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The Chemerin-CMKLR1 Axis is Functionally important for Central Regulation of Energy Homeostasis
No full textYesChemerin is an adipokine involved in inflammation, adipogenesis, angiogenesis and energy metabolism, and has been hypothesized as a link between obesity and type II diabetes. In humans affected by obesity, chemerin gene expression in peripheral tissues and circulating levels are elevated. In mice, plasma levels of chemerin are upregulated by high-fat feeding and gain and loss of function studies show an association of chemerin with body weight, food intake and glucose homeostasis. Therefore, chemerin is an important blood-borne mediator that, amongst its other functions, controls appetite and body weight. Almost all studies of chemerin to date have focused on its release from adipose tissue and its effects on peripheral tissues with the central effects largely overlooked. To demonstrate a central role of chemerin, we manipulated chemerin signaling in the hypothalamus, a brain region associated with appetite regulation, using pharmacological and genetic manipulation approaches. Firstly, the selective chemerin receptor CMKLR1 antagonist α-NETA was administered i.c.v. to rats to test for an acute physiological effect. Secondly, we designed a short-hairpin-RNA (shRNA) lentivirus construct targeting expression of CMKLR1. This shRNA construct, or a control construct was injected bilaterally into the arcuate nucleus of male Sprague Dawley rats on high-fat diet (45%). After surgery, rats were maintained on high-fat diet for 2 weeks and then switched to chow diet for a further 2 weeks. We found a significant weight loss acutely and inhibition of weight gain chronically. This difference became apparent after diet switch in arcuate nucleus-CMKLR1 knockdown rats. This was not accompanied by a difference in blood glucose levels. Interestingly, appetite-regulating neuropeptides remained unaltered, however, we found a significant reduction of the inflammatory marker TNF-α suggesting reduced expression of CMKLR1 protects from high-fat diet induced neuroinflammation. In white and brown adipose tissue, mRNA expression of chemerin, its receptors and markers of adipogenesis, lipogenesis and brown adipocyte activation remained unchanged confirming that the effects are driven by the brain. Our behavioral analyses suggest that knockdown of CMKLR1 had an impact on object recognition. Our data demonstrate that CMKLR1 is functionally important for the central effects of chemerin on body weight regulation and neuroinflammation.This work was funded in part by the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Wellcome Trust, the Government of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the British Heart Foundation and Diabetes United Kingdom [SBF004/1063] (GH), the Society for Endocrinology Equipment Grant (GH, RD), the University of Bradford (GH, KP, SK) and Nottingham Trent University (RD)
Developing sustainable capacity for urban assemblies: Case study of a World Bank project in Ghana
Get PDFYesDonor partners have been supporting developing economies in capacity development through donor-funded projects to enable them to achieve sustainable development. To understand the effectiveness of such projects, this paper adopted a mixed-methods approach to study a capacity development project funded by the World Bank and implemented in 46 metropolitan and municipal assemblies in Ghana. The study employed the European Centre for Development Policy Management's core capabilities model (5Cs) to examine the World Bank project. The study recommends that, to ensure sustainability, capacity development projects should be embedded in Ghana's development programmes. We also propose an alternative model for the implementation of capacity development projects to achieve sustainable development
Fabrication Characterisation and Optimisation of Electrospun Scaffolds for Ligament Tissue Reconstruction. The Development of an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Analogue using Electrospun PCL, PVA Hydrogel and Polyester Sutures
No full textYear 2019, football, rugby, netball and skiing had most occurring ACL injuries, listed by United Kingdom National Ligament Report (NLR). The standard procedure treatment of complete laceration of the ACL, is performed by tissue autograft implantation designed from a patellar tendon, for replacement of damaged tissue using orthopaedic surgery. The aim of this thesis is to design and fabricate an ACL graft, attempting to mimic the natural ACL, for the purpose of tissue reconstruction. The desired graft analogues exhibited properties imitating native connective tissue, reducing pain through drug delivery with great biocompatibility and enhance suture mechanical strength. Various biomaterials were implemented into this study, utilising strategies; polymer solution fabrication, electrospinning, hydrogel synthesis, mechanical braiding and graft assembly to fabricate an ACL graft. The polymeric material poly (E- caprolactone) (PCL) was researched, utilising its ability to fabricate scaffolds. Results showed, three analogue ACL grafts (Braided PCL-BP, Braided PCL + Hydrogel-BPH & Braided PCL + Sutures-BPS) created utilising the properties of braiding, hydrogels and sutures, ultimately improving the versatility of electrospinning for tissue engineering and reconstruction. Graft analogues were tested and compared against patellar tendons producing similar tensile properties. Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels successfully held ibuprofen, revealing drug delivery characteristics, polyester threads improved mechanical properties of electrospun grafts and dry degradation showed that PCL did not lose significant mass over two months. Conclusion, tensile strength of patella tendon was 395x, 790x & 56x of analogue grafts (BP, BPH & BPS) respectively, having potential for improvement of tensile parameters for ligament reconstruction
Characterisation of Cutaneous Wound Healing Process in Naked Mole Rats
Get PDFBeing the longest-lived rodent, naked mole-rats (NMR; Heterocephalus glaber) are
an exceptional model for biogerontological research. However, unlike other
rodents, not much is known about their wound healing process. To investigate that,
full-thickness wounds were created in the back skin of naked mole rats. Our initial
data confirmed that wound closure in NMR skin was achieved primarily by reepithelialization
and granulation tissue formation, with only ~26% wound
contraction, making them an excellent model to study human cutaneous wound
healing. Similar to mice and human skin, changes in wound epithelial tongue
included progressive enlargement of wound epithelium, increased proliferation and
changes in the expression pattern of epidermal markers including K14, K17,
integrin α6 and E-cadherin. Further analysis revealed characteristics of reduced scarring in NMR wounds including low collagen I to III ratio, increased HA
expression (HMW) and increased fibronectin expression. Transcriptional profiling
of TGFβ isoforms and different pro/anti-inflammatory cytokines revealed a balance
in the expression and repression of different cytokines, potentially contributing into
reduced scarring. Comparison of RNA-seq data from NMR and human fullthickness
wounds revealed a delay in the activation of important biological
processes and pathways in NMR skin in response to injury. Further analysis based on cultured human and NMR cells revealed differential regulation of TGFβ
signalling pathway between both species. 3-D collagen gel contraction assay
revealed that NMR fibroblast showed noticeable contraction but independently of
TGFβ treatment, while human fibroblast showed marked increased in gel
contraction in the presence of TGFβ. In conclusion, NMR can serve as a very useful
model to study human cutaneous wound healing. The reduced scarring in NMR
could be a result of multiple factors including HMW-HA, balanced cytokine
expression and differential regulation of different TGFβ cytokines as observed in
the in vitro studies
Design, Investigation and Implementation of Hetrogenous Antennas for Diverse Wireless Applications. Simulation and Measurement of Heterogeneous Antennas for Outdoor/indoor Applications, including the Design of Dielectric Resonators, Reconfigurable and multiband DR antennas, and Investigation of Antenna Radiation Performance and Design Optimization
No full textThe main goals of this thesis are to design and examine heterogeneous antennas for different wireless applications of a wide variety of EM spectrum requirements: which includes WLAN 5.0 GHz, WLAN (2.45 GHz), UMTS (1.92-2.17 GHz), 2G, UMTS, LTE, ultra-wideband (UWB) applications, and MBAN applications (2.4 GHz). Various techniques for expanding bandwidth, enhancing performance, and balancing the operation have been examined through comprehensive simulated and physically fabricated models.
Thereafter, a compact DRA, for UWB applications is examined. The combined resultant effects of asymmetric positioning of DRs (2, 3 and 4 Cylindrical elements), defected ground technique, dimensions, and profile of the aperture give RF designers detailed scope of the optimization process. More resonances are achieved, and the bandwidth is improved. The obtained results show that, an impedance bandwidth of 133.0%, which covers the Ultra Wideband band (3.6GHz - 18.0GHz), with a maximum power gain of 9dBi attained.
In addition, a compact conformal wearable CPW antenna using EBG-FSS for MBAN applications at 2.4GHz is proposed. They are designed using fabric materials suitable for daily clothing. The performance of the antenna is investigated in free space, on a layered biological tissue model, and on a real human body to evaluate SAR. When the antenna is combined with an EBG-FSS structure, isolation between the antenna and the human body is introduced. The results show that the FBR is enhanced by 13 dB, the gain by 6.55dBi, and the SAR is lowered by more than 94%. The CPW antenna demonstrated here is appropriate for future MBAN wearable systems.
The design, investigation, and application of water level monitoring utilizing subsurface wireless sensor are covered in this thesis. A wideband double inverted-F antenna is designed and examined to overcome signal attenuation issues. The obtained result is feasible, which has an operating bandwidth of 0.8 to 2.17GHz, with a reflection coefficient better than 10 dB. Moreover, a field trial is conducted to evaluate the robustness of the antenna under extreme conditions. A very good efficiency was also demonstrated, with losses of under 20%. Further, the results from the field experiment established that the antenna is a reliable contender for wireless communication in such challenging environments.Libyan Ministry of Higher Educatio
Measuring The Information Literacy of School Stakeholders in Implementing Blended Learning in High Schools in The State of Kuwait to Propose a School Management System. Examining the level of information literacy of stakeholders in High schools and to propose a new school management system to achieve the best implementation of information literacy and blended learning practices
No full textInformation Literacy (IL) has been implemented among workers in schools in recent years in order to enhance workers’ skills and competencies through the utilisation of technology in education. To implement a sustainable IL system, the building of an IT infrastructure is required including the provision of PCs and network access, enabling students to connect to the internet during class time in order to access educational web-based content as well as to share discussions about subjects with their peers in and out of the class. Assessing the level of information literacy (IL) of stakeholders will assist in creating a new proposed school management system (SMS) to be used among them in the future. This will encourage teachers to use blended learning approach for teaching their students. Therefore, it is important to examine the IL of stakeholders (principal, head of division, teacher) in Kuwait to increase their skills and competencies which will lead to greater innovation in future developments.
This work aims at assessing information literacy level of stakeholders, their skills and competencies in utilising technology in a workplace environment, which will assist the researcher to create a new school system. In addition, this work presents a new proposed school management system (SMS) for stakeholders in the current educational system of high schools in Kuwait, therefore, applying the BL approach in order to achieve a high quality of students' learning outcomes
Mid-channel braid bar induced turbulent bursts: analysis using octant events approach
No full textYesIn a laboratory, a model of a mid-channel bar is built to study the turbulent flow structures in its vicinity. The present study on the turbulent flow structure around a mid-channel bar is based on unravelling the fluvial fluxes triggered by the bar's 3D turbulent burst phenomenon. To this end, the three-dimensional velocity components are measured with the help of acoustic doppler velocimetry (ADV). The results indicate that the transverse component of turbulent kinetic energy cannot be neglected when analyzing turbulent burst processes, since the dominant flow is three-dimensional around the mid-channel bar. Due to the three-dimensionality of flow, the octant events approach is used for analyzing the flow in the vicinity of the mid-channel bar. The aim is to develop functional relationships between the stable movements that are modelled in the present study. To find the best Markov chain order to present experimental datasets, the zero-, first-, and second-order Markov chains are analyzed using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The parameter transition ratio has evolved in this research to reflect the linkage of streambed elevation changes with stable transitional movements. For a better understanding of the temporal behaviors of stable transitional movements, the residence time vs. frequency graphs are also plotted for scouring as well as for depositional regions. The study outcome herein underlines the usefulness of the octant events approach for characterizing turbulent bursts around mid-channel bar formation, which is a precursor to the initiation of braiding configuration.King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia through Researchers Supporting Project number (RSP-2021/297)
The Politics of Women, Peace, and Security: National Action Plan Formulation, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation in 19 European Union Countries
No full textThis dissertation examines National Action Plan (NAP) processes for 19 European Union
(EU) countries (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal,
Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden). The study explores how EU NAPs on Women,
Peace and Security (WPS) are being formulated, implemented, monitored, and evaluated
as part of agenda setting, policy formulation and legitimation, policy implementation, and
policy evaluation. Methodologically, it applies the stages model of public policy process
analysis. The research employs a qualitative interpretative research design to identify the
main actors involved in EU country-level NAPs, how these actors are working together,
and how they perceive the successes and challenges of implementing the WPS agenda.
Over 100 key WPS actors and stakeholders from EU NAP circles have been identified –
using expert, purposive, non-probability sampling – and were interviewed. An exploratory
sequential design relies on WPS publications (particularly post the 2015 UN Women
Global Study) to inform these findings. This research approach is, therefore, conceptual,
normative, and empirical. This study explores the extent to which civil society is a part of
EU NAP processes, and whether collaboration on WPS is happening across EU borders
and at the EU regional level. The research sheds light on EU countries’ NAP processes
and approaches, and assesses countries’ overall efforts with the Women, Peace, and
Security agenda
Sparse Representation and its Application to Multivariate Time Series Classification
No full textIn signal processing field, there are various measures that can be employed to analyse and represent the signal in order to obtain meaningful outcome.
Sparse representation (SR) has continued to receive great attention as one of the well-known tools in statistical theory which among others, is used to extract specific latent temporal features that can reveal salient primitive and sparsely represented features of complex data signals, including temporal data analysis. Under reasonable conditions, many signals are assumed to be sparse within a domain, such as spatial, time, or timefrequency domain, and this sparse characteristics of such signals can be obtained through the SR. The ECG signal, for instance, is typically a temporal sparse signal, comprises of various periodic activities such as time delay and frequency amplitudes, plus additive noise and possible interference. Particularly challenging in signal processing, especially time series signals is how to reconstruct and extract the various features that characterized the signal. Many problems (e.g., signal components analysis, feature extraction/selection in signals, signal reconstruction, and classification) can be formulated as linear models and solved using the SR technique
The reconstruction of signals through SR can offer a rich representation of the sparsified temporal structure of the original signal. Due to its numerous advantages, such as noise tolerance and widespread use in various signal processing tasks, this has motivated many researchers to adopt the use of this technique for various signal representation analysis for a better and richer representation of the original input signal. In line with this, therefore, the goal of this study is to propose a SR-based mathematical framework and a coherence function for reconstruction and feature extraction from signals for subsequent analysis. The time embedding principle was first applied to restructure the signal into tine delay vectors and then the proposed approach, referred to as temporal subsequence SR approach was used to reconstruct the noisy signals and provides a sparsified time dependent input signal representation, and then the coherence function is further used to compute and extract the correlational coefficient quantities between the temporal subsequence signals to form the final feature vectors representing the discriminative features for each of the signal. These final feature vectors representing the signal are further used as inputs to machine learning classifiers. Experiments are carried out to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed methods and to assess their impact on the classification performance of the SVM and MLP classifiers using the popular and widely used ECG time series benchmark dataset. This research study supports the general hypothesis that, signal reconstruction methods (datadriven approach) can be valuable in learning compact features from the original signals for classifications
Perinatal depression: Factors affecting help-seeking behaviours in asylum seeking and refugee women. A systematic review
No full textYesPurpose
Perinatal depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental health conditions in the general maternity population but whilst the prevalence is thought to be much higher in asylum seeking and refugee (AS&R) women, it is less frequently identified and diagnosed by health care professionals.
Method
A systematic review was undertaken to address ‘what factors influence help-seeking behaviours in asylum seeking and refugee women with symptoms of perinatal depression’. The review focussed on women accessing care in high income countries. 12 studies met the eligibility criteria and a narrative synthesis was undertaken resulting in two main themes: women's perceptions of depression and access to healthcare and support services.
Results
Findings indicated that many of the influences on help-seeking were also present in the general population and women from ethnic minority populations, with the exception of migration experiences; but that women from a AS&R may experience more of these barriers, exacerbating inequality in access to and engagement with healthcare.
Conclusion
Further research is needed to provide more detailed insight into the experiences of asylum seeking and refugee women to identify ways that barriers in help-seeking can be addressed