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Bibliography: leaves 113-144. Investigates the functions of the maternal, protein secretions of the endoparasitoid wasps Venturia canescens Gravenhorst regarding their role in providing protection against the host's immune system. Also investigates mucinous protein secretions on the egg surface and coagulation reactions and their role in protecting eggs against host cellular attacks.

The viral dynamics of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in newly acquired infection are not well understood. HCV exists within an individual as a spectrum of minor variants termed quasispecies. The evolution of minor variants may contribute to viral escape of the host?s immune response, thereby facilitating development of chronic infection. The hypervariable 1 region (HVR1) is the most heterogeneous part of the HCV genome and contains a putative B-cell epitope. Thus, diversity in HVR1 could be a strategy used to evade neutralising antibodies. Acutely infected individuals (n=24) were examined with the aim of defining HVR1 quasispecies diversity in acute infection. The characterisation of the E1/HVR1 sequence and host specific evolution of HCV minor variants in treatment nonresponders was also investigated. HCV E1/HVR1 fragments were amplified from 48 sera using a combined reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Products were TA cloned into pCRIITOPO and approximately 10-20 clones were sequenced from each sample. HVR1 quasispecies diversity was examined longitudinally via sequence analysis. Quasispecies diversity was characterised primarily by mean nucleotide diversity. The mean HVR1 diversity of the acute cohort (n=48; 2.12% ?? 2.22) was lower than the diversity obtained for a cohort of chronically infected individuals (n=99; 4.5% ?? 5.1). There was no significant difference in mean HVR1 diversity between the HIV/HCV co-infected and HCV mono-infected groups (p=0.99) or between the clearer and non-clearer groups (p=0.85). Examination of amino acid usage and the hydropathic profile of each position in HVR1 revealed that sequence variation was confined to specific sites. The investigation of host specific evolution of HVR1 quasispecies demonstrated that minor variants (comprising 10- 20% of a population) became the dominant species over time in two treatment non-responders. These variants bore mutations that were not reflected in the consensus sequence of their respective populations at the initial timepoint analysed. Common infection was identified by 98% HVR1 sequence homology within two pairs of individuals. The evolution of common strains appeared to be different between individuals, suggesting host pressures may influence quasispecies evolution. This thesis provided an insight into the viral dynamics and host specific evolution of acute phase quasispecies.

A series of new, octadentate, fluorescent, macrocyclic ligands have been prepared with a view to using them to study aromatic anion sequestration. The eight-coordinate Cd(II) complexes of the ligands have been shown capable of acting as receptors for a range of aromatic oxoanions. This has been demonstrated by perturbation of both 1H NMR chemical shift values and the anthracene derived fluorescence emission intensity as the potential guest anion and the host are combined. Non-linear least squares regression analysis of the resulting titration curves leads to the determination of binding constants in 20% aqueous 1,4-dioxane which lie in the range 10^2.3 M-1 (benzoate) to 10^7.5 M-1 (2,6-dihydroxybenzoate). By reference to the X-ray determined structures of related, but non-fluorescent inclusion complexes, the primary anion retention force is known to arise from hydrogen bonding between the anion and four convergent hydroxy groups that exist at the base of a cavity that develops in the complexes as their aromatic groups juxtapose upon coordination. This work reveals significant stability enhancement when hydroxy groups are positioned on the anion at points where O-H...pi hydrogen bonding to the aromatic rings that constitute the walls of the cavity becomes geometrically possible.

Most, if not all, animals will at some stage in their lives encounter parasites. Some of the most widespread and abundant parasites belong to the Class Trematoda. Trematodes often have a substantial negative impact on individual intermediate host ecology. In this thesis, I investigate ecological and evolutionary consequences of the interaction between the microphallid trematode, Maritrema novaezealandensis, and its intermediate snail and crustacean hosts. Parasites often show a heterogeneous spatial distribution pattern in natural animal host populations. In this study, factors determining the spatial distribution of larval trematodes in Zeacumantus subcarinatus were investigated at two spatial scales (within and among bays). The distribution of shorebird definitive hosts explained a significant amount of the variation in the distribution of trematodes among bays. However, within a bay, other factors override the effect of bird distribution. The influence of larval trematodes on reproduction, survival and population density of Z. subcarinatus was investigated using laboratory and field studies. In the laboratory, it was found that larval trematodes induce castration and mortality of Z. subcarinatus. The field study revealed that the local prevalence of trematodes had a significant negative effect on population density of Z. subcarinatus. Through castration, trematodes act as strong selective agents on snail host life history. The effect of trematodes on life history characteristics (reproductive effort, juvenile growth, size at maturity and susceptibility to trematode infections) were investigated among natural populations of Z subcarinatus. Reproductive effort was not higher for uninfected females from populations where the risk of becoming infected was high. However, offspring from those populations were significantly larger, and laboratory-reared juveniles grew significantly faster than conspecifics from other populations. In addition, size at maturity was negatively correlated with trematode prevalence across snail populations. Z. subcarinatus thus adapts to a high local risk of trematode infection by reaching maturity early, thereby increasing the chance of reproducing. The influence of M. novaezealandensis on the survial of the amphipod host, Paracalliope novizealandiae was examined using experimental infections and field observations. The experimental infections demonstrated that parasite-induced mortality was intensity-dependent. The number of M. novaezealandensis per amphipod was too low to significantly induce host mortality in the field. However, the transmission strategy of this parasite allows it to affect host populations during weather conditions ideal for trematode transmission. Trematode strategies in the second intermediate host are important to the understanding of host-parasite co-evolution and the evolution of parasite life cycles. In this study, potential density-dependent effects at the metacercarial stage on size and fecundity of in vitro adult M. novaezealandensis was examined in both experimentally infected P. novizealandiae and naturally infected Macrophthalmus hirtipes. For this purpose, a method to excyst and cultivate M. novaezealandensis metacercariae to an egg producing stage, was developed. Naturally infected M. hirtipes also harboured larval stages of three other helminths. Crowding effects in the two crustacean hosts were expressed as a decreased volume and smaller egg production of in vitro adult M. novaezealandensis. In addition, interspecific interactions among parasite species were observed in crab hosts. The work in this thesis provides evidence that M. novaezealandensis significantly and negatively affect intermediate host ecology. The heterogeneous distribution of trematodes causes differential effects among host populations with subsequent effects on the life history of snail hosts. In addition, this study demonstrates that parasites interact within their second intermediate host with possible implications for the way parasites exploit their hosts.

Bibliography: leaves 113-144. / ix, 144 leaves, [56] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Investigates the functions of the maternal, protein secretions of the endoparasitoid wasps Venturia canescens Gravenhorst regarding their role in providing protection against the host's immune system. Also investigates mucinous protein secretions on the egg surface and coagulation reactions and their role in protecting eggs against host cellular attacks. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Applied & Molecular Ecology, 2002

Graduation date: 1995

I have studied syntectonic veins from shales and coarse calcareous sands of the Ordovician Womble Shale, Benton uplift, Arkansas. All veins are composed of calcite with minor quartz and trace feldspar and dolomite or high-Mg calcite in the coarser veins. All host lithologies have a pressure-solution cleavage, more closely spaced in the fine-grained shale beds. The vein internal fabrics are coarsely to finely fibered, with a strong host-rock grain size control on fiber width. The finest fibers are in veins with shale host and the coarsest in the coarse-grained calcareous sandstone. Fiber aspect ratio is inversely proportional to host grain size; more equant vein grains are found in the veins hosted in the coarse host fraction. Within one outcrop, the δ13C and δ18O compositions of the host lithologies range from 1.5 to -3.0 per mil and 7.5 to -14.0 per mil (VPDB), respectively. By contrast, the δ18O composition of the veins is remarkably constant (-13.5 per mil) among veins of starkly different fabrics. This composition is identical to that of the coarse calcareous sandstone lithology in the outcrop. No cathodoluminescence or stable isotope zoning was observed in the veins. In addition, there were no gradients in Ca or Si in the vicinity of the veins, suggesting either that the host did not contribute these elements or that diffusion was not the rate-limiting step to vein formation. In any case, the wide variety of veins was probably formed from meter-scale migration of fluid derived from local calcite-rich layers in calcareous sandstone.

After the operation of medium-power and low-power radio stations being made to public access, the competition among broadcasting companies has reached its peak. As a result, considerable quantities of so-called ¡¥medicine-selling¡¦ broadcast hosts extensively stimulate the audience to buy advertised products by molding the settings. This research intends to study how broadcast hosts; as the main characters in broadcast programs, mold the settings by means of charisma, styles and techniques. Furthermore, this research intends to explore how the application of settings inspires audience¡¦s purchasing desire. The following three questions are designed to meet the research purpose. 1. Which techniques are used by broadcast hosts to mold the setting in the act of marketing merchandise? 2. Which interaction patterns are used by broadcast hosts to mold the setting in the act of marketing merchandise? 3. Which methods of molding the setting are used by broadcast hosts to serve the purpose of marketing merchandise? The author has adopted in-depth interviewing as the main method for this study, and interviewed five broadcast hosts from five different broadcasting companies. The analysis of these interviews has revealed that broadcast hosts don¡¦t necessarily need to exaggerate the effectiveness of the merchandise to increase sales. As a matter of fact, since the audiences¡¦ level of education has ascended, the old-fashioned hawking way is not that well-adopted nowadays. It is found that the relationship between the host and audience is similar to the one shared among family. That is to say the audiences¡¦ purchasing behavior results from the trust and dependency on the hosts. The audiences not only buy the medicine, but also seek empathy from the hosts. In addition, the exaggeration of effectiveness and gift give-aways are not the most effective ways any more. It is also found that phone-in are the fastest way to mold the interactive setting, and the host sharing personal experiences is the most effective way to increase sales.

An earlier approach to restore homeostatic levels of ECM degrading matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) by the Sefton Lab utilized hydroxamate-based MMP inhibitory (MI) beads. While the MI beads delayed ECM degradation in the context of skin wound healing, they caused elevated cell infiltration in a subcutaneous implant model. The primary goal of this project was to further investigate this finding using an air pouch implant model in mice and a different control group – methacrylic acid-based (MAA) beads. Exudate analysis indicated that the MI beads, implanted subcutaneously with gelatin discs, elicited a similar biological response as the MAA beads. Exudates corresponding to both biomaterials had similar cell counts and chemokine levels, which were greater than those corresponding to the control used earlier, poly-methyl methacrylate-based (PMMA) beads. Further, both MI and MAA beads activated infiltrating macrophages in the classical manner, and influenced the activity of an MMP8 catalytic domain in a similar manner.