The aim of this thesis is to investigate the discourse function of connectives in Chinese narratives. It is found that connectives , being a kind of cohesive ties , operate at different levels of discourse as boundary markers. The present study also points out that the occurrences of Chinese connectives are governed by semantic relatedness and discourse structure of the connected discourse units. Chinese connectives are classified on the basis of their meanings into four categories. In describing the positions of the four types of connectives in discourse , the author asserts that Chinese discourse is hierarchically composed of recursive micro-structures and macro-structures , with units occuring at a lower level exhibiting tighter connection. The four categories of connectives occur in discourse to link units at different levels. Additives , with the meaning of “in addition” , generally occur within topic chain to link micro-structures. Causals, which serve to connect expressions bearing causal relations , are mostly used at the connections of micro-structures and less frequently to link macro-structures. Adversatives, which mean "contrast" or "contrariness" , occur at the connections of macrostructures where discourse usually shifts to a different view point. Temporals , indicating temporal sequence , may be used either to link micro-structural expressions of events or actions or to mark shifts of the temporal settings at macro-structural level. The above findings are verified with a quantitive analysis of topic continuity which is proposed to be the indicator of semantic relatedness. The quantative analysis reveals that additives are associated with high topic continuity , and causals , adversatives and temporals are related to low continuity. The thesis also includes an experiment on empirical validity of the findings. The results of the test show that the conclusion proposed in this study adequately describes the native speakers ' competence in using Chinese connectives to organize discourse.

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Ruminant alphaherpesviruses related to bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) are a cluster of viruses antigenically and genetically closely related. The prototype of this cluster, BoHV-1, is a major pathogen of cattle associated with various clinical manifestations including infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) and infectious pustular vulvovaginitis (IPV). IBR is a disease of major economic concern in many parts of the world and especially in Europe, both in countries where this infection has been eradicated and in those where the control of IBR is currently or will be undertaken. The massive use of vaccination allowed a significant reduction of the number of IBR clinical cases. However, the existence of closely related viruses to BoHV-1 is a threat for IBR eradication programmes. Consequently, the main objective of the present work is dedicated to afford a better knowledge of the interaction between alphaherpesviruses and their ruminant hosts in order to contribute to improve the control of IBR. To meet the objective, two approaches have been developed: the study of the viral diversity aiming to extend both epidemiological and virological data about ruminant alphaherpesviruses related to BoHV-1 and the study of the heterologous protection aiming to protect minor ruminant species by the concept of the cascade vaccination. Illustrating the problematic of the cluster of ruminant alphaherpesviruses related to BoHV-1, an original situation has been described recently in Belgium. During 2001 and 2002 hunting seasons, 28.9% of red deer were detected seropositive to BoHV-1. Due to an apparent lack of contact between cattle and red deer, it was suggested that a BoHV-1 related virus was spreading in the Belgian red deer population. Thus, the first isolation of cervid herpesvirus 1 (CvHV-1) in wild fauna is reported, which brings the opportunity to deeper analyse the antigenic, genomic and genetic relationship between BoHV-1 and its related ruminant alphaherpesviruses. This isolation demonstrates that a ruminant can be strongly identified as BoHV-1 positive while in actual fact it is infected with a related but distinct alphaherpesvirus and this ruminant will be declared as false positive. The problem is even greater when these viruses become latent allowing their possible reactivation and persistence for a very long time in their ecological niches. It is necessary to have tests which can differentiate related alphaherpesviruses that infect different ruminant species. The control of IBR relies on the use of BoHV-1 gB and gE blocking enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in order to differentiate infected and gE-negative vaccinated animals. Knowing that CpHV-1 is the most distant virus from BoHV-1, it can be hypothesised that a BoHV-1 gB blocking ELISA detects CpHV-1 but that CpHV-1 infection could be discriminated by a BoHV-1 gE blocking ELISA. CpHV-1 being mainly distributed in the Mediterranean part of Europe as Greece, Spain and Italy, the analysis was performed with field serums collected in France with the aim to update the epidemiological situation of the infection in Europe. Besides BoHV-1, CpHV-1 is the most relevant infection in Europe but is sadly neglected. The first reason is that economic losses are restricted to a herd level in contrast with IBR that brings an economical impact at a country level. The second reason is that goat is considered as a minor species. In this context, the problem is still not big enough for commercial interest towards vaccine development. The European Union has recently pointed out the problem of minor uses and minor species and allowed off label use of veterinary medicinal products or the use of a product licensed for a major species when an authorised veterinary medicinal product is not available (cascade principle). Goat being a minor species and CpHV-1 sharing close antigenic and genetic properties with BoHV-1, a live attenuated gE-negative BoHV-1 vaccine has been assessed in goats to protect against either a nasal or a genital CpHV-1 infection.

Genetic resource enhancement is the foundation of any good breeding program. Landraces from West Africa, interspecifics between Oryza sativa and Oryza glaberrima and improved lines from the West African Rice Development Association and other research centers were introduced to the Beaumont Rice Research center for in situ evaluation and characterization. Beside the introduction of seeds, milled samples were also introduced for grain chemistry analysis. Field evaluation combined with physicochemical and molecular characterization revealed unique characteristics among African germplasm. New rice for Africa (NERICA) lines performed well in the USA environment. Varieties like Nerica 2, Nerica 3, Nerica 4, and Nerica 5 need more attention because of their superior performance in yield and grain quality. Landraces did not perform well due to their height and late maturity and their resulting problems with lodging. The rapid visco analyzer RVA profiles showed that the cultivar Jaya has unusually strong paste viscosity features. Comparing West Africa samples grown in Cote d’Ivoire with those grown in Texas, parameters like AA, ASV, Hot, Cool, and CT were not stongly affected by the environment. According to the Stbk value, cultivars grown in Cote d’Ivoire will cook softer than when they were grown in Texas. The lack of the environmental effect is somewhat surprising considering the difference in latitude, soil types, weather patterns, and management practices between the two locations. Apparent amylose is a key element to characterize a rice cultivar; however certain varieties like Cocodrie and Dixiebelle have similar apparent amylose content but dramatically different functional qualities. A population derived from Cocodrie and Dixiebelle was developed for genotypic and phenotypic analysis of grain chemistry traits that affect functionality. It was concluded that the amount of soluble amylose in the grain had a significant effect on flour pasting properties, even when total apparent amylose content did not vary. Marker association studies revealed that the Waxy microsatellite and the Waxy exon 10 SNP markers were associated with soluble amylose content and RVA characteristics. These markers will speed up the development of new rice cultivars with desirable quality characteristics in West Africa and in the USA.

Page 1 of 11 (page number not for citation purposes) BMC Microbiology Research article Open Access Assessing the suitability of antibiotic resistance markers and the indirect ELISA technique for studying the competitive ability of selected Cyclopia Vent. rhizobia under glasshouse and field conditions in South Africa Amy C Spriggs1 and Felix D Dakora*2 Address: 1Botany Department, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch 7701, Cape Town, South Africa and 2Chemistry Department, Tshwane University of Technology, Private Bag X680, Pretoria 0001, South Africa Email: Amy C Spriggs - amy.spriggs@sanbi.org; Felix D Dakora* - dakorafd@tut.ac.za * Corresponding author Abstract Background: Symbiotic N2 fixation in legumes is constrained by many factors, including the paucity of suitable soil rhizobia To maximise growth of legume species therefore often requires the application of effective rhizobia as inoculants. But where native strains out-compete introduced rhizobia for nodule formation, it is important that the competitiveness of selected strains is tested in the field and glasshouse prior to their recommendation as commercial inoculants. However the methodology for strain identification inside nodules has often proved difficult and thus limited this field of research. In this study, the suitability of the antibiotic resistance technique (both intrinsic low-resistance fingerprinting and high-resistance marking) and the serological indirect ELISA method were assessed for their ability to detect selected Cyclopia rhizobia under glasshouse and field conditions. The four rhizobial strains that were used, namely PPRICI3, UCT40a, UCT44b and UCT61a, were isolated from wild Cyclopia species growing in the Western Cape fynbos of South Africa. Results: The test strains formed two distinct groups with regard to their intrinsic resistance to the antibiotics streptomycin sulphate and spectinomycin dihydrochloride pentahydrate, making it impossible to use intrinsic antibiotic resistance to distinguish strains from within the same intrinsic resistance group. The use of strains marked with double antibiotic resistance was also investigated. A number of these strains lost their antibiotic marker tags after one plant passage; and some also lost their competitive ability. The indirect ELISA technique provided a more satisfactory method of identifying selected Cyclopia strains under both field and glasshouse conditions. The primary antibodies raised against strains UCT40a, UCT61a and UCT44b gave absorbance readings that were unambiguously negative (0.30 OD405), while those of strain PPRICI3 were ambiguous (0.50 OD405) with many false positive readings (1.0 A405). The indirect ELISA method showed a high level of analytical sensitivity in glasshouse experiments and there were no cross-reactions between the four test strains. The method was also suitable for detecting three of the four test strains in competition studies under field conditions, and can also be used to identify some strains under field conditions. Conclusion: The antibiotic marker method was found unsuitable for identifying Cyclopia rhizobia in competition experiments in both glasshouse and field conditions. However, the indirect ELISA technique was found suitable for identifying these strains in glasshouse studies. The method was also appropriate for identifying strains UCT40a, UCT44b and UCT61a, but not strain PPRICI3, in field competition studies.

The purpose of this thesis work is to create a prototype for an augmented reality application that isaimed to support service technician when performing service and maintenance of machines andengines. The prototype will be used for investigating what technical limitations there is and toestablish basic usability for the user interface. The method that is used is user studies and analysis toevaluate use cases and user stories. An iterative work process is then applied for design and theprototype is continuously user tested.The resulting prototype uses a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 running on Android operating system. Theframework used for augmented reality is NyARToolkit which handles marker recognition andconnections to Android. NyARToolkit uses OpenGL to visualize 3D models. The 3D models used isin the metasequoia fileformat. The application that implements the framework gets reasonableperformance on Galaxy Tab 2 and the visualization of 3D model is accomplished. A stabile markerrecognition is not attained.The usability has not been studied thoroughly, but it is designed based on the unofficial standard fordesign on mobile devices and for 3D manipulation on mobile devices. The graphical design is aimingfor an open workspace with as few interrupting objects as possible. Clear descriptions of objects are apart that has resulted from usertesting.Judging by the functionality that the prototype indicates it could be assumed that an application of thistype is possible in the given field, which is worked performed by a service technician. The testingequipment that has been used is not of the latest generation of mobile devices which can mean thatnewer models perform better than the ones used for testing. What seems to be limiting the use of themarker recognition is the quality of the video input. The device’s processing power affects howadvanced the 3D environment can be, which in turn can reduce performance when more complex 3Dmodels are used. Since there are several frameworks for the Android platform there is also severalsolutions to making a prototype with the sane functionality. Since I have only explored oneframework there is a possibility that another framework could have produced a more stabile prototypeThe user testing that has been performed points out that a distinct design is needed. Clearly describingtexts for different objects should be used to make the user less confused. An unofficial user designthat is generally used has to be implemented so that the users fell at home when handling theapplication on mobile devices.

Tierärztl. Hochsch., Diss., 2004--Hannover.

Seven microsatellites, DYS 388, DYS 3891, DYS 389II, DYS 390, DYS 391, DYS 392 and DYS 393 and a biallelic locus DYS 271 were analyzed in the Indian population with the aim of understanding the relationships of the Indo-European and the Dravidian population of India with those of the European /Central Asian populations. The 116 Indian samples, used in the study, enjoy a wide geographical distribution and represents well the different religions and caste groups of India. Supporting previously published results, most variation is found between populations within continents than between continents. No significant differences were found between the different religious and caste groups of India with those of the World populations. All the alleles of the different markers are well represented in the different ethnic groups of India, and thus, does not support the popular belief that the highest diversity exists within the middle caste. Significant differences in the distribution of alleles are found in different regions of India especially between the North and the South. A phylogenetic relationship appears to exist between the Sindhis from South Pakistan with those of the South Indian population. This lends support to the belief that the present population from Sind might represent a remnant population of the original inhabitant of the region that was mainly pushed further to the Southern part of Subcontinent by later invasions. A phylogenetic relationship also exists between the Indian population and the Burushaski population from Northwest Pakistan and with the Kazakhs, Kirgiz and the Uighurs from Central Asia. This is in agreement with previously published results, and supports the occurrence of two main population movements from Central Asia into India at different time intervals that gave birth to the two main language families-the Dravidian and the Indo-European languages in India. / Thesis / Master of Science (MS)

Fecal recoveries of n-alkanes were determined in three digestion balance experiments consisting of two periods each. Each experiment compared two diets in a switch-back design using eight mature Thoroughbred geldings. Horses were randomly assigned to two groups of four and offered one of two mixed grass/legume hays (Diets 1 and 2) in Exp. 1, mixed grass/legume hay and one of two concentrates (Diets 3 and 4) in Exp. 2, and mixed grass/legume pasture (Diets 5 and 6) in Exp. 3. In Exp. 1 and 2, horses were housed in stalls and in Exp. 3, two horses from each diet were housed in stalls and two horses remained on pasture. Balance periods lasted 11 days with d 1 to d 7 consisting of a dietary accommodation period, followed by 4 days of total collection. Results indicated that fecal recoveries of odd-chain alkanes (C25 to C33) were less than 100 % and similar between chain lengths. Estimates of DMD (DE) were similar to the total collection DMD (DTC) for Diet 1 in Exp. 1, but underestimated DTC for Diet 2 in Exp. 1 (P < .05) and Diets 3 and 4 in Exp. 2 (P < .05). For Diet 5 in Exp. 3, the DE for stall-fed horses using C25 and C33 was similar to DTC, whereas C27, C29, and C31 underestimated DTC (P < .05). For pastured horses, the DE using C29 and C31 were similar to DTC, whereas C25, C27, and C33 underestimated DTC (P < .05). For Diet 6 in Exp. 3, the DE for stalled horses calculated using C25 was similar to the DTC, whereas use of C27, C29, C31, and C33 underestimated DTC (P < .05). For pastured horses, the DE using C29 was similar to DTC, whereas all other alkanes underestimated DTC (P < .05). When DE was adjusted (DA1) using the mean recovery of each odd-chain alkane, DA1 was similar to DTC for Diet 2 in Exp. 1, Diets 3 and 4 in Exp. 2, and stalled horses offered Diets 5 and 6 in Exp. 3. The DA1 using C25 underestimated DTC for Diet 1 in Exp. 1 (P < .05). For pastured horses offered Diet 5, DA1 for C33 was not different from the DTC estimate, whereas all other DA1 for n-alkanes overestimated DTC (P < .05). For pastured horses offered Diet 6, DA1 for C29 and C31 overestimated, but were similar to the DTC, whereas the DA1 for C33 underestimated DTC and was similar to the DTC. The DA1 for C25 and C27 overestimated DTC (P < .05). When DE was adjusted for the mean recovery of all n-alkanes (DA2), all DA2 estimates for stalled horses in Exp. 1, 2, and 3 were similar. In pastured horses offered Diets 5 and 6 in Exp. 3, the DA2 overestimated DTC (P < .05). These results suggest that accurate mean estimates of DMD can be obtained by adjusting for mean recovery of each odd-chain alkane in a specific diet. / Master of Science