Research report presented to SBL, Unisa, Midrand. / There is a dearth of literature on how buyer-supplier relationships are organised in industries in developing countries. In this study, we drew on the existing theoretical framework on buyer-supplier relationships to establish the nature of buyer-supplier relationships in the Zimbabwean tobacco industry. Managers may use these findings as a foundation for further research on how these relationships can be improved and to gauge their current position to enable planning for strategic positioning in global competitive markets.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Heath Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine in the field of Tropical Diseases (Epidemiology & Biostatistics) Johannesburg, / Objective. The aim of this paper was to systematically evaluate available evidence on tobacco smoking as a risk factor for pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods. Relevant reports were identified by a systematic electronic search of Medline, Pubmed, Nioshtic, Toxline and Embasse. Methodological quality of all selected publications was assessed using a standardized checklist. Information was collected on all major study characteristics. Inter-study heterogeneity was examined qualitatively and statistically using the DerSimonian and Laird method. Results. Five case-control studies and 1 cohort study were included in the systematic review. All the 6 studies revealed a relationship between tobacco smoking and pulmonary tuberculosis. Heterogeneity across studies hampered overall statistical pooling of results, however pooled risk ratios for sub-groups were determined / IT2018

FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH 0209663k / Background: Tobacco use is one of the single biggest causes of preventable deaths and is increasingly affecting developing countries and men and women alike. Tobacco use is historically more common in men but is becoming more common among women. In the absence of population-based health information in many dev eloping countries and sub- Saharan Africa in particular, public health planning and priority setting is in disarray. Most of the prevalence studies on tobacco have concentrated on smoked tobacco and men in particular. This cross-sectional study design looked at the prevalence, patterns and determinants of tobacco use among women in Benin City, an urban area in Nigeria. Methods: 491 face-to-face interviews were conducted in 45 enumeration areas randomly sampled in Oredo LGA in Benin City, Nigeria. Twelve households were randomly sampled in each EA and eligible woman over the age of 18 years was identified in each household. Results: The prevalence of tobacco use was 8.8% comprising of smoking (3.3%) and smokeless (5.5%) initiation occur during the teenage years mostly. Smoking cigarettes was more common among the younger, more educated women and Tabba (a mixture of powdered dry tobacco leaf and sodium bicarbonate) used mostly by older less educated women (RR = 3.10, CI = 1.01 - 9.48). The participants perceived friends using tobacco as a reason for their starting to use tobacco. Determinants of tobacco use were education, exposure to tobacco advertising and / or promotions which occurs almost unrestricted despite some tobacco control legislations. Dr. OV Okwuolise; 0209663K/2005 Page 2 of 2 Conclusions: The findings suggest that tobacco use is going on unhindered and unless something is done to curtail the activities of the tobacco industry, a major public health catastrophe is looming.

Cheng Cho-chak. / Thesis (M. Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Bibliography: leaves 29-33; 63-65.

Thesis (M. Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong. / Bibliography: leaves 90-110.

Lu Shanxiang. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 122-135). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Thesis committee --- p.ii / Statement --- p.iii / Acknowledgements --- p.iv / Abstract --- p.v / 摘要 --- p.vii / Table of Contents --- p.viii / List of Figures --- p.xiii / List of Tables --- p.xv / List of Abbreviations --- p.xvi / Chapter Chapter 1. --- General Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Lysine-rich protein from winged bean --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.1 --- Discovery --- p.2 / Chapter 1.1.2 --- Applications in enhancing nutritional values --- p.2 / Chapter 1.2 --- Plant secretory pathway --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.1 --- Overview of plant secretory pathway --- p.4 / Chapter 1.2.2 --- Three models on protein transportation from ER to Golgi --- p.6 / Chapter 1.2.3 --- Brefeldin A: inhibitor of secretion --- p.9 / Chapter 1.2.4 --- Markers for different organelles --- p.10 / Chapter 1.3 --- Tobacco bright yellow 2 (BY-2) cell system --- p.11 / Chapter 1.3.1 --- Origin of BY-2 cell line --- p.12 / Chapter 1.3.2 --- Characteristics of BY-2 cell line --- p.12 / Chapter 1.4 --- Use of fluorescent proteins as reporters --- p.13 / Chapter 1.4.1 --- GFP and its derivatives --- p.13 / Chapter 1.4.2 --- Reporter system --- p.15 / Chapter 1.4.3 --- Applications of GFP and its derivatives in plants --- p.16 / Chapter 1.5 --- Temperature effects on plants --- p.17 / Chapter 1.6 --- Project objectives --- p.18 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- Subcellular localization of LRP in winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus)seeds --- p.20 / Chapter 2.1 --- Introduction --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.1 --- Chemicals --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.2 --- Plant materials --- p.21 / Chapter 2.2.3 --- Antibodies --- p.22 / Chapter 2.2.4 --- Western blot --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.4.1 --- Protein extraction --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.4.2 --- Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) --- p.23 / Chapter 2.2.4.3 --- Immunodetection --- p.24 / Chapter 2.2.5 --- Confocal Immunofluorescence --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.5.1 --- Preparation of samples for immuno-labeling --- p.25 / Chapter 2.2.5.2 --- Immuno-labeling --- p.26 / Chapter 2.2.5.3 --- Collection and analysis of confocal fluorescent images --- p.27 / Chapter 2.2.6 --- Immuno transmission electron microscope (TEM) study --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2.6.1 --- Preparation of samples --- p.28 / Chapter 2.2.6.2 --- Immuno-labeling --- p.29 / Chapter 2.3 --- Results --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3.1 --- Anti-alpha-TIP and anti-LRP antibodies have good specificity in winged bean seeds --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3.2 --- Anti-a-TIP antibodies could label the PSVs of winged bean seeds specifically --- p.31 / Chapter 2.3.3 --- LRP was localized outside of PSVs --- p.33 / Chapter 2.3.4 --- Immuno-TEM localization of LRP --- p.35 / Chapter 2.4 --- Conclusion and discussion --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Generation of Transgenic Tobacco BY-2 Cell Lines Expressing YFP and LRP Fusions --- p.41 / Chapter 3.1 --- Introduction --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2 --- Materials and methods --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2.1 --- Primers --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2.2 --- Plant materials --- p.43 / Chapter 3.2.3 --- Bacterial strains --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.4 --- Construction of fusion constructs --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.4.1 --- Four fusion constructs of LRP and YFP --- p.44 / Chapter 3.2.4.2 --- His-tag-YFP fusion construct --- p.45 / Chapter 3.2.4.3 --- Cloning of the fusion protein genes into Agrobacterium binary vector pBI121 --- p.45 / Chapter 3.2.5 --- Confirmation of the fusion constructs --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2.6 --- Transformation of Agrobacterium by electroporation --- p.53 / Chapter 3.2.7 --- "Transformation, selection and suspension of tobacco BY-2 cells" --- p.54 / Chapter 3.2.8 --- "Transformation, screening and induction of E. coli BL21-DE3 for expression of His-tagged YFP" --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.9 --- Protein extraction --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.9.1 --- Protein fractionation from BY-2 cells --- p.55 / Chapter 3.2.9.2 --- protein extraction from E. coli of BL21-DE3 --- p.56 / Chapter 3.2.10 --- Immunolabeling of suspension cultured cells --- p.56 / Chapter 3.2.11 --- Raising anti-GFP antibodies --- p.57 / Chapter 3.2.12 --- Dot blot analysis --- p.58 / Chapter 3.2.13 --- Affinity purification of proteins and antibodies --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.13.1 --- Metal affinity resin column for protein purification --- p.59 / Chapter 3.2.13.2 --- Cyanogens bromide (CNBr) activated sepharose column for antibody purification --- p.60 / Chapter 3.2.14 --- SDS-PAGE and western blot analysis --- p.61 / Chapter 3.2.15 --- Antibodies --- p.61 / Chapter 3.3 --- Results --- p.62 / Chapter 3.3.1 --- Two transgenic BY-2 cell lines showed different fluorescent signal patterns --- p.62 / Chapter 3.3.2 --- Two cell lines showed different fluorescent signal stability --- p.63 / Chapter 3.3.3 --- The two fusion proteins were localized in different places in the BY-2 cells --- p.67 / Chapter 3.3.4 --- """Green"" E. coli expressed the recombinant YFP" --- p.69 / Chapter 3.3.5 --- Expressed recombinant YFP could not be affinity purified --- p.69 / Chapter 3.3.6 --- Raised polyclonal anti-GFP antibodies showed good specificity --- p.69 / Chapter 3.4 --- Conclusion and discussion --- p.75 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- Characterization of SpYFP-LRP Fusion in Transgenic BY-2 cells --- p.76 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2 --- Materials and Methods --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2.1 --- Plant materials --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2.2 --- BFA and heat treatment --- p.77 / Chapter 4.2.3 --- Confocal immunolabeling --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.4 --- Conventional TEM study --- p.78 / Chapter 4.2.5 --- Immuno TEM using Lowicryl resin and LR White resin --- p.80 / Chapter 4.3 --- Results --- p.82 / Chapter 4.3.1 --- "BFA induced the SpYFP-LRP-marked organelle to form ""BFA-induced"" compartments" --- p.82 / Chapter 4.3.2 --- Partial recovery from BFA treatment --- p.84 / Chapter 4.3.3 --- SpYFP-LRP was localized in BFA-induced compartments --- p.87 / Chapter 4.3.4 --- BFA treatment induced the formation of various compartmentsin SpYFP-LRP cells --- p.90 / Chapter 4.3.5 --- BFA-induced structures contain SpYFP-LRP --- p.99 / Chapter 4.3.6 --- Elevated temperature affected the signal pattern but not the localization of SpYFP-LRP in transgenic BY-2 cells --- p.100 / Chapter 4.3.7 --- Elevated temperature treatment induced the SPYFP-LRP cells to form new vesicular compartments --- p.105 / Chapter 4.4 --- Conclusions and Discussion --- p.112 / Chapter 4.4.1 --- BFA treatment --- p.112 / Chapter 4.4.2 --- Heat treatment --- p.114 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Summary and Future Perspectives --- p.116 / Chapter 5.1 --- Summary --- p.117 / Chapter 5.2 --- Future perspectives --- p.119 / Reference --- p.122

This dissertation addresses a fundamental question: how did the English, French, and Dutch establish successful colonies and trade routes in the Iberian-dominated Americas? It argues that the English, Dutch, and French (a group I refer to as the “Upstart Empires”) relied upon Iberian and indigenous knowledge and trade networks in a series of illicit commercial operations and failed colonies in South America and the Caribbean before they were able to establish themselves permanently in the Americas. These little-studied colonial experiments all had one thing in common: tobacco. A crop in high demand that grows nearly anywhere and requires little special equipment, tobacco was an obvious choice for new colonies. The Spanish Empire was founded on mineral extraction and the subjugation of extant empires. For other colonizers, the development of plantation economies was crucial. Cultivating Colonies looks at how this came to be. This dissertation relies upon a diverse source base, using Spanish, Dutch, French, and English archives to tell a story that transcends imperial boundaries. The dissertation begins by considering the intersection of botany and European expansion. It situates European voyages of discovery and colonization in the context of a search for plants and their products, including spices, and argues that early colonization efforts involved a close understanding of local environments. Tobacco was a plant Europeans encountered nearly everywhere they went in the Americas, but it was only a century after Columbus that smoking became fashionable in Europe. Thus, tobacco’s rise as a transatlantic commodity coincided with the Upstart Empires’ increased presence in the Americas. Spanish colonists and Africans learned how to grow and consume tobacco from indigenous peoples. Spanish colonies on the margins of empire began to produce it to trade with the English, Dutch, and French from the late sixteenth century. Through this trade, the Upstart Empires learned more about tobacco, and also about the environment and geography of places just beyond the reach of the Spanish and Portuguese. They began to establish trading posts and colonies in such places, and especially in the Guianas—a vast stretch of land between the limits of the two Iberian powers. There, Carib, Arawak, and other indigenous groups were willing to ally with small numbers of interlopers against their Spanish enemies. In these settlements, Northern Europeans participated in indigenous warfare and traded commodities in exchange for agricultural knowledge, labor, and goods. Even as the Upstarts established permanent colonies in North America and the Caribbean, they continued to settle in South America, too. Moreover, the Upstarts’ experiences in South America were crucial to the development of their colonies to the north. Colonies as diverse as St. Christopher, Virginia, and New Netherland all grew tobacco using methods and seeds from South America. In each settlement’s early years, the Upstarts were also reliant upon indigenous and African agricultural knowledge, an overlooked foundation of European colonization. Cultivating Colonies argues that the illicit tobacco trade and the short-lived colonies that sprang from it were crucial to the ultimate success of the English, Dutch, and French empires in the Americas.

acase@tulane.edu / Conventional cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, yet one in five people continue to smoke. Recently, electronic cigarettes have become the most popular alternative tobacco product among adults and the most popular tobacco product of any kind among middle and high school students. However, the full health consequences of electronic cigarette use remain unclear, particularly with respect to the vascular system. The majority of tobacco product-related pathologies possess a vascular component, and it is imperative to determine whether electronic cigarettes pose the same vascular risk. This study examined the effects of electronic cigarette aerosol on vascular cell viability and function in primary human vascular cell lines. The parameters tested were cell viability, DNA damage, generation of reactive oxygen species and nitric oxide, the type of cell death induced, migration, proliferation, and vascular network formation and growth. The results indicate that commercial electronic cigarette aerosol reduces endothelial cell viability, causes DNA breaks, generates reactive oxygen species, and induces endothelial cell death through both apoptotic and non-apoptotic pathways. Further, the non-apoptotic pathway is dependent on oxidative stress and can be prevented with anti-oxidant therapy. An analysis of electronic cigarette components revealed that flavoring compounds, nicotine, and the vegetable glycerol/propylene glycol electronic cigarette liquid base are all capable of modulating vascular cell response. The flavoring compounds 2,3-butanedione and 2,3-pentanedione are capable of inducing cell death in both endothelial and smooth muscle cells in a cell type and compound dependent fashion. These two compounds were also shown to inhibit endothelial nitric oxide synthesis. Vegetable glycerol/propylene glycol electronic cigarette base with or without nicotine was shown to have a positive effect on endothelial cell viability, a negative effect on smooth muscle cell viability, and modulate endothelial cell proliferation and network formation. No formation of electronic cigarette aerosol was found to alter endothelial cell migration. Taken together, these results indicate that electronic cigarette aerosol may be safer than conventional cigarette smoke, but it is by no means safe. Additional research and careful regulatory controls are needed as these products are poised to become the leading tobacco product for future generations. / 1 / Chastain Aalis Anderson

Current understanding of periodontal disease derives from studies mostly conducted in developed countries. However, the disease process among those studied populations may be confounded by the professional dental care. There have been few attempts to investigate factors related to the disease among populations of developing countries where the natural history of the disease is minimally confounded by care. This imbalance is evident in risk assessment research on the associations between periodontal disease and smoking-one of the most significant risk factors for the disease. Also, most studies on smoking used convenience or purposive samples, which may bias the findings. Therefore, there is a need for research conducted among a representative sample of a developing country. The present study aimed to describe the prevalence, extent and severity of chronic adult periodontitis among representative Vietnamese middle-aged adults. Also, it aimed to investigate smoking, which is highly prevalent in Vietnam, as a risk indicator for periodontal disease in a population with minimal access to dental care. The study was designed as a cross-sectional population-based study with a multistage, stratified random sample with probability of selection proportional to population size. The US National Institute of Dental Research (NIDR) protocol was used to assess loss of periodontal attachment among 575 dentate subjects in two randomly selected provinces. Assessment was made at mesial and buccal sites of every present tooth, excluding third molars. A parallel social survey collected socio-demographic information and smoking history, which were assessed for possible association with the disease status. Periodontal disease was highly prevalent among the sample. The patterns of the disease were similar to those reported from other populations. Virtually all subjects expressed some levels of disease, whereas only a few subjects or sites had severe disease. Bivariate analyses revealed significant associations between smoking and lower socio-economic status with more severe expression of the disease. Smoking was consistently associated with poorer periodontal status irrespective of outcome measure investigated. Multivariate models showed that smoking was the most predictive factor for the disease. The Odds Ratio of having severe periodontitis (that is, having 2+sites with loss of attachment more than or equal to 5 mm and 1+sites with pocket depth more than or equal to 4 mm) was 7.93 for heavy smokers compared to non-smokers. A dose-response effect of the association between smoking and the outcomes of the disease was also evident. The study provided a picture of the periodontal status of the representative sample from Vietnamese middle-aged adult population where the disease was less confounded by dental care. Furthermore, the study contributes consistency, strength and dose-response effect to the association of smoking as a risk indicator for periodontal destruction. The study should be used to assist the public health agencies in planning appropriate policies for Vietnam to address smoking and periodontal disease. / Thesis (M.Sc.)--Dental School, 2001.

Using data from OECD countries, one can investigate the effect of cultural diversity on anti-smoking policies. We use panel data models to test the impact of culture on the effectiveness of anti-smoking policies. It is assumed that two forces are effecting tobacco consumption in a society. These forces can be smoke preventive and smoke encouraging factors. Each of these forces consists of smaller subsets. Preventive policies and the time effects are the main parts of the smoke preventive forces. Culture and its effect on personal capital and social capital can be a part of smoke encouraging or smoke preventive forces. Using different proxies for culture and fixed effect models, this study allows one to investigate the differences in effectiveness of public policies in different OECD countries. The results from empirical investigation indicate that effectiveness of public policies depends on culture, therefore varies across countries. This is important for policymakers who need to avoid imposing uniform policies across a region with cultural diversity without accounting for cultural differences.