Broomrapes, <i>Orobanche</i> spp., are holoparasites that affect the growth of a variety of broadleaf crops. One of the distinct characteristics of the family Orobanchaceae is the lack of chlorophyll, and hence inability to synthesize their own food. Broomrapes subsist on the roots of the host plant from which they derive the carbon, water, and nutrients needed for further growth. Parasitism as such leads to yield reductions, and in case of heavy infestations, complete crop failure. Among other plants parasitized by broomrapes are several legumes, some of which are also the world's most economically important crops. As part of their unique biology, legumes provide an ecological niche for diazotropic soil bacteria, which belong to the family Rhizobiaceae. In return, the host plant receives fixed nitrogen from the nodules, specialized structures produced on the roots of most legume plants upon inoculation with bacteria. <i>Orobanche</i> spp. germination depends on the presence of chemical stimulant in host root exudates. It has been reported that inoculation of some legumes resulted in greater infestation by parasitic weeds. In addition, bacterial nodules were assumed to provide a place for broomrape invasion of host legume. Furthermore, infestations were observed to be more intense in aerobic conditions when rhizobia are most active. It is possible that production of the stimulant could be correlated with the infection of roots with <i>Rhizobium</i>, and that the nodules formed on the roots could play a role in broomrape parasitism; however, others have not confirmed this. Studies were conducted to investigate the possibility of interaction between <i>Orobanche</i> spp. attack and <i>Rhizobium</i> nodulation in legumes. Seed germination, number of parasitic attachments, as well as the morphology of two broomrape species, small broomrape (<i>Orobanche minor</i> Sm.) and Egyptian broomrape (<i>Orobanche aegyptiaca</i> Pers.), were studied. <i>O. minor</i> showed a greater percent seed germination, and formed a greater number of attachments on red clover (<i>Trifolium pratense</i> L.) inoculated with <i>Rhizobium leguminosarum</i> bv. <i>trifolii</i> in comparison with non-inoculated plants. However, the addition of the inoculum did not appear to enhance <i>O. aegyptiaca</i> seed germination or the number of its attachments on the host roots compared with the controls. Morphological observations of <i>O. minor</i> attachments on red clover suggest that parasitic attachments were not situated over the bacterial nodules, but perhaps involve parasite-induced enzymatic degradation followed by mechanical protrusion of host plant root cortex, possibly utilizing host plant-rhizobacteria interactions as well. / Master of Science

<i>Sclerotinia minor</i> Jagger is a fungal pathogen of cultivated peanut (<i>Arachis hypogaea</i> L.) that can cause crop losses in excess of 50%. Fungicides are not completely effective at controlling the disease and can cost up to $311 per hectare for three applications. The ability to produce oxalic acid is necessary for the pathogenicity of some <i>Sclerotinia</i> spp. With little to no naturally occurring resistance to Sclerotinia blight in <i>Arachis</i> spp., a biotechnological approach was used to confer resistance to the disease. Peanut plants were transformed with a gene from barley encoding oxalate oxidase, an enzyme that degrades oxalic acid. Transformed peanuts showed resistance to S. minor and increased yields under disease pressure compared to the parental lines. Before the resistant varieties can be marketed, they must be reviewed and approved by the governmental regulatory system. Responsibility for regulation of transgenic plants in the U.S. is shared among the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These agencies require several different data sets including molecular characterization and field studies before each transformation event can be commercialized. This project was designed to characterize three different transformation events, N70, P39 and W171. Molecular characterization included determination of insertion number, copy number, intactness of the expression cassette and stable inheritance of the transgene. N70 was found to have two insertions and two copies while W171 had one insertion with one copy. The P39 event has two insertions and two or more copies. Each of the three events was stable over multiple generations. Phenotypic comparisons of each transgenic line to the parent cultivar were carried out in field studies. Characteristics such as oxalate oxidase expression, yield and quality, hay quality, disease occurrence, aflatoxin content and plant height were assessed. Transgenic peanuts showed few differences from the parent cultivar other than resistance to Sclerotinia blight and yield under disease pressure. Outcrossing studies were completed to determine the rate and distance of cross pollination. Outcrossing rates in N70, P39 and W171 were less than 2.5% and occurred up to 19 rows or 17.4 m from the nearest transgenic row. The molecular characterization and field performance of N70, P39 and W171 have been assembled into a document to petition APHIS for determination of non-regulated status. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

No / The pyrrolobenzodiazepine monomer DRH-417 is a member of the anthramycin group of anti-tumor antibiotics that bind covalently to the N2 of guanine within the minor groove of DNA. DRH-417 emerged from the EORTC-Drug Discovery Committee and NCI 60 cell line in vitro screening programs as a potent antiproliferative agent with differential sensitivity towards certain cancer types such as melanoma, breast and renal cell carcinoma (mean IC(50) = 3 nM). DRH-417 was therefore tested for in vivo activity. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was established as 0.5 mg/kg given i.p. Marked anti-tumor activity was seen in two human renal cell cancers, one breast cancer and a murine colon tumor model (p<0.01). A selective HPLC (LC/MS) analytical method was developed and plasma pharmacokinetics determined. At a dose of 0.5 mg kg(-1), the plasma AUC was 540 nM h (197.1 ng h ml(-1)) and the peak plasma concentration (171 nM [62.4 ng ml(-1)]) occurred at 30 min., reaching doses levels well above those needed for in vitro antiproliferative activity. Genomic profiling of in vivo sensitive tumors revealed that the latter have an activated insulin-like growth factor signaling pathway.

Yes / Background: There are a number of limitations to the present primary eye care system in the UK. Patients with minor eye conditions typically either have to present to their local hospital or GP, or face a charge when visiting eye care professionals (optometrists). Some areas of the UK have commissioned enhanced community services to alleviate this problem; however, many areas have not. The present study is a needs assessment of three areas (Leeds, Airedale and Bradford) without a Minor Eye Conditions Service (MECS), with the aim of determining whether such a service is clinically or economically viable. Method: A pro forma was developed for optometrists and practice staff to complete when a patient presented whose reason for attending was due to symptoms indicative of a problem that could not be optically corrected. This form captured the reason for visit, whether the patient was seen, the consultation funding, the outcome and where the patient would have presented to if the optometrists could not have seen them. Optometrists were invited to participate via Local Optical Committees. Results were submitted via a Google form or a Microsoft Excel document and were analysed in Microsoft Excel. Results: Seventy-five percent of patients were managed in optometric practice. Nine and 16% of patients required subsequent referral to their General Practitioner or hospital ophthalmology department, respectively. Should they not have been seen, 34% of patients would have presented to accident and emergency departments and 59% to their general practitioner. 53% of patients paid privately for the optometrist appointment, 28% of patients received a free examination either through use of General Ophthalmic Service sight tests (9%) or optometrist good will (19%) and 19% of patients did not receive a consultation and were redirected to other providers (e.g. pharmacy, accident and emergency or General Practitioner). 88% of patients were satisfied with the level of service. Cost-analyses revealed a theoretical cost saving of £3198 to the NHS across our sample for the study period, indicating cost effectiveness. Conclusions: This assessment demonstrates that a minor eye condition service in the local areas would be economically and clinically viable and well received by patients.

My thesis offers a comparison of the Minor Prophets commentaries of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Cyril of Alexandria, isolating the role each assigns (1) the Twelve Prophets in their ministry to Old Testament Israel and (2) the texts of the Twelve as Christian scripture. While the two produce radically different commentaries in terms of quantity and detail of christological interpretation, the source of their divergence cannot be reduced to Cyril's admitting messianic prophecy whereas Theodore does not. Rather, I argue that Theodore does acknowledge christological prophecies, as distinct from both retrospective accommodation and typology. Further, a careful reading of Cyril's Commentary on the Twelve limits the prospective christological revelation he ascribes to the prophets and reveals the positive role he grants the Mosaic law prior to Christ's advent. My thesis secondly explores the Christian significance both Theodore and Cyril assign to Israel's exile and restoration, the pivotal event to which the Twelve bear witness. I here argue that Theodore's reading of the Twelve Prophets, while not attempting to be christocentric, is nevertheless self-consciously Christian. Cyril, unsurprisingly, offers a robust Christian reading of the Twelve, yet this too must be expanded by his focus on the church and concern to equip the church through the ethical paideusis provided by the plain sense of the prophetic text. Revised descriptions of each interpreter lead to the claim that the label “christocentric” obscures more than it clarifies and polarizes no less than earlier accounts of Antiochene/Alexandrian exegesis. I advocate rather for an approach that takes seriously Theodore's positive account of the unity and telos of the divine economy and the full range of Cyril's interpretation, in order to move beyond a zero-sum assessment and offer instead a positive account that appreciates the strengths of each Christian reading of the Twelve.

In the immediate post-independence period, forms of state-sponsored Irish nationalism were pre-occupied with exclusive cultural markers based on the Irish language, mythology and folk traditions. Because of this, a postcolonial examination of how such nationalist forms of identity were fetishised is necessary in order to critique the continuing process of decolonization in Ireland. This dissertation investigates Brian O’Nolan’s engagement with dominant colonial and nationalist literary discourses in his fiction and journalism. Deleuze and Guattari define a ‘minor’ writer’s role as one which deterritorializes major languages in order to negotiate textual spaces which question the assumptions of dominant groups. Considering this concept has been applied to postcolonial studies due to the theorists’ linguistic and political concerns, this dissertation explores the ‘minor’ literary practice of Brian O’Nolan’s authorial personae and writing techniques. Through the employment of Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the deterritorialization of language alongside Walter Benjamin’s models of the flâneur and translation, and Claude Lévi-Strauss’s concept of bricolage, this thesis examines the complex forms of postcolonial narrative agency and discursive political resistance in O’Nolan’s work. While O’Nolan is often read in biographical terms or within the frameworks of literary modernism and postmodernism, this thesis aims to demonstrate the politically ambivalent nature of his writing through his creation of liminal authorial selves and heterogeneous narrative forms. As a bi-lingual author, O’Nolan is linguistically ‘in-between’ languages and, because of this, he deterritorializes both historical and literary associations of the Irish and English languages to produce parodic and comic versions of national and linguistic identity. His satiric novel An Béal Bocht exposes, through his use of an array of materials, how Irish folk and peasant culture have been fetishized within colonial and nationalist frameworks. In order to avoid such restricting forms of identity, O’Nolan positions his own authorial self within a multitude of pseudonyms which refuse a clear, assimilable subjectivity and political position. Because of this, O’Nolan’s authorial voice in his journalism is read as an allusive flâneur figure. Equally, O’Nolan deterritorializes Irish mythology in At Swim-Two-Birds as a form of palimpsestic translation and rhizomatic re-mapping of a number of literary traditions which reflect the Irish nation while in The Third Policeman O’Nolan deconstructs notions of empirical subjectivity and academic and scientific epistemological knowledge. This results in an infinite form of fantastical writing which exposes the limited codes of Irish national culture and identity without reterritorializing such identities. Because O’Nolan’s ‘minor’ literary challenge is reflective of the on-going crisis of Ireland’s incomplete decolonization, this thesis employs the concept of ‘minor’ literature to read Ireland’s historical past and contemporary modernity through O’Nolan’s multi-voiced and layered narratives.

To summarize in general the use of modes by Vaughan Williams, it could be said that the works that have been analyzed are characterized by frequent use of the traditional modes, but in a very free manner. The "Kyrie" of the Mass, "Pretty Bess," "Jolly Rutterkin" and Te Deum are confined somewhat closely to given modes, with some changes of mode, changes of tonality and use of altered chords. The "Gloria," "Credo," "Sanctus," "Osanna I," "Benedictus," "Osanna II" and "Agnus Dei" of the Mass, however, contain many striking chromaticisms. These chromaticisms are the result of use of many altered chords, a good deal of modulation and much combining of modes, often with startling cross-relations. The use of seventh chords in "Pretty Bess," "Jolly Rutterkin" and Te Deum further complicates the picture from that of the sixteenth century.

Master of Music / Department of Music / Slawomir P. Dobrzanski / The following report analyzes compositions performed at the author’s Master’s Piano Recital on March 15, 2012. The discussed pieces are Johann Sebastian Bach’s Toccata in G major, BWV 916; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata in E flat major, op. 31, no. 3; Frederic Chopin’s Ballade in F minor, op. 52; Leoš Janáček’s In The Mists: I. Andante, III. Andantino; and Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata in A minor, op. 28. The author approaches the study from the historical, theoretical, stylistic and pedagogical perspectives.

Par l’écriture, Toni Morrison cherche à rendre leurs voix à ceux qui ont été interdits de mots. Auteure engagée, elle veut redonner à la minorité noire sa place centrale dans l’Histoire des États-Unis. Elle propose ainsi une ré-écriture de l’Histoire au travers de sa trilogie historique, composée de Beloved, Jazz et Paradise, ré-écriture déjà en germe dans son second roman, Sula. À travers l’étude de ces quatre romans, cette thèse se propose de mettre au jour la généalogie de l’indicible dans l’œuvre de Toni Morrison, mais aussi d’analyser le lien dynamique entre minoration et écriture chez cette auteure qui revendique son statut de romancière noire américaine. Les femmes occupent une place centrale dans notre corpus car, à la minoration raciale qui relègue déjà les Africains-Américains en marge de la société américaine, s’ajoute pour les femmes noires la minoration sexuelle qui les réduit à un corps-objet. Mais chez Toni Morrison, cette double minoration, et la fragmentation qu’elle entraîne, deviennent des lignes de fuite, au sens deleuzien du terme, qui (dé-)structurent son écriture. La minoration ne s’entend alors plus comme soustraction, mais comme création. Toni Morrison trace ainsi dans ses textes des lignes de fuite créatrices qui s’échappent du cadre de la page vers un en-dehors du langage où se dit le désir de résister et de survivre du mineur. / Toni Morrison’s writing aims at giving their voices back to those who were deprived of words. As a committed writer, Toni Morrison wants to highlight the central role of the black minority in the History of the United States. She then offers a new version of History as she rewrites it through her historical trilogy comprising her novels Beloved, Jazz and Paradise, to which can be added her second novel, Sula, where the seeds of the rewriting of History can already be found. Through the analysis of these four novels, the objective of this doctoral thesis is to excavate the genealogy of the unspeakable in Toni Morrison’s work, and to analyze the dynamic relationship between minoration and writing for an author who’s « insisted – insisted ! – upon being called a black woman novelist. » Women play a central part in the four novels we are studying because, to the racial minoration that already marginalizes African-Americans in the American society must be added for black women the sexual minoration which turns them into a mere body-object. But this double minoration, and the fragmentation it leads to, become in Toni Morrison’s work “lines of flight”, according to Gilles Deleuze’s terminology, which (de-)construct her writing. Minoration is therefore no longer to be understood as subtraction but as creation. Thus, Toni Morrison draws in her texts the lines of flight of creation which leak out of the page towards the outside of language where one can hear the desire for resistance and survival of the minor.

This Master thesis has been performed at CTD- the Centre for Wood Technology and Design at the University of Linköping and has been carried out in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia. The objective of this thesis is to study the mechanical properties and uses of Guadua chacoensis, a bamboo native to Bolivia. Throughout history, bamboo has been used in many countries for a variety of purposes. In Asia bamboo is an important raw-material for buildings and furniture. It is also used for making paper and for land rehabilitation and fuel. In South America many countries, among them Bolivia, have great potential to use bamboo in the same way. One of the key ideas with this Master thesis is to make a contribution to support the Bolivian economy and welfare by elucidate this, hitherto undeveloped, natural resource. This thesis is a Minor field study partly financed by Sida- the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. During the field study theoretical studies were made, collecting local and international information about bamboo and Guadua chacoensis in particular. Laboratory tests were prepared and conducted at UPSA- the Private University of Santa Cruz de la Sierra and several localities of the plant were visited. Through tensile-, bending- and hardness test it is found that Guadua chacoensis is a flexible, medium soft material and is comparable with European oak when it comes to the tensile strength. This leads to the conclusion that this bamboo species, among other fields of applications, can be used for constructions, like houses and bridges, and furniture manufacturing. / Diese Diplomarbeit wurde durch das CTD- Zentrum für Holztechnik und Design an der Universität Linköping betreut und in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivien durchgeführt. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es die mechanische Beanspruchung und die Anwendungen von Guadua chacoensis , einer bolivischen Bambusart, zu untersuchen. Bambus wurde in der Vergangenheit in vielen Ländern für die unterschiedlichsten Anwendungen wie zum Beispiel Häuser, Werkzeug, Möbel, Lebensmittel, Treibstoff und Papier verwendet. In meisten asiatischen Ländern ist Bambus ein wichtiger Rohstoff für kleine und mittlere Unternehmen. Damit werden Arbeitsplätze geschaffen, was der Bevölkerung hilft die Armutsgrenze zu überwinden. Auch in Lateinamerika haben viele Länder, wie zum Beispiel Bolivien, die Chance Bambus in der gleichen Weise zu nutzen. Ein zentraler Gedanke dieser Arbeit ist es daher eine Grundlage für die bolivische Wirtschaft zu schaffen damit dieser bislang kaum entwickelte Rohstoff genutzt werden kann. Diese Arbeit wurde von Sida- der Schwedischen Internationalen Entwicklungsorganisation, teilweise finanziell unterstützt. Im Rahmen der durchgeführten Studie wurden sowohl theoretische Aspekte betrachtet, als auch Versuche im Labor der privaten Universität von Santa Cruz de la Sierra durchgeführt. Des Weiteren wurden verschiedene Arten des Bambus in der Natur untersucht. Biege- Streck- und Festigkeitsversuche haben gezeigt, dass Guadua chacoensis ein flexibles und weiches Material ist. Von den Streckeigenschaften ist es mit europäischer Eiche zu vergleichen. Diese Ergebnisse führen zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass Guadua chacoensis für die Konstruktion von Häusern und Brücken, für die Herstellung von Möbeln und andere ähnliche Anwendungen eingesetzt werden kann. / Esta tesis ha sido realizada en el Centro de Ciencia de Madera y Diseño- CTD de la Universidad de Linköping y ha sido llevada a cabo en la ciudad de Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. El objetivo de la tesis es estudiar los propiedades mecánicas y usos de la Guadua chacoensis, un bambú nativo de Bolivia. A lo largo de la historia, el bambú ha sido utilizado en muchas localidades del mundo en distintas aplicaciones, vale mencionar: viviendas, herramientas, muebles, alimentos, combustible, papel y para rehabilitación de la tierra. En casi todos los países Asiáticos el bambú es un recurso importante para empresas de tamaño pequeño y mediano, proporcionando empleo y contrarrestando la pobreza. En América Latina muchos países, incluyendo Bolivia, tienen potencial para aprovechar el bambú del mismo modo. Una de las ideas más importantes de la tesis es hacer una contribución para apoyar a la economía de Bolivia, la cual, hasta ahora, ha desarrollado muy poco este recurso natural. La tesis es un Minor field study parcialmente financiado por Asdi- la Agencia Sueca de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo. Durante el Minor field study estudios teóricos fueron realizados, acumulando información nacional e internacional sobre bambú y Guadua chacoensis en particular. Para examinar los propiedades mecánicos de la Guadua chacoensis, pruebas de laboratorio fueron preparadas y efectuadas en la Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Asimismo, muchas áreas con bosques naturales donde crece la especie fueron visitadas. A través de pruebas de laboratorio de tracción, flexión y dureza ha sido demostrado que la Guadua chacoensis es un material flexible y de dureza media, comparable con el roble europeo cuando se trata de la fuerza de tracción. Eso tiene como resultado que la Guadua chacoensis, entre otros campos de aplicación, puede ser usada para construcciones, como casas y puentes, y para la manufacturación de muebles. / Detta examensarbetete har gjorts vid CTD- Centrum för Träteknik och Design vid Linköpings universitet och har utförts i Santa Cruz de la Sierra i Bolivia. Syftet med detta examensarbete är att studera de mekaniska egenskaperna och användningsområden för Guadua chacoensis, en boliviansk bambuart. Genom historien har bambu använts i en mängd olika applikationer såsom hus, verktyg, möbler, mat, bränsle, papper och land-rehabilitering. I de flesta asiatiska länder är bambu en viktig resurs för små- och medelstora företag vilket skapar arbetstillfällen och motverkar fattigdom. I Sydamerika finns många länder, däribland Bolivia, vilka har stora möjligheter att utnyttja bambu på samma sätt. En av huvudidéerna med detta examensarbete är att kunna gynna den bolivianska välfärden genom att belysa denna, hittills outvecklade naturresurs. Detta examensarbete är en Minor field study, delvis finansierad av Sida, styrelsen för internationellt utvecklingssamarbete. Under fältarbetet genomfördes teoretiska studier då internationell och inhemsk information om bambu, speciellt om Guadua chacoensis, samlades in. Olika områden där arten växer besöktes och hållfasthetstekniska tester genomfördes vid UPSA- Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra. Genom drag-, böj- och hårdhetsprovning har det påvisats att Guadua chacoensis är ett böjligt och medelhårt material med en draghållfasthet som är jämförbar med den för Europeisk ek. Detta gör att denna bambuart lämpar sig bland annat för konstruktioner, såsom hus och broar, samt möbeltillverkning.