Presidents and prime ministers : United Kingdon-United States: 'Special Relationship' during the 1960's

Due to the character of the original source materials and the nature of batch digitization, quality control issues may be present in this document. Please report any quality issues you encounter to [email protected], referencing the URI of the item.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 21-24).The primary focus of the paper is upon the political nature of the relationship, specifically the role of the political actors and highest political offices. The designated time period of the paper necessitates beginning in the midst of political terms of office rather than at the commencement of terms. However, this affords a unique examination of the relationship over a definable time period rather than an overview of particular political careers. The secondary focus of the paper is to determine a specific definition of the special relationship. Although the definition of the term special relationship is crucial to comprehension of the importance of the political relationship, a large majority of British and American scholars have neglected to define the term. The questions that have shaped the paper are as follows: What is the relationship that has been maintained between the United States and the United Kingdom? Who has maintained the relationship? Why is the "Special Relationship" so special? Where is this relationship taking the United States and the United Kingdom? Answers to these questions are highly relevant and necessary to understanding our significance as Americans, Britons and citizens of a global community

Integrating Mass Spectrometry Based Proteomics and Bioinformatics Technologies for the Molecular Level Characterization of \u3cem\u3eShewanella oneidensis\u3c/em\u3e to Chromate Exposure

The research outlined in this dissertation involves the development and demonstration of a mass spectrometry-based proteomics approach to characterize the global level molecular response of Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 to chromate exposure. The proteomics approach is centered on a high performance technique of multidimensional on-line liquid chromatographic separations with subsequent tandem mass spectrometric detection. Since very complex proteome samples are digested into peptides and then directly measured by MS, this technique is termed shotgun proteomics. This approach affords the identification and quantification of complex mixtures by directly analyzing their proteolytic peptides and then using computational techniques to reassemble the protein information. The research goals for this dissertation project were two-fold: (1) enhancement of the experimental and computational methodologies to permit deeper and more confident proteome characterizations, and (2) demonstration of this optimized approach for the comprehensive investigation of the molecular level response of the bacterium S. oneidensis to chromate insult. To address research needs, we developed a single-tube lysis method for cell lysis-proteome digestion to enable investigations of small amounts of cellular biomass, and identified suitable bioinformatic approaches to mine post-translational modifications from proteome datasets. These advancements were then utilized to examine the molecular level response of S. oneidensis to chromate insult, which was accomplished by varying chromate concentrations, dosages, and time points. These measurements provided the first global proteome-level observation of the dynamic changes of S. oneidensis in response to chromate insult

THERAPEUTIC DRUG MONITORING OF BETA-LACTAM ANTIBIOTICS IN CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS WITH SEPSIS

Sepsis is a devastating diagnosis affecting over 750,000 patients a year, accounting for approximately 10% of all hospital admissions, costs more than $50,000 per patient, and exceeds$17 billion annual spending. The mortality rate for sepsis remains unacceptably high: one out of every three patients diagnosed with sepsis dies. Sepsis physiology induces physiologic changes to drug pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters that alter the ability to achieve the goal pharmacodynamic (PD) target for beta-lactams of \u3e4-fold unbound concentration above the minimum inhibitory concentration for 100% of the dosing interval (100% fT \u3e4x MIC). Sepsis treatment such as volume resuscitation and vasopressor agents increase cardiac output and circulating blood flow, resulting in increased glomerular filtration and enhanced elimination of antibiotics. The PK alterations observed in critically ill septic patients are strongly associated with sub-optimal beta-lactam concentrations. Sub-optimal beta-lactam dosing has resulted in higher rates of therapeutic failure and increased mortality in critically ill patients with sepsis. In addition to the risk of under-exposure, growing data suggest certain beta-lactam combinations are associated with increased nephrotoxicity. Therapeutic drug monitoring of beta-lactam antibiotics is a strategy to improve the outcomes of critically ill septic patients by maximizing efficacy and minimizing toxicity

Dynamic acromiohumeral interval changes during scapular plane arm motions

This purpose of this dissertation is to explore changes in the acromiohumeral interval during dynamic motion in the scapular plane. All of the experiments were completed in the Football Operations Athletic Training Room at Louisiana State University. The first experiment which investigated dynamic acromiohumeral interval changes in baseball players during a loaded and unloaded scaption exercise from 0°-75°, has been accepted for publication by the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (in press, 2010). The mean acromiohumeral interval (AHI) for unloaded and loaded scaption decreased significantly (p\u3c.001) from the arm at the side until 45° and loaded scaption narrowed AHI at 60° (p=.005) and 75° (p=.003). The second experiment investigates AHI and scapular upward rotation (SUR) changes in baseball and softball players during scaption exercises from 0°-75°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at 45°(p=.005), 60°(p=.001), and 75°(p\u3c.001) and a significant load-position interaction (p=.001) at 0° and 75°was observed for all subjects. No gender differences in SUR or AHI were found. AHI and SUR displayed moderate positive correlations at 30° for both the unloaded scaption (r=.648, p=.001) and the loaded scaption (r=.445, p=.038) however, no significant relationships were present at 0°, 45°, 60° or 75°. The third experiment compared dynamic acromiohumeral interval and scapulohumeral rhythm changes in trained and untrained females during scaption exercises from 0°-90°. In general, AHI was maximal with the arm at the side and declined significantly (p\u3c.001) during arm elevation until 60°, but increased significantly (p\u3c.001) between 60° and 90°. Significant load related narrowing of the AHI at all positions (p\u3c.05), a more negative SUR at 0° (p\u3c.001) and a more positive SUR at 90° (p=.009) was observed for all subjects. Female athletes had significantly stronger external rotators (p\u3c.001), larger overall AHI (p=.003) and more SUR (p=.008) than untrained females. Significant positive correlations (p\u3c.05) between AHI and SUR were observed at 0°, 30°, and 60° during both loaded and unloaded scaption

Redox regulation of cysteine-674 of SERCA 2 is critical for growth factor- and ischemia-induced angiogenesis

Ischemic cardiovascular disease shows trends of increasing morbidity and mortality in the United States and around the world. Current therapeutic options are limited, but the identification of key disease mechanisms and targets will inform novel therapeutic development to help decrease disease burden. One potential target is the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA), a key regulator of Ca2+ homeostasis which plays multiple roles in the cardiovascular system. SERCA catalyzes the hydrolysis of ATP and couples it to the translocation of free cytosolic Ca2+ into SR/ER stores. SERCA is redox-regulated, and is susceptible to both stimulatory and inhibitory oxidative post-translational modification. For example, oxidation of SERCA by physiological levels of nitric oxide (NO) causes reversible oxidative modification of SERCA cysteine thiols by introducing glutathione adducts. S-glutathiolation enhances SERCA Ca2+ uptake activity, which results in rapid reductions in cytoplasmic Ca2+ levels, and promotes endothelial angiogenic responses in vitro. S-glutathiolation of SERCA specifically at cysteine-674 (C674) is a key signal regulating SERCA activity under physiological conditions, and a next crucial step is establishing causal relationships between defects in C674 S-glutathiolation and human disease. The following study elucidates the role of redox regulation of the C674 thiol in the mechanisms of vascular disease by employing a SERCA 2 C674S knock-in (SKI) mouse in which the key thiol is lacking in 50% of SERCA, rendering the protein less able to be activated by glutathiolation. Following hind limb ischemia, SKI animals had impaired blood flow recovery, indicating an angiogenic defect. Cultured SKI microvascular endothelial cells showed impaired migration and decreased network formation. Fura-2 Ca2+ signaling studies revealed lower Ca2+ stores and decreased VEGF- and NO-induced Ca2+ influx. Also, hypoxia-induced expression of pro-angiogenic genes (VEGF, VEGF receptor 2 and eNOS) was decreased in SKI endothelial cells. Adenoviral overexpression of calreticulin, a major ER Ca2+ binding protein, enhanced levels of VEGF receptor protein and eNOS phosphorylation. Taken together, these data indicate that impairing normal redox regulation of the C674 thiol via reversible S-glutathiolation interferes with endothelial cell Ca2+ homeostasis and angiogenic gene expression, suggesting mechanisms by which impaired SERCA glutathiolation contributes to worsened angiogenesis during ischemia

Superintendent’s Perception of Their Use of Authentic Leadership Skills

School superintendents are challenged with many complexities of the position. They must balance the needs of their School Board, who act as their direct supervisors and sometimes have agendas of their own. They must balance the needs of their administrative team, and often serve as a buffer between these administrators, their staff, the community, parents, and the Union. They must balance the many different needs of the community, and often serve as the “face” of the school district. Most importantly, these many needs often are in direct and indirect competition with the students, the very reason that schools exist. Of course, within all of this, school superintendents must maintain their own personal ethics and convictions, staying true to who they are as both people and leaders. How do they balance all of this, while maintaining their authenticity? The purpose of this study was to explore and answer the research question: What is superintendents’ perception of their use of the components of authentic leadership? This study uses an interview based, qualitative methodology to better understand how superintendents apply the various components of authentic leadership to their daily work. In doing so, they described a variety of situations and challenges, how they reacted or responded, and how these responses impacted trust with a variety of stakeholders. Data was analyzed to determine connections and correlations, evaluating actions, thoughts, and situations in terms of the thirteen components of authentic leadership. It was determined that components are applied in unique and complex ways, dependent upon the individual superintendent and the situation that they are addressing

Effects of reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations on physiology and fluorescence of hermatypic corals and benthic algae.

While shifts from coral to seaweed dominance have become increasingly common on coral reefs and factors triggering these shifts successively identified, the primary mechanisms involved in coral-algae interactions remain unclear. Amongst various potential mechanisms, algal exudates can mediate increases in microbial activity, leading to localized hypoxic conditions which may cause coral mortality in the direct vicinity. Most of the processes likely causing such algal exudate induced coral mortality have been quantified (e.g., labile organic matter release, increased microbial metabolism, decreased dissolved oxygen availability), yet little is known about how reduced dissolved oxygen concentrations affect competitive dynamics between seaweeds and corals. The goals of this study were to investigate the effects of different levels of oxygen including hypoxic conditions on a common hermatypic coral Acropora yongei and the common green alga Bryopsis pennata. Specifically, we examined how photosynthetic oxygen production, dark and daylight adapted quantum yield, intensity and anatomical distribution of the coral innate fluorescence, and visual estimates of health varied with differing background oxygen conditions. Our results showed that the algae were significantly more tolerant to extremely low oxygen concentrations (2-4 mg L(-1)) than corals. Furthermore corals could tolerate reduced oxygen concentrations, but only until a given threshold determined by a combination of exposure time and concentration. Exceeding this threshold led to rapid loss of coral tissue and mortality. This study concludes that hypoxia may indeed play a significant role, or in some cases may even be the main cause, for coral tissue loss during coral-algae interaction processes