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The synthesis of three fragrance ingredients currently manufactured at International Flavours and Fragrances (IFF), Benicarló, Spain are primarily investigated herein. After reviewing the literature surrounding each of these, efforts were made to improve upon their current synthesis through the development of new methodology. Assessments of the compatibility of the developed chemistry, as well as other industrially important transformations, with continuous flow processing were also made. Hedione (methyl dihydrojasmonate) was the subject of the first of these three projects. Efforts were focused towards novel dehydrohedione (DHH) syntheses from Hedione. A new copper(II) bromide mediated oxidation was firstly developed that was shown to be capable of oxidising the Hedione enol-acetate to DHH in high yield. The methodology was also applied to a range of other substrates including to the synthesis of a phenol. A catalytic system was also developed and demonstrated on a model substrate derived from desoxyanisoin. A second novel DHH synthesis was achieved by direct Hedione oxidation via an α-chloro intermediate which underwent spontaneous elimination in methanol. Of the chlorinating agents used, sulfuryl chloride was found to be the best, giving DHH yields of 77%, an improvement upon the 71% yield associated with the currently used three-step process. The process was found to be easily scalable and its amenability to flow was demonstrated. The second project involved an assessment of a Diels-Alder reaction currently used by IFF for the synthesis of Isofloriffone, a precursor to δ-Damascone. The reaction is currently catalysed using AlCl3 in high loading and an alternative catalytic system was sought. While none of the alternative methods employed gave yields that came close to those achieved with AlCl3, key factors influencing the yield were identified as the AlCl3 loading and the temperature, which must be kept low enough to prevent a runaway/diene polymerisation. The Lewis acid catalysed reaction, as it stands is not suited to flow, however, it is proposed that many thermal Diels-Alder processes in the flavour and fragrance industry would benefit from continuous flow manufacturing protocols. The final project involved the synthesis of α-dehydroherbac, a precursor to a fragrance ingredient known as Galbascone. The current process used by IFF gives rise to a mixture of products and was poorly understood prior to this work. Following mechanistic studies, a proposed overall mechanistic pathway for the reaction was outlined that accounted for the products formed and their ratios. Following this, two novel routes towards the desired α-dehydroherbac isomer were investigated. The first of these failed to give the desired product but revealed unprecedented conjugate addition reactivity of a Wittig reagent. The second route developed made use of an irregular nitro-aldol reaction followed by a Nef reaction. High selectivity towards the desired isomer was successfully achieved through steric control of an imine intermediate. The resultant process, offered both an improved yield (51% vs 38% both over two steps) and selectivity (84% vs 50% isomeric purity) over the process used currently and was demonstrated for a range of substrates. In summary, three new reactions were discovered; an irregular conjugate addition reaction of a Wittig reagent, a catalytic and non-catalytic CuBr2 mediated oxidation of ketones and enol acetates and a one-pot chlorination-elimination oxidation process which is well suited to flow and currently being trialled at pilot plant scale at IFF Benicarló. Key features of the Isofloriffone and α-dehydroherbac industrial processes were also established and a new process based on known chemistry was developed that resulted in higher yields and selectivities than the currently used α-dehydroherbac synthesis.

In this thesis, I present analysis and interpretation of the multiwavelength spectra and variability of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN). The most luminous sustained sources in the Universe, these powerful objects are consistent with being the result of gas accretion on to central galactic supermassive black holes. Due to their compact sizes, the inner regions of AGN cannot be spatially resolved by conventional means, so we must instead use spectroscopy and temporal monitoring to determine their composition and structure. I undertake a number of studies of the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of AGN, using data from infrared-X-ray bands and employing a range of numerical models. Results from SED modelling of 11 moderate redshift (1.5 < z < 2.2) AGN are presented, in which there is a selection bias towards nuclei with cooler accretion discs. I find that the peak of the SED is sampled by our data for 5/11 objects, thereby breaking several of the model degeneracies that affected previous studies. This results in stronger constraints on the physical processes at work in these AGN, and provides a powerful tool with which I examine and discuss the relationships between the various radiating components, including those of the emission line regions, dusty torus and host galaxy. I then explore the nature of four 'hypervariable' AGN, for which the origin of their extreme variability is currently unknown. Through an investigation of their SEDs, I find that either an accretion rate change, or gravitational microlensing by a star in a foreground galaxy, are energetically consistent with the data. The new insights provided by this work lead me to suggest several worthwhile routes for the future development of research in these areas. With the next generation of telescopes, satellites and surveys on the horizon, it will be possible to build on my results, to further our understanding of AGN.

This thesis explores the inherent temporality embedded within the complex stratigraphic sequence of the ‘tell’ site of Çatalhöyük, an important Anatolian Neolithic settlement situated upon the Konya Plain, South-Central Turkey. Recently the Çatalhöyük Research Project has digitized all of its single context excavation data, fully integrating their digital archive within an intra-site GIS, as an aid to analysis and interpretation. This process of digitisation excludes the Harris matrix, which, despite being integral to the recording system, and the main source of relative temporal data for the development of the site, remains an analogue mode of analysis. This research digitally visualises the stratigraphic sequence, both dynamically and intuitively (moving beyond conventional archaeological methods of phasing and periodisation), utilising the temporal capabilities of ArcGIS 10 to generate robust and dynamic intra-site spatiotemporal models. By focusing upon two case studies as a ‘proof-of-method’ (a ‘typical’ sequence of two fully excavated superjacent buildings – Buildings 65 and 56, and one unusually large and well preserved burnt building – Building 77), the experimental appending of stratigraphically-based temporal data onto the spatial component of an excavation dataset within a GIS, and subsequent analysis of associated material culture within its spatiotemporal context, has proved an innovative way to articulate and visualise the site’s space through time. This represents a transparent, repeatable and critical approach to post-excavation analysis, using current computing technologies. Focusing upon integrated spatiotemporal analysis of excavation data and associated material culture within these models also facilitates greater understanding of the relationship between space and time in archaeology within the data structure of primary recording in archaeological excavations. The resultant spatiotemporal animations combine this data as a new type of ‘visual narrative’ that may help illustrate the social meaning of these structures, potentially telling the bigger story of the site within its wider context of the Anatolian Neolithic.

Humans have an innate ability to communicate visually; the earliest forms of communication were cave drawings, and children can communicate visual descriptions of scenes through drawings well before they can write. Drawings and sketches offer an intuitive and efficient means for communicating visual concepts. Today, society faces a deluge of digital visual content driven by a surge in the generation of video on social media and the online availability of video archives. Mobile devices are emerging as the dominant platform for consuming this content, with Cisco predicting that by 2018 over 80% of mobile traffic will be video. Sketch offers a familiar and expressive modality for interacting with video on the touch-screens commonly present on such devices. This thesis contributes several new algorithms for searching and manipulating video using free-hand sketches. We propose the Visual Narrative (VN); a storyboarded sequence of one or more actions in the form of sketch that collectively describe an event. We show that VNs can be used to both efficiently search video repositories, and to synthesise video clips. First, we describe a sketch based video retrieval (SBVR) system that fuses multiple modalities (shape, colour, semantics, and motion) in order to find relevant video clips. An efficient multi-modal video descriptor is proposed enabling the search of hundreds of videos in milliseconds. This contrasts with prior SBVR that lacks an efficient index representation, and take minutes or hours to search similar datasets. This contribution not only makes SBVR practical at interactive speeds, but also enables user-refinement of results through relevance feedback to resolve sketch ambiguity, including the relative priority of the different VN modalities. Second, we present the first algorithm for sketch based pose retrieval. A pictographic representation (stick-men) is used to specify a desired human pose within the VN, and similar poses found within a video dataset. We use archival dance performance footage from the UK National Resource Centre for Dance (UK-NRCD), containing diverse examples of human pose. We investigate appropriate descriptors for sketch and video, and propose a novel manifold learning technique for mapping between the two descriptor spaces and so performing sketched pose retrieval. We show that domain adaptation can be applied to boost the performance of this system through a novel piece-wise feature-space warping technique. Third, we present a graph representation for VNs comprising multiple actions. We focus on the extension of our pose retrieval system to a sequence of poses interspersed with actions (e.g. jump, twirl). We show that our graph representation can be used for multiple applications: 1) to retrieve sequences of video comprising multiple actions; 2) to navigate in pictorial form, the retrieved video sequences; 3) to synthesise new video sequences by retrieving and concatenating video fragments from archival footage.

Modified bases in RNA molecules are common, with over one-hundred individual modifications reported to date. In transfer RNA (tRNA), these modifications help hold the molecule in its proper conformation, allow the aminoacyl-synthetases to attach the amino acid to the correct tRNA for transfer to the ribosome, and in the correct matching of the codon-anticodon pair at the ribosome. Two positions on the tRNA molecule are significant in this last action; positions 34 and 37. Position 34 is the first base in the anticodon, and pairs with the last base in the codon during translation; modifications at this point allow the anticodon to pair with multiple codons. Modifications at position 37 help stabilise the anticodon loop of the tRNA, and help the efficiency of the translation. The threonylcarbamyoladenosine (t6A) modification at position 37 is required for the efficient translation of ANN codons. At least four enzymes, TsaBCDE, are involved in the formation of this modification, and are essential for bacterial viability. In this study, the interactions between the TsaB, TsaC, TsaD and TsaE have been investigated. Protein complex formation has been identified both in-vitro and in-vivo between TsaB and TsaD. The proteins interact in a 1:1 ratio, and the results indicate that this interaction stabilises the TsaD enzyme. The interaction appears to be unchanged over a physiological range of temperatures. No stable complex was identified between TsaC or TsaE with any of the other enzymes, however calorimetry suggests that there is an interaction between TsaE and both TsaB and TsaD. TsaC is believed to synthesise the threonylcarbamoyladenylate intermediate from threonine, bicarbonate and ATP; the activity of the enzyme complex (as measured by ATPase activity) in a media containing these compounds is increased in the presence of TsaC. If the cell is prevented from maintaining a source of t6A, it mounts a number of transcriptional responses. The transcription of certain amino acid biosynthetic genes is increased, corresponding to the tRNAs requiring the t6A modification, and in the transport and conversion of sulphates. This reflects the cellular response to starvation of an amino acid; the inability to incorporate the amino acids into the polypeptide chain due to the hypomodified tRNA is interpreted as the absence of that particular amino acid. Other transcriptional effects can be interpreted as a consequence of translational stalling where the t6A modification is required, leading to alterations in transcriptional promotion. TsaB and TsaD have also been shown to bind a small number of compounds in a high-throughput fragment-based drug discovery assay. Some of these have been shown to potentially affect the ATPase activity of the enzymes.

Landscape in Roman literature is manifest with symbolic potential: in particular, Vergil and Ovid respond to ideologically loaded representations of abundance in nature that signal the dawn of the Augustan golden age. Vergil's Eclogues foreground a locus amoenus landscape which articulates both the hopes of the new age as well as the political upheaval that accompanied the new political regime; Ovid uses the same topography in order to suggest the arbitrary and capricious use of power within a deceptively idyllic landscape. Moreover, for Latin poets, depictions of landscape are themselves sites for poetic reflection as evidenced by the discussion of landscape ecphrases in Horace's Ars Poetica. My thesis focuses upon the depiction and refiguration of the locus amoenus landscape in the post-Augustan epics of the first century AD: Lucan's Bellum Civile, Valerius Flaccus' Argonautica, Statius' Thebaid and Silius Italicus' Punica. Landscape in these poems retains the moral, political and metapoetic force evident in the Augustan archetypes. However, I suggest that Lucan's Neronian Bellum Civile fundamentally refigures the landscapes of Latin epic poetry, inscribing the locus amoenus with the nefas of civil war in such a manner that it redefines the perception of landscape in the succeeding Flavian poets. Lucan perverts the landscape, making the locus horridus, a landscape of horror, fear and disgust, the predominant landscape of Latin epic; consequently, the poems of Valerius, Statius and Silius engage with Lucan's refiguration of landscape as a means of expressing the horror of civil war. In the first part of my thesis I examine archetypal landscapes, including those of the Augustan poets and Lucan's Bellum Civile. Taking an approach which engages with literary reception theory and the concept of the â horizon of expectationâ as a framework within which literary topographies can be understood as articulating a response to the thematics of civil war, in the second part of my thesis I demonstrate the manner in which landscapes represent a coherent and paradigmatic response to Lucan's imposition of his civil war narrative within the literary landscape of Roman literature.

The aim of this dissertation was to investigate the potential for building ground energy systems (BGESs) in the UK by analysing key country specific attributes. More recently these systems have been presented in the UK as having the ability to reduce carbon emissions in comparison to conventional heating and cooling plant. Due to the essential transition to a low carbon economy, this was the main driver and motivation to conduct the research in this field. An initial distinction was made between closed and open loop systems. The former system type utilises a network of pipes installed in the ground to abstract and reject heat via a circulating fluid. Using existing well technology, open loop systems abstract and discharge groundwater whereby the heat transfer between the ground and building effectively occurs within the building via a heat exchanger. Both technology approaches are relevant in the UK where the temperate climate provides a thermodynamic advantage for heat rejection and abstraction from a building, i.e. to aid cooling and heating respectively. A reversible heat pump unit is commonly used in non-domestic installations to allow the prevailing temperature from the ground side system to be reduced or increased accordingly. The research project was split into three main themes. Firstly, a technology specific spatial review of the geology, hydrogeology and climatic effects throughout the UK was conducted using a GIS software package. Secondly, a design phase analysis concentrated on the impact of climate change by applying different weather files to thermal models, different carbon factor projections for electricity, part load sizing, energy prices and the marginal cost of carbon abatement over the lifetime of the system. Finally, an operational phase analysis concentrated on the actual performance of four existing systems monitored over a 12 month period. Four different case study buildings were used for the design phase analysis, and a different set of four building for the operational phase analysis. Using referenced values for the thermal properties of the geology, the resulting heat exchanger length for vertical closed loop systems is primarily led by the respective heating and cooling loads. For the same building type this varied significantly in the three different UK climate types. Following this the thermal conductivity and starting borehole temperature was also shown to make significant differences. For horizontal closed loop systems the heat exchanger length is again led by the building location. The lead ground related parameter is the saturation of the ground as this is likely to vary considerably from location to location. A high thermal conductivity is not necessarily beneficial as this can increase the alignment with the prevailing air temperature and reduce the thermodynamic advantage. There is limited potential for open loop systems due to availability of productive aquifers. The yield analysis showed very large ranges in yield and hence the peak heating and cooling capacity from a single well. This was true when analysing particular aquifer zones and also when comparing sub regions of different aquifer types. The percentage change in peak heating and cooling capacity and annual demand due to climate change was very significant for all the four buildings analysed. The use of dynamic carbon dioxide projections in comparison to static factors currently stated in government publications also highlighted significant variations in projected carbon dioxide savings for a BGES over a 20 year period. The bivalent energy and economic assessment underlined the difference in marginal utilisation and cost effectiveness by varying the size of the BGES relative to the peak load. As the utilisation reduced the cost effectiveness also reduced. These results were translated through to huge variances in the marginal cost of carbon abatement. The operational monitoring results showed that existing BGESs are not performing according to efficiencies quoted by manufacturers. This sometimes led to marginal or negative carbon reduction and operational cost savings versus conventional plant. The poor performance was linked to the commissioned flow rates through the heat pump, buffer tank sizing, the heating distribution installation, maintenance and servicing frequency, insufficient owner knowledge and part load efficiency of heat pump plant.

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) has become a central feature of university teachers' performance assessment and Hong Kong is no exception. However, a number of writers have called into question its accuracy as a performance measurement tool. Regardless of the accuracy question, research indicates that teacher behavioural characteristics are amongst the most significant factors affecting student ratings of teacher performance. One aspect of university teacher behaviour that has received little attention is classroom leadership style.;In this study, a classroom leadership instrument was developed for use in a Hong Kong university context. This instrument was based on the transformational-transactional leadership model because there is evidence that aspects of the model have potential for enhancing student evaluation of teaching scores. Additionally, the transformational style has been associated in the literature with a number of benefits that have prima-facie relevance to the university classroom. The literature has also indicated a possible gender effect in that any enhancement to teaching scores might be especially pronounced in the case of female students.;The central outcome of the study was the development of an instrument that was capable of the valid and reliable measurement of classroom leadership style in a Hong Kong university context. A key finding was that employment, by university teachers, of the transformational and active transactional dimensions of classroom leadership style were significantly and positively associated with student perception of desirable classroom leadership outcomes. In this study, no gender effect was detected. Furthermore, there was an indication that adoption of the transformational and active transactional style in the classroom could have a substantial positive effect on teacher SET scores although this finding was not conclusive due to sample size limitations. Finally, the findings lent support to the view that the transformational-transactional leadership notion is robust across cultures.

The design of biomechanical devices is often difficult because it is not feasible to test them within human or animal patients. Initial designs may be tested using mechanical rigs or finite element models to simulate the complex loading conditions within biological environments. Recent advances in computer technology have allowed computer simulations to become more detailed. However, educated assumptions must be made to simplify the conditions that will effect the device. Highly accurate results can be obtained but it is essential that these results are verified using a mechanical test rig. This will identify if human error or inaccurate assumptions have occurred. Mechanical test rigs were designed to simulate the forces acting within four different biomechanical systems. This involved simulating the forces applied to the lumbar spine, the greater trochanter of the hip, and to the shin; for the testing of inter-vertebral cages, hip protectors and floor coverings, and shin pads respectively. Load cells were used to measure the resultant impact forces applied to the hip and shin. The time-domain data were recorded for each impact and from these data it was possible to calculate the maximum impact force and the total energy absorbed by the greater trochanter. Mechanical testing of intervertebral cages involved pressure sensitive paper to measure resultant pressure trends at the interface between the vertebral end plate and the cages. This instantly revealed pressure trends and computer programs were written to determine the contact area, calibrate pressure values, and to allow the improved visualisation of results. Results from the mechanical test rigs are also suitable for validation of finite element analysis studies. New information has been generated to improve understanding about the pressure trends under intervertebral cages and the key design features have been identified. The hip test rig was used in the design of a novel hip protector, to determine the role of floor coverings in an impact, and to compare numerous hip protectors using typical impact conditions. Results show that a combination of energy absorbent flooring with a hip protector is the best environment for a reduced risk of a hip fracturing. Design recommendations were made regarding the material composition and the thickness of the materials used. This allowed the novel hip protector to be designed as small as possible but still sufficiently reduces the impact force from a person falling onto their hip. The hip test rig was modified to simulate the shin and was used to compare several commercially available shin guards. New information was generated to identify which design features are best to reduce impact forces. Further developments have been made to the first version of the hip impact test rig. The latest version of this hip test rig is currently being used as a benchmark for all hip protectors and is a likely contender as the basis of a standard testing system for a European Standard.

Aggregates provide a distinct niche within the water column with elevated levels of nutrients compared to the surrounding water. Differences have been observed between aggregate and planktonic communities of ammonia oxidising bacteria within the environment, but such differences have not been explained. Ammonia oxidising bacteria are important due to their role in the first rate-limiting step of nitrification in which nitrogen is converted from its most reduced to its most oxidised form. The aim of this study was to determine mechanisms responsible for aggregate colonisation using a model system. To achieve this aim, a model aggregate system was developed in which colonisation of aggregates by ammonia oxidising bacteria under different conditions could be determined. Candidate ammonia oxidiser strains, Nitrosomonas europaea and Nitrosospira tenuis, were used to demonstrate the effect of the sampling method on observed distribution of AOB within the model system. The degree of bias of the b-AMO and CTO PCR primer sets was assessed and indicated that the predominance of Nitrosospira species in many environmental surveys was not due to primer bias. The composition of particulate communities of AOB determined the extent of colonisation by other species of AOB. The immediate colonisation of aggregates by N. tenuis suggested that differences in particulate and planktonic AOB communities were not solely due to differences in substrate availability and activity of differing AOB under such conditions, although the ability of attached communities of AOB to respond more quickly when substrate becomes available was again illustrated. This study provides evidence of the differences between particle-attached and free-living AOB and indicates how such differences can be related to the ecology of these organisms in natural environments.

GroEL is a heat shock protein, involved in the folding of denatured proteins under stressed conditions. Flagellin is a structured protein of flagella, and can undergo phase variation so that at any one time, synthesis of flagellin occurs from either of two genes, fliC or fliB. Porins, of which OmpC is an example, allow passage of nutrients and small molecules through the bacterial cell outer membrane. All of these proteins have previously been described as being immunogenic. In the work described here, antibodies specific to each of these antigens were detected in both innately susceptible and resistant mice after infection with an attenuated strain of S. typhimurium, and after subsequent challenge with the virulent organism, suggesting that they may each be involved in protective immunity. The immunogenicity of a vaccine consisting of these four recombinant Salmonella antigens was assessed in the mouse model. GroEL- and flagellin-specific antibodies were detected in innately susceptible mice after immunisation together with the adjuvant DDA. Moreover, analysis of IgG isotypes showed increased titres of both IgG1 and IgG2a, the latter indicating that cell-mediated immunity had been generated. However, challenge of immunised mice with virulent S. typhimurium demonstrated that the protective efficacy of the vaccine was of only low-level. Immunisation of innately susceptible and resistant mice using a tetravalent DNA vaccine expressing all four antigens resulted in increased antibody against GroEL, FliC and FlijB in both mouse strains. As with the subunit vaccine, IgG isotype analysis showed increased titres of both IgG1 and IgG2 indicting that both Type 2 and Type 1 helper T-cell responses had been elicited. However, considerable variation was observed within immunised mouse groups and so the protective efficacy of the vaccine was not determined.

The theory of 2-convex norms is applied to Banach space valued random vectors. Use is made of a norm on random vectors, introduced by Pisier, equal to the 2-absolutely summing norm on an associated space of operators. For Q the variance of some centred Gaussian random vector in a separable Banach space it is shown that, necessarily, Q factors through l2 as a product of 2-summing operators. This factorisation condition is sufficient when the Banach space is of Gaussian type 2. The stochastic integral of a family of operators with respect to a cylindrical Q-Wiener process is shown to exist under a Hölder continuity condition involving the 2-summing norm. A Langevin equation dZt + ΛZtdt = dBt with values in a separable Banach space is studied. The operator Λ is closed and densely defined. A weak solution (Zt ; Bt), where Zt is centred, Gaussian and stationary while Bt is a Q-Wiener process, is given when iΛ and iΛ* generate C0 groups and the resolvent of Λ is uniformly bounded on the imaginary axis. Both Zt and Bt are stochastic integrals with respect to a spectral Q-Wiener process. The convolution of two arcsine probability densities is shown to be an elliptic integral. Ensembles (Xn)n≥1 of random Hermitian matrices are considered. Each Xn is n by n with distribution invariant under unitary conjugation and induced by a positive weight function on R. New proofs are given of results, due to Boutet de Monvel, Pastur, Shcherbina and Sodin, on the behaviour of the empirical distribution of the eigenvalues of Xn as n tends to infinity. Results in analytic function theory are proved. An H∞ interpolating sequence in the disc D whose Horowitz product does not lie in the Bergman space L2a(D) is exhibited. A condition satisfied by Banach spaces of non-trivial analytic Lusin cotype is obtained.

Indium antimonide (InSb) and gallium antimonide (GaSb) are technologically important III-V semiconductor materials used in infrared detector systems. Yet, the application of these materials is to a certain extent limited, in that the techniques currently used for their growth are both expensive and problematic. Semiconductor electrochemical deposition, which has been successfully applied to the generation of II-VI semiconductor materials, may offer the prospect of overcoming such limitations. This work presents results that represent a significant contribution to the development of electrochemical methods for both InSb and GaSb thin film growth. The direct electrochemical co-deposition of InSb was achieved via the potentiostatic electrolysis of aqueous halide/citric acid electrolyte solutions, and for the first time, non-aqueous (ethylene glycol) electrolyte solutions containing the halides and tetraethylammonium chloride. This choice of solvents allowed the compound's deposition to be studied over a wide range of temperatures (RT to 185 °C). A first report was also made of the direct potentiostatic co-deposition of GaSb from an aqueous solution containing Ga[2](SO[4])[3] and SbCl[3].An extensive study was carried out on the relationship between the technique's fundamental growth parameters (temperature, deposition potential, solution composition etc.) and the film's compositional, crystallographic and morphological properties. The material's characterisation showed that there was tendency for the films to be non-stoichiometric. X-Ray diffraction patterns obtained from InSb films deposited from aqueous electrolyte solutions showed them to generally consist of two phases, the compound and, depending mostly on deposition potential, one of the elements. Films containing three phases, the compound and both elements, were deposited on Ti substrates from aqueous solutions and on to ITO substrates from non-aqueous solutions. These results were interpreted from both thermodynamic and kinetic viewpoints. This led to the conclusion that kinetic barriers to the formation of InSb still existed, even at the highest temperature used (~185 °C). In respect of GaSb, the compound's formation was complicated by a side reaction involving the evolution of H[2].New studies involving Scanning Electron Microscopy of the electrodeposited materials showed that they exhibited a nodular morphology, which can be explained in terms of the film's limiting current growth conditions. Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX) and Glow Discharge Optical Emission Spectroscopy (GDOES) identified indium chloride as a major impurity in the InSb films, especially those deposited from non-aqueous solutions. A mechanism for the incorporation of indium chloride was proposed, based on the physical entrapment of a precipitate of the compound.

This thesis presents new work on the analysis of human lung sound. Experimental studies investigated the relationship between the condition of the lungs and the power spectrum of lung sound detected at the chest wall. The conclusion drawn from two clinical studies was that the median frequency of the lung sound power spectrum increases with a decrease in airway calibre. The technique for the analysis of lung sound presented in this thesis is a non-invasive method which may be capable of assessing differences in airway calibre between different lobes of the lung. An expert system for the analysis of lung sound data and pulmonary function data was designed. The expert knowledge was expressed in a belief logic, a system of logic which is more expressive than first order logic. New automated theorem proving methods were developed for the belief logic. The new methods were implemented to form the 'inference engine' of the expert system. The new expert system compared favourably with systems which perform a similar task. The use of belief logic allows introspective reasoning to be carried out. Plausible reasoning, a type of introspective reasoning which allows conclusions to be drawn when the database is incomplete, was proposed and tested. The author concludes that the use of a belief logic in expert system design has significant advantages over conventional approaches. The experimental results of the lung sound research were incorporated into the expert system rule base: the medical and expert system research were complementary.

This research is concerned primarily with the provision of private and public sector business services in the Highlands of Scotland. This is a sparsely populated area with a variety of economic problems, including remoteness from main centres providing business services. The research involved a survey of over fifty manufacturing and fish farming enterprises in the region, and fourteen accountancy firms. Semi-structured interviews identified which services firms use and provided information on the quality of services.

Exposure of blood to a foreign environment will normally result in alterations to the blood constituents. The variables governing the extent and type of this damage are still somewhat ill defined, despite a large investigative effort over the last twenty years. Investigation of the interaction of the governing variables has been largely neglected. This work has sought to study the interaction of three parameters, viz the shear rate to which the blood is exposed, the time of exposure, and some characteristics of the surface to which the blood is exposed. Bovine blood was sheared in a constant shear field, produced by a modified cone and plate viscometer. Blood damage, as measured by haemolysis, increased both with increasing shear rate and with time. No critical shear rate was found at any time interval, but rate of haemolysis decreased with time, especially at higher shear rates. This decrease was thought to be due to deposition of plasma proteins onto the viscometer plate surface, forming a protective coating. The presence of this coating was verified by using fluorescein conjugated antibodies. The coating consisted chiefly of fibrinogen and albumen. Some immunoglobulins and complement were also present. The fibrinogen and albumen coats are not homogenous but areas of sparseness are visible. The effect of surface roughness upon blood damage was also investigated using very well defined surfaces as the viscometer plates. The most damaging surface had a peak to peak distance of 2.5 microns, the damaging effect decreasing at shorter and longer distances. In this experimental system, the haemolysis observed was entirely due to red cell inter-action with the plate surface. Red cell/foreign surface interaction was studied with light, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. Red cells can tether to adjacent foreign surfaces during flow, and this may be a mechanism of haemolysis. It was also found that blood can become oxygenated when being sheared in a cone and plate viscometer, and that this was caused by gas exchange at the cone periphery, probably facilitated by secondary radial flows under the cone.

1. Metchnikov's discovery of Polycerus lubrici in the Earthworm, made in 1867, is confirmed for the first time. 2. The conclusion of Joyeux and Baer that Polycercus lumbrici is the larval form of Paricterotaenia paradoxa (= Amoebotaenia lumbrici) is confirmed. 3. The intermediate host is identified as Allolobophora terrestris and the principal final host as the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola). 4. The polycercus has been found only in immature specimens of A. terrestris. The implications of this are discussed. 5. Earthworms were experimentally infested with Polycercus lumbrici by feeding them with mature proglottides of Paricterotaenia Paradoxa from the Woodcock. 6. The incidence and habits of the Woodcock are discussed. 7. The degree and site of infestation of Paricterotaenia paradoxa in the Woodcock are discussed. 8. The development of Polycerous lumbrici in the Earthworm, from the earliest form of the larva to the cysticercoid, is described in detail for the first time. 9. MetchniRov's outline of the development of Polvcercus lumbrici is amended to include a retroversion of the larva prior to the differentiation of the primordia of the scolex, retention of the side-walls of the larva and the appearance of an axial column of cells. His account is also extended to give, for the first time, a complete description of the development of the scolex. The rostellum is formed, as in Cysticercus fasciolars, from a bulb and prebulb, the former supplying the hook-elevator muscles and the glandular elements, the latter the muscles of the walls of the rostellum and the hook-retractor muscles. The remainder of the muscles of the scolex are modifications of the parenchymal and peripheral musculature. 10. The muscular, excretory, nervous and glandular systems are described and discussed. 11. A description is given of experiments to determine: (i) suitable media for keeping the larvae alive in vitro; (ii) agents for freeing the cysticercoids from the cyst; (iii) agents which induce evagination of the scolex; (iv) suitable media for culture and development of the evaginated tapeworms. The results of the experiments indicate that: (i) the larvae can be kept alive for periods of up to five days in simple physiological solutions such as Locke's (ii) the larvae are freed from the cyst in the gizzard of the final host by a purely mechanical process; (iii) the larvae are induced to evaginate in the final host by the action of gastric juice followed by pancreatic juice, the effective agents being pepsin in the first and pancreatin in the second, (iv) the tapeworm will not develop to maturity in any of the media used. 12. The discovery of a second polycercus, the larval form of Paricterotaenla burti Sandeman, 1959 is recorded from the Earthworm Allolophora terrestris. 13. Hook development in Paricterotaenia burti is described it follows the same general pattern as that of P. paradoxa. 14. An unidentified species of Amoebotaenia is described. 15. Evidence is offered which elucidates the life-cycles of the following cestodes: (i) Paricterotaenia paradoxa: intermediate host, the Earthworm Allolobophora terrestris; final host, the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola). (ii) Parieterotaenia burti; intermediate host, the Earthworm Allolobophora terrestris; final host, the Woodcock (Scolopax rustlcola). (iii) Paricterotaenia stelliferai: final host, various charadrriform birds; intermediate host, Tubifex. Cysticercus pachycanthus is identified as the larval form of Valipora skrjabini a parasite of the Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago). An unrecorded cyrsticercoid from Tubifox is noted.

The thesis examines the feasibility of several methods for providing remedial high school level education to Marine Corps enlisted personnel. It includes a review of recent Marine Corps enlistment experience and the serviceman's need for education. Also considered are the congressional and Marine Corps requirements for servicemen to process a high school education and the present provisions which allow completion of secondary schooling, with emphasis on the Predischarge Education Program (PREP). This precedes an analysis of alternative methods for providing this education with a view toward expected costs and benefits. Research in support of this study consists of a review of applicable public laws and Marine Corps Orders. Personal interviews with administrators of PREP at three major military bases in California provided basic information and data. (Author)

Porous solids, such as metal-organic frameworks and zeolites are widely recognised for their applications in catalysis and molecular separation, whilst the area of Porous Liquids (PLs) is still a relatively new concept. PLs, like porous solids, are designed to exhibit permanent microporosity but PLs have the added advantage of fluidity. As such, they can act as enhanced, selective solvents and may ultimately find applications which are not possible for porous solids, such as continuous flow separation processes. Type II PLs consist of empty molecular hosts dissolved in size-excluded solvents and to date have mainly been based on hosts that have limited chemical and thermal stability. In chapter 3 of this thesis, Noria, a rigid cyclic oligomer has been identified as a new host for the synthesis of more robust Type II PLs. Although the structure of Noria is well-documented (X-ray crystal structures of the cyclic oligomer have been reported), it has been found that literature has overlooked the true composition of bulk Noria samples. From the work conducted in chapter 2, it has been realised that bulk samples (as obtained by the standard literature procedure) typically consist of Noria (approximately 40%), a Noria isomer, specifically a resorcinarene trimer, "R3" (approximately 30%) and other unidentified oligomers (approximately 30%). Moreover, Noria has been characterised crystallographically as a diethyl ether solvate and its 1H NMR spectrum fully interpreted and assigned for the first time. The previously postulated but unreported R3 has also been characterised crystallographically as a dimethyl sulfoxide solvate, which confirms its alternative connectivity to Noria. Noria and R3 have low solubility which precludes their use in Type II PLs, however, the partially ethylated derivative Noria-OEt dissolves in the size-excluded solvent 15-crown-5 to give a new Type II PL. This PL exhibits enhanced uptake of methane (CH4) gas supporting the presence of empty pores in the liquid. Detailed molecular dynamics simulations support the existence of pores in the liquid and show that occupation of the pores by CH4 is favoured. Additionally, chapter 3 also looks at investigating the gas adsorption properties of another potential Type II PL synthesised from the pillar[5]arene derivative, triethylene oxide pillar[5]arene (TEOP[5]). CH4 gas solubility experiments revealed that dissolution in TEOP[5] in 15-crown-5 was endothermic and therefore showed interesting "inverse" temperature dependent gas uptake behaviour i.e., gas solubility was greater at higher temperatures. Finally, the work discussed in chapter 4 focuses on the cyclophane cyclobis (paraquat-p-phenylene), more commonly known as blue box (BB4+). Despite improvement towards the synthetic accessibility of BB4+ in recent years, the synthetic routes remain stepwise and are often low yielding unless harsh reaction conditions are used. Therefore, chapter 4 investigates an alternative synthetic route to BB4+ using mechanochemistry, specifically ball milling. Interestingly, it has been found that the mechanochemical synthesis does not form the desired BB4+ molecule but instead most likely a polymer, specifically a xylene-bridged polyviologen. Nonetheless, the work here highlights how mechanochemistry can offer an alternative and efficient route to certain products that are normally synthesised in solution.

This thesis investigates the compressibility of Type 3 porous liquids and gas and liquid separation by Type 3 porous liquids. Current studies suggest that Type 3 porous liquids might have great potential to be applied as gas adsorbents in industry. Although in literature, the uptake of gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen etc. into porous liquids have been described, there were no reports on the potential of porous liquids to separate ethane and ethene. A range of porous solids selected according to their ability to adsorb ethane and ethene would be synthesized and characterized. Subsequently, formulated porous liquids were fully characterized and evaluated for their potential in ethane/ethene separation by pure gas solubility measurements. Furthermore, no porous liquids have previously been explored to perform liquid-liquid separations. Hydrophobic Type 3 porous liquids were developed for liquid-liquid separation specifically mono-ethylene glycol (MEG) from water. The MEG adsorption ability of Type 3 porous liquids was also compared to the common liquid separation technique (solvent extraction). In the end, the compressibility of Type 3 porous liquid based on hydrophobic porous solids were discussed in this thesis. The compressible liquid showed much higher compressibility than seen in conventional liquids. Neutron scattering analysis was also applied to monitor the system to study any structural changes of porous solids during the compression/decompression process.

This thesis details the synthesis of over 100 new Type 3 porous liquids based on a broad range of microporous solids dispersed in electrically neutral solvents. These new porous liquids were successfully characterised and their physical properties including viscosity, density, disperision stability and their gas uptake capabilities explored. A particular porous liquid was highlighted as a potential drop in replacement for the upgrading of biogas to biomethane and further studies were carried out on this new porous liquid where it was found to perform over three times better than the current industrial scrubber in the upgrading of biogas. This thesis also discusses some interesting MOF based chemistry where the use of mechanochemistry allowed for the formation of defects which led to the MOFs having increased gas capacity and selectivity. The process of drug inclusion in MOFs were also investigated and the effects of using a size excluded solvent in the loading process cf. a standard wetting solvent was found to approximately double the amount of drug being loaded into the MOF. Lastly, new materials in the form of liquids with high compressibility were proposed and studied. These liquids exhibit high compressibility and the reasons for the compressibility along with investigating some surrounding factors were explored.

Introduction: Many medications have an unproven safety profile for use during pregnancy, leading to issues when chronic diseases, such as hypertension and depression, present during pregnancy. The focus of this research programme is to determine whether in utero exposure to antihypertensive and antidepressant medication is associated with increased risk of adverse events at birth, and up to 27 months of age in the child. Methods: Two systematic reviews were performed to identify current published literature and knowledge gaps. Following this, using Scottish healthcare data, a cohort of 268,711 children born 2010-2014 were identified. Following cleaning of the data, multiple imputation was used to account for missing values. Poisson, linear and multinomial regressions were performed to identify the relationship between in utero medication exposure and child outcomes. Results: In utero antihypertensive exposure was associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, but not developmental issues. However, untreated hypertension was associated with low birth weight, preterm birth, and small for gestational age. In utero antidepressant exposure was associated with preterm birth, low birth weight, small for gestational age, preeclampsia, having a special needs indicator at 10 days and 6-8 weeks post-birth, developmental issues at 27 months Conclusions: This research programme identified several adverse outcomes following in utero exposure to antihypertensive and antidepressant medication.

Chicken heart mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase has been purified by an improved isolation method to give 56% of the initial mitochondrial enzyme. The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 340 U/mg. This homogeneous enzyme has been shown to be pure by several criteria. The enzyme has been shown to be a dimer with a molecular weight of 67,000 gm/mol. Upon exposure of MDH to pH 4.8, the enzyme dissociates into 33,000 gm/mol monomers. At pH 5.0, an apparent equilibrium. exists between the monomeric and dimeric states. If pyrophosphate or phosphate were present, stabilization of the enzyme occurred, causing an increase in the enzymatic activity and a decrease in the Km,values for both substrate and coenzyme, probably by an induced conformational change. Iodoacetamide was found to modify two histidine residues, one group in each active site, per enzyme dimer at pH 7.0. Ellman's reagent reacted with enzyme at pH 5.0, possibly modifying most of the sulfhydryl groups. N-Ethyl maleimide modification of the enzyme's sulfhydryl groups at pH 4.8 was found to be slightly more specific in its modification than Ellman's reagent. The number of sulfhydryl groups modified by N-ethyl maleimide increased with either lowering of the pH or an increased reagent concentration. Six -SH groups were modified at pH 5.0, while eleven sulfhydryl groups reacted at pH 4.8. The presence of NADH was found to prevent modification entirely when either N-ethyl maleimide or iodoacetamide was present. A model of subunit interactions in the native and modified chicken isozyme is presented, and is compared with the model of the porcine and bovine isozymes.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate new types of materials and technologies in the fast-changing bindery industry. An optimum binding method (OBM) is being determined by using different brands of cold emulsion polyvinyl acetate, different adhesive, binding methods, spine preparation, and papers. Testing is performed with a combination of materials and technologies to determine the actual binding strength and performance of adhesives. Results of the tests were analyzed statistically by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), graphing, percent of change and ranking of values to find the optimum. The results of this study show some relationships of the factors, adhesives, binding styles, paper, and grain direction of paper when tested for pounds of pull using various types of tests; pagepull, cornerpull, subwaypull, pagepull after Universal Book Tester (UBT), and pagepull after tumble. The spine preparation was shown to be the most critical factor for the strength of the book. Other critical factors for strength were the kind and grain direction of the paper. The OBM was found using the perfo adhesive binding method, adhesive B, and uncoated paper with the grain direction short. There were no 8, 16 or 32 page signatures used for the testing. Only 4 page signatures were used.

Very large scale Monte Carlo computer simulations on percolation clusters are presented. Critical concentrations and static exponents ((beta), (gamma), (delta), (nu)) were obtained for two-dimensional square and triangular lattices (up to 1.024 x 10('9) sites) and for cubic lattices (up to 6.4 x 10('7) sites), including square lattices where the sites are connected by long range bonds (up to 7 nearest neighbors), as well as layers (1 to 400) of square lattices. The den Nijs conjecture for two-dimensional lattices is consistent with our simulations. Universality is also confirmed for the lattices with the long-range bonds. Extensive tables of cluster distributions are appended. The kinetics of the exciton reaction A + A (--->) A, where the A's are random walkers, was studied over a wide range of percolation parameters. The single random walk exponent f = d(,s)/2, where d(,s) is the spectral dimension, was found to quantitatively describe the above kinetics, i.e., (rho)('-1) - (rho)(,0)('-1) (PROPORTIONAL) t('f), where (rho) and (rho)(,0) are the walker densities at time t and t = 0, respectively. For the incipient percolating clusters f = 2/3 within 1 to 2%. Fractal-to-euclidean crossovers mimic those of the single walker and the same is true for long-range hops. Steady exciton source kinetics were also investigated. A steady state is achieved for the incipient percolating clusters, giving an effective reaction order of 2.5, in excellent agreement with the conjecture: X = 1 + 1/f. Steady states are also achieved when the kinetics includes all the clusters above, at, and below percolation (C(,c)). The reaction order X goes from the classical value 2 (C/C(,c) >> 1) through 2.5 to 3 (C/C(,c) (TURNEQ) 1) to values on the order of 20 (C/C(,c) << 1), but appears to come back to about 2 for C/C(,c) (--->) 0. These transient and steady-state kinetics simulations provide the first quantitative model for exciton annihilation experiments on isotopic mixed organic crystals. (Abstract shortened with permission of author.)

The purpose of the dissertation is to survey the major attitudes within the Occidental Protestant Churches towards Christian missionary work. This embraces, firstly, an historical account of the earliest evidences of missionary interest within Protestantism and the various reactions to it by Church leaders. Secondly, the study involves the growth of missionary enthusiasm among church members and the consequent development of missionary attitudes within the context of the three-way relationship of the Occidental Protestant Churches to each other, to the younger Churches of the Orient and to non-Christian Oriental religious faiths. Although much historical data is presented, this dissertation does not aim to be a history of Protestant missions to the Orient. Research into this wide subject has proceeded within definite limits, which are explained in the introductory chapter. Throughout the study attention has been focussed on the Orient, although the discussion in the early chapters has not been restricted to this area. The time-period, covered by the survey, stretches from the Protestant Reformation to the outbreak of the First World War [TRUNCATED].

This thesis investigates the application of metal-organic frameworks in waste water treatment and the synthesis of new metal-organic frameworks. Chapter one gives a general overview of water-treatment processes, the methods and materials used in these processes, and also the structures and properties characteristics of activated carbon and zeolites. The definition of metal-organic frameworks and their structural characteristics, such as the secondary building units and crystal flexibility, are also reviewed. Chapter two discusses the use of metal-organic frameworks in water treatment processes. Three basic criteria of choosing metal-organic frameworks for this application are defined. Compound [Cu3(BTCh(OH2h]n (BTC = 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylate), referred as Cu3, is chosen accordingly for investigation. A novel microwave synthesis of Cu3 is developed. Absorption experiments with Organic solutes, such as alcohols, phenol and aniline, using Cu3 have been investigated by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. It revealed Cu3 preferentially absorbs to hydrophobic solutes. The water stability and regeneration of Cu3 have also been studied. A new Fe based polymer-structural material [Fe(O)(OOCCH20CH2COOh(H20h](OOCCH20CH2COOJ0_5, referred as Fe OF, has been designed and synthesised with the aim of removal of phosphate from water. Static and continuous flow absorption tests reveal Fe-MOF is able to remove phosphate from water. In addition, an unexpected metal-organic gel, referred as Fegel, has been obtained. Macroporous polymethyl methacrylate has been synthesised by using this gel as a template. Chapter three describes the synthesis of some ne metal-organic frame types of ligands, isonicotinlc acid (INA) and H3BTC, are used. The new metal-INAtype frameworks, examples being Mn(fNAh · 0.5EtOH · O.SH2O 3 and [Co(INA)2]·0.5EtOH 4, [Co(INA)2)'0 .5H2O 5, [Co(INA)2]'0.5Pr1OH·H2O 6, revealed a new structural flexibility behaviour in MOFs, that is, the pyridyl rings in these structures can rotate freely between 'open' and 'closed' positions to let the guests move in and out of the channels. Further studies of compound 4 displayed unprecedented expansion-contraction behaviour during sorption and desorption process of guest molecules. Derivatives of INA, such as 3-ftuoro-isonicotinic acid (INA-F), 3-methyl-isonicotinic acid (INA-Me) and quinoline-4-carboxylic acid (INA-Bz), formed further three new frameworks with Co ions: Co{INA-F)£0.5MeOH 7, Co(INAMe) 22MeOH 8, Co(INA-Bz)2.H2O 9. Crystallographic analysis of 7-9 revealed relationships between steric effects of the organic linkers and the adopted framework structure. Two interpenetrated frameworks, Zn(INA)2.0.5EtOH.0.5H2O 10 and Zn(L 1 )2.MeOH (L 1 = 4-[(Pyridine-4-methylene)-amino]-benzoate) 11 , were also obtained. Framework 11 revealed an interesting relationship between the inclusion of solvent and the chirality of the framework. Highly novel anionic frameworks, [Me2NH2][Zn2(BTC)(HBTC)](DMF) 13 and [EhNH2][Zn(BTC)0 .5H2O] 14, were synthesised by the reaction of Zn(II) ions with H3BTC under solvothermal conditions. Cation exchange of framework 13 was conducted and revealed that it occurred via dissolution and recrystalisation. Chapter four contains the references and experimental details of the above chapters.