This study focuses on the computer laboratory class as a learning environment in university courses. It involved the development and validation of two instruments, the Computer Laboratory Environment Inventory (CLEI) and the Attitude towards Computing and Computing Courses Questionnaire (ACCC). The CLEI has five scales for measuring students' perceptions of aspects of their laboratory environment. These are Student Cohesiveness, Open-Endedness, Integration, Technology Adequacy and Laboratory Availability. The ACCC has four scales, Anxiety, Enjoyment, Usefulness of Computers and Usefulness of the Course. The instruments were administered at three universities, one in Australia, one in England and one in the United States. The classes surveyed included those in which the development of software was the focus of study, such as Information Systems and Computer Science, and others in which the computer was used as a tool. With the exception of Laboratory Availability, all the environment variables were found to correlate significantly with all attitudinal variables. The only environment variable with significant association with achievement was Student Cohesiveness. However, the results showed that there were significant associations between the attitudinal variables, Anxiety, Enjoyment and Usefulness of the Course and achievement. Regression analysis supported the findings that the environment variables made a significant contribution to the attitudinal variables, and these in turn made a significant contribution to achievement. Further analysis using structural equation modelling suggests that computer laboratory environment affects achievement indirectly by directly affecting students' attitudes towards computers but even more so their attitude towards the course.The significance of this study is, that it is one of the first that has investigated the effectiveness of ++ / computer laboratory classes in a university setting in which the computer is central to the discipline being studied. The results demonstrate the importance of the laboratory environment in those courses in which the computer plays a major role. The CLEI will prove useful in the design and implementation of the laboratory component of a course and in the formative evaluation of such a course.

Heart failure has a significant impact on mortality and morbidity. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the third most common cause of heart failure and the most common reason for heart transplantation. Familial DCM is known to be caused by mutations in the LMNA gene encoding lamins A and C. New methods to enhance cardiac contractility would be beneficial in the treatment or prevention of heart failure. The focus of this thesis was to evaluate the mechanisms of altered contractility in two mouse models: the LMNA knockout model (homozygous, Lmna-/-; heterozygous, Lmna+/-) generated by targeted deletion of the lmna gene, and the model of enhanced contractility due to cardiac alpha1A-adrenergic receptor (???1A-AR) overexpression (A1A1). Previous studies have found altered nuclear-desmin connections in lamin A/C deficient mice. It was proposed that these alterations result in ???defective force transmission???, which leads to DCM. Studies in this thesis have supported this hypothesis. Studies of isolated single cardiomyocytes from mice aged 4-6 weeks demonstrated abnormal cell morphology and contractile dysfunction in Lmna-/- cardiomyocytes, while Lmna+/- cells showed no overt phenotype. Excitation-contraction coupling experiments and forcecalcium studies in skinned fibers excluded altered calcium kinetics as a primary cause of DCM in this model, but there was evidence of reduced sarcomere numbers and reduced sarcomere lengths as a contributor to reduce force generation in Lmna-/- and Lmna+/- mice. Previous in vivo studies showed that A1A1 mice had enhanced contractility with the absence of hypertrophy. Studies on isolated single cardiomyocytes from A1A1 mice aged 8-12 weeks showed reduced contractility in the absence of ???1A-AR stimulation, but an exaggerated response to ???1A-AR stimulation. In contrast isolated isovolumic Langendorff perfused A1A1 hearts without ???1A-AR stimulation replicated the enhanced contractility observed in vivo. These studies are consistent with down-regulation of contractility due to the hyperactivity of the overexpressed ???1A-AR in vivo, which only becomes evident in isolated cells without ???1A-AR stimulation due to the loss of functional receptor numbers during isolation. Sufficient spontaneously active ???1A-ARs are preserved in the isolated Langendorff heart preparation to ensure maximum contractility driven by increase calcium release.

Contact Lens Acute Red Eye (CLARE) and Infiltrative Keratitis (IK) are inflammatory responses of the eye associated with extended wear of soft contact lenses. Bacterial colonization of contact lenses with Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important risk factor for the development of these adverse responses. Strategies that control the bacterial colonization of contact lenses may help prevent the occurrence of adverse responses. This thesis aimed to develop an animal model of CLARE/IK to test this hypothesis and to test the effectiveness of contact lenses containing antimicrobial compounds, namely silver and furanone compounds, in controlling corneal inflammation caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A guinea pig model of contact lens wear was developed for the study and it was observed that the ocular responses to contact lens wear in the guinea pig were similar to those seen in human eyes wearing contact lenses. Also, three different models for CLARE/IK were developed and tested in the guinea pig eye. The pathological features of CLARE/IK in the guinea pig were virtually identical to those observed in human eyes. Bacterial contamination of contact lenses was confirmed to be a major risk factor for the development of CLARE/IK. Contact lenses containing nano-particles of silver demonstrated very good antibacterial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in-vitro. The silver lenses were able to control the development of CLARE/IK responses in one of the models for CLARE/IK. Silver lenses might be most effective if used to prevent the establishment of a biofilm of bacteria on a lens such as might occur during storage in a contact lens case. Contact lenses were coated with different concentrations of the furanone compounds by physical adsorption and demonstrated good antibacterial activity at higher concentrations. However these concentrations were cytotoxic in-vitro and lower concentrations of furanones did not possess adequate antibacterial activity to control CLARE/IK responses in-vivo. This thesis has successfully demonstrated that guinea pigs can be used to test the effects of extended wear of contact lenses and developed models to test the pathogenesis of adverse responses such as CLARE/IK. The CLARE/IK models developed could be used to further our understanding of the pathogenesis of these inflammatory conditions and explore the activity of other antimicrobials.

From November 30th, 1981 to May 28th, 1982 I was employed at the Conservation Laboratory of The Australian Museum. I also completed a contract for Australia Post, under Sue Walston's supervision, for two weeks in July 1982 and worked on two private projects at Conservation Art and Library Services, Leichhardt. During my time at The Australian Museum preparation for the opening of a major gallery, "The Abelam - a people of Papua New Guinea" was concluded. A large proportion of my work at the Museum was related to this event. The Australian Museum places a high priority on environmental monitoring of storage areas and one of my duties was to participate in this monitoring programme. Shortly before the opening of the new gallery, flooding was discovered in two showcases in the Aboriginal Gallery affecting some sixty artefacts. The entire conservation staff was involved in emergency procedures, removing the objects to a stabilising environment until further work could be carried out. As the work load occasioned by the Abelam Gallery eased, I was placed in charge of the followup work on the flood-damaged artefacts. The contract with Australia Post was to prepare moulded fibre-glass backings for a collection of Aboriginal bark paintings. This plus my work at Conservation Art and Library Services, a private conservation laboratory, have provided interesting perspectives on the differences between the public and private sectors. Overall, my experience over the last nine months has been quite diverse, encompassing preventive, remedial and cosmetic conservation, practical and administrative work.

Unfractionated heparin (UFH) therapy is frequently used in tertiary paediatric healthcare facilities despite a lack of paediatric-specific research informing the optimal therapeutic intensity, monitoring recommendations or side-effect-profile in infants and children. As a result, the majority of clinical recommendations regarding UFH management in children have been extrapolated from adult evidence. The process of developmental haemostasis, in association with the variable pathogenesis of thromboembolic disease (TED) in children compared to adults, suggests that extrapolation of adult guidelines for UFH management to children is not ideal. / This study hypothesised that the process of developmental haemostasis would influence both the action and effect of UFH in children of different ages. This hypothesis was tested by addressing the following aims: 1. To determine the pharmacokinetics (PK) of UFH in children of different ages; 2. To compare the different methods of monitoring UFH in children of different ages; 3. To identify the impact of competitive plasma binding of UFH in children of different ages; 4. To determine the impact of UFH upon tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) release in children. / A prospective cohort study of children receiving a single bolus dose of UFH for primary thromboprophylaxis in the setting of cardiac angiography was conducted. Venous blood samples were collected prior to the UFH, then at 15, 30, 45 and 120 minutes post-UFH bolus. Laboratory assays performed included activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), anti-Xa assay, anti-IIa assay, thrombin clotting time (TCT), protamine titration and TFPI. Levels of two plasma proteins known to competitively bind UFH (vitronectin and platelet factor 4) were determined and the impact of competitive plasma binding upon UFH activity, as measured by the anti-Xa assay, was quantified. A population approach to pharmacokinetic analysis, based on protamine titration results, was performed using WinNonMix™ Professional 2.0.1 (®1998-2000 Pharsight Corporation, Mountain View, CA, USA). Results were analysed according to the following age-groups: less than one year; one to five years; six to ten years; 11-16 years. / Sixty-four children were recruited, ranging in age from six months to fifteen-and-ahalf years. The mean dose/Kg of UFH across the entire cohort was 90.9± 15.5 IU/Kg. / Pharmacokinetic model specifications were systematically assessed, investigating the impact of parameter covariates and different error models upon objective function value and/or curve fitting. A first-order kinetic model best fitted the data. This model used weight 0.75 as the covariate of clearance and total weight as the covariate for volume of distribution. Parameter estimates for clearance and volume of distribution both demonstrated variance from adult and small neonatal PK studies of UFH, however methodological differences in PK analysis techniques limited comparisons. The half-life of UFH reported in this study was consistently and significantly shorter than that previously reported for adults, but longer than that reported for neonates. / All measures of UFH-effect demonstrated a significant and prolonged increase post- UFH bolus. The mean APTT was 261 seconds 102 ± 25 minutes post-UFH, representing a seven-fold increase from the mean baseline APTT (38 seconds). Anti- Xa assay levels were within the therapeutic range for TED management (0.35 to 0.7 IU/mL), or greater, at every post-UFH bolus timepoint. This prolonged UFH-effect was evident to nearly two hours post-UFH bolus, without concurrent UFH infusion. Age-related differences in UFH-response were evident for anti-Xa, anti-IIa and protamine titration results. Furthermore, during periods of high UFH concentration, the ratio of anti-Xa to anti-IIa activity in children less than one year of age significantly favoured UFH-mediated anti-Xa effect over anti-IIa effect (1.9), compared to teenagers (1.3). / This study demonstrated poor correlation between protamine titration and both the anti-Xa assay (r2 = 0.47) and APTT (r2 = 0.56). Use of the anti-Xa assay (0.35 to 0.7 IU/mL) or protamine titration assay (0.2 to 0.4 IU/mL) to establish APTT-based reference ranges for therapeutic management of TED resulted in APTT ranges with upper limits greater than 250 seconds. / No age-related quantitative differences in plasma levels of vitronectin or platelet factor 4 were identified across the childhood years. The addition of dextran sulphate (DS) to ex vivo study samples demonstrated no change in anti-Xa activity in samples collected within 20 minutes of UFH bolus, however a significant increase in anti-Xa activity following the addition of DS was evident at all later timepoints post-UFH bolus. / The measurement of TFPI before and after a single bolus dose of UFH demonstrated children have a similar immediate increase in TFPI activity following intravenous UFH compared to adults. However, the children in this series demonstrated a significantly prolonged level of increased TFPI activity, out to 102 ± 25 minutes post-UFH, compared to that reported in adult patients. / This study has developed the first paediatric-specific PK profile of UFH and has elucidated a number of age-dependent UFH-mechanisms of action that contribute to the previously reported age-dependent response to UFH in children. The results of this study support the hypothesis that developmental haemostasis influences both the action and effect of UFH in children of different ages.

Contact between human beings and dogs may allow sharing of antimicrobial resistant and virulent bacteria. Objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of cross-species sharing of fecal E. coli based on pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) profile similarity, to compare antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and virulence factor patterns between dog-owner pairs, and to analyze the epidemiology of cross-species sharing using a questionnaire. A cross-sectional study comparing fecal E. coli isolates from dogs and their owners was conducted. A questionnaire and fecal sample was collected from 61 dogowner pairs and 30 controls. Three E. coli colonies were isolated from each participant and confirmed biochemically. Antimicrobial susceptibility of each isolate was determined via disc diffusion for 17 antimicrobial agents routinely monitored by the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System. PFGE profiles were used to establish relatedness among bacterial isolates. A multiplex PCR was developed to determine presence or absence of 4 urovirulence factor genes: cnf, hlyD, sfa, and papGIII. The questionnaire asked about medical history, antimicrobial therapy, hygiene, and relationship with dog. A wide array of PFGE profiles was observed in E. coli isolates from all participants. Within-household sharing occurred with 9.8% prevalence, and acrosshousehold sharing occurred with 0.26% prevalence. No specific behaviors were associated with increased clonal sharing between dog and owner. No differences were found in susceptibility results or virulence factor patterns between dog-owner pairs. Control isolates were more resistant than canine isolates, and human beings carried more multiple-drug resistant E. coli than dogs. Isolates from owners who did not wash their hands after petting their dogs had increased resistance to ampicillin. An association was found in women between history of UTI and presence of each virulence factor in their dog’s fecal E. coli. Antimicrobial resistance was associated with reduction of virulence factors. Within-household sharing of E. coli occurred more commonly than acrosshousehold sharing, but both direct contact and environmental reservoirs may be important routes for cross-species sharing of bacteria and genes for resistance and virulence. Cross-species bacterial sharing is a potential public health concern, and good hygiene is recommended.

The estimation of time of death (TOD) can be used to aid law enforcement officers in solving criminal cases involving a death. By determining the period from the TOD until the time the body is discovered, forensic investigators can potentially link or rule out a suspect. A great amount of research has been conducted for the purpose of establishing a reliable and accurate means of estimating TOD in humans. In contrast, most animal studies have centered on techniques that might be applied to human forensic cases or to aid wildlife officers in prosecuting criminals who violate conservation laws. However, little research has been conducted concerning the estimation of TOD in companion animals, especially canines. Estimating TOD in companion animals can aid investigators in solving animal abuse cases involving the death of a pet and/or the murder of an owner that coincides with the death of the pet. The objectives of this study are to take selected TOD measures and apply them for the purpose of expanding the current scientific knowledge concerning TOD determination in canines. Such information should be useful in animal cruelty/abuse investigations by providing a practical and inexpensive quantitative methodology of estimating TOD, maximize the probability that investigators with limited experience will collect useful data, and aid in teaching animal cruelty/abuse investigators proper forensic techniques for handling and collecting data in the field. The measures chosen for this study include postmortem temperature declines in the brain, liver, rectum, and external ear canal and analysis of changes in the concentration of vitreous humor potassium after death. Recording data for these measures are relatively easy, inexpensive, and have been shown in many studies to be the least controversial and most accurate means for estimating TOD. This study documented that body temperature declines measured in the rectum, liver, brain, and external ear canal can be documented using relatively inexpensive and readily available instruments. Further, this study confirms the work of others that changes in K+ concentration in the vitreous humor of the eye is a reliable measure for use in estimation of TOD in dogs. Keywords: Estimation of time of death; Forensics; Canines; Core body temperature; Vitreous humor; Potassium

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Walter Salinger; submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-86).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2006. / Title from PDF title page screen. Advisor: Walter Salinger; submitted to the Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references (p. 76-86).

Internal solitary waves (ISW) have been detected on the interface of a stratified water column in the ocean. It is believed that ISW could affect oil drilling operations, nutrient pumping, and acoustic signal obstruction. In the ocean, the thickness of a pycnocline is finite which differs with the theoretical assumption as being a thin layer. This thesis reports the effect of an ISW propagation in various pycnocline thicknesses. Laboratory experiments were conducted in an internal wave flume (0.5¡Ñ0.7¡Ñ12m) at the National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ISW in depression or elevation type were generaled using a stratified two-layer fresh/brine water system with a total depth of 50 cm in the flume. Upon creating an ISW propagating on a flat bed or over a triangular obstacle later, several physical parameters of the ISW (i.e. wave amplitude, phase speed, characteristic wave length, and wave energy) were measured or calculated for different thicknesses of the pycnocline. The major controlling factors in the experiments included the depth ratio of the upper to lower layer H1/H2, interface displacement £b0 between the wave generating chamber and the main flume, and the thickness of the pycnocline. The thickness of the pycnocline was estimated from the result of density profile in the vertical direction in the flume, experiments under the same H1/H2 and £b was terminated when the pycnocline thickness became large enough. As the thickness of the pycnoline increased, the values of all the physical parameters (including wave amplitude, phase speed, and wave energy) under consideration decreased. Their reduction rates were more significant in the case of small interface displacement (£b0=10cm) than that with large £b0=15cm. On the other hand, the changes in the physical variables associated with a depression ISW were more significant than those in an elevation ISW.