Buchu and Bobotie in the Boland : culinary heritage in Franschhoek, Western Cape

From a confit tomato and potato tumbleweed with buchu to a cured snoek terrine rolled in wilde kruie and Cape bobotie puff pastry with blatjang, chefs that mix indigenous plants and local cuisine with European inspiration and training have proved popular in Franschhoek’s restaurants. In this boland town, the particular constructions of heritage through food, not only showcases regional flavours, but gestures towards the search for an elusive place-based ‘South African’ cuisine that is seen to be rooted in the land. Harkening back to old culinary practices and drawing from their own heritages, Franschhoek’s chefs are foraging, butchering, gathering, growing, fermenting, pickling and cooking over open fires with renewed vigour as they attempt to ground their cuisine, and indeed, themselves, in the soil around them. This thesis considers how, through the culinary repertoire of chefs in Franschhoek, food is constructed as heritage. Within this I look at what heritages are considered desirable, how food’s sensory and symbolic properties are used to their full potential, and who is behind these constructions of culinary heritage. Following on from this, I explore postcolonial and post-apartheid anxieties of place and belonging, as well as desired and emergent identities that are expressed through this culinary heritage

A qualitative exploration of family members’ experiences of paediatric chronic illness

This thesis comprises of two parts aiming to explore family members’ experiences of living with a child who has a paediatric chronic illness (PCI) and one part that also reflects on the research process. The systematic review utilised a thematic meta-synthesis approach to analyse 12 studies, consulting 373 healthy siblings regarding their experiences of living with a PCI. The synthesis resulted in two themes. The first theme was ‘Changing relationships’ which had two sub-themes: ‘Changing family relationships’ and ‘Changing relationship to self’. The second theme was ‘Managing changes’ which had three sub-themes: ‘Coping and acceptance’, ‘Support from friends peers and support groups’ and ‘Negative reactions from others’. Siblings were found to adopt new roles, new skills and eventually develop a new ‘prosocial’ identity in order to find more socially acceptable ways to meet their needs and the needs of the family. The research paper explored parents’ stories of adjustment to having a son with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Narrative analysis was applied to seven semi-structured interviews of five women and two men. The analysis identified key narrative elements from their stories that were then collated into demographics and contextual data, individual summary stories and three common chapters: ‘Investigating and fighting: “Something’s not right”’; ‘Making meaning of the diagnosis’; and ‘Living a normal life’. Parents explored narratives relating to acute and chronic illness, altering their identity from parent to carer and providing a normal and happy life for their son. Finally, a critical appraisal of the research reflected on the use of qualitative research in health settings and how the associated issues applied to this thesis. Epistemology was used as the lens to view how decisions in the research were made, in particular highlighting the importance of quality, the debate regarding validity and identifying relevant future research

A qualitative exploration of family members’ experiences of paediatric chronic illness

This thesis comprises of two parts aiming to explore family members’ experiences of living with a child who has a paediatric chronic illness (PCI) and one part that also reflects on the research process. The systematic review utilised a thematic meta-synthesis approach to analyse 12 studies, consulting 373 healthy siblings regarding their experiences of living with a PCI. The synthesis resulted in two themes. The first theme was ‘Changing relationships’ which had two sub-themes: ‘Changing family relationships’ and ‘Changing relationship to self’. The second theme was ‘Managing changes’ which had three sub-themes: ‘Coping and acceptance’, ‘Support from friends peers and support groups’ and ‘Negative reactions from others’. Siblings were found to adopt new roles, new skills and eventually develop a new ‘prosocial’ identity in order to find more socially acceptable ways to meet their needs and the needs of the family. The research paper explored parents’ stories of adjustment to having a son with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Narrative analysis was applied to seven semi-structured interviews of five women and two men. The analysis identified key narrative elements from their stories that were then collated into demographics and contextual data, individual summary stories and three common chapters: ‘Investigating and fighting: “Something’s not right”’; ‘Making meaning of the diagnosis’; and ‘Living a normal life’. Parents explored narratives relating to acute and chronic illness, altering their identity from parent to carer and providing a normal and happy life for their son. Finally, a critical appraisal of the research reflected on the use of qualitative research in health settings and how the associated issues applied to this thesis. Epistemology was used as the lens to view how decisions in the research were made, in particular highlighting the importance of quality, the debate regarding validity and identifying relevant future research

Thermodynamic tuning of lithium borohydride using various metallic sources

Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) has been shown great interest as a hydrogen storage material owing to its large hydrogen storage capacity of 18.5 wt%, but unfortunately to release the vast majority of the stored hydrogen requires temperatures in excess of 600 °c. To improve the temperature at which LiBH4 decomposes, and to improve its poor reversibility, a process known as thermodynamic tuning can be used. Thermodynamic tuning involves creating new, more favourable reaction pathways and in this work the addition of nickel, silicon, iron and cobalt were investigated. The addition of nickel in the LiBH4:2Ni system was shown to be the most effective in reducing the decomposition temperature to occur below 300 °c while also improving reversibility to occur in the solid state at temperatures of 250 °c or lower. The addition of silicon was found to not be effective in reducing the decomposition temperature of LiBH4 even though it was thermodynamically predicted to do so. Attempts to improve the kinetics of the system with a titanium catalyst only showed an improvement when large quantities of the catalyst were used implying that the reaction with the catalyst was the driving force. Addition of both cobalt and iron were also effective in reducing the temperature of LiBH4 decomposition, in a similar reaction to the nickel systems by forming borides. The mass loss in the solid state (<300 °c) was, however, inferior to the addition of nickel

Children’s Perspectives on Living With a Sibling With a Chronic Illness

CONTEXT: Clinical guidance emphasizes the importance of considering the whole family when caring for a child with a pediatric chronic illness (PCI). However, there is a lack of research specific to sibling experience. Parental accounts are used in studies to examine family experiences; consequently, the direct voices of siblings are neglected. OBJECTIVE: The meta-synthesis was used to explore the experiences of siblings of children with PCIs to understand their perspectives; in particular, we observed what they feel had influenced their emotional well-being, to target interventions. DATA SOURCES: We searched PsychInfo, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete databases from inception to April 2016. STUDY SELECTION: We selected qualitative articles used to examine children’s perspectives of living with a sibling with a PCI. Twelve articles were reviewed. DATA EXTRACTION: We observed participants’ characteristics, qualitative methodology, analysis, and themes. RESULTS: The thematic synthesis identified 2 overarching themes providing new insights. The first theme, “changing relationships,” had 2 subthemes: “changing family relationships” and “changing relationship to self.” The second theme, “managing changes,” had 3 subthemes: “coping and acceptance,” “support from friends, peers, and support groups,” and “negative reactions from others.” LIMITATIONS: Studies were often descriptive with little explicit qualitative analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings are used to outline how changes in family relationships often result in reduced communication and a suppression of healthy siblings’ needs. Siblings develop strategies to help them cope with and accept their circumstances, including finding new prosocial ways of meeting their needs in the form of skills and roles they develop

The correlation of RNase A enzymatic activity with the changes in the distance between Nepsilon2-His12 and N delta1-His119 upon addition of stabilizing and destabilizing salts.

The effect of stabilizing and destabilizing salts on the catalytic behavior of ribonuclease A (RNase A) was investigated at pH 7.5 and 25 degrees C, using spectrophotometric, viscometric and molecular dynamic methods. The changes in the distance between N(epsilon2) of His(12) and N(delta1) of His(119) at the catalytic center of RNase A upon the addition of sodium sulfate, sodium hydrogen sulfate and sodium thiocyanate were evaluated by molecular dynamic methods. The compactness and expansion in terms of Stokes radius of RNase A upon the addition of sulfate ions as kosmotropic salts, and thiocyanate ion as a chaotropic salt, were estimated by viscometric measurements. Enzyme activity was measured using cytidine 2', 3'-cyclic monophosphate as a substrate. The results from the measurements of distances between N(epsilon2) of His(12) and N(delta1) of His(119) and Stokes radius suggest (i) that the presence of sulfate ions decreases the distance between the catalytic His residues and increases the globular compactness, and (ii) that there is an expansion of the enzyme surface as well as elongation of the catalytic center in the presence of thiocyanate ion. These findings are in agreement with activity measurements

Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by mAb10F5 is attenuated by co-treatment with MG53

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.PURPOSE: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by prolonged Streptococcus pyogenes infections. MAb10F5 is an autoimmune antibody produced in response to S. pyogenes infections and contributes to progression of RHD. The complexity of molecular mimicry seen in S. pyogenes has made understanding mAb10F5 pathogenic mechanisms a great challenge, resulting in limited to no treatment options for RHD patients. Recently, our lab found elevated levels of anti-phospholipid antibodies post administration of mAb10F5 epitope in Lewis rats, suggesting that mAb10F5 is an anti-phospholipid antibody. Due to the significant function and abundance of the phospholipid cardiolipin in the mitochondrial membrane, we are interested in mitochondrial function in presence of mAb10F5 within human valvular interstitial cells. A second component of this study involves Mitsugumin-53 (MG53), a TRIM family protein. MG53 has been investigated for its therapeutic potential in a variety of disease models, including cardiovascular disease. Very recently, MG53 was found to bind cardiolipin within mitochondria of cardiovascular cells under stressed conditions, leading to inhibition of cellular apoptosis and initiating membrane repair. Measuring ROS production and ATP availability, together, will shed light on mitochondrial function of HVIC cells after treatment with mAb10F5, MG53, and co-treatment including both. Results from this study have the potential to impact current understanding of the role mAb10F5 has in RHD pathogenesis and could potentially lead to new treatments that are less invasive than surgical procedures. METHODS: A novel approach to studying the effects of mAb10F5 and MG53 on mitochondrial function in human valvular interstitial cardiac cells (HVIC) was carried out by (1) measuring reactive oxygen (ROS) production and (2) adenosine triphosphate (ATP) availability. A mitoSOX assay assessed ROS production, while a luciferase ATP assay assessed ATP availability. RESULTS: The luciferase ATP assay showed that mAb10F5 treated HVIC resulted in significantly lower ATP concentrations than other groups. 3-Point mitoSOX Analysis showed marked increase in ROS production in mAb10F5 groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that mAb10F5 may contribute to pathogenic mechanisms of diseases, such as Rheumatic Heart Disease, through disrupting mitochondrial function. Our study also suggests that MG53 may confer protective effects against mAb10F5 induced injury.Department of BiologyThesis (M.S.

Harold Macmillan and the origins of the 1961 British application to join the EEC

Available from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN013297 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreSIGLEGBUnited Kingdo

Thermodynamic tuning of lithium borohydride using various metallic sources

Lithium borohydride (LiBH4) has been shown great interest as a hydrogen storage material owing to its large hydrogen storage capacity of 18.5 wt%, but unfortunately to release the vast majority of the stored hydrogen requires temperatures in excess of 600 °c. To improve the temperature at which LiBH4 decomposes, and to improve its poor reversibility, a process known as thermodynamic tuning can be used. Thermodynamic tuning involves creating new, more favourable reaction pathways and in this work the addition of nickel, silicon, iron and cobalt were investigated. The addition of nickel in the LiBH4:2Ni system was shown to be the most effective in reducing the decomposition temperature to occur below 300 °c while also improving reversibility to occur in the solid state at temperatures of 250 °c or lower. The addition of silicon was found to not be effective in reducing the decomposition temperature of LiBH4 even though it was thermodynamically predicted to do so. Attempts to improve the kinetics of the system with a titanium catalyst only showed an improvement when large quantities of the catalyst were used implying that the reaction with the catalyst was the driving force. Addition of both cobalt and iron were also effective in reducing the temperature of LiBH4 decomposition, in a similar reaction to the nickel systems by forming borides. The mass loss in the solid state (<300 °c) was, however, inferior to the addition of nickel

Mitochondrial dysfunction induced by mAb10F5 is attenuated by co-treatment with MG53

Access to thesis permanently restricted to Ball State community only.PURPOSE: Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an autoimmune disorder triggered by prolonged Streptococcus pyogenes infections. MAb10F5 is an autoimmune antibody produced in response to S. pyogenes infections and contributes to progression of RHD. The complexity of molecular mimicry seen in S. pyogenes has made understanding mAb10F5 pathogenic mechanisms a great challenge, resulting in limited to no treatment options for RHD patients. Recently, our lab found elevated levels of anti-phospholipid antibodies post administration of mAb10F5 epitope in Lewis rats, suggesting that mAb10F5 is an anti-phospholipid antibody. Due to the significant function and abundance of the phospholipid cardiolipin in the mitochondrial membrane, we are interested in mitochondrial function in presence of mAb10F5 within human valvular interstitial cells. A second component of this study involves Mitsugumin-53 (MG53), a TRIM family protein. MG53 has been investigated for its therapeutic potential in a variety of disease models, including cardiovascular disease. Very recently, MG53 was found to bind cardiolipin within mitochondria of cardiovascular cells under stressed conditions, leading to inhibition of cellular apoptosis and initiating membrane repair. Measuring ROS production and ATP availability, together, will shed light on mitochondrial function of HVIC cells after treatment with mAb10F5, MG53, and co-treatment including both. Results from this study have the potential to impact current understanding of the role mAb10F5 has in RHD pathogenesis and could potentially lead to new treatments that are less invasive than surgical procedures. METHODS: A novel approach to studying the effects of mAb10F5 and MG53 on mitochondrial function in human valvular interstitial cardiac cells (HVIC) was carried out by (1) measuring reactive oxygen (ROS) production and (2) adenosine triphosphate (ATP) availability. A mitoSOX assay assessed ROS production, while a luciferase ATP assay assessed ATP availability. RESULTS: The luciferase ATP assay showed that mAb10F5 treated HVIC resulted in significantly lower ATP concentrations than other groups. 3-Point mitoSOX Analysis showed marked increase in ROS production in mAb10F5 groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that mAb10F5 may contribute to pathogenic mechanisms of diseases, such as Rheumatic Heart Disease, through disrupting mitochondrial function. Our study also suggests that MG53 may confer protective effects against mAb10F5 induced injury.Thesis (M.S.)Department of Biolog