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Failing the herd: how resistance and counterfeit drugs undermine Trypanosomosis control
No full textAbstract not currently available
Investigating trait-based capture vulnerability and the potential for selection in the Amazonian ornamental fishing industry
Get PDFThe harvest of animals from the wild is a pervasive selective force, especially in fisheries, where harvesting often targets individuals with specific traits. Early research on trait-based selection was particularly focussed on traits related to age and size at maturation, but there has been a more recent shift toward understanding how traits beyond growth, such as behavioural and physiological traits, may also be targets of selection. Indeed, there is now emerging evidence from commercial and recreational fisheries that individuals with physiological traits related to metabolism and swimming performance are more likely to be captured, as are fish with behavioural traits related to exploration, risk-taking, and group cohesion. However, the direction of selection has been found to be largely dependent on the type of gear used, with more active gears such as trawls targeting traits relating to swimming capacity, and more passive gears such as traps targeting traits related to increased risk-taking and exploratory behaviour. Many of the traits under selection are also influenced by environmental factors such as temperature and oxygen availability, but how environmental factors modulate capture vulnerability is currently not well understood. Another important gap in fisheries selection literature is that some fishery sectors have been completely overlooked including smaller-scale artisanal fisheries such as the ornamental trade, a global industry with important repercussions for sustainability, biodiversity, and the livelihoods of local communities.
In this thesis, for the first time, I aimed to uncover if there was a potential for trait-based selection in the ornamental fishing industry, specifically in the Amazon, which is home to a large proportion of wild-caught ornamental species. Using a combination of lab-based studies and field observations, I investigated capture vulnerability and compared phenotypes of key ornamental species caught using different gears. I also examined the impact of environmental factors on behavioural and physiological traits to determine if the environment can modulate relationships between individual phenotype and capture vulnerability.
Chapter 1 introduced the main research themes and highlighted the key knowledge gaps that were addressed in this thesis. In chapter 2, I used a scaled-down fisheries simulation that has been used in previous studies focussed on commercial and recreational fisheries. Unlike previous studies, which have used surrogate species, I used an actual target species of the trade, the cardinal tetra (Paracheirodon axelrodi), which is a highly popular ornamental species. I repeatedly caught individuals to determine their vulnerability to capture and tested whether vulnerability to capture can be predicted by phenotype. I revealed that capture vulnerability is predicted by a suite of traits, namely size, swimming endurance, exploration, and risk-taking.
In chapter 3, I caught wild populations of cardinal tetra using active (net) and passive (trap) gear types and examined differences in behavioural and physiological traits in the lab. I used a range of assays including constant acceleration tests, maze tests, open field, and novel object tests. Trap-caught fish were larger and had a lower swimming performance compared to net-caught fish. In contrast, net-caught fish were more cohesive and active, but specific results varied across assays. Social and environmental factors also influenced findings, with differences in risk-taking revealed between individuals and groups and even small variations in ambient temperature during trials significantly influencing behaviour.
In chapter 4, I used a completely field-based approach to investigate the ornamental capture process in-situ. Using underwater recording of traps in the Amazon, I observed behaviours for two species, the spotted tetra (Copella nattereri) and Hemigrammus Spp., including pre-capture behaviours such as passes and inspections, which have not been observed in the majority of fisheries selection studies. The observations revealed that the majority of fish that inspected traps did not enter them, and while the likelihood of capture was similar for both species, once a given trap had caught one species, it would not catch the other. There were also differences between species in the frequency and timing of behaviours, such as passes and inspections. There was also a relationship between environmental factors and behaviours, but these differed between species, highlighting the importance of integrating multiple species in studies.
In chapter 5, I captured spotted tetra using active (net) and passive (trap) gears and examined behavioural traits of groups using open field and novel object tests after a short acclimation time. I also investigated the impact of an acute temperature increase on behavioural traits. I found that trap-caught fish were more exploratory and showed greater group cohesion, while net-caught fish were more active. Interestingly, there was limited evidence that exposure to an elevated temperature influenced any behavioural traits apart from cohesion. However, group identity accounted for a large amount of behavioural variation, as individual responses were masked at the group level, highlighting an important dynamic to consider when interpreting the potential for selection.
Finally, in chapter 6, I summarised the key findings and overarching themes of my thesis. I discussed the potential for selection in the ornamental fishing industry and highlighted how my findings contribute to the existing body of literature. I then provided an overview of the challenges and limitations of my thesis and provided some future directions for the field.
Taken together, my thesis provides an important foundation towards understanding the potential for selection in ornamental fisheries. Using lab simulations and field observations across different environmental contexts, this thesis shows that capture is not random, but trait based. This thesis also highlights the potential for gear-based selectivity in the ornamental fishing trade, which can have important repercussions for biodiversity and conservation. This thesis also raises questions about how selection operates in different environmental conditions or how group dynamics can mask individual responses. In summary, this thesis contributes a novel perspective on fisheries-induced selection by focusing on a previously overlooked system and broadens our understanding of how artisanal fisheries can shape wild populations
What we talk about when we talk about smells: a corpus study of the language of olfaction
Get PDFOne of the fundamental uses of language is that it allows us to communicate the things we perceive with our senses. While most of the senses have dedicated vocabulary which speakers can draw on to describe their experiences—visual colour terms, taste terms like sour, words to do with hearing like loud or texture like rough—the sense of smell is less lexically well served, in English at least.
In light of this paucity of dedicated vocabulary, this thesis seeks to find which words and linguistic strategies English speakers use when they wish to put complex olfactory experiences into words. It accomplishes this through the investigation of a purpose-built corpus of fragrance reviews taken from the perfume community website Fragrantica. It first establishes the key semantic domains of the corpus, before providing a corpus-driven analysis of the language of olfaction around each of these key domains. This analysis begins with those domains most semantically distant from the sense of smell (like Time), then moves towards the senses in semantic space with an analysis of words to do with the linked domains of Food and Plants, before offering an analysis of directly sensory words themselves. Finally, it deals with more complex olfactive descriptions which use aspects of character and setting to communicate olfactory information.
Through investigating the semantics of olfactive language in this corpus-driven way, this thesis presents three main conclusions. First, it argues that when source-based descriptors are employed in olfactory description, non-olfactory components of those descriptors also play a role in generating olfactive meaning. Second, that a primary strategy for communicating olfactive meaning is through connotation and association rather than direct sensory description. And third, that when words from non-olfactory sensory domains are used to communicate olfactive meaning, this cross-modal use does not represent a metaphoric transfer of meaning, but rather indicates that the semantic domains of the senses are so closely and densely linked that they can be considered a contiguous domain of perception
Post-processing in perovskite solar cells: challenging your assumptions
Get PDFExploiting the vast source of energy provided by the sun is one of the most promising pathways towards reducing fossil fuel use and shifting to renewable energy sources. The development of novel solar cells is thus of high importance to maximise the benefits this approach can provide. In the field of cutting-edge photovoltaic technologies, perovskites have emerged as one of the best-performing candidates for the solar cells of the future. Much of the research into perovskites is now focused on tackling some of the issues they face limiting their potential for industry-level adoption. The implementation of a related class of materials, know as Layered Perovskites (LPKs) is an increasingly popular approach to achieve the requirements of longevity and high efficiencies.
Here, the unique combination of properties provided by the alternating organic and perovskite sheets results in a highly-tunable hybrid material that is stable and well-suited to improving performance across a range of perovskite solar cell compositions. Whilst the implementation of LPKs is a well-established avenue of research, questions still remain about some of their fundamental properties.
The work presented in this thesis seeks to challenge some of the assumptions that are universally applied to LPKs as a whole. The interplay between the organic components and the perovskite backbone is found to be highly complex, and it is difficult to draw clear relations between the chemistry of the A’ cation, the material structure, and its optoelectronic properties. Many of the highly desirable properties such as improved stability are not strictly applicable to the extremely thin layers that are most widely utilised within solar cells, which readily degrade in ambient conditions. Indeed, the solar cell fabrication process can disrupt the LPK or even remove it entirely, highlighting that great care must be taken when exploring the mechanism behind their benefits to performance and stability
The shaping of conforming dispositions of educationally and socially disadvantaged higher secondary school students in rural Uttar Pradesh, India: a case study
Get PDFThis research investigates the role of school practices in reinforcing and informing the conforming disposition of higher secondary school students in India. The study contributes to developing an understanding of the mechanisms by which conformity is incorporated within individuals and how caste is perpetuated through schooling. The project employs Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus (its constituent dispositions) and practice to explain the school's role in perpetuating inequalities.
The study is a case study of a low-fee private school situated in a rural area of Uttar Pradesh, a northern state in India, which is educationally, socially, and economically disadvantaged. The Biographical Narrative Interview Method (BNIM) is employed to gather the data. I conducted in-depth interviews with 12 students across three rounds, all from socially and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, also known as Other Backward Classes (OBCs). Data were thematically analysed to reveal the school's dominant practices and identify the dispositions expressed through repetition.
The study's findings indicate that school’s unofficial pedagogic practices of authority, obedience, and hierarchy shape students' dispositions. I captured two aspects of students’ dispositions from the data: cognitive and affective. Conforming dispositions represent the cognitive dimension of dispositions, characterised by cognitive patterns of non-questioning and reduced agency of individuals. At the same time, affective dispositions represent embodied emotions of respect, fear and honour. These dispositions possess the potential to provide unthought guidance to the generation of caste-based practices of untouchability and endogamy through which caste inequality is reproduced.
Literature shows that schools enforce obedience and cultural morality characterised by hierarchy. This research presents the next level of analysis of such school practices, demonstrating that the everyday life of school embodies conformity as dispositions, with the potential to reproduce prevailing social relations and undemocratic virtues. Moreover, the significance of the research lies in demonstrating that informal school practices, such as authority, obedience, and hierarchy, should be taken seriously alongside official pedagogic practices, while discussing the role of the school in social reproduction/transformations
Exploring and modelling resilience in mothers of adolescents with intellectual disabilities in Thailand: multi-method approach
Get PDFThis thesis investigates the concept and experience of resilience among mothers of adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Thailand. This topic remains underexplored despite growing international attention to caregiver well-being. The caregiving journey for mothers of adolescents with ID is complex, particularly during adolescence, a developmental stage associated with increased behavioural challenges, emotional demands and growing concerns about the future. In Thailand, the cultural expectations of maternal caregiving, combined with limited disability support, intensify these challenges. This is the first known study to test McCubbin’s model of resilience in this population and context, contributing original insights into the factors that shape and sustain resilience among Thai mothers of adolescents with ID.
This study aims to understand how resilience is developed and sustained in this population, identify key factors that influence it, and provide evidence-based recommendations to strengthen support mechanisms in the Thai context. Using McCubbin and McCubbin’s Resiliency Model as a guiding theoretical framework, this study employs a multi-method approach that combines a systematic review, a quantitative survey, and qualitative interviews. The framework informs both the study’s design and analysis, enabling a comprehensive exploration of resilience processes within this specific cultural and caregiving context.
This study comprises three methodologically distinct but conceptually related studies. The first component was a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature examining the factors associated with resilience in parents of children with ID. This review synthesised 27 studies, revealing that resilience is a multifaceted process influenced by both internal and external protective factors. Key factors include problem-solving, social support, self-efficacy, hope, parental health, educational socioeconomic stability, cultural beliefs, and religious faith. The findings emphasise that while adversity is a shared experience among parents of children with ID, Individuals’ adaptation and thriving are shaped by personal and environmental resources.
The second component of this thesis was a quantitative study that examined McCubbin’s model of resilience in Thai mothers of adolescents with ID. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from a sample of mothers at the Rajanukul Institute in Thailand. Standardised instruments were used to assess resilience through adaptation, perception of illness, perceived social support, coping, and caregiving burden. Statistical analyses, including Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), were used to examine the relationships among several key variables influencing maternal resilience. The results indicate that coping was associated with maternal resilience, suggesting that resilient mothers were more likely to adopt effective coping strategies. Social support was associated with maternal stress and resilience. Resilience was also associated with maternal stress. Debt and having a child with severe or profound ID significantly increased stress, highlighting socioeconomic and caregiving burdens as key sources of psychological strain. Furthermore, stress was positively associated with negative perceptions of ID, which also had a direct impact on coping and was influenced by the severity of the child’s disability. The model in this study provides a valuable framework for informing interventions to support maternal resilience.
The third and final component was a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews with 12 Thai mothers of adolescents with ID. Thematic analysis of the interviews revealed six overarching themes: (1) Becoming a mother of a child with ID, (2) Finding my way, (3) Navigating through the challenges, (4) Support system, (5) Holding on to faith, and (6) Forward-thinking strategies. Many participants acknowledged the emotional hardship and stigma associated with raising a child with ID, but also shared stories of personal growth, increased patience, and strengthened family bonds. Importantly, the qualitative findings highlighted how resilience is not a trait but a process continually influenced by shifting circumstances, relationships, and external support.
The findings from the three studies highlight that a complex interplay of personal and contextual factors shapes maternal resilience in caring for adolescents with ID. While some mothers demonstrate or develop strong internal coping strategies, others remain vulnerable due to limited social support, financial difficulties, and insufficient access to services. In Thailand, where formal caregiving support is limited and caregiving roles are heavily gendered, mothers often shoulder the primary caregiving burden with limited external assistance.
This study makes several key contributions to the existing literature. First, it provides an integrated understanding of resilience among mothers of adolescents with ID, combining evidence from the global literature with data grounded in the Thai cultural context. Second, it offers a model of resilience that can inform early screening and the development of tailored support programs for mothers. Third, it provides rich qualitative insights that capture the lived experiences of mothers, offering a voice to a group that is often overlooked in research and policy discussions.
This study has important implications for nursing practice, mental health services, and policy development. In the future, interventions aimed at enhancing resilience in mothers of adolescents with ID must consider not only psychological strategies but also broader social and cultural determinants of resilience. Community-based support programs, caregiver education, and policies that promote inclusive health and education services can play a critical role in improving maternal well-being. Furthermore, acknowledging mothers' strengths and agency, rather than viewing them solely as vulnerable, can help build more respectful and effective support systems.
In conclusion, this thesis deepens the understanding of maternal resilience within Thailand’s unique cultural and socioeconomic context, underscoring the importance of holistic, culturally tailored interventions. It lays the foundation for future research and practical initiatives to support caregivers in low- and middle-income countries, where such knowledge is urgently needed
Functionalisation of high-valent metal-organic frameworks by direct and postsynthetic methods
No full textAbstract not currently available
An investigation of systemic inflammation and clinical outcomes in patients with common solid tumours
Get PDFSystemic inflammation is increasingly recognised as a key determinant of clinical outcomes in patients with solid tumours, influencing tumour progression, treatment response, and survival. This thesis evaluated the prevalence, prognostic value, and clinical utility of systemic inflammation–based markers and scores across common cancers, including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), oesophagogastric (OGC), and colorectal cancer (CRC). A series of retrospective cohort studies and a systematic review/meta-analysis were conducted to assess markers, including the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), C-reactive protein/albumin ratio (CAR), and the modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS).
The findings demonstrate that systemic inflammation is common across these cancers but varies in magnitude by tumour type, stage, and host fitness, with advanced NSCLC showing the highest inflammatory response. CRP-based scores (CAR, mGPS) consistently provided more substantial prognostic value than ratios derived from differential white cell counts, par-ticularly in operable OG and CRC, where baseline inflammation was lower. In NSCLC, sys-temic inflammation was associated with nutritional decline, survival after immunotherapy, and prognosis independent of conventional clinicopathological factors. The meta-analysis further confirmed the predictive utility of inflammatory biomarkers in NSCLC patients re-ceiving immunotherapy.
Overall, this thesis highlights systemic inflammation as a clinically relevant prognostic factor across multiple solid tumours, with CRP-based measures emerging as the most sensitive and reliable indicators. These findings support the routine use of CRP in prognostication and pa-tient stratification and suggest its potential role as both an inclusion criterion and an outcome measure in future interventional studies of anti-inflammatory therapies in cancer
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