38541 research outputs found
Sort by
Subdued brilliance: a study of life and order in the cosmic vision of Christopher Alexander
Full text linkThis dissertation is an original presentation of the work of architect and design theorist Christopher Alexander, with particular attention to his four-volume opus The Nature of Order: An Essay on the Art of Building and the Nature of the Universe. Alexander is one of the 20th century’s most well-known architects, but the metaphysical foundations on which he establishes his ideas are often ignored or dismissed as controversial or irrelevant. In this study, I defend the necessity of these metaphysical foundations as central to his work and theory. With an emphasis on his main themes of “life,” “centers,” and the “personal,” I take up his challenge to the material-mechanistic worldview, along with his alternative proposal of a “modified physics.” The inversion the latter asserts transforms a neutral, valueless, dead world into one in which all things abide in life and soul, best understood, as I argue, in the Christian Platonic theme of Sophia. In this way, I am able to describe the “form-language” of his “fifteen properties” as an expression of sophiology, or a wisdom ontologically present to every successful “living” form. The originality of this dissertation comes in the wider breadth and intensification I bring to Alexander’s metaphysics—lending his work strength through that of Ravaisson, Goethe, Cusa, Bulgakov, Michel Henry, Plato (and others)—while also offering Alexander’s own insights, framed within his affective epistemological emphasis, as contributions which likewise strengthen philosophical understandings of form
“I’m like mould…no matter how many times you wipe it away in the shower, it always comes back, and that’s like me, I’m like, I’m back baby”: A narrative oriented inquiry into the strengths and vulnerabilities of young people without a permanent home in education, employment and training.
Full text linkDescribed as a national scandal, the number of homeless people in England reached record levels in 2023 despite being widely under-reported (Fitzpatrick et al., 2023). Between 2022-2023, Centrepoint’s UK youth homeless data bank reported that 136,000 young people sought support from their local authority due to homelessness or risk of homelessness. Young homeless people (YHP) are an extremely vulnerable group who often go unnoticed in education, employment and training (EET) settings (Pescod, 2024). A recent special by the British Psychological Society in 2024, titled Homelessness and Educational Psychology, highlights the impacts of homelessness. The current study is timely and responds directly to the growing call for EPs involvement and action in this area.
The current study adopted Hiles and Čermák's (2008) framework of Narrative Oriented Inquiry (NOI) to explore the lived experiences of YHP in EET, specifically, the strengths and resources which support their access and engagement and the vulnerabilities which hinder their access and engagement with EET. The YHP’s perceptions of their future and their identity positionings were also explored. Guided narrative interviews and a life path were used to collect the participants' narratives. Three YHP, aged 18-23 years, and living in a hostel, participated in the research.
Hiles and Čermák's (2008) NOI framework was used for data analysis, which primarily draws on Lieblich et al's (1998) analytical techniques. The findings illustrated factors which were either a strength, vulnerability or both to YHP’s engagement with EET: - relationships, individual factors and experiences, challenges of living without a permanent home and unmet basic needs, systemic obstacles in EET and resilience. Further interpretations were made regarding the YHP’s perceptions of their future: - stability, independence and freedom, engaging with EET and systemic inequality. Identity positioning of the self, others, and the broader homelessness and EET system were also explored. It revealed a perception that systems actively disadvantage YHP in EET.
The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and relevant psychological theory. Importantly, they highlight both the positive experiences and moments in YHP’s stories, alongside the challenges. This offers a counter-narrative to the dominant discourse in existing literature, which portrays YHP’s experiences of EET as predominantly negative. Implications for EET professionals, including EPs are considered. The limitations of the current research are reflected on and recommendations for future research are considered
Essays on exchange rates and optimal policy responses
Full text linkThis thesis is a compilation of three different but related papers within the areas of exchange rates and optimal policy responses.
The first paper entitled The Interplay Between Domestic Bank Lending, Foreign Interest Rates, and Exchange Rates examines the impact of exchange rate depreciation on bank loans using data from 16 emerging economies. Based on panel data analysis and the local projection method, I find that depreciation leads to a reduction in bank loans. I also find that the impact is state and shock-dependent. A greater reliance on foreign funding and depreciation caused by tighter financial conditions in the US leads to a much severe impact on bank loans. Then, I built a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with a banking system to explain the amplification mechanism of exchange rate fluctuations on bank loans. First, it occurs when the share of foreign funding by banks is significant, as it directly affects bank lending capacity. Second, in situations where banks face restrictions in obtaining external funding. Third, when banks’ profitability is more sensitive to the exchange rate movements. The finding also indicates that the foreign exchange intervention and the countercyclical capital-to-loan ratio can be considered to mitigate the impact, but they come at the expense of some trade-offs.
The second paper, LTV, External position, and Exchange rate studies the effectiveness of macroprudential policy, specifically the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio, for countries with different external positions. Using data from 62 countries and measuring volatility in house prices in terms of their absolute annual growth values, the paper documents three novel stylised facts. First, property prices are more volatile for countries with a looser LTV ratio, second, property prices are more stable among countries with net external assets, and third, exchange rates are more volatile for countries with net external liabilities. Motivated by these facts, I develop a DSGE model with a housing sector and a collateral constraint for borrowers. The model captures two situations, one with net external assets and the other with net external liabilities. The model shows that a looser LTV ratio will lead to much greater volatility in macroeconomic variables when hit by shocks, particularly for a country with net external liabilities. Unsurprisingly, a country with net external liabilities will suffer a larger welfare reduction by deviating from the optimal LTV ratio. In addition, when dealing with external shocks, the exchange rate is not an effective instrument to augment the LTV rule to stabilise macroeconomic variables.
The final paper, The Impact of Exchange Rate Movements, Volatility, and Intervention: Evidence from Malaysia attempts to uncover both the trade and the financial channel of the exchange rate. The effectiveness of exchange rate fluctuations in insulating the economy from shocks has been well debated, but remains inconclusive. This paper contributes to this debate by analysing the impact of exchange rate fluctuations on production and bank credit, using micro- and macro-level data from Malaysia. Analysing the data using the local projection method, I show that the effect of exchange rate depreciation on production is expansionary, and production is more responsive when the share of tradable sector is relatively large. In contrast, consistent with the financial channel of the exchange rate, using bank-level data, domestic bank credit reacts negatively to exchange rate depreciation. In addition, I find that bank credit responds differently depending on the volatility level and the initial shock that caused the movement of the exchange rate. Finally, I show that a targeted foreign exchange intervention in reducing the exchange rate volatility is more effective compared to a non-targeted one
Heterogeneous monetary policy pass-through in Zambia
Full text linkThis study examines the extent of monetary policy passthrough in Zambia to different credit segments, focusing on SMEs, large corporations, real estate (mortgage), and personal loans interest rates. It also investigates the role of foreign banks in shaping monetary policy transmission and assesses the influence of external financial conditions, including global risk-free investment decisions, global risk sentiments and monetary policy spillovers from foreign banks’ countries of origin. To support the empirical analysis, the study compiles a previously unavailable Monthly Indicator of Economic Growth (MIEG), a high-frequency proxy for GDP that aligns well with official quarterly GDP estimates and is applied in the empirical analysis.
The study uses novel data collected from Zambian commercial banks to make three main contributions to research on monetary policy passthrough in Zambia. First, more recent data are used covering the period of interest rates targeting from 2012 to 2022. Second, the extent of passthrough is estimated for four different credit segments – small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large corporations, real estate (mortgages) and individual borrowers. Third, bank heterogeneity is addressed by investigating the role of foreign banks in monetary policy transmission, the extent to which they are affected by external financial conditions (including global risk and monetary policy spillovers from their home countries), and how foreign and domestic banks differ.
Employing a newly constructed dataset spanning April 2012 to July 2022, the study uses a combination of econometric techniques, including Johansen cointegration technique, Panel ARDL estimated by dynamic fixed effects model with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors and bank-by-bank time series ARDL. Results reveal significant heterogeneity of passthrough across borrower segments and bank ownership. Across borrower segments, the passthrough is higher in the SME lending rate, followed by the personal loan lending rate, and lower for the mortgage and corporate lending rates, suggesting less responsiveness of these credit market segments to monetary policy changes. In terms of bank ownership structures, the results show that domestic banks exhibit twice as high monetary policy passthrough to lending rates compared to foreign banks. This suggests a stronger responsiveness of domestic banks to monetary policy than their foreign counterparts. Additionally, the study results reveal a structural shift in Zambia’s credit market after 2016, and this appears to have further weakened overall monetary policy transmission.
Overall, the findings provide critical insights into the challenges of monetary policy effectiveness in a highly globalised banking system and have important implications for policymakers in Zambia and other low-income economies with similar financial structures. To avoid policy misalignments, there is need for the Bank of Zambia to adopt a monetary policy formulation approach that actively engages with specific monetary policies of parent countries for influential foreign banks, beyond the global developments it actively follows. Finally, the paper calls for policymakers to develop policies aimed at encouraging the development and expansion of domestic banks to moderate the influence of foreign banks and enhance monetary policy effectiveness. These results also underscore the need for targeted policy interventions to enhance monetary policy effectiveness given lower passthrough is some borrower segments
Surfactant selection in biopharmaceutical product development
Full text linkBiopharmaceuticals represent one of the fastest growing areas in the pharmaceutical industry, with
monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) dominating recent approvals. However, their inherent instability and high
surface activity pose formulation challenges. Throughout their manufacture, transport and
administration, mAb products encounter multiple stresses and interfaces that can induce aggregation
and visible and sub-visible particles, which are linked to safety risks such as immunogenicity. To address
this, non-ionic surfactants such as polysorbates and poloxamers are used due to their effectiveness and
history of use. Despite their success, concerns remain around their degradation propensity,
heterogeneity and safety. Novel surfactants are under investigation to overcome these issues, with
advantages including tunable and modular structures, improved degradation resistance, and potential
for rational design. However, their use is limited by complex regulatory pathways and the need for
extensive toxicological and compatibility studies. Ultimately, surfactant selection must be guided by a
careful, case-by-case risk–benefit evaluation, balancing stability, safety and regulatory considerations.
While novel excipients show promise, polysorbates and poloxamers will likely remain central to mAb
product formulations, supported by mitigation strategies and ongoing optimisation
The Impact of Dietary Phosphorus on Postprandial Metabolic Responses and Markers of Metabolic Health
Full text linkPhosphorus plays a crucial role in energy metabolism, yet its impact on postprandial metabolic responses remains insufficiently explored. This dissertation investigates the relationship between dietary phosphorus and postprandial glycemia, energy expenditure, and metabolic health through a systematic review, two controlled clinical trials, and a cross-sectional analysis of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) data.
The systematic review synthesized existing literature on phosphorus intake and metabolic outcomes, highlighting its potential effects on glucose regulation, lipidemia, and thermogenesis.
The two controlled experiments assessed the influence of dietary phosphorus on postprandial glycemic responses, diet-induced thermogenesis, and appetite regulation. Experiment 1 examined the effect of phosphorus supplementation administered alongside a refined carbohydrate test meal, while Experiment 2 investigated the impact of naturally occurring dairy phosphorus. Findings demonstrated that dietary phosphorus, in both forms, significantly modulated postprandial glucose responses and appetite-related measures. Although direct effects on core body temperature were not observed in either experiment, it is conceivable that phosphorus may have influenced thermogenesis without eliciting measurable alterations in core body temperature, especially considering its significant effect on appetite regulation.
Complementing these experimental findings, a cross-sectional analysis of the NDNS explored the associations between dietary phosphorus intake, metabolic syndrome occurrence, and its individual components. Higher phosphorus intake was linked to improved triglyceride levels, lower diastolic blood pressure, and a reduced risk of metabolic syndrome occurrence, while a weaker direct association was observed with waist circumference.
Collectively, these findings confirm the metabolic significance of dietary phosphorus, highlighting its importance in metabolic health and providing novel insights into its role in postprandial metabolic responses. Future research should aim to further investigate the mechanistic pathways underlying the observed effects of phosphorus, while accounting for its dietary sources and bioavailability within the context of human metabolism
Towards a socially legitimate ethical review of animal research: advancing the field of 'public engagement with ethics'
Full text linkThe emergence of a 'participatory turn' in the sociological study of science and technology reflects a growing recognition of the value of diverse 'non-expert' perspectives in shaping and overseeing research agendas. The interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) has been instrumental in laying the theoretical groundwork and driving the methodological advances necessary for translating this aim to the policy sphere. Building on this momentum, there is a nascent push within STS to expand its focus to incorporate institutional ethical frameworks, aiming to develop a field of ‘Public Engagement with Ethics’. Central to these efforts is the need to reconsider the evolving role of ‘expertise’ within, and public expectations of these structures to ensure their social legitimacy – an area that has received surprisingly limited attention so far.
This thesis responds to such calls by examining the specific context of UK Animal Research and Ethical Review Bodies (AWERBs), which serve as ‘in-house’ ethics committees responsible for overseeing all research involving live animals within research institutions. This case is particularly compelling due to the complex historical interactions between “the public” and animal research. These interactions have resulted in a policy context characterised by regulatory secrecy, driven by concerns about animal rights activism and researcher safety, and an outdated reliance on reductive opinion polling to gauge the legitimacy of animal research practice and regulation.
Recognising the theoretical and methodological complexities of engaging lay publics on the topic of ethical review, this thesis introduces a novel concept - 'Imaginaries of Ethics'. This conceptual framework offers a productive approach to explore and conceptualise the ‘ideal’ ethical review process, as well as the underlying visions of animal research futures that these imaginaries embody. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through policy analysis, examining 15 AWERB policy and guidance documents, and through public engagement, conducted with six online focus groups involving 28 lay participants.
The analyses presented indicate a significant disparity between the expert-driven scientific rationality guiding AWERB protocols and the more embodied, political, and contextual ethics envisioned by lay participants. While participants did not foresee themselves actively engaging in AWERB negotiations, they valued the prospect of “upstream” exploratory ethical dialogues. However, the current AWERB ethical review process remains largely “downstream”, taking place late in research design and focusing on scientific/welfare risks within a structured timeframe using a Utilitarian harm/benefit assessment. This misalignment highlights a lack of social legitimacy in the UK’s regulatory approach to animal research, which ostensibly favours traditional science paradigms and views publics as problematic observers.
This thesis, therefore, concludes that AWERBs must embrace the political and emotional dimensions of ‘ethics’, moving beyond a focus on established expertise and objectivity. Implementing practical measures such as fostering a Culture of Care within the committee, improving transparency, and nurturing reflective practices among members could better align institutional ethical review with public expectations, enhancing the social legitimacy of animal research regulation in the short term. Meanwhile, more social science research on how publics engage with ‘ethics’ can drive future shifts towards more robust ethical review systems and, consequently, truly responsible research
One-pot microwave conversion of oil palm mesocarp fibre to levulinic acid using lignin-derived cryogel incorporated with phosphotungstic acid-niobium (V) oxide
Full text linkLevulinic acid is an important platform chemical with wide applications, and it can be produced from lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, a finely tuned method was developed to produce levulinic acid from oil palm mesocarp fibre using microwave-assisted synthesis in a lignin-derived carbon cryogel incorporated with phosphotungstic acid and niobium oxide, coupled with a gamma-valerolactone/water biphasic system. This catalytic system addresses challenges in producing levulinic acid from recalcitrant biomass, which can hinder the cellulose hydrolysis process due to the low selectivity of solid bifunctional acid catalysts in breaking down the tightly packed crystalline cellulose structure. These catalysts are often easily deactivated, difficult to recycle, and have poor thermal tolerance. The biphasic gamma-valerolactone/water system efficiently removed 95% lignin and 55% hemicellulose, making the cellulose substrate available for the conversion reaction. Meticulously tailored carbon cryogels, synthesised from lignin and xanthan gum crosslinked hydrogel under gentle sol-gel-hydrothermal conditions, offered desirable properties including a swelling ratio of 10.3 g g-1, compressive strength of 0.82 MPa at 90% strain, crosslinking yield of 71.7%, surface area of 57.41 m2 g-1, and porosity of 0.13 cm3 g-1. These cryogels, incorporated with phosphotungstic acid and niobium oxide, provided bifunctional Brønsted-Lowry and Lewis acidity at a ratio of 1.48 and acid sites of 12.50 mmol g-1, fostering a synergistic effect in catalysing tandem reactions with a synergy factor of 2.15. The cryogel catalyst exhibited a balanced distribution of micropores, mesopores, and macropores, enhancing thermal conductivity and allowing the diffusion of biomass particles. This resulted in an impressive conversion of oil palm mesocarp fibre to levulinic acid with 97.4% efficiency in a one-pot conversion. The final levulinic acid yield surged to 22.1% under optimal parameters for microwave power (388 W), catalyst loading (0.13 g), biomass loading (0.07 g), and the gamma-valerolactone to water ratio (8.41), approaching the theoretical maximum of 22.7%. The cryogel catalyst reduced energy requirements, resulting in low activation energies of 98.7 kJ mol-1 for cellulose conversion to glucose and 62.3 kJ mol-1 for glucose conversion to levulinic acid. The predominant conversion pathway presumably involves the direct conversion of glucose to levulinic acid, bypassing the HMF intermediate. The carbon cryogel catalyst exhibited robustness with an 85% efficiency after four cycles, declining to 52% by the eighth cycle, due to humin formation that may persist. The production cost of the cryogel catalyst is estimated at RM 5.23 per gram. This study proposes a technically and economically feasible, sustainable production of levulinic acid from biomass with potential for scale-up. Future work could focus on optimising the catalyst's cost reduction for scaling-up production, exploring alternative humin utilisation to upgrade by-products to value-added products in addition to levulinic acid production, and conducting computational chemistry to understand and optimise the microenvironments around active catalytic sites for better performance
Anarchism in the fiction of Zamyatin, Huxley and Le Guin
Full text linkThis Thesis will explore the anarchist philosophies of three authors of dystopian and utopian fiction: Yevgeny Zamyatin, Aldous Huxley and Ursula K. Le Guin. It argues that all three thinkers should be associated with anarchism. The thesis will argue that all three authors employ a view of human nature, and the relationship between the human subject and power, which is very similar to that of classical anarchism. Taken broadly this means that the authors each regard human beings as comprising a multitude of faculties which contain within them significant positive and negative, moral and immoral potential. The State and power are then seen as suppressive of the positive facets of human nature and exaggerative of the negative, in line with classical anarchism. It will also argue that the authors reach their anarchist conclusions via a logic similar to that of Tolstoy. Tolstoy developed a form of anarcho-pacifism, that adhered to a staunch deontological ethics based on a belief in the immanence of God within human beings and nature. Likewise, each authors shows an aversion to violence, whilst Huxley and Le Guin are both influenced by Eastern philosophy, and a belief in a form of divinity inherent in nature and human beings, which in turn, constitutes a part of their anarchism. Lastly the thesis will contend that each of the authors display some aspects of postmodernism in their analysis of power, which could be consistent with ‘postanarchism’. Though the thesis rejects the notion that the authors should be considered postanarchists, and instead argues that their analysis of power is accommodated within a broad classical anarchist framework
Development of novel therapeutic agents designed to enhance insulin secretion through activation of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1)
Full text linkProduced in the pancreas, insulin is widely considered the most important hormone involved in metabolic homeostasis. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease affecting 537 million people worldwide which results from a defect in insulin action, secretion, or both. Over time, existing antihyperglycemic treatments designed to control type 2 DM (T2DM) typically become ineffective due to changes in disease progression including weight gain and increased insulin resistance, highlighting the importance for the continued development of new therapeutic agents which exert their effects through diverse/ novel mechanisms.
Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor located in the brain, stomach, intestines and pancreatic β-cells which has roles in mediating neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. Although most of the existing research into TAAR1 agonists has focused on their role within the central nervous system for application in schizophrenia treatments, studies have identified activation of pancreatic TAAR1 enhances insulin secretion, thus TAAR1 is a promising target for novel antihyperglycemic treatments for T2DM.
This thesis reports the rational design, synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a series of ligands intended to exhibit a peripherally restricted TAAR1 agonist profile, based on N-((1H-imidazol-4-yl)methyl)-4-chloro-N-isopropylaniline (RO5073012, 59), as part of a structure activity relationship study. The analogues are computationally predicted to be substrates of the P-glycoprotein transporter and experimentally predicted to have low blood brain barrier permeability through immobilised artificial membrane reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, preventing the likelihood of inducing potential undesired on-target effects. The data obtained from high range rat insulin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Mercodia) shows that the novel analogues enhance insulin secretion in control and glucolipotoxicity conditions designed to mimic an environment typically associated with patients with poorly controlled T2DM. We also demonstrate that one compound, N-((1H-imidazol-2-yl)methyl)-4-chloro-N-isopropylaniline (76c), upregulates the secondary messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) using the cAMP select ELISA (Cayman Chemical). This suggests 76c mediates its therapeutic effects via TAAR1 thus indicating a potential role for these molecules as novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of T2DM
Access Repository Dashboard
Do you manage Open Research Online? Become a CORE Member to access insider analytics, issue reports and manage access to outputs from your repository in the CORE Repository Dashboard! 👇