Environmental xenoestrogens (EEs) are chemicals that when they enter the body, the body responds to them as it would to endogenous estrogens. Humans are exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis via natural components, additives and contaminants in food and water, through the use of pharmaceuticals and personal care products such as sunscreens, lotions and toothpaste. Exposure to EEs is thought to result in adverse effects on humans such as decreased fertility, increased susceptibility to hormone-sensitive cancers, deformities of the male genitalia and precocious puberty in females. The critical window of exposure is thought to be early fetal development, when tissues are rapidly differentiating under the control of endogenous estrogens. However, there is limited data in the literature on human fetal exposure to EEs. The first objective of this study was to assess human fetal exposure to a suite of 35 EEs by analysis of paired samples of amniotic fluid and maternal urine were collected from 32 New Zealand women between 14 and 20 weeks gestation. The analytical chemistry methods required for this study were developed and validated. The results demonstrate that fetal exposure is highly correlated with maternal exposure. This study is the first to report maternal urine levels of two UV filters and amniotic fluid levels of parabens, UV filters and triclosan. A model based on simple additivity of effect was developed that combined the measured concentrations with literature data on relative estrogenic potency to assess the magnitude of the estrogen signal that may be attributed to the EEs. This model suggests that the fetus may experience an estrogen signal due to the measured EEs that could be as large as the endogenous estrogen signal. A second objective was to use computational docking to study the interactions of the EEs with the human estrogen receptor (hER) protein. The docking studies show that the rigid endogenous ligand, 17β-estradiol (E2) interacts with the hER to produce a single, well-defined complex with the receptor and the flexible EEs produce multiple, distinct energy-equivalent complexes. EEs are not able to interact with the binding cavity to stabilise the rigid hER-E2-like topology of the complex. As a result, the hER-EE complexes can be thought of as more pliable or ‘floppy’ and thus able to respond to the cell context in multiple ways, leading to variations in gene expression in different target tissues. These multiple pathways may explain the range of physiological responses attributed to exposure that depend on the timing of exposure and the sex of the individual exposed.

Η παρούσα διπλωματική εργασία έχει ως στόχο την καταγραφή και την ερμηνεία των επιπτώσεων των ανθρώπινων επιδράσεων στο αβιοτικό περιβάλλον και τη βλάστηση του κάτω μέρους του Εύηνου ποταμού και την εξαγωγή συμπερασμάτων για τη διατάραξη της φυσιολογικής του ισορροπίας, με σκοπό την βέλτιστη διαχείρισή του στο μέλλον. Τέλος, στοχεύει στη δημιουργία ενός οικολογικού μοντέλου λειτουργίας του ποταμού. / The present thesis aims at as the recording and the interpretation of repercussions of human effects in the abiotic environment and the vegetation of down part of Evinos river and the export of conclusions on the perturbation of his physiologic balance, aiming at his most optimal management in the future. Finally, it aims in the creation of ecological model of operation of river.

yes / The length of this Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project Report No.7 again reflects the interest related to non-lethal weapons from academics, research institutes, policy makers, the police and the military. A number of reports, particularly concerning the Taser electro-shock weapon, have been published from these sectors since our last BNLWRP Report No.6 in October 2004. Some, such as the Amnesty International (U.S. and Canada) have again raised, and stressed, the concerns about the safety of the weapon and the number of deaths associated with its use. Others, such as the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Human Effects Center of Excellence (HECOE), Human Effectiveness and Risk Characterization of the Electromuscular Incapacitation Device ¿ A Limited Analysis of the TASER. (March 2005) concluded that the Taser was relatively safe, but that further research was needed into potential bio-effects, and for continual development into a safer weapon. Reaction to these reports was mixed. Some US legislators called for limitations on the use of Tasers, more accountability, and the detailed recording of incidents in which they were used.1 Others called for a ban on their use until more testing was carried out regarding their potentially harmful effects. A number of US police forces stopped the use of Taser, slowed down the deployment and ordering of the weapons, reviewed their rules of engagement and reporting, and revisited their operational guidelines. The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) published the Electro- Muscular Disruption Technology (EMDT). A Nine-Step Strategy For Effective Deployment. (April 2005) as a response to these growing concerns. Certain elements of the media, especially The Arizona Republic2 and others, took a hostile view of what they considered the scandal of the number of deaths and associated serious injuries caused by the Taser. Taser International challenged allegations that their weapon was directly responsible for these deaths and quoted reports, such as the Madison Police Department report (February 2005), the study by McDaniel, W & Stratbucker, R & Nerheim, M & Brewer, J. Cardiac Safety of Neuromuscular Incapacitating Defensive Devices (January 2005), and the U.K. DOMILL Statement (March 2005) to support their view. The controversy continues. Other than Tasers, there are still few reports of the newer non-lethal technologies actually being deployed in operations. The exception to this is the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD), which is now in widespread use in Iraq. Little additional information has appeared regarding the `active denial¿ weapon we have described in previous reports.

In the Midst of Spoils is a setting, for SATB choir and small instrumental ensemble, of the poem "Blight," by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson's poem contrasts modern man's exploitative attitude toward nature with the more reverent attitude assumed by ancient or primitive cultures. This setting is in a single movement, approximately twenty minutes in duration, consisting of fifteen distinct sections.