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The development of biodegradable plastics from sustainable sources is at the forefront of chemical research. One such example is the production of polylactide (PLA) via the ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of the cyclic ester lactide (LA). Current industrial metal initiators utilised for the ROP of LA do not allow control over the stereochemistry of the resulting product. This thesis will investigate various initiators containing a variety of ligand sets for the ROP of rac-LA. Chapter 1 introduces the ROP of rac-LA, the mechanisms utilised and the methods employed for characterisation of PLA. A review of the current literature of recent developments in the production of PLA via various metal initiators is also included. Chapter 2 reports the development of a series of group (IV) complexes containing various amine tris(phenolate) ligands, where the sterics and electronics have been varied. Such complexes were trialled for the ROP of rac-LA as well as the ROP of trimethylene carbonate (TMC). The ability of such initiators to produce copolymers of rac-LA/TMC and rac-LA/isosorbide was also investigated and discussed. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis of a range of group (IV) complexes containing Salalen ligands. The sterics of the ligands have been varied and the ability of the initiators to initiate the ROP of rac-LA in a stereocontrolled fashion has been investigated. Furthermore, the complexes have been trialled for the degradation of PLA into methyl lactate, an important starting material in the production of LA. Chapter 4 investigates the development of Al(III) Salalen complexes for the ROP of rac-LA, where the sterics and electronics of the ligand have been varied. Kinetic investigations have been carried out to aid the understanding of the polymerisation process. Chapter 5 provides details of the reaction procedures for the synthesis of ligands, complexes and polymers. Kinetic procedures are also reported together with details of the analytical techniques employed.

<p>Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva vad som bidragit till fyra elevers övergång från ett individuellt program på gymnasiet till ett nationellt. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ metod där fyra elever i åldern 16-19 år har intervjuats. Vårt intresse fångades under en praktikperiod på en skola där många av eleverna på IV läste upp betygen och sökte in på ett nationellt program. Detta hör enligt Skolverket inte till vanligheterna. Det gemensamma för de intervjuade eleverna är att en inre motivation och ett mål spelar en viktig roll för att komma vidare med sina studier.</p> / <p>The object of this essay is to describe some student’s changeover from the individual programme in college to the national program. A qualitative method has been used, four students between the ages of 16-19 has been interviewed. Our interest for this subject was developed during a practice period at a college, where some students, unlike the belief of the school board, at the individual programme continued to the national programme. The common factors for the students to get further in their studies have been their inner motivation as well as having academic goals.</p>

Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva vad som bidragit till fyra elevers övergång från ett individuellt program på gymnasiet till ett nationellt. Detta har gjorts genom en kvalitativ metod där fyra elever i åldern 16-19 år har intervjuats. Vårt intresse fångades under en praktikperiod på en skola där många av eleverna på IV läste upp betygen och sökte in på ett nationellt program. Detta hör enligt Skolverket inte till vanligheterna. Det gemensamma för de intervjuade eleverna är att en inre motivation och ett mål spelar en viktig roll för att komma vidare med sina studier. / The object of this essay is to describe some student’s changeover from the individual programme in college to the national program. A qualitative method has been used, four students between the ages of 16-19 has been interviewed. Our interest for this subject was developed during a practice period at a college, where some students, unlike the belief of the school board, at the individual programme continued to the national programme. The common factors for the students to get further in their studies have been their inner motivation as well as having academic goals.

Abstract Machiavelli creates his model of an ideal prince in his famous book The Prince. He abandons the Christian criteria set for a prince, such as generosity, morality, and piety. Instead, he claims that it is harmful for a prince to follow all the moral principles, and it is necessary for a prince to be well versed in the use of evil and treachery. Machiavelli¡¦s contemporaries, including the Tudors, are shocked by his vision of a prince unfettered by the constraints of traditional morality. Most of the Tudors regard his doctrines as atheism and immorality. Only some accept certain parts of his doctrines. This thesis intends to explore how Shakespeare deals with Machiavellianism in his two tetralogies. Does Shakespeare agree with Machiavelli in the definition of an ideal prince? How does Shakespeare think of the pragmatism Machiavelli advocates? Among the kings Shakespeare portrays in his two tetralogies, I choose King Richard III and Henry IV for my discussion, for these two kings correspond to the kinds of princes whom Machiavelli wants to offer advice to in his treaty, i.e., the new princes, or the princes who gain power recently. It is interesting that although both Richard III and Henry IV are usurpers and they both adopt Machiavellian statecraft, the way Shakespeare presents them proves very different. When portraying Richard III, Shakespeare follows the convention of the hero villain and makes him a stage Machiavelli. When portraying Bolingbroke, later Henry IV, he presents him as a man who revolts against the tyranny of his king, and a man who wins the crown with calmness, intelligence, and justice. Whenever Richard makes use of evil, he arouses detest and horror. When Henry adopts evil, it turns out to be necessary evil. However, the accounts and evidence recently found about Richard show us that the king, unlike what Shakespeare portrays, is not a hunchback, nor is he a murderous monster. On the contrary, he is a ruler of efficiency and responsibility. In my opinion, the reason why Shakespeare distorts Richard is that he intentionally portrays a king who fully demonstrates the dangerous teachings of Machiavelli in order to warn his contemporaries against the danger of accepting Machiavellianism. Obviously, he still cannot appreciate pragmatism and realism advocated by Machiavelli. Years after, when he composes the second tetralogy and writes about Henry IV, Shakespeare alters his attitude and comes to realize that it is not enough for a king to be good and virtuous; he has to be wise, active, resolute, and treacherous, if necessary¡Xto put it in another way: he has to be a Machiavellian prince. To sum up, as he grows older, a powerful and efficient monarch rather than a virtuous and pious prince becomes what Shakespeare longs for. We can say that Shakespeare matures in public affairs. Therefore, we see a Shakespeare crossing the boundaries of idealism and realism.

In 1241/4 the theology masters at the university at Paris, their chancellor, Odo of Châteauroux, and bishop, William of Auvergne, condemned ten propositions against theological truth. Unlike other such condemnations, particularly at Paris in 1277, modern scholars have largely ignored it. This study attempts to remedy this neglect. It aims to view the condemnation in its contemporary context, concentrating on contemporary texts or those available in the period. The study's main focus is not the condemnation itself. Instead it seeks to set it against the background of wider doctrinal, intellectual, institutional and historical developments within the emerging 'university'. The study's conclusions are three-fold. First, the period 1200-1240 combined a developing focus of Paris theologians on using their learning for preaching (fostered by their faculty's inclusion of the mendicant orders) with a rapid and sometimes divergent development of doctrine. This latter was based on long-term biblical enigmas and patristic discussions, now sharpened by external 'threats', including from newly-translated Aristotelian texts and the views of groups deemed heretical. There were also increasing concerns over Greek theology and the Jews. Second, while no single influence appears dominant in the choice of articles, they follow closely the major statement of catholic principles in the first canon of Lateran IV in 1215. The content and order of the propositions is too close to be coincidental. Read in this light, the condemnation served to cement Lateran IV within the theology faculty. Third, however, this was not just for internal self-discipline. 1241/4 was the point when the faculty itself 'came of age' - it aspired to leadership in catholic doctrine according to Lateran IV's principles, seeing its role as external as much as internal. For this, it needed 'to cast the beam from its own eye before seeing clearly to remove the mote from its brother's'.

DIAS, Marília Leite. Atividade antinociceptiva da riparina IV : participação dos receptores TRPV1, TRPM8, receptores glutamatérgicos e do óxido nítrico. 2012. 82 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em farmacologia) - Universidade Federal do Ceará. Faculdade de Medicina, Fortaleza, 2012. / Submitted by denise santos (denise.santos@ufc.br) on 2012-11-20T14:00:15Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_dis_mldias.pdf: 915164 bytes, checksum: 85a6dc83f8625a1ac6759c3cdc0dde41 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Erika Fernandes(erikaleitefernandes@gmail.com) on 2012-12-11T15:38:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_dis_mldias.pdf: 915164 bytes, checksum: 85a6dc83f8625a1ac6759c3cdc0dde41 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2012-12-11T15:38:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2012_dis_mldias.pdf: 915164 bytes, checksum: 85a6dc83f8625a1ac6759c3cdc0dde41 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Riparin IV, an alkamide synthesized from Aniba riparia, was tested in standard animal models of pain, as well as the possible mechanisms of action involved. It was used Swiss mice (20-30g), and Riparin IV was administred acutely in all tests, at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg, by gavage. It was used the tests of abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid, hot plate test, formalin test, mechanical hypernociception induced by carrageenan, nociception test induced by capsaicin, cinnamaldehyde and menthol, nociception test induced by glutamate, as well as models of behavior that ruled out the possibility of a muscle relaxing activity or induce false-positive results in previous models, such as the open field test and the rota Rod test. The results showed that Riparin IV has an antinociceptive activity at the model of visceral nociception induced by acetic acid. Riparin IV did not show any activity at the hot plate thermal nociception model. Pretreatment with Riparin IV reduced significantly the inflammatory nociception induced at the second phase of formalin test, but did not alter the neurogenic nociception induced at the first phase of formalin test. The animals pretreated with Riparin IV also exhibited a significant reduction at the mechanical hypernociception induced by carrageenan. Related to the participation of the Transient Potential Receptors (TRP), Riparin IV showed an activity at the models of nociception induced by capsaicin and menthol, but did not show any activity at the nociception induced by cinnamaldehyde. Also reduced the nociception induced by administration of glutamate at the rind paw. To study the mechanisms of action of Riparin IV, it was used only the dose of 50 mg/kg of the substance. At the evaluation of participation of the ATP-dependent potassium channels, pretreatment with glibenclamide was not able to reverse the antinociceptive action of Riparin IV, discharging its involvment; at the same way, pretreatment with yohimbine, an a2-adrenergic antagonist, and pCPA, a depletor of the serotonin reservations, were not able of reverse such action, not having any involvement with the mechanism of action of Riparin IV. Pretreatment with L-arginine, a precursor of Nitric Oxide, reversed the antinociceptive action of Riparin IV, suggesting, in part, the participation of nitric oxide pathway at the mechanism of action. The results showed that this substance did not alter the locomotor activity at the open field test, neither diminished the number of falls at the rota Rod test, discharging the possibility of sedation or incoordination by Riparin IV. In summary, the results showed that Riparin IV has an action in animal models of nociception, possibly involving the receptors TRPV1, TRPM8, glutamatergic receptors and the nitric oxide pathway. / A Riparina IV, uma alcamida sintetizada de Aniba riparia, foi testada em modelos animais padronizados de dor, bem como os possíveis mecanismos de ação envolvidos. Foram utilizados camundongos Swiss (20-30g), e a Riparina IV foi administrada de forma aguda em todos os testes, nas doses de 25 e 50 mg/kg, por via oral. Foram utilizados os testes de contorções abdominais induzidas por ácido acético; placa quente; teste da formalina; hipernocicepção mecânica induzida pela carragenina; teste da nocicepção induzida por capsaicina, cinamaldeído, mentol; teste da nocicepção induzida por glutamato, bem como em modelos comportamentais que permitam excluir a possibilidade de uma atividade relaxante muscular ou induzir resultados falso-positivos nos modelos anteriores, tais como testes do campo aberto e rota Rod. Os resultados demonstraram que a Riparina IV possui uma atividade antinociceptiva no modelo de nocicepção visceral induzida por ácido acético. A Riparina IV não demonstrou atividade no modelo de nocicepção térmica da placa quente. O pré-tratamento com a Riparina IV reduziu significativamente a nocicepção inflamatória induzida pela segunda fase da formalina, porém não alterou a nocicepção neurogênica induzida pela primeira fase do teste da formalina. Os animais pré-tratados com a Riparina IV também exibiram uma redução significativa na hipernocicepção mecânica induzida pela carragenina. Em relação à participação dos receptores de potencial transitório (TRP), a Riparina IV demonstrou atividade nos modelos de nocicepção induzida pela administração de capsaicina e mentol, porém não apresentou atividade na nocicepção induzida por cinamaldeído. Também reduziu a nocicepção induzida pela administração intraplantar de glutamato. Para o estudo dos mecanismos de ação da Riparina IV foi utilizada somente a dose de 50 mg/kg da substância. Na avaliação da participação dos canais de potássio ATP-dependentes, o pré-tratamento com glibenclamida não foi capaz de reverter a ação antinociceptiva da Riparina IV, descartando-se o seu envolvimento; da mesma forma, o pré-tratamento com ioimbina, um antagonista α2-adrenérgico, e pCPA, um depletor das reservas de serotonina, também não foram capazes de reverter tal ação, não havendo envolvimento com o mecanismo de ação da Riparina IV. O pré-tratamento com L-arginina, um precursor do óxido nítrico, reverteu a ação antinociceptiva da Riparina IV, sugerindo, em parte, a participação da via do óxido nítrico no seu mecanismo de ação. Os resultados mostraram que essa substância não alterou a atividade locomotora no teste do campo aberto, nem diminuiu o número de quedas no teste do rota Rod, descartando a possibilidade de haver sedação ou incoordenação motora por parte da Riparina IV. Em síntese, os resultados demonstraram que a Riparina IV possui uma atividade em modelos animais de nocicepção, possivelmente envolvendo os receptores TRPV1, TRPM8, glutamatérgicos e a via do óxido nítrico.

Class of 2013 Abstract / Specific Aims: To determine if temperature and direct sunlight influence the rate of evaporation of normal saline in 100mL IV bags. Methods: Four study groups were created; refrigeration, dark shelf, shelf near window, and EMT box simulation. 80 bags (50 ml bags of normal saline) placed in different areas of temperature change and sun exposure. 20 of the bags stored in a drawer in a refrigerator. 20 stored on a shelf in a dark temperature controlled room. 20 stored next to a window in direct sunlight, and 20 stored outside where temperature and sun exposure will be highest in an EMT simulated box. Weights were recorded (in gms) weekly for 8 weeks using an analytical balance. Each saline bag was weighed individually and recorded at the time of measurement. Main Results: Rates of volume loss were lower in the normal saline IV bags stored in a refrigerated environment compared to the other two groups stored at room temperature and the one group stored in outside conditions (p<0.001). IV bags stored at room temperature exposed to light had the second lowest rate of loss compared to the other two groups (p<0.001 compared to outside conditions and p=0.003 compared to closed drawer). Bags stored at room temperature in a closed door had the third lowest rate of loss (p<0.001). Conclusion: Rate of fluid loss from IV normal saline bags appears to be temperature sensitive and storage of these bags may have an impact on shelf life of the product.

An electronic medical record (EMR) is “an electronic record of health-related information on an individual.” EMRs are widely used in healthcare organizations and have many advantages over traditional paper-based medical records, such as their efficiency and reduced storage needs. However, the use of EMRs has not yet reached its full potential. The numerous items of medical data are always shown with redundant and complex text contained in various monotonous forms and tables. It is hard for users to obtain useful information in a short timeframe. We propose a prototype system to intuitively and interactively visualize patients’ medical records. Navigation is improved through graphics-based and interaction-based visualization. Our interface features clickable two-dimensional (2D) images of a human body, on which the symptom locations are the starting point of the navigation. In addition, interactive and classified history visualization is also provided. Finally, some pertinent suggestions and comments from medical professionals are discussed.

Type IV pili (T4P) are hair-like adhesins involved in many processes, including surface attachment, twitching, DNA uptake, electron transfer, and pathogenesis. These flexible filaments are expressed in various pathogens, including the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pilus fibre is primarily composed of the major pilin structural subunit, PilA, which is rapidly polymerized or depolymerized during pilus extension or retraction, respectively. The transcription of pilA is tightly controlled by the PilS-PilR two-component system, which responds to fluctuating levels of PilA in the inner membrane. In addition to pilA, the response regulator, PilR, also regulates a subset of other non-T4P related genes. Here, we used hyperactivating point mutants in the PilS-PilR two-component system, which induce hyperpiliation without loss of pilus function, to assess the effects of increased surface pili expression on virulence against Caenorhabditis elegans, and to identify additional non-T4P genes regulated by the PilS-PilR two-component system. We hypothesized that dysregulation of the PilS-PilR two-component system impacts the expression of pilA and other genes, which impacts both surface piliation and T4P dynamics, resulting in altered P. aeruginosa virulence. C. elegans slow killing assays revealed that hyperpiliation, independently of T4P function, reduces virulence of model P. aeruginosa strains PAK and PA14. We propose a model whereby a surfeit of pili reduces virulence, potentially through impeding effective engagement of contact-dependent antagonism systems, such as the type III secretion system. Transcriptomic analysis of the hyperactive PilR point mutant also identified a subset of 26 genes, including those related to phenazine biosynthesis, quorum sensing, and ethanol oxidation, regulated by the PilS-PilR two-component system. Last, a T4P cysteine-labelling system was implemented for P. aeruginosa, allowing for the visualization of real-time pilus dynamics. Together, this work provides new insights into the consequences of hyperpiliation and the scope of the PilS-PilR signalling network, as well as novel tools for investigating P. aeruginosa T4P dynamics in vivo. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc) / Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major contributor to hospital-acquired infections and is of particular concern due to its intrinsic resistance to many frontline antibiotics. To aid in infection, Pseudomonas encodes an arsenal of virulence factors, including type IV pili (T4P), hair-like adhesins involved in many processes, such as twitching motility and surface attachment. T4P are primarily composed of the major pilin, PilA, whose expression is tightly regulated by the PilS-PilR two-component system. The sensor kinase, PilS, monitors the inner membrane PilA inventory and modifies activity of the response regulator, PilR, to regulate pilA transcription. Here, we demonstrate that P. aeruginosa virulence in a roundworm infection model is reduced when the amount of T4P expressed at the cell surface increases, regardless of the ability of the bacteria to twitch. We propose that inappropriate increases in surface T4P expression may impair pathogenicity-associated systems which require intimate host-cell contact. New genes in the regulon of the PilS-PilR two-component system were also identified. A tool to fluorescently label and image T4P in real-time using microscopy was established in the lab. This work highlights the consequences of increased surface T4P expression, providing potential new targets for antipseudomonal therapeutics which act on components involved in T4P expression and function.