The effect of ambient temperature on the ACh-induced tension response of the ABRM of Mytilus edulis was examined. The latter was found to have many temperature dependent variables, these included the latent period, the rate of tension development, maximum tension and the relaxation rate. Pmax was found to show a negative temperature coefficent. K+ contractures also showed a negative temperature co-efficent, Pmax approximately doubling for a 20°C decrease in temperature. The application of a cold shock during an ACh-induced contraction-relaxation cycle resulted in a transient increase in tension, the CIC. The production of a CTC was found to be dependent on the immediate presence of a stimulant, the time of application of the cold shock after the addition of stimulant, muscle length and temperature difference. As the temperature difference (ΔT) between the initial and cold shock solutions increased so the size of the CIC increased. The production of a CIC was found not to be directly related to the ACh or to the active state level yet it did not appear to be a passive phenomenon. A CIC was not produced when cold shock was applied to a muscle at rest or during catchy however, when catch was abolished by the application of relaxant a CIC could once again be elicited. Kinetic analysis of the CIC showed that, however, complex the mechanism two steps appear to be rate limiting, and the increase in tension with increasing AT was probably due to an increase in the availability of activator responsible for its production, rather than a differential effect on one of the rate limiting steps. Although it is conceivable that cold shock may exert a direct effect on the contractile proteins, evidence from the literature, and the experiments reported here, suggest that it is more likely that the CTC results from a transient increase in the level of myoplasmic Ca+2 Pharmacological investigation did not disprove this hypothesis. Of the possible sources of Ca+2 responsible for the CIC membrane associated sites seemed the most likely since under conditions which deplete this site no CIC was observed. Also the involvement of cAMP in the production of the CIC was largely excluded.

The work of this thesis is concerned, with the investigation and attempted improvement of an integral method for solving the two dimensional, incompressible laminar boundary layer equations of fluid dynamics. The method which is based on a theoretical two parameter representation of well-known boundary layer properties was first produced by Professor S. N. Curle. Its range of application, reliability and accuracy rely on four universal functions which have been derived from known exact solutions to the boundary layer equations, and are given tabulated in terms of a pressure gradient parameter λ. This thesis seeks to improve these properties by making adjustments to the tabulated functions and also considers the extension of the method to certain compressible boundary layer problems. The first chapter contains the development of, and background to the method and gives a critical assessment of the existing functions. This analysis indicates that the method may be improved by supplying more data for certain ranges of λ from which the functions may be calculated; by improving the fitting process; and by the provision for small values of λ of an analytic form for a shape parameter H which the method involves. To supply more data two new solutions for the flows u₁ = U₀ (1+ξ) and u₁ = u₀ (ξ+ξ³) where ξ is a non-dimensional co-ordinate in the direction of the flow, are investigated. The resulting work produces some interesting examples of the use of series expansions in boundary layer theory and these, and the results produced, are given in the second chapter. The fitting of the functions is carried out in chapter three. Polynomial models in terms of λ are fitted by least squares techniques to data from seven solutions and are adjusted to ensure an analytic form for H for small values of λ. A comparison of results using new and old tables Indicates that an improvement has been made. The transformation relating certain compressible and incompressible flows is next examined and the extension of the method to such problems considered. An idea due to Stewartson for assessing the relative accuracies of methods under such circumstances indicates that the method should be highly accurate, a result confirmed by the calculation of the compressible flow u₁ = u₀ (1-ξ) at a leading edge Mach number of four. The thesis is concluded with a review of the work carried out and the results obtained.

A procedure was developed to subdivide a drainage area into units that respond similarly. These were defined hydrologic response units and were a funtion of soil texture, soil depth, land use, and hydrology group classification. A computer model was developed to generate excess precipitation for each hydrologic response unit based on the Mein and Larson and Holtan infiltration equations. Data for several major storms from a natural watershed, located in Virginia, was used to evaluate the technique. The results showed significant variability between response units reaffirming the need to consider the vegetative-soil characteristics separately. Sensitivity analyses were made to evaluate variations in soil texture, depth of A horizon, soil hydrology group classification, and land use relative to excess precipitation estimates. Interactions were not studied. Advantages of this system compared to a lumped-parameter model were discussed. The most important advantage, particularly for the planner, is that spatial uniqueness is maintained for all response units. / M.S.

With increasing global competitiveness, top management of multinational corporations have realized that their resources cannot be effectively and efficiently transformed into marketable outputs without having managers who have global perspectives and a familiarity with the company's interest in overseas operation. To create a management team with global perspectives, multinational firms are using expatriate managers to fill overseas managerial positions. In Pacific Asia, the region's economic growth has attracted tremendous investments in hotel development from multinational companies, and these companies are increasingly hiring foreign professionals and managers to fill their business needs. However, while some expatriates have been very successful in Asia, many others encountered inherent problems related to overall satisfaction in the foreign environment which may lead to failures in their assignments. Failures in overseas assignments or expatriate turnovers are very costly to multinational companies. Current literature indicates a void in the research on predictors of hotel expatriate satisfaction and the relationship between satisfaction and turnover. The purpose of this study is to examine the antecedents (predictors) and consequences (turnover) of hotel expatriate satisfaction in three Asian countries; China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. The study consisted of a mailed survey of the expatriate hotel managerial employees in the three countries, followed by compilation and statistical analysis of relevant data to obtain empirical results which are used to develop a model of antecedents and consequences of hotel expatriate satisfaction. The findings from this study suggests that expatriate satisfaction can be predicted by five factors; (1) cultural adjustment, (2) skill variety, (3) role clarity, ( 4) participation, and (5) cross-cultural training. In addition, the research indicates that both expatriate job and general satisfaction relate to turnovers, and job satisfaction has stronger impact on expatriate's intention to quit. / Ph. D.

An experimental method capable of measuring the instantaneous surface temperatures of very small areas (e.g., 1.778 x 10⁻⁵ min diameter) was developed and used to investigate the frictional interface of a sliding system - a fixed polymer sphere loaded against a thin sapphire disk. Basically, the method involves measuring the infrared radiance (which can be converted to temperature mathematically) from the contact area with a highly advanced infrared microscope. Friction at the interface is also obtained simultaneously. In this research, the surface temperatures of four different polymers, namely high density polyethylene, polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene, and polymethylmethacrylate were investigated. Effects of load and sliding speed on the friction and wear behavior of the polymers were examined. Finally, the experimental results were compared with theoretical calculations, and reasons for the discrepancies were discussed. / M. S.

Throughout the career of E. E. Cummings critics maintained that the poet displayed a lack of growth in his vision. Such a criticism fails in an analysis of the development of specific themes in the love poetry of Cummings. This thesis investigates two major themes from the early love poetry (the volumes of 1923 - c. 1938) and two from the later love poetry (the volumes of c. 1940 - 1963) and proposes a movement of the themes toward affirmation and movement from the concrete to the abstract. Chapter II clarifies the first early theme, the celebration of a specific lover or love experience and presents those poems which define the speaker's response to the lady's presence, delight in her body, and express the joy of intercourse with her. Chapter III considers the second early theme, the unachievable and temporal nature of love. Death as thief, the fleeting nature of love, the distance of the lady, the persuasion, the sordid love affairs, the sexual jokes, and the satirical tone emerge as variations of this theme. Chapter IV deals with the first later theme, the affirmation that love is possible and enduring. Emphasized are discussions of love as a concept, celebrations of highest love, and the transcending power of love. Chapter V in explaining the second later theme, the celebration of love as a force within itself, displays poems which define love, dismiss it as a mystery, theorize about love, arrange hyperbolisms to praise the lady, and glorify the lovers' spiritual union. / Master of Arts

Although the insect pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis is reasonably well understood, relatively little is known about other facets of this microorganism's physiology. At the time of sporulation, the organism produces in addition to the spore and toxic paraspore (crystal) an extracellular proteolytic enzyme. This study concerns the conditions for production, the.purification and the properties of this enzyme. It was found in studies relating to production of protease that B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (HD-1) produced a considerable quantity of the enzyme in a protease production medium (PPM). This medium contained 7 x 10⁻³ M CaCl₂, 5 x 10⁻⁴ of M MnCl₂ and 1 x 10⁻³ M MgCl₂ in nutrient broth. Manganese was required for enzyme synthesis and calcium was required for enzyme stability. Starting with a large volume of crude enzyme preparation obtained from the culture supernatant of B. thuringiensis grown in PPM, the enzyme was purified 97 x. The purification steps included Amicon ultrafiltration cell concentration, ammonium sulfate fractionation, and potato starch adsorption. Electrophoresis on SDS-polyacrylamide gels showed a single protein band at the last purification step. The enzyme had a pH optimum around pH 6.5-7.0 and was sensitive to metal chelating agents such as EDTA and O-phenanthroline. The molecular weight of the neutral protease has been estimated to be about 37,000 by electrophoresis in SDS-polyacrylamide gels. In the presence of 0.1% calcium acetate, the enzyme is quite stable at 60 C after 10 minutes incubation. It lacks esterase activity when tested against acetyl-tyrosine ethyl ester and benzoylarginine ethyl ester. All the above properties indicate the similarity of the Bacillus thuringiensis neutral protease to those produced by other members of the genus Bacillus as well as to the other microbial neutral proteases. / Master of Science

By way of introduction the thesis considers Norse whaling history, in general, concepts like 'whaling tradition', 'whaling culture', and describes the approach to the divers studies of cetaceans in Norse peasant fisherman economy and culture and of Norse whaling techniques, ca 900-1900 AD. It is argued that the Icelandic littoral and inshore regime reflects the primordial Norse regime in which property zones on land are 'mirrored' in the littoral and the sea; furthermore, that the Orcadian-Shetlandic Udal ebb limit is not Norse in origin. Norse mediaeval cetology and popular views about real and fictitious whales are studied. Many whales are identified, including the now extinct North Atlantic gray whale is positively identified as previously well-known to, and hunted by, the the Icelanders. It is argued that traditional Norse whale measures in 'ells' are not exaggerated extent measures but often exact appraisement sums, using a unit called *hvalsalin ('whale ell'). Few ritual aspects are found but in West Norway peasant fisherman apparently sustained, into the 19th century, -a tradition of sacrificing whale tails to the old Norse god Njörör. Mediaeval and early modern Norwegian whale traps are discussed and land rise suggested as one reason for their disappearance. A technical and linguistic analysis demonstrates that mediaeval Norse whaling with piercing weapons, rather than being hand harpoon tow whaling, was spear whaling which continued in Norway until 1870 and in Iceland to the mid 1890s. Spear whaling explains the elaborate Icelandic system of registrating whaling shot marks and partly the wide 'driftage zone' of coastal estates there. Spearing and arrowing caused clostridium infection in the whales which usually died in a matter of days after which some were recovered. It is also argued that gaffing of larger cetaceans constitutes a separate whaling method. The Appendix contains numerous calendars and sources in the original, including transcriptions of parts of the 'Icelandic fishlore' by Jon Ölafsson frä Grunnavik, 1737, and the whole treatise by Andreas Christie, 'Account of the whaling in Sotra district', West Norway, from 1785/86, all with tentative English translations and summaries.

This thesis arose from a need for a re-evaluation of opus Anglicanum, a somewhat discounted art form which was nevertheless central to the cultural output of medieval England. It is concerned with looking closely at a couple of important aspects. First, the available evidence is considered, with a view to exploring whether long-held assumptions about the subject can actually be substantiated; second, a detailed study of iconography is made, in an attempt to find an explanation for particular choices. Among the extant English medieval ecclesiastical embroideries the great copes, covering the period from c1270 to c1330, offer the most fruitful opportunities for study. Thus, the focus is on these for general concerns and for more particular issues four "narrative" copes have been examined in detail. Early assessment of the gamut of imagery disclosed certain striking features--the individuality and doctrinal exactitude of the various iconographic programmes, the singular absence of some central theological themes and the ubiquitous nature of the angelic presence among the representations--which indicated lines of enquiry and determined the parameters of study. In the course of laying out the evidence such primary sources as there are, are reviewed and assumptions regarding possible workshop practices and issues of patronage are examined. On the technical side, the manufacture of these precious embroideries is explored and the vexed question of who was responsible for the designs is considered. The findings reveal that, contrary to widely held opinion, the luxury copes were liturgical vestments, with a crucial role to play both within the service and the meaning of the High Mass itself The cherished belief that the twenty processional vestments which are known today represent a mere fraction of the original output is challenged and a diametrically opposed view is put forward - that what there is, is the greatest part of what there was.

Evolutionary theory has been proposed to provide an answer to the question of why some faces are perceived to be more attractive than others are. The first part of this thesis provides an introduction to an evolutionary approach to studying attractiveness (Chapter 1) and reviews sexual selection theory (Chapter 2) and how this theory has been applied to help understand human facial attractiveness (Chapter 3). The thesis focuses particularly on symmetry and secondary sexual characteristics in faces, two of the main factors that relate to attractiveness from an evolutionary perspective as they are both proposed to be associated with genetic benefits to the choosing individual. The empirical work in the first part of the thesis is consistent with both masculinity and symmetry in males reflecting adaptive selection for high quality mates. Facial masculinity was found to be associated with personality attributions that appear consistent with masculinity reflecting testosterone level in males. Masculinity was associated with some negative personality attributions and when controlling for such attributions masculinity in male faces was found to be of increased attractiveness (Chapter 4). Facial symmetry was found to be preferred in opposite-sex faces by both males and females when images were presented upright and less so when the images were inverted (Chapter 5). Symmetry was also found to be preferred in familiar faces and both this preference and preferences differing according orientation are consistent with the notion that symmetry preferences are an adaptation to identify high quality mates. The second part of this thesis presents views on the existence of individual differences in attractiveness judgements that are consistent with evolutionary theory. Evidence is reviewed regarding how individual differences in preference could be more adaptive than a single species wide strategy (Chapter 6). Chapters 7 and 8 present studies showing that preferences for sexual dimorphism and symmetry differ between women in ways that may have been adaptive over evolutionary time. Women who are attractive prefer higher levels of masculinity and symmetry than less attractive women (Chapter 7) and women judging for short-term relationships or women who already have current partners prefer more masculinity in male faces than those judging for long-term relationships or women who do not have a partner (Chapter 8). Chapter 9 again shows that individual differences in mate-choice do exist and can be consistent with evolutionary theory showing that individuals choose partners resembling their opposite-sex parent, a phenomenon that may reflect imprinting-like effects in humans. This thesis presents data that is consistent with the notion that sexual dimorphism and symmetry may advertise quality in human faces (Part 1) and data on several potentially adaptive individual differences in human face preferences (Part 2). Individuals can both agree, on average, on what is attractive and unattractive and yet still demonstrate variation in judgements. In this way beauty can be said to be both in the face of the beheld and in the eye of beholder.