Teses / dissertações sobre o tema "Enrichment culture"

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a Nycodenz gradient enrichment method to enrich a dissociated single cell suspension of porcine testicular cells for spermatogonia, and to observe the separated fractions from the gradient over a 14-day culture period for cell viability and number of spermatogonia in culture. Two germ cell specific genes, VASA and DAZL, were utilized for detection of spermatogonia using immunohistochemistry. The control group included cultures generated from the enzymatic digestion of porcine testes prior to the enrichment protocol for each replicate. The NycoDenz gradient consistently separated the isolated cell suspension into three distinct layers and a pellet, all of which were assessed for spermatogonial enrichment. Testis cells were isolated and seeded in culture on day 0. Cell viability and percent of spermatogonia was assessed on day 0, 7, and 14 of culture. Viability was determined using trypan blue exclusion assay and quantified using a hemocytometer. Spermatogonia were morphologically identified as round, plump cells with a large amount of cytoplasm. Visualization of spermatogonia was facilitated by immunostaining with DAZL and VASA polyclonal antibodies and cells exhibiting morphological characteristics in addition to bright, concentrated fluorescence were counted as spermatogonia.

Rhodococci are notable for their ability to degrade a variety of natural and xenobiotic compounds. Recently, interest in Rhodococcus has increased due to the discovery of a large number of genes for secondary metabolism. Only a few secondary metabolites have been characterized from the rhodococci (including 3 recently described antibiotics). Twenty-four new Rhodococcus strains were isolated from soils in East Tennessee using acetonitrile enrichment culturing and identified using 16S rRNA analysis. Forty-seven Rhodococcus strains were screened for antibiotic production using a growth inhibition assay. One strain, MTM3W5.2, had 90% similarity to the Rhodococcus opacus 16S rRNA gene sequence and produced a large zone of inhibition against R. erythropolis and a large number of closely related species. The antimicrobial compound produced by MTM3W5.2 had a large MW of 911.5452 Da and acts much like a bacteriocin but no amino acids were detected in this molecule based on TLC analysis.

The social transmission of social behaviours in nonhuman primates has been understudied, experimentally, relative to instrumental, food-related behaviours. This is disproportional in relation to the comparatively high percentage of potential social traditions reported in wild primates. I report a systematic survey of the social learning literature and provide quantitative evidence of the discrepancy (Watson and Caldwell, 2009). Addressing the identified deficit in experimental work on social behaviours, I also report three empirical studies investigating the contagious nature of affective states in captive, socially housed marmosets. I carried out an observational study, to determine whether marmosets are influenced by spontaneously produced neighbour calls to perform a range of behaviours associated with similar affect. My results supported a neighbour effect for anxiety in marmosets. Consistent with previous findings for chimpanzees (Baker and Aureli, 1996; Videan et al., 2005), I also found evidence for neighbour effects for aggression and affiliation (Watson and Caldwell, 2010). Through experimental playback, I investigated contingent social contagion in the auditory and visual modalities. The playback of pre-recorded affiliative (chirp) calls was found to be associated with marmosets spending increased time in a range of affiliative behaviours. Playback of video showing conspecifics engaged in a positive affiliative behaviour (allogrooming) also appeared to cause marmosets to spend longer performing various affiliative behaviours. My results indicate that social contagion of affiliation is a multi-modal phenomenon in marmosets and also represent the first evidence that allogrooming is visually contagious in primates. Sapolsky (2006) conceptualised culture as the performance of species-typical behaviours to an unusual extent, termed ‘social culture’. Researchers have yet to directly investigate a transmission mechanism. I investigated whether a social culture of increased affiliation could be initiated in marmosets through the long-term playback, of positive calls, or of video of positive behaviour. The results were consistent with a relatively long-lasting influence of the playback of affiliative calls across several affiliative behaviours. The effect appeared to last substantially beyond the specific hours of playback, between playbacks, and after playback had ceased, potentially indicating a temporary shift in social culture. These results are preliminary but provide some support for the proposal that auditory social contagion may be a transmission mechanism for social culture. The long-term video playback of allogrooming appeared to result in a transitory shift in performance of the identical behaviour (increased allogrooming) after playbacks had ceased. In addition to theoretical implications for social cognition and social culture, my findings have potential practical application for the enhancement of welfare in captive marmosets through sensory, and non-contact social, enrichment.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to develop sensitive and specific laboratory diagnostic methods for the demonstration of pneumococcal surface antigens or pneumococcus-specific antibodies in clinical samples. The work took account of epidemiological aspects of both pneumococcal disease and nasopharyngeal carriage of pneumococcus. We first compared the sensitivity of pneumococcal culture and antigen detection methods in nasopharyngeal samples in a developing country setting and then investigated the possibility of improving the sensitivity of the antigen detection by introducing an enrichment step in the procedure. — Further investigations were designed to determine the validity of pneumolysin-specific immune complex bound antibody assay as a tool for diagnosing pneumococcal ALRI in a developing country setting. Finally, we developed an enzyme immunoassay for the detection of pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide antigens, using type-specific antibodies produced in-house in rabbits through immunisation with an in-house-produced pneumococcal whole cell vaccine. The method was tested in nasopharyngeal and middle ear fluid samples. The first results indicated that antigen detection might be more sensitive than culture in demonstrating pneumococci in URT, particularly in children with prior antimicrobial therapy. Antigen detection is a feasible method for studies on pneumococci in developing countries. For type-specific demonstration of S. pneumoniae, detection of pneumococcal antigen after an enrichment step proved a sensitive method that can be applied for epidemiologic study purposes, e.g., in vaccine trials, in areas without ready access to a good microbiology laboratory. Determination of IC-bound pneumolysin IgG antibodies appears to be a useful method for species-specific diagnosis of pneumococcal infections. The results indicating pneumococcal aetiology in ALRI patients in this study compare well with the best results obtained by the use of lung aspirates. Increasing the number of serial samples improves the sensitivity of the assay, but even two samples provide more positive findings than other methods currently in routine use. Criteria of positivity need to be confirmed in subsequent larger studies with both healthy controls and patients with confirmed pneumococcal disease. It is also important to control the findings in patients with pneumonia of non-pneumococcal origin. The novel enzyme immunoassay was shown to work well with enrichment culture samples, with an almost 100% sensitivity compared with the culture. Middle ear fluid samples were too diluted for the enzyme immunoassay method used, and only 74% sensitivity compared with culture was achieved. Provided that adequate samples can be obtained, the method will be a useful complement to the current laboratory methods used to diagnose pneumococcal disease. With the existence of a broad spectrum of microbiological and immunological methods, it is imperative to seek international consensus for standard methods to demonstrate pneumococcus. Otherwise it is very difficult to compare results from different clinical studies. A WHO Working Group recently proposed a standard method for detecting upper respiratory carriage of pneumococcus, but a lot of work remains to be done in other areas of research on pneumococcal infections.

African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a focus of welfare research in zoos due to their high intelligence, complex social structure, and sheer size. Due to these challenges, some argue that zoos are inherently incapable of providing appropriate care for elephants, while others believe that zoos can fulfill the needs of these species with improved husbandry. There is a general consensus from both within and outside of zoos, however, that zoos must improve their elephant programs or cease exhibiting these animals altogether. Now more than ever, applied research on zoo elephant welfare is needed to provide context for this debate. Researchers are interested in how far zoo elephants walk due to the potential health and welfare benefits of walking in these highly mobile species. Zoo researchers recently adopted GPS technology to study elephant walking, and preliminary evidence suggests that African elephants in large zoo exhibits walk distances that correspond with wild elephants under non-extreme conditions. However, data are limited from Asian elephants and from elephants in more typically-sized exhibits. In Chapter Two, I discuss important methodological considerations of utilizing GPS in a zoo environment, including an introduction to the technology, sources of error and mitigation, methods to improve GPS performance, and possible effects of GPS device attachment on animal behavior. This review shows GPS performance is adequate for tracking zoo elephant walking when proper methodological techniques are applied, and should serve as a useful reference for zoo researchers considering using GPS. In Chapter Three, I used GPS anklets to measure outdoor daily walking distance in 56 adult female African (n = 33) and Asian (n = 23) elephants housed in 30 zoos. I collected 259 days of data and found that elephants walked an average of 5.34 km/day with no significant difference between species. Multivariate regression models predicted that elephants with more dynamic feeding regimens (more diverse feeding types and frequencies; unscheduled feeding times) will walk more. Distance walked was also predicted to be higher in elephants that spend time in a greater number of different social groups. Distance walked was predicted to decline with age. Finally, I found a significant negative correlation between distance walked and nighttime space experience. The results of the analysis suggest that zoos that want to increase walking in their elephants need not rely solely on larger exhibits, but can increase walking by adding quality and complexity to exhibits. However, my results failed to establish a definitive link between walking distance and other validated measures of elephant welfare. Thus, the direct health and welfare benefits of walking in zoo elephants remain unresolved. Resting behaviors are an essential component of animal welfare, but have received little attention in zoological research. In Chapter Four, I used accelerometers in anklets to complete the first large-scale multi-species investigation of zoo elephant recumbence. I collected 344 days of data from 72 adult female African (n = 44) and Asian (n = 28) elephants at 40 zoos. I found that African elephants are recumbent an average of 2.14 hours/day, which is significantly less than Asian elephants at 3.22 hours/day. Multivariate regression models predicted that African elephant recumbence increases when they experience more space at night, and Asian elephant recumbence increases when they spend time housed alone. Both species showed a similar response to substrate, such that African elephants spending time on all-hard substrates are predicted to be recumbent less, while Asian elephants spending time on all-soft substrates are predicted to be recumbent more. The discovery that occasional non-recumbence is a common behavior in zoo elephants also introduces a new area of research that may have important animal welfare consequences. Finally, this study established that zoos should continue their efforts to replace hard substrate with soft substrate in order to provide zoo elephants with environments that facilitate recumbence. Overall, this work assessed walking and recumbence in zoo elephants, which will allow zoos to gauge the prevalence of these behaviors in their elephants as compared to the sub-population studied here. A variety of factors that are associated with these behaviors were also identified. With this information, zoos can prioritize modifications to their facilities and animal management programs to create an environment that encourages zoo elephants to express walking and recumbence behavior, should they choose to do so. This work is one component of the Elephant Welfare Project, the largest zoo animal welfare project ever undertaken, and is unprecedented in both scope and scale. The project was funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), an independent, U.S., federal, grant-making agency that supports libraries, museums, and zoos. At the time of this writing, the first manuscripts from this project are being submitted to academic journals. These papers will describe the prevalence and distribution of a variety of elephant behaviors and welfare indicators, serve as a benchmark for future elephant welfare studies, and aid in decision making with regard to best practices in elephant management.

Användandet av deponier är en av de vanligaste metoderna för avfallshantering globalt. Trots insatser som gjordes för att förbjuda hushållsavfall i deponier under millennieskiftet, deponier skapade innan restriktionerna är fortfarande en risk för miljön. Under 2014 öppnade SÖRAB en kontinuerlig biologisk reningsanläggning (KBR-anläggning) på Löt Avfallsanläggning för att hantera lakvatten från en gammal deponi som under en tid fylldes med hushållsavfall. Sedan dess har SÖRAB arbetat med att förbättra KBR-anläggningen. Målet med denna studie är att utforma en driftstrategi för KBR-anläggningen för att förbättra kvävereningen vid låga temperaturer. Ett antal laborativa försök genomfördes, såsom den mikrobiella konsortiets livsduglighet i lakvattnet och tillväxten i både rumstemperatur och vid 4°C, bioaugmentation genom att berika den mikrobiella cellkulturen som redan finns i lakvattnet och hur detta förbättrar kvävereningen i jämförelse med tillsatser av den kommersiella bakterieblandningen ClearBlu Environmental och andra externa kolkällor. Resultaten från dessa laborativa försök påvisade komplett nitrifikation i både rumstemperatur och 4°C i berikat lakvatten från KBR-anläggningens L2A bassäng efter fem dagar. Försöket visade även på syresatt denitrifikation. Dessutom påvisades komplett denitrifikation inom fem dagar, vid rumstemperatur i lakvatten från anläggningens L2B bassäng. Under efterföljande pilotförsök påvisades möjligheten till upplivandet av den biologiska kvävereningen genom berikningen av den mikrobiella cellkulturen i lakvattnet. I ett pilotförsök då lakvatten från L2B bassängen berikades, komplett denitrifikation skedde under en anaerob fas på 16 dagar samt nitrifikation och aerob denitrifikation under ett påföljande 17 dagar lång aerob fas. Ett annat pilotförsök då lakvatten från L2A bassängen berikades påvisade både aerob och anaerob nitrifikation, då ammoniumrening skedde i både den syresatta och syrefria fasen. Tillsatsen av nutrient broth (näringsbuljong) kan påverka KBR-anläggningen, vilket kväver vidare studier. Resultatet från detta projekt tydligt påvisar att kvävereningen i KBR-anläggningen kan förbättras genom att berika den redan närvarande mikrobiella kulturen.
Landfilling has been one of the most popular methods of handling waste globally. Despite the efforts made to stop the disposal of household waste during the turn of the millennia, the landfills formed before these restrictions are still at risk for causing harm to the environment. In 2014, SÖRAB opened a continuous-flow biological treatment (KBR) facility in Löt to treat the leachate produced in one of their older landfills, once filled with household waste. Since then, SÖRAB has been working on improving the treatment facility. The aim of this the study is to find a suitable process to enhance the nitrogen removal at low temperature. Several laboratory scale experiments were performed, such as viability of microbial consortia in the leachate and growth at room temperature and at 4°C, testing bioaugmentation by enriching the microbial cell culture in the leachate and their efficiency in removing nitrogen, compared to the commercial cell culture ClearBlu Environmental and carbon source addition. The results displayed complete nitrification at both room temperature and 4°C in bioaugmented, enriched leachate originating from the L2A basin of the KBR facility, after five days. These trials also suggested the occurrence of aerated denitrification. Complete denitrification within five days was seen at room temperature in bioaugmented, enriched leachate from the L2B basin of the same facility. The ensuing pilot scale trials proved the possibility to revive the biological nitrogen removal by microbial cell culture enrichment. In one pilot in which leachate from the L2B basin was enriched, complete denitrification in the anaerobic phase consisting of 16 days occurred, along with some nitrification and aerated denitrification in the 17 day long aerated phase that followed. Another pilot scale trail in which leachate from the L2A basin was enriched, both aerobic and anaerobic nitrification occurred, as ammonium removal occurred in both the aerated and unaerated phases. The addition of nutrient broth might influence the KBR system which needs further study. The results from this project clearly demonstrate that nitrogen removal in the KBR facility could be enhanced using a culture naturally present in the facility.

Le patrimoine culturel joue un rôle important dans la définition de l'identité d’une société. La préservation physique à long terme du patrimoine culturel reste fragile et peut induire de multiples risques liés à la destruction et aux dommages accidentels. Les technologies numériques telles que la photographie et la numérisation 3D ont fourni de nouvelles alternatives pour la préservation numérique. Cependant, les adapter au contexte du patrimoine culturel est une tâche difficile. En effet, la numérisation complète des objets culturels (visuelle avec une copie digitale et historique avec des métadonnées) n'est facile que lorsqu'il s'agit d’objets physiquement en bon état possédant toutes leurs données (entièrement annotés). Cependant, dans le monde réel, de nombreux objets culturels souffrent de dégradation physique et de perte d'informations. Habituellement, pour annoter et conserver ces objets, les institutions culturelles font appel à des spécialistes de l'art, à des historiens et à d'autres institutions. Ce processus est fastidieux, nécessite beaucoup de temps et de ressources financières et peut souvent s’avérer inexact. Notre travail se concentre sur la préservation effective et rentable du patrimoine culturel, basée sur des méthodes avancées d'apprentissage automatique. L'objectif est de fournir un Framework à la phase d'enrichissement du processus de préservation numérique du patrimoine culturel. A travers cette thèse, nous proposons de nouvelles méthodes permettant d’améliorer le processus de préservation des objets culturels. Nos défis sont principalement liés au processus d'annotation et d'enrichissement des objets dont les données sont manquantes et/ou incomplètes (annotations et données visuelles) ; ce processus est souvent inefficace lorsqu’il est effectué manuellement. Nous introduisons diverses approches basées sur l'apprentissage automatique et l'apprentissage profond pour compléter automatiquement les données culturelles manquantes. Nous nous concentrons principalement sur deux types essentiels de données manquantes : les données textuelles (métadonnées) et les données visuelles.La première étape est principalement liée à l'annotation et à l'étiquetage des objets culturels à l'aide de l'apprentissage profond. Nous avons proposé des approches exploitant des caractéristiques visuelles et textuelles disponibles des objets culturels pour effectuer efficacement leur classification. (i) La première approche est proposée pour la Classification Hiérarchique des objets afin de mieux répondre aux exigences de métadonnées de chaque type d’objets et augmenter les performances de classification. (ii) La seconde approche est dédiée à la Classification Multimodale des objets culturels où un quelconque objet peut être représenté, lors de la classification, avec les métadonnées disponibles en plus de sa capture visuelle. La deuxième étape considère le manque d'informations visuelles lorsqu’il s’agit d’objets culturels incomplets et endommagés. Nous avons proposé dans ce cas, une approche basée sur l'apprentissage profond à travers des modèles génératifs et le clustering d’images pour effectuer la reconstruction visuelle d’objets culturels. Pour nos expérimentations, nous avons collecté une grande base de données culturelles mais nous avons sélectionné les tableaux d’arts pour nos tests et validations car ils possèdent une meilleure qualité d’annotation et sont donc mieux adapté pour mesurer les performances de nos algorithmes
Cultural heritage plays an important role in defining the identity of a society. Long-term physical preservation of cultural heritage remains risky and can lead to multiple problems related to destruction and accidental damage. Digital technologies such as photography and 3D scanning provided new alternatives for digital preservation. However, adapting them to the context of cultural heritage is a challenging task. In fact, fully digitizing cultural assets (visually and historically) is only easy when it comes to assets that are in a good physical shape and all their data is at possession (fully annotated). However, in the real-world, many assets suffer from physical degradation and information loss. Usually, to annotate and curate these assets, heritage institutions need the help of art specialists and historians. This process is tedious, involves considerable time and financial resources, and can often be inaccurate. Our work focuses on the cost-effective preservation of cultural heritage through advanced machine learning methods. The aim is to provide a technical framework for the enrichment phase of the cultural heritage digital preservation/curation process. Through this thesis, we propose new methods to improve the process of cultural heritage preservation. Our challenges are mainly related to the annotation and enrichment of cultural objects suffering from missing and incomplete data (annotations and visual data) which is often considered ineffective when performed manually. Thus, we propose approaches based on machine learning and deep learning to tackle these challenges. These approaches consist of the automatic completion of missing cultural data. We mainly focus on two types of missing data: textual data (metadata) and visual data.The first stage is mainly related to the annotation and labeling of cultural objects using deep learning. We have proposed approaches, that take advantage of cultural objects’ visual features as well as partially available textual annotations, to perform an effective classification. (i) the first approach is related to the Hierarchical Classification of Objects to better meet the metadata requirements of each cultural object type and increase the classification algorithm performance. (ii) the second proposed approach is dedicated to the Multimodal Classification of cultural objects where any object can be represented, during classification, with a subset of available metadata in addition to its visual capture. The second stage considers the lack of visual information when dealing with incomplete and damaged cultural objects. In this case, we proposed an approach based on deep learning through generative models and image data clustering to optimize the image completion process of damaged cultural heritage objects. For our experiments, we collected a large database of cultural objects. We chose to use fine-art paintings in our tests and validations as they were the best in terms of annotations quality

Thesis (M.S.) -- University of Maryland, College Park, 2004.
Thesis research directed by: Chemical Engineering. Title from t.p. of PDF. Includes bibliographical references. Published by UMI Dissertation Services, Ann Arbor, Mich. Also available in paper.

Soil samples were collected from several corn fields with history of atrazine (herbicide) application. Samples were inoculated into Erlenmeyer flasks each containing 50m1 of minimal basal salts medium amended with 100 ppm atrazine as sole nitrogen source. Flasks were shaken at 200 rpm at ambient temperature and were examined daily for one week for microbial growth and/or disappearance of atrazine. Promising consortia were subcultured for further additional enrichments before characterization of potentially active protein (enzyme)fractions. Proteins from cell-free and cellbound fractions were compared for ability to denature atrazine. Following gel permeation chromatography, isolated protein fractions were examined for atrazinefound in the cell-bound fractions capable degrading degradation. Two were found in the cell-free fractions (approx. Mol. wts. 55kDa and 180kDa) and one (55 kDa) atrazine to hydroxyatrazine. Atrazine and its breakdown products (hydroxyatrazine in particular) were detected via HPLC using C18 and C8 columns with absorbance at 229 nm.
Department of Biology

4-Ethylphenol (4-EP) is a malodorant of swine waste and is derived from a component of lignin called p-coumaric acid (p-CA). The production of 4-EP from lignin in swine waste is untested. Additionally, the effect of Fe (III) on 4-EP levels is unknown. Four experiments were performed to determine if Lactobacillus sp. pep8 cultures, as well as enriched swine lagoon slurries, could liberate p-CA from lignin and convert p-CA to 4-EP. Furthermore, it was tested if the addition of Fe (III) influences the conversion of p- CA to 4-EP. Experiment 1 tested Lactobacillus sp. pep8 cultures to determine if the addition of 10 mM Fe (III) and 0.2% sulphite lignin to Lactobacillussp. pep8 cultures would stimulate production of 4-EP. Experiment 2 tested the effect of 0.2% sulphite lignin and 10 mM Fe (III) on 4-EP production in the presence of enriched swine lagoon slurries. On day 0 there was no detectable 4‐EP, for either 0.2% sulphite lignin addition or the 10 mmol l‐1 Fe (III) additions. Experiment 3 tested alternative forms of lignin, including 0.2% sulphite, indulin, or sigma lignin as potential source compounds for 4-EP production in enriched swine lagoon slurries. 4-EP produced in all three conditions are likely endogenous to the lagoon slurry additions. Experiment 4 was designed to measure the degradation of exogenous 4-EP with varying final concentrations of 4-EP in enriched swine lagoon slurries. Data in Figure 7 indicate immediate degradation of 4-EP by day 5, however, by day 7 synthesis of 4-EP occurred until day 14 where 4-EP levels remained in a steady state. Our results suggest that when both Lactobacillus sp. pep8 cultures and enriched swine lagoons are supplemented with p-CA, 4-EP is produced indicating that p-CA serves as a source of 4-EP. However, when supplemented with Fe (III) and/or sulphite, indulin, or sigma lignin, 4-EP production was not stimulated. This data indicates that, 4- EP production is not enhanced by the presence of Fe (III) in either Lactobacillus sp. pep8 cultures or in enriched swine lagoon slurries. Furthermore, lignin did not serve as a source of 4-EP.

Thesis (PhD Food Sc)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The fermentation of milk has been known for millennia and leads to nutritious and prolonged shelf-life dairy products. In Southern Africa, traditional fermented dairy products have the same value as local staple foods and are consumed as a part of or as a whole meal. However, the retail price and the technology make many commercialised fermented dairy products unaffordable to the majority of the population. There is thus a need for a healthy nutritious low-cost easily prepared fermented dairy product. A product that could be the answer to the above need, is Kefir. The principle advantage is that the Kefir beverage is made from reusable Kefir grains, which unfortunately are not easily available and grow slowly. Kefir grains can only be obtained from pre-existing grains, which presents a problem in the marketing of the grains. A mass culturing technique was developed to produce large masses of grains but preparation of Kefir using these grains results in a product (MG Kefir) lacking in the sensory attributes of Traditional Kefir. Thus, the overall objective of this research was to determine the impact of environmental factors on the metabolic profiles of Kefir produced using different Kefir grains and this was then followed by the subsequent enrichment of Kefir prepared with mass cultured grains so as to obtain a Kefir beverage that has improved organoleptic qualities. To determine the impact of environmental factors Traditional and MG Kefir were prepared under controlled and uncontrolled conditions. Traditional Kefir was found to give the best beverage and was thus considered as the control. Under controlled conditions the optimum incubation temperature for the production of Kefir was 22ºC as over-acidification was observed at 25ºC. The metabolic profiles of both Traditional and MG Kefir showed that both contained acetaldehyde, ethanol, acetone, diacetyl and acetic acid. In addition, the metabolic profiles revealed that an inadequate ratio of diacetyl to acetaldehyde as well as the lack of ethyl acetate was responsible for the flavour defect in MG Kefir. In order to overcome this defect, citrate and ascorbate (0.015 % w.v-1) were added during Kefir fermentation to enhance the diacetyl and ethyl acetate production. This addition showed a positive impact on diacetyl but not on ethyl acetate production. Improvement of the overall flavour of Kefir was observed as the ratios of diacetyl to acetaldehyde were higher (0.21 – 0.5) in the samples with added citrate and ascorbate than in the samples without (0.12 – 0.17). The production of ethyl acetate in MG Kefir was enhanced by combining the effects of longer incubation (24 h + 18 h at 22ºC), addition of ethanol and acetic acid at 0.79% (m.v-1) and the addition of either Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis biovar diacetylactis 318 or Candida kefyr 1283. The best yields were obtained in samples containing C. kefyr 1283 and only added ethanol (9.22 mg.L-1), indicating that ethanol is an important factor in ethyl acetate production by Kefir starter strains and suggesting that the absence of ethyl acetate is an indication that the grains do not contain a yeast capable of producing sufficient ethyl acetate. During this investigation, the impact of ethyl acetate on the organoleptic quality of Kefir during storage at refrigerated and room temperatures were also studied. The results indicated that refrigerated Kefir contained up to 40 mg.L-1 of ethyl acetate and was not found defective and thus ethyl acetate was considered a positive contributor to Kefir flavour. This is of particular interest as ethyl acetate is a potent flavour compound at concentrations below 5 mg.L-1. Improvements of MG Kefir’s flavour were successful and will be of value for commercial Kefir production where the main aim is to optimise the flavour of Kefir. However, stabilising the grain microbial consortium was found to be important as it is responsible, over time, for both stable and acceptable Kefir. Acceptability of Traditional, MG and other Kefirs (Candi-Kefir and Lacto-Kefir) prepared with microbially stabilised MG was evaluated by 85 consumers. Results indicated that pH (r = 0.978; p < 0.05) was a significant driver of liking for flavour, especially for female consumers (r = 0.982; p < 0.05). In addition, three clusters, each characterised by different liking attributes were identified. Cluster I generally disliked all the products whereas slight acidic Kefir such as Candi-Kefir (7.63) and Lacto-Kefir (7.09) were preferred by Cluster III. Cluster II showed preference to Kefir with moderate acidity and high ethanol content. In that regard, Traditional Kefir obtained the best score (7.50) and MG Kefir the lowest score (4.87). The sensory study is of value as it led to the identification of the drivers of consumers liking by the different types of consumers. In the course of this project, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy was developed as a rapid method to estimate lactic and acetic acids, which are the organic acids responsible for acidity in Kefir, as well as pH and titratable acidity (TA). The results showed that the calibration models for lactic acid (RPD = 2.57 – 3.16), pH (RPD = 2.90) and TA (RPD = 2.60) were good for screening purposes (2 < RPD < 3); indicating that these models would show if the concentrations of lactic acid, the pH or the TA varied from the normal range. This study has demonstrated that the flavour of MG Kefir, prepared with enriched grains, was successfully improved and has provided some understanding on the preference liking of Kefir, an unknown fermented dairy product to South African consumers.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die fermentering van melk is al vir millennia bekend en lei tot voedsame suiwelprodukte met 'n verlengde raklewe. In Suidelike Afrika het tradisioneel gefermenteerde suiwelprodukte dieselfde waarde as plaaslike stapelvoedsels en word dit as 'n maaltyd of as deel van 'n maaltyd geëet. Die kleinhandelsprys en tegnologie van kommersieel gefermenteerde suiwelprodukte maak hierdie produkte egter onbekostigbaar vir die grootste deel van die populasie. Daar is dus 'n behoefte aan 'n gesonde, voedsame, goedkoop, maklik-om-te-berei gefermenteerde suiwelproduk. 'n Moontlike produk om aan die bogenoemde te voldoen is Kefir. Die hoof voordeel is dat die Kefir drankie van herbruikbare Kefirkorrels gemaak word, maar ongelukkig is hierdie korrels nie vrylik beskikbaar nie, en vermeerder dit stadig. Kefirkorrels kan net van reeds bestaande korrels verkry word wat problematies is vir die bemarking van hierdie korrels. 'n Massakwekingstegniek is ontwikkel vir die produksie van groot hoeveelhede korrels maar die voorbereiding van Kefir met hierdie korrels lei tot 'n produk (MG Kefir) wat sensories minder aanvaarbaar is as tradisionele Kefir. Die hoofdoel van hierdie navorsing was dus om die invloed van omgewingsfaktore op die metaboliese profiele van Kefir, berei deur gebruik te maak van verskillende Kefirkorrels, te bepaal. Dit is gevolg deur die verryking van Kefir berei van massagekweekte korrels om 'n Kefir drankie met verbeterde organoleptiese kwaliteite te verkry. Tradisionele en MG Kefir is voorberei onder gekontroleerde en ongekontroleerde toestande om die impak van omgewingsfaktore te bepaal. Die beste drankie is van tradisionele Kefir verkry en is dus beskou as die kontrole. Die optimum temperatuur vir die produksie van Kefir onder gekonroleerde toestande is 22ºC aangesien oor-versuring by 25ºC waargeneem is. Die metaboliese profiele van beide tradisionele en MG Kefir het gewys dat beide produkte asetaldehied, etanol, asetoon, diasetiel en asynsuur bevat. Die metaboliese profiele het verder gewys dat 'n onvoldoende diasetiel tot asetaldehied verhouding sowel as 'n tekort aan etielasetaat verantwoordelik was vir 'n geur defek in MG Kefir. Om hierdie defek te oorkom is sitraat en askorbaat (0.015% m.v-1) tydens Kefir fermentasie bygevoeg om diasetiel en etielasetaat produksie te verhoog. Hierdie byvoeging het 'n positiewe effek gehad op diasetiel produksie, maar nie op die produksie etielasetaat nie. 'n Verbetering in die algehele geur van Kefir is waargeneem aangesien die diasetiel tot asetaldehied verhoudings hoër (0.21 – 0.5) was in die monsters met bygevoegde sitraat en askorbaat as in die monsters daarsonder (0.12 – 0.17). Die produksie van etielasetaat in MG Kefir is verhoog deur die effekte van 'n verlengde inkubasie tydperk (24 h + 18 h by 22ºC), die byvoeging van etanol en asynsuur teen 0.79% (m.v-1) en die byvoeging van óf Lactococcus lactis ssp. diacetylactis biovar diacetylactis 318 óf Candida kefyr 1283 te kombineer. Die beste opbrengs is verkry in monsters wat C. kefyr 1283 en slegs etanol (9.22 mg.L-1) bevat het. Dit dui daarop dat etanol 'n belangrike faktor is vir etielasetaat produksie in Kefir beginstamme en wys moontlik op die afwesigheid van etielasetaat wat daarop dui dat die korrels nie 'n gis bevat wat bevoeg is om genoegsame hoeveelhede etielasetaat te produseer nie. Tydens hierdie ondersoek is die impak van etielasetaat op die organoleptiese kwaliteit van Kefir gedurende opberging by verkoelde- en kamertemperatuur ook bestudeer. Die resultate het gewys dat verkoelde Kefir tot 40 mg.L-1 etielasetaat bevat het sonder dat dit defektief was. Etielasetaat is dus beskou as 'n positiewe bydraer in terme van Kefir geur. Dit is van besondere belang aangesien etielasetaat 'n sterk geurkomponent teen konsentrasies laer as 5 mg.L-1 is. Verbeteringe in MG Kefir se geur was suksesvol en sal van waarde wees vir kommersiële Kefir produksie waar die hoofdoel die optimisering van Kefir geur is. Stabilisering van die korrels se mikrobiologiese konsortium is ook belangrik aangesien daar gevind is dat dit oor tyd verantwoordelik is vir stabiele en aanvaarbare Kefir. Die aanvaarbaarheid van tradisioneel, MG en ander Kefirs (Candi-Kefir en Lacto-Kefir), voorberei van mikrobiologies gestabiliseerde MG, is deur 85 verbruikers geëvalueer. Die resultate het aangedui dat pH (r = 0.978; p < 0.05) 'n belangrike faktor is in die bepaling van verbruikers se voorkeur van geur is, veral by vroulike verbruikers (r = 0.978; p < 0.05). Drie groepe, elk gekenmerk deur verskillende voorkeur en aanvaarbaarheid eienskappe, is verder geïdentifiseer. Groep I het oor die algemeen van geen van die produkte gehou nie en Groep III het die effense suur Kefirs soos Candi-Kefir (7.63) en Lacto-Kefir (7.09) verkies. Groep II het die Kefir met 'n matige suurheid en hoë etanolinhoud verkies. Tradisionele Kefir het die hoogste telling (7.50) en MG Kefir die laagste telling (4.78) behaal. Die sensoriese studie is van waarde aangesien dit gelei het tot die identifisering van die drywers van verbruikersvoorkeure deur die verskillende tipes verbruikers. Tydens hierdie projek is 'n naby-infrarooi reflektansie spektroskopiese metode ontwikkel vir die vinnige skatting van melk- en asynsuur, die organise sure wat verantwoordelik is vir die suurheid van Kefir, asook die pH en titreerbare suurheid (TS). Die resultate het getoon dat die kalibrasiemodelle vir melksuur (RPD = 2.57 – 3.16), pH (RPD = 2.90) en TS (RPD = 2.60) voldoende was vir siftingsdoeleindes (2 < RPD < 3). Dit dui daarop dat hierdie modelle sal aandui wanneer die konsentrasie van melksuur, pH of TS afwissel van die normale reeks. Hierdie studie het gewys dat die geur van MG Kefir, berei van verrykte korrels, suksesvol verbeter is en het ook gelei tot insigte in die voorkeur van aanvaarbaarheid van Kefir, 'n onbekende gefermenteerde suiwelproduk vir Suid-Afrikaanse verbruikers.

Aquaculture has expanded dramatically over the last fifty years and now contributes almost half of the global total fish production. Since fish are a very important source of protein for humans, aquaculture is an important food source and economic practice. It is therefore important to minimise and manage any factors that may negatively impact on aquaculture operations. One of the major problems in marine fish aquaculture is the high rate of larval mortality in captivity. One way of combatting this problem is by improving overall health of larvae. Probiotics, especially yeasts, can be used as immune boosters, disease control agents and a source of additional nutrients to help minimise this problem. These probiotics can be effectively administered to larvae using live feeds, such as rotifers and Artemia, and formulated feeds. The dusky kob, Argryosomus japonicus, is emerging as a commercially viable marine aquaculture species in South Africa. However, commercial production of this species is being hindered by parasitic disease. Therefore, this study tested the efficacy of (1) incorporating live culturable Debaryomyces hansenii (yeast) cells into rotifers (Branchionus plicatilis), Artemia nauplii and a formulated feed (Nutroscience Pre-starter Crumble), and (2) investigated the effects of the probiotic supplemented feeds on growth and survival of dusky kob larvae. We demonstrated that live culturable yeast cells, incubated at a period of 0.5 hours, delivered significantly more yeast cells per rotifer than the longer incubation periods (p<0.001). For Artemia, the incubation period of 0.5 hours delivered more yeast cells per Artemia, but this incubation period was not significantly better than the longer incubation periods (p=0.204). The starting yeast concentration of 1 x 1012 yeast cells.ml-1 resulted in significantly more yeast cells per rotifer (p=0.042) and Artemia (p<0.001) than the lower starting yeast concentrations. The proliferation of Debaryomyces hansenii on the formulated (dry) feed is significantly higher at a storage temperature of 4 °C than it is at a storage temperature of 20 °C (p<0.001). This could however, be causing a deterioration in the stability of the feed. The number of yeast cells per g of feed significantly decreases after 14 days, indicating a possible loss of culturability and stability of the yeast in the feed, regardless of the storage temperature (p<0.001 for 4 °C; p<0.05 for 20 °C). Drying the feed after coating it in yeast also causes a significant reduction in the number of yeast cells per g of feed (p<0.001). With more replication and more cautionary experimental design, this experiment could be repeated in the future. Unfortunately, the mortality rate of the larvae was so high that the results obtained for the larval growth trials could not be statistically analysed, even though rotifer and Artemia (live feed) incubations were performed.

L'impact de l'excretion de mollusques bivalves sur la croissance d'algues unicellulaires dans les zones conchylicoles est etudie experimentalement. L'huitre crassostrea gigas thunberg et la palourde ruditapes philippinarum (adams et reeve), mises en stabulation in vitro, enrichissent l'eau de mer en azote et en phosphore sous les formes minerales et organiques dissoutes dont les proportions relatives varient selon les saisons, en fonction de facteurs externes et internes propres aux mollusques, qui agissent simultanement. L'ammoniaque est abondamment excrete au printemps par les huitres et en ete par les palourdes. En dehors de ces periodes, l'excretion d'uree, d'acides amines et de substances non identifiees, dont les proportions varient egalement selon les saisons domine. Parmi les composes proches des acides amines, la taurine est excretee de facon privilegiee. Le phosphore est le plus souvent excrete sous la forme minerale. Des tests biologiques realises sur les eaux de stabulation montrent indirectement que l'azote et le phosphore, ainsi que parfois, les vitamines, apportes par les mollusques ameliorent la fertilite potentielle de ces eaux pour trois diatomees-tests: haslea ostrearia, skeletonema costatum et phaeodactylum tricornutum. Cependant l'apport de ces composes n'est benefique que si les autres nutriments sont en quantite suffisante dans l'eau, ce qui n'est pas toujours le cas pour le silicium. L'etude de l'utilisation par p. Tricornutum et s. Costatum des formes azotees excretees montre que ces diatomees utilisent les nitrates du milieu simultanement a l'ammoniaque initialement present et apporte par les mollusques. Elles peuvent de plus utiliser l'azote organique dissous excrete par les bivalves. En particulier, la taurine peut etre un des facteurs favorisant la croissance algale: elle est soit puisee sous forme d'n-nh::(4)**(+) apres sa mineralisation par les bacteries, soit directement prelevee par les microphytes. Dans ce cas, il apparait qu'elle favoriserait la prise d'autres composes organiques dissous. Cette etude montre que dans les milieux semi-confines des claires ostreicoles, la production regeneree de microphytes liee a la presence des mollusques ne doit pas etre negligee par rapport a la production nouvelle due aux apports d'eau de mer dans les bassins

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The purpose of this study was to verify the availability and effective provision of informational and virtual resources at public school libraries for the improvement of the educational work at school, as well as to assess the library contribution to the cultural and professional enrichment of school and local community. The subjects were the Regional Director, school managers, teachers, parents, community leaders and students of elementary (stages I and II) and high schools, from eight public state schools belonging to the Regional Directory of Education of José Bonifácio. In the first half of 2009, questionnaires with closed questions were administered to the sample subjects. Through a stratified sample, which criterion was the school size (small, medium and large), the general situation of eight public school libraries of the Regional Directory of Education of José Bonifácio was analysed. The data analysis revealed the precariousness of the school libraries of the state public schools of the Regional Directory of Education of José Bonifácio, whether the schools were large, medium or small. This problem was also found both in relation to the lack of adequate physical space, equipment, human resources and bibliographical resources, and by the poor availability of such resources for the school and local community, in addition to the insignificant contribution to its cultural and professional enrichment. Despite this precarious situation, school managers and teachers look for alternatives to develop the school projects, but with unsatisfactory results for both professionals and students. Even in schools where there is a library, not always it is frequented by local and school community. This research intended to help school managers, teachers, students, parents and local community to become aware of the precariousness of school libraries and to recognize the importance of their role in the educational process.
Esta pesquisa objetivou verificar a disponibilidade e a disponibilização de recursos informacionais e virtuais nas bibliotecas de escolas públicas para o aprimoramento do trabalho pedagógico da escola, bem como avaliar sua contribuição para o enriquecimento cultural e profissional da comunidade escolar e local. Foram sujeitos da pesquisa o Dirigente Regional de Ensino, Supervisores de Ensino, Assistentes Técnicos Pedagógicos (ATP), Gestores, Professores, Pais de alunos, Lideranças da Comunidade e Alunos do Ensino Fundamental (Ciclo I e II) e Ensino Médio, de oito Escolas Públicas Estaduais que pertencem à Diretoria Regional de Ensino de José Bonifácio. Aos sujeitos da amostra foram aplicados questionários com perguntas fechadas, no primeiro semestre de 2009. Por meio de amostra estratificada, cujo critério foi o tamanho das escolas (pequena, média e grande) verificou-se a situação geral de oito bibliotecas públicas escolares da Diretoria Regional de Ensino de José Bonifácio. A análise dos dados evidenciou a precariedade das bibliotecas das escolas estaduais da Diretoria regional de Ensino de José Bonifácio, independentemente de as escolas serem grandes, médias ou pequenas. Tal problema foi constatado, tanto com relação à falta de espaço físico adequado, equipamentos, recursos humanos e recursos bibliográficos, como pela deficiente disponibilização de tais recursos para a comunidade escolar e local, além da insignificante contribuição para seu enriquecimento cultural e profissional. Apesar de tal situação, gestores e docentes buscam alternativas para desenvolver os projetos da escola, mas com resultados insatisfatórios tanto para os profissionais como para os alunos. Mesmo nas escolas em que há biblioteca, nem sempre ela é frequentada pela comunidade escolar e local. Esta pesquisa pretendeu contribuir para que gestores, professores, alunos, pais de alunos e comunidade local tomem conhecimento da precariedade das bibliotecas escolares e reconheçam a importância de seu papel no processo educacional.

Aquesta tesi tracta sobre l'efecte de la contaminació per cru de petroli sobre l'ecosistema costaner mediterrani i sobre el paper fonamental dels sediments marins en la regulació i el manteniment dels processos biogeoquímics. L'estudi presta especial atenció a les comunitats bacterianes reductores de sulfat i la seva implicació en la degradació de contaminants orgànics. La diversitat, abundància i fisiologia dels bacteris reductors de sulfat que habiten el sediment arenós del nord de Mallorca (Illes Balears), van ser analitzades mitjançant un enfocament polifàsic, basat en la combinació d'experiments in situ i in vitro, biologia molecular clàssica i d’última generació, cultius i determinació d'activitats metabòliques. Els resultats obtinguts durant aquesta tesi demostren que el sediment mediterrani alberga una microbiota autòctona que podria prosperar després d'un vessament de cru de petroli i el paper de la qual podria ser crucial per a la transformació i l'eliminació de compostos orgànics xenobiòtics en aquest ambient.
Esta tesis trata sobre el efecto de la contaminación por crudo de petróleo en el ecosistema costero mediterráneo y sobre el papel fundamental de los sedimentos marinos en la regulación y el mantenimiento de los procesos biogeoquímicos. El estudio presta especial atención a las comunidades bacterianas reductoras de sulfato y a su implicación en la degradación de contaminantes orgánicos. La diversidad, abundancia y fisiología de las bacterias reductoras de sulfato que habitan el sedimento arenoso del norte de Mallorca (Islas Baleares), fueron analizadas mediante un enfoque polifásico, basado en la combinación de experimentos in situ e in vitro, biología molecular clásica y de última generación, cultivos y determinación de actividades metabólicas. Los resultados obtenidos durante esta tesis demuestran que el sedimento mediterráneo alberga una microbiota autóctona que podría prosperar después de un derrame de crudo de petróleo y cuyo papel podría ser crucial para la transformación y la eliminación de compuestos orgánicos xenobióticos en este ambiente.
This thesis discusses the fate and behave of crude oil contamination in the Mediterranean coastal ecosystem, and the essential role of the marine sediments in the regulation and maintenance of biogeochemical processes. The study pays particular attention to the role of sulphate reducing bacterial communities in the degradation of organic matter and pollutants entering the Mediterranean environment. A polyphasic approach based in the combination of in situ and in vitro experiments, next generation and classical molecular biology, cultivation, and the determination of metabolic activities, provided first insights into the diversity, abundance and physiology of sulphate reducing bacteria inhabiting the undisturbed sandy sediment at the north of Mallorca (Balearic Islands). The results obtained during the thesis demonstrate that the undisturbed Mediterranean sediment harbours an autochthonous microbiota that could prosper after a crude oil spill and which role might be crucial for the transformation and removal of hazardous organic compounds in this environment.

Mervärdesskatterättsligt särbehandlas omsättning av upphovsrätter genom tillämpning av en reducerad skattesats. I 7 kap. 1 § 3 st. 8-9 p. ML hänvisas direkt till upphovs­rättslagen för bedömningen av förekomsten av en upphovsrättsligt skyddad prestation och rättighetens övergång. Föreligger en mervärdesskatterättslig omsättning av eko­nomiska värden samtidigt med en upphovsrättsligt giltig upplåtelse eller överlåtelse av en upphovsrättsligt skyddad prestation ska omsättningen beskattas med en reducerad skattesats om sex procent. Uppsatsen utreder intrångsersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL i relation till det mervärdes­skatterättsliga omsättningsbegreppet och den reducerade skattesatsen i 7 kap. 1 § 3 st. 8-9 p. ML.  Ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL ska erläggas då ett intrång i upphovsrätten kan konstateras. Ersättning ska alltid utgå oavsett god tro och även i fall där upphovs­mannen, genom t.ex. positiva sidoeffekter, tjänat på intrånget. I doktrin har det därför uttalats att ersättningen inte utgör skadestånd, något som lagstiftaren uttryckligen klassificerat den att vara. Vid en granskning av ersättningens karaktär och syfte i rela­tion till upphovsrättslagens regler för rättighetens övergång framgår att en upphovs­rättsligt giltig överlåtelse eller upplåtelse inte föreligger vid en transaktion som föranlett ersättningsskyldighet enligt 54 § 1 st. URL. Enligt 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML är detta en förutsättning för att transaktionen ska omfattas av den reducerade skattesatsen. I ett mervärdesskatterättsligt perspektiv står det emellertid klart att ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL är tänkt att spegla de förhållanden som hade gällt om parterna ingått avtal på för­hand och att det finns ett ostridigt samband mellan ersättningens storlek och det faktiska nyttjandet av rättigheten. Således skulle ersättningen mervärdesskatterättsligt kunna jämställas med en upplåtelse av nyttjanderätt. För tillämpning av den reducerade skatte­satsen i 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML är ett jämställande med upplåtelse ur mervärdes­skatterättslig synpunkt emellertid inte tillräckligt. Mervärdesskattelagens ovillkorliga koppling till upphovsrättslagen i 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML medför att en upplåtelse ska prövas enligt upphovsrättslagens regler för rättighetens övergång. Den samlade slutsatsen av uppsatsens utredning är följaktligen att ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL kan omfattas av det mervärdesskatterättsliga omsättningsbegreppet. Mervärdesskattelagens ovillkorliga koppling till upphovsrättslagen innebär emellertid att ersättningen inte kan omfattas av 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML och den reducerade skattesatsen om 6 procent. Ersättningen utbetalas till följd av ett intrång och avsaknaden av en uttrycklig överenskommelse hindrar en tillämpning av 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML.
VAT turnover of copyrights are subject to a reduced VAT-rate. In the Value added tax act (ML) the paragraph of 7 kap. 1 § 3 st.  8-9 p. ML refers directly to the Copyright act (URL) for the assessment of the existence of a copyright and, the sale or lease of such a right. If a taxable supply is at hand while, simultaneously, a legally valid lease or sale of a copyright can be established, the turnover is taxed at a reduced VAT-rate of six percent. The thesis investigates intrusion compensation under Article 54 § 1 st. URL relative to the value added tax turnover concept and the reduced rate in 7 kap 1 § 3 st.  8-9 p. ML. Compensation according to Article 54 § 1 st. URL must be paid when an infringement of copyright is at hand. Compensation should always be paid regardless of good faith and even in cases where the holder of the right has earned revenue by e.g. spin-offs. In the legal literature, it has therefore been expressed that Article 54 § 1 st. URL does not con­stitute damages, something that the legislature explicitly has classified it to be. When reviewing the character and purpose of the compensation in relation to URL, and its rules for the transition of the right, it is clear that a valid transition does not exist in a transaction that has prompted compensation under Article 54 § 1 st. URL. According to 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML, this is a prerequisite. For the transaction to be covered by the reduced VAT-rate, a valid transition, according to the general rules of the rights transition in URL, must be at hand. However, from a VAT-perspective, compensation under 54 § 1 st. URL is meant to reflect the conditions that would have been if the concerned parties had reached an agreement in advance. There is an undisputed link between the remuneration and the actual use of the right. Thus, the compensation could be deemed equal to a lawful lease of copyright. For the purposes of the reduced tax rate in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML, an equation of the compensation to a lawful lease of copyright is not sufficient. The provision is directly connected to URL and any transition of copyright must therefore be examined under the URL's rules for the transition of rights. The overall conclusion of this thesis is therefore that compensation under 54 § 1 st. URL may be subject to VAT. However, due to the unconditional connection to URL, the turnover cannot qualify for the reduced tax rate of six percent stipulated in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML. The compensation is paid as a result of an infringement of copyright and the absence of an explicit agreement prevents the application of the reduced tax rate in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML.

De par ses caracteristiques physiques, la vallee de l'ill en haute alsace est particulierement sensible a la pollution. Dans cette region a vocation industrielle et agricole la contazmination du milieu se traduit par une forte mineralisation de l'eau souterraine et des retombees atmospheriques solubles, diluees mais acides. La composition naturelle: bicarbonatee calcique de l'eau de la nappe phreatique est modifiee par une charge chloro-sodique et nitrique non negligeable. Quant aux retombees, elles provoquent au sol, des apports d'elements mineraux parmis lesquels predominent les chlorures, les sulfates, les nitrates, le calcium, le potassium et le sodium

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, October 2015.
Animals in captivity are often raised in suboptimal environments, which lead to abnormal behaviours, such as stereotypic behaviour. Environmental enrichment can reduce or eliminate these behaviours to some extent. However, enrichments are not always successful in their intended purpose, which may be attributed to differences among individuals (i.e. personality). The overarching aim of my study was to investigate how environmental enrichment affected the expression of stereotypic behaviour in my study model, the African striped mouse, Rhabdomys dilectus, and to ascertain whether personality modulated the responses to enrichment. I conducted four experiments to test these aims. Firstly, I tested whether personality was associated with the development and expression of stereotypic behaviours. Results indicated that stereotypic striped mice were bold and showed a proactive coping style, while non-stereotypic striped mice were less bold and showed a reactive coping style. Furthermore, having a proactive coping style did not predict the onset of stereotypic behaviours. Nevertheless, individual differences in personality were observed even within stereotypic and non-stereotypic striped mice so that each group was not homogeneous for personality. Secondly, I tested whether personality was associated with the responses of stereotypic striped mice to enrichment. While stereotypic behaviours were reduced in enriched cages, individuals were not consistent in their behaviour, indicating flexible behavioural responses to the different cage complexities. Interestingly, these responses occurred irrespective of personality differences. There were no treatment-related differences in the behavioural responses of non-stereotypic striped mice. Thirdly, I examined whether the age at which striped mice were introduced to the environmental enrichment influenced their behavioural responses. Age did not affect the behavioural responses of stereotypic or non-stereotypic mice to the cages of different complexity. Surprisingly, while stereotypic behaviours were reduced in the enriched treatments, not all stereotypic mice responded to enrichment in the same manner, implying flexible behavioural responses. Moreover, these behavioural responses also occurred regardless of the individual’s personality type. There were no age-related differences in the behavioural responses of non-stereotypic striped mice. Finally, I investigated the purpose of wheel running, either as an enrichment or as a re-directed stereotypic behaviour, in stereotypic striped mice, because there is much debate about its use as an enrichment. Due to individual differences in responses to the running wheel, wheel running appeared to be both an enrichment and a re-directed behaviour. In conclusion, my study provides the first empirical data for the theory that stereotypic animals have different personalities to non-stereotypic animals. Nonetheless, this dichotomy between stereotypic and non-stereotypic striped mice at the group level masked individual responses within groups, with individuals flexibly altering their behaviour, depending on the environment to which they were exposed, which in turn affected the efficacy of environmental enrichment. My study suggests that the welfare and well-being of animals requires an assessment of individual trajectories in the development of stereotypic behaviours.

A high rate tetrachloroethene (PCE) dechlorinating culture was enriched under methanogenic conditions that was able to dechlorinate 86 mg/L PCE to cis-1,2-DCE and vinyl chloride within 15 hours. In subsequent studies, the influence of electron donor on the ability to sustain PCE dechlorination was investigated in upflow columns inoculated with either the PCE enrichment culture or a (1:1) mixture of the enrichment culture and soil from contaminated field sites. One column from each inoculum subset was fed 34 milliequivalents of lactate, methanol, or hydrogen as electron donor and 5 mg/L PCE every four days. PCE was dechlorinated to primarily vinyl chloride in all six columns. Rates of PCE dechlorination were found to be similar with regard to inoculum, and did not vary extensively between electron donors. High hydrogen partial pressures were not found to be inhibitory to dechlorination.

碩士
國立陽明大學
藥理學研究所
98
According to the cancer stem cell hypothesis, cancer stem cells (CSCs) are referred to as a minor population of tumor cells that possess the stem cell property of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. They are also called cancer initiating cells (CICs) because malignant tumors are initiated and maintained exclusively by this small subpopulation of tumor cells. The CSCs in medulloblastoma are isolated using the neural stem cell surface marker CD133. CSCs are enriched in spheroid culture conditions. It is reported that hypoxia can also enrich CSCs and promote tumor metastasis, however, the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated. The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanisms how hypoxia enriches CSCs and stimulates cell migration and invasion in medulloblastoma. We incubated the human medulloblastoma cell line HTB-186 (Daoy) in serum-free medium supplemented with growth factors EGF and bFGF (Daoy medium) under normoxic (20% O2) or hypoxic (1% O2) conditions. We found that hypoxia increased the CD133+ CSC percentage and the ability of cell migration and invasion in vitro. Further, the protein and mRNA expression of embryonic stem cell markers (Oct-4, Nanog, Sox-2) and neural stem cell markers (CD133, Nestin) are also increased under hypoxic condition. After sorting CD133+ and CD133- cells, we found that CD133+ CSCs have better migration ability than CD133- cancer cells, indicating that hypoxia enhances the ability of cell migration through the enrichment of CD133+ CSCs. We further found that the expression of embryonic stem cell markers (Oct-4, Nanog, Sox-2) and neural stem cell markers (CD133, Nestin) are increased in CD133+ CSCs compared with CD133- cancer cells, suggesting that hypoxia enhances stem cell markers expression through the enrichment of CD133+ CSCs. In conclusion, our data show that hypoxia stimulates cell migration and invasion and enhances stem cell markers expression through the enrichment of CD133+ CSCs in medulloblastoma.

O surgimento, em 2006, das Actividades de Enriquecimento Curricular (AEC) na rede do Sistema Educativo Português veio alterar o conceito de escola. As AEC envolvem diferentes públicos: os alunos, os professores curriculares, os professores das AEC, as escolas, os pais, as entidades promotoras e o Ministério da Educação. Existe, no entanto, algum ruído que não tem permitido a fluidez da comunicação – a resistência dos professores curriculares às AEC. Apesar de decorrerem de uma medida do Ministério da Educação, pelo facto de envolverem as artes e o aluno (enquanto receptor e produtor), as AEC assumem dimensões ligadas à cultura e à sua democratização. Podem, inclusivamente, estar a criar-se públicos de cultura resgatados à hegemonia dos media – alternativa que era muito utilizada para o lazer das crianças, antes do aparecimento das AEC. Do ponto de vista da metodologia é uma investigação de carácter interpretativo/qualitativo, tendo por base o estudo de caso do Agrupamento Vertical de Escolas do Miradouro de Alfazina (AVEMA) e os seus professores titulares. Foram utilizados como instrumentos de recolha a observação, o registo diário, a recolha documental e a entrevista. As dimensões associadas ao tema remetem para a interdisciplinaridade, a educação e os contextos socialmente desfavorecidos. As conclusões sobre do estudo apontam para aspectos positivos como: a evolução do processo das AEC; a possibilidade das famílias contarem com uma oferta diversificada de conteúdos para os seus educandos; o carácter gratuito das AEC e a sua vertente edificante na estrutura educacional e cultural.
The Curricular Enrichment Activities’ (CEA) appearance in the Portuguese Educational System, in 2006, brought a significant change to the concept of school. The CEA are addressed to different targets such as students, teachers of different curricular areas, CEA’s teachers, the schools, the promoting entities and the Ministry of Education. There is, however, a significant noise that has not permitted a satisfying communication – the resistance to the CEA by the curricular teachers. In spite of being a measure taken by the Ministry of Education, the fact of evolving the arts and the student (as a receiver and a producer), the CEA assume different dimensions connected to culture and its democratization. The CEA might, even, be creating new publics for culture taken from the dominance of the media – an alternative very much used for children’s leisure times, before the CEA arrived. From the methodologist’s point of view this is an investigation that has an interpretive/qualitative nature, featuring the case study of the AVEMA and, more specifically, their curricular teachers. There have been used, as information gathering tools, the observation, the “daily journal”, the documental gathering and the interview. The dimensions related to the theme send us to its interdisciplinary aspects, to education and to socially disfavored contexts. The conclusions about “The titular teachers’ perception of the CEA”, at the AVEMA lead us to positive aspects such as: the CEA’s evolution process; the families’ possibility to have a diverse offer of contents to their children, the fact that the CEA have no added cost to the families and its important role in the children’s educational and cultural structure.

Bioremediation of chlorinated solvents to a non-toxic end product can be achieved with Dehalococcoides sp., through reductive dehalogenation of the chlorinated organics. Dehalococcoides sp. are typically maintained in enrichment cultures containing multiple microorganisms, which often exhibit better growth and dechlorination rates than Dehalococcoides isolates. This thesis examines the nature of the relationships between the Dehalococcoides and the non-dechlorinating organisms in enrichment cultures. Comparative metagenomics revealed differences and similarities in taxonomy and functional gene complements between three Dehalococcoides-containing enrichment cultures. This allowed identification of pivotal supporting organisms involved in maintaining dechlorination activity through provision of nutrients and other factors to the Dehalococcoides. A Dehalococcoides pan-genus microarray was designed using available sequenced genomes as well as a draft genome generated from an in-house metagenome sequence. The array leverages homolog clustering during probe design to improve detection of the Dehalococcoides genus, including strains not utilized in the array design. A phylogenetic examination of the reductive dehalogenase gene family showed that organism and gene phylogenies are not linked, indicating vertical inheritance of reductive dehalogenases is not a primary mechanism of acquisition. Design of a universal PCR primer suite targeting a curated database of reductive dehalogenase homologous genes was used to characterize the reductive dehalogenase complement of four environmental sites and two enrichment cultures. Using an enrichment culture containing three phylogenetically distinct dechlorinating organisms, the interactions of niche-specific organisms were examined through single-cell genome sequencing. From the partial genome sequences, novel reductive dehalogenase genes were identified, as well as evidence of lateral gene transfer between the three dechlorinating organisms. This research primarily utilizes genomic and metagenomic datasets, which serve as metabolic blueprints for prediction of organisms’ functions. The results presented in this thesis advocate in favour of phylogenetic diversity within enrichment cultures to maintain functional redundancy, leading to more robust cultures for bioremediation efforts.

Following decades of political struggle in South Africa, the 27 April elections in 1994 offered many people a long-awaited chapter in their lives as democracy was ushered in. The researcher has observed that the result of this political change has had a profound impact on the people of South Africa, especially for the Black constituency, in many ways. The political changes caused thousands to move from the rural areas to live in the peri-urban or township areas for economic reasons. The uprooting of families from their original rural homes has had a negative effect on the new generation with respect to principles and values about marriage and family. The researcher has further observed that in the area of research at KwaNdengezi, as well as surrounding areas, the social, political and economic changes have contributed to an increase in separation and divorces and a general weakening of the moral fibre of families. The marriage and family system is under a lot of strain. There is a critical need for enrichment, growth and healing. As an ordained Methodist minister, the researcher has been fortunate to witness the development of various milestones of the Methodist Church, which has been an instrument of change in the Southern African context in the past decades. In the context of transition into “a New Land” (Olivier 1996: 1), the mission statement of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa has created a relevant message. The vision in the mission statement as declared in the MCSA Year Conference book is “A Christ-healed Africa for the Healing of Nations” (2010: 2). This is achieved by fervently “proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ for healing and transformation” by both ministers and laity (L & D 2010: 3). This study seeks to align and broaden the above MCSA vision through pastoral care and counselling. The intention is to precipitate the work done by clergy training laity in basic Christian care giving and counselling skills. This will hopefully address the apparent brokenness in marriages and families in the various contexts in the communities and precipitate healing and transformation. ii The approach of this thesis, whilst predominantly pastoral, is ecclesiological as well as missiological. Elements of contextual theology bring forth the cultural perspective of the community in the area of research as hermeneutical tools of reading scriptures are applied. A cross-cultural dialogue between existing Western pastoral care and counselling models and African care giving and counselling practices plays an important role in this study. Through fieldwork, data was collected via questionnaires, interviews, recording, transcribing, participant observation and empathetic listening to the responses of the participants in the communities of KwaNdengezi. Valuable themes emerged from the process of assessment and analysis through theological reflection on the data. The various themes emerged through engagement with married couples, single parents and families. These include communication skills, scriptural values in marriage, Zulu cultural values and customs in a Christian household, the parent-child relationship, family health matters, family finance matters, teenager problems, resolving conflict, forgiveness and healing. Emanating from the themes, the study seeks to publish a contextual booklet or manual on “marriage and family wholeness”. In an effort to bring about enrichment, growth and healing to marriages and families, the new programme intends to use the lay team trained in basic Christian counselling as resource people when marriage and family retreats are offered by the local church. The programme also emphasizes partnership and interdisciplinary engagement with other disciplines through engaging with, for instance, social workers, clinical psychologists, medical doctors, local congregations, ethical theologians and financial accountants. This study presents the programme as a new tool or model relevant for a specific cultural context. The context encompasses the Methodist people of KwaNdengezi near Pinetown in KwaZulu-Natal. However, because of its cross-cultural dialogue, the model can be adapted for use in any cultural context as an enrichment, growth and iii healing tool for all people of God as they struggle with the complexities of marriage and family life in a changing world.
Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

Weed management in sustainable farming systems often requires the integration of several different pest management techniques. Cultural, biological, and chemical pest control efforts can be utilized to contribute to the common goal of reducing weeds in vegetable row crop systems. This research addresses how common disturbances such as tillage and insecticide use affect: carabid beetle assemblages; predation of weed seeds by invertebrates; and weed seed recruitment. Field experiments were conducted over three years at two different locations on the OSU Vegetable Research Farm, Linn Co., OR. We found that activity-density of carabid beetles varied seasonally and peaked in late August-September each year. Insecticide applied in year 1 affected seed loss in year 2, suggesting possible long-term effects of land management on weed seed removal. Weed recruitment was highly variable between treatment, site, and year. Conserving biological weed control agents in combination with cultural techniques such as reducing tillage and the use of cover crops, helps growers shift from expensive, density-independent control efforts to more ecological, long-term solutions for weed management in agroecosystems.
Graduation date: 2011
Access restricted to the OSU community, at author's request, from Dec. 15, 2010 - Dec. 15, 2011.

Hierdie studie fokus op die taalontwikkeling en -verryking van senior kleuters in milieubenadeelde gemeenskappe. Die ondersoekgroep is 'n A:fiikaanssprekende Kleurling- en Griekwagemeenskap. Dit blyk dat die ouers in hierdie gemeenskap sekere leemtes openbaar ten aansien van bulle taalopvoedingsgedrag, wat resulteer in taalervaringsagterstande by die senior kleuters. Taalontwikkeling en -verryking is in wese "a socially mediated process" en blootstelling aan stimulerende taalervaringe bevorder begrip van taalgebruik binne die sosiale konteks. Die ontoereikende taalvoorbeeld binne die gesinne en gemeenskap resulteer in ontoereikende taalontwikkeling en -verwerwing en die senior kleuters openbaar bulle arme, ongedifferensieerde taalwereld in taaltekorte ten opsigte van taalbebeer, taalstyl en taalkode. Die senior kleuters se konsepvorming is gebrekkig en in bulle taalaanwending is bulle eerder beskrywend en konkreet-gebonde as analities en abstrak. Dit blyk dat die ouers nie bulle senior kleuters kognitief toereikend stimuleer nie, en dat uitbreiding van taalkode nie toereikend gefasilieer word nie, omdat die ouers onkundig is omtrent die benutting van toevallige leersituasies, en nie potensiele leergeleenthede skep of ontgin nie. Kognitiewe stimulasie verwys na die vaslegging van sekere konsepte en uitbreiding van taalkode verwys na die vaardigheid om juis daardie konsepte te kan omskryf, verklaar of mee te deel. 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus die resultaat van gereelde blootstelling aan 'n wye verskeidenheid stimulerende ervaringe. Hierdie ervaringsraamwerk word later die kleuter se venrysingsraamwerk wat by gebruik om inligting te berhaal, versoeke te formuleer, voorwerpe te benoem en gebeure akkuraat te beskryf 'n Uitgebreide taalkode is dus noodsaaklik vir latere suksesvolle leer, omdat dit die leerder in staat stel om nuwe inligting te analiseer, te sinteseer en te globaliseer. Die implikasie vir die antwerp van 'n ouerprogram is dat die ouers nie net begelei moet word ten aansien van die taalverryking van die senior kleuters nie, maar ook eksplisiet daartoe begelei te word om potensieel-stimulerende leersituasies te skep.
This study focuses on the language development and -enrichment of senior toddlers in environmentally deprived communities. The research group is an Afrikaans speaking Colouredand Griqua community. It is evident that parents in this community reveal certain deficiencies pertaining to their language-teaching behaviour, resulting in linguistic experiential backlogs in their senior toddlers. Language development and -enrichment is in essence a socially mediated process and exposure to stimulating language experiences enhances comprehension of colloquial usage within the social context. The inadequate linguistic example set by both the family and the community results in inadequate language development and -enrichment and the senior toddlers reveal their impoverished, undifferentiated world of language in deficiencies pertaining to mastery of language, style of language and code of language. The senior toddlers' conceptualization is deficient and in their language usage they are rather descriptive and concrete-bound than analytic and abstract. It is evident that the parents do not adequately stimulate their senior toddlers' cognitive abilities, and a code of language is not adequately facilitated, because the parents do not know how to derive profit from incidental learning situations and are ignorant pertaining to the creation and utilization of potential learning opportunities. Stimulation of cognition refers to the mastery and fixation.. of certain concepts, while broadening of a code of language refers to the. ability to describe, to explain, to interpret or to communicate the meaning of these concepts. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus the result of regular exposure to a wide range of stimulating experiences. This experiential framework later becomes the toddler's referential framework which he uses to repeat information, to formulate requests, to name objects and to accurately describe events. A broadened and expanded code of language is thus essential for later successful learning, because it enables the learner to analyze, to synthesize and to globalize new information. The implication for the draft of a parental programme is that parents should not .only be accompanied pertaining to the enrichment of their senior toddlers' language development, but that parents in this deprived environment also explicitly be educated to create potential stimulating learning situations at home.
Psychology of Education
D. Ed. (Sielkudige Opvoedkunde)