The Arabidopsis cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channels (AtCNGCs) form a large family consisting of 20 members. It has been suggested that CNGCs contribute to a wide array of biological functions such as pollen tube growth and pathogen defence signalling. However, the precise mechanisms by which AtCNGCs act, and the extent of their biological roles, have yet to be fully elucidated. AtCNGC11/12, the chimeric CNGC that resulted from the fusion of AtCNGC11 and 12, induces a number of pathogen defence related phenotypes in the Arabidopsis mutant cpr22. Spontaneous lesion formation is one such phenotype. Interestingly, when AtCNGC11/12 is transiently expressed in N. benthamiana it causes cell death which was characterized in this study. Also, AtCNGC11/12 was used to investigate the structural features responsible for the proper function and regulation of AtCNGCs. Electron microscopic analysis of the AtCNGC11/12-induced cell death showed similar characteristics to programmed cell death (PCD), such as plasma membrane shrinkage and vesicle formation. Interestingly caspase-1 inhibitors and the silencing of vacuolar processing enzyme, a plant enzyme with caspase-1 activity, suppressed the induction of cell death. Additionally, pharmacological analyses indicated that the AtCNGC11/12-indiced cell death was also dependent on Ca2+. Furthermore, 3 amino acid residues, R190, A225, and G287, were demonstrated to be essential for AtCNGC11/12-induce cell death. Taken together, these results indicate that the cell death that develops in the cpr22 mutant is indeed PCD and that AtCNGC11/12, is at the point of, or up-stream of, the Ca2+ signal necessary for the development of HR. Furthermore, the functionality of AtCNGC11/12 as a model for AtCNGC structure-function analyses was demonstrated by the identification of several amino acids necessary for cell death development. Yoshioka et al. (2006) demonstrated that the loss of AtCNGC11 or 12 results in decreased resistance to avirulent isolates of the oomycete pathogen, H. arabidopsidis. Thus, the present biological role suggested for AtCNGC11 and 12 is in pathogen defence, specifically within effector triggered immunity (ETI). Like AtCNGC11 and 12, AtCNGC2 has been demonstrated to contribute to pathogen defence signalling but has also been implicated in other physiological responses such as ion stress and senescence. To better understand the roles of AtCNGC11 and 12 in both pathogen defence and other Ca2+ dependent signalling processes, I have investigated promoter:GUS reporter lines, as well as, AtCNGC11 and 12 KO and RNAi silenced lines subjected to various treatments. From this work, I have demonstrated that AtCNGC11 and 12 have similar expression patterns during pathogen defence, development, and dark-induced senescence. Additionally, the findings presented here further characterize AtCNGC11 and 12 as contributors to ETI rather than PAMP triggered immunity. Furthermore, I demonstrated that AtCNGC11 and 12 are likely involved in the endogenous movement of Ca2+, contributing to a range of Ca2+ associated signalling pathways including gravitropism and senescence. Taken together, these results have greatly improved the characterization of AtCNGC11 and 12; significantly contributing to the understanding of a large and increasingly important channel family.

Tesen att en fältherre hade små möjligheter att styra ett slag när det väl hade börjat har framförts av författaren Peter Englund. Denna tes delar forskare i två läger där det andra lägret menar att fältherren hade mycket stor betydelse för utgången av ett slag.   Syftet med denna uppsats är tvådelat. Den första delen i syftet är att undersöka om det fanns faktorer andra än fältherrens styrning som kunde avgöra ett dåtida slag och den andra delen i syftet är att se om det går att applicera moderna doktriner i analysen av dåtida fall.   Resultatet av undersökningen visar att fältherren hade små möjligheter att styra slaget men det fanns med ett energiskt och karismatiskt föregångsmannaskap möjlighet att påverka slaget. Det framgår tydligt faktorer i slagen som fältherren inte kunde styra över. Svaret är att en kombination av fältherrens påverkan och andra faktorer avgör ett slag, ingendera står ensam. Syftet uppfylls med att det finns andra faktorer identifierade och en modern doktrin går att använda vid analysen. / The thesis that a military commander had little opportunity to guide a battle when it had started has been proposed by the Author Peter Englund. This thesis divides researchers into two sides where the second side means that the Commander had a very big significance to the outcome of a battle.   The purpose of this essay is two-fold. The first part of the purpose is to examine whether there were factors other than the Commanders guidance that could determine a contemporary battle and the second part of the purpose is to see if it is possible to apply modern doctrines in the analysis of contemporary cases.The results of the study show that the Commander had little opportunity to control the battle but there was a possibility with an energetic and charismatic example to influence the battle. There are clearly factors in the battles that the Commander could not affect. The answer is that a combination of the Commanders influence and other factors determine a battle, neither stands alone. The purpose was met by that there are other factors identified and a modern doctrine can be used in the analysis.

Because of the inability to deal with traumatic and stressful situations it often happens that a person dissociates. These people then 'move out of the situation', so to speak. The dissociated person can be spiritually, emotionally and physically handicapped for life. In the long term it often results in depression, feelings of guilt, relationship problems, social maladjustment, as well as addiction to medication. Pastoral counselling to this person (as part of a multidisciplinary approach) often results in a decline of the symptoms and a normalisation of the person's situation. From the basis-theoretical research it became clear that throughout history God is present in a very prominent way in the life of the individual. Right from the very beginning at conception, until old age, He is intensely involved. God created man in His image but through sin this image was distorted. Because of His love for man, however, He fulfilled His promise of restoration and healing in and through Jesus Christ. It appears that knowledge regarding the phenomenon of dissociation dates back to as early as 400 BC. Research since the early 1990's onwards resulted in numerous publications, articles and books being written on the topic of dissociation. In thls study, emphasis was placed on a number of such relevant contributions. The specific characteristics of the dissociated person, practical guidelines for counselling hirnlher as proposed by psychology, as well as pastoral psychologists were discussed. It became evident that contributions and research in the field from a psychological perspective seem to be much more advanced compared to what has been done by theologians to date. For this reason it is imperative that pastoral counsellors become more acquainted with the theme of dissociation. With regard to methodology, the eclectic approach proved to be the best option. This will enable the pastoral counsellor in hidher guidance of the dissociated person to draw on the wealth and variety of contributions and perspectives fiom both the psychological and the theological domains. As a result of and flowing forth from the basis-theoretical and meta-theoretical perspectives, practice-theoretical guidelines were formulated according to which pastoral guidance can be provided to the dissociated person. Special emphasis was placed on a multidisciplinary approach where full recognition was given to the possible contributions by psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors and others. As part of the preparation for counselling the dissociated person, attention was given to the importance of prayer support. With regard to the counselling process itself, the following five phases appeared to be of significance: introductory prayers, consultation and discussion, prayer as part of the therapeutic process, the development of life skills, and spiritual growth after the therapeutic process. Because of the cultic and ritual abuse that some victims have been exposed to, it is possible that apart from fragmented sub-personalities, demonic influences may also be present. It is thus of extreme importance to distinguish between these two areas, and the counsellor must be well equipped with the necessary knowledge and experience to handle this complicated issue. From this study it became evident that there is a special need for pastoral guidance of the dissociated person by counsellors who are well acquainted with the complexities of this field. Scientific knowledge, together with a pastoral focus as well as total dependence upon the therapeutic power of the Holy Spirit, is indeed a 'winning recipe'. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Legal consciousness is one of the most important concepts in criminology, which defines individual or public perception of justice, expectations of legal behaviour and demand for sanctions for the deviation from the rules. The theorized criminological perception of legal consciousness, also modern introductions on this field are passed in review in theoretical part of this study. The positive, the subjective and the modern conceptions of legal consciousness are presented.

XX amžiuje Lietuvos įstatymų leidėjas nesukūrė savo nacionalinio civilinio proceso kodekso, o 2003 m. sausio 1 d. įsigaliojo naujasis Lietuvos Respublikos civilinio proceso kodeksas, įtvirtindamas socialinio civilinio proceso modelį bei įnešdamas naujoves, pokyčius Lietuvos visuomenei. Pasirinkta magistro baigiamojo darbo tema „Teismo vaidmens pokyčiai XXI amžiuje“ yra aktuali tiek teorine, tiek praktine prasme, nes šios temos kompleksinio ištyrimo ir išnagrinėjimo nėra nei Lietuvos, nei užsienio specialistų darbuose. Šio darbo objektas yra teismo vaidmuo nacionaliniame civiliniame procese ir jo pokyčiai. Darbo tyrimo dalykas yra teisės aktai, reglamentuojantys teismo vaidmenį civiliniame procese, sąlygojantys teismo vaidmens pokyčius naujajame XXI amžiuje bei nustatantys civiliniame procese dalyvaujančių asmenų ir teismo teises ir pareigas. Magistro baigiamuoju darbu siekiama išanalizuoti teismo vaidmens nacionaliniame civiliniame procese pokyčius XXI amžiuje. Pirmoje dalyje teoriniu aspektu atskleidžiama teismo vaidmens samprata. Antroje dalyje identifikuojami civilinio proceso rungimosi ir tardomojo modelių skirtumai, apibrėžiama socialinio civilinio proceso modelio esmė, lyginamas teismo vaidmuo Lietuvos civiliniame procese prieš ir po naujojo civilinio proceso kodekso įsigaliojimo, atskleidžiant senojo kodekso trūkumus ir naujojo privalumus bei apibrėžiant naujojo civilinio proceso kodekso tikslą ir principus, nustatant rungimosi ir dispozityvumo principų įtaką teismo... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / There was no national Code of Civil procedure in the 20th century in Lithuania but on 1 January 2003 the new Code of Civil procedure of the Republic of Lithuania came into force. It established the model of social civil procedure and brought innovations and changes for the society of Lithuania. The chosen subject of the master’s thesis Changes of the role of court in the 21st century is actual both in theoretic and practical sense as there is no complex analysis or research of this theme in the works of specialists not only from Lithuania but also from the foreign countries. The object of this work is the court’s role in the national civil procedure and changes of this role. The legal acts which regulate the role of the court in the civil procedure, which cause the changes of the court’s role in the new 21st century and establish the rights and duties of the persons who participate in the civil procedure, is the subject of research. The aim of the final paper is to analyze the changes of the court’s role in the national civil procedure in the 21st century. The conception of the Court’s role from the theoretic point of view is revealed in the first part of the work. In the second part of the paper the differences between the investigating and competing models are identified, the essence of the model of civil procedure is described, the Court’s role in the Lithuanian civil procedure before and after the new Code of Civil procedure came into force is compared while revealing the... [to full text]

In Be Good, Sweet Maid: The Trials of Dorothy Joudrie (1999), Audrey Andrews recounts the life and trial of Dorothy Joudrie, a so-called wealthy socialite who was arrested in Calgary in 1995 for attempting to murder her estranged husband after decades of domestic abuse. Andrews tells Joudrie’s story in the form of a semi-auto/biographical text that quotes other scholarly and creative literary works in an intertextual dialogue about violence against women, post-World War II gender socialization, and the “battered women syndrome” defence. This thesis takes this highly referential dialogue as its starting point, and then extends Andrews’ cultural work by tracing a genealogy of colonialism in Canadian domestic violence laws with the help of selected intertexts – including Yvonne Johnson’s Stolen Life: Journey of a Cree Woman (1998), the trial of Angelique Lavallee, and Lorena Bobbitt’s infamous case. First, I source the epigraphs that Andrews strategically places at the start of each chapter and discern the layer of meaning that these external texts bring to Joudrie’s story in order to raise questions about how Andrews rearticulates the work of others and the politics of such a rearticulation. Second, I similarly frame Joudrie’s 1995 trial as a referential and intertextual discourse based in precedent established by the Supreme Court in 1990 when it ruled that expert testimony on the “battered woman syndrome” was admissible in the R. v. Lavallee case (Shaffer 1). This allows me to consider a consequence of the ruling often overlooked in feminist literature: due to the fact that the original defendant, Angelique Lavallee, was a Métis woman whose identity was erased in the courtroom and in case law, subsequent trials employing the “battered woman syndrome” defence repeat settler relations entrenched in colonial violence. Third, I expose how representations can fail by thinking through what Stephen Couser calls the auto/bio/ethics of life writing, which reveals the limits of Canadian laws and literatures. Ultimately, this discussion generates questions about who is considered human under the law and how life writing might re-imagine the “reasonable” human in more just and compassionate ways. / Thesis (Master, Gender Studies) -- Queen's University, 2012-07-28 10:28:24.988

The focus of this thesis is the normative base of moral liability to defensive harm. Many argue that liability is what makes it morally permissible to seriously injure or kill in self-defense or in the defense of others. Authors such as Jonathan Quong and Jeff McMahan argue that liability not only has important implications for the individual morality of self-defense, but that it plays a major role in the principles of just war conduct. How you determine when someone is liable will have a significant impact on when someone can be harmed. In this paper, I focus on the question of what a person must do to be morally liable to defensive harm. More specifically, I take a close look at Jeff McMahan’s moral responsibility account of liability and argue that it is unsatisfying as an explanation of when and why a person is liable. I then argue that an evidence-based account of liability better captures our moral intuitions surrounding liability. I end by considering an argument put forward by Quong on why we should not support an evidence-based account of liability. / Thesis (Master, Philosophy) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-30 12:44:32.85

Lead (Pb) is one of the most commonly occurring, highly persistent and widely distributed heavy metal contaminants in the environment. It has a tendency to bioaccumulate in animals and plants, and potentially, it is able to enter the human food chain where it poses a hazard to public health. Generally, conventional remediation technologies applied to decontaminate heavy metals from groundwater and soils are very costly. Hence, phytoremediation has emerged as an ecologically friendly and economically attractive technology that uses green plants to clean up heavy metal contaminated sites. However, a lack of knowledge of the biological processes associated with plant responses to Pb (e.g. Pb uptake, accumulation, translocation, and tolerance) has been a bottleneck for the application of Pb phytoremediation in the field. A model genetic system of higher plants, Arabidopsis thaliana, was selected to further examine the physiological, biochemical and molecular events occuring in plants under Pb stress. The overall aim of this project was to obtain a better understanding of plant responses to Pb contaminants in the early developmental stages of A. thaliana seedlings. This research encompassed the physiological responses of A. thaliana seedlings to Pb exposure, monitoring their antioxidative defence systems, and investigating the participation of annexin 1 in the response to Pb-mediated oxidative stress. This research also assessed the protective effect of nitric oxide on Pb-induced toxicity of A. thaliana seedlings and it isolated a putative Pb tolerant mutant from an EMS-mutagenized M2 population. A multiexperimental approach was adopted to achieve these objectives. A. thaliana seedlings were grown on modified Huang & Cunningham (1996) nutrient solution containing 0.8% (w/v) agar, with and without Pb(NO3)2, under controlled conditions. A. thaliana seedlings were insensitive to Pb during seed germination. In treatments with up to 200 μM Pb(NO₃)₂, morphological changes and inhibition of root growth were observed in the 7-d-old seedlings. A tolerance index revealed that Pb(NO₃)₂ concentration of 75 μM and higher brought about more than 50% root growth inhibition. Pb was predominantly retained in the roots. Analysis using a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy indicated that the level of Pb accumulation in A. thaliana roots was greatly dependent on the Pb(NO₃)₂ concentrations, but only a small fraction of the accumulated Pb was translocated to the shoots (18 - 43%). Transmission electron microscopy analysis showed that Pb was mainly immobilized in the cell walls and intercellular spaces. This was interpreted as a mechanism that minimizes the entry of Pb into cells and interference with cellular functions. Pb that gained entry into the cytoplasm was sequestered into the vacuoles. The toxicity of Pb in the cytosol of A. thaliana seedlings was studied by measuring the H₂O₂ and lipid hydroperoxide levels using a microplate reader. When the Pb(NO₃)₂ concentration in the growth medium was 100 μM, the 7-d-old seedlings contained 2.2-fold higher H₂O₂ and 9.6-fold higher lipid hydroperoxide than the control without Pb(NO₃)₂. This was followed by an up-regulation of the activity of antioxidative enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and general peroxidase (POD) by 2.1-, 3.2-, 2.3-, 1.8- and 4.6-fold, respectively, compared with the control. Pb toxicity is known to trigger oxidative stress, but A. thaliana seedlings appeared to be capable of activating cell rescue, defending themselves against harmful oxidative stress and also acclimating to Pb. Data from physiological and biochemical analysis indicate that a combination of avoidance and tolerance mechanisms exists in Pb-treated A. thaliana seedlings to maintain the essential cellular metabolism for survival. Real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction was used to show the involvement of AnnAt1 in the response of 7-d-old A. thaliana seedlings to a high threshold concentration of Pb. When the seedlings were treated with 100 μM Pb(NO₃)₂, AnnAt1 message levels were up-regulated by 2.12-fold. Pb-mediated oxidative stress may be a component of AnnAt1 gene expression. AnnAt1 potentially could be invoked to reduce the toxic effects of Pb stress by acting as ROS and/or Ca²⁺ signals, as a membrane protector, in detoxification of excessive ROS, or in sequestration of Pb. Pb stress symptoms were less evident in seedlings pre-treated with 1 mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) donor. The present study found that exogenous NO did not alter Pb transport into the plants or efflux pumping of Pb at the plasma membrane. However, NO conferred protection to 7-d-old A. thaliana seedlings primarily by acting as an antioxidant or a signal for actions to scavenge excessive ROS level. The application of exogenous NO before subjecting to 100 μM Pb(NO₃)₂ decreased H₂O₂ back to its original level, and reduced 50% lipid hydroperoxide in the Pb-treated seedlings. As a result, the antioxidative enzyme activities in Pb-exposed seedlings pre-treated with SNP were 23 - 45% lower than those without SNP pre-treatment. Less antioxidative enzyme activities were probably needed to counteract the reduced amount of Pb-induced ROS in A. thaliana seedlings. A post-germination procedure involving prolonged exposure to 150 μM Pb(NO₃)₂ was developed to screen an EMS-mutagenized M2 population of A. thaliana. Potential Pb tolerant mutants were selected based on the ability to grow with their roots penetrating into the medium and maintain purple-green leaves without wilting. A minority of the survivors appeared to go into a resting stage and they seemed to have altered transporters that prevented Pb from entering the cells. Only one putative Pb mutant (M3-1) was recovered from the rescue and set seeds. The M₄ generation of this putative Pb mutant was re-screened for phenotypic confirmation and to determine the regulation of AnnAt1. The 7-d-old putative Pb mutant seemed to display enhanced root and shoot growth in the presence of 150 μM Pb(NO₃)₂ compared to the wild-type seedlings. The transcript level of AnnAt1 in this putative Pb tolerant mutant increased by 2.19-fold when exposed to 150 μM Pb(NO₃)₂.

In host-parasitoid systems, there is a continuous coevolutionary arms race where each species imposes a strong selection pressure on the other. The host needs to develop defence strategies in order to escape parasitism and the parasitoid must evolve counter-defence strategies in order to overcome the host’s immune defence and successfully reproduce. This makes host-parasitoid systems excellent model systems for understanding evolutionary processes underlying host race formation and speciation. In order to gain a better understanding of the complexity of host-parasitoid interactions several aspects must be considered, such as search behaviour and host selection in the parasitoid, the development of immune responses in the host and counter-defence strategies in the parasitoid. In this thesis, I investigate interactions and coevolution in a natural host-parasitoid system, consisting of five species of Galerucella leaf beetles and three species of Asecodes parasitoids, by combining behavioural ecology with chemical ecology and immunology. In the studies performed, I found that pheromone production and responses in the beetles are connected to the phylogenetic relatedness between the Galerucella species (Paper I). I found no evidence that Asecodes exploits the adult pheromone to locate host larvae, but observed an ability in the parasitoids to distinguish a better host from a less suitable one based on larval odors (Paper II). The studies also revealed large differences in immune competence between the Galerucella species, which were linked to differences in hemocyte composition in the beetle larvae (Paper III, IV). Further, the results suggest that parasitism success in polyphagous Asecodes is strongly affected by former host species of the parasitoid (Paper IV). In conclusion, the results of this thesis suggest an on-going evolution in both parasitoid virulence and host immune responses in the Asecodes-Galerucella system. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Because of the inability to deal with traumatic and stressful situations it often happens that a person dissociates. These people then 'move out of the situation', so to speak. The dissociated person can be spiritually, emotionally and physically handicapped for life. In the long term it often results in depression, feelings of guilt, relationship problems, social maladjustment, as well as addiction to medication. Pastoral counselling to this person (as part of a multidisciplinary approach) often results in a decline of the symptoms and a normalisation of the person's situation. From the basis-theoretical research it became clear that throughout history God is present in a very prominent way in the life of the individual. Right from the very beginning at conception, until old age, He is intensely involved. God created man in His image but through sin this image was distorted. Because of His love for man, however, He fulfilled His promise of restoration and healing in and through Jesus Christ. It appears that knowledge regarding the phenomenon of dissociation dates back to as early as 400 BC. Research since the early 1990's onwards resulted in numerous publications, articles and books being written on the topic of dissociation. In thls study, emphasis was placed on a number of such relevant contributions. The specific characteristics of the dissociated person, practical guidelines for counselling hirnlher as proposed by psychology, as well as pastoral psychologists were discussed. It became evident that contributions and research in the field from a psychological perspective seem to be much more advanced compared to what has been done by theologians to date. For this reason it is imperative that pastoral counsellors become more acquainted with the theme of dissociation. With regard to methodology, the eclectic approach proved to be the best option. This will enable the pastoral counsellor in hidher guidance of the dissociated person to draw on the wealth and variety of contributions and perspectives fiom both the psychological and the theological domains. As a result of and flowing forth from the basis-theoretical and meta-theoretical perspectives, practice-theoretical guidelines were formulated according to which pastoral guidance can be provided to the dissociated person. Special emphasis was placed on a multidisciplinary approach where full recognition was given to the possible contributions by psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors and others. As part of the preparation for counselling the dissociated person, attention was given to the importance of prayer support. With regard to the counselling process itself, the following five phases appeared to be of significance: introductory prayers, consultation and discussion, prayer as part of the therapeutic process, the development of life skills, and spiritual growth after the therapeutic process. Because of the cultic and ritual abuse that some victims have been exposed to, it is possible that apart from fragmented sub-personalities, demonic influences may also be present. It is thus of extreme importance to distinguish between these two areas, and the counsellor must be well equipped with the necessary knowledge and experience to handle this complicated issue. From this study it became evident that there is a special need for pastoral guidance of the dissociated person by counsellors who are well acquainted with the complexities of this field. Scientific knowledge, together with a pastoral focus as well as total dependence upon the therapeutic power of the Holy Spirit, is indeed a 'winning recipe'. / Thesis (M.A. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.