Embryonic exposure of chicken chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus) leads to heightened sensitivities towards the exposed scent

In chickens, food consumption can be altered by exposing the chicks to scents as embryos. We exposed eggs to an orange-scented food additive in the final days of incubation. Following hatching, we tested these exposed chicks’ ability to detect this scent at a variety of concentrations. We found that orange-exposed chicks responded to an orange-scented solution at lower concentrations than control chicks. This sensitization may allow chicks to be more effective at locating acceptable food items but requires further testing to determine its significance. Orange-exposed and control chicks were also tested with the scent of raspberry. Orange-exposed chicks responded to the raspberry presentation significantly more than the control chicks did, suggesting that the embryonic exposure to orange may have influenced how the chicks responded towards another fruity smell. This result suggests that chicks may be learning general characteristics of exposed scents while in the egg, though this needs further research

Development of WWP2 ubiquitin ligase inhibitors using biophysical, structural and synthetic approaches.

The ubiquitin- proteasome pathway (UPS) involves the targeting of proteins for their degradation by the 26S proteasome. Ubiquitin is covalently attached to targeted proteins via a three step enzymatic cascade. The three enzymes involved in this process are known as E1 activating, E2 conjugating and E3 ligases. The key to substrate selectively is within the E3 ligases. E3 ligases can be divided into three domain containing groups: HECT, RING and RING between RING (RBR). Of particular interest is the Nedd4 group of HECT ligases. The Nedd4 group all share similar domain make up where they have substrate recruiting WW domains and a catalytic HECT domain, responsible for transferring ubiquitin onto the substrates. Themis-expressionofamemberofthisgroup,WWP2 ,has been linked to tumour growth in various cancers. Targeting the UPS for cancer therapeutic use has already been shown to be achievable with the proteaseome inhibitor Bortezomib. Targeting the more specific WWP2 ubiquitin ligase could lead to less side effects and greater efficacy. Research into developing inhibitors for WWP2 could lead to the discovery of novel therapeutics. The aim of this thesis is to design, synthesise and evaluate novel WWP2 ubiquitin ligase inhibitors. Different methodologies are explored in order to reveal WWP2 small molecule binding events. A thermal shift screen is employed to search for binders, and orthogonal methods for validation are tested. Using these methods, novel WWP2 ligands are discovered with inhibition activity. Crystallography is used to structural elucidate a novel binding site for WWP2 ligands. Data acquired from ligand NMR techniques is used to validate this binding site. The combined X-ray crystallography and ligand NMR data is used to inform organic synthesis of analogues for a particular inhibitor. These analogues are tested for inhibition against WWP2 and Nedd4 autoubiquitination. IC50 values generated from this analogue series further validate the novel binding site and also offer higher levels of activity of below 1 µM

Synthesis and optical properties of heteroaromatic small molecules and oligomers for light-emitting devices

New Л-electron deficient heteroaromatic oligomers 175 and 225 have been synthesised by Suzuki cross-coupling methodology and incorporated into OLEDs. Using 175 as the emissive layer in the device configuration lTO/PEDOT/175/Ca/Al: blue-green light ƛmax 500 nm, most likely emanating primarily from excimer states is emitted at a high turn-on vohage. Blue electroluminescence, ƛmax 444 nm, (onset 6.5V) is observed for the device structure lTO/PEDOT/225/Ca/ with no long-wavelength emission from Л -aggregates or exciton states. New 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles and 2-phenyl-5-(2-thienyl)-l,3,4-oxadiazoles heteroaryl- functionalised derivatives have been prepared under standard Sonogashira cross-coupling conditions. UV-Vis absorption and photoluminescence spectra establish that the substitution of a phenyl ring in the 2,5-diphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivative 232d Vax (PL) 380 nm, by a thienyl ring 239d ƛmax (PL) 415 nm, leads to a red shift in the lowest energy band. The absorption and emission spectra of 240 ƛmax (PL) 480 nm, is further red-shifted compared to 239f ƛmax (PL) 425 nm, which is consistent with the extended ir-conjugation of the central bis(ethynylthiophene) unit of 240

An analysis of baseflow recession in the Republic of South Africa.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1997.Demands on the water resources of South Africa are ever increasing owing to population growth and increased development of urban, peri-urban and rural communities. Problems in terms of water quantity and quality are likely to be experienced during baseflow recessions. It is therefore imperative that water resources managers not only understand these baseflow periods of streamflow, but are able to model them with confidence. Research for this study thus included a comprehensive literature survey of the factors which affect baseflow as well as the approaches that previous studies have utilised to analyse and model baseflow recession. The primary aims of this study were to establish a streamflow database, to construct master recession curves (MRCs) for each catchment under consideration, evaluate the assumption that South African rivers recede exponentially, to determine a representative set of catchment characteristics for use in the baseflow recession analysis, to attempt to explain the MRC trends using these catchment characteristics and to investigate the feasibility of establishing a rule based model for baseflow recession. A streamflow database for South Africa was therefore established. This consisted initially of 202 catchments which were deemed to be recording natural streamflow. MRCs were established for 134 of these catchments. Those MRCs which were established indicate that the majority of South African rivers do not conform to an exponential model of recession. In order to account for the trends defined by the MRCs, catchment area, average catchment slope, drainage density, mean annual precipitation, rainfall concentration, rainfall seasonality, two independent estimates of groundwater recharge and a geological index were calculated for each catchment. Limited success was achieved when the data set was divided into subsets in order to group catchments with similar baseflow recession responses. The geological composition of the catchments appeared to provide the best results in that those trends exhibited by the MRCs could be explained by the types and proportions of the lithologies present. Owing to the lack of readily useable results it was concluded that until further results were forthcoming the development of a rule based model for baseflow recession analysis in South Africa would be premature. The establishment of a readily accessible database containing streamflows and associated catchment characteristics lends itself to future research

Three Hierarchies in Skeletal Muscle Fibre Classification Allotype, Isotype and Phenotype

Immunocytochemical analyses using specific anti-myosin antibodies of mammalian muscle fibers during regeneration, development, and after denervation have revealed two distinct myogenic components determining fiber phenotype. The jaw-closing muscles of the cat contain superfast fibers which express a unique myosin not found in limb muscles. When superfast muscle is transplanted into a limb muscle bed, regenerating myotubes synthesize superfast myosin independent of innervation. Reinnervation by the nerve to a fast muscle leads to the expression of superfast and not fast myosin, while reinnervation by the nerve to a slow muscle leads to the expression of a slow myosin. When limb muscle is transplanted into the jaw muscle bed, only limb myosins are synthesized. Thus jaw and limb muscles belong to distinct allotypes, each with a unique range of phenotype options, the expressions of which may be modulated by the nerve. Primary and secondary myotubes in developing jaw and limb muscles are observed to belong to different categories characterized by different patterns of myosin gene expression. By taking into consideration the pattern of myosins synthesized and the changes in fiber size after denervation, 3 types of primary (fast, slow, and intermediate) fibers can be distinguished in rat fast limb muscles. All primaries synthesize slow myosin soon after their formation, but this is withdrawn in fast and intermediate primaries at different times. After neonatal denervation, slow and intermediate primaries express slow primaries hypertrophy with other fibers atrophy. In the mature rat, the number of slow fibers in the EDL is less than the number of slow primaries. Upon denervation, hypertrophic slow fibers matching the number and topographic distribution of slow primaries appear, suggesting that a subpopulation of the slow primaries acquire the fast phenotype during adult life, but reveal their original identity as slow primaries in response to denervation by hypertrophying and synthesizing slow myosin. It is proposed that within each muscle allotype, the various isotypes of primary and secondary fibers are myogenically determined, and are derived from different lineage of myoblasts

Early Miocene Cape Blanco Flora of Oregon

Deposition of the shallow marine sandstone of Floras Lake was interrupted by a transient deltaic progradation of redeposited volcanic tuff, which contains the Cape Blanco flora.  Dating by 40Ar/39Ar on fresh plagioclase constrains the age of the plant-bearing tuff to 18.24 ± 0.86 Ma, because we interpret this age of eruption and landscape loading with ash, as within only a few years of redeposition.  Several plausible sources of the tuff can be identified from caldera eruptions in the Cascade Volcanic Arc.  The relation between the early Miocene Cascade volcanic arc and the Klamath Terrane has been fixed since the early Miocene, and the high Cr2O3 in the sandstones is an indication that the source area for the sandstone of Floras Lake was the Klamath Terrane.  Fossil leaves and other plant organs of 33 species of the Cape Blanco flora represent floral diversity and paleoclimate of coastal Oregon during the early Miocene. The flora includes a variety of thermophilic elements from California, including coast redwood (Sequoia affinis), and avocado (Persea pseudocarolinensis), and is numerically dominated by live oak (Quercus hannibalii), and chinquapin (Chrysolepis sonomensis). The size and proportion of serrate margins of the fossil leaves are evidence of mean annual temperature of ~14 º C and a mean annual precipitation of ~223 cm/yr for the Cape Blanco flora.  Comparison of the Cape Blanco flora with the Temblor flora of California and the Seldovia flora of Alaska reveals a latitudinal gradient of ~ 0.6 º C/degree latitude, compared with a gradient of ~0.3 º C/degree latitude from isotopic composition of marine foraminifera of the northeast Pacific Ocean.  Both results confirm that the late early Miocene mean annual temperature at 45º north latitude was 4-5 º C warmer than today

Cache County Water Demand/Supply Model

This report descibes a municipal water demand forecasting model for use in areas of mixed rural and urban housing types. A series of residential demand functions were derived which forecast water demand based on the ype and density of housing and season. Micro sampling techniques were used to correlate water use data and explanatory variable data for low, medium, and high density housing. The demand functions were incorporated into a geographic information system (GIS) platform cosisting of a desk-top mapping program, MapInfo, coupled with a user interface program written in Visual Basic. The GIS-based model analyzes water demand at the census block level and aggregates the block level demands to a total city residential water demand. Averaged values of explanatory variables for each block are derived using the spacial relations of the block to map objects which have as attributes the various explanatory variable data. The model was applied to each of 23 community water systems in Cache County, Utah. The model projects future demands to the year 2020 based upon the individual community growth rate estimates produced by the Utah state demographers. In addition to projecting future demands, the model includes a supply allocation module which matches each systme\u27s demand with individual water supply sources

A sensing platform for physiological and contextual feedback to tennis athletes

In this paper we describe our work on creating a multi-modal sensing platform for providing feedback to tennis coaches and players. The platform includes a fixed installation around a tennis court consisting of a video camera network and a localisation system as well as wearable sensing technology deployed to individual athletes. We describe the various components of this platform and explain how we can capture synchronised multi-modal sensor data streams for games or training sessions. We then describe the content-based retrieval system we are building to facilitate the development of novel coaching tools. We provide some examples of the queries that the system can support, where these queries are chosen to be suitably expressive so as to reflect a coach's complex information needs regarding tennis-related performance factors