Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Glasgow, 2007. / Ph.D. thesis submitted to the Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 2007. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Briercrest Seminary, 2008. / Abstract . Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-128).

Thesis (M.A.)--Briercrest Seminary, 2008. / Abstract . Description based on Microfiche version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-128).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85).

Thesis (M.A.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2004. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-85).

Thèse (M. A.)--Université Laval, 1997. / Bibliogr. : f. 129-132. Publié aussi en version électronique.

Orientador: Iracema de Mattos Paranhos Calderon / Coorientador: Adenilda Cristina Honório França / Banca: Yuri Karen Sinzato / Banca: Debora Cristina Damasceno Meirelles dos Santos / Banca: Mahmi Fujimori / Banca: Mara Sandra Hoshida / Resumo: Durante a gravidez, a hiperglicemia materna altera a expressão e a transferência de células imunorregulatórias e de imunoglobulinas e o perfil de citocinas na interface materno-fetal. Avaliar, em gestações complicadas por hiperglicemia, a expressão de células NK e o perfil de citocinas no sangue, materno e do cordão umbilical, e na placenta (artigo 1); quantificar a produção de anticorpos e a passagem de IgG total, e respectivas subclasses, via receptor FcRn (artigo 2). MÉTODO - Foram avaliadas 120 gestantes, distribuídas nos grupos: não-diabético (ND; N = 30), hiperglicemia gestacional leve (HGL; N = 30), diabetes mellitus gestacional (DMG; N = 30) e diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2; N = 30). Técnicas de citometria de fluxo foram utilizadas para análise de células e citocinas e, de ELISA, para avaliação das concentrações de IgG total e subclasses. A transferência placentária de anticorpos totais, e respectivas subclasses, foi definida pela relação [(concentrações no sangue de cordão umbilical/sangue materno) x 100]. Na análise estatística foram realizadas análises de variância (ANOVA), seguida pelo teste de Tukey, e de correlação de Pearson, com p < 0,05. No sangue materno dos grupos hiperglicêmicos, as células NK CD16+CD56- aumentaram, enquanto que CD16+CD56+ foi menor no grupo DMG. No sangue do cordão do grupo DM2 mostrou uma maior proporção de células CD16+CD56- e CD16-CD56+. As camadas extravilosas da placenta dos grupos DMG e DM2 most... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: - During pregnancy, the immune response associated with diabetes alters the expression and the transfer of immune cells, including regulatory, immunoglobulins and the profile of cytokines in the maternal-fetal interface. To evaluate the expression of NK cells, and the profile of cytokines in maternal blood, umbilical cord and placenta, quantify the production of antibodies, as well as, the passage of IgG and subclasses, via receptors FcRn in pregnancies complicated by diabetes or hyperglycemia.Wereessed 120 pregnant women, distributed as non-diabetic (ND; n=30), Mild Gestational Hyperglycemia (MGH; n=30), Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM; n=30) and type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2; N=30). The cells and cytokines were evaluated by flow cytometry. The concentrations of total IgG and subclasses were analyzed by ELISA. Placental transfer of the total and subclasses antibodies were defined in each assay by the ratio [(cord concentrations/maternal concentrations) x 100]. In the statistical analysis we used analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by Tukey test, and Pearson's linear correlation, with p < 0.05. RESULTS - In the maternal blood from the hyperglycemic groups, the CD16+CD56− NK cells increased, whereas that of CD16+CD56+ decreased in GDM group. Cord blood from DM2 showed a higher proportion of CD16+CD56− and CD16−CD56+. The placental extravillous layer of GDM and DM2 showed an increase of CD16+CD56− cells and, irrespective of region, the proportion of CD16−CD56+ cells was higher in MGH and GDM and lower in DM2. IL-2 was lower in maternal blood and IFN-���� higher in maternal and cord blood from the GDM group. IL-17 was higher in maternal and cord blood from the DM-2 group. The placental extravillous layer of the MGH showed high levels of IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL- 17, and IFN-���� and low levels of IL-1���� and IL-8, whereas the placental villous layer... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Present-day routing services are able to provide travel directions for users of all modes of transport. Most of them are focusing on functional journeys (i.e. journeys linking given origin and destination with minimum cost) and pay less attention to recreational trips, in particular leisure walks in an urban context. These walks have predefined time or distance and as their purpose is the process of walking itself, the attractiveness of chosen paths starts playing an important role in route selection. Conventional map data that are informing routing algorithms cannot be used for extracting street attractiveness as they do not contain a subjective component, or in other words, do not tell whether or not people enjoy their presence at a particular place. Recent research demonstrates that the crowd-sourced data available from the photo- sharing websites have a potential for being a good source of this measure, thus becoming a base for a routing system that suggests attractive leisure walks. This PhD research looks at existing projects, which aim to utilize user-generated photographic data for journey planning, and suggests new techniques that make the estimation of street attractiveness based on this source more reliable. First, we determine the artifacts in photo- graphic datasets that may negatively impact the resulting attractiveness scores. Based on the findings, we suggest filtering methods that improve the compliance of the spatial distributions of photographs with the chosen purpose. Second, we discuss several approaches of assigning attractiveness scores to street segments and make conclusions about their differences. Finally, we experiment with the routing itself and develop a prototype system that suggests leisure walks through attractive streets in an urban area. The experiments we perform cover Central London and involve four photographic sources: Flickr, Geograph, Panoramio and Picasa. A Visual analytic (VA) approach is used throughout the work to glean new insights. Being able to combine computation and the analytical capabilities of the human brain, this research method has proven to work well with complex data structures in a variety of tasks. The thesis contributes to VA as an example of what can be achieved by means of the visual exploration of data.

Taking critical inspiration from A.R.B. Haldane’s pioneering work on The Drove Roads of Scotland, this thesis explores the routes, movement and lively cultural geographies of Scotland’s droving trade. Tracing the journey of a typical drove from the Scottish Highlands, over dangerous river and sea crossings, to the great trysts at Falkirk and Crieff, this thesis examines the embodied intimacies, situated knowledges and mutual understandings developed between herdsmen and their cattle en route. In an effort to augment and enliven a longstanding, but frequently overlooked, ‘shire’ tradition of local landscape research, this thesis places specific emphasis on the personal encounters, skilled practices and cultural exchange which took place between herdsmen and other mobile social groups at key strategic sites such as drovers’ inns, cattle stances and markets. Furthermore, I examine how agrarian ‘improvement’, the introduction of tolls and turnpikes, and the enclosure of drove routes and stance sites, confined and restricted the drovers’ movement, transforming them from valued components of the Scottish economy into mobile ‘outsiders’ whose practices, customary privileges and association with animals rendered them increasingly ‘out of place’ in Scotland’s ‘modern’ commercial landscape.