Purpose- The World Health Organization describes ‘activities’ as what one does, and ‘participation’ as life situations or roles. This thesis explores and describes important influencers of activities and participation from the perspective of persons with disabilities. It also suggests how to include such information when reporting results of tools measuring activities and participation, so that health professionals working with persons with disabilities might collaborate and communicate more effectively with each other and the people they serve. Method- The World Health Organization framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) was used. Participants with mobility problems living in the community with their disability for a least 1 year were involved in this mixed methods study to gain a broad understanding of how persons with disabilities perceive and experience factors that affect their general and specific activities and participation. Semi-structured interviews guided by categories contained in two standard measures, the Barthel Index (BI), and the Participation Scale (P-scale) were employed, and grounded theory methods were used. From their responses, relationships between important concepts were used to inform a theoretical model. Upon this framework, relevant important shared factors, derived through combining several methods, were incorporated into reporting tools. Results- 24 participants identified 258 individual factors. Grounded theory analysis resulted in The Successful Adaptation Model, describing relationships amongst factors and activities and participation. For the BI, devices, home modifications, and treatments were most contributory. For the P-scale, personality, community and home accessibility, level of impairment, mobility aids, and transportation were among the most influential factors. Conclusion- This study incorporates perspectives of persons with disability into the Successful Adaptation Model, describing factors affecting activities and participation and their interactions. It also suggests a method of reporting important factors in conjunction with standardized measures of activities and participation. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2007-10-23 15:54:17.836 / Clinical Teachers Association at Queen's University/Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Association Queen's University Inter-professional Patient-Centred Education Direction

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The human wildtype p53 tumor suppressor gene contains a polymorphism at amino acid residue 72 which results in either an arginine (p53 Arg-72) or proline (p53 Pro-72) at this codon. In the present study I have examined this polymorphism at the molecular level to determine whether differences exist in the biochemical functions of these two p53 variants. No differences were observed in their sequence-specific DNA binding abilities, nor in their ability to be targeted by HPV-18 E6 oncoprotein for degradation by ubiquitination in vitro. However, differences were observed in the ability of these two variants to function as transcriptional activators: p53 Pro-72 was more transcriptionally active than p53 Arg-72. I propose that the polymorphism at codon 72 may affect the structure of the N-terminal transactivation domain of the p53 protein, which would then have an effect on the ability of these variants to interact with transcription factors in order to initiate transcription of target genes and function as a tumor suppressor.

Milk yield is dependent on both the number and secretory activity of mammary alveolar cells. The number of cells is controlled by their proliferation and death. In the first study, the effect of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF-4E) on the growth of a bovine mammary epithelial cell line, MAC-T, was investigated. Compared to the parental controls, overexpression of mouse wild-type (wt) eIF-4E in 11A, a subclone of MAC-T cells, increased the growth rate and saturation density (number of cells per well at confluence), whereas overexpression of a mutant eIF-4E (W56A) decreased growth rates and saturation densities. Furthermore, cyclin D1 expression among the 4E-overexpressing and parental cells was compared. Compared to the controls, the amounts of cyclin D1 mRNA and proteins were higher in the cells overexpressing wt eIF-4E but lower in the cells with mutant eIF-4E expression. Our results suggest that altered expression of eIF-4E leads to changes in cyclin D1 expression, which consequently modulate the growth properties of MAC-T 11A cells. / Because of its unknown sequence, bovine eIF-4E cDNA was then cloned in the second study. Its coding region consists of 651 nucleotides which encode 217 amino acids (AAs). Bovine eIF-4E cDNA shares 94%, 89% and 94% homology with those of human, mouse and rabbit, respectively. Differences in protein sequences between bovine and human, mouse and rabbit eIF-4E are 2, 4, and 3 AAs, respectively. Furthermore, expression of eIF-4E in bovine mammary tissues at different physiological periods was investigated by Northern blot analysis, using the cloned cDNA as the probe. eIF-4E was not detectable at prepubertal period and expressed at a very low level at the third estrous cycle. In the lactating mammary tissues, eIF-4E was highly expressed. Differential expression of eIF-4E in bovine mammary gland at distinct physiological stages indicates its potential involvement in mammary development. / Cell proliferation and apoptosis were also studied in the Escherichia coli (E. coli)-infected bovine mammary glands in the last study. Both proliferation and apoptosis increased in the mastitic tissue, as determined by immunohistological assays. Compared to the controls, expression of the pro-apoptotic proteins, Bax and interleukin-1beta converting enzyme (ICE), increased at 24 h and 72 h post-infection, whereas expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 decreased only at 24 h post-infusion. Induction of extracellular matrix (ECM)-degrading enzymes, including matrix metal loproteinase-9 (MMP-9), stromelysin-1 (SL-1) and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), was also observed in the mastitic tissue. Therefore, apoptosis may be mediated through pathways involving the actions of Bcl-2, Bax and ICE, and may partially be accounted by ECM breakdown. / Taken together, our study has demonstrated the effect of eIF-4E on bovine mammary cell proliferation. In addition, its involvement in bovine mammary gland development has been suggested. Finally, increased mammary cell apoptosis and proliferation during E. coli-induced mastitis has been revealed, in association with altered expression of apoptosis-related genes and ECM-degrading enzymes. Understanding the regulation of mammary cell proliferation and death may eventually lead to improvement of milk production.

The importance of programming the built environment is increasingly recognized, mostly because of the growing complexity of architecture. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the meaning of architecture for its users. This thesis reviews the research on meaning in architecture, and proposes new directions in the investigation of meaning within the process of architectural programming.

Environmental control of interactions between larval fish and their prey, and the potential influence of this relationship on fish feeding and recruitment, were assessed using empirical models developed using data drawn from the literature and developed in field studies. Ingestion rates of larval fish in laboratory and natural environments were found to differ in relation to food density. In laboratory studies, larvae show a strong functional response to prey density. Larvae situated in situ consume food at much higher races than would be predicted from laboratory studies and these rates are independent of prey density at known in situ densities. This discrepancy between laboratory and field feeding rate-food density relationships can be partly explained by the in situ contribution of small-scale turbulence to predator-prey encounter rates. Field studies of the influence of wind on nearshore hydrography showed that wind-induced upwelling generated favorable combinations of nutrients, light, and small-scale turbulence for production by phyto- and zooplankton. The distribution of microplankton $(<$80 $ mu$m) that resulted from these upwelling episodes was quantitatively described by the cumulative longshore wind velocity during the summer months. Microplankton abundance was greatest within 4 km of a major spawning site for capelin, Mallotus villosus, an economically and ecologically important forage species in the north Atlantic Ocean. Interannual variability in the intensity and frequency of upwelling-favorable winds was positively and significantly correlated with recruitment levels in the NAFO 2J3K capelin population. A new recruitment forecasting model, using an upwelling-related wind index as an input, explained more of the variance in capelin recruitment than did a previously published model. These results suggest that larval capelin are more likely to be food-limited in years when wind conditions are unfavorable for upwelling, and that recruitment in this fi

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is a tropical oilseed found growing in the mid-altitude ($<$1700 m.a.s.l.) regions of Ethiopia. Recently, there has been an attempt by settler farmers from the Ethiopian plateau to expand sesame cultivation in the low altitude areas ($<$800 m.a.s.l.). A genotype-environment interaction study on sesame lines developed through progeny selection originating from a bulk of landraces was carried out at six environments in Ethiopia. The environments selected were believed to provide a wide variation in temperature (altitude), moisture and soil. The objective of the study was, therefore, to select a line or lines widely adaptable over these environments for variables seed yield, oil and protein content as well as fatty acid composition. Two statistical methods, namely, the regression model and the procedural approach of superiority measure were used to estimate line adaptability. Several lines were identified which were adapted over the six environments while others were specifically adapted to low- or high-yielding environments. Lines showing wide adaptation for one variable were not always widely adapted for others. In addition, the two parametric statistics used to analyze the data did not always agree for each variable.

Psychological stress may be a risk factor for essential hypertension. While several variables have been implicated as mediators or moderators of the relationship between stress and high blood pressure, their exact roles and level of importance remain to be elucidated. A key moderating variable may be family history of hypertension. A series of five studies examined the cardiovascular and emotional reactions to stress of normotensive individuals with and without a parental history of hypertension. In an attempt to facilitate the generalizability of the results, the studies used stressors with greater ecological validity than those used in most previous studies of this topic. This aspect of the research aided the examination of a possible mediator of group differences in cardiovascular reactivity, i.e., emotionality. Several studies observed significant group differences in cardiovascular reactivity to stress, suggesting that stress may be more likely to contribute to the development of hypertension in those with a genetic predisposition for the disorder. However, the exaggerated cardiovascular responsivity of individuals with a parental history of hypertension did not appear to be mediated by greater trait or state emotionality.

It is apparent from this research that we need to develop a sociology of building in the same way that we are assembling a sociology of medicine, education, religion and of knowledge itself and that in the task of creating a sociology of building we should pay particular attention to the relevance of sociological theory. This dissertation does not claim to set out a sociology of building, but it can be regarded as a preliminary study perhaps useful to that end. An aim in this research has been to concentrate on method, the collection of data, classification and categorisation, thereby attempting to shape an outline which later work may be able to fill in. Value judgments have therefore been used sparingly and only when they can serve some clear and specific purpose. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1960.