Missing pages 93, 264 & 313 from electronic and Vault (preservation) copy. / Leptospirosis has been reported in farmed deer in New Zealand since 1980 but knowledge was limited. Studies presented in this thesis investigated the epidemiology and distribution of infection associated with serovars Hardjobovis, Pomona, and Copenhageni in farmed deer, efficacy of a vaccine and the influence of maternally derived antibody, and aspects of exposure of humans to leptospirosis. Serology, bacteriology, and pathology were employed as determinants of infection and vaccine efficacy. A serological survey of 2016 deer from 110 herds confirmed leptospirosis throughout New Zealand with 61.3% of herds infected with Hardjobovis and 3.6% with Pomona alone, 16.4% with dual infections with those serovars, and none with Copenhageni, giving an overall herd prevalence of 81.3%. Epidemiological studies involved serological analysis of samples from a serum bank involving weaner, yearling and adult deer (n=10/group) from 15 farms sampled 3-monthly for 21 months, and intensive blood and urine sampling of young deer on three farms over 1-2 production cycles (n=15-65/group). Infection with Hardjobovis followed an age-related endemic cycle with some animals infected by 3-4 months of age and seroconversion peaking at up to 57% at 12-15 months and mild kidney lesions typical of a host-adapted organism. Infection with Pomona followed an epidemic pattern with seroprevalence of up to 100%, more severe kidney lesions, clinical signs and evidence of reduced growth and reproduction, typical of an accidental host relationship. Leptospira were observed in 30.4% of urine samples and 37.0% of kidneys. Vaccination with "Leptavoid 3" (Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd) was studied on one non-infected, one Hardjobovis infected, and two dual Hardjobovis/Pomona infected herds. Vaccination produced sustained titres in uninfected young and adult deer, and no maternally derived antibody interference was observed in progeny vaccinated at approximately 3-4 months of age. In infected herds, vaccination enhanced seroprevalence and antibody titres, and reduced urine shedding by 44% and culture from urine and kidneys by 37% in the face of continued natural challenge. Analysis of previous data combined with pooled data from the above studies, indicated that 73.0% of lines and 29.0% of individual deer at slaughterhouses had kidney lesions indicative of leptospirosis with a relative risk (RR) of 1.08 and 1.6 for the relationship between seropositivity to Hardjobovis and Pomona, respectively. The overall RR between positive serology, lesion and culture was 2.1. The kidney culture rate ranged from 2.5-33% between herds demonstrating significant risk of exposure to humans, particularly slaughterhouse workers. This study has provided an understanding of the epidemiology in farmed deer and control options available to the industry.

Missing pages 93, 264 & 313 from electronic and Vault (preservation) copy. / Leptospirosis has been reported in farmed deer in New Zealand since 1980 but knowledge was limited. Studies presented in this thesis investigated the epidemiology and distribution of infection associated with serovars Hardjobovis, Pomona, and Copenhageni in farmed deer, efficacy of a vaccine and the influence of maternally derived antibody, and aspects of exposure of humans to leptospirosis. Serology, bacteriology, and pathology were employed as determinants of infection and vaccine efficacy. A serological survey of 2016 deer from 110 herds confirmed leptospirosis throughout New Zealand with 61.3% of herds infected with Hardjobovis and 3.6% with Pomona alone, 16.4% with dual infections with those serovars, and none with Copenhageni, giving an overall herd prevalence of 81.3%. Epidemiological studies involved serological analysis of samples from a serum bank involving weaner, yearling and adult deer (n=10/group) from 15 farms sampled 3-monthly for 21 months, and intensive blood and urine sampling of young deer on three farms over 1-2 production cycles (n=15-65/group). Infection with Hardjobovis followed an age-related endemic cycle with some animals infected by 3-4 months of age and seroconversion peaking at up to 57% at 12-15 months and mild kidney lesions typical of a host-adapted organism. Infection with Pomona followed an epidemic pattern with seroprevalence of up to 100%, more severe kidney lesions, clinical signs and evidence of reduced growth and reproduction, typical of an accidental host relationship. Leptospira were observed in 30.4% of urine samples and 37.0% of kidneys. Vaccination with "Leptavoid 3" (Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd) was studied on one non-infected, one Hardjobovis infected, and two dual Hardjobovis/Pomona infected herds. Vaccination produced sustained titres in uninfected young and adult deer, and no maternally derived antibody interference was observed in progeny vaccinated at approximately 3-4 months of age. In infected herds, vaccination enhanced seroprevalence and antibody titres, and reduced urine shedding by 44% and culture from urine and kidneys by 37% in the face of continued natural challenge. Analysis of previous data combined with pooled data from the above studies, indicated that 73.0% of lines and 29.0% of individual deer at slaughterhouses had kidney lesions indicative of leptospirosis with a relative risk (RR) of 1.08 and 1.6 for the relationship between seropositivity to Hardjobovis and Pomona, respectively. The overall RR between positive serology, lesion and culture was 2.1. The kidney culture rate ranged from 2.5-33% between herds demonstrating significant risk of exposure to humans, particularly slaughterhouse workers. This study has provided an understanding of the epidemiology in farmed deer and control options available to the industry.

In this thesis, I seek to engage with broad questions regarding religion and its interaction with the secular political world by examining a specific historical trend and a particular case study example of that phenomenon. In the American Christian tradition, religion and social justice have become inseparable entities; indeed, the Christian tradition has a long-standing relationship with justice initiatives in the United States. This relationship has taken many forms over the past two centuries. A current trend in Christian civic engagement in the United States is involvement with community organizing – which itself is a relatively new method of pursuing the cause of justice. Since the onset of community organizing, its relationship to religion in general and to Christianity in particular has been a defining characteristic of the movement. Over time, tensions have arisen within both the theory and practice of organizing that have inevitably had an impact on the religious groups and individuals participating in it. Those tensions include the question of why individuals should organize, and issues with the extremely delicate nature of the organizer-community relationship. This thesis examines how Christian theologies have addressed those tensions using the example of the First Presbyterian Church of Pomona, California. In short, I will argue that certain Christian theological values serve to answer those tensions effectively enough to motivate long-term organizing, particularly though scripture-based religious education.

Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease of global importance. It is caused by infection with pathogenic Leptopsira species. Leptospirosis encompasses a wide spectrum of clinical or subclinical disease in both humans and animals. In New Zealand (NZ), leptospirosis is considered to be the most important occupational zoonosis. Livestock farming plays an important role as a major occupational risk factor for human leptospirosis and farmed deer is one of the contributing factors. Commercial farming of deer began in NZ in the early 1970s. It remains the world’s largest and most advanced deer farming industry. Leptospirosis in farmed deer can cause illness and possibly sub-clinical production losses. Farmed deer also play an important role in the transmission of leptospirosis by shedding the organisms in their urine, putting both other animals and humans at risk. Leptospira serovars Hardjobovis and Pomona are the most commonly found serovars in this stock group. The first substantial case report of leptospirosis in farmed deer was in the 1980s but it was not until 2006 that a substantial epidemiological study of this disease in farmed deer was reported. The purpose of this research was to improve and extend current knowledge on the epidemiology of leptospirosis on mixedspecies deer farms, to develop and validate a novel molecular diagnostic tool and to enhance understanding of control measures and their outcomes by means of vaccination. A pilot longitudinal seroprevalence survey of leptospirosis on mixed-species deer farms was conducted. Results from this study revealed that leptospiral infection averaged 70% in all species on mixed-species farms in the lower North Island of NZ. Co-grazing with infected sheep and/or cattle was positively associated with deer herd serological status to both serovars Hardjobovis and Pomona which suggests the possibility of inter-species transmission. Results from this study justify further investigation of leptospirosis on mixedspecies farm at the national level. A collaborative study between Massey University and the WHO/FAO/OIE reference laboratory for leptospirosis in Brisbane to investigate for exotic serovars in farmed deer revealed seropositivity to Arborea which has never been found before in NZ. Attempts to isolate Arborea from kidney samples of farmed deer were unsuccessful and require further investigation. Real-time PCR assay was developed and validated against culture as the gold standard for use on deer kidney tissue and urine as a research and diagnostic tool for determining infection, carrier and shedding status of deer. This research revealed that the real-time PCR assay was highly sensitive (sensitivity: 85% for kidney and 96.7% for urine) and specific (specificity: 99.2% for kidney and 100% for urine). It is a useful tool for the rapid and cost-effective detection of pathogenic leptospires in clinical samples. It can also be used to quantify the concentration of leptospires from clinical samples and identify the likely infecting serovar in NZ when adjunct with a DNA sequencing technique. Vaccination control for leptospirosis has proven to be efficacious and likely to be costeffective. Present research has determined the effect of a commercial bivalent leptospiral vaccine (Leptavoid-2, Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health Limited, NZ) on leptospiral shedding, growth and reproduction of farmed deer under NZ pastoral conditions. The study was designed to simulate an infection-free herd scenario followed by exposure to natural challenge. Results have shown the potential of vaccine to improve mean weight gain (up to 6.5 kg) and weaning rate (average 6.9%) in infected herds and prevent urinary shedding after natural challenge with Hardjobovis. It also provides the first evidence of adverse subclinical effects on deer production by Hardjobovis alone. A pilot study to investigate the presence and localisation of pathogenic Leptospira in the uterus and foetus of female deer revealed evidence of a foetal infection using real-time PCR. This finding suggests a possible explanation for effects of leptospiral infection on NZ farmed deer reproduction. However, further study is required to justify this proposition. This research has contributed significantly to understanding of epidemiology of leptospirosis in NZ farmed deer, providing objective data to assist producers in decision-making on leptospirosis control. Furthermore, this study has made available a valuable diagnostic resource for future leptospirosis studies, and has provided direction for future research into leptospirosis on farmed deer and mixed-species farms.

Using the Chandra X-ray Observatory, Martini et al. (2006) found that the AGN fraction of galaxy clusters was five times higher than previous optical studies suggested. Using visual observations only, Dressler et al. (1985) estimated the AGN fraction of field galaxies to be 5%, while that of clusters was thought to be 1%. To understand the role that the environment plays in AGN fueling, the author studied a variety of environments, ranging from the field to groups to clusters. Will the AGN fraction of groups also be higher than that of the field? The author demonstrates how the AGN fraction of groups compares to that of clusters. In the following sections, the author describes the mechanics of X-ray astronomy, the group environment, and the characteristics of active galactic nuclei. The author briefly describes the possible mechanisms for AGN fueling.

Four students portray Pomona College housekeeping staff that cannot speak for themselves, taking their words from letters written to Pomona College President David Oxtoby about problems in the work environment. Problems includede are sex discrimination, failure of managment to respond, gossip being reported to managers and used in evaluations, employees being kept as 'on-call' for years without health benefits, a sense of hopelessness, that no one is listening, and if they talk to students they are labeled troublemakers. The film ends with a series of still photographs of 17 Pomona staff members taken on the Pomona College campus in various locations with their names and number of years employed by Pomona College.

The fuzzball model of a black hole is an attempt to resolve the many paradoxes and puzzles of black hole physics that have revealed themselves over the last century. These badly behaved solutions of general relativity have given physicists one of the few laboratories to test candidate quantum theories of gravity. Though little is known about exactly what lies beyond the event horizon, and what the ultimate fate of matter that falls in to a black hole is, we know a few intriguing and elegant semi-classical results that have kept physicists occupied. Among these are the known black hole entropy and the Hawking radiation process.

This work examines the chemical and physical effects of a material treatment process on the biopolymers PEEK, POM-h, POM-c, PTFE and UHMWPE. The polymers are analyzed physically and chemically using atomic force microscopy, profilometry, scanning electron microscopy, optical microscopy, contact angle measurement, FT infra-red spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. PEEK is found to be the most suitable polymer and FT Infra-red spectroscopy an informative analytic tool.

Paper discusses the expected uncertainty of orbital parameters of binary stars as measured by the space-based gravitational wave observatory LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) and how the inclusion of spin in the model of the binary stars affects the uncertainty. The uncertainties are found by calculating the received gravitational wave from a binary pair and then performing a linear least-squares parameter estimation. The case of a 1500 solar mass black hole that is 20 years from coalescing with a 1000 solar mass black hole--both of which are 50 x 10^6 light years away--is analyzed, and the results show that the inclusion of spin has a negligible effect upon the angular resolution of LISA but can increase the accuracy in mass and distance measurements by factors of 15 and 65, respectively.

Four students portray Pomona College housekeeping staff that cannot speak for themselves, taking their words from letters written to Pomona College President David Oxtoby about problems in the work environment. Problems included are sex discrimination, failure of management to respond, gossip being reported to managers and used in evaluations, employees being kept as 'on-call' for years without health benefits, a sense of hopelessness, that no one is listening, and if they talk to students they are labeled troublemakers. The film ends with a series of still photographs of 17 Pomona staff members taken on the Pomona College campus in various locations with their names and number of years employed by Pomona College. Notes "This film is dedicated to the staff of Pomona College and to the students who support them. May no one in our community ever feel thrown away. No staff member appearing in this video is in any way associated with its making."