published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

published_or_final_version / Pathology / Master / Master of Medical Sciences

This research investigates financial, technical and attitudinal factors affectine the selection of coai as a space heating fuel in Local Authorities' non-domestic premises. Financial factors are explored by incorporating statistics of a sample of The City of Bradford Metropolitan Council's sites into a computer model that takes into account: the spread of capital costs of installing coal or other fuels. delivered fuel costs. maintenance and operating costs. and seasonal boiler efficiencies. The sensitivity of the mooei to changes in costs. boiler efficiencies. and financial selection criteria are investigated. Assuming a five year payback criterion and prices as found at the end of 1966, three percent of the space-heating ruel use or the Local Authority's premises is found to be viable for coal. The model is sensitive principally to changes in capital costs. and the availability of gas if a high cost for oit is assumed. Technical tactors are investigated by describing the properties or coal ana available comoustion equipment. Attitudes to the use of coal are researched by interviewing a sample of otticers and members in six Local Authorities in Yorksnire ana Humberside. Interviewees were particularly encouraged to describe their impressions and beliels. The scope of the study is expanded by the use of a postal survey of all United Kingdom Local Authorities. A variety or different topics are considered in the survey. These include the presence and content of fuel selection policies. the use and cost of fuels. financial criteria adopted in assessing projects, availability fr as supplies, and attitudes to the use of coal. The response rate to the questionnaire was over 40%. The study concludes with recommendations to The City or Braotora Metropolitan Council and British Coal.

Menopause is the period during which the level of estrogen secreted by the ovaries gradually declines and patients of menopausal syndrome may experience osteoporosis, cognitive decline, hot flush, mood disorder, night sweat, depression, nervous tension and insomnia. The report published by the World Health Organization in 1990 stated that the total population of postmenopausal women in the world was 476 million. By 2030, the predicted population will reach 1200 million. The current way to relieve menopausal syndrome is hormone replacement therapy (HRT) which restores the endogenous estrogen level by administration of supplementary exogenous estrogen or estrogen plus progestin. However, various studies showed that HRT might increase the incidence of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. There is a potential risk of using HRT for menopausal syndrome. The novel protein DO isolated in this study could be a potential alternative of HRT for the treatment of menopausal syndrome. DO isolated from Chinese yam Dioscorea opposite Thunb. had adistinctive N-terminal sequence Gly-Ile-Gly-Lys-Ile-Thr-Thr- Tyr-Trp-Gly-Gln-Tyr-Ser-Asp-Glu-Pro-Ser-Leu-Thr-Glu-Ala, indicating that DO might be a novel protein.DO was an acid stable and thermal stable protein. As determined by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) detection, DO could stimulate estradiol biosynthesis in rat granulosa cells in vitro as well as inducing both estradiol and progesterone secretion in female aging Sprague Darley (SD)-rat model in vivo. From the results of real-time PCR and Western blot, the possible mechanism might be through up-regulating the expression of ovarian follicle stimulating hormone receptor(FSHR)and aromatase. DO also exerted a beneficial effect on the cognitive function through elevating the translational level of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)and TrkB gp 145 receptor in the prefrontal cortex of female aging SD-rat model. Though further pharmacological studies are required, the results in this study suggested that DO could be a safer potential alternative for HRT in the treatment of menopausal syndrome with beneficial effects on hormone levels and cognitive function. / published_or_final_version / Chinese Medicine / Master / Master of Philosophy

The distribution of anthocyanin pigments and polyphenolics of sweet (Prunus avium) and sour cherries (Prunus cerasus) were determined by Ultraviolet- Visible (UV-Visible) spectrophotometry and High Performance Liquid Chromatography with photodiode array detector (HPLC-DAD). Their antioxidant properties were determined by Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) and Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power (FRAP). The effect of frozen storage, canning, and brining on those properties was measured. Experiments were conducted on three sweet cherry cultivars; Bing, Rainier, Royal Ann and one sour cherry cultivar; Montmorency. Cherries were separated into skins, flesh, pits, and pitted cherries for subsequent analyses. Bing had the highest anthocyanin pigments (60.6 mg/lOOg fw) while Montmorency had both the highest total phenolic content (5.6 mg GAE/g fw) and the highest antioxidant activities (ORAC 51.02 μmoles Trolox equivalent (TE) /g fw, FRAP 47.96 μmoles TE/g fw). Hydroxycinnamates predominated in sweet cherries (70-80%) while flavanols were the major class of polyphenolics in sour cherries (70%). The major anthocyanins in sweet and sour cherries were cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3- glucosylrutinoside, respectively. Skins contained the highest amount of anthocyanins, polyphenolics, and antioxidant activities. Anthocyanins and flavonol glycosides predominated in cherry skins. Bing cherries were different from the others in that it had substantial anthocyanins in flesh and pits. The proportion of flavanols increased from skins to pits. Pitted Bing cherries were frozen and stored at -23 and -70°C for 3 and 6 months. Pitted Bing cherries were also canned in light syrup and stored at 2 and 22°C for 5 months. Both Bing and Royal Ann cherries were brined in bisulfite for one year. In all processing experiments, polyphenolics were more stable than anthocyanins. Degradation of hydroxycinnamates occurred during frozen storage and canning while flavonol glycosides were relatively stable. With both canning and brining, anthocyanins and polyphenolics leached into syrup and brine. With brining, hydroxycinnamates and flavonol glycosides disappeared, and unidentified compounds with UV-Visible spectra similar to flavanols were formed. Unidentified compounds possessed antioxidant activity. Cherry skins are high in anthocyanins, polyphenolics and antioxidant properties. Cherry pits and spent brine solution may be a potential source for natural colorants, nutraceuticals, and natural antioxidants. / Graduation date: 2004

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