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The investigation of DHX9 and PDE4D isoforms in prostate cancer
No full textAbstract not currently available
“Cre’n sorçh dy Ghaelg t’ou loayrt nish?”: The intersection of ideologies and morphosyntactic variation in new speakers of Manx Gaelic
Get PDFThis thesis explores language production and linguistic beliefs in a community of New Speakers. New Speakers are a speaker profile that have emerged from language revitalization efforts in various minoritized language communities (e.g. Irish - O’Rourke and Walsh, 2015; Galician - O’Rourke and Ramallo, 2015). New Speakers generally acquire their minority language primarily through means other than first language transmission in the home (O’Rourke, Pujolar, and Ramallo, 2015: 1), reaching “a socially and communicatively consequential level of competence” (Jaffe, 2015: 25) in their language. Research on New Speakers’ language practices indicates that both their language production and beliefs are highly variable (e.g. Hornsby, 2015; O’Rourke and Walsh, 2015) and that language beliefs may shape language practices in New Speaker communities (Rodriguez-Ordoñez, 2020; Enriquez-García, 2017).
This thesis specifically explores the intersection between morphosyntactic variation and language beliefs among New Speakers of Manx, the minoritized Celtic language spoken by around 2200 people in the Isle of Man (Isle of Man Government, 2022). Manx underwent extreme minoritization in the 19th and early 20th centuries, and by the mid-20th century ceased to be spoken by a community of traditional native speakers (Broderick, 1991). Subsequent revitalization efforts from the late 20th century onwards have resulted in a community of New Speakers, variation in whose production and beliefs is also noted (e.g. McNulty, 2023a, Ó hIfearnáin: 2015a; 2015b).
This thesis expands on this research, exploring language practices among speakers of Manx through the New Speaker framework, using the case study of Manx to examine how this framework might apply to atypical or lesser-studied minoritized varieties. It employs both qualitative and quantitative data collected through an extended period of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the Isle of Man through the medium of Manx itself. The thesis investigates how New Speakers of Manx vary in their production of certain morphosyntactic constructions, as well as how they think and feel about these constructions, tying into broader themes of language ideologies and attitudes. It presents an original theoretical framework outlining the broad language beliefs present in the Manx New Speaker community. This framework explains how patterns of variation observed among these speakers might be analysed as individual speakers’ agentive use of particular constructions available to them in Manx to index commonly-held beliefs about language and linguistic identity to other community members. Therefore, this thesis has implications for how such indexicalities and patterns of variation develop in nascent varieties like Manx, which will be applicable to other minoritized and contact varieties more broadly
Scottish-Chinese students’ language use in Chinese complementary school classroom: a translanguaging perspective
Get PDFThis thesis presents a case study on a Chinese complementary school in Scotland. With the aim of exploring the language use in the Chinese class and viewing the language in bilingual class as complex and dynamic, the study adopted two lenses, the perspectives of translanguaging and language ecology, to gain a more holistic understanding of students’ languaging practices in the Chinese classes. The two concepts afford their implications and work together to underpin my research theoretically. To capture bilingual practices in the classes, the one-semester fieldwork for the study was conducted from September 2019 using multiple research methods, which includes: phase one, classroom observations with only field notes applied; phase two, audio-recorded classroom observations, semi-structured individual and group interviews, and the collection of documentation (student works) and photographs. Next, several approaches and perspectives were utilized in the procedure of data analysis, namely: thematic analysis; theoretically informed analysis, and moment analysis (Li, 2011).
The research findings provide rich and detailed insights by firstly unwrapping the overall relations of classroom language use, which refers to the general language use across key students, teachers, peers and language forms in the class. Then, by stepping into multifaceted states of classroom engagement, such as in literacy events, casual conversations, and cultural learning events, the research shows how translanguaging and language ecology facilitate bilingual’s language use in the Chinese classes. The main findings are: (1) translanguaging as ‘the communicative norm of multilingual communities’ is prevalent in the Chinese classes; (2) translanguaging, as moving beyond the linguistic mode, includes all modes of meaning-making and the ways in which students flow/move between them. In particular, the findings offer insights into Chinese literacy learning, Chinese culture learning and classical Chinese learning, including: (1) translanguaging facilitates Chinese literacy learning by allowing students to make use of prior knowledge to support learning new knowledge; (2) translanguaging facilitates students’ culture learning by bringing the outside world of the classroom (e.g., prior knowledge, previous experiences) to engage in the current learning; (3) students critically and creatively draw resources in the Chinese classes in order to make sense of classical Chinese language. Meanwhile, meaning-making is not the end of language learning, and resources or strategies may not always be drawn in the learning process. Therefore, the study discussed this point from the perspective of language ecology and pointed out norms and suggestions for learning with culture and classical Chinese.
This thesis makes valuable theoretical and practical contributions to the field of language learning, bilingual education and translanguaging in particular. Theoretically, a proposed conceptual framework contributes to presenting the relations among language users, languages, language ecology and translanguaging in the Chinese learning context. The constructed relationship between translanguaging and language ecology is regarded as an innovative contribution in my study. On a pragmatic level, the practices, suggestions, reflections from students in terms of enhancing Chinese language and culture learning, and Chinese class experience provide stakeholders with insights into how students can be better supported in Chinese language and culture learning
Irene Brin (1911-1969). Fashioning women and fashion journalism in mid-20th century Italy
No full textAbstract not currently available
Investigating the role of immune-inflammatory response in heart failure
No full textAbstract not currently available
Metamaterials for millimetre and terahertz-wave applications
No full textAbstract not currently available
Discriminating between Autism and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder in a clinical context
Get PDFClinicians are concerned about making accurate differential diagnoses between Autism and Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED) because both groups of children may present with social relationship and communication difficulties, yet DSED is associated with maltreatment and Autism is not. The overall objective of the thesis was to identify any skills or behaviours which may help clinicians discriminate between these two diagnostically distinct groups.
This thesis brings together the findings of an-depth case study investigation, discussed across four separate but related papers, each of which addresses a gap in our knowledge regarding DSED, and how it may be differentiated from Autism. Paper 1 is a systematic review assessing the social functioning of children with DSED. Paper 2 directly compares the profiles of children with Autism, children with DSED and children who are typically developing (TD) via current ‘gold standard’ autism assessment and an unstructured behavioural observation called the Live assessment. Papers 3 and 4 expand on the areas of possible differentiation which were highlighted in papers 1 and 2; language and social communication (paper 3) and sensory processing (paper 4).
Specific differences in skills/behaviours of children with Autism in the case study, compared to the children with DSED, were most apparent within the domain of social communication, suggesting that future research focused on differentiating Autism from DSED should focus on this area. There was also a tentative suggestion that some sensory behaviours may be more ‘Autism-specific.’ For complex cases, a change in approach from standardised structured Autism assessment to a holistic neurodevelopmental approach using unstructured observation, which includes conversational elements, and increases the social challenge may more easily elucidate the differences between core Autism behaviours, DSED-specific behaviours and other co-occurring neurodevelopmental conditions like Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) which can complicate the picture. While awareness raising and training may be indicated, we do have tools, like the Live assessment and clinical expertise, such as Speech and Language Therapists (SLTs), available, which can be utilised to support differential diagnosis of the ‘hard to assess’ cases
High-confinement alumina waveguides for nonlinear optics in the visible and ultraviolet
Get PDFThere is increasing interest in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) operating in the blue and ultraviolet (UV), driven by applications such as sensing and optical timing. Novel material platforms are required to operate at these wavelengths; amorphous alumina has an exceptionally wide bandgap, and is therefore a promising candidate. High-confinement waveguide geometries allow for high component integration densities and are essential for nonlinear frequency conversion; however, they can be challenging to fabricate and are sensitive to material absorption losses. This work establishes a methodology for fabrication of high-confinement alumina waveguides, then demonstrates that fabricated devices are suitable for low-loss visible waveguiding and integrated nonlinear optics.
Challenges in developing a high-confinement alumina platform are twofold. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a deposition method which can produce pure and homogenous films with low absorption losses; however, depositing amorphous alumina using a conventional thermal ALD process is extremely slow, placing a practical limit on the maximum attainable film thickness. Using an oxygen plasma as the oxidant considerably reduces deposition time; in this work, I establish that alumina films deposited using a dioxygen plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD) process can be used to produce low-loss optical waveguides. Furthermore, alumina is difficult to etch selectively, especially whilst maintaining the low sidewall roughness required for operation in the UV-visible region. I address this by developing a waveguide definition process using an hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) mask exposed using electron beam lithography (EBL) and a BCl3 etch plasma, which allows etching of waveguides up to 800nm thick.
Using this process, I fabricate 400nm-thick amorphous alumina waveguides with confinement factors over 0.9 at a wavelength of 450nm. With propagation losses of 0.8dB/cm, these are the lowest-loss high-confinement waveguides reported for blue light. I present dispersion engineering calculations which demonstrate the necessity of high-confinement, unclad waveguides for stimulation of spectral broadening through nonlinear optical processes, and demonstrate the first supercontinuum generated in alumina waveguides, extending from 384nm to 951nm at a level of −50dB, in 700nm-thick waveguides. These results establish the viability of amorphous alumina deposited using dioxygen PEALD as a wide-bandgap material platform for UV-visible linear and nonlinear optics
Sleep, diet and metabolic health: evidence from observational and intervention studies
No full textAbstract not currently available
Phenotypically and transcriptionally characterising hidden reservoirs of Plasmodium falciparum in paediatric severe malaria patients
Get PDFMalaria is a tropical infectious disease of global health importance which is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Plasmodium. Most fatal malaria cases occur in children under five years old in sub-Saharan Africa where the dominant parasite species is Plasmodium falciparum. Recent studies have demonstrated that the haematopoietic spaces of the bone marrow (BM) represent an important hidden parasite reservoir of asexual and sexual stages, largely independent of classical vascular sequestration. Moreover, the spleen may represent a secondary haematopoietic organ with similar functions in extravascular parasite sequestration. The existence of hidden reservoirs has important implications for malaria eradication efforts as parasite reservoirs in these tissues may contribute to recrudescent infections, ongoing transmission, and the emergence of antimalarial resistance.
The aim of this thesis was to systematically investigate parasite sequestration in the BM and spleen in paediatric severe P. falciparum malaria cases, and the transcriptional pathways driving the switch from asexual to sexual stage development that may occur within these tissues. Specifically, this thesis aimed to determine whether the spleen harboured a significant parasite biomass compared to other tissues, to investigate the existence of an endosplenic life cycle, to determine the contribution of the spleen towards gametocyte formation and development in relation to the BM, and to deconvolute the transcriptional signatures of sexual commitment in two parasite strains with different sensitivities to environmental induction.
To evaluate the splenic reservoir, parasite distribution, density, and biomass were compared between the spleen, BM, lung, and peripheral circulation. Within the spleen, an enrichment of rings/early trophozoites was observed across all splenic compartments. While there were significantly higher parasite densities in the spleen compared to other tissues and peripheral circulation, there was no significant difference in the total parasite biomass between tissues. Furthermore, the parasite density in the spleen could be explained by the retention of peripherally circulating rings at a rate of 9.52%. Together, this suggests that in paediatric severe P. falciparum malaria, there is not a substantial hidden biomass of parasites in the spleen that is supported by an endosplenic life cycle. This contrasts with previous observations in chronic asymptomatic malaria in adults.
The spleen and BM were investigated for their contribution towards gametocyte formation and development. In the spleen, very few gametocytes and sexually committed schizonts were identified. In contrast, 13% of parasites identified in the BM were gametocytes, with 9% identified as sexually committed schizonts. This demonstrates the role of the BM in gametocyte formation and development.
To investigate the transcriptional signatures of asexual and sexually committed schizont populations which may exist in the BM, an in vitro single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) experiment was performed. Sexual commitment was induced by growing parasites in medium depleted of the serum phospholipid lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC). Two parasite strains were used, Pf2004 and Dd2, with different sensitivities to LysoPC. In LysoPC depleted conditions, two transcriptionally distinct schizont populations were identified: i) an asexual population, which exhibited upregulation of cytoadherence associated genes and genes associated with purine metabolism, and ii) a sexually committed population, which exhibited upregulation of genes associated with sexual commitment and gene regulation. These two populations shared a metabolic signature in response to nutrient depletion. A final schizont population in steady state conditions exhibited higher expression of nutrient channel components and invasion related genes. In both asexual populations, a non-coding RNA (ncRNA), PF3D7_1370800, was identified. The expression patterns of PF3D7_1370800 in relation to sexual commitment markers, and the association of this ncRNA with asexual populations, suggests that this ncRNA may function in repressing sexual commitment; however, this remains unknown.
Overall, this thesis has revealed that the magnitude of the splenic parasite reservoir varies with disease severity. It has provided histological evidence of sexual commitment in the BM, suggesting that an endogenous asexual replication cycle in the BM contributes to gametocyte enrichment and development. In parallel, it has provided insight into the transcriptional signatures of sexually committed and asexual schizonts which are hypothesised to exist within the BM
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