Even when given the exact same moral dilemma, equally rational peers, colleagues, and friends will disagree about the right course of action. Pro tanto principles are one way to resolve moral conflicts such as these. When broadening the conflicts to real life situations, such as those seen in public policy, pro tanto principles prove to be an extremely useful tool. This paper explores the difference between the way that the individual interacts with pro tanto principles and the way that public policy interacts with such a moral system. In the end, difficulties in public policy attempt to be resolved by using this framework.

The degradation of the environment and climate change represent some of the most important environmental issues affecting our society today, and we need to better understand what can be done in order to mitigate the negative effects of human activity on the environment. The present program of research proposes to examine, through three studies, how the frequency of pro-environmental behaviours (PEB) and harmful-environmental behaviours (HEB) are related to self-determined (SDM) and non-self-determined motivation (NSDM), stages of change (SOC), the satisfaction versus the frustration of basic psychological needs as defined by Self-Determination Theory, and nature relatedness. In Study 1 (N = 377), a scale was created to measure two distinct types of environmental behaviours, PEB and HEB, and the relationships between these types of environmental behaviours and SDM and NSDM were examined. Results demonstrated that both types of behaviours loaded on two distinct factors when conducting an exploratory factor analysis, that they were associated differently with environmental motivation, and that levels of motivation were different according to the reported frequency of adoption of PEB and HEB. In Study 2a (N = 266) and 2b (N = 529), the role of stages of change (SOC) was introduced to determine whether environmental motivation and behaviours were different across SOC and to examine whether SOC played a mediating or moderating role in the relationship between environmental motivation and behaviours. Results indicated that people in the later SOC displayed higher levels of SDM and PEB while people in the earlier stages reported higher levels of NSDM and HEB. It was also observed that SOC partially mediated the relationship between environmental motivation and behaviours. In Study 3 (N = 507) nature relatedness was compared to the satisfaction and frustration of basic psychological needs proposed by SDT to examine their respective roles in the association of motivation, SOC, PEB and HEB. Results revealed that nature relatedness was incremental to need satisfaction and frustration with regard to levels of SDM. Also, nature relatedness was an important determinant of SOC and both types of environmental behaviours. As for the proposed model, it was demonstrated that high levels of nature relatedness were associated with higher PEB and lower HEB through partial mediation by SDM and SOC, while need frustration was linked to a higher reported frequency of HEB through mediation by NSDM. Overall this thesis expands on SDT research by highlighting the importance of including HEB in conjunction with PEB and by demonstrating the prominent roles that SOC and nature relatedness could play in the motivational process associated with environmental action.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. Alveolar wall destruction is a significant contributor to COPD. Inflammatory macrophages are a major source of the Extracellular Matrix (ECM) proteolysis. ECM breakdown causes air to get trapped in the alveoli, obstructing airflow. One step in curing COPD may be to convert inflammatory to pro-regenerative macrophages. Recently, decellularized ECM scaffolds have shown the ability to induce a pro-regenerative phenotype. Yet these scaffolds are incapable for reaching the alveolar region of the lungs. To reach the alveolar region particles need a diameter of 1-5 μm or smaller than 300 nm. We used protein from decellularized lung tissue to create nanoparticles. By first digesting the protein in acid, we electrosprayed the solution into nanoparticles. The average size of the nanoparticles is 225 (± 67) nm, within the requirements to reach alveoli. However, another barrier exists for treating this disease. That barrier is mucus; mucus hypersecretion is another sign of COPD. The formed particles are capable of penetrating the mucus layer in COPD. After characterizing the particles, we began in vitro investigations. First, we measured cytotoxicity of the nanoparticles. In alveolar epithelial cells, adding nanoparticles to the media increased cellular proliferation. We then added the nanoparticles to isolated murine macrophages. The nanoparticles induced a pro-regenerative phenotypic shift in murine macrophages. These experiments reveal that these nanoparticles may become an effective treatment for degenerative lungs diseases, such as COPD, after further investigation.

Adult attachment theory offers a promising conceptual framework for understanding the psychological and contextual factors that contribute to marital satisfaction. A consistent association has been found between adult attachment dimensions and marital satisfaction. The current study examined several mediating mechanisms that may explain the relationship between adult attachment dimensions and marital satisfaction. Specifically, relationship expectations, four types of responses to accommodative dilemmas (exit, neglect, voice, and loyalty), and three forms of empathy (empathic concern, perspective taking, empathic personal distress) were hypothesized to mediate the relationship between adult attachment and marital satisfaction. Self-report data were collected from both partners of 193 heterosexual, married couples. The attachment dimension of avoidance for husbands and wives was consistently associated with each couple member's respective marital satisfaction. Attachment anxiety was never directly associated with either husbands' or wives' marital satisfaction. Wives' marital satisfaction was explained by their own relationship expectations and exit responses. Additionally, wives' marital satisfaction was explained by their husband's relationship expectations, exit responses, empathic perspective taking, and loyalty responses. Husbands' marital satisfaction was explained by their own relationship expectations, exit responses, neglect responses, voice responses, loyalty responses, and empathic perspective taking. Results are discussed in light of current theories of adult attachment and marital satisfaction.

Mild Cognitive Impairment is a condition that affects an individual's thinking and decision making capabilities. Specifically, it is one where an individual's capabilities of memorizing, thinking and decision making are less efficient when compared to others. In order to diagnose this condition, a conventional method is to provide the subject with a small challenge they should be completed using pen and paper. This thesis focuses on how this method can be converted to a computer based test. A data visualization tool named Processing has been used to develop a system that runs a game-like test, which is completed by individuals using a mouse. The system then saves the individual's mouse movements in the form of a CSV file. This files are used for further analyzed using JMP Pro on how this data can be used for determining cognitive abilities via computing a metric called Fractal, and what conclusions can be drawn. In order to achieve comparable results, readings from two diverse age groups have been collected. The results using a total of 12 subjects are convincing in that the tool can be used to as a marker for detecting cognitive impairment.

The 2-groups of coclass 1 are widely known and James (in 1975) looked at the 2-groups of coclass 2. Development of the p-group generation algorithm implemented by O'Brien at ANU enabled group presentations to be provided for the 2-groups of coclass 3 by Newman and O'Brien for groups of order up to 223. Newman and O'Brien (in 1999) conjectured the number of descendants of 2n for all n. They introduced the concept of a family, with each family related to a different pro-p-group and the concept of a sporadic p-group, a p-group external to any family. They found 1782 sporadic 2-groups with order at most 214. The 70 families of 2-groups of coclass 3 can be further split according to their period, a measure of the repetitive structure of the families. Newman and O'Brien conjectured that these families had periods of 1, 2 or 4. This thesis examines the 2-groups of coclass 3 contained in families with period 1 and shows that the number of descendants conjectured by Newman and O'Brien is correct. Furthermore the presentation of all groups contained in period 1 families is provided and shown to be correct.

在刑事審判程序中，法院常因釐清事實的能力有限，以致對被告的被訴事實無法完全明確證明，若依傳統見解(in dubio pro reo､the Pre-sumption of Innocence)為保護人權，往往須為被告無罪之判決。然而當案情雖無法完全釐清，但法院卻可以確定被告在兩種可能犯罪事實「版本」中，若不是犯了這個罪，就是犯了另一個，總之沒有無辜的可能性存在，此時，若分別就二以上的事實可能性檢討，則被告行為合致於此罪構成要件將因事實尚存有構成他罪的可能性而落空；反之，在檢討他罪時，同樣因為仍存有構成此罪的嫌疑而不能完全證明，分別適用傳統見解的結果，只會使一個明知其行為抵觸現行有效處罰法規的被告，獲得無罪判決的寬典。此種結論，是否仍屬法治國原則下，罪刑法定構成要件明確性要求所要保護的目的。為了在法律安定性與個案正義間尋求一個平衡點，德國早在十九世紀末即有「選擇認定」原則的提出，認為在訴訟程序中，若法院極盡一切事實上以及程序上所允許的證明方式，仍無法將案情事實完全釐清，只知道被告所為的事實經過，僅存有兩個「非此即彼」的可能性，而分別可能合致兩個刑罰構成要件，若構成其中一個，即排斥另一個，但總是構成一個，絕對沒有無辜的可能。此時，若該列入考慮的二以上犯罪構成要件彼此間具有一定的關連（通說認為是「法倫理或心理上可比較性」）時，法院可以基於多選擇的事實基礎，而以較輕的罪刑與被告以有罪判決。例如，某被告因持有他人被竊的贓物而被捕，法院在極盡調查､審理之能事後，只知道該名被告若非犯了竊盜行為，就是明知為贓物而故買之，總是犯了一個。依德國聯邦最高法院的見解，由於竊盜罪（德國刑法第二四二條）及贓物罪（德國刑法第二五九條）間具有相同的道德非難，故可允許基於「竊盜罪或贓物罪」的多選擇事實基礎下，為被告有罪之判決。

Mucositis refers to the widespread damage of mucosal surfaces throughout the length of the alimentary tract (AT) that can occur during cancer treatment. Its development is an important clinical problem that complicates and limits treatment options as well as adversely affecting the quality of life and treatment outcomes for patients. Recent studies directed at determining the pathobiology of mucositis have indicated increasing evidence for the role of transcription factors, such as nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), and certain pro-inflammatory cytokines, for example tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and interleukin- 6 (IL-6), in its development. This thesis developed from an initial clinical investigation in which the expression of NF-κB and COX-2 in oral mucosa was investigated in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Increased levels of NF-κB were demonstrated in the buccal mucosa following chemotherapy. It is well established that mucositis occurs in different sites of the AT. The aims of this research, therefore, were to compare and contrast the changes that do occur at different sites of the AT following chemotherapy in an established animal model (Dark Agouti (DA) rat). Furthermore, the studies were conducted to determine whether changes in tissue and serum levels of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokines occurred following chemotherapy and, with respect to tissue levels, identify whether there were differences in expression at different sites throughout the AT. The final aim was to examine whether the histological changes and changes in pro-inflammatory cytokines were affected by the type of chemotherapy drug used. The effects of three chemotherapy drugs with different mechanisms of action (irinotecan, methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil) were investigated, all of which can cause mucositis in the clinical setting. The thesis is divided into a Literature Review (Chapter 1) followed by 4 research papers: Chapter 2 – “Nuclear factor- κB (NF- κB) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in the oral mucosa following cancer chemotherapy” Chapter 3 -“Characterisation of mucosal changes in the alimentary tract following administration of irinotecan: Implications for the pathobiology of mucositis” Chapter 4 – “Is the pathobiology of chemotherapy-induced alimentary tract mucositis influenced by the type of mucotoxic drug administered?”, Chapter 5 – “Serum levels of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokines following administration of mucotoxic drugs”. Chapter 6 provides an overall summary and discussion of the results. Previous research has indicated that following administration of chemotherapeutic agents there may be subclinical changes occurring in the mucosa prior to obvious clinical manifestations. The results presented in this thesis also demonstrate this in both humans and animals following administration of chemotherapy. Immunohistochemical analysis of tissue taken from the oral cavity, jejunum and colon from the DA rats following chemotherapy demonstrated that changes in NF-κB and the pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF, IL-1β and IL- 6, occurred at all sites over a 72 hour time period. This was evident before severe histological evidence of mucositis were observed such as epithelial atrophy in the oral mucosa, atrophy, blunting and fusion of the villi in the jejunum and crypt ablation in the jejunum and colon. Furthermore, each of the three drugs caused different patterns of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in the tissues; in spite of this, however, histological features of damage were similar. With respect to serum levels of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokines, differences were observed between the serum and tissue levels. Generally, serum changes followed initial histological changes in the tissues, or occurred simultaneously with histological changes. The mechanisms behind this are unclear; however it may be that elevated cytokines in the tissues “overflow” into the serum as tissue damage increases. Furthermore, the use of serum cytokine level measurement to predict mucosal damage is limited because of the differences in timing and short time intervals between changes in the serum and tissues. This thesis has provided additional important information on mucositis pathobiology and highlights its complexity. In particular, it has provided new evidence supporting the notion that mucositis is not restricted to the oral cavity and that other sites of the AT are also affected. Furthermore, these results confirm previous data indicating that subclinical changes occur in the mucosa prior to the development of obvious histological damage or clinical manifestations of mucositis. Contrary to previous reports, these studies have indicated that, although the clinical and histological changes may be similar, the alterations in NF-κB and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the tissues are affected by the type of drug used. This has important implications in the management and prevention of mucositis in the clinical setting particularly when multi-drug or chemotherapy-radiotherapy regimens are used. A common pathway that leads to mucosal damage is yet to be determined. The fact that serum levels appear to reflect the “global” nature of the effects of chemotherapy, highlights the fact that ongoing research needs to be directed, not necessarily at specific side effects, but rather how side effects of chemotherapy are interrelated so that better patient management can be achieved and ultimately provide optimum treatment and better survival for patients with cancer. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1321557 / Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Dentistry, 2008

L'alignement multiple est une opération permettant de mettre en évidence la similarité entre plusieurs séquences. Il est notamment utilisé pour la reconstruction de phylogénies, la recherche de motifs et la prédiction de structures. Cette thèse s'intéresse au développement de nouveaux algorithmes pour ce problème particulièrement difficile, et introduit deux algorithmes progressifs ayant pour point commun de réaliser un alignement multiple par alignements successifs de groupes de séquences.<br />Le premier algorithme, Plasma utilise une méthode de descente, dont chaque itération consiste à réaliser des insertions de colonnes de brèches dans deux alignements multiples à aligner. Le second algorithme, Plasma II , est basé sur le principe de la programmation dynamique. Nous généralisons ici l'algorithme utilisé pour l'alignement de deux séquences, et étendons le cadre de la programmation dynamique `a l'alignement de deux alignements multiples. Cet algorithme ainsi que plusieurs variantes sont intensivement évalués sur les jeux d'essais de Balibase, montrant des résultats encourageants, voire compétitifs, par rapport à certains algorithmes de référence comme Clustal W, tant sur la qualité de l'alignement que sur le temps de calcul.

<p>Syftet med denna c-uppsats har varit att kartlägga Pensionärernas riksorganisations (PRO) roll inom äldreomsorgen i Österåkers kommun. I vilket avseende PRO är ett komplement eller en ersättning till kommunens verksamhet. Den här studien faller under kvalitativ forskning och bygger enbart på skriftligt underlag. Materialet är PRO: s mål, handlingsprogram på riksnivå och verksamhetsberättelse 2004 för Österåkers kommun och kommunens mål, riktlinjer och verksamhetsberättelse 2004. Studien har visat att frivilliga organisationer i nästan alla under-sökningar man har gjort har haft en stark roll inom den offentliga sektorn. Även från politiskt håll har man också velat att dessa organisationer ska sköta en del av kommunens verksamhet. Studien har också visat genom resultatet och analysen att PRO som frivilligorganisation i Ös-teråkers kommun varken är ett komplement eller en ersättning till kommunens verksamhet. Däremot har PRO en roll som kooptering d.v.s. att de kan påverka beslut som berör äldre människor genom sin plats i pensionärsrådet.</p>