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A revision and a phylogenetic analysis of the genera Zelomorpha Ashmead, 1900 and Hemichoma Enderlein, 1920 were conducted. Phylogenetic analyses used molecular and morphological data. A total of 39 sequences were obtained for COI (887 bases long) and 57 for 28S (1254 bases long). DNA sequences were aligned manually and also aligned with ClustalW (Thompson et al. 1997). Parsimony, Maximum Likelihood, and Bayesian approaches were applied to phylogenetic analyses with each gene region analyzed separately and in a combined analysis. The phylogenetic analysis analyses supported the monophyletic status of the genera Zelomorpha, as defined by Sharkey et al. (2006), and Hemichoma; they upholdseld the hypothesis that the the New World species formerly placed in Biroia belonged to Zelomorpha, and corroborated the synonomy ofgenus Dichelosus with Zelomorpha (Sarmiento and Sharkey, 2005). A total of 3,242 specimens of Hemichoma and Zelomorpha collected through the New World representing 113 species were examined. In addition to the 29 species of Zelomorpha described originally in diverse genera and now moved into the Zelomorpha, 74 new species are described. Seven new species are described for the genus Hemichoma for a total of 10 species. All species are fully redescribed. Fully illustrated keys to the species of Zelomorpha and Hemichoma are provided. The phylogenetic results based on maximum parsimony suggest that, despite the colorful nature of the sister group Hemichoma, species of Zelomorpha were nocturnal and became diurnal secondarily in one lineage. The change to diurnality is linked to a decrease in eye size, to an increase in body size, and to the emergence of colorful patterns. Palatability field tests using lizards as predators of Zelomorpha concinna, a common species with one of the more characteristic and bright color patterns, suggest that the coloration has a warning function and that this wasp is highly unpalatable. Evidence was found that the short ventrally curved ovipositor is an effective defensive structure. DISCLAIMER: The text of this dissertation does not constitute the publication of new species as defined by the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. The newly estrablished species names in this work will be/have been recognized as valid upon their publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

Background: Globalisation is changing the world and our daily lives are governed by products and images originating from other countries and other cultures. Globalisation influences consumer culture and different authors have argued for the emergence of global consumer culture. However, previous literature de-emphasizes what consumer beliefs about the global consumer culture are and how people who believe that they are global try to construct themselves as global in terms of consumption. What are their motives of being global and what kind of needs and wants do they cover by being global consumers? Purpose: To explore and illustrate how consumers try to construct their global selves through consumption. Method: An abductive, qualitative research approach with a combination of exploratory and descriptive research design was chosen. Primary data collection through semi-structured in-depth interviews was conducted among 15 respondents who tried to construct their global selves through consumption. These consumers were selected through a non-probability sampling and interviews took place in Jönköping, Sweden. Conclusion: Consumers try to construct their global selves in a variety of ways, the most common ones are through travelling and engaging in cultural experiences, consuming products from specific countries for certain reasons, and by observing the market as one whole global market, thus not limiting themselves into the boundaries of specific countries, regions or continents. This consumption is then grounded on myths and beliefs that they have accumulated about global consumer culture while gaining experience in different parts of the world. These myths and beliefs are however based on their perceptions towards global consumer culture, not objective reality per se.

Background The development of serological tests for the diagnosis of coeliac disease, including tests for endomysial and tissue transglutaminase antibodies, has made population screening for coeliac disease a realistic possibility. Several serological screening studies from European countries have shown that as many as 1% of the general population may have undetected coeliac disease. The implications of this diagnosis are unclear since the only data on the morbidity and physiological characteristics associated with previously undetected disease come from small, selected, case series. Most adult screening studies in the general population have identified only small numbers (i.e. less than 20 cases) of previously undetected cases and have therefore been unable to examine these issues through lack of statistical power. Clinically diagnosed coeliac disease has traditionally been linked with a variety of adverse co-morbid conditions including osteoporosis, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and an increased mortality in general. These conditions are thought to be partly a consequence of the altered nutritional status associated with the malabsorption that occurs with villous atrophy of the small bowel in coeliac disease. Although some of the adverse effects of, for example, vitamin and calcium deficiencies in coeliac disease have previously been explored whether there may be potentially beneficial effects of mild malabsorption have not. There are two main aspects in this thesis. The first is to estimate the prevalence of undetected coeliac disease in England and explore the important physiologic correlates of this condition. The second is to examine the risk of fracture, vascular disease, malignancy and mortality in people with diagnosed coeliac disease compared to the general population. Objectives 1. To estimate the seroprevalence of undetected coeliac disease in England. 2. To explore the relationship between undetected coeliac disease and various socio-demographic characteristics and physiological measures. 3. To quantify the impact of diagnosed coeliac disease (compared to the general population) on the risk of: a. Fracture b. Vascular disease (hypertension, high cholesterol, atrial fibrillation, myocardial infarction and stroke) c. Malignancy and mortality Methods To examine objectives 1 and 2 I utilised the Cambridge General Practice Health Study. This study identified individuals aged 45-76 registered with 12 general practices and invited them to complete a health survey, have a bone density measurement and submit a blood sample between 1990 and 1995. Serum samples from 7550 participants were tested for antiendomysial antibody (EMA). Seroprevalence of undetected coeliac disease was defined by EMA positivity. Differences between EMA positive and negative participants of various physiological measures and reported characteristics were estimated using multivariate logistic and linear regression and adjusted for age, gender, social class and smoking behaviour. To examine objective 3 I performed a population based cohort study using the General Practice Research Database to quantify the risk of fracture, vascular disease, malignancy and mortality in people with coeliac disease compared to the general population. I identified 4732 people with coeliac disease and 23620 age and sex matched control subjects. I used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios for fracture, myocardial infarction, stroke, malignancy and mortality, and conditional logistic regression to estimate the risk of diagnosed hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and atrial fibrillation, in people with coeliac disease compared to the general population. Findings The studies show that undetected coeliac disease is likely to affect about 1% of the population of England aged 45-76, a figure similar to several other countries. Those affected more commonly reported “good or excellent health”, however they do have an increased risk of osteoporosis and mild anaemia. In contrast they have a favourable cardiovascular risk profile including lower serum cholesterol and blood pressure. In people with clinically diagnosed coeliac disease, compared to the general population, there were small increases in both the absolute and relative overall fracture incidence with a 2-fold increase in the risk of hip fracture. Adults with treated coeliac disease did have a favourable vascular disease risk factor profile but numbers having heart attacks or strokes were modest and rates of heart attack and stroke were not reduced. There were modest increases in the overall risks of malignancy and mortality in people with coeliac disease and most of this excess risk occurred in the first year of follow up after diagnosis, suggesting ascertainment bias. I found a marked reduction in the risk of breast and lung cancer in people with coeliac disease and the mechanism of this merits further attention as it may provide insight into the aetiology of these common malignancies. Conclusions I found that approximately 1% of general adult population of the UK has undetected coeliac disease. The findings suggest that although coeliac disease is associated with some adverse conditions; it may also have some beneficial health effects. Please note: This version does not include the copies of journal articles which were included in the original thesis, but just details of the articles.

Knowledge of carcass merit will help the meat duck breeder identify superior stock and accelerate genetic improvement. Selection for leanness will enhance product acceptance by the consumer. Heritability values for carcass traits are in the medium-high range. Feed intake level during rearing is critical for reproduction. The objectives were to evaluate (1) the response of breast muscle thickness of the F1 progeny from parent breeders selected for maximum muscle thickness at market age and (2) the effect of 2 levels of feed restriction during development for subsequent egg production. In a commercial flock, 4842 Pekin ducks (Brome Lake Ducks Ltd.) were individually weighed and measured by ultrasound for breast muscle thickness (MT, mm) at 47 days of age. Three groups of 120 females and 25 males each were selected and allocated to the following groups: (1) control (CT), randomly selected; (2) maximum body weight (BW), and (3) maximum MT. From 7 to 23 wk old, one half of breeders followed a conventional restriction (CR) at 67 g feed/kg body weight daily, the other half were slightly more restricted following a Macdonald restriction (MR) at the same intake as CR but with a weekly skip-a-day feeding. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Glioma is the most frequent primary tumor of the central nervous system. By using the RCAS/tv-a mouse glioma model, we have studied mechanisms controlling glioma development and the effect of cell of origin on these processes. SOX5 was identified as a brain tumor locus in a retroviral insertional mutagenesis screen of PDGF-B induced mouse gliomas. Here we found that SOX5 could suppress PDGFB-induced glioma development particularly in Ink4a-/- mice. Analysis of putative PDGF-B signaling pathways revealed that the underlying mechanism could involve the activation of AKT and p27, which caused an acute cellular senescence. When cultured in a highly selective serum free medium, glioma-initiating cells could be isolated from mouse GBMs and their self-renewal and proliferation was independent on exogenous EGF and FGF2. Addition of serum into the medium induced aberrant differentiation that was reversible. Specific depletion of viral PDGF-B demonstrated that PDGF-B was necessary for stemness and tumorigenicity of GICs by preventing them to differentiate. Subsequently, by applying the same culture conditions, GICs of APC, NSC and OPC origins were isolated from mouse GBMs. GICs derived from NSCs exhibited higher self-renewal, faster proliferation and more potent tumorigenicity than those of APC or OPC origin. Furthermore, addition of 5% serum significantly inhibited the proliferation of APC- and OPC-derived GICs, but did not in NSC-derived GICs. Transcriptome analysis revealed that GICs of the same cell of origin displayed distinct expression profiles. In the last study, we showed that OPCs could serve as the origin for astrocytic glioma. Results from immunostainings revealed that these tumors might belong to a different molecular subtype than the oligodendroglial tumors induced in OPCs. We also found differences in tumorigenic potential between OPCs in neonatal and adult mice, which suggest that developmental age of the cell of origin is important for its susceptibility to oncogenic transformation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 251-259). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1993. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 88-90). Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.