No description available.

Graduation date: 1972

The cortex of vertebrate adrenal glands secretes two major groups of hormones--glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. Glucocorticoids, which have an oxygen atom at carbon number 11, increase the rate of gluconeogenesis and increase the mobilization of lipids in mammals (Turner and Bagnara 1971). At the same time there is a decrease in protein synthesis. This latter effect may be homologous to a decrease in fibroblast growth in culture in the presence of certain corticosteroids (Ruhmann and Berliner 1965). The main function of mineralocorticoids, on the other hand, is to retain sodium ions. They have little or no gluconeogenic activity. Interestingly, however, these hormones also have been found to depress growth of mouse fibroblasts (Berliner and Ruhmann 1966). Although glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids function through the mediation of DNA-dependent synthesis of RNA (Pan, Chin and Pai 1971) and several enzyme systems have been implicated in bringing about these responses (Talanti and Hopsu 1961, Fallon and Byrne 1967, and Turner and Bagnara 1971), the precise mechanism of action is still not well understood.

In this investigation, the possibility of producing injection molded shotgun shells was explored. Also, the molding cycle and the effect of molding conditions on the mechanical properties of molded parts were investigated. The polymer obtained from a commercial brand of shotgun shells was analyzed using infrared spectroscopy and differential thermal analysis. The results from the analyses revealed that polyethylene was the main component used in the manufacture of commercial shotgun shells. An injection mold with automatic ejector mechanism was designed. Before attempting to construct the mold a computer simulation was developed to predict if the "most difficult to fill" cavity, i.e., the shotgun shell cavity, could be completely filled with the injection molding equipment at hand. The simulation predicted the axial distance filled in the shotgun shell cavity within 1%. The injection molder used in this investigation was interfaced with a PDP 8/e minicomputer; as a result the pressure and temperature of the polymer in the mold were monitored and the minimum molding cycle could be determined. Tensile, compressive and bursting strength tests were performed on injection molded specimens of polyethylene and the commercial polymer. From these tests it was established that for a molding cycle in which the plunger is kept forward until the mold is opened and "steady-state" cycle conditions have been established, the tensile modulus and tensile strength at yield increase as injection pressure and/or temperature are decreased; the opposite was true for the same properties measured in compression. Finally, polyethylene was compounded with additives to improve its mechanical properties. / Master of Science

LD2668 .T4 1942 E3 / Master of Science

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1958 M88

BACKGROUND: Dampness and mould exposure have been repeatedly associated with respiratory health. However, less is known about the specific agents provoking or arresting health effects in adult populations. We aimed to assess predictors of microbial agents in mattress dust throughout Europe and to investigate associations between microbial exposures, home characteristics and respiratory health. METHODS: Seven different fungal and bacterial parameters were assessed in mattress dust from 956 adult ECRHS II participants in addition to interview based home characteristics. Associations between microbial parameters and the asthma score and lung function were examined using mixed negative binomial regression and linear mixed models, respectively. RESULTS: Indoor dampness and pet keeping were significant predictors for higher microbial agent concentrations in mattress dust. Current mould and condensation in the bedroom were significantly associated with lung function decline and current mould at home was positively associated with the asthma score. Higher concentrations of muramic acid were associated with higher mean ratios of the asthma score (aMR 1.37, 95%CI 1.17-1.61). There was no evidence for any association between fungal and bacterial components and lung function. CONCLUSION: Indoor dampness was associated with microbial levels in mattress dust which in turn was positively associated with asthma symptoms.

No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2007. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vii, 34 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.