The Rio Gavilan watershed, located in Mexico 's northern Sierra Madre Occidental , has significance in conservation history. Upon visiting the remote, largely un­developed watershed during two hunting trips in the 1930s, renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold thought it was the best picture of land health he had seen. His main indicators of healthy land were slow water runoff rates regulating erosion and historical predator-prey relationships. The visits confirmed Leopold's concept of land health, inspired many of his essays, and helped shape his land ethic. Leopold proposed the area as a control site to research healthy land throughout North America . The proposal never went forward and the area has since been more intensively logged and grazed. This dissertation research used extensive literature review, archives, oral histories, citizen surveys, and rapid assessment of forest, rangeland, riparian, and socioeconomic health to assess impacts of past cultures and update the area's land health status. Projects that could restore land health, such as linked eco-tourism, forest density reduction, and rotational grazing, were assessed for feasibility. Recent critiques of Leopold's land ethic were also reviewed. Results indicate most pre-1940s impacts were light, current land health status is moderate, and local interest exists in restoring land health. Many fish and wildlife populations are reduced, temporarily stabilized, but still at risk. Soil and riverbed erosion, service sector economics, and (at some ridge-top sites) forest density are the land health indicators in worst condition. Land health restoration projects are feasible.

The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the stylistic development of the Italian architect Aldo Rossi from Modern to Post-Modern design. A summary of the Modern architectural movement is presented along with an analysis of the developments in Post-Modern architecture since 1960. The influence of Italian culture on Rossi's career is discussed through a brief survey of Ancient Roman archetypal motifs and Italian architecture of the early 20th century. Several key buildings proposed or constructed by Rossi from 1960-1990 are discussed based on his concepts of analogy, typology, morphology and rationalism.

The Aldo-Keto Reductases (AKR) are a group of oxidoreductase enzymes structurally and mechanistically distinct from the Alcohol Dehydrogenases (ADH). The AKRs are of importance for their ability to produce industrially useful compounds including chiral secondary alcohols. The ADH family have traditionally been exploited for chiral alcohol production; the AKR family have currently been underexploited for chiral alcohol production and present the opportunity to search for novel oxidoreductases with properties and substrate specificities distinct from the ADH enzymes. The AKR studied here, from the hyperthermophilic bacteria Thermotoga maritima has been characterised with respect to its biochemical and structural properties, and its potential as a biocatalyst evaluated. This enzyme is the second example of a thermophilic AKR to have its three dimensional structure solved, the other also being from Thermot. maritima. The AKR studied exhibits high stability with respect to temperature and moderate amounts of organic solvents. A large preference for the reduction reaction compared to the oxidation reaction was found, which has previously been observed in other AKRs. The X-ray crystal structure was solved to 2.6Å resolution in the apo form. The final structure has three loop sections which were not located due to disorder within the crystal, which are expected to become ordered upon cofactor and substrate binding. A section of one of these missing loops was found to bind at the active site of the enzyme, with a glutamate occupying the site of substrate carbonyl binding. The formation of a dimer, increased helix-dipole stabilisation and long distance ion pair interactions all act to increase thermostability of the AKR with respect to its mesophilic homologues. The X-ray crystal structure of Escherichia coli bacterioferritin has also been solved to 1.9Å resolution, which was co-purified along with the recombinant AKR enzyme. This structure shows the symmetrical binding of a heme molecule on the local two-fold axis between subunits and the binding of two metal atoms to each subunit at the ferroxidase centre. These metal atoms have been identified as zinc by the anaylsis of the structure and X-ray data and confirmed by microPIXE experiments. For the first time the heme has been shown to be linked to the internal and external environments via a cluster of waters positioned above the heme molecule. This information has provided a greater insight into the function and mechanism of bacterioferritin.

This is an investigation into alcohol dehydrogenases (ADHs) from Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius. Eighteen ADHs have been studied, with seven taken for closer inspection. Characterisation was carried out to determine the industrial significance of these enzymes, starting with the substrate scope of the ADHs. The key results obtained are as follows: ADH A is the alcohol dehydrogenase domain of the bifunctional ADHE enzyme (Extance, 2012; Extance et al., 2013). It has been determined that the substrate scope, whilst restricted to linear aliphatic aldehydes, extends at least to dodecanal. Also, with a specificity constant of 167 mM-1 min-1 it appears that ADH A could prefer butanal to shorter-chain aldehydes such as ethanal and propanal with specificity constants of 38 mM-1 min-1 and 35 mM-1 min-1, respectively. Thus ADH A may have a preference for longer aldehydes than previously believed due to its native role in the production of ethanol from acetyl-coA. ADH B was previously investigated for its potential role in the production of butanol. Here it was confirmed as an NADH-dependent ADH, with a substrate scope limited to five carbon length substrates and smaller, with residual activity with C6 substrates. ADH B demonstrated activity with ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate, an intermediate in the production of statins. Further, an estimated half-life whilst stored at 4°C of 770 days; retention of 86% activity with 10vol% ethyl acetate and 92% activity with 10vol% acetonitrile; and a specific activity of 27 U mg-1 with 3M 2-butanone are all indications that ADH B is a potentially useful enzyme for industry. The last enzyme to be previously investigated was ADH C, which in this work was confirmed to be an acetoin reductase with a very small substrate scope exclusively based around the acetoin motif, and therefore no further work was conducted. ADH D and ADH F both have broad substrate scopes including the industrially-relevant substrates, 5-norbornene-2-carboxaldehyde, 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione, ethyl 4-chloroacetoacetate and ethyl-2-oxo-4-phenylbutyrate. ADH D is an NADPH-dependent enzyme whereas ADH F can utilise both NADH and NADPH. Both enzymes are annotated as aldo-keto reductases, which is further indicated by multiple sequence alignment with the most similar available protein sequences and crystal structures. Thus, these two enzymes are the first aldo-keto reductases to be examined from moderate thermophiles, and are tentatively assigned in the AKR family as AKR6D1 and AKR5G4 respectively. ADH D has a very low KM (≤0.1 μM) with NADPH, giving a specificity constant of 2,800,000 mM-1 min-1, substantially higher than any other noted. ADH D showed >80% activity from pH 5.0 - 8.0. The enzyme was resistant to solvents DMSO (at 5 vol%) and ethyl acetate, acetonitrile and cyclopentyl methyl ether (at 20vol%). ADH F had the broadest substrate scope of any ADH tested, with 1-phenyl-1,2-propanedione the most preferred substrate with a KM of 0.010 mM and a specificity constant of 54,000 mM-1 min-1. It greatly preferred sodium phosphate at pH 7.0, as almost any deviation resulted in a substantial loss of activity. Activity of ≥70% was recorded in 5vol% DMSO, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, cyclopentyl methyl ether and 50vol% hexane . Both ADH D and F have optimal activities at 70 °C and both may have application in the biotechnology industry for the production of pharmaceutical intermediates and other high value chemicals. ADH E acts solely as an aldehyde reductase, with Vmax using NADH of 74, 331, 320 and 281 U mg-1 for methanal, ethanal, propanal and butanal, respectively. Activity with NADPH was limited (< 1% compared with NADH). Activity was also noted with higher aldehydes such as octanal and furfural. ADH G is an NADPH-dependent ADH utilizing aldehydes only. It has an optimal temperature of 60°C with a half-life of under two hours at that temperature. In conclusion, this thesis reports a feasibility study into the potential industrial use of specific enzymes for a variety of purposes ranging from the production of pharmaceutical intermediates to bioremediation. ADHs D and F are most likely to have use in the biotechnology industry, and ADHs B and E may be suitable for cofactor regeneration. ADH E may additionally be useful in the bioremediation industry. In addition, the anticipated biological significance of these enzymes is described.

Adults in North American society lack the natural ability of children to play and explore their environments in a non-judgemental, non-programmed manner. The underlying theories of James Carse and Johan Huizinga examine play and its effects on adult culture. St. Louis Adult Education and Learning Centre in downtown Cambridge, Ontario serves as a testing ground for an adult play-space. Presently, the school lacks any public, non-programmed spaces to accommodate the student population, largely comprised of single, teenage mothers. Aldo van Eyck’s architecture, together with his theoretical essays, heralded the importance of play in culture and to the individual. Van Eyck created a network of playgrounds to revitalize and rehabilitate the city of Amsterdam after the Second World War. His designs of the temporary Sonsbeek Pavilion and sculpture garden in Arnhem, the Netherlands, brought play into the cultural realm of 1966. Van Eyck’s design of the Sonsbeek pavilion concretizes the play-theories of Carse and Huizinga. A collage of the Sonsbeek Pavilion inserted into the empty grounds at St. Louis tests the play theories of van Eyck, Carse and Huizinga. It provides a space for play where no play currently exists. The Sonsbeek Pavilion’s heavy, concrete walls and labyrinthian plan swallow the players, who become immersed in a place of play. As the player moves through the pavilion, the view shifts to provide or block views of the adjacent spaces. The pavilion proposes a site of exploration and surprise. It provides the possibility for the adult students, the teenage mothers, their children, and the surrounding community to play.

No description available.

Adults in North American society lack the natural ability of children to play and explore their environments in a non-judgemental, non-programmed manner. The underlying theories of James Carse and Johan Huizinga examine play and its effects on adult culture. St. Louis Adult Education and Learning Centre in downtown Cambridge, Ontario serves as a testing ground for an adult play-space. Presently, the school lacks any public, non-programmed spaces to accommodate the student population, largely comprised of single, teenage mothers. Aldo van Eyck’s architecture, together with his theoretical essays, heralded the importance of play in culture and to the individual. Van Eyck created a network of playgrounds to revitalize and rehabilitate the city of Amsterdam after the Second World War. His designs of the temporary Sonsbeek Pavilion and sculpture garden in Arnhem, the Netherlands, brought play into the cultural realm of 1966. Van Eyck’s design of the Sonsbeek pavilion concretizes the play-theories of Carse and Huizinga. A collage of the Sonsbeek Pavilion inserted into the empty grounds at St. Louis tests the play theories of van Eyck, Carse and Huizinga. It provides a space for play where no play currently exists. The Sonsbeek Pavilion’s heavy, concrete walls and labyrinthian plan swallow the players, who become immersed in a place of play. As the player moves through the pavilion, the view shifts to provide or block views of the adjacent spaces. The pavilion proposes a site of exploration and surprise. It provides the possibility for the adult students, the teenage mothers, their children, and the surrounding community to play.

"Preliminary research showed that studies within the past twenty-five years in English on Aldus Manutius are almost wholly confined to articles published in scholarly or professional journals. Little but basic facts can be found in books concerned with the history of printing for their scope is too broad. A book by Theodore Low DeVinne, Aldus Pius Manutius, is acknowledged as an essay. Older works are not easily accessible. That by Goldsmid, privately printed in Edinburgh in 1887, is, as its title indicates, A Bibliographical Sketch of the Aldine Press Forming a Catalogue of All Works Issued by Aldus and His Successors, From 1494 to 1597 ..., and does not fully satisfy one's curiosity. Horatio R. E. Brown's study, The Venetian Printing Press, was published in 1891. The most frequently mentioned biographies are works in French printed in the last century. Detailed information on the printing types which contain little if any biographical information. To bring together the widely scattered information became the purpose of this paper"--Introduction. / Typescript. / "May, 1955." / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 87-91).

This paper proposes that the cultural understanding of nature under the Modern paradigm is inadequate. I propose that the result of this deficient representation of nature has been the degradation of the environment and our culture. The degradation of the environment is well studied, but I suggest that our culture is degraded by limited contact with nature and the loss of nature as a potential source of value and source of meaning. This paper explores the writings of several philosophers and social critics who support this supposition. In order to develop a more representative understanding of nature this paper suggests that landscape architects study Aldo Leopold's theory of landscape aesthetics. Leopold's concept of experiential knowledge is discussed as a means of offering our culture a deeper appreciation of nature, but also as a means for landscape architects to improve their own education and design process. Based on the experiences of flyfishers this paper suggests that the practice of Leopold's landscape aesthetic is both possible and fulfilling. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Procurando compreender o envolvimento da aldosterona (Aldo) na injúria renal, o objetivo deste projeto foi avaliar o efeito do tratamento crônico com Aldo sobre a função renal e a histologia das arteríolas renais, procurando correlacionar os achados com a expressão de genes reguladores do processo de fibrose e apoptose. A Aldo não alterou os parâmetros fisiológicos, PA, ritmo de filtração glomerular (estimado pela depuração plasmática de creatinina), proteinúria e a morfologia das arteríolas corticais. No entanto, aumentou a expressão do RNAm para TGF-&beta;1, PAI-1 e BAX no tecido renal, além da contagem de células TUNEL positivas nos glomérulos. O antagonismo ao receptor MR (pelo uso da espironolactona) aboliu o efeito hormonal somente sobre a expressão do RNAm para BAX e a marcação do DNA degradado (TUNEL), enquanto que o antagonismo ao GR (pelo uso do RU 486) reduziu ou aboliu todos os efeitos da Aldo. Os resultados indicam que a Aldo pode induzir respostas precoces sobre o remodelamento do tecido renal, sem ainda comprometer a função renal ou alterar a PA. Essas respostas foram independentes da sobrecarga de sal e ocorreram por um mecanismo que envolveu os receptores MR e GR. / In order to understand the aldosterone (Aldo) involvement in renal injury, the objective of this project was to evaluate the effect of Aldo chronic treatment on renal function and renal arterioles histology, trying to correlate the findings with the regulatory genes of fibrosis and apoptosis. Aldo did not change the physiological parameters, BP, glomerular filtration rate (estimated by creatinina clearance), proteinuria and cortical arterioles morphology. However, Aldo increased mRNA expression for TGF-&beta;1, PAI-1 and BAX in renal tissue, as well as TUNEL-positive cell count in glomeruli. MR receptor antagonism (by spironolactone) abolished only the hormonal effect on the mRNA expression for BAX and degraded DNA labeling (TUNEL); whereas GR antagonism (by RU 486) reduced or abolished all Aldo effects. The results indicated that Aldo can induce early responses on renal tissue remodeling, without altering renal function or BP. These responses were salt independent and involved MR and GR receptors.