The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) has wildtype and melanic (dark) colour morphs. Melanism is associated with variations in the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) gene in a number of species. The MC1R protein is a G-protein coupled receptor, predominantly expressed in melanocytes, where it is a key regulator of pigment production. To investigate the genetic and molecular basis of melanism, the MC1R genes of the wildtype and melanic grey squirrel were sequenced. The wildtype (MC1R-wt) and melanic (MC1RΔ24) variants of the MC1R were then functionally characterised in a cell-based assay. The MC1R gene of the grey squirrel was found to have a 24 base pair (bp) deletion associated with melanism. The MC1R is typically activated by its agonist, the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH), which stimulates dark pigment production by raising intracellular cAMP levels. Conversely, the MC1R is inactivated by its inverse agonist, the agouti signalling protein (ASIP), which stops dark pigment production by lowering intracellular cAMP levels. To investigate the effects that the 24 bp deletion have on receptor function, MC1R-wt and MC1RΔ24 genes were transfected into HEK293 cells. Cells expressing either MC1R-wt or MC1RΔ24 were stimulated with α-MSH or ASIP and intracellular cAMP levels were measured. Unstimulated MC1RΔ24 cells showed higher basal activity than the MC1R-wt cells. Both MC1R-wt and MC1RΔ24 cells responded to α-MSH with a concentration-dependent increase in intracellular cAMP. However, while the MC1Rwt cells responded to ASIP with a concentration-dependent decrease in intracellular cAMP, MC1RΔ24 cells responded with an increase in cAMP. Melanism in the grey squirrel is associated with a 24 bp deletion in the MC1R. Cells expressing MC1RΔ24 have higher basal levels of cAMP than MC1R-wt cells. ASIP acts as an inverse agonist to the MC1R-wt but as an agonist to the MC1RΔ24. As MC1RΔ24 cells have higher levels of cAMP, and higher levels of cAMP lead to dark pigment production, the 24 bp deletion is the likely molecular cause of melanism in the grey squirrel.

Four strangers are stranded in an old farmhouse by a winter storm. Gilley lives on the farm. Shadows move of their own volition on the farm, and Gilley talks to echoes and sees the dead reflected in mirrors. Gilley's husband, Frank, disappeared over forty years ago. Jason is a college student who seeks Gilley out for an interview. He agrees to help Gilley find Frank. Jesse is a young boy who finds his way to the house after an accident. August is a private investigator whom Jason calls for help in finding Frank. August does not have a shadow nor a reflection of his own, and he can't remember how he lost them. Each wants something that only the others can provide, but each wants to keep their own secrets.

Water is a prerequisite for life on our planet. Due to climate change and pollution, water availability for agricultural production, industry and households is increasingly put at risk. With agriculture being the largest water user as well as polluter worldwide, we estimate anthropogenic nitrogen and phosphorus emissions to fresh water related to global crop production at a spatial resolution level of 5 by 5 arc min and calculate the grey water footprints (GWF) related to EU-27's crop production. A multiregional input-output model is used to trace the the GWF embodied in the final consumption of crop products by the EU-27. The total GWF related to crop production in the EU-27 in 2007 was 1 × 1012 m3/year. Spain contributed about 40% to this total. Production of cereals (wheat, rice and other cereals) take the largest share, accounting for 30% of the GWF, followed by fruits (17%), vegetables (14%), and oil crops (13%). The total agricultural GWF of the EU-27 related to crop consumption was 1830 billion m3/year, which is 3700 m3/year per capita on average. Overall, the EU-27 was able to externalize about 41% of the GWF to the rest of the world through imports of crop products.

Data from various sources indicate that the world’s population is aging and doing so at an unprecedented way. Global population figure of people aged 60 years and over have doubled since the 1980s. While these figures are indications of reduced fertility rate, improved life style, advanced medical technologies, there is also the school of thought that aging population pose as a challenge to the fiscal and macroeconomic stability of many countries. There is also another school of thought that argues that aged population also constitute an important part of the labour force or the labour market that have not been given much attention. Because people are living longer, older people are postponing retirement, hence, transitioning into bridge employment or grey entrepreneurship. Therefore, this study aims to develop understanding of how aging health workers transition to post-retirement work, in a comparative study. To answer this aim, a qualitative study was designed with the intention of developing a great understanding of the intensions and aspirations of health workers on their post-retirement career. Participants in this study were aging doctors and nurses in Sweden and Ghana. Data collection was done through the use of semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions with ten doctors and nurses each in Ghana and Sweden. The results show that almost all the respondents expressed the desire for a post-retirement career. We found that while every doctor in Sweden has the chance to participate in career bridge employment, it was only the specialized doctors that are more likely to have the chance to participate in career bridge employment in Ghana. However, almost all the respondents, except doctors in Sweden, expressed the desire for grey entrepreneurship, some have actually started their small businesses, for instance, one doctor owns and runs a non-governmental health delivery organization that delivers free health services to people in rural areas and in his community. To conclude, this study has shown that the desire and willingness of a post-retirement career especially in Ghana is influenced mostly by familial and economic factors, while personal factors explain that for Swedish doctors and nurses.

Determinações do consumo e da digestibilidade, atravé s do método de coleta total de fezes, foram realizadas em 8 veados–catingueiros (Mazama gouazoubira) recebendo uma dieta peletizada composta por 63,9% de feno de alfafa, 16,9% de amido de milho, 14,7% de levedura (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 2,5% de melaço, 1,5% de um premix vitamínico-mineral e 0,5% de cloreto de sódio em base seca. As estimativas dos coeficientes de digestibilidade foram determinadas paralelamente através do uso de indicador fecal (n-alcanos) com o intuito de validar a metodologia para esses pequenos ruminantes. O consumo médio de matéria seca e água durante o período de coleta foram: 24g ± 2,5 e 67 mL ± 11,5 por quilo de peso vivo (PV), sendo que os animais não apresentaram perdas de peso durante o período experimental. Quando expresso em peso metabólico (PV0,75), os animais consumiram em média 48g ± 5,2 de matéria seca e 136,4 mL ± 23,8 de água. O consumo de energia digestível foi em média 1.089 kcal/dia. As médias dos coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente obtidas através da coleta total de fezes, foram de 61,6% ± 1,7 para matéria seca, 63,9% ± 1,6 matéria orgânica, 69,7% ± 3,4 nitrogênio, 31,7% ± 3,7 fibra em detergente neutro, 45,2 ± 2,4 celulose e 18,8 ± 5,6 para a lignina. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade estimados para as diferentes frações através da utilização dos n-alcanos C31 e C33 se mostraram precisos e acurados em relação aos coeficientes de digestibilidade observados por coleta total quando as recuperações fecais foram incluídas nos cálculos de digestibilidade (P>0,05). Consistente com valores obtidos em ovinos, as recuperações fecais dos n-alcanos de cadeia ímpares aumentaram com o aumento do número de carbonos da cadeia de hidrocarboneto sendo que estes valores poderão ser utilizados em futuros estudos onde se deseja determinar a composição botânica da dieta dos cervídeos. / Feed intake and digestibility estimates were determined by the total fecal collection method of 8 deer (Mazama gouazoubira) receiving a pelleted diet of 63.9% alfalfa hay, 16.9% corn starch, 14.7% yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), 2.5% mollasses, 1.5% mineral-vitamin mix, and 0.5% NaCl on DM basis. n-alkane tracer method was used in parallel with total fecal collection to validate its application on wild small ruminants. The mean DM feed intake and water intake during the collection period were 24g ± 2.5 and 67 mL ± 11.5 per kg BW, and the animals did not present weight losses during the experimental period. When these values were expressed on kg of metabolic live weight, the animals consumed 48g ± 5.2 of DM and 136.4 mL ± 23.8 of water. Digestible energy intake was estimated at 1,089 kcal/day. The mean coefficients of apparent digestibility observed by total fecal collection for dry matter was 61.6% ± 1.7; organic matter 63.9% ± 1.6, nitrogen 69.7 % ± 3.4, neutral detergent fiber 31.7% ± 3.7, cellulose 45.2 % ± 2.4, and lignin 18.8% ± 5.6. The digestibility coefficients estimated for the different fractions by the n-alkanes C31 and C33 were accurate when compared to those observed by the total fecal collection method when feces recovery was included on digestibility calculations (P>0.05). Consistent with values obtained in sheep, the fecal recoveries of the odd chain n-alkanes was greater with the increase of the number of carbons of the chain of hydrocarbon and these values can be used in future studies to determine the botanical composition of the deer’s diet.

The aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of Altman’s Z-Score model using Non-performing assets (NPA) as a benchmark stability indicator. To do that, this paper examines if Altman’s Z Score Models capture the decline in financial health of the banks caused by the NPAs, using a two-fold analysis i.e., in advance through prediction and when the distress period is ongoing. The findings of this paper would suggest that: 1. During the distress period: The Z-Scores only marginally capture the distress caused by the NPAs, which is in line the findings of Almamy et al that the predictive ability of the model goes down during the crisis period. 2. For the future: The results of the statistical t-tests indicate that, the Z-Scores do not have the predictive ability to capture the future NPAs. Two different models that are developed by Altman - one for non-manufacturing firms and the other for the emerging markets, are used to test, if one model is more suitable than the other to the Indian banking sector. The findings of this paper suggest that, due to the uniqueness of the Indian banking sector during the NPA crisis, the ‘Emerging market model’, does not produce any significantly better results. Therefore, there is further scope to develop a tailor-made model suitable to the Indian banking sector.

The surveillance and control of introduced species has become an increasingly important, yet often controversial, form of environmental management. I investigate why and how introduced species management is initiated; whether, why and how it is contested; and what relations and outcomes emerge ‘in practice’. I examine how introduced species management is being done in the United Kingdom through detailed social scientific analyses of the processes, practices, and disputes involved in a series of management case studies. First, I demonstrate how some established approaches to the design and delivery of management initiatives can render them conflict-prone, ineffective and potentially unjust. Then, examining a disputesurrounding a state-initiated eradication of monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), I show why and how ‘parakeet protectors’ opposed the initiative. I identify the significance of divergent evaluations of the risks posed by introduced wildlife; personal and community attachments between people and parakeets; and campaigners’ dissatisfaction with central government’s approach to the issue. By following the story of an unauthorised (re)introduction of Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) to England, I show how adiverse collective has, at least temporarily, been united and empowered by a shared understanding of beavers as ‘belonging’ in the UK. I consider how nonhuman citizenship is socio-politically negotiated, and how the beavers have become enrolled in a ‘wild experiment’. Finally, through a multi- sited study of grey squirrel (Sciuruscarolinensis) control initiatives, I find important variations in management practitioners’ approaches to killing squirrels, and identify several ‘modes of killing’ that comprise different primary motivations, moral principles, ultimate aims, and practical methods. I identify multiple ways in which people respond and relate to introduced wildlife, and demonstrate how this multiplicity produces both socio-political tensions and accords. Furthermore, throughout this thesis I make a series of propositions for re-configuring the management of introduced species in ways that explicitly incorporate inclusive, constructive, and context-appropriate socio-political deliberations into its design and implementation.

Over the recent years, the software industry has faced a steady increase in the number of exposed and exploited software vulnerabilities. With more software and devices being connected to the internet every day, the need for proactive security measures has never been more important. One promising new technology for making software more secure is fuzz testing. This automated testing technique is based around generating a large number of test cases with the intention of revealing dangerous bugs and vulnerabilities. In this thesis work, a new direction within grey-box fuzz testing is evaluated against previous work. The presented approach uses sampled probability data in order to guide the fuzz testing towards program states that are expected to be easy to reach and beneficial for the discovery of software vulnerabilities. Evaluation of the design shows that the suggested approach provides no obvious advantage over existing solutions, but also indicates that the performance advantage could be dependent on the structure of the system under test. However, analysis of the design itself highlights several design decisions that could benefit from more extensive research. While the design proposed in this thesis work is insufficient for replacing current state of the art fuzz testing software, it provides a solid foundation for future research within the field. With the many insights gained from the design and implementation work, this thesis work aims to both inspire others and showcase the challenges of creating a probability-based approach to grey-box fuzz testing.

The legend of Governor Grey is a major feature of nineteenth century New Zealand historiography. This thesis seeks to understand Grey as a real person. Acknowledging the past as a strange and foreign place, it argues that Grey (and previous interpretations of him) can only be understood in context. The intellectual milieu of liberal Anglicanism and Victorian structures of imperial authority are crucial to understanding Grey�s policies of racial amalgamation. Focusing on Grey�s first governorship of New Zealand, 1845 - 1853, this thesis begins by exploring the imperial networks within which he operated. The members of Grey�s web gathered and shared information to further a range of different agendas - scientific, humanitarian, and political. Grey�s main focus was native civilisation. His ideas about race were informed by liberal Anglican theology, scientific investigation and personal experience. Grey believed in the unity and improvability of all mankind. His mission as governor was to elevate natives to a state of true equality with Europeans so that all could progress together still further up the scale of civilisation. This model formed the basis of Grey�s 1840 plan for civilising native peoples, in which he proposed a range of measures to promote racial amalgamation in Australia. Between 1845 and 1853 Grey implemented those measures in New Zealand. He used military force and British law to establish peace and enforce Crown authority. He used economic policies to encourage Maori integration in the colonial economy. He built schools and hospitals and enacted legislation to encourage the best features of British culture and limit the effects of its worst. He also augmented his power and encouraged amalgamation through personal relationships, official reports and the structures of colonial authority. Grey was driven by complex, sometimes contradictory motives including personal gain, economic imperatives and political pressures. His policies have had ongoing, often devastating effects, on Maori and on race relations in New Zealand. This thesis brings to light the ideas and attitudes which formed them. Grey understood himself as a Christian governor ordained to civilise Maori and join them with British settlers in accordance with God�s divine plan for improving humankind.

This research explores the discursive formations involved in two environmental conflicts during which organisations were not permitted to carry out their proposed extractive activities. The conflicts were based on the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand. The first involved sustainable native logging and the second was over the siting and extension of a gold mine. Extensive archival and media searches were carried out to generate data on the conflicts. Interviews were also conducted to investigate the community position in more depth. The discourse theory of Laclau and Mouffe (2001 [1985]) is drawn upon as a framework to make sense of the conflicts. This framework was particularly useful as it enabled a close and careful examination of the antagonisms and addressed some of the ideological and power concerns with stakeholder analysis. The analysis involved identifying nodal points, subjectivity, subject positions and floating signifiers, which enabled certain hegemonic constructions. The two conflicts were considerably different. The hegemonic constructions were quite similar and the notion of �being green� emerged as an antagonism that was at the heart of the conflicts and a key to understanding why these business organisations were unsuccessful. That is, who or what is given meaning as �being green� negates and de-legitimates other activity that is not deemed to be green. In these conflicts business organisations extracting natural resources and subjects supporting these organisational activities could not be green - when being green was constituted in terms of the clean green discourse operating economically and socially within New Zealand (see Bell, 1996). Consequently, not being green was deemed to be outside of what we see as New Zealanders as being important and thus should not occur in this country. This research has implications for business organisations in New Zealand dealing with greening issues, especially as external stakeholders can have considerable influence on organisational activities. Theoretically it argues for a discursive approach to organisational stakeholder analysis in order to address power and subjectivity and for the organisation and natural environment literature to recognise the possibility of multiple meanings of nature. In particular, this thesis contributes to current organisation studies literature by explicitly focusing on �nature� as a concept. It shows that the meaning attributed to nature is a political process which can have consequences for preventing or enabling significant business organisational activities.