The B cell repertoire in the neonatal immune system (IS) is characterised by reactivity towards self-components, including other immunoglobulin (Ig) V-regions. These properties have been suggested to be a requirement for the development of a normal immune system. DNA sequencing of two interacting Ig idiotypes, derived from neonatal, preimmune mice, demonstrated that such idiotypic connectivity is germ- line encoded and devoid of VDJ junctional diversity. The serum levels of the same Ig idiotypes were studied in normal mice and demonstrated that the expression in serum fluctuated over time in a pattern compatible with a complex dynamic system. In contrast, similar analyses in autoimmune mice or humans demonstrated fluctuations in Ig titers that differed significantly from the healthy individuals. These findings suggested that pathological autoimmunity may be associated with fundamental alterations in the dynamics of natural antibody (ab) expression. This was further investigated in the nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse, an animal model for human Type I diabetes. Suppression of the early B cell development in the NOD mouse prevented the development of diabetes, suggesting a role for B cells/Igs in the development of diabetes in these mice. Furthermore, neonatal injections of polyclonal Ig preparations or single, monoclonal natural abs inhibited disease induction. The prevention of diabetes development by one such natural ab was demonstrated to be dependent on both the dose injected and the timing of administration. Studies of the B cell repertoire development in NOD mice, compared to normal mice, by DNA-sequence analyses of IgVH rearrangements utilising genes from the most D-proximal Vh family, Vh7183, supported the idea of an aberrant B cell repertoire in this mouse model. Thus, the adult NOD mouse retained a neonatal pattern of Vh7183 rearrangements. This pattern could, however, be "normalised" by neonatal injection of a natural antibody, previously demonstrated to prevent the development of T cell dependent autoimmunity in the NOD mouse. / <p>Diss. (sammanfattning) Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1993, härtill 6 uppsatser</p> / digitalisering@umu

Linkages between the controls on depressional storage and catchment streamflow response were examined in a wetland dominated basin in the Canadian Prairie Pothole region through a combination of field monitoring and modelling. Snowmelt, surface storage, water table elevation, atmospheric fluxes, and streamflow were monitored during spring snowmelt and summer in a 1 km2 sub-catchment containing a semi-permanent pond complex connected via an intermittent stream. Snow accumulation in the basin in spring of the 2013 study year was the largest in the 24-year record. Rainfall totals in 2013 were close to the long term average, though June was an anomalously wet month. The water budget of the pond complex indicates that there was a significant subsurface contribution to surface storage, in contrast to previous studies in this region. Following snowmelt, subsurface connectivity occurred between uplands and the stream network due to activation of the effective transmission zone in areas where the water table was located near the ground surface, allowing significant lateral movement of water into the stream network. Modelling results suggest there was significant infiltration into upland soils during the study period and that upland ponds are an important consideration for accurately simulating catchment discharge. The flux of groundwater to the wetland complex during periods of subsurface connectivity was also important for maintaining and re-establishing surface connectivity and streamflow. As the observed period of surface and subsurface hydrological connectivity was one of the longest on record in the catchment due to very wet conditions, the results of this study denote observations of the wet extremes of the hydrological regime important for proper understanding, modelling, and prediction of streamflow in the region.

The natural instability of hydrothermal vents creates variable environmental conditions among habitat patches. Habitat differences correspond to phenotypic variation in Ridgeia piscesae, the only ‘vent tubeworm’ on the spreading ridges of the Northeast Pacific. Ridgeia piscesae that occupy high fluid flux habitats have rapid growth rates and high reproductive output compared to tubeworms in habitats with low rates of venting fluid delivery. As recruitment occurs in all settings, worms in the “optimal habitat” may act as source populations for all habitat types. Ridgeia piscesae is a foundation species in the Endeavour Hydrothermal Vents Marine Protected Area of the Juan de Fuca Ridge. The objective of this thesis was to assess fine scale population structure in Ridgeia piscesae within the Endeavour vent system using genetic data. Population structure was assessed by analysis of the mitochondrial COI gene in 498 individuals collected from three vent sites of the Juan de Fuca Ridge; Middle Valley (n=26), Endeavour Segment (n=444) and Axial Volcano (n=28). Genotyping using microsatellite markers was attempted but all loci developed for closely related tubeworm species failed to amplify microsatellites in Ridgeia piscesae. Sequence analysis identified 32 mitochondrial COI haplotypes; one dominant haplotype (68%), three common haplotypes (4%-7%) and the remainder were rare (<2%). Axial Volcano was differentiated from Middle Valley and Endeavour. Within Endeavour, genetic sub-structuring of Ridgeia piscesae occurred among vent fields (Clam Bed, Main Endeavour and Mothra) and habitat types < 10 km apart. Patterns of genetic variation and coalescent based models suggested that gene flow among vent fields moved in a north to south direction in individuals from high flux habitat but from south to north in individuals from low flux habitat. Tubeworms from low flux habitat had more nucleotide polymorphisms and haplotypes than those from high flux habitats. Estimates of the number of immigrants per generation moving from high flux to low flux subpopulations was four times higher than in the reverse direction. The effective population size was estimated to be three times greater in high flux habitat when the generation times for individuals from each habitat type were considered. Demographic tests for population equilibrium identified a recent and rapidly expanding metapopulation at Endeavour. Models of gene flow in Ridgeia piscesae reflected the general oceanographic circulation described at Endeavour. Genetic data illustrate that dispersing larvae exploit the bi-directional currents created through plume driven circulation within the Endeavour axial valley and suggest that adult position on or near chimneys may influence larval dispersal trajectories upon release. Building on known ecological and biological features, this study also showed that Ridgeia piscesae from limited and ephemeral high flux habitat act as sources to the overall metapopulation and that asymmetrical migration and habitat stability sustain high genetic diversity in low flux sinks. The overall metapopulation at Endeavour experiences frequent extinction and recolonization events, differences in individual reproductive success, and source-sink dynamics that decrease the overall effective size and genetic diversity within the population. These factors have important implications for the conservation of a foundation species. / Graduate / 0307 / 0329 / 0369 / lcpuetz@uvic.ca

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) have been hypothesized to contribute to declines in aquatic macrophytes, waterfowl, and water clarity in Delta Marsh, an 18,500 ha freshwater coastal wetland on Lake Manitoba, Canada. Ten ponds (1-13 ha) were chosen for a two-year experimental manipulation study. Following a year of baseline monitoring, manipulations were conducted in 2002. To facilitate access by carp into isolated ponds, channels were blasted from the main marsh into two ponds. Meanwhile, to restrict or exclude carp access into ponds, channels were either screened or diked to four ponds. Two connected and two isolated ponds functioned as controls. Although common carp were the original subject of the study, it became apparent that hydrological connection to the surrounding marsh had a paramount importance on the abundance and diversity of the fish, amphibian and water-column invertebrate communities. Connectivity, or lack of connectivity, played an important role in the distribution of the fish community, and subsequently the composition and abundance of water-column invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with direct connection had diverse, mixed-species fish assemblages, with fewer invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with restricted connections had fish communities composed of tolerant small-sized species and increased abundance of invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds that lacked connection could freeze and lose all fish, and had higher numbers of invertebrates and amphibians. An absence of adult common carp may have been responsible for increased amphibian numbers in the screened ponds, however more study is needed. Confounding impacts of fluctuating water levels made it impossible to implicate common carp for most changes observed within ponds in Delta Marsh.

The central purpose of this study is the integration of modem philosophical thinking with different chaos theory principles and definitions to form relational perspectives. Relations are used in different contexts to base the causes of deterministic chaos (chaost) in the laws of nature which constitutes order. The chaost-attractor is used as subjective conception to investigate the possibilities of hidden order in a seemingly chaotic state of the objective reality. Relevant definitions of the chaos theory were analysed methodically and transcendentally with the aid of concepts of order and relations. Attention is given to the broad associations and analogies from philosophy and other disciplines which relate to the connectivity of objects to form systems. Subjective model development was done which is used to consequentially analyse some statements from published research which applied principles of chaost. It is argued that: the intrinsic properties of objects determine the causality of forces which bind objects to compose systems; a web of interactive bonds functions subjective to laws of nature which determine whether a system is in a state of order, chaost or real chaos; a dynamical transfer of many intrinsic and asymmetric properties via internal bonds constitutes non-linear connectivity which causes a sensitivity for initial conditions. It is found that the chaost of the chaos theory is not the same as real, objective chaos. The random-like evolution of a dynamic system is determined by the occurrence of irregularities and uncertainties in its internal order. A web of interactive bonds distribute small changes self-similar and scale-relevant. The difficulty in describing and explaining the complex behaviour of composed entities is simplified by the proposed web-chaost model. / Thesis (M.A. (Philosophy))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) have been hypothesized to contribute to declines in aquatic macrophytes, waterfowl, and water clarity in Delta Marsh, an 18,500 ha freshwater coastal wetland on Lake Manitoba, Canada. Ten ponds (1-13 ha) were chosen for a two-year experimental manipulation study. Following a year of baseline monitoring, manipulations were conducted in 2002. To facilitate access by carp into isolated ponds, channels were blasted from the main marsh into two ponds. Meanwhile, to restrict or exclude carp access into ponds, channels were either screened or diked to four ponds. Two connected and two isolated ponds functioned as controls. Although common carp were the original subject of the study, it became apparent that hydrological connection to the surrounding marsh had a paramount importance on the abundance and diversity of the fish, amphibian and water-column invertebrate communities. Connectivity, or lack of connectivity, played an important role in the distribution of the fish community, and subsequently the composition and abundance of water-column invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with direct connection had diverse, mixed-species fish assemblages, with fewer invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds with restricted connections had fish communities composed of tolerant small-sized species and increased abundance of invertebrates and amphibians. Ponds that lacked connection could freeze and lose all fish, and had higher numbers of invertebrates and amphibians. An absence of adult common carp may have been responsible for increased amphibian numbers in the screened ponds, however more study is needed. Confounding impacts of fluctuating water levels made it impossible to implicate common carp for most changes observed within ponds in Delta Marsh.

In a multi-agent system (MAS), the overall performance is greatly influenced by both the design and the control of the agents. The physical design determines the agent capabilities, and the control strategies drive the agents to pursue their objectives using the available capabilities. The objective of this thesis is to incorporate control strategies in the early conceptual design of an MAS. As such, this thesis proposes a methodology that mainly explores the interdependency between the design variables of the agents and the control strategies used by the agents. The output of the proposed methodology, i.e. the interdependency between the design variables and the control strategies, can be utilized in the requirement analysis as well as in the later design stages to optimize the overall system through some higher fidelity analyses. In this thesis, the proposed methodology is applied to a persistent multi-UAV surveillance problem, whose objective is to increase the situational awareness of a base that receives some instantaneous monitoring information from a group of UAVs. Each UAV has a limited energy capacity and a limited communication range. Accordingly, the connectivity of the communication network becomes essential for the information flow from the UAVs to the base. In long-run missions, the UAVs need to return to the base for refueling with certain frequencies depending on their endurance. Whenever a UAV leaves the surveillance area, the remaining UAVs may need relocation to mitigate the impact of its absence. In the control part of this thesis, a set of energy-aware control strategies are developed for efficient multi-UAV surveillance operations. To this end, this thesis first proposes a decentralized strategy to recover the connectivity of the communication network. Second, it presents two return policies for UAVs to achieve energy-aware persistent surveillance. In the design part of this thesis, a design space exploration is performed to investigate the overall performance by varying a set of design variables and the candidate control strategies. Overall, it is shown that a control strategy used by an MAS affects the influence of the design variables on the mission performance. Furthermore, the proposed methodology identifies the preferable pairs of design variables and control strategies through low fidelity analysis in the early design stages.

本研究旨在探討以中文為母語之四歲兒童其表現在故事敘述中之連接性。研究語料來自兒童語言資料交換系統（CHILDES）。根據Trabasso and Sperry (1985)、Chang (2004)等學者提出之分析方法，對四歲兒童的故事連接性及因果關係的語言標記進行分析之後，本研究發現在四歲的孩子的故事敘述中，往往包含了約35.89個事件，而每一個事件常有與其他僅一個事件有相互的因果關係，最常出現的事件關係類型是賦予能力關係（enablement）及動機關係（motivation）；最常被使用的語言標記是時序連接詞（temporal connectives）及零連接詞（zero connectives）。本研究之發現為兒童敘事連接性議題提供了中文的研究結果及證據。 / This study investigates Mandarin-speaking four-year-old preschoolers’ performance of story narrating by examining narrative connectivity. Thirty pieces of Mandarin Chinese data provided by children aged 4;0 to 4;11 were collected from the Child Language Data Exchange System (CHILDES). Data was analyzed following several frameworks (e.g., Trabasso and Sperry, 1985; Chang, 2004). Results show that the four-year-old children tended to produce 35.89 events when depicting a story, and each narrative event usually had one connection to or from other events. Among the events, the most frequently found connection types were enablement and motivation; the most frequently observed linguistic devices marking connectivity were temporal connectives and zero connectives. The findings provide Mandarin Chinese results and evidence under the topic of children’s narrative connectivity.

In this thesis, the latest developments in mobile telecommunications and mobile devices are investigated in order to integrate wireless connectivity and mobile computing in construction industry core business processes on site. The research includes current technologies and implementation in the construction industry and other industries. Wireless solutions are presented in order to improve information flow, quality of data, control and coordinate business processes in construction companies. The Marmaray project in Turkey is used as a project case study to present the necessary investment and benefits gained by the contractors. This study investigates and seeks to eliminate the barriers on the way to integrate mobile technologies in the construction industry business processes.

Long term ocean cruisers are self defined as people who have accepted, adopted or chosen a cruising lifestyle, who live aboard their own sailing vessels, have independent means, are self sufficient and have been away from their port of departure for an extended period of time. As a group, cruisers, constitute a subculture (Macbeth, 1985). Why do people choose to adopt a cruising lifestyle? Using the principles of grounded theory analysis, this study found that cruisers were motivated by a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic motivations as well as by their social background and status in society. Cruisers were motivated by a need to escape the pressures and constraints of their home society as well as to pursue a lifestyle which offered freedom and a sense of personal control, a need to add some adventure or challenge to their lives or to fulfil a dream. They were also motivated by relationship commitments and a desire to travel and experience new cultures, people and settings. Their age, gender, family life cycle stage, education, income and former lifestyle pursuits also motivated them. In setting about and maintaining the fulfilment of their motivations, cruisers exhibited personal agency in their choice to move from a life in the centre of mainstream western societies to one in the margins. Overall, cruisers were found to be social actors who exhibit agency and self governance in decision making as to whether or not to maintain a sense of 'connectivity' with and without various social settings. Cruisers' responses to feelings of anomie and alienation in their home societies, to their feelings of under or non-actualisation at the individual level, and to their need for belonging with a partner activated these people to make choices and decisions regarding the negotiation and direction of their own social realities. Based on the cruisers who participated in this study, such agency and self governance can be described as 'empowered connectivity'. Empowered connectivity is the action of exhibiting agency in order to achieve connectivity with the space in which an individual currently finds her or himself. It can be both a holding on to and a letting go of connections. Empowered connectivity is not a 'theory' per se, but rather a generic representation of a process that accounts for 'plurality, multiplicity and difference'(Tong 1989) in the actions of both women and men as they negotiate the spaces they choose to occupy. Moreover, this study informed by the interpretive social sciences paradigm and, a 'feminist methodology’ enabled an indepth understanding of cruising women's experiences to be counterpointed against cruising men's experiences. Subsequently, cruising women became subjects in their own right rather than'other’. Further, the interpretive social sciences paradigm and 'feministmethodology' emphasised the need for tourism research, in particular, to use bothernic and etic perspectives in data collection and analysis. This ethnographic study of cruisers was conducted between 1985 and 1999 on theeastern seaboard of Australia. The study involved participant observation, semi-structured indepth interviews and self-completion questionnaires relating tosociodemographics, vessel inventories, budgets and touristic experiences.