Melanoma remains an aggressive form of skin cancer with limited treatment options. Novel methods to treat primary tumors and prevent metastatic disease can lead to improved survival for those diagnosed with melanoma. Through this work, we have evaluated the antineoplastic effects of Rhodiola crenulata (R. crenulata) root extracts on B16-F10 melanoma both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we observed that R. crenulata treatment resulted in an increased cell death as well as a reduced cell growth, proliferation and migration in vitro. Additionally, we observed that R. crenulata decreased the expression of integrin β1 and vimentin, and increased expression of E-cadherin upon in vitro treatment. Further, we observed in a topical R. crenulata based cream therapy, a more radial growth pattern of tumors as well as a reduced mitotic activity and increased tumor necrosis. Markedly, we observed that mice supplemented with R. crenulata orally in their drinking water also displayed reduced establishment of metastatic foci in a disseminated model of melanoma. Collectively, these findings reveal that R. crenulata exhibits striking anti-tumorigenic and anti-metastatic properties, and that this extract may increase survival and harbor potential novel adjuvant therapy for the treatment of melanoma.

<p>Background: Small businesses are key participants in the growth at the Swedish market, partly for the labour opportunities, the technology and economic development. These companies should get resources to grow, both political and economic resources. The medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase meet with problems concerning the financing of their growth. Key participants whom offer financing are Venture Capitalists.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine Venture Capitalists demands on medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase. A comparison between the demands and how well medtech companies achieve them will be done. In the event of occurring information and economic gap the study will elucidate the gaps.</p><p>Method: To gain such a encyclopaedic and just representation of the situation the authors carried through a combination of both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study got carried through by a questionnaire which got send by email to a number of medtech companies. The qualitative study was made up by interviews with three Venture Capitalists and three medtech companies.</p><p>Theory: To get at a greater understanding of the companies methods when obtaining capital, theories as the Pecking order, financial lifecycle and a third theory about which factors lead to small companies financial model, have been in used. And also a statement of a fourth theory, the financial gap, has been done. The theory describes an information asymmetry between the company and the financier. Models in use concerning the Venture Capitalists are constituted from their own documented claim surrounding financing.</p><p>Conclusion: The study indicates an occurrence of several factors that are important to obstruct the financial gap which accrue between medtech companies in early stages of their lifecycle and Venture Capitalists. The survey exhibit that Venture Capitalists are more willing to provide capital if a business angel already has invested in the company. A medtech company should seek itself to Venture Capitalists who have special qualification in life science because of their knowledge in the Medtech branch. Throughout the study we have realized that the younger a Medtech company is the less administrative it is. Therefore it should be important to impel a work as early as possible that involves more administration. Branch experts mention that it is important to increase clinical research and encouragement to fusion between companies to enlarge financing from Venture Capitalists.</p>

Background: Small businesses are key participants in the growth at the Swedish market, partly for the labour opportunities, the technology and economic development. These companies should get resources to grow, both political and economic resources. The medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase meet with problems concerning the financing of their growth. Key participants whom offer financing are Venture Capitalists. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine Venture Capitalists demands on medtech companies in an introduction and expansion phase. A comparison between the demands and how well medtech companies achieve them will be done. In the event of occurring information and economic gap the study will elucidate the gaps. Method: To gain such a encyclopaedic and just representation of the situation the authors carried through a combination of both quantitative and qualitative studies. The quantitative study got carried through by a questionnaire which got send by email to a number of medtech companies. The qualitative study was made up by interviews with three Venture Capitalists and three medtech companies. Theory: To get at a greater understanding of the companies methods when obtaining capital, theories as the Pecking order, financial lifecycle and a third theory about which factors lead to small companies financial model, have been in used. And also a statement of a fourth theory, the financial gap, has been done. The theory describes an information asymmetry between the company and the financier. Models in use concerning the Venture Capitalists are constituted from their own documented claim surrounding financing. Conclusion: The study indicates an occurrence of several factors that are important to obstruct the financial gap which accrue between medtech companies in early stages of their lifecycle and Venture Capitalists. The survey exhibit that Venture Capitalists are more willing to provide capital if a business angel already has invested in the company. A medtech company should seek itself to Venture Capitalists who have special qualification in life science because of their knowledge in the Medtech branch. Throughout the study we have realized that the younger a Medtech company is the less administrative it is. Therefore it should be important to impel a work as early as possible that involves more administration. Branch experts mention that it is important to increase clinical research and encouragement to fusion between companies to enlarge financing from Venture Capitalists.

Les protéagineux pourraient contribuer à réduire le déficit en protéines de l’Europe mais ils sont peu cultivés. L’association à une céréale permettrait de contourner leur variabilité de rendement et leur faible compétitivité vis-à-vis des adventices. Cette stratégie serait particulièrement pertinente pour le lupin blanc d’hiver, qui présente un fort potentiel de production de protéines mais un fort risque d’enherbement. Ce travail de thèse étudie en dynamique les interactions entre lupin, céréale et adventices afin de mettre en évidence les traits des espèces permettant d’accroitre leur complémentarité et la compétitivité vis-à-vis des adventices tout en sécurisant la productivité. L’étude d’un réseau de parcelles démontre que l’ajout de triticale permet d’augmenter la compétitivité vis-à-vis des adventices par rapport au lupin pur, d’obtenir un rendement supérieur et plus stable et de maintenir la production de protéines. Un essai en micro parcelles démontre le rôle majeur de la capture précoce d’azote (N) de la céréale pour accroitre la compétitivité vis-à-vis des adventices. Nous montrons que les rapports de compétition varient au cours du cycle et en fonction des espèces ou variétés ainsi que des conditions climatiques et influencent ainsi l’élaboration du rendement. De forts contrastes entre lupin et céréale pour des traits liés à l’acquisition précoce d’N sont décrits ainsi que leurs conséquences sur la mise en place de la complémentarité. Ce travail met en évidence que le choix d’espèces et de variétés aux traits complémentaires permet d’orienter les interactions entre lupin, céréale et adventices et ouvre des perspectives pour l’optimisation des performances. / Pea, faba bean and lupin could help to reduce the European protein deficit but they are not widely grown. Intercropping with a cereal can be seen as a way to circumvent their high yield variability and their low competitive ability against weeds. This strategy could be particularly relevant for winter white lupin, a crop that can produce high amounts of proteins but that is prone to high weed infestations. This doctoral thesis studies the dynamic interactions between lupin, cereal and weeds to highlight species traits that allow increasing their complementarity and their competitive ability against weeds while securing productivity. Results of a multisite study in agricultural fields demonstrate that adding triticale in lupin allows increasing competitive ability against weeds as well as yield and yield stability compared with sole-cropped lupin while maintaining protein production. A plot experiment highlights the key role of cereal early Nitrogen (N) uptake in the increase of competitive ability against weeds. Analysis of resource sharing shows that competitive relationships vary throughout the cropping cycle, depend on species or cultivars as well as climatic conditions and that they influence yield formation. Strong contrasts between lupin and a cereal for traits related to early soil N uptake and their consequences on complementarity are highlighted by the results of rhizotron experiments. This work emphasizes the role of species and cultivar choice to manage interactions between lupin, cereal and weeds and opens perspectives for the optimization of intercrop performances.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Objetivou-se avaliar o efeito de diferentes nÃveis de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) nas raÃÃes de frangas de duas linhagens comerciais de aves de postura, no perÃodo de 7 a 17 semanas de idade, sobre a curva de crescimento corporal e Ãssea e a deposiÃÃo de componentes na carcaÃa e nos ossos. Foram utilizadas 648 aves de cada linhagem, distribuÃdas em um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado, em esquema fatorial 3 x 2, composto de trÃs nÃveis de FDN (14,5; 16,5 e 18,5%) e duas linhagens (LOHMAN LSL e HY LINE BROWN), com quatro repetiÃÃes de 54 aves. Semanalmente, foram avaliados o peso corporal e das penas, peso e comprimento dos ossos (tÃbia e fÃmur) e a composiÃÃo corporal e dos ossos em proteÃna, cinzas e Ãgua. As curvas de crescimento e deposiÃÃo foram determinadas aplicando-se os dados na funÃÃo de Gompertz. NÃo houve interaÃÃo entre linhagem e nÃvel de FDN da raÃÃo, para os parÃmetros da equaÃÃo de Gompertz determinados, para todas as caracterÃsticas avaliadas. Os nÃveis de FDN da raÃÃo influenciaram significativamente nos parÃmetros da curva de crescimento para peso corporal e deposiÃÃo de Ãgua, de modo que o nÃvel de 14,5% de FDN possibilitou maior peso corporal e de deposiÃÃo de Ãgua à maturidade (Pm), maior idade de mÃximo crescimento (t*) e menor taxa de maturidade (b) que os demais nÃveis testados. Entretanto, os parÃmetros da curva de crescimento para o peso e o comprimento da tÃbia e do fÃmur, assim como, as estimativas dos parÃmetros para a deposiÃÃo de Ãgua nos ossos e as deposiÃÃes de proteÃna e matÃria mineral na carcaÃa e nos osso nÃo foram influencias significativamente pelo nÃvel de FDN da raÃÃo. Entre as linhagem, observou-se que as aves leves, apresentaram menor taxa de maturidade (b) e menor peso à maturidade (Pm), sem apresentar diferenÃas significativas na idade de mÃximo crescimento (t*). Os parÃmetros para a deposiÃÃo de proteÃna e cinzas na carcaÃa nÃo variaram significativamente, enquanto, as aves leves apresentaram menores estimativas de taxa de maturidade (b) para a deposiÃÃo de Ãgua corporal em relaÃÃo Ãs aves semipesadas. NÃo houve diferenÃa entre as linhagens para os parÃmetros estimados para o comprimento da tÃbia e do fÃmur, peso da tÃbia, deposiÃÃo de proteÃna e cinzas da tÃbia. Entretanto, para o peso do fÃmur, deposiÃÃo de proteÃna no fÃmur e deposiÃÃo de Ãgua na tÃbia, as aves leves apresentaram maior peso à maturidade (Pm) e valor da idade de mÃximo crescimento (t*) e menor valor na taxa de maturidade (b) em comparaÃÃo as aves semipesada, as quais apresentaram maior peso à maturidade (Pm) e valor da idade de mÃximo crescimento (t*) e menor valor na taxa de maturidade (b) em comparaÃÃo as aves leves para deposiÃÃo de Ãgua no fÃmur. Assim, o nÃvel de FDN da raÃÃo de recria pode ser utilizado para modificar a curva de crescimento das frangas leves e semipesadas, podendo-se controlar o ganho de peso corporal pelo aumento do seu nÃvel na raÃÃo em nÃvel superior a 14,5%, sem alterar o crescimento dos ossos e a deposiÃÃo de Ãgua, matÃria mineral e proteÃna na carcaÃa e nos ossos atà o nÃvel de 18,5%. Embora as poedeiras semipesadas da linhagem avaliada apresentem maior potencial de crescimento corporal e das penas em relaÃÃo Ãs leves, essa aves sÃo semelhantes quanto à proporÃÃo de proteÃna e matÃria mineral depositada na carcaÃa e divergem no desenvolvimento dos ossos quanto ao peso e deposiÃÃo de Ãgua e proteÃna no fÃmur. / The objective was to evaluate the effect of using different levels of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in diets for hens of two commercial layer-hen strains from 7 to 17 weeks of age on the growth curve and deposition of body components and bones. A total of 648 birds from each strain were distributed in a completely randomized design in a 3 à 2 factorial arrangement consisting of three levels of NDF and two strains, with four replicates of 54 birds. The tested NDF levels were 14.5, 16.5 and 18.5%. Additionally, live weight, feather weight, body composition of protein, ash and water, bones weight, bones length and bones composition of protein, ash and water were evaluated. Growth curves were determined by applying the data on Gompertz function. According to the results, there was no interaction among factors, strain and NDF levels for the parameters of the equation of Gompertz determined for all evaluated traits. The NDF levels of the diet affected the estimates of weight at maturity and water deposition in the carcass. The level of 14.5% NDF allowed for greater weight at maturity (Wm), greater age at maximum growth (t*) and lower maturity rate (b) than the other tested levels. There was no influence of NDF levels tested on the parameters of the growth curve for weight and length of the tibia and femur (P <0.05). There was no influence of NDF levels tested on the estimates of the parameters of the Gompertz equation for the composition of water, protein and ash of the tibia and fÃmur (P <0.05). The level of NDF in the ration of growing can be used to modify the growth curve of pullets, being able to control the body weight gain by increasing its level in the ration without changing the deposition of water, ash and protein in the carcass. Pullets fed diets containing up to 18.5% inclusion of NDF, during 7-17 weeks of age, showed no changes in the curves of growth and nutrient deposition in the tibia and femur.

This study focuses on understanding the mechanisms of expression control of a phospholipid biosynthetic gene, INO1. This study also includes investigation into transcriptional regulation of SNA3, a gene in tandem upstream of INO1. INO1 expression is a prevailing model for transcription studies. INO1 is repressed under growth conditions with inositol and derepressed by two transcription activators, Ino2 and Ino4, when inositol is absent. Coordination of the centromeric binding factor, Cbf1, with Ino2 and Ino4 is required for efficient derepression of INO1. Transcription of the INO1 adjacent SNA3 gene is also influenced by inositol. INO1 and SNA3 are co-regulated by Cbf1, Ino2 and Ino4. However, the mechanism of this co-regulation is not fully understood. A separate aspect of INO1 expression is its growth phase regulation. Under inositol depleted conditions, the expression of INO1 increases during log phase and decreases during stationary phase. Most genes in yeast are believed to be expressed at a constant level through all growth phases. It is unclear how INO1 growth phase regulation takes place. The first part of my work focused on exploring the mechanism through which Cbf1, Ino2 and Ino4 control the inositol-mediated regulation of INO1 and SNA3. This included determining the necessity of the Cbf1 binding site for Ino2 and Ino4 binding, as well as for the inositol mediated regulation of INO1 and SNA3. The second part of my work focused on understanding the growth phase regulation of INO1. This includes examining the expression of INO1 in individual cells in a growing population.

Este trabalho buscou avaliar o comportamento e o desempenho sexual de suínos machos de linhas puras e cruzadas, criados com e sem a utilização de enriquecimento ambiental, na fase de crescimento. A pesquisa foi dividida em duas etapas, que compreenderam a fase de crescimento dos animais e o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. Na fase de crescimento, 128 machos foram alojados em ambientes enriquecidos ou estéreis. Utilizou-se como enriquecimento ambiental correntes suspensas, galão de cinco litros suspenso e um galão de 50 litros solto no piso. Esses objetos foram oferecidos de forma alternada e cada um ficou disponível na baia por um período de 30 dias. Na primeira etapa foram registrados o comportamento dos animais, os escores de lesão e a massa corporal. Após a fase de crescimento, foram escolhidos aleatoriamente 32 animais aprovados na seleção genética para serem avaliados durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. O treinamento ocorreu durante seis dias consecutivos e cada animal foi treinado por três vezes em dias alternados. Durante o treinamento para a coleta de sêmen, o comportamento animal, as relações humano-animal, o volume do ejaculado e os níveis de testosterona e cortisol foram registrados. Como respostas na fase de crescimento, verificou-se que, mesmo utilizando uma combinação de objetos, os suínos se habituaram rapidamente a eles e a frequência de manipulação diminuiu após o primeiro período para todos os objetos. Observamos que o ambiente enriquecido foi eficaz na redução dos comportamentos agonísticos e mordedura de cauda e orelha para os animais puros e cruzados, e isso consequentemente reduziu a quantidade e severidade de lesões de pele. Na fase de treinamento para coleta de sêmen, os resultados demonstraram que o comportamento sexual dos animais foi influenciado pelas linhas genéticas, sendo assim, observou-se que os machos de linha cruzada tiveram maior facilidade durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen e apresentaram maior média do escore de libido, diferindo das linhas puras (P<0,001). Verificou-se que não houve diferença na média do escore de libido entre os tratamentos com e sem enriquecimento ambiental (P=0,276), porém, os tratamentos com enriquecimento tiveram o menor número de animais treinados. Dessa forma, os resultados indicam que o ambiente enriquecido com uma combinação de enriquecimentos pontuais (objetos) é uma estratégia eficaz para aumentar o comportamento exploratório e reduzir os comportamentos agonísticos e anormais na fase de crescimento. Mas, por outro lado, os animais criados em ambientes enriquecidos tiveram um pior desempenho sexual durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. / This study aimed to evaluate behavior and sexual performance of male pigs from purebred and crossbred, raised with and without the use of environmental enrichment during the growth phase. The study was divided into two steps comprising the animals\' growth phase and training for semen collection. In the growth phase 128 males were housed in an enriched or in a sterile environment. As environmental enrichment, hanging chains, a hanging five-liter gallon and a fifty-liter gallon released on the floor were used. These objects were alternately offered and each one was available in the pen for a period of 30 days. In the first step, animal behavior, injury score and body weight were recorded. After the growth phase, 32 animals approved in genetic screening were randomized to be evaluated during training for semen collection. The training took place for six consecutive days and each animal was trained three times on alternate days. During the training for semen collection, animal behavior, human-animal relationship, ejaculated semen volume, testosterone and cortisol levels were registered. As a response during the growth phase, even using a combination of enrichments, pigs quickly got used to them and manipulation frequency decreased after the first period for all objects. We observed that the enriched environment was effective in reducing agonistic behavior and biting of tail and ear in animals of pure and mixed lines, and therefore the number and severity of skin lesions were reduced. During the training for semen collection, results showed that sexual behavior of animals was influenced by genetic lines, therefore we observed that males of mixed lines had greater ease during training for semen collection and had a higher libido score average, differing from the pure lines (P<0,001). There was no difference in the libido score average between treatments with and without environmental enrichment (P=0,276), however the treatment with environmental enrichment had fewer trained animals. Thus, results indicate that enriched environment with a combination of enrichment objects is an effective strategy to increase exploratory behavior and to reduce agonistic and abnormal behaviors during the growth phase. However, animals raised in enriched environments had a worse sexual performance during the training for semen collection.

Este trabalho buscou avaliar o comportamento e o desempenho sexual de suínos machos de linhas puras e cruzadas, criados com e sem a utilização de enriquecimento ambiental, na fase de crescimento. A pesquisa foi dividida em duas etapas, que compreenderam a fase de crescimento dos animais e o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. Na fase de crescimento, 128 machos foram alojados em ambientes enriquecidos ou estéreis. Utilizou-se como enriquecimento ambiental correntes suspensas, galão de cinco litros suspenso e um galão de 50 litros solto no piso. Esses objetos foram oferecidos de forma alternada e cada um ficou disponível na baia por um período de 30 dias. Na primeira etapa foram registrados o comportamento dos animais, os escores de lesão e a massa corporal. Após a fase de crescimento, foram escolhidos aleatoriamente 32 animais aprovados na seleção genética para serem avaliados durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. O treinamento ocorreu durante seis dias consecutivos e cada animal foi treinado por três vezes em dias alternados. Durante o treinamento para a coleta de sêmen, o comportamento animal, as relações humano-animal, o volume do ejaculado e os níveis de testosterona e cortisol foram registrados. Como respostas na fase de crescimento, verificou-se que, mesmo utilizando uma combinação de objetos, os suínos se habituaram rapidamente a eles e a frequência de manipulação diminuiu após o primeiro período para todos os objetos. Observamos que o ambiente enriquecido foi eficaz na redução dos comportamentos agonísticos e mordedura de cauda e orelha para os animais puros e cruzados, e isso consequentemente reduziu a quantidade e severidade de lesões de pele. Na fase de treinamento para coleta de sêmen, os resultados demonstraram que o comportamento sexual dos animais foi influenciado pelas linhas genéticas, sendo assim, observou-se que os machos de linha cruzada tiveram maior facilidade durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen e apresentaram maior média do escore de libido, diferindo das linhas puras (P<0,001). Verificou-se que não houve diferença na média do escore de libido entre os tratamentos com e sem enriquecimento ambiental (P=0,276), porém, os tratamentos com enriquecimento tiveram o menor número de animais treinados. Dessa forma, os resultados indicam que o ambiente enriquecido com uma combinação de enriquecimentos pontuais (objetos) é uma estratégia eficaz para aumentar o comportamento exploratório e reduzir os comportamentos agonísticos e anormais na fase de crescimento. Mas, por outro lado, os animais criados em ambientes enriquecidos tiveram um pior desempenho sexual durante o treinamento para coleta de sêmen. / This study aimed to evaluate behavior and sexual performance of male pigs from purebred and crossbred, raised with and without the use of environmental enrichment during the growth phase. The study was divided into two steps comprising the animals\' growth phase and training for semen collection. In the growth phase 128 males were housed in an enriched or in a sterile environment. As environmental enrichment, hanging chains, a hanging five-liter gallon and a fifty-liter gallon released on the floor were used. These objects were alternately offered and each one was available in the pen for a period of 30 days. In the first step, animal behavior, injury score and body weight were recorded. After the growth phase, 32 animals approved in genetic screening were randomized to be evaluated during training for semen collection. The training took place for six consecutive days and each animal was trained three times on alternate days. During the training for semen collection, animal behavior, human-animal relationship, ejaculated semen volume, testosterone and cortisol levels were registered. As a response during the growth phase, even using a combination of enrichments, pigs quickly got used to them and manipulation frequency decreased after the first period for all objects. We observed that the enriched environment was effective in reducing agonistic behavior and biting of tail and ear in animals of pure and mixed lines, and therefore the number and severity of skin lesions were reduced. During the training for semen collection, results showed that sexual behavior of animals was influenced by genetic lines, therefore we observed that males of mixed lines had greater ease during training for semen collection and had a higher libido score average, differing from the pure lines (P<0,001). There was no difference in the libido score average between treatments with and without environmental enrichment (P=0,276), however the treatment with environmental enrichment had fewer trained animals. Thus, results indicate that enriched environment with a combination of enrichment objects is an effective strategy to increase exploratory behavior and to reduce agonistic and abnormal behaviors during the growth phase. However, animals raised in enriched environments had a worse sexual performance during the training for semen collection.

Oceans are powered by active, metabolically diverse microorganisms, which are important in regulating biogeochemical cycles on Earth. Most of the ocean surface is often limited by nutrients, influencing bacterial growth and activities. Bacterial adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions involves extensive reprogramming, and redirection of bacterial metabolism and physiology. In this thesis, I investigated the molecular mechanisms of bacterial adaptation strategies to sustain their growth and survival, focusing on the regulation of gene and protein expression in heterotrophic marine bacteria. Comparative proteomics analyses of the growth and non-growth conditions, uncovered central adaptations that marine bacteria employ to allow them to change their metabolism to support exponential growth in response to nutrients and to readjust to stationary phase under nutrient limitation. Our results highlight that during nutrient rich conditions three distinct bacteria lineages have great similarities in their proteome. On the other hand, we observed pronounced differences in behavior between taxa during stationary phase. Analyses of the proteorhodopsin containing bacterium Vibrio sp. AND4 during starvation showed that significantly improved survival in the light compared to darkness. Notably, proteins involved in promoting cell vitality and survival had higher relative abundance under light. In contrast, cells in the dark need to degrade their endogenous resources to support their basic cellular demands under starvation. Thus, light strongly influences how PR-containing bacteria organize their molecular composition in response to starvation. Study of alternative energy generation metabolisms in the Alphaproteobacteria Phaeobacter sp. MED193 showed that the addition of thiosulfate enhanced the bacterial growth yields. Concomitantly, inorganic sulfur oxidation gene expression increased with thiosulfate compared to controls. Moreover, thiosulfate stimulated protein synthesis and anaplerotic CO2 fixation. These findings imply that this bacterium could use their lithotrophic potential to gain additional energy from sulfur oxidation for both improving their growth and survival. This thesis concludes that analyses in model organisms under defined growth conditions gives invaluable knowledge about the regulatory networks and physiological strategies that ensure the growth and survival of heterotrophic bacteria. This is critically important for interpreting bacterial responses to dynamic environmental changes. Moreover, these analyses are crucial for understanding genetic and proteomic responses in microbial communities or uncultivated organisms in terms of defining ecological niches of planktonic bacteria

Transition metal oxides adopt a wide variety of crystal structures and display a diverse range of physical phenomena from Mott insulating states to electron-nematics to unconventional superconductivity. Detailed understanding of these states and how they may be manipulated by structural modifications requires both precise structural knowledge and in-depth physical property measurements using as many techniques over as wide a range of phase space as possible. In the work described in this thesis a range of transition metal oxides were studied using high-resolution powder neutron diffraction and detailed low-temperature physical property measurements. The quaternary barium orthotellurates Ba₂NiTeO₆, Ba₂CuTeO₆ and Ba₂ZnTeO₆ belong to an almost unstudied family of materials. The development of procedures for synthesizing large single crystals has facilitated the investigation of interesting new anisotropic magnetic states in the Cu and Ni systems and the existence of a possible structural phase transition in the Zn-based compound. YMnO₃ is a multiferroic with improper ferrielectricity. The study of the high-temperature structural phases described in this thesis has led to the identification both of the transition path to the ferrielectric state and the identification of an isostructural phase transition within the ferrielectric phase. BiFe₀.₇Mn₀.₃O₃ is also a multiferroic material but with proper ferroelectricity. The investigation of the structural phases of this compound have provided confirmation of the high-temperature phases with the reassignment of the symmetry of the highest-temperature phase which is intriguingly different to that of the unsubstituted material. Finally, an investigation of the electronic structures of the high conductivity delafossites PdCoO₂ and PdCrO₂ using micro-cantilever torque magnetometry measurements of quantum oscillations is described. This has resolved the warping of the Fermi surface of PdCoO₂ and given insights into the complicated Fermi surface of the itinerant antiferromagnet PdCrO₂.