Semi-aquatic predators such as mink are exposed to anthropogenic contaminants directly through the water and through bioaccumulation in the food chain. The biological impact of dietary bleached kraft pulp mill effluent (BKME) on mink (Mustela vison) was investigated. In a pilot study and two subchronic studies of 8 and 7 month duration, mink were fed diets containing 75% (year 1) and 45% (year 2) fish caught downstream of a BKME discharge point, and drinking water contained 25% BKME. In year two, the 45% fish diet had 15% soft-wood run BKME incorporated into the feed. The investigation was tiered. In the pilot study, behavioural, clinical, biochemical, hematological, and pathological effects were investigated. Repeating these variables, reproductive factors were added in Year one, while in Year two, hepatic enzyme (ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD)) induction, cell mediated and humoral immune function, and hepatic vitamin A levels were evaluated. In vivo and in vitro immunotoxicity assays were developed for mink. Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation was measured in response to mitogens in vitro. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibody detection was developed for mink. Delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) tests and antibody production responses were used to measure cell-mediated and humoral immunity in vivo in the experimental mink. No adverse effects were found on behavioural, gross pathological, histopathological, hematological or biochemical variables, on gestation, kit birth weight, kit survival, libido, estrus, sperm quality or hormone levels. In the Year two subchronic study, the relative liver size was increased in BKME-exposed males. Hepatic EROD activity was 1.8 times greater in exposed females (p = 0.0001) and 2.0 times greater in exposed males (p = 0.0004) relative to control mink. No difference in PBMC proliferation was seen between the control and exposed mink with any of the mitogens used. The DTH response was impaired (p = 0.014), while the antibody response was enhanced (p = 0.029) in the BKME-exposed mink. Hepatic vitamin A levels were not different in the females (mid-lactation), but were significantly decreased in the BKME-exposed males (post-breeding) (p = 0.0002). These changes represent a primary effect of bleached pulp mill effluent on the immune system, hepatic vitamin A stores, and hepatic detoxification enzyme system in exposed mink. Hepatic EROD activity provides a useful indicator for evidence of exposure to environmental toxicants in mink. The change in the immune response is occurring at the level of T lymphocyte differentiation, and therefore, affects the relative proportions of T lymphocyte subpopulations which are dedicated to cell mediated, or, T lymphocyte dependent, antibody mediated immunity. Immune deviation seen in the female mink is not associated with changes in hepatic vitamin A stores, while the decreased vitamin A in the males has an unknown effect on their immune response. The biological impact of bleached kraft pulp mill effluent does not cause dramatic or subclinical signs of toxicity in exposed mink. However, the interference with hepatic vitamin A storage, and changes to the immune response, present concerns regarding long term effects on health, reproduction and longevity in exposed mink.

No description available.

American and Canadian Indian policy in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries generally focused on "civilizing" Indian peoples. In other words, the government wanted a more sedentary, less dispersed Indian population who would likewise require less land for traditional hunting and gathering activities and might be more easily assimilated when time and circumstance required. Such policy, however, was best suited to agricultural regions. In forested regions or other areas which were not suitable for commercial cultivation, conflict arose as Aboriginal groups tried to maintain their traditional practices while other interest groups sought to access the same resources. Increasing use of these non-agricultural areas by sport hunters, commercial fishing industries, logging enterprises, tourists, and in some cases prospectors and land speculators, grew in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These interests not only competed for the same resources from which the Indian population secured its subsistence, but they also influenced the governments of the United States, Canada, Wisconsin, and Saskatchewan to regulate traditional Indian hunting and gathering activity. Conservation commissions in both the United States and Canada went about the business of re-shaping the public perception of the acceptable use of fish and game. Traditional subsistence activity had little, if any place in these new fish and game management strategies. This was the case even though Indians in both northern Saskatchewan and Wisconsin negotiated treaties which they believed upheld their access to vital resources. The conflict over resources became acute in the early twentieth century when governments in both places actively interfered with traditional activities. Such interference had the most dire consequences for the Indian people in both areas. The case studies presented here illustrate the historical antecedents of conflicts which still exist today. The Indian concern for continued access to natural resources has rarely been heard in its historical context. This study places the historic confrontation between Indian subsistence resource users and government resource-managing agencies in the context of the early twentieth century conservation movement. The two areas studied here have striking similarities. The governments refused to uphold treaty promises and rarely listened to the Indians' demands for continued access to natural resources. This study explains how governments managed resources in their own interest and relates not only the struggle for access to resources, but also how Indians responded to government interference in their way of life. It is important to move beyond a comparative analysis of two similar tribal populations in a cross-border analysis. By examining two disparate tribal groups who negotiated similar treaties in two different eras but in distant geographic locations, a better understanding of governmental conservation motives and actions, as well as the impact of such governmental activity on Indian people, may be achieved. This study is a unique look at the impact of the early conservation movement on the subsistence needs of Indian peoples in North American non-agricultural regions.

I could never get a PhD

Text in Afrikaans / The aim of this study was to design a therapeutic programme for families with a chronically ill parent(s). The literature study explored the nature of chronic disease and its effect on the family. Chronic disease affects every family member. The impeding effect of chronic disease detectable in maladjusted family role and in relational and communication problems between family members. A decrease in the general functioning of the family also became evident. An empirical investigation, in which twenty families with a chronically ill parent (or parents) were involved, was carried out. The empiric study confirms that family members need support and that chronic disease has a negative effect on the family system. It also verifies that these families do not make use of available support services. The possibility that one or more of the family members may be traumatised, should be a strong diagnostic consideration for the therapist. Based on the literature study and the results of the empirical investigation, a therapeutic programme was designed for a family. The programme empowers family members to deal with the disease more effectively and enables them to gain insight in dealing with its trauma.

Piaget and Freudenthal advocated thinking levels. In the 1950's the van Hieles developed a five level model of geometric thought. Judith Land adapted the model in 1990, utilising four levels to teach the concept of functions. These four levels have been considered here In the formation of concepts of sequences and series. The origin and relevance of sequences and series have been studied and the importance of visualisation, patterning and generalisation in the instructional process investigated. A series of lessons on these topics was taught to a group of six higher grade matriculation students of mixed ability and gender. Questionnaires related to student progress through the various levels were answered, categorised, graphed and analysed. Despite the small number of students, results seem to indicate that emphasising visualisation, exploring patterns and generalisation and teaching the topics as a reinvention had made a positive contribution towards progress through the various thought levels.

The study examined research writing. The aim was to establish the nature of the relation between the quality of article and report writing in occupational therapy and the density of hedges in such writing. The texts comprised undergraduate reports, which were divided into two achievement groups, namely high and low achievers, and journal articles by occupational therapists. Articles were included because it was assumed that they exemplify good writing, and accordingly, would be appropriately hedged, and would provide a reliable basis for comparing the student groups. Hyland's (1998b) analytical framework was used. While statistical tests revealed no differences between the student groups, overall, the tests revealed significant differences in the use of hedges between the professional and student writers. In light of these findings, it is suggested that hedging in research writing be studied and taught to students in order to assist them in their studies and careers.

A study has been carried out in order to investigate the influence of suspension and tyre modelling on the outputs predicted by vehicle handling simulations. The computer models have been generated using data for a Rover vehicle, for which instrumented track test measurements were also available. The results obtained from a high speed lane change manoeuvre have been used as a benchmark for comparison of the various computer modelling strategies. This investigation addresses two main areas. The first of these is the influence of suspension modelling on calculated outputs. The second and more complex area investigates the influence of models representing the effects of the tyres. In each case a primary aim has been to asess the accuracy of models which use a simplifed approach, reduce the number of model parameters and may hence be more amenable to vehicle and tyre design studies. Comparison of the results from this study indicate that for quite an extreme manoeuvre a relatively simple vehicle and tyre model can be used to carry out a simulation with a good level of accuracy. A sensitivity study has also been carried out to illustrate how the models respond to design changes for both vehicle and tyre parameters. The multibody systems analysis program ADAMS (Automatic Dynamic Analysis of Mechanical Systems) has been used to generate the models, formulate and solve the equations of motion, and postprocess the results. An initial literature survey has been carried out investigating this analysis discipline and its usage in vehicle dynamics. Previous work in the areas of vehicle handling sikulation, tyre theory, and computer modelling of both vehicles and tyres has also been studied. Initial investigations have been carried out looking at the modelling of the suspension systems and the steering system. Information from this phase has been used to provide inputs for a set of four full vehicle models ranging in complexity from a model where the suspensions are treated as lumped masses, a model where the suspensions are treated as swing arms, a model based on roll stiffness and a final detailed model which represents the suspension linkages as fitted on the vehicle. Of the three simple models it will be shown that the roll stiffness model is most suitable for further comparisons with the detailed linkage model, where aspects of tyre modelling are considered. Tyre testing has been carried out at SP Tyres UK Ltd. and at Coventry University. A set of FORTRAN subroutines, which interface with ADAMS, has been developed in association with a computer model of a tyre test rig to represent and validate the various tyre models. The provision of these tools forms part of a new system developed during this study and is referred to as the CUTyre System due to its origins at Coventry University. The tyre models compared include a well known and accurate model which requires up to fifty model parameters and a more simple model requiring only ten parameters. An interpolation method is also used as a benchmark for the comparisons. To the author's knowledge the work described in this thesis can be considered to make an original contribition to the body of knowledge involving the application of multibody systems analysis in vehicle dynamics by: (i) providing a detailed comparison of vechicle suspension modelling strategies with the ADAMS program, (ii) developing a tyre modelling and validation tool which can interface directly with the ADAMS software, (iii) providing a comparison between a sophisticated and a simple tyre model in ADAMS. Of particular significance is the assessment of the influence of the tyre models on simulation outputs and not just shape of the tyre force and moment curves.

Since the early stages of the Hawke government, Australia???s taxation system has been modified with a view to attracting additional capital into the domestic venture capital market. In December 2002, the Howard government enacted the Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 (Cth) and the Venture Capital Act 2002 (Cth). This legislative package created a prospective concession primarily aimed at qualifying limited partnerships who participate in the Australian venture capital market. Subject to a rather stringent qualification criteria, such partnerships are treated as fiscally transparent for the purposes of Australian taxation law. In addition, the gains made upon the disposal of portfolio investments by these partnerships may not be subject to Australian capital gains tax (&quotCGT&quot) or otherwise assessable as ordinary income. The central concept of these measures is the venture capital limited partnership (&quotVCLP&quot), and other fund of fund organisational forms which are founded on the limited partnership. For this reason, the provisions of the Taxation Laws Amendment (Venture Capital) Act 2002 (Cth) and the Venture Capital Act 2002 (Cth) are collectively identified as the &quotVCLP Concessions&quot. This thesis has been prepared as a rigorous assessment of the VCLP Concessions. It draws upon an analysis of the nature and structure of venture capital investing to determine whether the particular features of the VCLP Concessions appropriately cater for the needs of prospective foreign investors. The efficacy and appropriateness of the VCLP Concessions from a policy perspective is also examined. Recommendations are provided which, if enacted, would address regions of structural inconsistency and improve the functioning of this concessional regime.

Neuromelanin (NM) is a dark polymer pigment present in specific populations of catecholaminergic neurons in the brain. Interest in this pigment has rekindled in recent years because of a hypothesised link between NM and the especial vulnerability of NM-containing neurons to cell death in Parkinson???s disease (PD). Many aspects of the biology of NM are yet to be characterised. It is not known if NM like the similar melanin of the skin is synthesised via an enzymatic pathway or solely through autoxidation as has traditionally been thought. Examination of the ultrastructure of NM granules showed that in contrast to peripheral melanosomes, an electron-lucent lipid component was present that represented 30% of pigment volume. The identity of the lipid component of NM has remained unclear since it was first suggested that NM contained lipid in the 1960???s. NM lipid was biochemically isolated from the substantia nigra of 32 human brains. Using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation mass spectrometry and 1H- and 13C NMR techniques, it was shown for the first time that the NM lipid is the polyisoprenoid dolichol. The age-related development and regulation of NM has not previously been described. Optical density and area measurements of unstained NM in ventral substantia nigra neurons spanning the ages of 24 weeks to 95 years old demonstrated three developmental phases. NM was not present at birth and initiation of pigmentation began at approximately 3 years of age, followed by a period of increasing pigment granule number and colouration until age 20. In PD brain, the ultrastructure of NM demonstrated that the amount of lipid did not change. However, filipin staining showed a reduction of cholesterol in PD NM containing neurons. In addition, immunogold staining of ??-synuclein demonstrated that this protein redistributed to the NM lipid in PD brain. The finding of phases in the development of NM, and the identification of lipid species in NM suggest that NM biology is regulated. This thesis has also demonstrated changes in the lipid and associated proteins in PD, suggesting NM???s chemical composition alters which may have functional consequences that contribute to PD.