Life Sciences Commons^™

A Detailed Parameter Study Into The Dermal Absorption Of Chemical Warfare Agents And The Effects Of Pharmacokinetics, Koko Lear

Theses

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are substances of varying toxicity profiles. These chemicals exhibit complex dynamics and pose a serious health risk when released into the environment. A mathematical model based on Fick’s second law of diffusion was developed to comprehend how these compounds were absorbed into the skin. The analysis applied to both small and large doses and, successfully, predicted experimental results. This work also includes the effects of CWA physicochemical properties on evaporation and dermal absorption through the stratum corneum. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the impacts of small variations in the initial dose, environmental conditions, and …

Optimisation Of Grass Measurement Technologies Through Field Experimentation And Numerical Simulation Methods, Darren Joseph Murphy

Theses

Maximising pasture utilisation through optimal grassland management is vital in terms of ensuring the economic sustainability and mitigating the environmental impact of both Irish and global pasture-based livestock production. Frequent and accurate measurement of grass quantity and quality is one of the main methods of maximising grass production and utilisation on pasture-based farms. The most prominent grass measurement tool used on Irish pasture is the rising plate meter (RPM), however, there are a range of issues with this method including operator bias, precision and difficulties in accounting for spatial variation. Currently, there is no definitive protocol for grass measurement which …

Comparison Of Longitudinal Changes In Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Between Alzheimer’S And Healthy Controls, Berk Can Yilmaz

Theses

Resting State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rs-fMRI) is a technique that is widely used for analyzing brain function using different approaches and methods. This study involves rs-fMRI analysis of Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signals acquired from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) Patients and Healthy Controls (HC). Each subject in the study had both functional and anatomical images with at least one rs-fMRI scan with their Anatomical (T1) scans. Previous rs-fMRI studies have demonstrated that AD shows differences in Amplitude of Low Frequency (<0.1 Hz) Fluctuations (ALFF), and Regional Homogeneity (ReHo) measures according to HCs.

The aim of the study is to investigate individual and group level differences using ReHo and mALFF related …

Modelling And Simulation Of Renewable Technologies For Economic And Environmental Analysis And Optimization Of Dairy Farms, Michael Christopher Breen

Theses

The aim of this thesis was to develop a dairy optimisation platform to optimise investments in dairy farm technology and changes to on-farm management practices and electricity tariffs, in order to maximise profitability and minimise environmental impacts. Increased dairy herd sizes and milk production levels in Ireland as well as changing regulations concerning emissions, renewable penetration and energy efficiency have necessitated a means of financial decision support for farmers. Therefore this body of work focused on the creation of a comprehensive method for optimising dairy farm technology selection, management practices and electricity tariffs. The measures which could be implemented on …

Predicting Energy And Water Consumption On Dairy Farms Through Statistical Analysis And Machine-Learning Methods, Philip Shine

Theses

With the abolishment of milking quotas across all European Union member states in April 2015, dairy farmers must adjust their farming practises to minimise milk production costs to adequately prepare for potential periods of reduced revenue. Milk production is an intense energy and water consuming process. Coupled with challenging European greenhouse gas reduction targets and legislation regarding the prevention of groundwater pollution and deterioration, increasing the production of milk in Ireland must be met with the sustainable consumption of on-farm energy and direct water resources, to ensure the future monetary and environmental sustainability of Ireland’s dairy industry. Thus, this body …

System Identification Of A Pasteurisation Process: A Comparison Of Direct And Indirect Methods, Niel Canty

Theses

The primary focus of this research is to identify a linear model for a direct steam injection (DSI) pasteurisation process which is a component of a large-scale pilot evaporation process widely used in the dairy industry. The pasteurisation process has been identified as a key component of the evaporation process. The author believes that no previously published work has focused on identifying models for a DSI pasteurisation process which makes this work an original contribution to the area. The pasteurisation process can be modelled as a single-input, single-output (SISO) process with a measurable disturbance. Thus two transfer functions were required …

The Evidence For A Nascent Biotechnology Cluster In Cork, John W. Hobbs

Theses

Over the past 30 years, encouraged by Ireland’s low rate of corporation tax (currently 12.5 %), and active promotion of FDI by the IDA, foreign owned pharmaceutical plants have set up and multiplied in the Cork area. To Ireland’s advantages of a low tax rate, an English speaking population, a pro-business environment and membership of EU, Cork offered the added attractions of a deepwater port and large natural harbour, good freight connections, an international airport, an educated workforce and excellent sporting and leisure facilities for sailing, golf, etc. (Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Schering Plough have …

Thermal Desorption Of Hazardous And Toxic Organic Compounds From Soil Matrices : Dichloromethane, Chloroform, Benzene, Toluene, 1-Chloronaphthalene, 1, 2, 4-Trichlorobenzene, Arun S. Chemburkar

Theses

This research project was undertaken to understand the process of desorption/removal of organic compounds from soil matrices under the influence of temperature and gas purging. The project was divided in two parts :

A. Plug deposition experiments: Columns packed with soil matrices were purged with an inert gas under isothermal conditions. Organic compounds were then introduced as a plug on the front of the column by on-line injection. The rate of passage (due to sequential adsorption/desorption) of the plug through the various soil matrices was measured by a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionization detector (FID). The compounds studied …

Steady-State Operation Of Bench-Scale Activated Sludge Process Using Phenol And 2-Chlorophenol As Substrates, Jeffrey Richard Caputi

Theses

Experiments were conducted to determine whether a continuous process similar to the common activated sludge process could be operated at a relative steady state with phenol and 2-chlorophenol as the sole carbon sources. After a number of unsuccessful trials, process conditions were developed which allowed for operation at a relative steady state with respect to the concentration of microorganisms in the reactor and the concentration of phenol and 2-chlorophenol in the effluent.

Phenol and 2-chlorophenol were removed at better than 99 percent efficiency on a continuous basis. The mixed liquor grown under the conditions of the experiment was highly filamentous …

The Kinetics And Hepatotoxicity Of Benzyl Chloride Vapor In Rats, Hari V. Rao

Theses

Male Sprague Dawley rats (250g) were exposed to benzyl chloride vapor at a concentration of 220 ppm for 6 hours. During inhalation, the blood benzyl chloride concentration increased to reach a steady state level of 9-10 ug/ml between 4 and 6 hours of exposure. A small concentration of benzyl chloride (0.86 ug/ml) was present in the blood four hours after the termination of exposure. The absorption half life was 0.53 hours (0.39-0.81) and the elimination half life was l.12 hour (0.93-l.40).

The absorbed benzyl chloride was largely retained in the blood and some of it (0.22 ug/g) was sequestered into …

Scheduling Effects Of 5-(3,3-Dimethyl-1-Triazeno)Imidazole-4-Carboxamide (Dtic) And 1,3-Bis-Chloroethyl-1-Nitrosourea (Bcnu) On Mouse Melanoma Cells B16cl5, Gracie V. Coffey

Theses

DTIC and BCNU have been demonstrated to have enhanced chemotherapeutic effects in mice bearing Bl6 mouse melanoma cells. The order of administration seems to be important in maintaining optimum effects. This was shown is a study by Hill et al. (unpublished).

In the present study, mouse melanoma cells, Bl6CL4, were treated with either DTIC or BCNU. The drug was allowed to remain on the cells for 2, 3, or 4 days. The drug-containing media were then removed, the cells were washed and fresh medium was added. The cells were incubated in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 and 95% air at …

Protective Laboratory Measures For The Flexible Wall Permeameter And The Atterberg Limits Tests Using Hazardous And Toxic Chemicals, Robert A. Tetla

Theses

Safety procedures for performing geotechnical testing with hazardous and toxic materials, excluding radioactive wastes, are developed for the Flexible Wall Permeameter and the Atterberg Limits Tests. The tests were evaluated in detail to determine the critical points at which the technician would be exposed to the hazardous and/or toxic permeant. It was found that the following safety measures should always be taken; 1) the apparatus and all testing should be undertaken in a sliding sash hood using the proper face velocity, 2) air monitoring using a personal dosimeter and/or a detector tube is required to assure that the concentration of …

Microbial Characteristics Of An Activated Sludge And Three Commercial Preparations After Exposure To Phenolics, Laurie Gneiding

Theses

The biological characteristics of four microbial mixtures were examined after successive exposure to phenol and 2-chlorophenol at room temperature. One of the microbial mixtures was an activated sludge from the Livingston, NJ municipal wastewater treatment plant. The other three mixtures were commercial preparations sold by Polybac Corp.(Hydrobac), Sybron Corp. (BI-CHEM DC 1006/1007), and General Environmental Sciences(LLMO).

The characteristics examined were relative counts and species of gram negative/gram positive bacteria, yeast and fungi, protozoa, and higher organisms. For the gram negative bacteria and yeasts, culturing techniques and diagnostic tubes were used to determine the predominant species. Biochemical tests were done on …

Investigations Into Rates And Mechanisms Of Mercury Depuration In The Killifish, Fundulus Heteroclitus, Joanne A. Korpanty

Theses

Metallothionein (MT) and glutathione (GSH) have been shown in mammalian research to play a role in the sequestration and depuration of mercury. The sulfhydryl groups on both these peptides have a strong affinity for mercury, MT for Hg²⁺ and GSH for CH₃Hg⁺. In this study, killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) were force-fed one piece of squid laced with labelled mercuric nitrate to give a final food concentration of 20 ppm ²⁰³Hg²⁺ and 0.03 -0.05 µg g-1 Hg²⁺ total dose. Most of the mercury, 84.1 ± 12.1% (mean ± standard deviation), is depurated within the …

Analysis Of Selected Volatile Organic Substances Associated With Residential Kerosene Heater Use And The Health Implications, Catherine Coombs Bobenhausen

Theses

Volatile organic species (aliphatic hydrocarbons from hexane to dodecane, cyclohexane and aromatic species including benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, m,p, and o—xylenes, nitrobenzene, styrene and naphthalene) associated with residential kerosene heater emissions were measured at two sites. One was a small room having a total volume of 23.66 cubic meters and an air change rate of 2.71 air changes per hour, and the other, a living/dining room area having a combined volume of 79.30 cubic meters and an estimated air change rate of .7 air changes per hour. The analytical procedure involved collection of a series of air samples in stainless …

Acrylamide Effects On Nerve Terminal Enzymes, Christopher S. E. Marlowe

Theses

Acrylamide causes a peripehral neuropathy. The biochemical mechanism by which it does so is the subject of intense investigation. One of the principal hypotheses for this mechanism centers on acrylamide's ability to inhibit glycolysis. This study examines the effects of in vivo exposure to acrylamide on the enzymes of the nerve terminal particle, the synaptosome.

A method for measuring glycolytic enzyme inhibition in the synaptosome was developed. Acrylamide (500 mg/kg) was administered to rats intraperitoneally. Synaptosomes were prepared by the method of Dodd et al, and lysed by sonication. GAPDH activity and NSE concentration were measured. GAPDH inhibition measured in …