Port Dalhousie and the Thorold Railway pay roll for the months of June, July and August, 1855, signed by S.D. Woodruff. There is an envelope included with this document, Aug. 21, 1855

Port Dalhousie and the Thorold Railway pay roll for services of engineering and contingencies furnished for the months of June, July and August, 1855, signed by S.D. Woodruff. There is an envelope included with this document, Aug. 21, 1855.

Engineering an improved adenovirus packaging cell line

Recombinant human adenovirus (Ad) vectors are being extensively explored for their use in gene therapy and recombinant vaccines. Ad vectors are attractive for many reasons, including the fact that (1) they are relatively safe, based on their use as live oral vaccines, (2) they can accept large transgene inserts, (3) they can infect dividing and postmitotic cells, and (4) they can be produced to high titers. However, there are also a number of major problems associated with Ad vectors, including transient foreign gene expression due to host cellular immune responses, problems with humoral immunity, and the creation of replication competent adenoviruses (RCA). Most Ad vectors contain deletions in the E1 region that allow for insertion of a transgene. However, the E1 gene products are required for replication and thus must be supplied in trans by a helper ceillille that will allow for the growth and packaging of the defective virus. For this purpose the 293 cell line (Graham et al., 1977) is used most often; however, homologous recombination between the vector and the cell line often results in the generation of RCA. The presence of RCA in batches of adenoviral vectors for clinical use is a safety risk because tlley . may result in the mobilization and spread of the replication-defective vector viruses, and in significant tissue damage and pathogenicity. The present research focused on the alteration of the 293 cell line such that RCA formation can be eliminated. The strategy to modify the 293 cells involved the removal of the first 380 bp of the adenovirus genome through the process of homologous recombination. The first step towards this goal involved identifying and cloning the left-end cellular-viral jUl1ction from 293 cells to assemble sequences required for homologous recombination. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to clone the junction, and the clone was verified through sequencing. The plasn1id PAM2 was then constructed, which served as the targeting cassette used to modify the 293 cells. The cassette consisted of (1) the cellular-viral junction as the left-end region of homology, (2) the neo gene to use for positive selection upon tranfection into 293 cells, (3) the adenoviral genome from bp 380 to bp 3438 as the right-end region of homology, and (4) the HSV-tk gene to use for negative selection. The plasmid PAM2 was linearized to produce a double strand break outside the region of homology, and transfected into 293 cells using the calcium-phosphate technique. Cells were first selected for their resistance to the drug G418, and subsequently for their resistance to the drug Gancyclovir (GANC). From 17 transfections, 100 pools of G418f and GANCf cells were picked using cloning lings and expanded for screening. Genomic DNA was isolated from the pools and screened for the presence of the 380 bps using PCR. Ten of the most promising pools were diluted to single cells and expanded in order to isolate homogeneous cell lines. From these, an additional 100 G41Sf and GANef foci were screened. These preliminary screening results appear promising for the detection of the desired cell line. Future work would include further cloning and purification of the promising cell lines that have potentially undergone homologous recombination, in order to isolate a homogeneous cell line of interest.

Gilbert McMicken document, n.d.

Gilbert McMicken emigrated to Upper Canada in 1832 and settled in Chippawa. In 1835 he was married to Ann Theresa Duff. In 1837 the family moved to Queenston where he was directly involved in the Kingston-Queenston trade endeavours begun by Robert Hamilton. He had a variety of interests, including a partnership with James Hamilton, son of Robert Hamilton. He was also a collector of customs in Queenston and operated the Niagara Suspension Bridge Bank for a time. He entered politics and represented Niagara as well as becoming mayor of Clifton, now part of Niagara Falls, Ont., in 1856. McMicken went on to have an illustrious career, serving as land agent and leader of Canada’s first undercover agency. McMicken moved to Manitoba and was active in business and politics. He died in Winnipeg in 1891. Source: Dictionary of Canadian Biography – Gilbert McMicken website (March 22, 2010)

Introduction to engineering : a case study of an interdisciplinary course in Mathematics, Science and Technology

This thesis research was a qualitative case study of a single class of Interdisciplinary Studies: Introduction to Engineering taught in a secondary school. The study endeavoured to explore students' experiences in and perceptions of the course, and to investigate the viability of engineering as an interdisciplinary theme at the secondary school level. Data were collected in the form of student questionnaires, the researcher's observations and reflections, and artefacts representative of students' work. Data analysis was performed by coding textual data and classifying text segments into common themes. The themes that emerged from the data were aligned with facets of interdisciplinary study, including making connections, project-based learning, and student engagement and affective outcomes. The findings of the study showed that students were positive about their experiences in the course, and enjoyed its project-driven nature. Content from mathematics, physics, and technological design was easily integrated under the umbrella of engineering. Students felt that the opportunity to develop problem solving and teamwork skills were two of the most important aspects of the course and could be relevant not only for engineering, but for other disciplines or their day-to-day lives after secondary school. The study concluded that engineering education in secondary school can be a worthwhile experience for a variety of students and not just those intending postsecondary study in engineering. This has implications for the inclusion of engineering in the secondary school curriculum and can inform the practice of curriculum planners at the school, school board, and provincial levels. Suggested directions for further research include classroom-based action research in the areas of technological education, engineering education in secondary school, and interdisciplinary education.

Schooner Ranger document

A page of entries detailing the financial history of the Schooner Ranger, a Great Lakes cargo ship, from 1810-1815. The ship sustained damage in 1811 on its journey from Detroit to Black Rock, in which 3 people drowned. The ship was subsequently “destroyed by the enemy in January 1813”. In August 1815, the ship’s account was settled. The settlement acknowledged that the ship was “taken by the U.S. Navy Officers for the use of the Government”, and is signed by Porter, Barton & Co., and George Kibbe.

Resilience: An Annotated Bibliography

This annotated bibliography provides an account of the research that has been done on engineering resilience, ecological resilience, and social-ecological resilience. Undertaken as part of the WEPGN research project titled “Applying resilience analysis to a transboundary river system: Developing surrogates for institutions and governance”, this annotated bibliography investigates factors that lead to greater resilience, with a focus on institutions and governance. Citations for key scholarly publications related to three types of resilience – engineering, ecological, and social-ecological – are listed in the first three sections along with a brief summary of each work. The fourth and final section of the document provides additional resources on resilience.

Schooner Ranger document, 1810-1815

Partial transcription: Buffalo, August 15, 1815 This day settled all accounts between… respecting the purchase and sailing of the Schooner Ranger until she was laid up in the fare of 1811. For the value of the…of the said Schooner destroyed by the enemy in January 1813 and the rigging & c taken by the U.S. Navy Officers for the use of the Government a [Joint][appreciation] is to be made... Government for our mutual benefit. Porter & Barton for [the firm] of Porter Barton & Co. George Kibbe

Towards reverse engineering of Photosystem II: Synergistic Computational and Experimental Approaches

ABSTRACT Photosystem II (PSII) of oxygenic photosynthesis has the unique ability to photochemically oxidize water, extracting electrons from water to result in the evolution of oxygen gas while depositing these electrons to the rest of the photosynthetic machinery which in turn reduces CO2 to carbohydrate molecules acting as fuel for the cell. Unfortunately, native PSII is unstable and not suitable to be used in industrial applications. Consequently, there is a need to reverse-engineer the water oxidation photochemical reactions of PSII using solution-stable proteins. But what does it take to reverse-engineer PSII’s reactions? PSII has the pigment with the highest oxidation potential in nature known as P680. The high oxidation of P680 is in fact the driving force for water oxidation. P680 is made up of a chlorophyll a dimer embedded inside the relatively hydrophobic transmembrane environment of PSII. In this thesis, the electrostatic factors contributing to the high oxidation potential of P680 are described. PSII oxidizes water in a specialized metal cluster known as the Oxygen Evolving Complex (OEC). The pathways that water can take to enter the relatively hydrophobic region of PSII are described as well. A previous attempt to reverse engineer PSII’s reactions using the protein scaffold of E. coli’s Bacterioferritin (BFR) existed. The oxidation potential of the pigment used for the BFR ‘reaction centre’ was measured and the protein effects calculated in a similar fashion to how P680 potentials were calculated in PSII. The BFR-RC’s pigment oxidation potential was found to be 0.57 V, too low to oxidize water or tyrosine like PSII. We suggest that the observed tyrosine oxidation in BRF-RC could be driven by the ZnCe6 di-cation. In order to increase the efficiency of iii tyrosine oxidation, and ultimately oxidize water, the first potential of ZnCe6 would have to attain a value in excess of 0.8 V. The results were used to develop a second generation of BFR-RC using a high oxidation pigment. The hypervalent phosphorous porphyrin forms a radical pair that can be observed using Transient Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (TR-EPR). Finally, the results from this thesis are discussed in light of the development of solar fuel producing systems.

Legal document involving John D M’Kay, Thomas Butler, and John Harris, February 5, 1828

Richard Leonard was a member of the 104th Regiment of the British Army. He fought during the War of 1812 at Sackett’s Harbour, Lundy’s Lane and Fort Erie. After the war he settled at Lundy’s Lane and was appointed lieutenant colonel of the 1st Lincoln Militia. He later became the Sheriff of Niagara. He died in 1833 and is buried in the Drummond Hill Cemetery.

Engineering school notebook which belonged to S.D. Woodruff

Engineering school notebook which belonged to S.D. Woodruff. This book contains logarithm notes, plane trigonometry, surveying and content of land. The outer page is torn and the notebook is quite discoloured. This does not affect the text. It has no covers, n.d.

Engineering school notebook which belonged to S.D. Woodruf

Engineering school notebook which belonged to S.D. Woodruff. This book contains questions for exercise as well as other mathematical topics. It also contains a page which has the title “The Cataract of Niagara in North America” and quite a few pages of repetitive lines as in “writing lines”. Some of the pages are loose or torn and the notebook is discoloured. This does not affect the text. This book has no covers, n.d.

Pay roll voucher from the Engineer Department of Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway Extension for repairs to fences and cattle guards etc. in the months of April and May. This document is attached to a time sheet, May 11, 1857

Pay roll voucher from the Engineer Department of Port Dalhousie and Thorold Railway Extension for repairs to fences and cattle guards etc. in the months of April and May. This document is attached to a time sheet, May 11, 1857.

This document is very badly burned, it includes: a schedule of construction, May 28, 1855 and value of work used for constructing the bridge crossing at Chippawa Creek, Oct. 1857

This document is very badly burned, it includes: a schedule of construction, May 28, 1855 and value of work used for constructing the bridge crossing at Chippawa Creek, Oct. 1857. It is signed by S.D. Woodruff (3 pages, handwritten). Almost all text is illegible, 1857

Estimate from the County of Welland to S.D. Woodruff for engineering services in marsh lands drainage for 1 year

Estimate from the County of Welland to S.D. Woodruff for engineering services in marsh lands drainage for 1 year, Dec. 1857.

Engineering services in marsh lands drainage for the months of October, November and December

Engineering services in marsh lands drainage for the months of October, November and December. This is signed by S.D. Woodruff, Dec. 31, 1856.