With the current rate of loss of biological diversity worldwide estimated at 100- 1000x the natural background rate, solutions are urgently needed to avoid a catastrophic and irreversible loss of species. Conservation breeding is a tool now widely used to assist in maintaining populations in a safe environment until such time as they can be released back into their natural habitat. The babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) is a threatened species for which conservation breeding is an integral part of its conservation management. Native to a few Indonesian islands, the babirusa is under threat from habitat destruction and hunting and is estimated to have a wild population of only a few thousand. Conservation breeding was established in 1972 with the translocation of animals from Sulawesi to the Surabaya Zoo in Java, Indonesia. It is thought that 1.2 animals founded what is now a worldwide ex-situ population of around 200 individuals. With concerns mounting regarding likely levels of inbreeding and reduced reproductive success, particularly within the European population, this thesis aimed to utilise a number of techniques to assist the conservation breeding programme. Extensive studbook analysis was used to assess typical reproductive parameters for the babirusa in a captive setting; genetic analysis using microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers was used to clarify some aspects of the studbook and to estimate the level of variation within and between populations in different geographical areas; and faecal steroid analysis has been used to shed light on the physiological processes underpinning female reproduction. The combined output from these studies has added to our knowledge of this species and its performance in an ex-situ setting, and has now been used to inform future management of the conservation breeding programme.

Vinigrol was isolated in 1987 from the fungal strain Virgaria nigra F-5408 by Hashimoto and co-workers. This compound was identified as having antihypertensive and platelet aggregation properties as well as being recognized as a tumor necrosis factor inhibitor. Aside from its interesting biological activities, vinigrol also possesses a unique structural motif consisting in a decahydro-1,5-butanonaphthalene core decorated with 8 contiguous stereocenters. Despite synthetic efforts by many research groups since its isolation, it wasn’t until 2009 that the first total synthesis of vinigrol was reported by Baran and co-workers. Herein is presented a formal synthesis of this highly compact molecule which relies upon a highly diastereoselective ketal Claisen rearrangement as the stereodefining step and an intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction to access the tricyclic structure of the molecule. (+)-Digitoxigenin is a cardiac glycoside used in the treatment of many ailments such as congestive heart failure. It is a member of the cardenolides, a sub-type of steroid containing certain structural differences such as cis A/B and C/D ring junctions, a tertiary hydroxyl group at C14 and a butenolide substituent at C17. Although a few syntheses of this class of compounds have been reported, general strategies to access their framework is scarce. Herein we report our studies towards the total synthesis of digitoxigenin which rely upon a cascading gold-catalyzed cycloisomerization (or enyne metathesis)/Diels-Alder reaction.

Typescript (photocopy) / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-259) / xvi, 259 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / The role of gonadal steroids in the mating behaviour of rams was investigated in both entire rams and castrated rams (wethers) treated with different steroids. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Animal Sciences,1983

Typescript (photocopy) / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 198-259) / xvi, 259 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / The role of gonadal steroids in the mating behaviour of rams was investigated in both entire rams and castrated rams (wethers) treated with different steroids. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Animal Sciences,1983

Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Univ., 2007. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Physiology)) -- Mahidol University, 1978.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin, 1973. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-105). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Proefschrift--Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Montana, 2007. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Oct. 11, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 109-128).