No description available.

A freshwater mussel survey was conducted in Indian Creek, Tazewell County, Virginia, during 1996 and 1997. Fifteen species were identified, including the federally endangered <i>Epioblasma florentina walkeri<i>, <i>Villosa perpurpurea</i>, and <i>Quadrula cylindrica strigillata</i>. Population assessments and fish host identifications were completed for the tan riffleshell and purple bean populations. Host fish for <i>E. f. walkeri</i> were limited to the banded and mottled sculpin, greenside darter, redline darter, fantail darter, and snubnose darter. Fish hosts identified for <i>V. perpurpurea</i> also were the banded and mottled sculpin, greenside darter, and redline darter. Size class structure of the tan riffleshell population ranged from 19.9 to 53.3 mm, with the population estimated at nearly 700 individuals with a density of 0.015/m². Size class structure of the purple bean population ranged from 22.9 to 66.7 mm, with the population estimated at only 70 individuals with a density of 0.002/m². Host fish also were identified for <i>Dromus dromas</i> and <i>Lemiox rimosus</i>. The fantail darter was identified as a host for <i>D. dromas</i>, with the snubnose darter serving as a host for <i>L. rimosus</i>. Additional percids were implicated as hosts for both mussel species. A molecular genetic key for identifying host fishes of the upper Clinch River also was constructed. The key was constructed through the analysis of restriction fragment length polymorphisms from amplified regions of mussel DNA. Thirty-six unionid species were incorporated into the key. No host fishes were identified due to an unsolved problem with amplifying DNA from glochidia collected from wild fish. / Master of Science

Phoenician ships in the broadest sense of the word are the focus of this dissertation and it encompasses the entire period of both Phoenician and Punic seafaring. The study is quantitative, largely historical and archaeological, with the use of secondary sources as well as iconography. The origins of the Phoenician construction technique, the mortise-and-tenon joints, are investigated as well as the various types of Phoenician ships. These are analysed under the headings Merchant ships, Warships and Utility ships. The materials mentioned in Ezekiel’s prophecy about ‘The Ship Tyre’, are analysed, whether they fit the purpose for which they are mentioned. The production process of purple cloth with the use of Murex molluscs is described in detail including an analysis of the boats used to catch the molluscs. The possibility is investigated of whether the Ashkelon Dog Burials could be related to the Phoenician trade in dogs, and whether they could have served as ship dogs. Lastly the difficulties encountered in sailing through the narrow sea straits of the Mediterranean Sea are described, which are subject to Internal waves, affecting the surface water. / Old Testament & Ancient Near Eastern Studies / M. A. (Biblical Archaeology)

A plethora of naturally-produced steroid hormones, or artificial homologues of them, are being introduced into the aquatic and terrestrial environments each year. Two examples of these are the natural oestrogen 17-oestradiol (E2) and the oestrogen receptor antagonist, Bisphenol A (BPA), both of which target the ribonucleoprotein telomerase through upregulation of its telomerase reverse transcriptase component, TERT. The main objectives of this study were firstly to isolate and characterize the actual mRNA sequence for the telomerase catalytic subuninit, Tert, in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (Walbaum, 1792) and European purple sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) (Lamarck, 1816), with the aim of developing qPCR assays for the amplification and quantification of Tert. Further objectives were to use these assays in controlled exposure studies to establish whether and to what extent the aforementioned chemicals regulate Tert transcription and by doing so further understand the mechanism of Telomerase gene expression and the extent to which environmental oestrogen can interfere. The initial step of sequence characterization and assay devlopment was successful in the case of rainbow trout where two possible splice variants of Tert mRNA are identified, omTertShort and omTertLong. Two qPCR assays were developed for the relative quantification of both of these splice variants in rainbow trout samples, the latter of these successfully amplifying its target in test samples. In order to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo modulation of telomerase activity and mRNA expression, early life-stages of rainbow trout and purple sea urchin, as well as rainbow trout hepatocytes, were exposed to a range of concentrations of E2 and BPA. Purple sea urchin embryos were exposed to 200, 20 and 2 ng E2/ml for 28 hours until they had reached the stage of pluteus larvaes. Rainbow trout embryos were exposed to 500, 20 and 0.1 ng E2/ml and 600 and 150 ng BPA/ml for 167 days from immediately after fertilization. Rainbow trout hepatocytes were exposed to 20 and 2 ng E2/ml for 48 hours. The results from this study show that telomerase activity as well as TERT mRNA expression can be significantly modulated by exposure to oestrogens and other oestrogenic chemicals. E2 concentrations as low as 20 ng/ml lead to an increase in telomerase activity early-life stages of purple sea urchin and upregulation in the transcription of Tert mRNA in unhatched rainbow trout embryos. BPA induced similar response (600 ng/ml) in hatched rainbow trout alevins larvae. Very high exposures to E2 (500 ng/ml) do however lead to downregulation of Tert mRNA in hatched alevins larvae. Differential regulatory response can be observed between different tissue types of 167 day old fry, with an upregulatory response observed at 0.1 ng E2/ml in liver and muscle tissues, but not in brain. Similarly, brain tissues were observed expressing significantly less mRNA than liver and muscle samples when exposed to BPA (150 ng/ml). It is evident that the previously observed link between environmental oestrogens and telomerase is also present in the two test species examined; purple sea urchin and rainbow trout.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-06-28T13:16:57Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Glauber Ormundo Dias Martins.pdf: 415635 bytes, checksum: 63fa1de0d5b56e217bcf19dba75e8158 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-28T13:16:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Glauber Ormundo Dias Martins.pdf: 415635 bytes, checksum: 63fa1de0d5b56e217bcf19dba75e8158 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-20 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This work analyzes two films by Woody Allen in the 1980s - Zelig and The Purple Rose of Cairo - using as methodologies sociological theories and literary and cinematographic critiques. With this, reflections od modernity and American history are analyzed / Este trabalho analisa dois filmes do diretor Woody Allen da década de 1980- Zelig e A rosa púrpura do Cairo- Usando como metodologias teorias sociológicas e de críticas literárias e cinematográficas. Com isto, reflexões a respeito da modernidade e da história americana são analisadas

This thesis project examines the work of three female Nigerian authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chika Unigwe. They are part of a growing number of young African writers who are receiving international acclaim and challenging narratives that have long defined the continent in pejorative terms. They question what it means to be female and African in a transcultural, global world but counter discourses that are both restrictive and prescriptive. Their female characters are not imaged in binary terms as either victims or villains. For all three writers, the African story has to be told in its entirety incorporating what some may argue are negative stereotypes but doing so in a manner that examines and undermines those same stereotypes. For the purposes of the thesis, I focus on their first novels: Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. Chapter One examines Purple Hibiscus and argues that the novel is much more than a coming of age story or, as some critics have posited, an allegory of the postcolonial state. Chapter Two highlights Atta’s use of fairly familiar feminist theories but grounds them in the lived realities of the African city. All three authors are concerned with issues of violence and death. Unigwe’s novel, which forms the focus of Chapter Three, offers a critical perspective on how both of those themes intersect with the increasing commercialisation of global culture. Her characters are female sex workers whose lives are irrevocably altered by the murder of one of their colleagues. I conclude by arguing that the three novels offer a nuanced if not necessarily new understanding of the various social, economic and political forces that continue to shape the lives of women on the continent.

Phoenician ships in the broadest sense of the word are the focus of this dissertation and it encompasses the entire period of both Phoenician and Punic seafaring. The study is quantitative, largely historical and archaeological, with the use of secondary sources as well as iconography. The origins of the Phoenician construction technique, the mortise-and-tenon joints, are investigated as well as the various types of Phoenician ships. These are analysed under the headings Merchant ships, Warships and Utility ships. The materials mentioned in Ezekiel’s prophecy about ‘The Ship Tyre’, are analysed, whether they fit the purpose for which they are mentioned. The production process of purple cloth with the use of Murex molluscs is described in detail including an analysis of the boats used to catch the molluscs. The possibility is investigated of whether the Ashkelon Dog Burials could be related to the Phoenician trade in dogs, and whether they could have served as ship dogs. Lastly the difficulties encountered in sailing through the narrow sea straits of the Mediterranean Sea are described, which are subject to Internal waves, affecting the surface water. / Biblical and Ancient Studies / M. A. (Biblical Archaeology)

Ce travail porte sur l'utilisation et l'exploitation des invertébrés marins (mollusques, crustacés et échinodermes) durant la Protohistoire sur les côtes de la Manche et de l'Atlantique en France. Il repose sur l'inventaire de 197 sites ayant livré ce type de faune. 32 ont fait l'objet d'une étude archéomalacologique, dont 17 dans le cadre de cette thèse. Les résultats obtenus permettent d'aborder des thématiques variées, comme les environnements exploités, l'économie de subsistance (mode alimentaire, spécificité géographique, réseau d'échange), l'artisanat (teinture, parure, matériau de construction, etc.) et les pratiques funéraires et cultuelles (dépôt, repas rituels). L'étude des invertébrés marins contribue ainsi à une meilleure compréhension des systèmes socio-économiques et culturels des communautés littorales et continentales durant la Protohistoire. / This work deals with the use and exploitation of marine invertebrates (molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms) during the Protohistory on the Channel and Atlantic coasts in France. It relies on the inventory of 197 sites characterized by the presence of this type of fauna. Some archaeomalacological studies have been realized on 32 of these sites, of which 17 during this thesis. The results allow to approach various themes, such as the environments exploited, the subsistence economy (food, geographical variations, exchange network), crafts (dyeing, beads, building material, etc.) and funeral and ritual practices (hoard, ritual meal). The study of the marine invertebrates thus contributes to a better understanding of the socio-economical and cultural systems of the littoral and continental communities during the Protohistory. / Este trabajo se centra en el uso y explotación de los invertebrados marinos (moluscos, crustáceos y equinodermos) durante la Protohistoria en la costa de la Mancha y Atlántica de Francia. La investigación se basa en un inventario de 197 sitios arqueológicos con presencia de restos malacológicos, sobre 32 de ellos se ha realizado un estudio arqueomalacológico, de los cuales 17 se han desarrollado e incluido en el contexto de esta tesis doctoral. Los resultados obtenidos se han orientado a tratar una variedad de cuestiones, como el medioambiente explotado, la economía de subsistencia a partir de diferentes perspectivas (la alimentación, las especificaciones geográfica, o las redes de intercambio), la producción artesanal (tintes, elementos de adorno o material de construcción), o las prácticas funerarias y rituales (elementos de ajuar, comidas rituales). El estudio de los invertebrados marinos contribuye así a una mejor comprensión de los sistemas culturales y socio-económicos de las comunidades costeras y también continentales a lo largo de la Protohistoria.

Los objetivos de la presente tesis fueron comparar el efecto de tres técnicas de cocción en varios vegetales y su selección para cada producto estudiado. Para ello, los trabajos realizados han considerado los cambios en las propiedades físico-químicas, nutricionales, sensoriales y la microestructura. Asimismo, como respuesta al reto de aplicar tratamientos equivalentes en firmeza con diferentes técnicas de cocción se ha propuesto una metodología que combina los diseños experimentales de superficie respuesta (RSM) con análisis instrumentales y sensoriales. Los tratamientos térmicos estudiados fueron la cocción tradicional (TC¿ agua hirviendo a 100 °C) junto con dos tratamientos que utilizan el vacío en el procesado: el cook-vide (CV¿ cocción a vacío continuo donde los alimentos están en contacto con agua hirviendo a baja presión) y el sous-vide (SV¿ cocción de alimentos previamente embolsados a vacío donde el alimento está separado del agua de cocción). Los vegetales objeto de estudio fueron la patata morada (Solanum tuberosum L. var. Vitelotte), la judía verde (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Estefania), la zanahoria (Daucus carota L. cv. Nantesa) y la col lombarda (o repollo colorado) (Brassica oleracea convar. capitata var. capitata f. rubra). Considerando muestras con firmeza instrumental similar y las propiedades nutricionales y sensoriales (especialmente aroma y sabor), incluyendo la aceptación del consumidor, se recomienda la cocción SV para los vegetales estudiados, excepto para la zanahoria. En el caso de este vegetal el cocinado tradicional (100 °C) mantiene la aceptabilidad del consumidor y aumenta la extracción de los ß-carotenos por lo que se considera más recomendable que el SV. / Iborra Bernad, MDC. (2013). Comparison of vacuum treatments and traditional cooking in vegetables using instrumental and sensory analysis [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/32953

A l’heure actuelle, les biocarburants renouvelables et qui ne nuit pas à l'environnement sont à l'étude intensive en raison de l'augmentation des problèmes de santé et de la diminution des combustibles fossiles. H2 est l'un des candidats les plus prometteurs en raison de ses caractéristiques uniques, telles que la densité d'énergie élevée et la génération faible ou inexistante de polluants. Une façon attrayante pour produire la H2 est par les bactéries photosynthétiques qui peuvent capter l'énergie lumineuse pour actionner la production H2 avec leur système de nitrogénase. L'objectif principal de cette étude était d'améliorer le rendement de H2 des bactéries photosynthétiques pourpres non sulfureuses utilisant une combinaison de génie métabolique et le plan des expériences. Une hypothèse est que le rendement en H2 pourrait être améliorée par la redirection de flux de cycle du Calvin-Benson-Bassham envers du système de nitrogénase qui catalyse la réduction des protons en H2. Ainsi, un PRK, phosphoribulose kinase, mutant « knock-out » de Rhodobacter capsulatus JP91 a été créé. L’analyse de la croissance sur des différentes sources de carbone a montré que ce mutant ne peut croître qu’avec l’acétate, sans toutefois produire d' H2. Un mutant spontané, YL1, a été récupéré qui a retenu l'cbbP (codant pour PRK) mutation d'origine, mais qui avait acquis la capacité de se développer sur le glucose et produire H2. Une étude de la production H2 sous différents niveaux d'éclairage a montré que le rendement d’YL1 était de 20-40% supérieure à la souche type sauvage JP91. Cependant, il n'y avait pas d'amélioration notable du taux de production de H2. Une étude cinétique a montré que la croissance et la production d'hydrogène sont fortement liées avec des électrons à partir du glucose principalement dirigés vers la production de H2 et la formation de la biomasse. Sous des intensités lumineuses faibles à intermédiaires, la production d'acides organiques est importante, ce qui suggère une nouvelle amélioration additionnel du rendement H2 pourrait être possible grâce à l'optimisation des processus. Dans une série d'expériences associées, un autre mutant spontané, YL2, qui a un phénotype similaire à YL1, a été testé pour la croissance dans un milieu contenant de l'ammonium. Les résultats ont montré que YL2 ne peut croître que avec de l'acétate comme source de carbone, encore une fois, sans produire de H2. Une incubation prolongée dans les milieux qui ne supportent pas la croissance de YL2 a permis l'isolement de deux mutants spontanés secondaires intéressants, YL3 et YL4. L'analyse par empreint du pied Western a montré que les deux souches ont, dans une gamme de concentrations d'ammonium, l'expression constitutive de la nitrogénase. Les génomes d’YL2, YL3 et YL4 ont été séquencés afin de trouver les mutations responsables de ce phénomène. Fait intéressant, les mutations de nifA1 et nifA2 ont été trouvés dans les deux YL3 et YL4. Il est probable qu'un changement conformationnel de NifA modifie l'interaction protéine-protéine entre NifA et PII protéines (telles que GlnB ou GlnK), lui permettant d'échapper à la régulation par l'ammonium, et donc d'être capable d'activer la transcription de la nitrogénase en présence d'ammonium. On ignore comment le nitrogénase synthétisé est capable de maintenir son activité parce qu’en théorie, il devrait également être soumis à une régulation post-traductionnelle par ammonium. Une autre preuve pourrait être obtenue par l'étude du transcriptome d’YL3 et YL4. Une première étude sur la production d’ H2 par YL3 et YL4 ont montré qu'ils sont capables d’une beaucoup plus grande production d'hydrogène que JP91 en milieu d'ammonium, qui ouvre la porte pour les études futures avec ces souches en utilisant des déchets contenant de l'ammonium en tant que substrats. Enfin, le reformage biologique de l'éthanol à H2 avec la bactérie photosynthétique, Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 a été examiné. La production d'éthanol avec fermentation utilisant des ressources renouvelables microbiennes a été traitée comme une technique mature. Cependant, la plupart des études du reformage de l'éthanol à H2 se sont concentrés sur le reformage chimique à la vapeur, ce qui nécessite généralement une haute charge énergetique et résultats dans les émissions de gaz toxiques. Ainsi le reformage biologique de l'éthanol à H2 avec des bactéries photosynthétiques, qui peuvent capturer la lumière pour répondre aux besoins énergétiques de cette réaction, semble d’être plus prometteuse. Une étude précédente a démontré la production d'hydrogène à partir d'éthanol, toutefois, le rendement ou la durée de cette réaction n'a pas été examiné. Une analyse RSM (méthode de surface de réponse) a été réalisée dans laquelle les concentrations de trois facteurs principaux, l'intensité lumineuse, de l'éthanol et du glutamate ont été variés. Nos résultats ont montré que près de 2 moles de H2 peuvent être obtenus à partir d'une mole d'éthanol, 33% de ce qui est théoriquement possible. / Currently, renewable and environmentally friendly biofuels are under intensive study due to increasing health concerns and diminishing fossil fuels. H2 is one of the most promising candidates due to its unique characteristics, such as a high energy density and low to non-existent generation of pollutants. One attractive way to produce H2 is through photosynthetic bacteria which can capture light energy to drive H2 production with their nitrogenase system. The major aim of this study was to improve H2 yield of the purple non-sulfur photosynthetic bacteria using a combination of metabolic engineering and design of experiments. One hypothesis was that H2 yield could be improved by redirection of Calvin-Benson-Bassham cycle flux to the nitrogenase system which catalyzes the reduction of protons to H2. Thus, a PRK, phosphoribulose kinase, knock out mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus JP91 was created. Analysis of growth with different carbon sources showed that this mutant could only grow in acetate medium without, however, producing any H2. A spontaneous mutant, YL1, was recovered which retained the original cbbP (encoding PRK) mutation, but which had gained the ability to grow on glucose and produce H2. A study of H2 production under different illumination levels showed that the yield of YL1 was 20-40% greater than the wild type JP91 strain. However, there was no appreciable improvement of the H2 production rate. A kinetic study showed that growth and hydrogen production are strongly linked with electrons from glucose being mostly directed to H2 production and biomass formation. Under low to intermediate light intensities, the production of organic acids was significant, suggesting further improvement of H2 yield is possible by process optimization. In a related series of experiments, another spontaneous mutant, YL2, which has a similar phenotype to YL1, was tested for growth in ammonium-containing media. The results showed that YL2 could only grow with acetate as carbon source, again, without producing any H2. Prolonged incubation in media not supporting growth of YL2 enabled the isolation of two interesting secondary spontaneous mutants, YL3 and YL4. Western blot analysis showed that both strains had constitutive nitrogenase expression under a range of ammonium concentrations. The genomes of YL2, YL3 and YL4 were sequenced in order to find the mutations responsible for this phenomenon. Interestingly, mutations of nifA1 and nifA2 were found in both YL3 and YL4. It is likely that a conformational change of NifA alters the protein-protein interaction between NifA and PII proteins (such as GlnB or GlnK), enabling it to escape regulation by ammonium and thus to be capable of activating nitrogenase transcription in the presence of ammonium. It is not clear how the synthesized nitrogenase is able to maintain its activity since in theory it should also be subject to posttranslational regulation by ammonium. Further evidence could be obtained by studying the transcriptome of YL3 and YL4. An initial study of H2 production by YL3 and YL4 showed that they are capable of much greater hydrogen production than JP91 in ammonium medium, which opens the door for future studies with these strains using ammonium-containing wastes as substrates. Finally, the biological reformation of ethanol to H2 with the photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 was examined. Ethanol production with microbial fermentation using renewable resources has been treated as a mature technique. However, most studies of the reformation of ethanol to H2 have focused on chemical steam reforming, which usually requires a high energy input and results in toxic gas emission. Thus biological reformation of ethanol to H2 with photosynthetic bacteria, which can capture light to meet the energy requirement of this reaction, seems to be more promising. A previous study had demonstrated hydrogen production from ethanol, however, the yield or the duration of this reaction were not examined. A RSM (response surface methodology) analysis was carried out in which three key factors, light intensity, ethanol and glutamate concentrations were varied. Our results showed that nearly 2 moles of H2 could be obtained from one mole of ethanol, 33% of what is theoretically possible.