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The purpose of this study was to map the distribution of till-covered eskers in the inland of Västerbotten County in northern Sweden. The top layers of big eskers along the valleys of Öre River, Ume River and Vindel River were investigated through shallow digging. Findings were investigated through field assessment and soil analysis and many locations with till-covered eskers have been identified in Västerbotten's inland in this survey. The till covering the eskers has probably been transported only short distances and has its origins in glacifluvial material. The pattern is not consistent and there are areas where till does not cover the eskers. This can be explained trough irregular till deposition or that the till has been washed away or alternatively that the upper layer that is interpreted as glacifluvial material actually is till that has only been transported for very short distances. The findings of till-covered eskers in Västerbotten means that the traditional view of the eskers originating from the last deglaciation (Weichsel 3) may need to be reviewed. Where overlaying till has been found on top of eskers it means that the eskers must have originated in an earlier glaciation than the last. Only one layer of till could be discerned on the eskers in the survey, so an explanation could be that the till formed during Weichsel 3 and that the eskers formed earlier by the deglaciation of Weichsel 2, but dating the layers in till-covered eskers is difficult. No transition zone between till-covered to not till-covered eskers was found in this study.

During the Cold War, approximately 36,000 persons claimed Czechoslovakia as their country of citizenship upon entering Canada. A defining characteristic of this postwar migration of predominantly ethnic Czechs and Slovaks was the prevalence of anti-communist and democratic values. This dissertation follows Czech and Slovak refugees through the German invasion of the Czech lands and Slovakia’s independence in 1939, the Second World War, the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia in 1948, and the Warsaw Pact Invasion of 1968. Diplomats, industrialists, workers, democratic politicians, professionals, and students fled to the West in search of freedom, security, and economic opportunity. Many of these individuals sought to return home after Czechoslovakia was liberated from communism. This dissertation examines the interwar, wartime, and postwar immigration experiences of Czech and Slovak refugees through the lens of Canadian Czechoslovak institutions. In Canada, Czechs and Slovaks who professed a belief in a Czechoslovak identity formed their own organizations. In the Cold War era, the two most prominent Canadian Czechoslovak institutions were the Czechoslovak National Alliance and the Masaryk Hall. Both were later incorporated and renamed as the Czechoslovak National Association of Canada and the Masaryk Memorial Institute. Czechoslovak institutions in Canada faced opposition from nationalist Slovaks who opposed a common Czechoslovak identity. By focusing on political and institutional history, this study contributes to our understanding of Cold War immigration, and its influence on ethnic organizations and Canadian society. Although the admission, settlement, and integration of Cold War refugees was heavily influenced by federal and provincial authorities, Czech and Slovak newcomers joined Czechoslovak organizations and continued in their attempts to affect developments in Communist Czechoslovakia and Canadian foreign policy towards their homeland. During the Cold War, Canadian authorities further legitimized the Czech and Slovak refugees’ anti-communist agenda and increased their influence in Czechoslovak institutions. Similarly, Canadian Czechoslovak organizations supported Canada’s Cold War agenda of securing the state from Communist infiltration. Ultimately, an adherence to anti-communism, the promotion of Canadian citizenship, and the preservation of a Czechoslovak ethnocultural heritage accelerated Czech and Slovak refugees’ socioeconomic and political integration in Cold War Canada. As a result, Canadian Czechoslovak organizations were instrumental in helping to shape a democratic culture in Cold War Canada.

Biodiesel is rapidly growing as a fuel of interest due to the various advantages it has over conventional diesel fuel. While the pros – non-toxic, biodegradable, low green house gas emissions seem advantageous, the major issue that plagues the use of biodiesel is its cold weather operability. Biodiesel can present challenges in cold-weather operation, because certain of its constituent compounds can form precipitates in the fuel. These precipitates can cause undesired effects like plugging of fuel filters and deposits. This issue has been attributed to the presence of impurities (mostly saturated monoglycerides, di-glycerides, soap etc) in biodiesel and has been discussed in the literature. There is a move by users and standards associations to implement more stringent norms and quality control to avoid problems in the widespread use of biodiesel. This study involves ways to reduce MG’s in biodiesel by mitigating to a greater extent the possibility of side reactions (formation of soap). The effect of selective transesterification of oil as a function of alcohol, temperature and catalyst concentration was also studied. Although saturated MG’s with high melting points are a greater source of deposits, it can be hypothesized that the polymorphic nature of unsaturated Monoglycerides could also be contributing to cold flow issues. It is hence vital to make sure the biodiesel is free from all forms of monoglycerides. It was also seen that there is very little specificity of selection of fatty acid types in the transesterification reaction and that the amount and type of MGs present in the biodiesel is reflected by the relative amount of fatty acids types present in the oil. In biodiesel derived from Canola oil, a preponderance of monoolein was found for all runs. The initial runs carried out as a two stage process using the membrane followed by batch reactor gave very low MG concentrations, well below ASTM standards.

This thesis explores some important practical considerations concerning the use of species distribution models in marine conservation planning. Using geo-referenced gorgonian distribution data, together with explanatory environmental variables, predictive models have been used to map the spatial distribution of suitable gorgonian (sea fan) habitat in two study sites; Hatton Bank, in the Northeast Atlantic, and Lyme Bay on the south coast of Devon. Generalized Linear Models (GLMs), Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) and a Maximum Entropy (Maxent) model have been used to support critical investigation into important model considerations that have received inadequate attention in the marine environment. The influence of environmental data resolution on model performance has been explored with specific reference to available datasets in the nearshore and offshore environments. The transferability of deep-sea models has been similarly appraised, with recommendations as to the appropriate use of transferred models. Investigating these practical issues will allow managers to make informed decisions with respect to the best and most appropriate use of existing data. This study has also used novel approaches and investigated their suitability for marine conservation planning, including the use of model classification error in the spatial prioritisation of monitoring sites, and the adaptation of an existing presence-only modelling method to include absence data. Together, these studies contribute both practical recommendations for marine conservation planning and novel applications within the wider species distribution modelling discipline, and consider the implications of these developments for managers, to ensure the ongoing improvement and development of models to support conservation planning.

Non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD) is a promising approach that is currently being developed. The principle is that fetal material can be detected in maternal plasma and potentially enable women to pursue reliable and timely prenatal diagnosis, whilst eliminating the risk of miscarriage associated with chorionic villus sampling or amniocentesis. However NIPD research has been restricted up until now for the diagnosis of Down syndrome due to the low concentration of free fetal DNA (ffDNA) in maternal plasma. Various methods have been developed in an attempt to increase the concentration of ffDNA. This study uses COLD-PCR (co-amplification at lower denaturation temperature PCR) to analyse potential enrichment of ffDNA over maternal DNA through optimization of the critical denaturation temperature (Td), using Real Time-PCR in an attempt to selectively enrich smaller fetal DNA fragments. Fake fetal DNA was created in two different spike experiments to imitate the natural environment of viable ffDNA. One spike experiment used 5% of fake fetal DNA in a 95% maternal background to represent levels of ffDNA during early pregnancy. The other spike experiment utilized 10% of fake fetal DNA in 90% maternal background to denote late pregnancy. Before running COLD-PCR, various adjustments took place to find the critical Td at which one could run the spike experiment by COLD-PCR. Products of spike experiment were analysed on a genetic analyser for fragment analysis. Melt curve analysis was also performed for the spike experiment to identify the specificity of each sample at each denaturation temperatures. A critical Td (80°C) was identified for the D21S1890 region of chromosome 21 by COLD-PCR. This temperature does allow enrichment of fetal DNA, as fake maternal DNA was undetermined by RT-PCR compared to fake fetal DNA. The spike experiments clearly showed amplification of fake fetal DNA from the mixture of fake fetal and fake maternal DNA at the critical Td of 80°C. Running same samples of spike experiment on genetic analyser identified peaks from all samples at a Td of 95°C, while at a critical Td of 80°C the result showed decreased numbers of maternal peaks, regardless of stutter peaks formation. Melt curve analysis results clearly identified heteroduplex formation in the samples at the critical Td of 80°C. The results represent a good indication for using COLD-PCR in enriching ffDNA for detection by RT-PCR. However, as each individual has only two alleles, the observed results of multiple peaks for fragment analysis were not expected. Further research needs to focus on both eliminating heteroduplex formation and stutter peaks. COLD-PCR has the potential to open a new gateway in NIPD for aneuploidy detection. This method could be particularly useful in the detection of genetic abnormalities in the fetus, in particular Down syndrome and other aneuploidies.

This thesis evaluates Japanese geopolitical change in the post-Cold War era. It does so by analyzing Japan's history, its foreign policy since 1945, its reasons for becoming a normal country, and the impact of its normalization. This thesis makes three arguments. First, Japan, although its history is replete with internal rivalry and conflict, never displayed an aggressive foreign policy with expansionist and adventurist characteristics*with the exception of an insignificant expedition to Korea in the 1590s*before the Meiji Restoration. Second, Japan should become a normal country because it would advance Japan's regional leadership, increase the likelihood of Japan's accession to the United Nations Security Council as a permanent member, and improve its economy in both the short and the long run. Finally, no significant barrier stands against Japanese normalization; however, Japan must follow cautious and amicable relations with China and the two Koreas in order to achieve normalcy. In conclusion, the thesis makes policy recommendations for Japan and the United States regarding Japanese normalization.

This study treats the character of French nuclear policy since September 11, 2001; as such this work adds the most recent episode to a theme that, since the late-1950s, has concerned alliance statecraft faced with French â exceptionalismâ in trans-Atlantic relations. In the post-Cold War era, the changes in the strategic environment have led to a further evolution in French nuclear deterrent policy which forms the heart of this study. In 2001 and 2006, French President Chirac made policy speeches which specifically discussed nuclear strategy and clarified the shift in French thought and the justification for deterrence. In 2001, the most important element addressed dissuasion of regional powers and â rogueâ states with WMD that may attack France. The 2006 speech incorporated the threat of statesponsored terrorism into the nuclear dissuasion strategy. The thesis investigates past and present developments in French nuclear strategy, with chief emphasis on the period from the end of the Cold War to the beginning of the twenty-first century; it highlights the forces that have shaped French doctrine and analyzes the viability of the nuclear strategy as seen by a U.S. observer. A review of French Cold War doctrine provides the necessary backdrop for an evaluation of new elements in French nuclear strategy and should act as a guide to students of same in U.S. and NATO policy circles.

"The end of the Cold War marked for Europe the entrance into an era of instability and violence caused by the collapse of the old communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. How the European security organizations reacted to those changes and new threats and transformed themselves for dealing with a new security environment is the focus of this thesis. In particular, it gives an overview of the transformations that occurred within NATO and OSCE in the post-Cold War period, which have created and developed new security mechanisms and policies for dealing with crises. The thesis further examines the consolidation of a new European security actor, the European Union, and the development of the military dimension through the ESDP, which is linked directly to transformations that occurred in Europe, being merely a consequence of those changes. All three organizations proved their importance as stability factors of the European security system by launching crisis management operations, acting in ceasefire and post-conflict mediation, conducting preventive diplomacy, and spreading democracy and principles of human rights."-- p. i. / Republic of Moldova Army author.