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Illustrations explaining how natural processes can support woodland creation in Great Britain
No full textThese illustrations explaining how natural processes can support woodland creation in Great Britain were developed after discussions with the TreE PlaNat Knowledge User Board (a panel of practitioners working in woodland creation) suggested that visualisations of different woodland creation methods and how they may develop through time would be helpful for engaging with land managers. There are three sets: 1) illustrations of definitions of each creation methods, 2) illustrations of how landscapes might change through time under each method, and 3) possible management interventions during the woodland establishment stage
Parameter mapping sonification of biological data: algorithms, listening, and science communication
Get PDFAlgorithmic parameter mapping (PM) sonification is an innovative approach to scientific data representation using sound, with task-specific projects showing promise across a range of biological data for a range of purposes. This work develops a range of novel task-specific PM sonification approaches, and PM sonification-adjacent approaches, for the representation of difficult-to-see biological data for diverse science communication aims.
In Chapter 2, a sonification concert is described, hosted in collaboration with other sonification researchers, showcasing new artworks created using PM sonification of biological sequence data (nucleotides and amino acids) as a method of public engagement with molecular evolution. In Chapter 3, an approach to inspire action on biodiversity loss is presented, featuring a novel PM sonification approach representing global biodiversity index data (Living Planet Index) by soundwave-level deletion of data to damage familiar audio files, including poetry, music, and birdsong. In Chapter 4, a novel PM sonification designed for installation in a zoo context is presented, designed to engage visitors with genomic research into the stewardship of endangered species, through the example of the Mauritian pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri). The method is based on genomic analysis data representing the risk of deleterious mutations in potential offspring, which is conveyed through the detuning via MIDI pitchbend functionality of the familiar melody Für Elise. In Chapter 5, an approach to digital biological education using sonaphors (from sonic and metaphor) is presented, emphasising the new approach of musing sound-based scientific metaphors for audio-only teaching, incorporating podcasting narrative techniques and PM sonification-adjacent sound design.
Overall, the work uses a range of innovations in sonification methods to create sound outputs of a high quality. The design processes focus on the listening experience of end-users, centring the task-specific nature of PM sonification and emphasising intended use-cases and context at all stages in design. To emphasise the shareability and longevity of the work, which is adaptable for future applications with both biological and non-biological data sets, the works utilises open-source software, publicly available code sharing repositories, and a modular implementation approach facilitating post hoc sound design. The evaluation of these methods is end-user-focussed using social research methods to provide evidence of success through insight into the subjective experiences of listeners. These include positivist experiments to measure the success of users in task-completion, alongside asking experts and end-users to affirm or deny the success of the methods, and interpretivist investigations into listener experience through interviews, focus groups, and questionnaires, which are also compared to design intentions. The work follows a framework of heuristic inquiry centring self-reflection on lessons learned through the design and implementation of the various approaches for both sonification designers and science communication practitioners
Spiking neural networks for direct time of flight imaging
No full text[ A B S T R A C T : R e d a c t e d
'What will happen to me?': A critical phenomenology of ageing in older queer Filipinos
No full textQueer ageing is a phenomenon located at the crux of sexualities and ageing.
Queer ageing as a focal inquiry is both broad and narrow. Broad because ageing is a
universal human inevitability and narrow for its particular focus on queer people.
Inquiries into queer ageing are typically propelled by inadequacies and inequalities
present in institutions, systems, and health practices that are markedly cis heteronormative. To ask, how is ageing experienced by queer people? is to question
existing assumptions about ageing – to be curious beyond cis-heteronormative
explorations often made in ageing studies. Reviewed literature shows that lived
experiences of queer ageing are framed from within one or a combination of these
inquiries: comparable disparities relative to heterosexual ageing, diversity across older
queer cohorts, and development of theory and practice. However, queer ageing
studies have shown scarcity in inquiries that underscore sociocultural contexts,
intersectional queer subjectivities, and critical theorising. In this thesis, I address this
need for resonance, representation, and recognition – informed by the critical, queer,
and decolonial orientations. From a critical phenomenological approach, I explored
lived experiences and meanings of ageing in older queer Filipinos. I conducted
progressive engagement interviews and creative-relational focus group discussions
with older queer Filipinos, aged 55 years and older, living in the Western Visayas
region of the Philippines. With the critical phenomenology approach, I drew upon
reflexive thematic analysis and narrative accrual analysis to respond to my research
questions: what are the lived experiences of ageing of older queer Filipinos? What are
their meanings of ageing? What power or power relations influence their experiences
and meanings of ageing? To understand Filipino queer ageing, the contexts of their
storied lives are traced to their arrival into old age. Findings show divergent and storied
lives in accrued narratives described in thematic storylines of queer reflexivity; queer
relationships; tagasalo queer subjectivity; poverty, migration, and violated queer
subjectivities. In participants’ narratives, context is appreciated from which their ageing
experiences and meanings are situated. As one participant reflects, “what will happen
to me?”, this captures the palpability of their lived experiences of ageing in core themes
of: solitary queer ageing, compounding intersectional burdens, precarity of ageing
futures, and (re)orienting queer subjectivity. From these subjective experiences of
ageing, core themes describe participants’ meanings of ageing: intentionality of
purpose, achievement, and resilience; immanence of ‘being-burden’ and death;
spiritual salience and life affirmation; and queer survivor pride. Furthermore, power
and power relations that influence such experiences and meaning-making are
described in core themes of: (de)moralising queer subjectivities and (mis)fitting and
othering of queer ageing. Filipino queer ageing is divergent, sometimes contradictory,
but all converge to critical complexities of the phenomenon of queer ageing. This
critical phenomenological inquiry concludes with challenging ageing inquiries that
perpetuate the hegemony of cis-heteronormative and Western-centric assumptions,
frameworks, and methodological approaches. This study underscores the profound
complexity of queer subjectivities and the critical noticing of power present in
sociocultural contexts that influence experiences and meanings of ageing in older
queer Filipinos
Constitution-Building in Deeply Fragmented States: The Role of Local Governance
Get PDFThis discussion paper highlights the challenges faced by states where control over the territory is contested by various groups, leading to fragmented governance. It emphasizes the importance of understanding governance structures at the local level, and their potential impact on peace- and constitution-making processes. It argues that peace- and constitution-making processes often overlook the diverse forms of local governance that exist in these contexts and, as a result, may set up arrangements that are inappropriate or ineffective in some, or perhaps many, localities.
The paper also emphasizes that the variety, complexity and fluidity of substate—mainly local but also regional—governance arrangements in conflict-affected states makes any engagement with them and assessment of their potential impact on peace- and constitution-making processes a difficult task
Early pastoralist multispecies communities in Eastern Mongolia and beyond
No full textThe vast steppe and desert steppe landscapes of Mongolia have been the setting for a transformation
towards a sustainable sociocultural system that has existed for thousands of years. Pastoralism,
which is often practiced together with a nomadic lifestyle and is defined by the reliance on
domestic livestock herding as a main component of subsistence, started replacing hunter-gatherer
systems in these regions between 6000 – 4000 years ago. In rural Mongolia, this mobile way of living,
which is based on a reciprocal relationship between human and nonhuman animals, is practiced to
this day. The aim of this thesis is to provide insights into when and how domestic livestock was first
introduced into eastern Mongolia during the Bronze Age (from c. 1800 BC), as well as how pastoralism
became the main foundation for subsistence, of sociocultural practices and identity culminating
in the formation of the Xiongnu pastoral nomadic state (c. 200 BC). Additionally, the multidisciplinary
approach of this thesis distinctly seeks to contribute to a varied outlook on the sustainability and
multifaceted sociocultural aspects of pastoralism with the aim of making the globally practiced way
of life more accessible through the lens of archaeological research.
This thesis provides the first comprehensive multidisciplinary analysis of human – nonhuman relationships
of early pastoralist communities in the eastern Mongolian Gobi desert steppe. Based on
the rich archaeological record of the multiperiod case study areas of Delgerkhaan Uul and
Chandmani Khar Uul and complementing zooarchaeological investigations with stable isotope analyses,
the thesis systematically compares expressions of pastoral multispecies relationships in different
archaeological periods and contexts. Excavations of in situ habitation remains of hunter-gatherer
groups prior to the inception of pastoralism (c. 4000 – 2600 BC) and around the time of the adoption
of pastoralism (c. 1900 – 1500 BC) were conducted to contextualise this major transitional period.
Through this integrative and multidisciplinary approach, the thesis provides novel and significant
insights into multispecies pastoralism at Delgerkhaan Uul and beyond. Faunal assemblages from the
earliest monuments associated with Bronze Age pastoralist communities (prone burials) analysed in
this thesis indicated, that complex multispecies pastoralism was established by c. 1500 BC. Habitation
finds, including faunal remains, dating to the same period and a little earlier were discovered
(for the first time at Delgerkhaan Uul) as part of this thesis.
The comparative zooarchaeological and stable isotopic analyses on faunal assemblages from mortuary
contexts dating between the earliest Bronze Age in the area and the Xiongnu period carried out
in this thesis indicate an intensification of pastoralist activities and sociocultural traditions involving
livestock over time. The latter specifically parallels sociopolitical developments during these periods,
for example the supraregional extension of social networks during the Late Bronze Age / Early Iron
Age slab burial period and the economic intensification of livestock herding as the basis of livelihood
for the Xiongnu pastoral nomadic state. Herding practices often associated with these sociopolitical
developments in other regions of Mongolia, for example crop farming and foddering with plants
detectable through stable isotopic carbon and nitrogen analyses (e.g. broomcorn millet) were not
detected in the case study area suggesting a certain level of autonomy of local herders over herdingrelated
decision making.
In this thesis, the practice of a novel tradition, involving the later deposition of faunal remains into
previously built burial monuments, was recorded systematically. These post-hoc faunal depositions
were found incorporated into ancient burial monuments through meticulous radiocarbon dating of
livestock remains deposited in human burials. The tradition signals a long-term acknowledgement
of monuments acting as past landmarks and the formation of an engraved pastoralist identity expressed
through a ritual connection of people, livestock and the landscape. Evidently, this tradition
was practiced across many generations, until medieval times, and has not been documented before
Novel applications of signed distance fields in 3D reconstruction of thin structures
Get PDFThree-dimensional reconstruction from sparse or incomplete observations presents a
fundamental challenge in computer vision and graphics. Traditional approaches using
voxels, point clouds, or meshes often struggle with floating geometric artifacts, thin
geometric structures, and preserving topological continuity. This thesis introduces novel
methodologies using neural signed distance fields (SDFs) to address these long-standing
limitations in reconstructing complex geometry featuring thin structures, intricate
branching patterns, and high-frequency details. Our research follows a deliberate
progression addressing increasingly challenging scenarios from general object geometry
to thin, complex structures in specialized medical domains.
Our research begins with GeoGen, a novel SDF-based 3D generative model trained
end-to-end from single-view collections of 2D images. GeoGen reinterprets volumetric
density as an SDF, introducing geometric priors for valid mesh generation through
an SDF depth-map consistency loss. This approach enables more coherent surface
representations than traditional neural rendering methods by enforcing geometric constraints throughout the learning process. By leveraging the mathematical properties of
SDFs, GeoGen generates surfaces with improved structural integrity and avoids the
floating artifacts common in neural radiance-field methods. We evaluated GeoGen on
ShapeNet Cars and a 19 800-identity Synthetic Human Heads benchmark, achieving
20% lower Chamfer distance than EG3D on both datasets while matching its 2D FID
scores. CrossSDF cut Chamfer distance by an order of magnitude on thin-structure
meshes and VesselSDF improved Dice from 0.69 to 0.72 and reduced Chamfer from
0.82 to 0.68 on the Medical Decathlon Hepatic-Vessel CT set.
However, GeoGen exhibits limitations when predicting fine details and thin structures like hair or eyelashes. These limitations motivated our investigation into specialized SDF representations for thin-structure reconstruction, with medical imaging
providing an ideal application domain due to its critical need for accurate depiction of
complex anatomical structures. Building on these insights, we introduce CrossSDF, a
novel approach for extracting a 3D SDF from 2D signed distances generated from planar
contours. Our framework employs a hash-based neural reconstruction approach with
three key innovations: a novel symmetric-difference loss that minimizes visual artifacts
resulting from sparse cross-sectional data, an adaptive contour-sampling strategy that
ensures thin structures are adequately represented during surface reconstruction, and
a hybrid encoding architecture that combines a detail-preserving hash encoding with
Fourier features to reduce grid-interpolation artifacts. This enables CrossSDF to produce high-fidelity 3D reconstructions of thin structures while maintaining topological
consistency between slices.
However, we observed that when applied to medical data with inherent sparsity
between imaging planes, the quality of the reconstruction remained fundamentally
limited by the accuracy of the initial 2D contour segmentation. This observation led us
to develop VesselSDF, a comprehensive two-stage framework specifically optimized
for vascular-network reconstruction from sparse medical imagery. Unlike CrossSDF,
which operates on pre-segmented contours, VesselSDF addresses both the segmentation
and reconstruction challenges within a unified pipeline. VesselSDF addresses the
reconstruction of complex structures from cross-sections by treating vessel segmentation
as a continuous SDF regression problem rather than a discrete voxel classification one.
The first stage employs a 3D U-Net for binary vessel-occupancy prediction. The second
stage transforms this binary occupancy into an appropriately scaled SDF through
a specialized refiner network with geometric constraints. VesselSDF introduces a
distance-weighted Gaussian regularizer that adaptively enforces smoothness based on
proximity to vessel surfaces, ensuring global smoothness while preserving critical vessel
boundaries. This is complemented by a surface-regularization term that suppresses
artifacts and an anisotropic Eikonal regularization term that accounts for different spatial
resolutions along the axial dimension. By systematically separating segmentation
from geometric refinement and incorporating these specialized constraints, VesselSDF
achieves superior reconstruction of complex vascular networks compared to state-of-the-art binary voxel classification methods (nnU-Net, 3D SA-UNet), even from
highly anisotropic CT and MRI data with significant interslice gaps. Through extensive
experimental evaluation across diverse datasets, we demonstrate that our neural SDF
approaches produce high-fidelity reconstructions that preserve thin structures, maintain
topological correctness, and accurately capture geometric details, even from limited
observations. The methodologies developed in this thesis have significant implications
for medical imaging, enabling more accurate surgical planning through improved
vessel visualization, enhanced blood flow simulation for cardiovascular analysis, early
detection of vascular pathologies through preserved fine vessel details, and reduced
radiation exposure in CT scanning by maintaining diagnostic quality from sparser
slice data. The methodologies developed in this thesis establish a framework for
addressing reconstruction problems across different domains, illustrating the versatility
and effectiveness of neural SDF representations for complex-geometry reconstruction
Exploring new chemistry of pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP)-dependent biocatalysts
No full textEnzymes are nature's biocatalysts that facilitate numerous metabolic reactions in every living cell. Many natural and engineered biocatalysts have been characterised and applied in industrial processes, enabling the synthesis of valuable chemicals under mild conditions. Among these, pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP)-dependent transaminases (TAs) stand out for their ability to catalyse the reversible conversion of an amine donor and an aldehyde or ketone, yielding chiral amines. This makes them valuable tools in the pharmaceutical industry. One notable example of their industrial application was the synthesis of the anti-diabetic drug Sitagliptin by Merck and Codexis in 2010. A smaller but promising family of PLP-dependent biocatalysts, α-oxoamine synthases (AOSs), are of particular interest due to their ability to catalyse irreversible C–C bond formation but have yet to be exploited on a large scale.
Compounds such as α-aminoketones, including aminoacetophenone (AAP), are important intermediates in the pharmaceutical industry, frequently utilised as chiral auxiliaries and ligands in asymmetric synthesis. This thesis investigates two distinct biocatalysis-related projects. The first project explores the potential of α-aminoketones as both amine donors and amine acceptors in a TA-mediated reaction. The second project focuses on the synthetic utility of α-aminoketones by coupling a thermophilic AOS (ThAOS) with an ATP-dependent carboxylic acid reductase (CARsr-A) and an NAD(P)H-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) in a one-pot cascade reaction to synthesise 1,2-amino alcohols from readily available starting materials.
In the first project, recombinant TAs were expressed, purified, and characterised from E. coli. The commercially available α-aminoketone, AAP, was tested as an amine donor and acceptor in reactions with wild-type (S)-selective TAs (CvTA, HeWT) and an engineered (R)-selective TA (ArRmut11). Upon addition of AAP to each TA, UV-vis spectroscopy revealed the unexpected formation of a purple colour with a broad, stable
absorbance maximum at 565 nm (545 nm for ArRmut11), suggesting the formation of a PLP:AAP quinonoid intermediate. Our hypothesis was that this novel quinonoid species could be harnessed to catalyse C–C bond formation. Screening of the TA:PLP:AAP quinonoid with additional nucleophilic and electrophilic substrates revealed three positive hits with CvTA and one with ArRmut11, suggesting that the TAs were catalysing a novel reaction. A novel, putative product was detected via reverse-phase HPLC when CvTA was used in a reaction between AAP and nitromethane, though unfortunately isolation and characterisation were unsuccessful due to poor % conversion and reaction reversibility.
Further studies examined AAP derivatives with electron-donating (EDG) and electron-withdrawing (EWG) groups at the para position. The data suggested that these substitutions did not significantly impact quinonoid formation, as all five derivatives produced the same characteristic absorbance. However, the nitro-substituted derivative caused a slight red shift in the absorbance maximum of the CvTA:PLP:nitro-AAP quinonoid. NMR analysis of AAP in the presence of D2O revealed keto-enol tautomerisation, which underscores the ability of aminoketones to form reactive species with cofactors such as PLP. The X-ray crystal structure of CvTA was determined, but efforts to resolve AAP bound to CvTA were unsuccessful, as the ligand displaced PLP from the active site. Despite this, docking studies suggested that quinonoid formation occurs via deprotonation of the CvTA PLP:AAP external aldimine complex by the catalytic lysine residue.
In the second project, recombinant biocatalysts (CARsr-A, ThAOS wt and ThAOS variants) were expressed, purified, and characterised from E. coli. commercial ADHs (Johnson Matthey, JM) were screened for their ability to accept AAP as a substrate. Five ADHs exhibited activity with AAP in a high-throughput assay. Benzoyl-CoA was synthesised from benzoic acid, ATP and CoASH via the action of CARsr-A and used to test ThAOS wt and its variants. Two variants, ThAOS V79S and ThAOS V79G I82A, efficiently converted benzoyl-CoA to AAP, with the V79S variant yielding 82.9%
product. However, when the cascade reaction was attempted as a one-pot system, no product formation was observed due to the JM ADHs reducing benzoyl-CoA back to benzoic acid. Thus, the cascade was carried out in sequential steps, leading to successful amino alcohol product formation, but the conversion remained limited by the reactivity of the ADHs.
Overall, this thesis provides insights into new C-C bond forming chemistry catalysed by a well-known group of PLP-dependent TA biocatalysts. Furthermore, we provide further evidence that the PLP-dependent AOSs can be used in biocatalytic cascades for the synthesis of high value targets
Female students’ experience in higher education: case studies of public universities in China
No full textThis thesis examines gender inequality within Chinese higher education, with a
particular focus on the experiences of female university students. It analyses their
challenges and identifies strategies for their empowerment within the specific
context of higher education in China.
Anchored in socialist and radical feminist frameworks, this research contends that
patriarchal structures significantly contribute to the obstacles encountered by female
students. The study employs a case study approach, analysing three distinct
universities: a Comprehensive University with a balanced sex ratio, a University of
Technology where female students are a minority, and a Teacher Training University
where they constitute the majority.
Data collection methods included documentary analysis, semi-structured interviews,
and focus groups to examine female students’ academic and campus experiences.
Eighteen key informants – comprising senior managers, academics, and school
counsellors, with six representatives from each university – participated in the
interviews. Furthermore, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 36 female
students (12 from each institution) and supplemented by three focus groups, one
held at each university.
The findings reveal how female students navigate and negotiate the male-dominated
gender regime of higher education contexts, demonstrating both accommodation
and resistance. The study highlights how institutional structures perpetuate these
regimes, as each of the three universities was characterised by similar challenges,
including gender-based segregation in academic disciplines, essentialist attitudes
held by university staff, unequal access to competitive opportunities favouring male
students, internal competition between female students that undermines their
solidarity, and the pervasive issue of sexual harassment.
This study also reveals nuanced differences in how gender inequality is manifested
and how female students respond across the three universities. Variations include
the extent to which female students are objectified by male peers, the prevalence of
benevolent sexism, and the acceptance of non-traditional gender roles. Female
students challenge these inequalities in diverse ways, emphasising individual
autonomy, academic achievement, and the rejection of stereotypical femininity.
Many strive to compete with their male peers in higher education and secure success
in the labour market. However, this embrace of autonomy falls short of addressing
the structural inequalities that continue to shape these students’ opportunities.
While many recognise the importance of cultivating political identity and leadership
for future success, they encounter significant barriers, including exclusion from
leadership roles by male peers. Furthermore, efforts by female students to advocate
for women’s rights through student-led activities often meet with institutional
indifference, highlighting a broader reluctance within the universities to challenge
entrenched patriarchal norms.
This thesis contributes to the discourse on sexual harassment in higher education by
critically examining the disconnect between university policies on gender equality
and their practical implementation. Moreover, it introduces and applies the concepts
of hegemonic masculinity and emphasised femininity in the context of Chinese
higher education—an area relatively underexplored. The findings reveal that young
Chinese women neither wholly conform to nor entirely reject traditional gender
norms. Instead, they navigate a nuanced integration of masculine and feminine traits,
illustrating a complex interplay between traditional expectations and modern
aspirations
Additive manufacturing of continuous carbon fibre–PEEK composites with enhanced inter-layer adhesion
No full text[ A B S T R A C T : R e d a c t e d
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