Opportunities and occupations in animal and veterinary sciences based on the current careers of West Virginia University alumni

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the career opportunities for graduates completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at West Virginia University as measured by the first and current careers of alumni. The target population consisted of all alumni that graduated between the years 1991 and 2001. Over 61.6% of the West Virginia University Animal and Veterinary Science graduates were satisfied with both their first career selection as well as their current career. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree two-thirds of the graduates decided to pursue a post-graduate degree. Professional careers, doctors, veterinarian, or other medical health care careers, accounted for 36.1% of the current careers for the respondents. Respondents first (70.6%) and current careers (79.2%) were in the field of their choice. The most important attributes in a graduate\u27s first career were the ability to work with people, ability to gain and use knowledge, and verbal communication skills

An analysis of the effectiveness of the understatement penalty

With the enactment of the understatement penalty in the Tax Administration Act 28 of 2011, in October 2012, a new era dawned on compliance penalties for the taxpayers of South Africa. It brought about changes to the legislative provisions regulating compliance penalties and introduced behavioural penalties, a foreign concept which was met with fear and scepticism. The subjective imposition of the former penalty regime, the additional taxes, which was scattered all over the different tax Acts, contributed to the perception of the taxpaying public that the understatement penalty would follow suit. The main objective in this study was to determine if the understatement penalty was effectively applied and aligned with its foreign counterparts. To achieve this objective, it was essential to conduct a comparative study of the understatement penalty with the behavioural penalties of Australia and New Zealand. These countries were selected due to the strong English influence in terms of the legal systems and legislative framework applied in each of these countries and the similarities that these countries show in terms of the processes applied by the Revenue Authorities. It was essential to define and explain, on the basis of a literature review, the construct of the understatement penalty and the behavioural penalty regimes of the foreign jurisdictions selected for this study. It was further essential to define and explain the administrative requirements as provided for in the Constitution together with the legislation regulating just administrative action, to ensure that the understatement penalty is effectively applied. Finally the purpose for the analysis of domestic and foreign case law applicable to the imposition of behavioural penalties was to assess the validity of the theoretical constructs underpinning the efficacy of the understatement penalty.Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2018.Mercantile LawLLMUnrestricte

An Assessment of Trace Elements Distribution in Teeth Utilizing a Sample Group from Postclassic Lamanai: The Application of LA-ICP-MS in Bioarchaeology and Forensics

Trace element analysis of skeletal remains and teeth is a common research technique in biological and forensic anthropology. In particular, LA-ICP-MS has become a widely-accepted tool for analyzing and mapping the distribution of trace elements in teeth. Investigation into the relative spectral intensities and spatial distribution of thirteen trace isotopes (13C, 24Mg, 27Al, 31P, 44Ca, 47Ti, 52Cr, 55Mn, 56Fe, 66Zn, 88Sr, 138Ba, 208Pb) within teeth was undertaken using LA-ICP-MS. The total archaeological sample of teeth (N=26) was comprised of four tooth types (UCI, ULI, UPM1, and UPM2) and 18 individuals from a Postclassic Lamanai site. In preparation for analysis, teeth sectioned down the center using a low-speed saw. Maps were created using the laser ablation system and MATLAB software. The frequency of each isotope detected at low, moderate, and high intensities at each of the six defined tooth locations was calculated. The inner dentine and the outer root border were the two areas that most commonly exhibited the highest intensities of isotopes. Detection of major structural isotopes (44Ca and 31P) was similar in both spatial locations and relative intensity across all teeth. In comparison, detection of more minor isotopes, while similar in spatial locations across all teeth, varied in relative intensity per individual sample. The frequency that each isotope was detected also varied by tooth type. These findings demonstrate the disparities between different types of dental tissue for retaining trace elements and serve to illuminate possible sources of external exposure and internal bioavailability influencing interindividual variation within the Lamanai sample population. Variation in isotope frequency based on tooth type may be due to developmental properties and/or changes in diet during early life. Ultimately, teeth act as storehouses of trace elements, and maps of isotopic distribution in teeth help reveal how individuals are influenced by both biological processes and cultural activities

T.W. Adorno, Iris Murdoch, and the importance of art for ethics

Theodor Adorno, a member of the first generation of critical theory, and Iris Murdoch, a major contributor to the field of virtue ethics, are not ordinarily thought to have much in common, and, like the diverse philosophical traditions with which they are respectively associated, rarely treated together. Through a discussion of the role of art for ethics in Adorno's Aesthetic Theory and Murdoch's The Sovereignty of Good, this thesis brings these two authors together, highlighting the similarities that in fact exist between them. It argues that Adorno and Murdoch share similar conceptions of ethics which index the motivation human beings feel for ethical action to the recognition of particular moments within experience that call for ethical response. It argues moreover that Adorno and Murdoch each describe human beings as generally unable to accurately perceive the world that confronts them. Adorno points to the domination of instrumental rationality within modernity as the source of human beings' perceptual failings, and Murdoch, the natural tendency of human beings to focus upon themselves. For both Adorno and Murdoch, the inability of human beings to correctly perceive reality has negative consequences upon ethical life; it is, for Adorno and Murdoch alike, the immediate cause of the ethical failings of human beings. Finally, this thesis demonstrates that Adorno and Murdoch both attribute to art a capacity for enticing and enabling human beings to see beyond the scope of instrumental rationality, or the confines of the self, and therefore consider art to be of unique importance for ethics

DNA replication origins in Haloferax volcanii

DNA replication is fundamental to the proliferation of life. Sites of DNA replication initiation are called replication origins. Bacteria replicate from a single origin whereas eukaryotes utilise multiple origins for each chromosome. The archaeal domain includes species which replicate using multiple origins of replication in addition to those which use a single origin. Archaeal DNA replication proteins are similar to eukaryotic replication machinery. Most characterised archaeal origins are adjacent to an orc gene which encodes a homologue of the Orc1 subunit of the eukaryotic initiator protein complex. Replication origins of the halophilic archaeon Haloferax volcanii were identified using a combination of genetic, biochemical and bioinformatic approaches. H. volcanii has a multireplicon genome consisting of a circular main chromosome and three mini-chromosomes: pHV1, pHV3 and pHV4. The major chromosome contains multiple origins of replication and is the first example of multiple origins on a single replicon in the Euryarchaeota. Each characterised origin is adjacent to an orc gene and contains repeated sequence motifs surrounding an A/T-rich duplex unwinding element. The archaeal recombinase, RadA, is homologous to eukaryotic and bacterial Rad51/RecA. It is widely held that deletion of radA results in elimination of homologous recombination. In this study the discovery of a radA-independent recombination pathway specific to replication origins is described. This dynamic mechanism was identified by observing chromosomal integration of plasmids containing H. volcanii replication origins in a radA deletion strain. The eukaryotic RAD25 gene is involved in nucleotide excision repair and transcription. H. volcanii has four RAD25 homologues, one on pHV4 and three near the oriC-2 locus on the main chromosome. A role for the assistance of oriC-2 firing is proposed based on autonomously replicating plasmid assays. Deletion of all four RAD25 homologues did not increase DNA damage sensitivity but resulted in a minor growth defect

Constrained trajectory optimization of a soft lunar landing from a parking orbit

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 2005.Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-144).A trajectory optimization study for a soft landing on the Moon, which analyzed the effects of adding operationally based constraints on the behavior of the minimum fuel trajectory, has been completed. Metrics of trajectory evaluation included fuel expenditure, terminal attitude, thrust histories, etc.. The vehicle was initialized in a circular parking orbit and the trajectory divided into three distinct phases: de-orbit, descent, and braking. Analysis was initially performed with two-dimensional translational motion, and the minimally constrained optimal trajectory was found to be operationally infeasible. Operational constraints, such as a positive descent orbit perilune height and a vertical terminal velocity, were imposed to obtain a viable trajectory, but the final vehicle attitude and landing approach angle remained largely horizontal. This motivated inclusion of attitude kinematics and constraints to the system. With rotational motion included, the optimal solution was feasible, but the trajectory still had undesirable characteristics. Constraining the throttle to maximum during braking produced a steeper approach, but used the most fuel. The results suggested a terminal vertical descent was a desirable fourth segment of the trajectory. which was imposed by first flying to an offset point and then enforcing a vertical descent, and provided extra safely margin prior to landing. In this research, the relative effects of adding operational constraints were documented and can be used as a baseline study for further detailed trajectory optimization.by Alisa Michelle Hawkins.S.M

Experimental and computational analysis of an energy storage composite ankle foot orthosis

Ankle Foot Orthotics (AFOs) are used by individuals presenting with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) to assist with improving gait. Mitch Warner, CPO, has developed a composite AFO made from woven carbon-Kevlar and carbon fiber lamina. The overall goals of the research are to characterize the HELIOS brace and to determine its effect on the gait of CMT subjects. Human motion analysis, experimental mechanical testing, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are used to gain a better understanding of how the materials and geometric design of the HELIOS AFO contribute to gait. Human motion experiments are performed to determine the relationship between ground reaction forces and strain measurements. Experimental mechanical tests replicate brace deformation observed during the gait study and provide the force applied to the brace to produce the measured strains during the human tests. In addition, the amount of energy storage and return can be calculated from the force vs. displacement curves of the experimental tests. An FEA model is developed to determine how the materials can affect the energy storage properties