Calcium is a highly versatile intracellular signal molecule that can regulate numerous different cellular functions. In filamentous fungi there is evidence for it being involved in regulating various processes, including spore germination, hyphal tip growth, hyphal branching and conidiation. During colony initiation in the filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa, conidia form germ tubes which are involved in colony establishment, and conidial anastomosis tubes (CATs) which are involved in generating fused networks of conidial germlings. The primary research aim of this thesis was to analyze the role of Ca2+-signalling and homeostasis during colony initiation in N. crassa. Removal of Ca2+ from the growth medium showed that external Ca2+ was necessary for CAT fusion and, more specifically, was required for CAT chemoattraction. Two L-type Ca2+ channel blockers (verapamil and diltiazem) with different modes of action were found to inhibit both conidial germination and CAT fusion in wild type strains and CAT fusion was shown to be more sensitive to these two drugs. These channel blockers were additionally found to inhibit Ca2+ uptake by conidial germlings of the wild type expressing the aequorin Ca2+ reporter. However, the channel blockers also, unexpectedly, raised the cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]c) resting level in these germlings suggesting that they did not just inhibit L-type Ca2+ activity. The morphological phenotypes (conidial germination, hyphal extension rate, conidiation and hyphal branching) of 22 mutants defective in different components of their Ca2+-signalling and homeostasis machinery were characterized in order to identify their possible roles of Ca2+ during colony initiation and development. The ∆cch-1 mutant lacking the CCH-1 L-type Ca2+ channel gene exhibited a reduction in CAT fusion. CAT fusion was decreased even further in a double mutant (∆cch-1∆mid-1) suggesting that that the CCH-1 and MID-1 proteins operate in combination during this process. Increased extracellular Ca2+ partially restored the phenotypes of the ∆cch-1, ∆mid-1 smco-1 and ∆cch-1∆mid-1 mutants which is consistent with CCH-1 and MID-1 being involved in Ca2+ uptake from the external medium. Calcium signatures following mechanical perturbation were successfully measured in populations of conidial germlings using aequorin expressed in the wild type and in deletion mutants (∆cch-1, ∆yvc-1, ∆fig-1) lacking different Ca2+ channels. The removal of external Ca2+ completely abolished the [Ca2+]c increase in response to mechanical perturbation and CCH-1 was found to partly contribute to this increase in [Ca2+]c. Various Ca2+-sensitive dyes (Oregon green 488, Fluo-4 and Calcium Green-1) were also tested to determine if they can be used to image [Ca2+]c at the single cell and subcellular levels. Only Fluo-4 allowed the measurement of [Ca2+]c in individual cells but the changes in dye fluorescence in response to changes in [Ca2+]c were too small to be useful for imaging [Ca2+]c dynamics at the subcellular level. The other two dyes underwent rapid compartmentalization in organelles when loaded into germlings. The plant antifungal proteins (defensins), MsDef1, MtDef4 and PAF were all found to disrupt Ca2+ signaling/homeostasis in conidial germlings of N. crassa. They all inhibited the [Ca2+]c increase and raised the resting level of [Ca2+]c in response to mechanical perturbation. Analysis of an aequorin expressing mutant that was defective in glucosylceramide synthase (∆gcs) showed that the effects of MsDef1 (but not MtDef4) on [Ca2+]c were mediated by the sphingolipid glucosylceramide. All of the defensins tested were found to exhibit different potencies with regard to their inhibitory effects on conidial germination and CAT fusion.

This thesis is a narrative inquiry of 10 international students from Nigeria studying in selected UK universities. The thesis draws from emerging discourse on international student’s overseas experiences and extends this knowledge by analysing these experiences from the framework of trauma, individuation, spiritual emergency and the African initiation process, in an attempt to gain an in depth knowledge of Nigerian students’ experiences of studying abroad in the current period. The previous understanding of international students’ experiences from culture shock framework does not account for how their difficult experiences affect their psychological, emotional, physical, social and spiritual wellbeing, so this thesis have reconceptualised these problems and explained them in more depth using the trauma framework and contributed to knowledge in this area. It is an exploratory qualitative study and data for the study was gathered through narrative interviewing. The narrative or story telling method applied in this study enabled the researcher to capture how the participants construct meaning to their lived experiences. The narrative inquiry is chosen because it gives voice to silenced group of people like the Nigerian students whose experiences are not heard. Narratives gathered were textually analysed to evidence the narrators’ unique individual experiences. Findings revealed that the participants had experiences that coincided with trauma experiences such as feeling of helplessness, disorganization, confusion, depression, sleeplessness and disorientation, lack of concentration and supressed emotion as they lived and studied in UK. The thesis concluded from the findings of the study that there is resemblance of trauma experiences in the participants’ stories. The study recommends that support was necessary when they are in UK, while adequate information should be provided before the students sojourn to the UK since most of their difficulties were as a result of failed expectations from their preconceptions about studying in the UK before they arrived.

Cigarette smoking and other forms of tobacco use are responsible for over 440,000 deaths per year in the U.S. Health consequences associated with cigarette smoking include cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer. Despite awareness of the health risks, approximately 21% of the U.S. adult population smokes. Efforts to-date to reduce smoking-related disease and illness have focused on prevention and intervention strategies that encourage cessation. Adolescence is a critical period for both intervention and prevention. Because more than three-fourths (80%) of adult smokers reported starting to smoke prior to the age of 18, prevention and brief intervention is likely to be most effective during this early period of time. In addition, earlier age of onset for smoking is associated with greater subsequent dependence severity, more substantive health sequelae, and less successful outcomes following subsequent quit attempts. Several studies have explored potential demographic and psychosocial variables that may help predict the likelihood adolescents may initiate smoking. Interestingly, many of these studies have focused predominately on Caucasian populations. Thus, is it unclear whether such findings hold true with population subgroups such as African American youth. In research to-date, AA and Caucasian groups differ in rates of smoking initiation, subsequent levels of nicotine dependence, and tobacco cessation efforts. Additionally, as adults, AA bear a disproportionate weight of smoking-related adverse health effects. Previous studies posit that certain variables (demographics, social/peer influences) may differentially influence smoking in AA adolescents. Clearly, more research is needed comparing predictors of AA adolescent smoking to those published with predominantly Caucasian adolescent samples. The present study (N=150) employed a computer-directed assessment to examine smoking in an urban sample of AA adolescents recruited through their primary care provider. The assessment included demographic and psychosocial variables previously found to predict the likelihood of an adolescent trying a cigarette in Caucasian adolescent samples (e.g., peer smoking, adult smoking in the home, self-esteem, and self-efficacy). Findings indicated that AA adolescent smokers (ever smokers) were more likely to have friends who have tried smoking, were more likely to have adult smokers in the home, and scored lower in self-efficacy skills germane to avoiding situations where smoking was present, as compared to nonsmokers. Additionally, computerized assessment for tobacco use was found to be useful in clinic settings. Study findings can aid in the development of specialized prevention and cessation campaigns for minority populations.

Katecheze jako uvedení do mše : Očima jednoho evangelíka Summary Catechesis as an introduction to the Mass: A Protestant's view In my diploma thesis I address the relationship between catechesis and the Mass, namely how the believers of the Catholic Church are acquainted with what is (or is meant to be) the centerpiece of their religious life. In the first - theoretical - part of the paper I first explain what the Mass is and how it has evolved historically, which gradually leads me to the analysis of its present form and content. I then turn my attention to catechesis, whose historical development I outline as well, and to its place among the various services of the Church. I also mention the close connection between catechesis and liturgy, which both contain a dimension of the other.Another common feature of catechesis and the Mass is that they are both Christocentric, yet at the same time anthropological in their focus on man. In the second part of my thesis I deal with the practical form of introduction to the Mass, which takes place with the help of catechetical aids (catechisms, books or coloring books). I analyze these aids and then conclude with the mention of the liturgical basis of the catechesis of converts and of those who are preparing for their First Holy Communion. Keywords catechesis, Mass,...

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) has an internal ribosomal binding site (IRES) located near the 5ʹ end of its genome. The HCV IRES is capable of direct binding to the 40S small ribosomal unit and eukaryotic initiation factor eIF3, and can initiate translation after the assembly of the whole 80S ribosome. Various molecular types can act as IRES inhibitors. Small molecule compounds seem to be the most promising agent for use in the clinic. The main objective of the thesis was to develop a system for searching for small molecule compound inhibitors of HCV IRES in a library of chemical compounds. Several variants of vector carrying bicistronic cassettes were prepared. After validating their functionality by transient transfection of mammalian cell cultures, mammalian stable cell lines were established. These stable cell lines will allow for automatization of the search for small molecule compound inhibitors of HCV IRES. Our second objective was to study the variability of HCV IRES sequences in patient samples. The samples were analysed by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE). Select specimen were sequenced, cloned into a vector with bicistronic cassette and analysed by flow cytometry. In this was we evaluated the effect of specific mutations in the HCV IRES sequence on the level of IRES dependent...

Magister Curationis - MCur / Despite the awareness of the importance of initiating antenatal care in the first trimester of a pregnancy (before 12 weeks gestation), late initiation of antenatal care (on or after 24 weeks of gestation) remains a common trend amongst pregnant women. The late initiation of antenatal care poses such a risk, to both the pregnant women and their unborn babies that it can contribute to maternal and foetal mortality and morbidity. The late initiation of antenatal care, an entirely avoidable occurrence, has an impact on targets set by the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), now focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG‟s) set out by the United Nations. This study aim to investigate the factors which contribute to and cause the late initiation of antenatal care in pregnant women in a region in the Western Cape. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that influence pregnant woman and contribute to late initiation of antenatal care (after 24 weeks gestational age) in one health facility/district in Cape Town. The findings of the study identified possible factors that may cause pregnant women to initiate antenatal care late in pregnancy and these findings could facilitate planning and possible interventions targeting the importance of early initiation in the community.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / This study explores how selected West African war novels employ non-realist narrative modes to portray disruptions in the child’s development into adulthood. The novels considered are Chris Abani’s Song for Night (2007), Ahmadou Kourouma’s Allah is Not Obliged (2006), Uzodinma Iweala’s Beasts of No Nation (2005) and Delia Jarrett-Macauley’s Moses, Citizen and Me (2005). These novels strain at the conventions of realism as a consequence of the attempt to represent the disruptions in child development as a result of the upheavals of war. A core proposition of the study is to present why the authors in question are obliged to employ non-realist modes in representing disrupted childhoods that reflect the social and cultural disorder attendant upon war. The dissertation also asks pertinent questions regarding the ideological effect of these narrative strategies and the effect of the particular stylistic idiosyncrasies of each of the authors in figuring childhood in postcolonial Africa. The novels in question employ surrealism, the absurd, the grotesque and magical realism, in presenting the first person narratives of children in war situations, or the reflections of adult narrators on children affected by war. This study further analyses the ways the aesthetic modes employed by these authors underscore, in particular, children’s experiences of war. Through strategic use of specific literary techniques, these authors highlight questions of vulnerability, powerlessness and violence on children, as a group that has been victimised and co-opted into violence. The study further considers how these narrative transformations in the representations of children in novels, capture transformations in ideas about childhood in postcolonial Africa.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo compreender o processo da Iniciação Científica (IC) enquanto um dispositivo de formação do pesquisador na graduação, analisando especificamente o modo como os textos produzidos ao longo da IC podem revelar o desenvolvimento do aluno-pesquisador. Dentre as pesquisas já realizadas sobre a IC, observamos que elas não mostraram a relação entre o pensamento a linguagem nesse percurso formativo. Por isso, tivemos, como objetivos específicos, verificar quais as marcas textuais que nos permitem compreender essa prática científica e de formação por meio da relação entre a linguagem e o pensamento. Para tanto, partimos da teoria do Interacionismo Social (VIGOTSKI, 2001, 2007, 2009) e de estudos contemporâneos acerca da teoria vigotskiana (FRIEDRICH, 2012), sobretudo da noção de funções psicológicas superiores linguagem e pensamento e sua relação na formação dos conceitos científicos. Em seguida, baseamo-nos na corrente do Interacionismo sociodiscursivo (BRONCKART, 1999, 2006, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c, 2009, 2011), que é uma atualização contemporânea do Interacionismo social e que tem entre seus objetivos estudar o papel da linguagem no desenvolvimento humano e na construção de saberes, com base emVigotski e outros autores. Como dados de pesquisa coletamos os textos que, obrigatoriamente, os estudantes devem produzir no contexto da IC, na Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas da Universidade de São Paulo. Assim, foram coletados projetos de pesquisa, relatórios finais, apresentações orais de pesquisa com os respectivos resumos de três estudantes do curso de Letras, na habilitação de Português/Francês. Esses dados foram analisados por meio dos níveis de análise textual e discursiva proposta por Bronckart (1999) e os resultados foram discutidos por meio dos sistemas linguageiros, assim como abordados por Bronckart (2008b) e Bota (2011), pelos quais toda produção linguageira sofre três tipos de restrições: social (incluem-se aqui os mecanismos enunciativos como as vozes e as modalizações), psicológica (restrições impostas pelo uso dos tipos de discurso) e lingüística (restrições impostas pelo uso dos conectores e da coesão verbal e nominal). Como resultado da pesquisa, encontramos uma dinâmica específica entre os tipos de discurso e o gênero textual produzido, pois, a cada etapa da pesquisa, os gêneros determinavam a escolha de determinado tipo de discurso. Também verificamos que a coesão nominal pode nos fornecer resultados importantes para a análise do posicionamento do autor empírico no texto, ou seja, a emergência de um posicionamento de pesquisador. Ademais, encontramos dois tipos de vozes no decorrer da Iniciação Científica: a voz do estudante e a voz do pesquisador. A primeira, identificada nos projetos de pesquisa, tem a função de organizar a pesquisa segundo uma ideia central advinda da experiência das estudantes enquanto graduandas em Letras, na habilitação de Português/Francês. A segunda voz, delimitada nos textos finais das pesquisas, o relatório final e a apresentação oral, é a voz do pesquisador, a qual busca a regularidade nos resultados das pesquisas e os nomeia, dando-lhes um contorno conceitual por meio de uma generalização. / This research aimed to understand the process of Scientific Initiation as an educational device in the undergraduate courses, analyzing specifically how the texts produced over the Scientific Initiation can reveal the development of student-researcher. Among the research already conducted on the Scientific Initiation, we found that they did not show the relationship between language and thought. So we had, as specific objectives, to check which textual markers allow us to understand this scientific educational practice through the relationship between language and thought. The theories that underlie our study are the Social Interactionism (VIGOTSKI, 2001, 2007, 2009) and the contemporary studies of Vigotskian theory (FRIEDRICH, 2012), especially the notion of higher mental functions \"language\" and \"thought\" and their relationship in the development of scientific concepts. We also rely on the Socio-Discursive Interactionism (BRONCKART, 1999, 2006, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c, 2009, 2011), which is a contemporary branch of social interactionism and which has among its objectives to study the role of language in human development and in the construction of knowledge, based on Vigotski and other authors. As research data,we collected texts that students must produce in the context of Scientific Initiation at the Faculty of Philosophy, Letters and Human Sciences, at the University of São Paulo. So we collected research projects, final reports and oral presentations with their abstracts of three students of Letters, students of Portuguese/French languages. These data were analyzed by levels of textual and discourse analysis proposed by Bronckart (1999) and the results were discussed through the language systems concept conceived by Bronckart (2008b) and Bota (2011), by which all language production suffers three types of constraints: social (they include the enunciative mechanisms such as voices and modalizations), psychological (restrictions imposed by use of the types of discourse) and linguistic (restrictions imposed by use of connectors and verbal and nominal cohesion). As a result of the research, we found a specific dynamic between the types of discourse and the produced genre, because in every stage of the research, the genres determined the choice of a particular type of discourse. We also found that the nominal cohesion can provide us with important results for the analysis of the empirical author positions in the text, so the emergence of a researcher position. Furthermore, we find two types of voices during the scientific initiation: the voice of the students and the voice of the researcher. The first, identified in the projects, is used toto organize the research according to a central idea arising from the experience of students in the Undergraduate courses in Letters (Portuguese/ French). The second voice, found on the final texts of the research, the final report and the oral presentation, is the voice of the researcher, which seeks regularities in search results and names them, giving them a conceptual outline through a generalization.

Estágio realizado na Novabase e orientado pelo Eng.º Pedro Faúlha / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Informátca e Computação. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2008

Debris flows are a known hazard in southern California where growing numbers of people are moving into the urban-wildland interface, threatening lives and property. A common location to see a debris flow head scarp is the upper one-third to one-half of an unburned slope at or near the head of a first-order catchment, particularly in areas of relatively shallow soils overlying bedrock. Unburned, relatively steep slopes with gently rounded shoulders and thin soil over bedrock in southern California were investigated to determine if there is a position on these types of slopes where near-surface water levels and the associated pore pressures are relatively and consistently higher during and after rainfall events than the rest of the slope, resulting in an area of preferential shallow slope failure and debris flow initiation. It was hypothesized that this position, if it exists, would be on the upper one-third to one-half of the slope near a change from a shallower slope to a steeper slope (the slope shoulder). It was further hypothesized that elevated subsurface pore pressures at this location would contribute to it being an area of preferential shallow slope failure. The near-surface water levels at two field sites in southern California were monitored for three field seasons. In the laboratory, a meso-scale simulator was constructed and used to replicate field conditions using an adjustable artificial slope and simulated rainfall. The field research showed that areas of higher water levels can exist on the upper one-third to one-half of hillslopes meeting the designated criteria. The laboratory simulations showed elevated water levels in the same general area as the field data. Laboratory simulations also suggested that this is an area of preferential shallow slope failure. The angle of the slope influenced how long a slope took to fail and how much water was needed to do so, with gentler slopes requiring more time and approximately double the amount of water than steeper slopes.