Integrated system for high quality water recovery and wastewater treatment

This thesis unveils an integrated system that once applied, could standardise and simplify the processes used for high quality water recovery and wastewater treatment. It forsees lower prices of desalinated and recovered water, in a streamlined and more efficient water industry, by departing from today's thinking of conventional wastewater treatment.

Dynamics of endogenous food production in Cherax destructor Clark culture ponds

This study examined endogenous food production in crayfish culture ponds and the pond dynamics resulting from the interactions of pond bottom and water column parameters under a crop flooding strategy.

The effects of testosterone on immune function in quail selected for divergent plasma corticosterone response

The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (ICHH) suggests that the male sex hormone testosterone has a dual effect; it controls the development and expression of male sexually selected signals, and it suppresses the immune system. Therefore only high quality males are able to fully express secondary sexual traits because only they can tolerate the immunosuppressive qualities of testosterone. A modified version of the ICHH suggests that testosterone causes immunosuppression indirectly by increasing the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT). Lines of Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) selected for divergent responses in levels of plasma CORT were used to test these hypotheses. Within each CORT response line (as well as in a control stock) we manipulated levels of testosterone in castrated quail by treatment with zero (sham), low or high testosterone implants, before testing the birdsʼ humoral immunity and phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-induced immune response, as well as body condition. The PHA-induced response was not significantly affected by CORT selected line, testosterone treatment or their interaction. There was, however, a significant effect of CORT line on humoral immunity in that the control birds exhibited the greatest antibody production, but there was no significant effect of testosterone manipulation on humoral immunity. The males in the sham implant treatment group had significantly greater mass than the males in the high testosterone group, suggesting a negative effect of high testosterone on general body condition. We discuss these results in the context of current hypotheses in the field of sexual selection.

Representation and judgement : 'privileged' Jews in Holocaust writing and film

This thesis analyses the ways in which moral judgements of so-called privileged Jews are constructed in Holocaust representations. ‘Privileged’ Jews include those prisoners in the camps and ghettos who held positions which gave them access to material and other benefits. Subject to extreme levels of coercion, these victims were compelled to act in ways that have often been judged as both self-serving and harmful to fellow inmates. Such controversial figures constitute an intrinsically important, frequently misunderstood and hastily judged facet of the Holocaust. Scholars have neglected the problem of judgement in relation to ‘privileged’ Jews; nonetheless, Holocaust texts frequently portray these liminal figures.

Of crucial importance to the thesis is Primo Levi’s paradigmatic essay entitled ‘The Grey Zone,’ which directly engages with the complex and sensitive issue of ‘privileged’ Jews. Levi argues that due to the extreme ethical dilemmas that ‘privileged’ Jews confronted, any judgement of these victims needs to be suspended. However, if, as Levi suggests, judgement is at times impossible, the thesis challenges Levi’s assumption by contending that representations of ‘privileged’ Jews inevitably take a moral position. In this way, the thesis conceptualises judgement as a ‘limit’ of representation. Indeed, it is shown that Levi himself cannot abstain from judging those for whom he argues judgement should be suspended.

The thesis takes Levi’s concept of the ‘grey zone’ as a point of departure in order to examine the problems of judgement and representation in relation to ‘privileged’ Jews. Analysis focuses on Raul Hilberg’s influential historical work and examples of documentary and fiction films. The thesis examines how Hilberg and several filmmakers employ conventions as a means of conveying judgement. It is argued that self-reflexive representations of ‘privileged’ Jews in film, particularly fictional dramatisation, have the potential to provide a nuanced representation of ‘privileged’ Jews, which engages with Levi’s ideas by questioning the possibility of judgement.

The frontotemporal-orbitozygomatic approach : reconstructive technique and outcome

Background The frontotemporal-orbitozygomatic (FTOZ) approach, also known as "the workhorse of skull base surgery," has captured the interest of many researchers throughout the years. Most of the studies published have focused on the surgical technique and the gained exposure. However, few studies have described reconstructive techniques or functional and cosmetic outcomes. The goal of this study was to describe the surgical reconstruction after the FTOZ approach and analyze the functional and cosmetic outcomes. Methods Seventy-five consecutive patients who had undergone FTOZ craniotomy for different reasons were selected. The same surgical (one-piece FTOZ) and reconstructive techniques were applied in all patients. The functional outcome was measured by complications related to the surgical approach: retro-orbital pain, exophthalmos, enophthalmos, ocular movement restriction, cranial nerve injuries, pseudomeningocele (PMC) and secondary surgeries required to attain a reconstructive closure. The cosmetic outcome was evaluated by analyzing the satisfaction of the patients and their families. Questionnaires were conducted later in the postoperative period. A statistical analysis of the data obtained from the charts and questions was performed. Results Of the 75 patients studied, 59 had no complications whatsoever. Ocular movement restriction was found in two patients (2.4 %). Cranial nerve injury was documented in seven patients (8.5 %). One patient (1.2 %) underwent surgical repair of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak from the initial surgery. Two patients (2.4 %) developed delayed postoperative pseudomenigocele. One patient (1.2 %) developed intraparenchymal hemorrhage (IPH). Full responses to the questionnaires were collected from 28 patients giving an overall response rate of 34 %. Overall, 22 patients (78.5 %) were satisfied with the cosmetic outcome of surgery. Conclusion The reconstruction after FTOZ approach is as important as the performance of the surgical technique. Attention to anatomical details and the stepwise reconstruction are a prerequisite to the successful preservation of function and cosmesis. In our series, the orbitozygomatic osteotomy did not increase surgical complications or alter cosmetic outcomes.