This study attempts to show why the national origins system became increasingly suspect, how the goals of the reformers grew from proposals for minor changes to a demand that the formula itself be abolished, and how the leadership of President Truman and the studies of the special commission helped to focus attention on the issue, unify the reformers, and shape the course of political agitation and education throughout the 1950's.

The ability of various subsets of human mononuclear cells to produce human lymphotoxin (LT) was examined. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were seperated into OKT4+. OKT8+ and Leu-lla+ subpopulations by flow cytometry.

<p>Yung-ming Yen-shou (904-975) was a Buddhist monk who lived in a period of broad changes in Chinese society and Buddhism. He played a leading role in the restoration of Buddhism in the Wu Yüeh kingdom, and left a large body of writings. One of his best known works, the Wan-shan t'ung-kuei chi, has long been cherished by the tradition for its advocacy of harmony between Ch'an meditation and Pure Land practice. The dissertation questions the association of Yen-shou and his Treatise on the Common End of Myriad Good Deeds with the motives of the Pure land school from two points of view. In the history of the numerous biographies of Yen-shou, the association of his image with the Pure Land movement is relatively late. An investigation of the Wanshan t'ung-kuei chi demonstrates that the synthesis of Ch'an meditation and Pure Land practice is a topic of discussion, but is by no means the central concern of the text from either a theoretical or pracical standpoint. The dissertation contends that Yen-shou's Ch'an-Pure Land synthesis should be understood within the context of the Wan-shan t'ung-kuei chi as a whole. A translation of elect passages of the Wan-shan t'ung-kuei chi are included by way of confirming the reassessment put forward in the dissertation.</p> / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The objective of this doctoral essay is to help shed some light on the Afro-Cuban musical style called the Abakuá. This essay traces the development of the Abakuá secret society and its music from its ancestral beginnings in Africa (with the Èfik and Efut Leopard Societies), through its movement into Cuba and the development of the first lodge (in the eighteen hundreds), to its eventual influence in America. This essay also describes the impact the Abakuá has had on music in general, but especially the music of the Cuban Rumba and Afro-Cuban jazz. Detail is given on many different aspects of the Abakuá, including the history, beliefs, and practices of the secret society, the types of ceremonies, the types of drums and rhythms associated with each ceremony, including their purpose, and the influences of Abakuá on rumba and modern music. The essay concludes with an assessment of the development of the drum set and how this instrument has played a part in the music of the Abakuá as well as Afro-Cuban jazz in general. While this essay covers many elements, the focus remains on the drums and rhythms of the Abakuá and how they have influenced others and evolved throughout this process.

Η αντιγραφή του DNA αποτελεί μια θεμελιώδη διαδικασία για κάθε μορφή ζωής. Στους ευκαρυωτικούς οργανισμούς, εξαιτίας του μεγάλου μεγέθους του γονιδιώματός τους, η αντιγραφή του DNA εκκινά από πολλαπλά σημεία προκειμένου να ολοκληρωθεί σε εύλογο χρονικό διάστημα. Οι περιοχές αυτές ονομάζονται αφετηρίες αντιγραφής και η μελέτη τους είναι σημαντική αφού είναι άρρηκτα συνδεδεμένες με την ακριβή ολοκλήρωση της αντιγραφής του DNA, διαδικασία ζωτικής σημασίας για το κύτταρο. Ενώ η λειτουργία των αφετηριών αντιγραφής είναι λίγο πολύ γνωστή, οι ακριβείς γονιδιωματικές δομές που συντελούν στο μηχανισμό επιλογής τους παραμένουν άγνωστες. Σκοπός αυτής της διπλωματικής εργασίας είναι η μελέτη, σε επίπεδο ολόκληρου του γονιδιώματος, των γονιδιωματικών περιοχών που αποτελούν αφετηρίες αντιγραφής του DNA και η εξαγωγή των χαρακτηριστικών που καθορίζουν την ιδιότητά τους να λειτουργούν ως αφετηρίες αντιγραφής του DNA. Ο ζυμομύκητας Schizosachharomyces pombe αποτελεί ιδανικό οργανισμό για τη μελέτη της διαδικασίας αντιγραφής του DNA, κυρίως εξαιτίας της ομοιότητας που διαθέτει με τους ανώτερους ευκαρυωτικούς οργανισμούς. Η παρούσα βιοπληροφορική ανάλυση εκτελεί επεξεργασία ολόκληρου του γονιδιώματος του S. pombe. Βασίζεται σε δύο πολύ πρόσφατα, αλλά διαφορετικών ερευνητικών ομάδων, πειράματα μικροσυστοιχειών στα οποία αναγνωρίστηκαν οι αφετηρίες αντιγραφής σε όλο το γονιδίωμα του ζυμομύκητα (Heichinger et al, 2006 και Hayashi et al, 2007). Συνδυάζοντας τα πειράματα αυτά, καταφέραμε να διαχωρίσουμε το σύνολο των διαγονιδιακών περιοχών του S. pombe σε κατηγορίες ανάλογα με την ικανότητα τους να εκκινούν την αντιγραφή του DNA. Έπειτα, ορίσαμε 3 νέα γονιδιωματικά παραμετρικά χαρακτηριστικά και μαζί με τη δημιουργία ενός συστήματος βελτιστοποίησης παραμέτρων, εξετάσαμε πώς πρέπει να διαμορφωθούν οι διάφορες παράμετροί τους ώστε να δημιουργούνται δομές που παρατηρούνται μονάχα στις αφετηρίες αντιγραφής. Για συγκεκριμένους συνδυασμούς παραμέτρων, η ταξινόμηση των διαγονιδιακών περιοχών με βάση τα καινούρια χαρακτηριστικά αγγίζει το 90% σε ευαισθησία, και το 77% σε θετικό προγνωστικό δείκτη. Επομένως, τα νέα γονιδιωματικά χαρακτηριστικά αφορούν δομές που παρατηρούνται σχεδόν εξολοκλήρου στις αφετηρίες αντιγραφής και σπάνια στις υπόλοιπες διαγονιδιακές περιοχές, παρέχοντας έτσι τον κύριο μηχανισμό επιλογής των αφετηριών αντιγραφής του DNA στο γονιδίωμα του S. pombe. / DNA replication constitutes an essential process for every life form. In eukaryotic organisms which are characterized by large genome size, DNA replication initiates from multiple points along the genome, so that it is completed within the allocated time. These genomic sites are called replication origins and their study is important as their selection and timely activation is pivotal for the maintenance of genomic integrity. Despite extensive studies from several laboratories, the features that specify an origin remain elusive, especially in higher eukaryotes. The purpose of this thesis is a genome-wide study of the genomic areas that function as replication origins and the extraction of the genomic features that determine this activity. Schizosachharomyces pombe (S. pombe, fission yeast) is an ideal organism for the study of the DNA replication procedure as it shares several common features with higher eukaryotic organisms. In this bioinformatics study, a genome-wide analysis of the S. pombe genome is performed. It is based on two very recent reports from different teams using microarray experiments, in which genome-wide identification of the S. pombe replication origins took place (Heichinger et al, 2006 and Hayashi et al, 2007). Combining these two experiments we managed to separate the fission yeast inter-genic regions in categories depending on their ability to function as replication origins. We then defined 3 new parametric genomic features, created a framework for solving the parameter estimation problem and analyzed how these parameters should be defined so that the specified structures are solely observed in genomic sites that function as replication origins. We observed that for certain parametric combinations, the classification of the intergenic regions as replication origins and as intergenic regions showing no origin activity reached 90% in sensitivity and 77% in positive predictive value. Therefore, the new genomic features identified through this study represent structures that are almost always and solely observed in intergenic regions showing replication activity, and are likely to provide the main genomic mechanism of origin selection in the fission yeast genome.

Introduction: Developmental origins of disease refers to the theory that adverse maternal environments influence fetal development and the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adulthood. To test the hypothesis that gestational hypertension influences the development of CVD in offspring, a novel experimental paradigm was developed using atrial natriuretic peptide gene disrupted mice (ANP-/-). The objective of this thesis was to determine the effect of gestational hypertension on cardio-renal function in offspring. Methods: ANP+/+ females were crossed with ANP-/- males (yielding ANP+/-WT offspring) and ANP-/- females with ANP+/+ males (yielding ANP+/-KO offspring). Previous work has established that ANP-/- dams are hypertensive during pregnancy. Offspring gene expression was measured using qPCR. Offspring arterial blood pressure (BP) was measured with a non-invasive tail cuff system. Offspring left ventricular (LV) function was examined using echocardiography (ECHO). Offspring were treated with normal salt (NS) or high salt (HS) chow for five weeks to assess salt-sensitivity. Daily injections of isoproterenol (ISO) were used to induce cardiac stress in offspring. Collagen deposition was assessed using Masson’s trichrome and picrosirius red staining. Results: Absence of maternal ANP had no effect on either litter size or offspring growth, but caused significant LV hypertrophy in offspring, with no change in LV function. Treatment with ISO resulted in myocardial fibrosis and significant LV diastolic dysfunction with a restrictive filling pattern (increased E/A ratio and E/e’) only in ANP+/-KO offspring. Furthermore, absence of maternal ANP was associated with salt-resistant BP in offspring. Conclusions: Gestational hypertension using the ANP-/- mouse model results in a salt-resistant phenotype in offspring, as well as significant cardiac hypertrophy and an adverse response to activation of the sympathetic nervous system in adult offspring. These data suggest that adverse maternal environments may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in offspring later in life. / Thesis (Ph.D, Anatomy & Cell Biology) -- Queen's University, 2012-09-18 16:12:01.147

No description available.

This thesis is concerned with social aspects of early Christianity. It considers the social origins and careers of the early Christians, as far as they can be traced in the scanty and fragmented evidence. The spread of Christianity is examined in relation to the prevailing social and economic conditions of the Roman world in the first centuries AD, The Christian attitudes to slavery and the penetration of Christianity into the countryside are discussed at some length. The evidence considered does not justify the traditional views which regard early Christianity as a religion of the underprivileged and the oppressed. Except for the imperial slaves and a small number of favourites of Christian masters, slaves, as far as it can be established, were not eager to embrace the new relegion, while in-the countyside, Christianity seems to have found its first adherants among the landowning and Hellenized peasants. In the cities, besides bankers, artisans and prosperous freedmen, Christianity attracted, as it is illustrated, many people of leisure, education and wealth. Overall, it is maintained, that although in principle Christianity drew its members from all social classes and groups, professing egalitarian doctrines, it was in effect more successful with the middle classes of the cities, which it organized under the leadership of wealthy and highly educated church officials. Millennial and prophetic tendencies, with strong social implications, such as were manifest among the first generation of Christians, survived or were revived only as marginal phenomena, especially in the countryside. Mainstream Christianity advocated and encouraged strict observance of the existing social order.

In this dissertation, I investigate how questioning appears within Edmund Husserl’s work. I do so through five chapters. In the first, I introduce questioning as a moment of a reason’s striving for truth, as it appears both in the individual and through history. In the second, I clarify how he finds the structure of questioning as an intention that appears to fulfill a questionable experience. In the third, I explicate his analysis of its temporal genesis and fulfillment in the individual. In the fourth, I turn to how he treats the development of questioning across generations, especially as it first emerges from the child’s curiosity. Finally, in the fifth, I give an overview of the transformation of questioning through three stages of history, expressed in myth, science, and phenomenology. Through these chapters, I claim Husserl finds a development of ways of questioning through history but also that questioning itself is an essential moment of this historical development.

Given the role of HCN as a reactant in RNA building block production (e.g. nucleobases, ribose, and 2-aminooxazole), we propose that an atmosphere rich in hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is a distinguishing feature of what we term biogenic worlds. These are worlds that can produce key biomolecules for the emergence of life in situ rather than requiring they be delivered, e.g., by meteorites. To attack the question of whether early Earth was biogenic, we develop a series of new capabilities including the calculation of missing/unknown HCN reaction rate coefficients, the simulation of HCN chemistry in planetary atmospheres, and the coupling of atmospheric HCN chemistry and rain-out to the production and evolution of RNA building blocks in warm little ponds (WLPs). We make a major leap in understanding the origin of RNA on a biogenic early Earth by building a comprehensive model that couples terrestrial geochemistry, radiative transfer, atmospheric photochemistry, lightning chemistry, and aqueous pond chemistry. We begin by developing an accurate and feasible method to calculate missing reaction rate coefficients related to HCN chemistry in planetary atmospheres. We use density functional theory simulations to solve the transition states for various reactions, and use the simulated energies and partition functions to calculate the corresponding rate coefficients using the principles of statistical mechanics. We initially explore and calculate rate coefficients for a total of 110 reactions present in reducing atmospheres dominated by N2, CH4, and H2, including 48 reactions that were previously unknown in the literature. Our rate coefficients are most commonly within a factor of two of experimental values, and generally always within an order of magnitude of these values. This accuracy is consistent with the typical uncertainties assigned in large-scale kinetic data evaluations. Next, we develop a consistent reduced atmospheric hybrid chemical network (CRAHCN) containing experimental values when available (32%) and our calculated rate coefficients otherwise (68%). To validate our chemistry, we couple CRAHCN to a 1D disequilibrium chemical kinetic model (ChemKM) to compute HCN production in the reducing atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. Our calculated atmospheric HCN profile agrees very well with the measurements performed by instruments aboard the Cassini spacecraft, suggesting our chemical network is accurate for modeling HCN production in reducing environments. We also perform sensitivity analyses on this chemistry and find HCN production and destruction on Titan can be understood in terms of only 19 dominant reactions. The process begins with UV photodissociation of N2 and CH4 in the upper atmosphere, and galactic cosmic ray dissociation of these species in the lower atmosphere. The dissociation radicals then proceed to react along four main channels to produce HCN. It is of particular excitement that one of these channels was newly discovered in this work. Moving forward to modeling early Earth, we expand upon CRAHCN by exploring and calculating rate coefficients related to HCN and H2CO chemistry in atmospheres with oxidizing conditions. We calculate the rate coefficients for 126 new reactions, including 45 reactions that were first discovered in this work. We find the accuracy of our method continues to produce most commonly factor of two agreement with respect to experimental values. Next, we develop the oxygen extension to CRAHCN (CRAHCN-O), containing a total of 259 reactions for computing HCN and H2CO production in atmospheres dominated by N2, CO2, H2, CH4, and H2O. Again, experimental rate coefficients are used when available (43%), and our calculated values are used otherwise (57%). We then build a comprehensive model with a unique coupling of early Earth geochemistry, radiative transfer, atmospheric UV and lightning chemistry, and aqueous chemistry in WLPs. We calculate self-consistent pressure-temperature profiles using a 1D radiative transfer code called petitRADTRANS, and couple these to CRAHCN-O and ChemKM to simulate HCN and H2CO production on early Earth. We model two epochs, at 4.4 and 4.0 billion years ago (bya), which differ in atmospheric composition, luminosity, UV intensity, radical production from lightning, and impact bombardment rate. The respective reducing and oxidizing atmospheric compositions of the 4.4 and 4.0 bya epochs are mainly driven by the balance of H2 impact degassing and CO2 outgassing from volcanoes. We then couple the rain-out of HCN with a comprehensive WLP model to compute the in situ production of RNA building blocks for each epoch. HCN pond concentrations are multiplied by experimental yields to calculate biomolecule production, and there are various biomolecule sinks present including UV photodissociation, hydrolysis and seepage. At 4.4 bya, we find that HCN rain-out leads to peak adenine production of 2.8μM (378 ppb) for maximum lightning conditions. These concentrations are comparable to the peak adenine concentrations delivered by carbon-rich meteorites (10.6μM); however, the concentrations from in situ production persist for > 100 million years in contrast to ~days for meteoritic concentrations. Guanine, cytosine, uracil and thymine concentrations from in situ production at this time peak in the 0.19–3.2μM range, and ribose and 2-aminooxazole peak in the nM range. We note that cytosine and thymine are not present in meteorites, suggesting this biogenic pathway may be one of the only plausible origins of these RNA and DNA building blocks. We find that the high mixing ratio of HCN near the surface of our 4.4 bya model is mainly driven by lightning chemistry rather than UV chemistry. Our results show that HCN production at the surface is linearly dependent on lightning flash density. This result supports a lightning-based Miller-Urey scenario for the origin of RNA building blocks. At 4.0 bya, HCN production and rain-out is 2–3 orders of magnitude less abundant than it is at 4.4 bya, leading to negligible concentrations of RNA building blocks in WLPs during this late oxidizing phase. Similar to HCN production in Titan's atmosphere, HCN production in early Earth's atmosphere is strongly correlated with CH4 content. Reducing (H2-dominant) conditions sustain CH4 levels at a roughly constant ppm-level over 100 million years, which is favourable for HCN production. In oxidizing conditions, CH4 is readily oxidized into CO2, leading to less HCN. These results suggest that early Earth was biogenic at 4.4 bya, and remained so for at least ~100 million years, but was over by 4.0 bya due to oxidation of the atmosphere. This thesis provides a firm theoretical foundation for an origin of RNA in WLPs on a biogenic early Earth within about 200 million years after the Moon-forming impact and the cooling of the magma ocean. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)