In vitro propagation of some Western Australian seagrasses

The development of a successful protocol for micropropagating seagrass provides a valuable tool for seagrass-restoration programs and a facility to study their biology (especially their physiology). This work reports on some of the culture requirements of some seagrasses that are commonly found in Western Australia: Posidonia coriacea, P. sinuosa, P. australis and Halophila ovalis. The protocol developed for H. ovalis allows very rapid multiplication and sustainable growth of cultures while the protocol developed for Posidonia requires further development. The culture of Posidonia cariacea proved to be problematic however experimental media that provided insights into its culture conditions. The carbohydrate source was the most important medium component as it affected the development of roots and leaves. The presence of sucrose in the culture media enhanced leaf growth (especially glucose) but decreased the proportion of white roots. More fresh weight, roots, leaves and the proportion of white roots were observed in Posidonia when they were grown in glucose-based media than in mannitol-based media. When mannitol was present in the media, the proportion of white roots was high, which could be attributed to its osmotic effects. Similar responses to sucrose, glucose and mannitol were also observed for P. australis and P. sinuosa. Halophila ovalis was able to grow rapidly on most experimental media. Growth was enhanced by the presence of sucrose in the media and was essential for rapid and sustained growth. Other media components altered the growth of this species, in particular levels of nitrogen (most importantly NH4) influenced root growth and morphology. When H. ovalis is grown in media in moderate or high levels of NH4, root length was significantly reduced and root hair was limited. When NH4 was omitted from the medium, roots were significantly longer and root hairs were prolific. Posidonia coriacea and Halophila ovalis have different growth strategies under natural conditions. H. ovalis is an early succession species that grows rapidly and responds to increased nutrients. P. coriacea is slower growing, colonises later and is Jess responsive to environmental changes than H. ovalis. While the growth responses observed for P. coriacea were significant (in some cases), the differences between means were considerably smaller when compared with H. ovalis. This may be due to the different growth strategies of these species or a lack of fundamental requirement in the conditions under which P. coriacea was grown. Much of what is reported in this thesis for Posidonia will need repeating if the reasons for these differences are identified in the future. In summary, in this thesis I have demonstrated that in vitro propagation of these seagrass species is possible, It is necessary for species-specific protocols to be developed which take into consideration the growth strategies employed by each species. This is particularly significant as many researchers attempt to draw comparisons between species and protocols. The protocols developed in this research increase the knowledge of the biology of these seagrasses and can be incorporated into transplantation protocols in the future

The Regime of Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States

Sex trafficking is a vicious crime and has been denoted as a form of modern-day slavery, accumulating nearly 21 million victims worldwide. Women and girls make up 95% of victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, which reflects the dominance of patriarchy operating in the U.S. and across the globe. When it comes to the sex trafficking of women, it is often seen as a problem that happens elsewhere, never close to us. This hegemonic narrative that exoticizes sex trafficking contributes to keeping the problem in the dark. Yet an estimated 200,000 people are forced into the sex trade in the United States every year; the majority of these are American citizens, many of them trafficked within the borders of the United States—from one municipality to another, and across state lines. The pervasiveness of patriarchal social norms often makes human trafficking and sexual exploitation a normalized and yet sometimes invisible crime. Drawing on both feminist theory and political science’s focus on governance, this thesis analyzes the sex trafficking of women with a three-pronged approach, reconstructing the main legal, conceptual, and institutional frameworks available to prevent and respond to sex trafficking, and assessing their contributions and limitations within the United States. Attention paid to defining sex trafficking as distinct from labor trafficking and prostitution. Offering a brief historical overview, the introductory chapter reconstructs the process through which the sex trafficking of women gained visibility both as a problem of public concern and as a subject of scholarly research. Two main questions at the center of the introductory chapter are, first, the vagueness of definitions, which contributes to leaving victims overlooked, and second, the assumptions that sex trafficking happens elsewhere. In turn, Chapter 2 looks at the international dimensions of the sex trafficking of women, characterizing and assessing the effectiveness of the main institutional, legal and conceptual frameworks and instruments in place. With a focus on the United States, Chapter 3 explores both national and state laws and institutional mechanisms as they apply to the sex trafficking of women. In doing so, the chapter will also examine the relations between the United States\u27 and the international institutional and legal frameworks. When, how, and why do U.S. institutions opt in and out of international law in addressing cases of sex trafficking of women? When are international, federal, and state laws privileged by courts? Chapter 4 then digs deep into legal cases that have occurred in New York State. It explores specific legislation and acts that have been passed at a state-level

Carbon Brainprint Case Study: optimising defouling schedules for oil- refinerypreheat trains

In an oil refinery, crude oil is heated to 360-370°C before entering a distillation columnoperating at atmospheric pressure where the gas fraction and several liquid fractions withdifferent boiling points (e.g. gasoline, kerosene, diesel, gas oil, heavy gas oil) are separated off.The crude oil is heated in two stages. The preheat train - a series of heat exchangers - heats itfrom ambient temperature to about 270°C when it enters the furnace, known as the coil inlettemperature. The furnace then heats the oil to the temperature required for distillation.The purpose of the preheat train is to recover heat from the liquid products extracted in thedistillation column. Without this, 2-3% of the crude oil throughput would be used for heating thefurnace; with the preheat train up to 70% of the required heat is recovered. It also serves tocool the refined products: further cooling normally uses air or water. Over time, fouling reduces the performance of the heat exchangers, increasing the amount ofenergy that has to be supplied. It is possible to bypass units to allow them to be cleaned, withan associated cost and temporary loss of performance. The cleaning schedule thus has animpact on the overall efficiency, cost of operation and emissions. The group at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at Cambridgedeveloped a scheduling algorithm for this non-linear optimisation problem. It yields a good,though not-necessarily optimal, schedule and can handle additional constraints, such as thepresence of desalters with specific temperature requirements within the preheat train. This isnow being developed into a commercial software product. Data from two refineries - one operated by Repsol YPF in Argentina and the Esso FawleyRefinery in the UK - were used to model the systems and test the algorithm. For the Repsol YPF refinery, when compared with current practice and including a constrainton the desalter inlet temperature, the most conservative estimate of the emissions reductionwas 773 t CO2/year. This assumed a furnace efficiency of 90%. The emissions reductionincreased to 927 t CO2/year at 75% efficiency and 1730 t CO2/year at 40%. These were basedon a stoichiometric estimate of the emissions from the furnace. Using a standard emissionfactor increased them by 7.4%. For Esso Fawley, the estimated emission reduction compared to no maintenance was1435 t CO2/year at 90% furnace efficiency. This increased to 1725 t CO2/year at 75% and3225 t CO2/year at 40% efficien

Diversification Through Discourse: a Bakhtinian View of Homer Hickam\u27s Red Helmet

Homer Hickam\u27s 2007 book, Red Helmet tells the story of a New York business woman\u27s (Song) transformation into a West Virginian coal miner. Red Helmet is a modern, commercial romance that fits into the category of Appalachian working-class literature. The introduction of this study details the characteristics of regional and Appalachian working-class literature and aligns the characteristics to the plot of Red Helmet. A discussion of Bakhtin\u27s theories of heteroglossia, hybridization, language stratification, dialogism, and discourse laid the foundation for the analysis of Song\u27s transformation from an outsider (a non-native of West Virginia) to an accepted and productive member of a West Virginia coal mining community (other). Bakhtin\u27s theory of dialogism within particular words is the focus of Chapter 2. The final chapter explores the different discourses present in the novel. The discourses include: the urban New York discourse, the romantic love discourse, the business discourse, the coal miner discourse, and the religion/God discourse. Each of the discourses affects Song in some way and aid in her transformation to a coal miner. Intense scrutiny is given to the coal miner and religious discourses as these are the areas in which Song\u27s thought patterns shift the most. Application of Bakhtin\u27s theories of discourse and dialogue within a text clarifies these shift