Carson M. Smith to Mr. Meredith (13 October 1962)

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/mercorr_pro/2154/thumbnail.jp

The Contribution of Adipose Tissue from Ovariectomized Mice to Colon Cancer

Obesity is considered a major public health concern worldwide due to the increased incidences of metabolic dysfunction and cancer risk. The obese state is, in part, attributable to the overconsumption of calorie-dense foods commonly seen in a standard Western diet, which aids in the progression of chronic, lowgrade inflammation. The role of estrogen varies depending on menopausal status, where estrogen deficiency coupled with increased visceral fat associated with post-menopause leads to increased secretions of pro-inflammatory adipokines and cytokines. However, the presence of estrogen in a premenopausal state has been shown to attenuate the pro-inflammatory response, which has been demonstrated when estrogen replacement is administered to ovariectomized (OVX) mice. The purpose of this study was to determine if various pro-inflammatory cytokines secreted by adipose tissue influences cancer growth and if ovarian status affects this response. Methods: The study utilized a diet-induced model of obesity, where 8-week-old intact female, OVX female, and male mice were assigned to either a 40% high-fat diet (HFD) or a purified control low-fat diet (LFD) for 21 weeks. The ovaries of the OVX female group were removed in order to study the role of ovarian status in obesity and cancer initiation. To determine if pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with increases in body weight and fat mass influence cancer proliferation, adipose tissue-conditioned media (AT-CM) obtained from each dietary group was supplemented to MC38 colon cancer cells and a proliferation assay was performed. Results: An obese phenotype in mice fed a HFD was achieved and detectable increases in WBC, LYM, MON, and PLT count in the blood associated with obesity were identified. There were no diet effects discovered in the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines circulating in the plasma; however, a main effect of HFD (p\u3c0.05) exhibited increased secretions of IL-1β and IL-6 from the AT-CM when comparing the intact and OVX female groups. No significant differences were discovered in the cell proliferation assay after treatment with AT-CM. Conclusion: HFD feedings resulted in significant increases in body weight and fat mass. Secreted levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were detected in the AT-CM in the intact and OVX females. There was no difference detected in the cell proliferation assay after 24hrs

Development of a Glucose-Powered Biobattery for Implantation and Use in Humans

With current demands for implantable electrical devices increasing, the need for a more stable and biocompatible source of power is becoming increasingly necessary. Several battery types and materials were evaluated. Ultimately, an abiotic biobattery was designed with the goal of implantation in the human body. Nafion, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), and gold were used to create an abiotic biobattery that is powered by glucose. The SWCNTs were used to create the cathode, the gold was used to fabricate the anode, and the Nafion acted as the separator between the cathode and anode. A thin Nafion membrane was evaluated for overlaying the SWCNT cathode to prevent biofouling. A biofouling resistant membrane should allow the biobattery to continue to operate with greater efficiency without the surface area effectually decreasing over time as a result of biofouling

Low energy neutron propagation in MCNPX and GEANT4

Simulations of neutron background from rock for underground experiments are presented. Neutron propagation through two types of rock, lead and hydrocarbon material is discussed. The results show a reasonably good agreement between GEANT4, MCNPX and GEANT3 in transporting low-energy neutrons.Comment: 9 Figure

The development of a novel large area building integrated solar collector for pool heating

Unglazed solar collectors have often been used a means of providing low cost heating to swimming pools. However, these systems are typically polymer style “mats” that are laid on top of a roof, often leading to poor aesthetics due to their lack of integration with the building itself. This study charts the development of a novel large area unglazed building integrated solar pool heating system (BIT), based on long run sheet metal roofing, from its initial conceptualisation through to its implementation. It discusses the design of the building integrated solar collector modules, the assessment of their performance through theoretical modelling and experimental validation. Subsequently, it shows the scaling of laboratory scale testing to a large area array through modelling and discusses the performance of the system in the “as-built” configuration. In doing this, it provides a succinct illustration of the design process for the development of the University of Waikato’s building integrated pool heating system

The Struggle to Control Dispute Proceedings in Southern Rhodesia, 1930-1970, With Special Reference to the Lower Courts.

This thesis examines the political role of the Native Commissioners' and Chiefs' courts in Southern Rhodesia on two levels: the macro-political level of state hegemony and the micro-political level of district relations. Thus two chapters are devoted to a focus on Sipolilo District, and the remainder of the thesis sets this in the wider national and historical context, examining the implications of the Sipolilo study for the larger setting. The reasons for the initial integration of the "traditional" authorities into the state through the recognition and regulation of existing courts is considered. The means by which this progressed first institutionally and later ideologically is traced through twenty-five years. A further move to integrate the Chiefs occurred in the early 1960s, and the changed circumstances are examined. In both these phases of integration the "traditional" authorities played an active role in staking their claim to control these proceedings. The thesis will examine why both the state and Chiefs were eager to control these proceedings and consider how each made use of the power gained from this control. The role of the lower courts in extending and consolidating the cash economy and producing other norms is considered. The local nature of these courts made them sensitive to local conditions but the appeal court also extended the normative nature of some of the decisions. The regional context of the policy to integrate the Chiefs through the recognition of judicial power is considered by contrasting the relevant pieces of legislation from East, Central, and South Africa. The time period for the dissertation is based on the drafting of the Native Law and Courts Act (1937), the first of its kind in Southern Rhodesia, and the implementation of the African Law and Tribal Courts Act (1969), the last of its kind in the colonial period

Finasteride in the treatment of patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia: a review

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a complex and progressive disease common in aging men. While associated with bothersome lower urinary tract symptoms, it may also result in additional serious complications such as refractory hematuria, acute urinary retention, and BPH-related surgery. Medical therapy has been offered as an approach to halt this progression and perhaps reverse the pathophysiology of BPH. While alpha-blockers provide rapid relief in the form of improved flow rate, their effects may not reduce the overall risk of BPH-related complications. 5α-reductase inhibitors were therefore introduced to affect the underlying disease process by inhibiting the enzyme which converts testosterone to dihydrotesterone, the primary androgen involved in normal and abnormal prostate growth. Through this inhibition, prostate size is decreased, thereby reducing the risk of acute urinary retention and BPH-related surgery while providing symptom control. These effects are most pronounced in men with enlarged prostates (>25 mL) who are at the greatest risk of disease progression. This article reviews the literature for finasteride used in the treatment of BPH and provides evidence for its efficacy, safety and tolerability, applicability for combination therapy, and considerations of its effects on prostate cancer risk

Effects of the Invasive Species Phragmites australis on the Biogeochemical Cycle of Silica in the Platte River

Abstract In comparison to other major cycles such as those of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, the silicon cycle is less well understood. In this research, we quantified the amount of biogenic silica (ASi), that Phragmites australis sequesters in the form of phytoliths or other siliceous particles. The biogenic ASi content in surface sediment samples for five stands of Phragmites, three stands of willow, and three unvegetated sandbars was taken in the Platte River, Nebraska, which is located on the Great Plains in the Midwestern United States. Our data show that Phragmites has a significant impact on the uptake and storage of silica in comparison to willow and unvegetated sites. Phragmites sequestered 18,500 tons of silica in sediment over ~18,00 acres, while comparable areas of willow or unvegetated sediments would sequester, 4,625 and 1,541 tons, respectively.

Optimization of Drug-loaded Microsphere Formation

Undergraduate Theoretica

First measurement of low intensity fast neutron background from rock at the Boulby Underground Laboratory

A technique to measure low intensity fast neutron flux has been developed. The design, calibrations, procedure for data analysis and interpretation of the results are discussed in detail. The technique has been applied to measure the neutron background from rock at the Boulby Underground Laboratory, a site used for dark matter and other experiments, requiring shielding from cosmic ray muons. The experiment was performed using a liquid scintillation detector. A 6.1 litre volume stainless steel cell was filled with an in-house made liquid scintillator loaded with Gd to enhance neutron capture. A two-pulse signature (proton recoils followed by gammas from neutron capture) was used to identify the neutron events from much larger gamma background from PMTs. Suppression of gammas from the rock was achieved by surrounding the detector with high-purity lead and copper. Calibrations of the detector were performed with various gamma and neutron sources. Special care was taken to eliminate PMT afterpulses and correlated background events from the delayed coincidences of two pulses in the Bi-Po decay chain. A four month run revealed a neutron-induced event rate of 1.84 +- 0.65 (stat.) events/day. Monte Carlo simulations based on the GEANT4 toolkit were carried out to estimate the efficiency of the detector and the energy spectra of the expected proton recoils. From comparison of the measured rate with Monte Carlo simulations the flux of fast neutrons from rock was estimated as (1.72 +- 0.61 (stat.) +- 0.38 (syst.))*10^(-6) cm^(-2) s^(-1) above 0.5 MeV.Comment: 37 pages, 24 figures, to be published in Astroparticle Physic