Towards the light : A fictionalized (auto) biography

Towards the Light - - at times biographical, autobiographical, and basically fiction - is built out of anecdotes supplied to me as the result of direct questioning of my parents and relatives, and from my own memories of past experiences; from private \u27on the ground\u27 observations both in Western Australia and in Cornwall, England – and, where factual information is lacking, a good deal of creative invention on my part. My paternal great-grandfather who at the age of eight began his working life in a Cornish tin mine provided me with a figure central to my purpose while constructing this narrative. To this character I have added details borrowed from or inspired by events that at times affected various other members of my family and those to whom they were devoted. Notable contributors to the composite character to whom I have given the name of Harry Coates, and to his family, are my father, his brothers and my own siblings. I suspect that I, too, appear reflected in the main text; but in general I have \u27tried to contain my overt self within the autobiographical accompaniment that appears at the head of most chapters of the work. My over-arching interest, however, is in representing ordinary people such as inhabit the mostly anonymous majority of any society, the name-less ones whose existence is often only inferred in official histories; people such as the other forty-nine milliners and dressmakers besides Ann Haynes in Perth, for instance, to whom Tom Stannage refers in his The People of Perth (1979:114) or just a sample of the reported 8000 by which the Western Australian (white) population grew in the period 1870-1884 (Crowley,1964:33) - men and women who go about the vital business of their own survival

Phenotypic and genetic effects of Chernobyl-derived radionuclide contamination on the red-eyed damselfly Erythromma Najas (Odonata, Coenagrionidae)

Merged with duplicate record 10026.1/2280 on 06.20.2017 by CS (TIS)The 1986 Chernobyl accident released large amounts of radioactive contamination into the surrounding environment. As a result, the Chernobyl region provides a suitable site for investigations into the effects of ionising radiation on non-human biota. Studies of this type are important in order to establish whether or not current anthropocentric radiation protection guidelines are appropriate for the protection of the wider environment. Despite the presence of many freshwater habitats in the region, there have been few studies investigating the effects of radiation on aquatic invertebrates. In the present study, the effects of Chernobyl-derived radionuclide contamination on the red-eyed damselfly, Erythromma najas (Hansemann 1823) were investigated. This large scale study involved analysis of 720 E. rajas specimens obtained from eight lakes in the Chernobyl region ranging in 137Cs contamination levels from 37000 kBqm-2 to 100 kBqm-2. Estimated external dose rates of ionising radiation ranged from 24 μGyhr-1 to 0.066 μGyhr-I. Fitness of E. najas populations was assessed both phenotypically (by the use of fluctuating asymmetry (FA) techniques) and genetically (by the use of inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers and mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequencing techniques). FA was assessed by the analysis of eight bilateral traits and no relationship between FA and dose rates of ionising radiation was found. Analysis of 61 ISSR bands revealed no evidence of elevated mutation rates in contaminated lakes. This finding was supported by the results of the mtDNA sequencing study which involved sequencing of the COI and COII regions of 80 E. najas specimens. The sequencing study revealed high levels of gene flow between the Chernobyl lakes and no evidence of either an increased mutation rate in contaminated lakes or a population bottleneck. In summary, these studies have revealed no adverse effects of Chernobyl-derived ionising radiation on E. rajas populations.Centre for Ecology and Hydrolog

Cultivation of the cape gooseberry

The Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) is a member of the large family Solanaceae, which includes the potato, the tomato and the capsicum. The plant is a native of Peru and Chile, where the species is known to have been cultivated for over two centuries. Records show that by 1807 it had been introduced into the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, and shortly afterwards found its way to New South Wales, where it became known as the Cape Gooseberry, and was the chief fruit that the colonists cultivated at that time. Cape Gooseberries have been grown for many years in Western Australia where the long summer is conducive to the growth and fruitfulness of these plants provided that summer moisture is available

Renaissance Ideas of Peace and War and the Humanist Challenge to the Scholastic Just War

This thesis compares and contrasts Renaissance ideas of peace and war, focussing on the humanist challenge to the scholastic just war tradition. I argue that rather than representing a strong continuity of the latter, the period is more accurately seen as being without adequate ideas on the justification for, and moral restraint in, war. I consider two paradigmatic writers, Erasmus and Machiavelli, and argue that despite evident differences in the underlying religious and social ontology, there is also an instructive commonality in their challenge to the weak representation of the just war tradition. I first set the ideas in their historical and intellectual context: aspects of contemporary warfare, the church and the papacy; medieval traditions and ideas; and the scholastic tradition and Renaissance humanism. I then examine a mid-fifteenth century disputation, Disputatio de pace et bello, which differentiates sharply between the humanist challenge and contemporary church orthodoxy. This is evident from very different understandings of the concepts of peace and war, and is further reflected in their approaches to the justification of war, and to its conduct. I apply this template of ‘concept’, ‘justification’ and the ‘conduct’ of war, throughout the thesis. I consider a range of interpretations of Erasmus, and argue that he is a pacifist by conviction, but is forced to prevaricate. This is especially clear when he accepts a necessary war of last resort, but does not allow for adequate and acceptable means with which to conduct it. In Machiavelli’s thought, I emphasise the key relationship between politics and war, and argue that far from advocating unrestrained violence, he insists on applying a firm ‘bridle’ on the use of force. There is, however, little aspiration for peace. Finally, I briefly follow these ideas through into the Early Modern period, concluding that Lipsius exemplifies a necessary re-balancing of ideas on peace, war, and the just war tradition

Neonatal infections: Case definition and guidelines for data collection, analysis, and presentation of immunisation safety data.

Maternal vaccination is an important area of research and requires appropriate and internationally comparable definitions and safety standards. The GAIA group, part of the Brighton Collaboration was created with the mandate of proposing standardised definitions applicable to maternal vaccine research. This study proposes international definitions for neonatal infections. The neonatal infections GAIA working group performed a literature review using Medline, EMBASE and the Cochrane collaboration and collected definitions in use in neonatal and public health networks. The common criteria derived from the extensive search formed the basis for a consensus process that resulted in three separate definitions for neonatal blood stream infections (BSI), meningitis and lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI). For each definition three levels of evidence are proposed to ensure the applicability of the definitions to different settings. Recommendations about data collection, analysis and presentation are presented and harmonized with the Brighton Collaboration and GAIA format and other existing international standards for study reporting

Effects of phosphodiesterase 4 inhibition on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a group of devastating and largely irreversible diseases. Phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 is involved in the processes of remodeling and inflammation, which play key role in tissue fibrosis. The aim of the study was, therefore, to investigate the effect of PDE4 inhibition in experimental model of PF.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>PF was induced in C57BL/6N mice by instillation of bleomycin. Pharmacological inhibition of PDE4 was achieved by using cilomilast, a selective PDE4 inhibitor. Changes in either lung inflammation or remodeling were evaluated at different stages of experimental PF. Lung inflammation was assessed by bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) differential cell count and reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) for inflammatory cytokines. Changes in tissue remodeling were evaluated by pulmonary compliance measurement, quantified pathological examination, measurement of collagen deposition and RT-qPCR for late remodeling markers. Survival in all groups was analyzed as well.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>PDE4 inhibition significantly reduced the total number of alveolar inflammatory cells in BALF of mice with bleomycin-induced PF at early fibrosis stage (days 4 and 7). Number of macrophages and lymphocytes, but not neutrophils, was significantly reduced as well. Treatment decreased lung tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α mRNA level and increased mRNA level of interleukin (IL)-6 but did not influence IL-1β. At later stage (days 14 and 24) cilomilast improved lung function, which was shown by increase in lung compliance. It also lowered fibrosis degree, as was shown by quantified pathological examination of Hematoxilin-Eosin stained lung sections. Cilomilast had no significant effect on the expression of late remodeling markers such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and collagen type Ia1 (COL(I)α1). However, it tended to restore the level of lung collagen, assessed by SIRCOL assay and Masson's trichrome staining, and to improve the overall survival.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Selective PDE4 inhibition suppresses early inflammatory stage and attenuates the late stage of experimental pulmonary fibrosis.</p

Cultivation of the cape gooseberry

The Cape Gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) is a member of the large family Solanaceae, which includes the potato, the tomato and the capsicum. The plant is a native of Peru and Chile, where the species is known to have been cultivated for over two centuries. Records show that by 1807 it had been introduced into the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope, and shortly afterwards found its way to New South Wales, where it became known as the Cape Gooseberry, and was the chief fruit that the colonists cultivated at that time. Cape Gooseberries have been grown for many years in Western Australia where the long summer is conducive to the growth and fruitfulness of these plants provided that summer moisture is available

Following the game

This thesis consists of a collection of seventeen short stories and a critical essay of approximately 8000 words. Selected stories from this collection are discussed at varying length in the essay. Within the essay I have attempted to look at- and in one case in particular to demonstrate - the operation of some of the theories put forward by several literary critics- notably, Roland Barthes, Wolfgang lser, Mikhail Bakhtin and, to a lesser degree directly, Norman Holland. Not all of my stories were written with the specific purpose of having them conform to or elucidate a model: rather, to preserve what to my mind is implied in the term \u27creative writing\u27, only a few - one, perhaps - came to life as a technical exercise and the process of that tale\u27s evolution is referenced in the essay

A review and model assessment of 32P and 33P uptake to biota in freshwater systems

Bioaccumulation of key short-lived radionuclides such as 131I and 32,33P may be overestimated since concentration ratios (CRs) are often based on values for the corresponding stable isotope which do not account for radioactive decay during uptake via the food chain. This study presents estimates for bioaccumulation of radioactive phosphorus which account for both radioactive decay and varying ambient levels of stable P in the environment. Recommended interim CR values for radioactive forms of P as a function of bioavailable stable phosphorus in the water body are presented. Values of CR are presented for three different trophic levels of the aquatic food chain; foodstuffs from all three trophic levels may potentially be consumed by humans. It is concluded that current recommended values of the CR are likely to be significantly over-estimated for radioactive phosphorus in many freshwater systems, particularly lowland rivers. Further research is recommended to fieldvalidate these models and assess their uncertainty. The relative importance of food-chain uptake and direct uptake from water are also assessed from a review of the literature. It can be concluded that food-chain uptake is the dominant accumulation pathway in fish and hence accumulation factors for radioactive phosphorus in farmed fish are likely to be significantly lower than those for wild fish