The eosinophil is a leukocyte whose intracellular mediators are considered to play a central role in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases, including allergic asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis, and which is also involved in immunological responses to parasites. Eosinophil differentiation and maturation from bone marrow progenitors is regulated by interleukin-5 (IL-5), which may be secreted by T helper 2 (Th2) T lymphocytes, and is consistently upregulated in allergic conditions. Eotaxin is a potent chemoattractant for circulating and tissue eosinophils, and the production of this chemokine promotes eosinophil infiltration and accumulation within sites of allergic inflammation.¶ Eosinophils obtained from inflammatory tissues and secretions display an altered phenotype in comparison to peripheral blood eosinophils, with increased surface expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins and adhesion molecules (Hansel et al., 1991), and migration across the microvascular endothelium may also increase their capacity to generate an oxidative burst (Walker et al., 1993; Yamamoto et al., 2000). Eosinophils are phagocytic cells, and have been shown to present simple (no requirement for intracellular processing) and complex antigens to MHC-restricted, antigen-specific T lymphocytes (Del Pozo et al., 1992; Weller et al., 1993). Furthermore, eosinophils express the costimulatory molecules required for effective antigen presentation (Tamura et al., 1996), and ligation of costimulatory molecules on the eosinophil cell surface can induce the release of eosinophil derived cytokines (Woerly et al., 1999; Woerly et al., 2002). Therefore the eosinophil may also regulate immune responses.¶ To date, no studies have demonstrated the ability of eosinophils to modulate activated T lymphocyte function via presentation of relevant antigen in the context of MHC class II (MHC-II), concomitant with Th2 cytokine release. In the experiments described in this thesis, murine eosinophils have been observed to rapidly migrate to sites of antigen deposition within the airways mucosa of naïve mice, suggesting a potential role for this granulocyte in the primary response to inhaled antigen. However, human allergic diseases are often diagnosed after the establishment of allergic responses, and symptom development. Therefore, a murine model of allergic airways disease (AAD) was used to investigate the ability for eosinophils to participate as antigen presenting cells (APCs), and thereby modulate activated T lymphocyte function both in vitro and in vivo. Detailed histological analysis of the pulmonary draining lymph nodes following antigen challenge in sensitised mice revealed a rapid infiltration of eosinophils into this tissue, which preceded the accumulation of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). This suggested that eosinophils were preferentially translocating to the draining lymph nodes following antigen challenge, and that the subsequent accumulation of these cells in the BALF was a consequence of continued antigen delivery to the lower airways.¶ Eosinophil trafficking to lymphoid tissue via the afferent lymphatics was substantiated using electron microscopy of lymph node sections and the intravenous (i.v.) transfer of fluorescently labeled eosinophils, which did not traffic to lymph nodes via the blood. During the resolution of AAD, eosinophils were noted for their persistence in the pulmonary draining lymph nodes. These observations suggested a continued modulation of T cell function by lymph node dwelling eosinophils during AAD resolution, particularly in light of recent observations for draining lymph node T cell proliferation following instillation of antigen-pulsed eosinophils into the allergic mouse lung (Shi et al., 2000).¶ To further investigate the antigen presenting capacity, eosinophils were obtained from the BALF of mice with AAD, and their surface expression of MHC class II (MHC-II) proteins and costimulatory molecules confirmed using flow cytometric analysis. The ability to acquire and process complex antigen both in vitro and in vivo was also confirmed using naturally quenching fluorescenated ovalbumin (OVA), which is degraded into fluorescent peptides by the action of intracellular proteases. Thus, eosinophil expression of the surface molecules necessary for effective antigen presentation was confirmed, as was their ability to process complex antigen. Further investigations revealed that eosinophils can present complex OVA antigen to CD4+ T lymphocytes obtained from the allergic mouse, and to in vitro derived OVA-specific Th2 cells. In the presence of exogenous antigen, eosinophils co-cultured with T lymphocytes were able to induce Th2 cytokine production, and demonstrated an ability for eosinophils to modulate T lymphocyte function in vitro.¶ The ability for eosinophils to act as antigen presenting cells in vivo was also investigated. Eosinophils obtained from the antigen-saturated lungs of OVA sensitised and challenged mice were transferred to the peritoneal cavities of naïve host mice. When subsequently challenged with aerosolised OVA, eosinophil recipients developed a pulmonary eosinophilia similar to that of OVA sensitised and challenged mice. To validate this finding, the experimental procedure was altered to accommodate the use of non-allergy derived eosinophils, which were pulsed with OVA in vitro, prior to transfer into naïve recipients. When subsequently challenged with aerosolised OVA, eosinophil recipients developed a peripheral blood and pulmonary eosinophilia, and stimulation with OVA induced IL-5 and IL-13 cytokine production from pulmonary draining lymph node cells. Notably, the AAD induced by transfer of antigen pulsed eosinophils did not induce detectable OVA-specific IgG1, which may be attributed to the lack of soluble antigen required for B cell antibody production.¶ During the course of these investigations, an OVA T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic mouse (OT-II) was procured with a view to defining the interaction between eosinophils and activated T lymphocytes (Barnden et al., 1998). Despite having specificity for the OVA323-339 peptide, an immunodominant epitope that skews naïve T cell responses towards Th2 cytokine release (Janssen et al., 2000), T lymphocytes from the OT-II mouse preferentially secreted IFN-γ in response to stimulation with either OVA peptide or OVA. These mice were further characterised in a mouse model of AAD, and found to be refractory to disease induction and progression, which may be attributed to significant IFN-γ secretion by transgenic CD4+ T lymphocytes during antigen sensitisation. Indeed, these cells were noted for their ability to attenuate pulmonary eosinophilia when transferred to OVA sensitised and challenged wild type mice, although serum OVA-specific IgG1, peripheral blood eosinophilia levels and airways response to methacholine challenge remained intact.¶ Knowledge of the biased Th1 phenotype in naïve OT-II provided a unique opportunity to investigate the fate of T lymphocytes bearing high affinity OVA-specific TCRs following neonatal antigen exposure to soluble OVA. In a previous study, subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of soluble OVA to wild type neonatal mice was suspected to have deleted OVA-specific T cells from the T cell repertoire (Hogan et al., 1998a). Using flow cytometry and TCR specific antibody, the delivery of s.c. OVA to OT-II neonates did not alter transgenic T cell populations in adult mice. Instead, it was surprising to find a skewing towards the Th2 phenotype and loss of IFN-γ secretion following OVA sensitisation and challenge in adult mice. A mechanism for this reprogramming of the transgenic T cell from the Th1 to a Th2 phenotype following OT-II neonatal exposure to soluble OVA is proposed, and further experimentation may validate this hypothesis.¶ In conclusion, eosinophils residing in the allergic lung have the capacity to interact with activated T cells, both within this tissue and the draining lymph nodes. Despite their relative inefficiency as antigen presenting cells (Mawhorter et al., 1994), eosinophils may participate en masse in the serial triggering of activated TCRs, and provide appropriate costimulatory signals that modulate T lymphocyte function. Through the elaboration of Th2 cytokines and stimulation of T cell proliferation, antigen presenting eosinophils may transiently prolong or exacerbate the symptoms of allergic diseases. Alternatively, eosinophils presenting relevant antigens may inhibit T cell activity via degranulation, and such activity has recently been observed in a parasite model (Shinkai et al., 2002). Finally, experiments in the OT-II mouse have provided valuable information to suggest that therapies designed to modulate eosinophil numbers in allergic tissues through the secretion of opposing cytokines such as IFN-γ, may be of limited benefit. The results shown here suggest that airways dysfunction remains intact despite significantly reduced pulmonary eosinophilia

Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2006. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:34:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Samara_SNSM_DISSERT.pdf: 750288 bytes, checksum: 3776d7527173562e3fefa84752e21cb3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-29 / This study was conducted to evaluate the consumption and digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), total carbohydrates (TC), non-fiber carbohydrates (NFC) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in sheep fed hay moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam) obtained with four cutting ages (28, 35, 42 and 49 days). We used 20 females Morada Nova breed, with 20kg of live weight, distributed in a completely randomized design and maintained in metabolism cages. There was a negative linear effect of age of cutting on DM intake, with an estimated maximum consumption of 0.67 kg / day for the hay produced at 28 days of cutting. It was also observed linear behavior, with an estimated maximum consumption 172g/dia, 0.36 kg / day; 18g/dia, at 35, 42 and 49 days old, for CP, OM and EE, respectively. For NDF, quadratic effect was found with advancing maturity of the plant. The apparent digestibility of DM, CP, OM and TC linearly decreased with advancing age of cutting hay Moringa oleifera. It was concluded that the hay Moringa oleifera showed better nutritional value after 28 days of cutting / O presente trabalho foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar o consumo e as digestibilidades aparentes de mat?ria seca (MS), mat?ria org?nica (MO), prote?na bruta (PB), extrato et?reo (EE), carboidratos totais (CHOT), carboidratos n?o fibrosos (CNF) e fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) em ovinos alimentados com feno de moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam) obtido com quatro idades de corte (28, 35, 42 e 49 dias). Foram utilizadas 20 f?meas da ra?a Morada Nova, com 20 kg de peso vivo m?dio, distribu?das em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado e mantidas em gaiolas de metabolismo. Observouse efeito linear decrescente da idade de rebrota sobre o consumo de MS, estimando-se consumo m?ximo de 0,67 kg/dia para o feno elaborado aos 28 dias de corte. Tamb?m foi observada resposta linear decrescente, estimando-se consumos m?ximos de 172 g/dia; 0,36 kg/dia; 18 g/dia, aos 35; 42 e 49 dias de idade, para PB, MO e EE, respectivamente. Para FDN, encontrou-se efeito quadr?tico com o avan?o da maturidade da planta. As digestibilidades aparentes de MS, PB, MO e CHOT diminu?ram linearmente com o avan?o da idade de corte do feno de Moringa ole?fera. Concluiu-se que o feno de Moringa ole?fera apresentou melhor valor nutritivo aos 28 dias de corte

<p>U radu je ostvarena enantiodivergentna totalna sinteza oba enantiomera goniofufurona, 7-epi-goniofufurona i krasalaktona C polazeći iz D-glukoze. Ključne faze u sintezi 7-epi-(+)-goniofufurona bile su stereoselektivna adicija fenilmagnezijum bromida na aldehidnu grupu pogodno za&scaron;tićene dialdoze, i stereospecifično formiranje furano-laktonskog prstena ciklokondenzacijom odabranog hemiacetalnog derivata sa Meldrum-ovom kiselinom. Sinteza (+)-goniofufurona i (+)-krasalaktona C zahtevala je inverziju konfiguracije na C-5<br />u zajedničkom intermedijeru, koja je efikasno ostvarena u uslovima Mitsunobu-ove reakcije, ili alternativno oksidacijom benzilne hidroksilne grupe u prohiralni keton, uz naknadnu stereoselektivnu redukcijom sa borohidridom. Sličan pristup je zatim primenjen za sintezu neprirodnih (&minus;)-enantiomera goniofufurona, 7-epi-goniofufurona i krasalaktona C, dva nova konformaciono ograničena analoga (+)- i (&minus;)-goniofufurona (oksetani 36 i ent-36), kao i odgovarajućih 7-deoksigenovanih derivata (31 i ent-31). Takodje je razvijena i prva totalna sinteza prirodnog (+)-krasalaktona B (3) i alternativna sinteza (+)-krasalaktona C (4) polazeći iz D-glukoze. Selektivni pristup molekulima 3, odnosno 4 omogućen je promenom uslova za TBDPS deprotekciju u finalnom intermedijeru 53. Osnovna karakteristika pomenutih pristupa je njihova generalnost i fleksibilnost. Na taj način je omogućena sinteza serije analoga i derivata (+)-goniofufurona, ili 7-epi-goniofufurona, uključujući i do sada nepoznate 7-epi-(+)-krasalaktone B (6) i C (7), 5,7-di-O-cinamoil derivate 8 i 9, 5,7-di-O-izopropilidenske derivate 5 i 10, kao i vi&scaron;e lipofilnih derivata (jedinjenja 26, 30, 33, 65, ent-30 i ent-33). Konačno, u drugom delu rada, ispitan je uticaj sintetizovanih stiril-laktona na rast odabranih tumorskih ćelijskih linija in vitro.</p> / <p> Enantiodivergent total syntheses of both (+)- and (&minus;)-enantiomers of goniofufurone, 7-epi-goniofufurone and crassalactone C have been accomplished starting from D-glucose. The key steps of the synthe-sis of 7-epi-(+)-goniofufurone were a stereo-selective addition of&nbsp;<br /> phenyl magnesium bromide to a protected dialdose, followed by a stereospecific furano-lactone ring formation by condensation of a partially protected lactole with Meldrum&rsquo;s acid. The synthesis of (+)-goniofufurone and (+)-crassalactone C required a configurational inversion at C-5 in the common intermediate that was efficiently achieved under the standard Mitsunobu conditions, or alternatively through a sequential oxidation of the benzylic hydroxyl group followed by a stereo-selective reduction with borohydride. A similar approach was applied to the synthesis of the unnatural enantiomers of goniofufurone, 7-epi-goniofufurone and crassalactone C, two novel, conformationally constrained analogues of both (+)- and (&minus;)-goniofufurone (oxetanes 34 and ent-34). as well as the corresponding 7-deoxygenated derivatives (31 and ent-31). We have also developed the first total synthesis of (+)-crassalactone B (2) and an alternative synthesis of (+)-crassalactone C (3) starting from D-glucose. Finally, the synthesized styryl-lactones were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity against a panel of human tumor cell lines.</p>

The first aim of this thesis is to descriptively identify and chart the activities of the strategic intelligence and environmental scanning that take place at the regional collaboration network Regionförbundet Örebro. This identification is essential in reaching the comprehensive and primary aim of the thesis: to discuss, through normative discourse, what the options of improvement are and in which ways systematic operations can be integrating parts in the organization. In order to offer guidance of development from the perspectives of environmental scanning, the question at issue has emanated from activities concerning the present methods of working at Regionförbundet Örebro.During the creation of this thesis, several interviews have been made with people who are regarded to be key roles within the regional collaboration network. An analysis has been made, based on governing documents and answers from the interviews, where possible improvements of the business have been identified. The inferences become parts of a greater potential of amelioration since they are presented as active solutions and proposals that can be directly adaptable to the organization.Our proposals of improvements/ameliorations are constituted by a number of concrete/explicit points such as: a wider public information supply and an introduction of several annual routines and methods.

No description available.

Data mining has become a commonly used method for the analysis of organisational data, for purposes of summarizing data in useful ways and identifying non-trivial patterns and relationships in the data. Given the large volumes of data that are collected by business, government, non-government and scientific research organizations, a major challenge for data mining researchers and practitioners is how to select relevant data for analysis in sufficient quantities, in order to meet the objectives of a data mining task. This thesis addresses the problem of dataset selection for predictive data mining. Dataset selection was studied in the context of aggregate modeling for classification. The central argument of this thesis is that, for predictive data mining, it is possible to systematically select many dataset samples and employ different approaches (different from current practice) to feature selection, training dataset selection, and model construction. When a large amount of information in a large dataset is utilised in the modeling process, the resulting models will have a high level of predictive performance and should be more reliable. Aggregate classification models, also known as ensemble classifiers, have been shown to provide a high level of predictive accuracy on small datasets. Such models are known to achieve a reduction in the bias and variance components of the prediction error of a model. The research for this thesis was aimed at the design of aggregate models and the selection of training datasets from large amounts of available data. The objectives for the model design and dataset selection were to reduce the bias and variance components of the prediction error for the aggregate models. Design science research was adopted as the paradigm for the research. Large datasets obtained from the UCI KDD Archive were used in the experiments. Two classification algorithms: See5 for classification tree modeling and K-Nearest Neighbour, were used in the experiments. The two methods of aggregate modeling that were studied are One-Vs-All (OVA) and positive-Vs-negative (pVn) modeling. While OVA is an existing method that has been used for small datasets, pVn is a new method of aggregate modeling, proposed in this thesis. Methods for feature selection from large datasets, and methods for training dataset selection from large datasets, for OVA and pVn aggregate modeling, were studied. The experiments of feature selection revealed that the use of many samples, robust measures of correlation, and validation procedures result in the reliable selection of relevant features for classification. A new algorithm for feature subset search, based on the decision rule-based approach to heuristic search, was designed and the performance of this algorithm was compared to two existing algorithms for feature subset search. The experimental results revealed that the new algorithm makes better decisions for feature subset search. The information provided by a confusion matrix was used as a basis for the design of OVA and pVn base models which aren combined into one aggregate model. A new construct called a confusion graph was used in conjunction with new algorithms for the design of pVn base models. A new algorithm for combining base model predictions and resolving conflicting predictions was designed and implemented. Experiments to study the performance of the OVA and pVn aggregate models revealed the aggregate models provide a high level of predictive accuracy compared to single models. Finally, theoretical models to depict the relationships between the factors that influence feature selection and training dataset selection for aggregate models are proposed, based on the experimental results. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Computer Science / unrestricted