Search

Aim: To identify the circumstances in which it would be easier for nurses who find themselves in the role of 'patient' or 'relative' to complain when they have received or witnessed care or treatment they feel could be improved. Design: A qualitative interview study. Methods: Data were collected using a semi-structured interview with 12 nurse patients and nurse relatives in Scotland. All interviews were face to face, recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2013, 2022). Results: Participants provided rich and often harrowing accounts of their experiences of receiving or witnessing care. The analysis produced the following themes: Insider/outsider (overarching); 1. Through the nursing lens with subthemes (i) It's all magnified, (ii) Blurred boundaries (iii) The hidden code; 2. Loss of trust; 3. See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil; and 4. Using my insight to make a difference. Conclusion: While their insider knowledge gave a unique insight into the experience of care and treatment, the complexity of the nurse patient's and nurse relative's insider/outsider position also made it difficult for them to complain when they received or witnessed poor care. Changes to leadership, policy, practice and education are required to make it easier for nurse patients and nurse relatives to complain so that the opportunity to learn from their rich experience is not lost. Impact: The limited evidence available about the experience of nurses who find themselves in the role of patient or relatives of patients comes from different countries suggesting that this study is of international interest. Previously under researched, this study contributes to the existing body of evidence by looking uniquely at the experience of nurse-patients and nurse-relatives through the lens of complaints.

Founded in the sculptural practice of Richard Serra, this project presents the development of a compositional methodology that explores the intersection between sound, space, and place using experience-led acoustic measurement and spatial composition. Taking inspiration from Serra's fervent advocation for sculpture-making in terms of mass, weight, and counterbalance, this project puts forward a case for a modern conceptualisation of phenomenological site-specificity. However, while Serra's works, like Tilted Arc-a controversial site-specific steel arc sculpture that divided Federal Plaza, New York, in 1981-are pivotal in establishing a more mechanical approach to site-specificity, his treatment of the site beyond its physical and architectural characteristics have garnered much criticism. While this project centres on the adoption of acoustic measurement as a compositional tool, it has also been critical to develop a compositional methodology that is more attentive and conscientious of the broader contexts of a given site. To achieve such, this project also incorporates the more mindful practices of Pauline Oliveros and Hildegard Westerkamp. This commentary, accordingly, traces the progression from a site-specific compositional model that is heavily inspired by Serra's sculptural practice towards a more holistic methodology that recognises the authors framing of and involvement with the site. Simultaneously, this document also presents the development of novel adaptations of standard acoustic measurement techniques and subsequent analyses of the impulse response that are complementary to and propel attentive site-engagements.

Early European projects for the colonisation of the Americas blur fact and fiction. Colonists risked their lives and livelihoods for an idea of the Americas that was formed as much by fantasy and wishful thinking as by experience. This thesis examines two unrealised or partially-realised English and Welsh colonial projects from the seventeenth century to shed light on the atavistic and often fantastical world views that informed European ideas of the New World and what Europeans thought they might do, make or create there. The thesis contributes to colonial, imperial and Atlantic histories, challenging the notion that what matters in histories of empire and colonialism is only what was enacted, rather than what was imagined or intended. Short-lived colonial projects have largely been footnoted or ignored within imperial, colonial, Atlantic and early Canadian and American histories but in omitting them from our analyses we see only part of the picture: the plans that came to fruition. Consequently, we may presume that the colonial visions that were achieved represent the totality of European colonisers' intentions and worldview, that only the colonies that were successfully planted-or the coloniser's whose ambitions were fulfilled-shaped the New World in the minds of Europeans and those they colonised. The thesis takes an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on the history of ideas, material culture studies, dress history, cultural geography, the history of cartography, utopian and literary studies, and art and architectural history. Common themes emerge: a shared obsession with order and with an idealised past founded in sacred and secular histories, myth, genealogies and legends. Yet each project offers its own insight into the conception of the New World, fusing the imaginary and the real in different ways to reveal differing contemporary concerns.

The G-protein coupled apelin receptor and its two endogenous peptide ligands, apelin and Elabela, have emerged as key regulators of cardiovascular development, physiology and disease. It has therefore been suggested that targeting the apelin receptor therapeutically may be beneficial for the treatment of a range of cardiovascular pathophysiologies. Despite this, there is a lack of a suitable human based in vitro system to investigate the cardiac apelin receptor. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) represent a powerful tool for modelling as they are amenable to genetic editing and can be induced to differentiate to any cell type. This study aimed to use hESC-derived cardiomyocytes to examine the role of the apelin receptor in cardiomyocyte development and function. For the first time, hESC-derived cardiomyocytes were found to express the apelin receptor at similar levels to human hearts, indicating suitability for use as a model for investigating the apelin receptor. A novel apelin receptor inducible knockdown system was generated in hESCs. Inducing apelin receptor knockdown throughout differentiation reduced cardiomyocyte differentiation efficiency, and had functional consequences, including disrupted beating pattern and prolonged voltage sensing. Moreover, apelin receptor knockdown in differentiated cardiomyocytes, combined into 3D engineered heart tissues had detrimental effects on contractility, with decreased force generation and increased stiffness observed, accompanied by an increase in collagen deposition. An apelin receptor variant identified from the NIHR BioResource BRIDGE project and previously shown to affect ligand binding was also introduced into hESCs. Again, detrimental effects on hESC-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation and function were observed, similar to that seen with apelin receptor knockdown. This thesis has characterised the expression of the apelin receptor in hESC-derived cardiomyocytes, and utilised genetic engineering to manipulate apelin receptor expression, identifying a key role for the apelin receptor in hESC-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation and function. This recapitulates what has previously been shown in animal models but in a more clinically relevant model, and offers a potential platform for further characterisation of apelin receptor function. It also offers a system for screening of novel pharmacological compounds for the treatment of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases.

This thesis investigates the knowledge of, and engagement with, evidence amongst teachers of GCSE chemistry in England. It has a particular focus on examining measurements of teacher knowledge and engagement with evidence and also looks at predictors for performance on measurements of teacher knowledge and engagement with evidence. The study took place during and after the implementation stage of a randomised controlled trial (RCT) which evaluated the SMART Spaces programme. As such, the study also provides an RCT of whether participation in a trial increases knowledge and engagement with evidence. A reliability and validity analysis revealed weaknesses in existing measures of knowledge of evidence for primary and secondary teachers. The study also showed that there is some correlation between teachers' years of experience, their highest educational level, their specialism, and the percentage of pupils in their school eligible for free school meals (FSM%) with their knowledge of educational evidence. The main conclusions of the thesis were that pre-existing measures of teachers' knowledge of and engagement with evaluation-based evidence require further development. There is some potential to predict teacher performance on this measure but only up to approximately 4%. Participation in an RCT does not appear to provide evidence for increasing knowledge and engagement with evidence.

This thesis outlines findings from a study exploring how women over 35 conceptualise their sexual identities in the digital age. As the literature lacked qualitative analysis of this aspect of adult women’s lives the research was designed using principles of Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology (Charmaz, 2014). The study asked ‘What role does the online world play in the way adult women construct their sexual identities?’. Nineteen women (age range 38-73) were interviewed using a semi-structured approach about their sexual and online lives. Key elements of Constructivist grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2014) were employed to interrogate the data in a constant comparison process of coding, categorising, memo production, theoretical sampling, core category construction and theory development. Three core categories were constructed from the data illustrating sexual identity was temporally developed as a concept through context and experience, that online life developed similarly refining over time and specific online behaviours were identified which supported sexual identity. The core categories within the findings were then contextualised within a Bourdieuian frame with reference to a model of habitus suggested by Decoteau (2016). The study offers insight into the nature of agentic sexual behaviour in women and the structural mechanisms within a patriarchal society which can, and do, serve to inhibit this agency. In this way the work of the study reveals both the social heteronormative elements which can inhibit or obstruct women’s capacity to find their sexual identities, and also demonstrated, through a reflexive sexual habitus, the capacity for online means to contribute structurally against these negative forces; particularly for LGBT women and heterosexual women with specific issues to address. This specificity given to terminology used to describe sexual life in this work provides much needed clarity within the study of sexuality and will be of benefit to further research in the field.

Coagulation plays an important role in the haemostatic process, forming a blood clot to prevent blood loss. Changes in formation, structure or breakdown of these clots can result in the pathogenesis of thrombotic disorders. These imbalances can be caused by changes to the fibrin(ogen) molecule, inflammation and levels of other plasma proteins. This thesis focusses on different mechanisms that effect clot structure, and how these prevent or promote disease, with the aim of uncovering new pathways to target therapeutically. This study revealed the vast range of physiological fibrinogen γ' levels present in 1164 patients, fluctuating between 0.8 % and 39.5 % of total fibrinogen. Furthermore, it demonstrated that changes of fibrinogen γ' levels within this physiological range plays an important role in modulating clot structure, with fibrinogen γ' significantly increasing height and volume of clots under flow. It also found that the FXIII-B Arg95 variant is associated with an increased risk of AAA, suggesting a possible role for FXIII in AAA pathogenesis. It showed how PNH patients with increased clone size have a more thrombotic phenotype, with faster forming, more stable clots, but these changes do not appear to be caused by changes in the fibrin clot. In addition, it showed that the antithrombotic effects of eculizumab treatment appear to function in part due to a reduction in fibrinogen and thrombin levels. And finally the discovery of a remarkable aspect of blood clotting in which fibrin forms a protective film at the air-blood interface covering the external surface of the clot, retaining blood cells and providing an instant barrier against microbial invasion. Together these data provide new insight into some of the main modulators of clot structure, providing previously unknown mechanisms of haemostasis and possible new pathways to target in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and infection.

Studies were performed to progress the application of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres to the sensing of magnetic fields. A magnetometer using an NV centre ensemble contained within a 150 μm diameter diamond was built. Using an adapted epi-fluorescence microscopy setup and 2 mW of optical excitation, a sensitivity of 70 ± 26 nT/Hz1/2 was achieved with a bandwidth of 3.1 kHz. This was 110 times above the shot-noise limit of 639 pT/Hz1/2 and 1129 times above the spin projection noise limit of 62 pT/Hz1/2. This was likely due to noise in the laser, microwaves and detectors. The experimental method requires large improvements in spin dephasing time (T2*) to enable the intended detection of marine worm action potentials via bio-magnetism. Secondly, two-photon excited optical detection of magnetic resonance (2PODMR) of NV centre ensembles was successfully demonstrated. This proves two-photon excited magnetometry with NV centres possible. The 2PODMR linewidth and contrast were found to be reduced by 39.6 % and 73.7 % respectively, when compared with measurements of single-photon excited ODMR. The reduction in ODMR contrast can only partially be explained by the increased temperature and lower NV-/NV0 ratio under two-photon excitation. Two-photon excited fluorescence was also found to saturate at low fluorescence rates compared with single-photon excited fluorescence. This is likely to be related to previously measured effects where 1064 nm excitation has quenched 532 nm excited fluorescence. Finally, a first step towards building a magneto-sensitive laser using NV centres for ultra-sensitive magnetometry was made. Direct measurements of stimulated emission from NV centre ensembles contained within a mm scale diamond were attempted but were inconclusive. Despite measuring a change in probe power using a pump-probe setup, the wavelength, power and temporal dependencies were not fully consistent with a measurement of stimulated emission. However, ODMR was successfully measured using the probe beam.

The poems in A Rat-Shaped Tear consider wide-ranging ideas of otherness using character and voice. Through misdirection, understatement and unexpected imagery I confront ideas of animal and female otherness in playful ways as a means of subverting traditional impressions of both. The othering effects of grief are also examined in poems that reflect on bereavement and mortality. Human-animal interaction is used to further explore the effects of death and disappointment, though overtones of cartoonish extravagance, dark humour and the surreal temper the more serious themes of loss, disillusionment and loneliness that recur within the collection. In the accompanying thesis, I focus on the work of three poets - D.H Lawrence, Marianne Moore and Elizabeth Bishop - each of whom confront animal otherness in their work. Through close examinations of their individual works, I explore the differences in approach to human-animal interaction, and the ways in which these poets draw meaning from animal otherness. It is suggested that although they engage with the concept using varied poetic techniques, they are drawn together by the intimations of spiritual transcendence that permeate each of their animal poetics.

This thesis addresses the question how best to interpret the exceptions to the equality in employment principle afforded in Great Britain to religious employers. There is significant ambiguity surrounding the application of these exceptions, aggravated by a paucity of case law and a divergence in understanding as to the relative significance of job function, context and organisational ethos. The exceptions lack any clear foundational principle and therefore norms to guide their interpretation are urgently needed. The thesis begins by seeking a modern justification for safeguarding the autonomy of religious groups in an era that may be characterised by a decline in the ‘religiosity’ of the British public and an increase in the influence of human rights and equality narratives. Such a justification is located in the human dignity and autonomy rationale for religious freedom. Against this background, I argue that, by applying a particular understanding of freedom of association to their interpretation, the exceptions could helpfully be regarded as permitting discrimination to preserve an employer’s ethos for the benefit of members of a religious group. At present, the significance of employer ethos is underdeveloped in the jurisprudence on the exceptions. A purposive approach which treats the exceptions as derogations from the equality principle, justified by freedom of religious association, could encourage a deeper insight of employers’ needs and an assessment of claims on the exceptions in the context of the interests protected by rights of association. Fuller engagement with balancing religious association and equality rights could be achieved through recognising that the exceptions derive from qualified rights and through requiring employers to act proportionately. Including the concept of ‘accommodation’ in the proportionality analysis could, moreover, assist with fostering an environment in which due regard is given to the dignity interests affected by discrimination. My argument is informed by comparative study of the equivalent law in Canada and the USA. Attention is drawn to the ambiguity in the British employment exceptions by consideration of the equivalent US and Canadian models. Whereas in these models, church and state relations and freedom of association, respectively, have been recognised as significant, the introduction of the British employment exceptions has been influenced by a patchwork of factors. My argument is further informed by a series of interviews with religious employers, which revealed mixed opinions on the exceptions and offered a valuable insight into the importance of ethos to employment practices and relationships.

This thesis presents measurements of polarisation observables in neutral pion photoproduction conducted at the Mainzer Microtron (MAMI) in Mainz using the Crystal Ball detector. The double polarisation observable G and the polarisation observable Σ have been measured on a frozen spin butanol target in the γp → pπ 0 reaction between the ∆(1232) and second resonance regions. The measurements have been made using a linearly polarised photon beam in the energy range 370 < Eγ < 770 MeV. This work is part of a world wide program aimed at obtaining information on the nucleon excitation spectrum to better understand the internal dynamics and structure by measuring polarisation observables. Measurement of the G observable in the energy region of this work will help determine the M1− partial wave. The M1− partial wave is highly sensitive to the N(1440) 1 2 + Roper resonance which is the first radial excitation of the proton. The properties of the Roper resonance are poorly understood and the mass, which is predicted to be higher than the negative parity resonance N(1535) 1 2 − , cannot currently be reconciled by quark models based on SU(6) symmetry. The sPlot technique was used to extract the polarisation observables in this work. The results are compared with the MAID, SAID and Bonn-Gatchina partial wave analysis curves. These measurements will contribute to the world dataset of polarisation observables and provide information on the excitation spectrum of the nucleon towards an unambiguous, model independent, solution to partial wave analyses.

This thesis is the first study of the life and work of Leeds organ builder James Jepson Binns (1854-1929). It is not the intention to provide a full technological evaluation of Binns' work, but rather to provide a historical evaluation of his work which is placed into a wider historical context. First, Binns' family background and life are examined; then his career in organ building is traced from its beginnings as an apprentice to the firm Radcliffe and Sagar at the age of 11. His time with Abbott and Co., prior to commencing organ building in his own right, is assessed; and finally the origins and development of his own company is traced from its founding in 1880 up to his death in 1929. The examination of Binns' company is split into three distinct periods, mirroring its rise and decline. Since Binns' first ledger book is considered to be lost, the author has reconstructed what it is likely to have contained and has discussed its content chronologically. The patents granted to Binns are also discussed chronologically and placed into historical context. A survey of the company's work and output in each of the three periods is given, with examples drawn from the surviving ledger books. The decline of the company was partly as a result of the Great War and is given due consideration. Through this study of Binns' life and work, a picture emerges of the British organ building industry from 1880 to 1930. In conclusion, an assessment is made of Binns' place within this and the factors that contributed to his success.

Background: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) in 1996 to treat patients living with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), led to dramatic improvements in their mortality and morbidity. However, high levels of adherence to HAART regimens are required and due to the very nature of HIV-1: its high replicative capacity and lack of a proof reading mechanism, drug resistance mutations emerge, which impact on the ability of the drugs to suppress the patient’s circulating viruses. Genotypic resistance testing can determine whether mutations have developed which confer resistance to specific antiretrovirals (ARV) and thus enhance clinical care. Methods: A clinical cohort database was developed to host the demographic, treatment and resistance mutation data for patients living with HIV-1 across the United Kingdom (UK) who had a genotypic resistance test (tests) conducted as part of their clinical care. These data were pooled and interrogated to determine the evolution and dynamics of resistance in targeted sub-groups of patients including treatment-naïve patients; treatment-experienced patients and their potential susceptibility to new ARV drugs; and the evolution of new subtype profiles within the clinical cohort and the impact of this on clinical outcomes. The over-riding aim of each of the studies was to improve the clinical care of patients with HIV-1 infection in the UK. Results: In the treatment-naïve patient cohort (n=380), a resistance prevalence rate of 16.5% was determined. In the treatment-experienced cohort (n=1,786), the resistance prevalence rate was 68.1%. Of those treatment-experienced, 91.3% would be susceptible to the new ARV Etravirine (ETV) and 89.7% to Darunavir (DRV). In the subtype patient cohort (n=1,642), an increase in the prevalence of pure and recombinant non-B subtypes over time was demonstrated and characterised, as well as the identification of polymorphisms specific to non-B subtypes compared to subtype B. Conclusions: The resistance prevalence rate of >10.0% in the treatment-naïve patient cohort supported the need to conduct genotypic resistance tests for all treatment-naïve patients with HIV-1 infection before commencement of HAART in order to ensure the patient was starting on the optimal first-line treatment regimen to control their virus. National and European guidelines were subsequently amended to reflect this requirement. The treatment-experienced patient cohort analyses confirmed the resistance mutations circulating within the treated HIV-1 community which are the source of transmitted resistance to the treatment-naïve patients. Further analyses of the treatment-experienced cohort suggested two new ARVs which were due to be licenced for use with HIV-1 patients would be “theoretically susceptible”, providing further treatment options for these patients with resistance mutations. The subtype patient cohort work determined that subtype characterisation should be introduced as part of clinical care due to the impact of non-B subtypes on the success of genotypic resistance testing, and the different mutational pathways which might occur, leading to resistance in different subtypes. All these studies provided data and evidence of current issues which impacted on the clinical care of patients living with HIV-1 in the UK and influenced changes in guidelines on how best to manage and improve patient care.

In a series of chamber and orchestral compositions I employ approaches to composition in which motivic material is developed in a multi-linear fashion, according to processes of branching and divergence of parameters which are analogous to branching structures in nature. The resultant musical structures coexist within works that may contain multiple branches of motivic development, simultaneously or discretely, rather than following a single temporal line of development.

As editor of the ballad collection Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border (1802-3), Walter Scott sought to salvage and preserve the cultural memory of the Border region, rescuing “popular superstitions, and legendary history, which, if not now collected, must soon have been totally forgotten” (MSB 1802; 1: cix). Scott’s endeavour was inspired by the movement towards cultural nationalism, which in Scotland, as in a wider European context, saw interest in traditional material reinvigorated by a widespread zeal to recover, polish and publish ‘relics’ of localised, oral culture perceived to be threatened by the rapid march of modernity. This thesis is a study on the theme of memory in the Minstrelsy. Under examination are the personal and cultural memories from which Scott synthesised his seminal ballad collection, as well as the internal memorial dynamics of the Minstrelsy itself. The social, material and mental dimensions of Posner’s semiotic model of culture (Posner 1991), may also be seen to constitute the three main components of the term ‘cultural memory’, a metaphor for the memorial symbols and practices through which social groups define and maintain their cultural identity. A recent definition of the term interprets cultural memory as “the sum of all processes […] which are involved in the interplay of past and present within sociocultural contexts” (Erll 2011: 101). The Minstrelsy is a composite text in which ballad versions gathered from a range of oral and written sources are framed by Scott’s editorial commentary. This convergence of media means that the collection itself may be understood as a memorial, or ‘site of memory’ which symbolises a particular version of the past (Nora 1989). Through the editorial commentary, Scott was able to negotiate the transmission of cultural knowledge concerning the past of the Borders as well as the wider Scottish nation. The aims of this research are twofold. The first is to achieve a deeper understanding of the cultural contexts surrounding the creation of the Minstrelsy. The second is to contribute to the swiftly developing area of cultural memory studies through a focus on the editorial interpretation of oral tradition in the case of this canonical ballad collection. To this end, memoirs, correspondence and ballad manuscripts are drawn upon to investigate the layered memory culture of traditional songs, narratives, images and places through which Scott sifted during the compilation of the collection. The thesis is structured to represent a gradual widening in scope from the personal to the collective, throughout which it is argued that Scott’s editing of the Minstrelsy may be aligned with a mediated memorial practice that actively shapes the identity of the culture which he as editor sought to preserve.

Understanding the subsurface through geological modelling is extremely important to modern civilisation, e.g. the extraction of resources and the geological storage of wastes. Geological data are commonly sparse, with the result that geological models are under-constrained and multiple structural interpretations are often valid. Geoscientists are also affected by cognitive biases, so individual interpretations may not be equally likely. A better understanding of how geoscientists should be trained, and what interpretational approaches are most effective, is therefore required. An international sample of more than 700 geoscientists, with varying technical backgrounds, and experience levels, was collected. Six reference experts were then recruited to interpret the same seismic image, allowing a scoring system to be formed to evaluate respondents' interpretations. Statistical analysis of the sample showed that respondents' experience was more influential than their education and work environment in terms of producing a valid interpretation. However, interpretational techniques relating to 'thinking about geological time' were even more influential than respondents' experience. The fact that certain techniques were statistically significant in addition to respondents' experience shows that training is important regardless of experience level. In addition to the large sample, a separate workshop experiment, utilising a control group, was conducted with 49 industry geoscientists. Analysis of the data from the workshop identified a causal link between 'considering the geological evolution' and 'producing a valid interpretation'. Finally, based on the results, and the analysis of relevant literature, an interpretation workflow was derived for the oil and gas industry. The workflow mitigates cognitive biases, improves team work, validates multiple interpretations and captures interpreters' evolving assumptions. Thus, this research advances the understanding of how risk arising from uncertainty in geoscience interpretation can be mitigated, and how geoscience teaching and practice can be improved.

Shoes with a rocker sole are marketed as reducing low back pain. There is minimal evidence to support these claims. This investigation compared rocker sole shoes to flat sole shoes in people with chronic low back pain (CLBP). The thesis reports findings of a randomised clinical trial and a series of biomechanical experiments. Following preparatory pilot and reliability studies, 115 people with CLBP were randomised to wear rocker sole shoes or flat sole shoes; all participants attended an exercise and education programme. Participants were assessed without knowledge of group allocation pre-randomisation, at six weeks, six months, and one year (main outcome point). Primary outcome was the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ). Analysis was by intention-to-treat. Biomechanical experiments recruited 20 participants from the main study and investigated effects of wearing rocker sole and flat sole shoes on standing balance and gait, immediately and after 6 months of shoe wear, using centre of pressure and motion-analysis derived kinetic, kinematic and spatio-temporal measures. Balance and gait in people with and age-and gender-matched controls without CLBP were compared. Rocker sole shoes were no more beneficial than flat sole shoes for CLBP patients; flat sole shoes were more beneficial in a sub-group of CLBP aggravated by standing or walking. Biomechanical studies found rocker sole shoes introduced immediately greater postural instability than flat sole shoes but neither shoe had long-term training effects on postural control. Furthermore, although both shoes resulted in small immediate changes in kinetic, kinematic and spatio-temporal parameters of shod gait, neither shoe had long-term training effects on these parameters in barefoot gait. Finally, in contrast to some previous research, postural control during standing, and kinetics, kinematic, and spatio-temporal parameters during gait were similar between people with and without CLBP.

This thesis looks into the complex relationships which women have had with their bodies throughout the twentieth century. It uses oral history evidence, medical sources, and official government material to examine women’s experiences of and access to physical recreation and sport throughout the life-cycle. It argues that despite the official view that throughout the twentieth century women’s sporting bodies were essentially fragile bodies, unsuited to competitive and manly sports, there were a number of alternative discourses available to women during these years. Women who had strong sporting identities, and confidence in their own physical abilities, were able to test the capabilities of their bodies and maintain their exercise participation throughout adolescence, menstruation, pregnancy and during motherhood, despite the advice of state officials, and many doctors, which advised them against participation. This thesis makes a powerful contribution to what at present is a largely uncharted historical landscape of female participation in and experience of physical recreation in Scotland and the UK in the mid-twentieth century. In a global context, it contributes to our understanding of the relationship between the female body and physical activity throughout the physically and culturally guided female life-cycle, and the particular ways in which women interacted with sport and exercise throughout the twentieth century.

This thesis analyses the Comité Régional d'Action Viticole (CRAV), an active force in the French wine industry since the mid-1960s that has consistently mobilised militant winegrowers in response to economic crisis. Their role has expanded to represent not only the Midi's viticultural heritage, but also a peculiar brand of regional nationalism. They invoked the memory of the "Grande révolte" of 1907, which saw hundreds of thousands mobilise against foreign wine imports, financial speculation and ineffective regulation. The legacy of 1907 will be considered in the context of its regionalist significance and the development of political Occitanisme, binding Oc and Vine at the beginning of the century. The prominent role of winegrowing since 1907 had seen a compact between winegrowers, local elites and the Socialist Party develop. Yet, this began to slowly disintegrate as government programmes targeted the amelioration of Languedoc wine from the early 1970s. Whilst this project embittered winegrowers, events like the shootout at Montredon in 1976 and the torching of a Leclerc store in 1984 saw the CRAV breach the frontiers of acceptability and alienate traditional supporters. Demographic change, economic development and the stain of violent protest all chipped away at the CRAV's rebellious appeal. This regional compact will be analysed both to gauge the impact of development upon regional identity and to understand changing conceptions of modernity in the agricultural South. The CRAV's survival is testament to their continuing relevance, despite being painted variously as terrorists, revolutionaries and militant syndicalists. These labels were fleeting, but their identity as winegrowers, Languedociens and their desire to live and work their land for a living wage have remained their defining characteristics. This thesis will analyse the limits of these identities and answer broader questions about the tension between regional development and defence against the backdrop of an increasingly global marketplace.

Background: Research suggests that prenatal depression is associated with disrupted maternal responses to infant stimuli, with depressed women not showing the bias towards distressed infants observed in non depressed women (Pearson, 2010). The current study examined depression related differences in women’s self reported responses to infant stimuli, early in pregnancy, investigating if maternal responses in pregnancy are more associated with a reduced comforting response, or a heightened avoidant response. Method: Women in this study were referred by community midwives as part of a cohort study. Pregnant women with clinical depression (n=38), and comparison non-depressed women (n=67), were exposed to images of distressed, neutral and happy infant faces. The women were asked to rate how they responded to the images, along three scales: wanting to comfort, wanting to turn away, and feelings of anxiety. Results: Women with depression showed significantly different response patterns to women without depression. Women with depression were substantially more likely to be in the highest quartile for ratings of wanting to turn away from distressed infant faces (odds ratio 4.15, p<.01, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 1.63-10.5). They were also substantially less likely to be in the highest quartile for wanting to comfort a distressed infant face (odds ratio .22, p<.01, 95% confidence intervals (CI) = .09-.54). Conclusions: The findings from this study are consistent with both a heightened avoidant and a reduced comforting response towards distressed infants in depressed pregnant women. This study provides further evidence that depression disrupts maternal preparations at a conscious level. Keyword: Depression; Maternal Responsiveness; Self Report; Pregnancy; Prenatal; Perinatal.

The internet has facilitated music metadata production and distribution on an unprecedented scale. A contributing factor of this data deluge is a change in the authorship of this data from the expert few to the untrained crowd. The resulting unordered flood of imperfect annotations provides challenges and opportunities in identifying accurate metadata and linking it to the music audio in order to provide a richer listening experience. We advocate novel adaptations of Dynamic Programming for music metadata synchronisation, ranking and comparison. This thesis introduces Windowed Time Warping, Greedy, Constrained On-Line Time Warping for synchronisation and the Concurrence Factor for automatically ranking metadata. We begin by examining the availability of various music metadata on the web. We then review Dynamic Programming methods for aligning and comparing two source sequences whilst presenting novel, specialised adaptations for efficient, realtime synchronisation of music and metadata that make improvements in speed and accuracy over existing algorithms. The Concurrence Factor, which measures the degree in which an annotation of a song agrees with its peers, is proposed in order to utilise the wisdom of the crowds to establish a ranking system. This attribute uses a combination of the standard Dynamic Programming methods Levenshtein Edit Distance, Dynamic Time Warping, and Longest Common Subsequence to compare annotations. We present a synchronisation application for applying the aforementioned methods as well as a tablature-parsing application for mining and analysing guitar tablatures from the web. We evaluate the Concurrence Factor as a ranking system on a largescale collection of guitar tablatures and lyrics to show a correlation with accuracy that is superior to existing methods currently used in internet search engines, which are based on popularity and human ratings.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of mortality in Scotland (population 5.2 million), accounting for around 9000 deaths each year. Accurate diagnosis of the presence and extent of CAD is essential to guide management. Invasive coronary angiography (I-CA) is the gold standard diagnostic investigation but is associated with a small risk of significant vascular complications. Over the last decade multi-slice computed tomography coronary angiography (MSCT-CA) has emerged as a non-invasive imaging modality capable of visualising the coronary arteries. Incremental advances in scanner technology have greatly improved the accuracy of MSCT-CA in comparison to I-CA. Implementation of MSCT-CA in routine clinical practice in Scotland is desirable in terms of patient safety and convenience in addition to reducing pressure on cardiac catheterisation laboratory time. The latter is particularly relevant considering the recent introduction of primary percutaneous intervention for myocardial infarction. However, at the time of conducting this study the evidence for MSCT-CA accuracy was limited and only minimal guidance on appropriate use of MSCT-CA was available. Furthermore, the majority of existing evidence for MSCT-CA accuracy was derived from specialist academic centres with substantial experience in the technique and the accuracy of MSCT-CA in smaller centres with variable expertise and a more heterogeneous population was unknown. The aim of this prospective, comparative study was to determine the accuracy of MSCT-CA in comparison to I-CA for the detection of significant CAD in patients presenting to a district general hospital in Scotland and to consider the health economic implications of introducing MSCT-CA into routine clinical practice. One hundred patients with suspected CAD on the basis of symptoms and non-invasive stress testing underwent both 40-Slice MSCT-CA and I-CA. Studies were reported by independent, blinded radiologists and cardiologists and compared using the 15-Segment model of the American Heart Association. A stenosis of ≥ 50% was considered significant. The accuracy of MSCT-CA was determined in patient-based, artery-based and segment-based analyses and the impact of various patient characteristics on image quality and diagnostic accuracy was evaluated. Inter-observer agreement was determined for both MSCT-CA and I-CA and the possibility of a “learning curve effect” investigated. The cost-effectiveness of an “MSCT-CA first” strategy was considered in a health economic analysis. The primary analysis considered MSCT-CA accuracy on a per patient basis. Patient prevalence of significant CAD was 38%. Patients with MSCT-CAs deemed not fully evaluable were included and considered to have significant underlying CAD. This strategy was considered clinically relevant as in practice a patient with an unevaluable MSCT-CA would proceed to I-CA for definitive diagnosis. This work demonstrated that 40-Slice MSCT-CA has a high sensitivity (92%) and a high negative predictive value (NPV) (91%) for the detection of significant CAD on a per patient basis. Specificity and positive predictive value (PPV) were less impressive and significantly compromised by the inclusion of patients with scans considered not fully evaluable by MSCT-CA. On segment-based and artery-based analyses respectively, distal segments were more often unevaluable than proximal segments owing to their smaller size, and the right coronary and circumflex arteries were the arteries most often unevaluable, likely due to their higher mobilities. Heart rate during MSCT-CA was not optimally controlled with oral beta blockers and rate limiting calcium channel blockers. The mean number of MSCT-CA evaluable segments per patient was significantly higher in the lower heart rate group. More than half the study population had coronary artery calcification and there was a non-significant trend towards more unevaluable segments in this patient group. Coronary artery calcification had the effect of reducing NPV while increasing PPV. One third of the study patients were obese and a non-significant trend towards an increasing number of unevaluable segments with increasing body mass index was observed. Pre-test probability of significant underlying CAD was determined by the Duke Clinical Score. Fifty-nine per cent of patients had a low-intermediate pre-test probability and 41% a high pre-test probability of CAD. The prevalence of significant CAD in the high pre-test probability group and the low-intermediate pre-test probability group was 73% and 14% respectively. Correspondingly, the sensitivity and PPV of MSCT-CA were higher in the high pre-test probability group while specificity and NPV were lower. Inter-observer agreement of the MSCT-CA reporters was substantial and comparable to that of the I-CA reporters in the patient-based analysis. A small observed improvement in MSCT-CA reporter diagnostic specificity during the study was not statistically significant. This study demonstrated MSCT-CA to be cost effective in the detection of significant CAD in a patient population with low-intermediate pre-test probability and hence fairly low prevalence of disease. Savings would be increased with improved MSCT-CA specificity. A strategy of screening patients being considered for I-CA on the basis of their risk level and referring ‘low-intermediate risk’ cases for MSCT-CA could affect around 60% of patients currently referred for diagnostic I-CA in North Glasgow and subsequently avoid I-CA in at least half of these patients. To permit the development of an effective MSCT-CA service future work must focus on ensuring appropriate training for those performing and reporting MSCT-CA and on the development of local guidelines to govern patient selection for MSCT-CA. Audit of MSCT-CA referrals could determine the extent of adherence to guidelines. Further research could be observational in nature with follow-up of patients who have MSCT-CA and are then referred for I-CA and also follow-up of patients with “negative” MSCT-CA who do not have subsequent I-CA in terms of subsequent cardiac events.

Adolescence has been shown to be a critical time for effective self-management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) with many individuals struggling to achieve optimal levels of self-care. This study explored the experience of adolescent life with IDDM via the use of qualitative interviews, the transcripts of which were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (JP A). Ten adolescents between the ages of 16 and 19 years were interviewed, using'a semi-structured interview technique. Three recurrent themes were elicited across the data set and are presented within this thesis. These are: the view of IDDM as an illness, the emotional cost of IDDM, and the relationship with health care professionals. These themes allow a dialogue to continue between health-based research and that of service provision. The first theme, 'View of IDDM as an Illness', demonstrated that IDDM was often perceived as being a complex, unpredictable and at times difficult to manage illness that demanded routine. It was also perceived as incurring self-management challenges including those that were more social in nature (for example, restricting certain aspects of adolescent life). The second theme, 'The emotional cost of IDDM', indicated that experience of negative emotions, anxiety, fear and frustration in particular, was commonplace for a number of the adolescents. The source of these emotions was widespread and included peer interactions, how IDDM was perceived as an illness, difficulties inherent in achieving and maintaining good metabolic control and also those that related to the third theme, namely 'Relationship with Health Care Professionals' . Within this third theme, factors such as trust and entitlement to 3 information regarding IDDM were core features, with negative emotional states being induced when these needs were not met. Inherent within all of these themes and sub-themes was the role of emotions. They were found to be central determinants of not only the ways in which IDDM was represented but they were also seen to guide coping in terms of self-management decisions and behaviours. When considered in terms of the current literature a number of similarities and distinctions were found. Current predictive models commonly treat each construct as independent units. The present results show that complex relationships may exist, often with considerable emotional associations. Crucially, it is proposed that the metabolic implications of such emotional experience are not given sufficient attention in the current literature. With regards to ways in which the adolescents coped with the emotional experience of IDDM, the present fmdings demonstrate that aspects from a number of models of stress and coping could be applied but that one model on its own was insufficient. Any future model has to appreciate the impact of emotions in not only initial appraisals of health threats but also their contribution to subsequent appraisals of coping dependent on the behavioural outcome, in addition to the emotional outcomes and the impact of these on IDDM-specific cognitions, self-management and metabolic stability.

QM/MM and QM calculations have been applied to investigate and refine modelled features of the substrate binding characteristics and catalysed rearrangement of chorismate to prephenate in Bacillus Suhtilis chorismate mutase. The structural details of the modelled active site and enzyme-substrate binding interactions in a range of QM/MM simulations are investigated and compared with results from detailed analysis of the available crystal structure data. This has helped to identify significant variations between experimental and modelled details of key enzyme-substrate interactions. Detailed structure-activity relationship studies of multiple high level reaction profiles previously run in the group have demonstrated that such variations in the substrate binding interactions have a dramatic on the modelled barrier height and reaction energy.

This thesis examines early years practice and offers a critique of normative ways of interpreting and responding to artefacts produced by' children in the foundation stage classroom. It is written from the position of an early years practitioner-researcher who is interrogating her habitual ways of viewing children's work in the classroom setting. Using field notes that document children as they make artefacts,it explores the continuing and powerful effects that Piaget's developmental theory exerts. It takes a particularly close look' at the intimate links between a cognitive account of the child and the conceptualisation of space through the system of perspective. This connection raises significant questions both about the way children are represented and the way they are expected to represent the world. In the first instance, the representation of the child is explored by examining the practice of child observation and the way it is employed as a tool by which teachers come to know the child. The practice of child observation by early years teachers is considered alongside a reflection on the central place of observation as method in ethnographic research. This examination challenges the naturalist claims of observation, and referring to perspective, it re-conceives observation as providing us with a frame through which we look at the world. Thought this way, observation has the potential to shape what we see rather than simply to reflect it. On this basis documentation produced through the practice of observation is reviewed in order to consider how it might reproduce particular ways of seeing the child. While the work owes much to Foucault's conception of a 'normalising gaze' (1991, p.184) that operates to sustain universal truths about the child, its principal aim is to open up new ways to see the child. As a starting point I have taken not only the artefacts child~en produce, but also the documentation I have produced as an observer, in order to reengage with these objects in different ways. This approach is led by an appreciation of the material qualities of the object, as well as an awareness of the dual sense in which the object contains both self and other. This appreciation for the liveliness of the object also contributes to a new way to view the processes at play when children make artefacts in the classroom setting. The research has allowed me, as a practitioner, to go beyond the assumption that children's purposes are limited to representing the world as if seen through a window. At the same time, it has revealed the' powerful way that I, as a teacher, shape the space that children inhabit. In response I have adopted a stance that recognises the power that objects exert during the creative process and the result has been to give credence and value to the unconventional artefacts produced in this way. Finally, and perhaps most usefully for the early years practitioner, my research offers a way for the object to provide a meeting place in which to engage with the child in more open, rather than prescribed, ways.

The dominant interpretation of Roman imperialism in the provinces of Arabia and then Palaestina Tertia holds that the Empire was seeking to combat external military threats from nomads. This interpretation is based on archaeological evidence of Roman military sites forming a static defensive system linked by a road network. Recent scholarship in Jordan has questioned this interpretation. Alternative hypotheses have been advanced proposing that these sites acted as points of provincial control or were situated to maintain routes for long distance trade. It is proposed here that these interpretations of imperial control are flawed, either because of poorly realised explanatory models or improperly sampled datasets. In contrast, this study achieves an integration of textual and archaeological data through the conceptual framework of landscape. This approach stresses the spatial correlates of human behaviour and allows an alternative interpretation of imperial control to be validated. This study proposes the hypothesis that the aim of Roman imperialism in this area was to control directly imperial material resources. It does not present a historical reconstruction but demonstrates the power of a landscape approach over other models in the interpretation of Roman imperial control in southern Jordan. A rigorous review of existing textual and archaeological evidence from southern Jordan to establish military spatial and temporal development concludes that the scale of military fluctuations to support the hypothesis of a desert frontier sy~tem has been exaggerated. To test this conclusion primary data from the Dana Archaeological Survey (DAS), a three-year survey project directed by the author, was rigorously correlated with existing datasets. By strictly defining military sites and emphasising these monuments as part of wider settlement pattern, the survey demonstrated that military variability was in fact highly conservative and cannot support the hypothesis of frontier defence or provincial control. The DAS data was then used to test an alternative hypothesis that military variation is linked to the control of trade and wider socio-economic integration. This was achieved by correlating military sites with the wider settlement hierarchy through patterns of ceramic continuity. However, contrary to previous interpretations showing highly variable settlement change, the results proved that the correlation with military sites is not exact. These results were then compared with critically evaluated data from four other surveys (Wadi Hasa Survey, Southern Ghors and North Arabah Survey, Limes Arabicus survey and the Kerak Plateau Survey), which broadly supported the DAS results. This study makes clear that there is a spatial correlation between the existence of imperial estates, industrial centres and military sites. Archaeological evidence of an imperial estate in the DAS project area is presented and is contrasted with the different spatial and temporal features of a civilian estate. This imperial estate can be spatially correlated with several military sites. A review of the historical and textual evidence for imperial estates in Arabia suggests a provincial-wide pattern. This re-interpretation of the imperial landscape in southern Jordan views the location of military sites and the road network as a part of a vast integrated resourcing system of the Eastern Empire.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, certain artists, writers, and philosophers became intrigued by the profound ways in which filmic images could pervade aspects of modern thought and experience. For them, film had the potential to reveal radical new dimensions of sensory phenomena. The early development of avant-garde film-making in Europe is culturally crucial not only for its historical and conceptual context of creative transition, but also for its dynamic exploration of processes of visual perception. The central objective of this thesis is to expose and engage these profound perceptual issues. The structural formation of the thesis entails the confluencing of material for analysis into a sequence of key areas comprising the central components of avant-garde cinematic visualisation. The visual implications of each area are analysed in specific depth, whilst acknowledging their respective interactivity. Significantly, the research applies analytic theories of phenomenology in order to focus incisively upon relevant early European avant-garde filmic imagery. The potential vitality of a phenomenological theorisation of early avant-garde film resides not only within their historical contemporaneity, but at the epistemological level of the mind’s cognitive engagement with the realms of creative visualisation. It is a system of analysis which aims to establish a nuanced phenomenological theory of visual perception as a matter of prime sustenance to historically crucial cinematic art forms.

This thesis examines how young people identify and affliate with particular club scenes and how these practices and processes relate to their transitions, identities and lifestyles. It aims to give a sense of the processes and the resources that are required to 'become' a clubber over time. The thesis engages with the recent attempts to reconcile the conceptual and empirical divisions between the two main approaches in the sociology of youth. It suggests that the work ofSchutz serves as a heuristic framework to conceptualise data, and when synthesised with other sympathetic conceptual frameworks, links disparate literature to allow for a better understanding of the role of knowledge in the transitions, identities and lifestyles of young people. This focus influenced my choice of method: the ethnographic techniques of participant observation and in-depth interviewing were employed to access participants' experiences and knowledge of becoming a c1ubber. The findings suggest that the process of becoming a clubber is a gendered, dialectical and transformational process: informed by the social heritage and locally situated experiences of clubbing participants. It is a process that manifests itself through embodied practices involving cultural knowledge and taste. Participants place one another on the basis of their participation in and identification with a clubbing lifestyle. These placements appear embedded in the social order: they call not only on old social markers but also on the increasing hierarchies of difference within and across social groups. Social competence, cultural knowledge and consumer activities are all implicated in the placement of others, and the construction of boundaries that clubbing collectives engage in. These are young people who can afford materially and socially to extend both their structural and cultural transitions. The social confidence and adept skills of exchange that 'proper' clubbers develop are resources that help them develop and create social and cultural capital of their own. Becoming a clubber requires competency, skills and dispositions: it is a process that transmits privilege and disadvantage.

Due to the severe limitations on the study of gammaherpesviruses presented by their species specificity and restricted growth in vitro, infection of laboratory mice with the naturally occurring virus murine gammaherpesvirus 68 (MHV-68) has become an excellent model system for the study of gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis. This project involved the characterisation of murine herpesvirus 76 (MHV-76), another of the murine herpesviruses isolated at the same time as MHV-68. Molecular analysis revealed that MHV-76 is a deletion mutant of MHV-68, that lacks four genes unique to MHV-68 (M1, M2, M3 and M4) and eight viral tRNA-like genes that are all present at the left end of the MHV-68 genome. Biological characterisation of MHV-76, including the generation and study of rescue viruses which restored the deleted sequence into MHV-76, showed that loss of these genes leads to enhanced clearance of virus from the lungs due to a vigorous inflammatory response. There was also a significant reduction in splenomegaly and the amount of latent virus detectable in the spleen. These results show that these genes at the left end of the genome play a critical role in the viral immune evasion strategy. Detailed studies on one of these unique MHV-68 genes, M2, show that it is a 30kDa protein that has localised homology with the Gab2 and semaphorin protein families. Expression of M2 in mammalian cells reveals that it co-localises to the plasma membrane, as well as being present in diffuse areas of the nucleus and cytoplasm. Generation of a recombinant virus with a disruption in the M2 ORF showed that the M2 gene plays a critical role in the establishment of latency and the regulation of the numbers of latently infected cells in the spleen. The M2 gene is not involved in the genesis of splenomegaly. These studies uncover some of the genetic elements involved in gammaherpesvirus pathogenesis.

Since its inception, international aid has been premised on the existence of stable and sovereign recipient states. Official aid relies upon such states for its legitimacy and implementation, and aims to consolidate statehood. In the 1990s, this organising pillar of the international aid system was shaken. The ability of governments to fulfil the basic functions of a sovereign power is now widely questioned. The principle of sovereignty is no longer absolute; rather, it is increasingly contingent upon states' adherence to international, largely Western-defined, norms of behaviour. Where these norms are violated systematically, as in conflict-affected countries, sanctions including trade, political and military measures are deployed. In these 'quasi-states', where sovereignty is contested or weak empirically and juridically, development aid relations are usually suspended and relief the only form of aid available. However, the ability of relief aid to respond to these chronic political emergencies is increasingly questioned. There are increasing demands to make relief more developmental, and for aid to be used to address the cause of crisis - conflict. This thesis examines how aid has worked in a particular type of 'quasi-state': situations of 'post'-conflict transition, and asks whether the new demands on aid in these environments can be met. Examining the cases of rehabilitation assistance to the health sector in Cambodia, Ethiopia and Uganda, it draws three primary conclusions. First, the political meaning, objectives and instruments of relief and development aid are categorically distinct; linking them is ethically and technically problematic. Ethically it implies compromising principles of impartiality and neutrality. Technically, political conditions prevent the transition to more developmental aid instruments. Second, the empirical weakness and juridical ambiguity of statehood in these environments mean that there is no clearly accepted and competent authority to make public policy - no one and everyone owns it. This leads to highly fragmented aid investments that do not provide a basis for the development of public health systems. Third, the absolute scarcity of public resources means that the developmental goal of sustainability is not compatible with that of maximising coverage of health services, level of coverage summary, it suggests that conceptually and operationally the international aid system remains fundamentally ill-equipped to respond to the challenges of chronic political emergencies and their aftermath. 4

This research is focused on groups of young people considered to lack proficiency in literacy skills. A major aim has been to assess how this lack of competence in reading and writing, which I have called the ‘traditional’ literacy skills, affects both their school years and their routes to employment. Another central aim has been to investigate ways in which the new literacies, in addition to the ‘traditional literacies’, have been used to aid their learning. The research began when the ‘main group’ of young people were aged eleven and about to transfer to secondary school. Subsequently, at fourteen, they completed a questionnaire and, several years later, between the ages of eighteen and nineteen, they were interviewed in depth. A second group of young people, the ‘Year 9’ group, was interviewed during the period of ‘option’ choices in order to compare and contrast their views with those of the main group. Part I includes a consideration of the role of education in our changing society. The discussion centres on the extent to which the National Curriculum and training offered in the post school environment equips young people, specifically those who lack competence in the ‘traditional’ literacy skills, for a future that may involve a degree of risk. Part II contains an explanation of the methodology used in the study and a discussion of the concept of literacy in today’s society. In Part III the data obtained from the young people including their views of their school life and their experiences after school, are discussed and emergent themes are identified. Finally, in Part IV, the discussion moves from the particular back to general concerns as the themes become integrated into theories. The study has identified an over reliance by the school system on the skills of traditional literacy; the written word is used as the central method for learning and teaching and for assessment purposes in the school and post school environment. This works to the detriment of those young people who lack proficiency in reading and writing skills but who have other skills, abilities and ‘intelligences’. Consequently I have redefined the term ‘traditional’ literacy as ‘school’ literacy because the system largely ignores the crucial importance of other literacies, including technologies and other social literacies in everyday usage. These, if taught, could provide alternative pathways towards focused individual life-long learning. At present ‘school’ literacy acts as a divisive instrument in the school system; in some young people this creates as sense of powerlessness so they feel that they have little control over their own futures and are conditioned to accept their low status roles ‘Key’ skills, like literacy at present, are defined narrowly, and place reading and writing skills as a central aspect of curricula. As I have demonstrated ‘key’ skills could, by a wider definition and application unlock the learning door into the twenty first century.

An initial interest in understanding the surviving traditions relating to the pan-Celtic divinity Lugh in his Irish guise, and some personal acquaintance with West Africa suggested this comparative study. I soon found that the institution of the Akan traditional chieftancy, still functioning as integral to the socio-religious identity of the modern Akan people of Ghana, provided illuminating insights into the paradigmatic role of Lugh in relation to early Irish sacral kingship. Although early mediaeval Ireland and 19^th and 20^th century Gold Coast, now Ghana, are divided both in historical time and geographical space, other similarities in the "Universe of meaning" proper to each culture emerged during the study of their own specific 'encounters with Christianity'. Chap. 1 first 'introduces' Lugh through the Irish tale Cath Maige Tuired, and then the Akan, both in their historical and geographical context and tentatively, through varied clues, within their world of meaning and self-understanding. Chap 2 has two parts: Early Encounters with Christianity among the Irish and the Akan and Encounter as Confrontation. Chap.3 is a comparative study of the Sacral ruler in 4 parts: covering (a) the relationship of kinship to kingship; (b) the sacral ruler in theory and in action; (c) the myth/ritual conveying, enacting, and authenticating the union with the 'transcendent power' informing sacral rule, (centring on Baile in Scáil the other main Lugh 'source') and (d) The Festival of Lughnasa and Akan Odwira, each celebrating both Harvest and the centripetal function of kingship. Chap.4 explores and compares the presence and importance of the Female Principle for both, and Chap.5 collates the main conclusions of the study.

The Periodontal Index of Russell (1956), either in its original or in modified form, was once the principal index for a series of epidemiological studies that correlated disease scores with a number of clinical and social determinants. By the late 1970s, however, there were considerable doubts about the validity and reliability of the Periodontal Index. There were substantial and unexplained differences in prevalence rates between different populations, and major inconsistencies were apparent in the reported prevalence of chronic periodontitis in the United Kingdom. It was also noteworthy that UK populations appeared to have substantially more periodontal disease than populations in the United States of America and Sweden. It appeared that the diagnostic criteria, employed to describe prevalence and severity of periodontitis, often did not reflect the true presence or absence of the disease. Very few studies had been carried out which measured attachment loss directly by probing, and, although radiographic studies of bone loss were plentiful, most provided incomplete data, e.g. partial recording or one estimator of severity. Most epidemiological data had been reported in mean severity scores, leading to the assumption that periodontitis was more or less evenly distributed among individuals of the same age and standard of oral hygiene, and, although it had been shown that the prevalence and severity of periodontitis increased with decreasing standards of oral hygiene, the data available were insufficient to indicate the extent to which unknown risk factors might influence the disease process. Accordingly, central to the investigative work described in this thesis is a descriptive cross-sectional epidemiological study, based on a detailed radiographic analysis of periodontal marginal bone levels in 800 unreferred casual attenders at Glasgow Dental Hospital and School in 1978. The specific aims were to determine the prevalence, severity, extent and within-population distribution of marginal bone loss, and to compare the findings with those obtained from a similar survey of Swedish shipyard employees (Bjorn, 1971). A rotational tomographic view was taken for each patient, and the height of alveolar bone at each proximal surface was calculated with a transparent ruler using the crown tip and root apex as reference points. The ruler was calibrated to score bone loss in 'quarters' of optimum bone height (Bjorn & Holmberg, 1966). A score value was awarded at 78.6% of proximal surfaces, the remainder being deemed unmeasurable. Marginal bone loss increased with age and was slightly more severe in males than females and in males among the lower social classes. The development of bone loss with age was attributable both to an increase in affected surfaces and to progressive destruction at some of these surfaces. A high prevalence of marginal bone loss was found. However, very few individuals had generalised bone loss exceeding 25% of optimum bone height. Furthermore, only a tiny proportion of teeth were affected by bone loss exceeding 50% of optimum height. Use of the 'Bjorn ruler' enabled the findings for males aged 20-64 years to be viewed alongside those of a comparable population of Swedish males. These different populations had similar marginal bone levels. Further analysis revealed that, with age, in parallel with other investigations, a small but increasing minority of patients accounted for most of the bone destruction. For example, in the 50-73-year age-group, 28% of patients accounted for 75% of the advanced bone loss. This cross-sectional study showed, in common with established belief, that age, sex and socio-economic status are determinants of periodontitis. However, such great variation existed within these subgroups that none of these attributes could be considered to be reliable indicators of the presence of periodontitis or predictors of its progress. The study was, therefore, extended to include a radiographic assessment of carious and restored teeth among the 800 subjects so that the susceptibility to caries and periodontitis within the same individual could be compared. The caries risk was determined radiographically from the total decayed and filled teeth (DFT), as a percentage of all the teeth measured. The Mantel-Haenszel technique was used for analysis of the relationship between periodontitis and caries, and data were stratified on four categories of age, sex and numbers of teeth present. This analysis failed to reveal any systematic patterns, indicating that the risks of caries and periodontal disease are unrelated (chi2 = 0.00; df =1; p > 0.50).

Research and theorising in the social cognition tradition typically equates stereotypes with cognitive schemata and researchers investigate the extent of schematic effects on social information processing. Within this cognitive perspective, however, the present thesis identified several unresolved issues in the existing stereotype literature. On the basis of these limitations, the present thesis addressed three main empirical issues: (1) stereotypical effects on causal attribution; (2) stereotypical effects on social memory; and (3) stereotypical effects on information processing. Chapters 4 and 5 established the effects of stereotypes on judical decision processes and provided an impetus for the subsequent experimentation. Chapters 6, 7, and 8 investigated the effects of stereotypes on causal attribution and social memory. It was established that stereotype-confirming behaviours are attributed less to external factors than are stereotype-disconfirming behaviours. Also, subjects showed a preferential recall for stereotype-confirming rather than disconfirming information. Chapter 9 investigated the effects of stereotype activation on the speed with which subjects can make a range of attributional inferences. It was demonstrated that when a consistent stereotype is activated subjects have instant access to causal information from which inferences of personal causation can be rapidly computed. Chapter 10 investigated two process models of stereotype use in judgemental tasks. While stereotypical judgemental biases were obtained, the results supported neither of the proposed process models. Consequently, the results were recast into a new theoretical framework implicating both cognitive and motivational factors as determinants of stereotypic biases on judgement and recall. Chapter 11 considered the wider implications of the findings obtained in the present thesis and two process models of stereotype use were presented. The first outlined the effects of stereotypes on judgements of personal causation, and the second the effects of stereotypes on the relationship between judgement and recall in social information processing.

An analysis of methods and models in historical linguistics: specifically, the utilization of speech perception methodology with respect to the evolution of the structure which in modern English denotes progressive aspect.