e. ProteinChip technology in combination with SELDI TOF MS) could be a useftil supplement to existing methods of environmental assessment, by providing a sensitive, non-invasive, rapid multi-endpoint assessment of effects of anthropogenic chemicals on organism in vivo. Three invertebrate species, Mytilus edulis, Hyas araneus and Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis was exposed to natural and anthropogenic chemicals in …

Determinants Of Variation In The Response Of The Aphid Parasitoid Aphidius Ervi To Aphid Sex Pheromones, Nisreen Kutiech

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Variation in parasitoid responses to semiochemicals may be influenced by genetics, phenotypic plasticity and the individual's physiological state. Previous experimental work has indicated a high degree of variability among parasitoid individuals in their response to aphid sex pheromones but no work has been done to investigate the factors behind such variation. Some aspects of this variation were investigated in the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in the laboratory. Conducting behavioural experiments, the searching behaviour of females was investigated in the presence and the absence of the aphid sex pheromone (4GS,7S,7a/?)-nepetalactone, observing the same individual female parasitoids during two …

Software Curating : The Politics Of Curating In/As (An) Open System(S), Joasia Krysa

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The thesis examines how Information technologies have changed the practice of curating. It proposes an Interdisciplinary approach that directly links curating (often understood as an activity of artistic programming), computing (the activity of computer programming) and a relatively recent Interest In software art (in which programming Is understood as artistic practice). Although there Is much contemporary critical work and practice that Is described as art-oriented programming or software art, the thesis aims to explore a perceived gap In discussions around software curating. Curators working with online technologies are presented with the challenge of how to respond to new artistic forms …

Thermal Characterization And Vibration Of Solder Alloys, Brandon Lee Brinkmeyer

Masters Theses

"Recent legislation and growing environmental concerns have forced the electronics industry to discontinue the use of tin-lead (SnPb) solder. Although the legislation did not directly affect aerospace and defense industries, future transitions to lead-free (LF) solders are inevitable. Differences exist between these high reliability systems and consumer electronics, first of which is a very small production rate and a long life cycle which often leads to repair or rework procedures which introduce the potential for mixing of SnPb and LF solder. In this study, Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu (SAC305) was mixed with Sn-37Pb solder in amounts of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 …

Wireless Mote-Based In-Process Diagnostics Using Hand-Held Tools In Network Enabled Manufacturing Environments, Reghu Anguswamy

Masters Theses

"When complex manufacturing systems are considered, post process inspection can be a very time consuming and costly. In addition, no inspection data is typically collected unless a major problem is encountered. Real-time monitoring of the manufacturing processes and verification of its product quality are two important factors to reduce the manufacturing lead time and to ensure safety and quality.

In this thesis, a diagnostics and root-cause analysis scheme with a single channel wireless routing protocol for real-time monitoring of process quality of pull-type fastening operations is first presented. The overall architecture has been implemented on a Huck45 pull-type tool, which …

Behavior Of Full-Scale Rc T-Beams Strengthened In Shear With Externally Bonded Frp Sheets, Antonio Brancaccio

Masters Theses

"Shear deficiencies in many bridges may be considered even more critical than flexural deficiencies since shear failures occur without advance warning and are more catastrophic. Deficiencies in shear can be due to insufficient shear reinforcement, use of outdated design codes, a reduction in the steel area due to corrosion, or an increase in the service load due to change of occupancy for the structure.

In recent years, many research studies have investigated the shear behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams strengthened with fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, however, most of them were conducted on small-scale specimens. Thus, analytical models and design …

Release And Removal Of Microcystins From Microcystis During Disinfection Treatments, Jie Ding

Masters Theses

"The presence of algal toxins, or cyanotoxins, in surface water has been increasingly reported. These highly hazardous toxins are potential threat to both human health and animals by contaminating drinking water sources over the world. In this research project, inactivation of Microcystis aeruginosa cells and release and removal of intracellular microcystins during several oxidative and physical treatments was studied. The results of this study show that chlorine dioxide, sonication, low salinity and quick blending with tissuemiser caused immediate release of microcystin-LR to water after treatment. No significant increase of toxin level was observed after treatment with free chlorine, ozone, permanganate, …

Factors Affecting The Production Of Fermented Moist Feed For Chickens And Effects On The Gastrointestinal Environment, Aziwo Tatanja Niba

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Fermented feed technology is a biosafe method of feed preparation and fermentation improves feed quality. Factors affecting lactic acid production in fen-nented moist feed for chickens and the influence of fermented feed on the gastrointestinal environment of chickens were investigated. Water quality was observed to affect lactic acid production in fermentation of cereals (maize, sorghum, wheat and barley). The presence of calcium carbonate in the fermentation mixture significantly (P<0.01) reduced lactic acid production from maize, sorghum and wheat. Grain particle size did not significantly affect feed fermentation as biosafe concentrations of lactic acid (>150mmol/L) were obtained from fermentation of coarse grain particle sizes. Differences in polyphenols content of red and white sorghum varieties did not have a significant effect on 24-hour lactic acid production …

Gomphonema Parvulum (Kutzing) Kutzing: Ecophysiological, Morphometric And Observational Studies Of A Species Complex, Dawn Titiannia Rose

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Perturbations to environmental conditions experienced by any one species, can invoke a physiological and/or behavioural response that may be expressed morphologically and ecologically. This has important implications for diatom taxonomy and the use of diatoms as environmental indicators. The reliable recognition of a taxon with a particular life history, morphology, ecology and physiology may necessitate the adoption of narrower species concepts than those in current floras. This would have the advantage of clarifying the ecological ranges of taxa used in biological monitoring programmes. Gomphonema parvulum has long been a taxonomic problem. The species exhibit considerable is found over a wide …

Elevated Temperature Behavior Of A Magnesium Based Bulk Metallic Glass, Neal C. Ross

Masters Theses

"Bulk metallic glasses are a new material set that possess interesting and exceptional engineering properties. Their study has been a major focus of research in metallurgy since the early 1990s, and recently their properties have led to application in specialized applications. Limitations including material cost, maximum attainable cast diameters, and high density have prevented the widespread use of these materials. In particular, the high density of most bulk metallic glasses has significantly reduced their appeal to the aerospace community. In an effort to overcome this, research is being performed on producing lower density glass forming systems based on magnesium and …

Modeling Kinetics Of Hydrolysis Of Three Pesticides In Laboratory Waters, Michelle Kim Marincel

Masters Theses

"Pesticides and pesticide degradates found in drinking water sources are of particular concern to human health. When treated and disinfected at a drinking water plant, pesticides etridiazole, metribuzin, and diazinon undergo many treatment processes including lime softening, where the water pH is raised to 10 for calcium removal or 11 for magnesium removal. This thesis focuses on modeling the kinetics of hydrolysis of three pesticides that have the potential to undergo hydrolysis in drinking water plants. Linearly and non-linearly regressed first order and non-linearly regressed second order models were applied to the experimental data and compared to limited literature values. …

Biological And Photo-Physiological Interactions Between Phytoplankton Functional Types; A Five Year Study In The Western English Channel, James Richard Fishwick

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Sampling at the western English Channel observatory dates back approximately 100 years, with a more complete sampling programme since 1988. The data set in this study was collected over a five year period between 2001 and 2005. The variables measured allow for a more complete understanding of the ecosystem, this is the only study to have reported the photo-physiology measurements over such time scales. The western English Channel is situated in a boundary zone between the oceanic waters of the Northern Atlantic and the coastal waters of the English Channel. This study has provided substantial evidence that the phytoplankton functional …

Lateral Reservoir Compartmentalization Of The Woodford Shale In The Arkoma Basin, Southeastern Oklahoma, Adedapo Omotunde Ajibade

Masters Theses

"Analysis of geochemistry, mineralogy, total organic content (TOC) and rock evaluation pyrolysis on Woodford Shale well cuttings taken from a horizontal well (Quaid 13-30H) drilled in the Arkoma Basin (Pittsburg County), Oklahoma shows no significant variation in the thermal maturity, type, and/or quantity of organic matter. This is interpreted to mean that the organic matter of the Woodford Shale is relatively homogeneous and has all undergone similar thermal history. In addition, the analysis shows that there are lateral variations in the gas geochemistry in which the shale appears to be broken up into sections, some of which are more enhanced …

An Approach For Human Swarm Interaction, Shishir Bashyal

Masters Theses

"This study shows that appropriate human interaction can benefit a swarm of robots to reach to goal more efficiently. The common belief in swarm robotics that user intervention adversely affects intelligence of the swarm is studied carefully to show that the traditional human-robot interaction approaches are not suitable for human swarm interaction. A set of desirable features for human swarm interaction is identified and an interaction architecture is proposed that has all of the desirable features. A swarm simulation environment is then created that allows simulating a swarm behavior in an indoor environment. Three different applications of the swarm are …

Synthesis Of Nanostructured Conducting Polymers And Their Application As Gas Sensors, Zhe-Fei Li

Masters Theses

"A single-step, bottom-up technique based on a nanostructured conducting polymer has been used to fabricate sensors. Small amounts of aqueous solutions of aniline, a dopant, and an oxidant were placed on an interdigitated electrode array. Ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation of the solutions enhanced polymerization, yielding a highly porous film of polyaniline nanofibers with mean diameters of around 100 nm and lengths on the order of 1 µm. Solutions that were not irradiated formed bulk-like polyaniline films. Nanofibers and bulk polyaniline sensors were exposed to vapors in an argon carrier gas including: chloroform, a weak proton donor; toluene, a vapor that causes polymer …

An Investigation Into The Population Genetics And Ecology Of Gracilariopsis Longissima (Gracilariales, Rhodophyta) Around The South West Peninsula Of Britain, Tean Jane Mitchell

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

For the conservation and management of natural resources, a detailed knowledge of the ecology and genetics of individual species is essential. Red seaweeds are an important component of marine ecosystems but few species have been the focus of research. Gracilariopsis longissima is a poorly studied member of a family of agarophytes of commercial importance, although it is thought to occur commonly around the coast of Britain. This report provides new information about the ecology and population genetics of the species with the identification of 11 populations around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall, seven of which were in the Fal …

The Role Of Stress And Dietary Micronutrients In Fish Health, James Frederick Reeves

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The overall theme of this thesis has been the study of the effects of well known and potentially novel stressors on fish health and how some of these may be modulated by dietary supplements of micronutrients, using both in vitro and in vivo analysis. In vitro experiments with cultured fish cells (EPC-A1, GFSk-S1) evaluated the potential of niacin and selenium to reduce cytotoxicity and genomic instability (DNA damage) induced by ultraviolet radiation exposure, following assay validation with reference toxins. Whilst cytotoxicity was determined by the neutral red retention (NRR) assay, genomic stability was evaluated by either a standard or modified …

Demography And Genetic Diversity Of The Mexican Black Iguana Ctenosaura Pectinata, Victor Aguirre-Hlidalgo

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The hunting of the black iguana (Ctenosaura pectinata) in some regions of Mexico constitutes an acute problem because mature, gravid females arc killed and eaten just before they lay their eggs. This practice thus impacts both the survival of adults and the otherwise imminent recruitment of new individuals to the population. The objective of this project was to compare the demographic behaviour and the genetic variability of two population of the black iguana, one protected and one subject to hunting. This information allowed us to project their population dynamics and investigate the likely population-level consequences of hunting. A clear difference …

Developmental Sequences In Freshwater Pulmonate Gastropods, Jennifer J. Smirthwaite

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The main aims of this thesis were to develop an integrative approach (i.e. one that included physiological as well as traditional morphological events) that allowed the construction of "timelines" of event sequences during development for pulmonate gastropods and to investigate how these sequences varied between (heterochrony) and within (heterokairy) species. Detailed descriptions of development in twelve species from three families (Lymaeidae, Planorbidae and Physidae) highlighted several heterochronies that were confirmed by a phylogenetically explicit analysis (PARSIMOV). These heterochronies involved physiological events (i.e. the first heart beat, appearance of the eye, body flexing, mantle muscle activity, attachment to egg capsule and …

Phytoplankton As Indicators For Eutrophication In Europe's Regional Seas, Abigail Mcquatters-Gollop

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

Eutrophication of marine and coastal waters is a growing concern throughout Europe's regional seas and an historical problem in the Black Sea and regions of the North-East Atlantic, particularly the North Sea. As the base of the marine pelagic food web, phytoplankton are sensitive indicators of environmental change and therefore may be used as indicators of eutrophication for the monitoring, management and mitigation of the effects of nutrient loading on coastal and marine ecosystems. However, due to the interactive effects of climate and eutrophication, it can be difficult to separate the climate-driven response of phytoplankton from changes induced by excess …

A Framework For Bioprofile Analysis Over Grid, Pin Hu

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

An important trend in modern medicine is towards individualisation of healthcare to tailor care to the needs of the individual. This makes it possible, for example, to personalise diagnosis and treatment to improve outcome. However, the benefits of this can only be fully realised if healthcare and ICT resources are exploited (e.g. to provide access to relevant data, analysis algorithms, knowledge and expertise). Potentially, grid can play an important role in this by allowing sharing of resources and expertise to improve the quality of care. The integration of grid and the new concept of bioprofile represents a new topic in …

The Interactive Toxicity Of Benzo(A)Pyrene And Ultraviolet Radiation - An In Vitro Investigation, Zoe Jean Lyle

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The work presented here adopted an in vitro approach with cell types from different species (fish: Epithelioma Papillosum Cyprini (EPCA1), Rainbow Trout Gonad (RTG-2); mammals: Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO-K01), primary human fibroblast cells (84BR)) to elucidate the potential genotoxic effects of the interaction of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), benzo(a)pyrene (B(a)P) (0.0, 0.1, 1.0 and 3.2 µg mlˉ¹) with ultraviolet radiation (UVA/UVB) (typically 25, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000, 4000, 6000, 8000 J mˉ²). Initially the experimental techniques and conditions were optimised and validated in the CHO-K1, EPCA1 and RTG-2 cell lines. It was shown that mammalian (CHO-Kl) and …

Low-Level Interpretability And High-Level Interpretability: A Unified View Of Data-Driven Interpretable Fuzzy System Modelling, Shang Ming Zhou, John Q. Gan

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

Type-1 Owa Operators For Aggregating Uncertain Information With Uncertain Weights Induced By Type-2 Linguistic Quantifiers, Shang Ming Zhou, Francisco Chiclana, Robert I. John, Jonathan M. Garibaldi

School of Nursing and Midwifery

No abstract provided.

An Exploratory Survey Of The Experiences Of Homophobic Bullying Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgendered Young People In Ireland, Stephen James Minton, Torunn Dahl, Moore Am O’, Donnely Tuck

School of Psychology

No abstract provided.

The Identification And Characterization Of Phenylalanine Ammonia-Lyase Gene Family Members In Glycine Max, Erin Kathleen Pringle

Masters Theses

"Gene families are collections of genes with similar functions. Studying gene families is important for understanding the evolution of genes and manipulating genes. Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) is an enzyme found in plants. It catalyzes the deamination of phenylalanine to produce cinnamic acid. Genes for PAL have been identified in many different plant species. This project used the known sequence for the PAL1 gene in Glycine max to find other PAL genes in Glycine max"--Abstract, page iii.

Removal Of Heavy Metals From Electroplating Wastewater Using Rice Husk And Coconut Coir, Frency Mathew

Masters Theses

"Heavy metal toxicity due to industrial wastewater has been a threat to the environment for the past many decades, especially in the developing countries such as India, China and Thailand where cost effectiveness of the removal process is a major factor. In this research, the effectiveness of two natural adsorbents, rice husk (RH) and coconut coir (CC), which are cheaply available in these countries for the removal of heavy metals from electroplating wastewaters were studied"--Abstract, page iii.

Methodology And Process To Accompany A Virtual Geotechnical Database For The St. Louis Metropolitan Area, Katherine Leigh Onstad

Masters Theses

"The St. Louis metropolitan (STL) area, which spans Missouri and Illinois, currently has no overarching organization of geospatial data (geodata). The two states have their own geodata, using their own individual standards. The development of a virtual geotechnical database (VGDB) encompassing the entire STL area on both sides of the Mississippi River is a solution to the data sharing and standardization problem of this area. The VGDB integrates geodata from disparate sources into a geographic information systems (GIS) database accessible via the internet. The creation of the STL area VGDB consisted of three parts: 1) compiling the geodata; 2) formatting …

The Legal Advice Needs Of Gypsies And Travellers In Plymouth., Z James, L Simmonds, R Browning

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Redefining The Edge, R Brown

School of Art, Design and Architecture

En (edge) is a distinguishing feature of traditional Japanese architecture; simultaneously inside and outside, the multi-layered external envelope performs a multiplicity of functions and embodies indigenous aesthetic and experiential sensibilities. The traditional form of en has however disappeared from contemporary Japanese architecture. This paper will frame en as a physical element and the roles and values it carries, and examine contemporary Japanese architecture’s move towards a more Westernised, conceptually-based, symbolic and introverted language. It will then consider some wider questions this raises on Japanese life and tradition, as well as the future of architecture in Japan.