The purpose of this study was to determine the influence discipline has on teaching at public schools. In chapter 2 of the literature study, the researcher focused on aspects that influence discipline at school. In chapter 3, she also looked at education law aspects that have a direct influence on education. Two structured questionnaires were used in the quantitative research. These questionnaires were distributed separately between educators and learners at nine schools of the Free State Department of Education's Fezile Dabi District. From the findings of this study, it is clear that discipline indeed has an enormous influence on teaching at public schools. The Constitution (1996) and Schools Act (84/1996) make the application of effective discipline at schools possible. / Thesis (M.Ed. (Education Law))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2008.

This thesis examines factors, which influence responses on “paper and pencil” evaluations, commonly used with training programmes. A series of ten studies investigated evaluations of a wide range of courses, some taught by the researcher. It was emphasised, evaluations should take into account the educational variables of type of training, type of student and course content. Open ended evaluations were found to be influenced by a desire to react in a socially desirable manner. This interpretation was supported by student's responses on a questionnaire. The value of open ended evaluations as a probing mechanism was emphasised. Activity measure evaluations were found to relate more closely to the effort involved in the task than the to merits of a particular aspect of a course. Likert style structured rating scales were subject to a ‘halo effect'. Students also tended to answer using the favourable end of scales regardless of their real feelings. Combining two evaluation techniques was found to have a dramatic effect on response rate on open ended evaluations and thus validity. In addition response patterns produced conflicting findings between open ended and Likert style scales.. It is suggested the way people complete evaluation forms is partly a reflection of the impact of a range of influences, not formerly linked by research methods texts to evaluation form. It was stressed the educational aims of any evaluation should be established before methods of evaluation are decided.

Maurice Maeterlinck fulfilled a unique role in England at the end of the nineteenth century. He interpreted the symbolist vision for the English. His symbolist plays established the expressive power of a very simple style and offered an alternative to melodrama and realism. The mystical direction of his art appealed to the writers of the Celtic Renaissance. W.B. Yeats drew on Maeterlinck's theory and practice until the end of his career. During the 1890s, it was Maeterlinck's translation of the symbolist aesthetic in terms of the dramatic form which appealed to Yeats. The Shadowy Waters is Yeats's most extended exercise in a style indebted to "Symbolisme". During the years of Yeats's involvement in the Irish Literary Theatre, Maeterlinck's dramatic theories took over from his plays as the prime source of interest to Yeats. In addition, Yeats was strongly interested in the scenic innovations associated with Maeterlinck's work. The second chapter deals with the important speculations about anti-illusionist modes of dramatic presentation which were developed in France and England at the end of the nineteenth and at the beginning of the twentieth centuries, and which were anticipated in the prose writings of Charles Lamb. Chapter three consists of a discussion of Arthur Symons's unpublished play, Barbara Roscorla's Child, which registers Maeterlinck's influence. Chapter four examines Harley Granville Barker's encounter with Maeterlinck. It shows that Barker was particularly impressed by Maeterlinck's stress on inwardness. Barker's writings on acting and dramatic theory reflect his familiarity with Maeterlinck's Le Trésor des humbles, in particular the essay "Le Tragique quotidien". The chapter includes a discussion of Barker's unpublished play, A Miracle. Finally, the chapter on Henry James concentrates on the manner in which Maeterlinck provides one of the chief contexts of The Wings of the Dove. The frequent invocation of Maeterlinck's theory and practice is one of the important ways in which James suggests meaning and shapes the reader's response.

This thesis traces the various vievs of Horace held in the seventeenth century and examines translation and imitation in the period. The main focus is on the influence of Horace's Od.es on lyric poetry. For the period 1600-1660, four authors are discussed in detail, Ben Jonson, Herrick, Marvell and Covley. Other authors treated include Drayton, Samuel Daniel, Donne, Campion, Chapman, Wotton, Carev, Randolph, Cartvr4ght, Habington, Vaughan, Lovelace, Fanshave, Mildmay Fane, George Daniel of Besvick, Milton, Oven Felltham, Izaak Walton, Denham, Waller and Alexander Brome. In the period from 1660, authors discussed include Dryden, Rochester, Sedley, Dorset, Mulgrave, Otvay, Etherep;e, Wycherley, Oldham, Prior, Ambrose Philips, Katherine Philips, John Norris, Cotton, Lady Mary Chudleigh, Anne Finch, Countess of Winchilsea, John Ranrlet, John Tutchin, Temple and Evelyn. The introduction argues briefly that although Horace is normally associated vith the eighteenth century, in fact his Odes were more Influential in the earlier part of the seventeenth century, and points to some misconceptions about the nature of Horace's poetry that have helped to obscure this. It notes that the interest in the Odes in the period is a change from the Mediaeval and sixteenth-century approach to Horace, and points out that the study of hov a period responds to a particular poet throve light on its general character. Chapter I provides some background information. It outlines the place of Horace in the school curricula and shove that the twin emphases in the school reading of HOrace were on his morals and his style, the latter being studied vith the practical aim of imitation. School textbooks are described. An account of editions of Horace in the period follows. It is pointed out that the text of Horace was more corrupt than it is today* and argued that some of the translators of Horace used the school edition of John Bond. The twin emphases of commentary on Horace are again shown to be on his morals and his style: Parthenio's commentary is examined in some detail. Next, some ideas about Horace's life disseminated by the lives included in editions are mentioned. Finally, the influence of quotation books and emblem books is considered. It is argued that though they contained many of the poet*s favourite Horatian passages, this does not mean that writers did not read Horace directly. It is shown that they present a moral Horace and that they sometimes cause distortion through excerpting passages out of context. Chapter II deals with the volumes of translations of Horace by Thomas Drant, John Ashmore, Thomas Hawkins, Henry Rider, John Smith, 'Unknown Mase', and Richard Panshawe. A brief sketch is given of the development of translation in the century, and it is pointed out that there are some examples of the 'imitation* before Cowley. The books of translations are then examined against this background, and it is argued that Fanshawe should not be viewed as heralding the mid-century revolution in translation but as fitting into his own period. The twin interests of the translators are analysed as being content, primarily moral, and lyric style. Fanshawe is seen as of particular interest as trying to embody Horatian moral ideals in his life and as being most successful in conveying Horace's lyricism. Chapterin discusses various ways in trhich the formal aspects of Horace's Odes influenced seventeenth-century lyric. It is pointed out that this influence has been obscured because English writers do not produce pastiches but recreate Horace in modern modes and because of generic differences between the Odes and seventeenth-century lyric. Some differences in structure and style between the two are then considered, Cowley's translation of C.111.i and Carew's The Spring being used to illustrate the differences of structure. Some exceptions are noted in the poetry of Milton, Jonson, Herrick, etc. Next, the similarities and areas of influence are discussed - blends in tone, methods of making lyric personal and various poetic poses.

The process of soft tissue injury repair at the cellular lew I can be decomposed into three phases: acute inflammation including coagulation, proliferation and remodelling. While the later phases are well understood the early phase is less so. We produce a series of new mathematical models for the early phases coagulation and inflammation. The models produced are relevant not only to soft tissue injury repair but also to the many disease states in which coagulation and inflammation play a role. The coagulation cascade and the subsequent formation of the enzyme thrombin are central to the creation of blood clots. By focusing on a subset of reactions that occur within the coagulation cascade, we develop a model that exhibits a rich asymptotic structure. Using singular perturbation theory we produce a sequence of simpler time-dependent model which enable us to elucidate the physical mechanisms that underlie the cascade and the formation of thrombin. There is considerable interest in identifying new therapeutic targets within the coagulation cascade, as current drugs for treating pathological coagulation (thrombosis) target multiple factors and cause the unwelcome side effect of excessive bleeding. Factor XI is thought to be a potential therapeutic target, as it is implicated in pathological coagulation but not in haemostasis (the stopping of bleeding), but its mechanism of activation is controversial. By extending our previous model of the coagulation cascade to include the whole cascade (albeit in a simplistic way) we use numerical methods to simulate experimental data of the coagulation cascade under normal as well as specific-factor-deficient conditions. We then provide simulations supporting the hypothesis that thrombin activates factor XI. The interest in inflammation is now increasing due to it being implicated in such diverse conditions as Alzmeimer's disease, cancer and heart disease. Inflammation can either resolve or settle into a self-perpetuating condition which in the context of soft tissue repair is termed chronic inflammation. Inflammation has traditionally been thought gradualIy to subside but new biological interest centres on the anti-inflammatory processes (relating to macrophages) that are thought to promote resolution and the pro-inflammatory role that neutrophils can provide by causing damage to healthy tissue. We develop a new ordinary differential equation model of the inflammatory process that accounts for populations of neutrophils and macrophages. We use numerical techniques and bifurcation theory to characterise and elucidate the physiological mechanisms that are dominant during the inflammatory phase and the roles they play in the healing process. There is therapeutic interest in modifying the rate of neutrophil apoptosis but we find that increased apoptosis is dependent on macrophage removal to be anti-inflammatory. We develop a simplified version of the model of inflammation reducing a system of nine ordinary equations to six while retaining the physical processes of neutrophil apoptosis and macrophage driven anti-inflammatory mechanisms. The simplified model reproduces the key outcomes that we relate to resolution or chronic inflammation. We then present preliminary work on the inclusion of the spatial effects of chemotaxis and diffusion.

All organisms studied so far respond to heat shock by inducing the synthesis of a number of proteins called heat shock proteins(LISPs). This universal response can also be induced by a variety of stressors, including heavy metal ions and organic and organo-metallic compounds. As a result, the stress response has recently attracted the attention of ecotoxicologists for use in environmental biomonitoring. In the present study, we have investigated the stress responses of two different organisms ; namely the free-living soil nematode Caenorhiabdities elegans(both wild-type and transgenic strains) and the freshwater crustacea Asellus aquazicus. We have also explored the possible use of these model systems in environmental monitoring using different techniques which include metabolic labelling with subsequent one-dimensional electrophoresis and autoradiography, and one- or two-dimensional western blotting using antibodies specific to stress protein 70. The study with A. aquaticus shows that this organism exhibits a classical stress response. The exposure of asellids to heat shock-treatment (26°C ; 13°C above the standard maintenance temperature) or to sublethal concentrations of metal ions (Cd++ and Cu++) resulted in the induction of at least 5 putative HSPs which belong to several major HSP families (HSP100, HSP90 and possibly HSP60). An increase in the synthesis of smaller sizes of polypeptides (25-35 kD) should be also noted. Moreover, the time-course of heat versus heavy metal stress-response in this organism suggests that the pattern of stress-protein synthesis changes considerably with increasing exposure time ; notably the response to heat is more transient than that to heavy metals. However, HSP70 does not appear to be the major stress protein induced in this organism. The presence of low molecular weight (LMW) proteins which react with anti-HSP70 antibodies and the apparent deficiency of classical 70 kD stress proteins in A. aquaticus, both suggest that HSP70s in this organism are for some reason prone to degradation. In the nematode C .elegans, shifting the culture temperature from 20°C to 34°C induces the synthesis of a set of HSPs corresponding to the HSP90, HSP70 and small HSP families. There are at least nine members of the hsp7O multigene family in C. elegans ; some members are expressed constitutively while others are stress inducible. W e have studied the effects of heat and heavy metal (cadmium) stress on the expression patterns of the HSP70 protein family in the nematodes by one- and two-dimensional Western blotting using a monoclonal anti-HSP70 antibody that recognises a conserved epitope shared by most HSP70 family members. Constitutive C. elegans HSP70s (expressed at 20°C) are almost undetectable on one-dimensional immunoblots, but chemiluminescent probing of two-dimensional blots reveals a complex pattern of several HSP70s pots .Mild heats hock at 31° C induces a doublet HSP70 band on one-dimensional blots, of which the heavier component (75 kD) is more prominent than the lighter (73 kD). On two-dimensional blots, this pattern is shown to be more complex with a prominent 75 kD spot newly induced and several other spots intensified. Severe heat shock at 34°C strongly induces both 75 and 73 kD bands on one-dimensional blots; two dimensional analysis reveals a series of novel and/or elevated 73 and 75 kD spots. Treatment with cadmium( 16 ppm) at 31° C gives a different pattern of spots as compared with 31 °C alone ; several spots show enhanced while some are newly expressed, and not all of these are present at 34°C. These results indicate that related members of the HSP70 protein family in C. elegans are independently regulated in response to different forms of stress. The possible significance of these findings is discussed in relation to the possible use of stress responses s environmental biomonitors. We have also utilised a stress-inducible C. elegans strain (CB4027) for monitoring environmental contamination. This transgenic strain carries integrated copies of the Drosophila hsp70 promoter fused to an E.coli lacZ reporter gene. When exposed to heat shock or to several environmentally relevant stressors, the transgenic strain expresses the reporter product, 3-galactosidase, which can easily be quantified or localised in situ in stained worms or on Western blots (apparently enzymatically active as a 170 kD form). We have exposed transgenic worms to a variety of toxicants at an elevated temperature (32°C) just below that required for heat shock (34°C), in order to obtain optimal transgene induction. Exposure of nematodes to several heavy metals (e. g. Cd+, Hg++, Zn+, Sn++, Mn++ and Ag+), organometallic toxicants (tributyltin) or organic pollutants (lindane) induces ß-galactosidase expression in a dose-dependent manner. Cadmium is found to be by far the strongest inducer of transgene activity amongst the agents tested, although tributyltin is an effective inducer at ppb levels. The effects of mixtures of divalent metal ions (Cd++/Ca++, Cd++/Zn++ and Cd++/Hg++) on ß-galactosidase expression have been also investigated. All three divalent ions tested in combination with cadmium significantly inhibit cadmium-induced transgene activity in comparison to cadmium alone. In the case of Cd++/C++ mixtures, a marked inhibition of Cd++ accumulation by worm tissues has also been demonstrated, directly related to the Ca++ concentration. These effects may represent competition for metal-ion uptake through calcium channels. Our results show that this transgenic system works well within strictly defined assay conditions, and can detect clear responses over a 7h exposure period to environmentally relevant toxicants at sublethal concentrations well below the 24 or 48h LCSO values. However, there is a need for careful characterisation and containment of any transgenic organism if it is to be used as environmental monitoring tool.

Humans are ubiquitously exposed to peroxisome proliferators including hypolipidemic agents, industrial solvents and atural products. Because of this and the fact that peroxisome proliferators cause non-genotoxic hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents, it is of importance to elucidate the mechanism of action of the peroxisome proliferators in order to provide an assessment of the hazard, if any, of these compounds to humans. It is also known that the peroxisome proliferators begin their actions by inducing hepatic DNA synthesis. Thus, the aim of this thesis was to find genes that could be responsible for triggering the induction of hepatic DNA synthesis caused by peroxisome proliferators, specifically ciprofibrate. First, it was important to indicate when the induction of hepatic DNA synthesis actually happens. This was done with BrdU immunohistochemical procedures. The induction of hepatic DNA synthesis with ciprofibrate in mice was observable only after 4 days making it difficult to specify when the induction actually happened. In rats the induction of hepatic DNA synthesis was found to peak at 24 hours and this system gave the better opportunity to find the genes responsible. The difference in the timing of induced hepatic DNA synthesis betweenmice and rats implied that there could be a species difference in the mechanism of each species’ response to PPAR. With immunohistochemistry it was noticed that there was a difference in the lobular localization of hepatic DNA synthesis in the liver tissues of rats and mice dosed with different inducers, with the rat livers exhibiting periportal distribution while hepatic DNA synthesis in the mice seemed to be distributed throughout the liver tissue. The effects of ciprofibrate or cyproterone acetate on liver gene expression in rats were studied, using cDNA microarrays, transcriptome sequencing and quantitative real- time PCR. A 1- 5 hour treatment period was chosen to detect the immediate early gene response, while a 24 hour time point was chosen to elucidate the confounding effects from the hepatic DNA synthesis seen during the 24 hour stimulation. The results showed that ciprofibrate altered the expression of numerous genes including previously known PPARa agonist-responsive genes involved in processes such as PPAR signalling pathways, fatty acid metabolic pathway, cell cycle, palmitoyl-CoA hydrolase activity, lipid metabolism, inflammatory responses, and stress responses, in addition to a large number of novel candidate genes. Three novel induced genes G0s2, Ccnd1 and Scd1, (and two marker genes CYP4A1 and CYP3A1) were confirmed with quantitative real- time PCR. The G0s2, Ccnd1 and Scd1 were found to be up-regulated at the hours 1 and 3 after dosing and not 24 hours, and the G0s2 and Scd1 were specific for the ciprofibrate suggesting they were involved in a distinct PPARa pathway responsible for the hepatic DNA synthesis. The complete database of the transcriptional response provided here opens doors of opportunity for further research to identify genes responsible for the liver growth induced by peroxisome proliferators.

Background. Necator americanus is one of the major causes of human hookworm infection, affecting over 800 million people worldwide. Hookworm infections cause gastro-intestinal bleeding, anaemia and iron deficiency, and are associated with high rates of morbidity, especially in children. Although chemotherapy has proven effective, high rates of reinfection are reported in socioeconomically developing countries, possibly due to the short-term efficacy of anthelmintic drugs in addition to individual predisposition to these infections, raising interests in developing suitable alternatives to chemotherapy which are capable of providing complete, long-term protection against hookworms. Understanding of the molecular mechanisms used by Necator americanus larvae to penetrate the human skin and the vasculature would therefore aid the development of effective vaccines against this important pathogen. Methods. First, Necator americanus larval exsheathing fluid (EF) and excretory/secretory products (ES) were profiled using gel electrophoresis and enzyme assays. Protease inhibitors against the main protease classes were used to determine which proteases are present in larval products. Second, the interaction of larval EF and ES products with human skin and extracellular matrix (ECM) macromolecules including collagens I, III, IV and V, fibronectin and laminin was investigated using western blots and protein separation by gel electrophoresis. Third, the impact of Necator americanus larval EF and ES on the endothelial barrier was examined using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Permeability, an essential endothelial barrier function, was assessed during treatment with larval products, using transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER), and post-treatment using albumin-tracer flux. Finally, at the cellular level, responses to treatment with larval products were assessed by investigating molecular changes at cell-cell vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin junctions and actin filaments, and by determining levels of secreted inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and IL-8, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the culture medium. Results. It would appear that a repertoire of larval proteases, including serine, cysteine, aspartyl and metalloprotinases, caused partial degradation of skin macromolecules, collagens I, III, IV and laminin while fibronectin was fully degraded. Proteolysis of skin- and ECM macromolecules was related to the characteristic presence of proteolytic enzymes in larval products. The presence of transglutaminase activity was confirmed in both EF and ES products. Larval proteases caused a dose related increase in endothelial permeability, characterised by a decrease in monolayer resistance (TEER) with increased permeation of albumin tracer, which was minimal in the presence of a cocktail of protease inhibitors. These barrier changes were associated with disruption of junctional VE-cadherin and F-actin, the formation of intercellular gaps and an increase in endothelial secretion of IL-6 and IL-8. Conclusions. Necator americanus larvae produce a repertoire of proteolytic enzymes which could play an important role in negotiating the skin and breaching the endothelium to gain access to the host’s blood circulation.

In recent years evidence has emerged that the endocannabinoid system (ECS) may have a significant role in metabolism and energy homeostasis. Several studies have identified upregulation of the peripheral ECS in obesity and type 2 diabetes, but the mechanisms behind this and the consequences of upregulation are unclear. The aim of this thesis was to further elucidate the role of the ECS in mature adipocytes, and its activity in obesity and related metabolic dysfunction. Three adipose tissue depots were dissected from lean, obese and obese diabetic Zucker rats (n=6-8). In human studies, written informed consent was obtained from healthy volunteers within the University of Nottingham and obese surgical patients at the Royal Derby Hospital. Anthropometric measurements and venous blood samples were obtained. In these studies, subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue was taken from all subjects (n=28 healthy study; n=27 surgical study), and visceral adipose tissue was obtained from some of the surgical patients (n=14). In all studies, collagenase was used to isolate mature adipocytes from the adipose tissue, and FAAH and MGL activities in the adipocytes were assayed using tritium labelled substrates. Human subcutaneous preadipocytes (Promocell, Germany) were cultured and differentiated. Adipocytes were cultured with high concentrations of glucose (15 mM) and/or insulin (1 μM) for 24 hours, in combination with anandamide or 2-AG for 2 or 24 hours. Adiponectin, leptin and resistin in the cell culture media were then measured using sandwich ELISAs. In another study, anandamide and 2-AG uptake were measured in differentiated adipocytes after 2 or 24 hours’ stimulation with glucose and/or insulin. FAAH and MGL activities in the cultured adipocytes were also measured in this study. In rats, FAAH and MGL activities correlated with body mass. In healthy humans, FAAH activity in subcutaneous adipocytes correlated with BMI and waist circumference, but not with other anthropometric measurements, serum glycaemic markers or adipokines. In obese patients, the enzyme activities had no relationships with any of the anthropometric or metabolic markers investigated. Furthermore, there were no differences in activity between patients with metabolic syndrome or diabetes and those without. In both rats and humans, there were no significant differences in FAAH and MGL activities between subcutaneous and visceral adipocytes. In the cell culture studies, anandamide and 2-AG did not alter adipokine secretion under normal, high glucose or high insulin conditions. Chronic insulin exposure increased anandamide uptake, but none of the other acute or chronic treatments with glucose and/or insulin affected anandamide or 2-AG uptake. Glucose and insulin were found to reduce MGL activity. These studies suggest that the rate of anandamide hydrolysis in mature adipocytes is increased in obesity. This relationship was not apparent in a morbidly obese sample. MGL activity in humans does not have relationships with adiposity or metabolic markers, and this may reflect its role as a major component of lipid metabolism, particularly lipolysis. Anandamide and 2-AG are unlikely to be direct mediators of adipokine secretion, at least in cell culture. Insulin may affect endocannabinoid signalling in adipocytes by increasing anandamide uptake and suppressing MGL activity. Overall, these results support the notion that the ECS in adipocytes is dysregulated in obesity, but this is not driven by specific factors associated with obesity.

This dissertation highlights the influence of the extension of Empire in India on Enlightenment in Scotland. It argues, consistently, that an ever increasing contact with the Eastern parts of Empire over the eighteenth century created productive tensions between the personal, material and intellectual worlds of the Edinburgh literati. Scottish thinkers stood in close contact to one another and congregated in the Select Society and the Poker Club. Beyond the domestic boundaries, they had practical and personal interests in contemporary events in the East Indies. All had relatives or acquaintances in India and were all correspondents of Sir John Macpherson, Governor-General of India (1785-6). The dissertation shows that a revision of civic humanism on the one hand and scientific Whiggism on the other, found their main dilemma in “luxury” and “despotism” respectively. Both of these concepts were intrinsically connected with the perception of India at the beginning of the eighteenth century. One of the outcomes of the literati’s personal and intellectual engagement with India was the different solutions for the regulation of Empire. Ferguson, following the tradition of civic humanism, argued for the importance of civic virtue in order to maintain Empire. His thoughts stood in stark contrast to Smith, Hume and particularly Robertson. Vigour, instead of civic virtue, needed to be developed and strengthened. No monolithic canon of how Empire could be sustained was developed by these men, but all were involved in squaring the circle of improvement through Empire. The constant interplay between domestic, cosmopolitan and imperial spheres suggests that Enlightenment had an imperial nature, which is highlighted in relation to the literati’s particular investigation of “luxury” and “despotism” and their positive perception of Nabobs. Moreover, the dissertation emphasises that Edinburgh associations can not only be viewed as pillars of Enlightenment in Scotland, but also as networks and the gateways to Empire from at least the 1760s. The evidence assembled suggests that men like Ferguson and Robertson were active players in a world which was intellectually and practically shaped by Empire.