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Background: Developmental and psychoanalytic research findings suggest that early face to face interactions with caregivers play a significant role in the construction of an individual’s sense of self and that disruptions to these interactions can have negative consequences for social and emotional development. However, there is currently a significant gap in the research literature regarding how the sense of self is constructed in individuals who have limited or no facial expression due to conditions such as congenital facial palsy. Consequently, little is known about how the sense of self develops in these individuals. The aims of this study were twofold: to explore the construction of ‘self’ in individuals living with this condition and to construct a grounded theory of this process. It is hoped that these findings will add to the limited literature in this area and be used to develop specialist psychotherapeutic interventions for those living with this condition. Method: A constructivist Grounded Theory methodology was adopted, and a purposive sampling strategy used to recruit the initial sample. Semi structured interviews were conducted with fourteen adults (8 male and 6 female) with a diagnosis of congenital facial palsy; eight interviews were conducted face to face with participants in the USA and six via Skype with participants in the UK. In the final stages of the analysis theoretical sampling was used to recruit two parents of children with congenital facial palsy. Participants were asked about their experiences across the lifespan of living with congenital facial palsy and their constructions of self were explored. Findings: Participants’ retrospective accounts suggest that living with congenital facial palsy negatively influences communications with caregivers and others across the lifespan. Participants’ accounts suggest that two separate self-states were constructed through their interactions with others; a ‘“defective me”’ and a “validated me”. Participants described how the ‘“defective me”’ self-state was constructed through the following relational processes; ‘struggling to make connections’, ‘experiencing invalidation,’ and ‘struggling with affect regulation’. Conversely, several participants described how the construction of a “validated me’’ self-state occurred through; ‘making validating connections’. Those participants who described the ability to move more fluidly between self-states described better psychosocial outcomes as they recovered more quickly from negative interactions with others. Conclusion: The findings of this study highlight the central role that the face occupies in the construction of the ‘self’ and the unique challenges those with congenital facial palsy are likely to experience in constructing a validated self-state. It is suggested that psychotherapies which focus on healing the non-verbal sense of self may be one effective approach to working clinically with this population.

Mae'r gwaith hwn yn ymchwilio i ddewisiadau ieithyddol dysgwyr Addysg Bellach. Er gwaethaf y cynnydd yn nifer y dysgwyr sy'n astudio trwy'r Gymraeg yn y sector statudol ac, yn fwy diweddar, yn y sector Addysg Uwch, nifer fach sy'n gwneud hynny yn y sector Addysg Bellach. Astudio'r rhesymau dros y bwlch hwn a chynnig argymhellion i wella'r sefyllfa yw bwriad y traethawd hwn. Mae astudiaeth o'r fath yn arbennig o bwysig yng nghyd-destun targed Llywodraeth Cymru o filiwn o siaradwyr Cymraeg erbyn 2050, ac wrth ehangu cylch gwaith y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol i gynnwys y sector Addysg Bellach. Darpariaeth Gymraeg a dwyieithog mewn pynciau galwedigaethol yw'r ffocws, a'r berthynas rhwng darpariaeth a galw gan ddysgwyr. Cyfraniad gwreiddiol cyntaf y traethawd yw canfod y rhesymau pam y mae dysgwyr galwedigaethol yn astudio trwy'r Gymraeg neu'n ddwyieithog ar lefel Addysg Bellach, neu'n peidio â gwneud hynny. Y cyfraniad gwreiddiol pwysicaf yw'r dehongliad o sut y caiff y dewis o gyfrwng iaith darpariaeth ei gyflwyno i ddysgwyr. Dadansoddir effaith hyn ar eu dewisiadau, yng ngoleuni egwyddorion economeg ymddygiadol. Seilir yr ymchwil ar gyfweliadau lled-strwythuredig â staff mewn ysgolion a cholegau Addysg Bellach mewn pedair ardal wahanol ar draws Cymru. Cynhaliwyd hefyd grwpiau ffocws â disgyblion blwyddyn 11, a oedd yn gwneud penderfyniadau ynghylch eu Haddysg Bellach. Ymhlith y rhesymau allweddol a ganfuwyd yr oedd ffactorau economaidd, megis gwerth economaidd iaith yn y farchnad lafur a gwerth sgiliau dwyieithog. Canfuwyd hefyd ffactorau diwylliannol ac addysgol, megis canfyddiad o ddewis 'naturiol.' Dadleuir bod angen ymwrthod â disgwrs neoryddfrydol 'galw' a 'dewis' wrth gyflwyno cyfrwng iaith cwrs i ddysgwyr, er mwyn esgor ar y newidiadau sydd eu hangen i gynyddu nifer y dysgwyr yn astudio trwy'r Gymraeg ac yn ddwyieithog. Dadleuir dros gymhwyso egwyddorion newid ymddygiad trwy roi sylw i saernïo dewis. Un o'r prif argymhellion yw symud y pwyslais oddi ar roi'r dewis i ddysgwyr i 'optio i mewn' i ddarpariaeth Gymraeg neu ddwyieithog. Argymhellir rhagosod dysgwyr o ysgolion Cymraeg i ddarpariaeth Gymraeg neu ddwyieithog, â'r opsiwn i 'optio allan' os dymunant.

Study one explored the service user experience of treatment for anorexia nervosa in the Welsh healthcare service. Factors such as treatment expectations, satisfaction, therapeutic alliance, motivation to change and engaging in treatment were considered by conducting indepth interviews with participants who had a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and were receiving secondary care. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic framework analysis revealing six main concepts: service user description of anorexia; expectations of treatment for anorexia; the journey through the health service for anorexia; therapeutic alliance during treatment for anorexia; satisfaction with the health service; and service user recommendations to improve the health service. Mapping and interpretation of the concepts drawn from the interviews resulted in a model exploring the relationship between expectations and satisfaction of treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa, and the effect upon motivation to engage in treatment and recover. Another model describing factors that affect therapeutic alliance was developed. The results are described with particular reference to the Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000). Study two used a four-stage, mixed-methods approach to develop and evaluate an anorexia nervosa awareness campaign for healthcare professionals. The campaign was developed using an integrative social marketing approach (NSMC: 2013): including formative research, process evaluation and outcome evaluation. Formative research included audience research (interviews and focus groups with healthcare professionals and healthcare professionals in training) in combination with theories of social cognition and persuasion to develop four posters. Process evaluation included campaign evaluation by healthcare professionals using questionnaires (open and closed ended questions). Appropriate modifications to the posters were made following the process evaluation, and two posters were chosen as the final intervention. Outcome evaluation of the campaign was conducted by using a brief, four-item evaluation questionnaire completed by healthcare professionals (General Practitioners and nurses). Results from all phases indicated that the use of posters as the medium of the anorexia Study three included development of a comprehensive audio-visual intervention to increase nursing students’ self-effcacy regarding initial management of patients with anorexia nervosa. The intervention was developed and underpinned using the Transtheoretical Model Framework (Levesque et al., 2001), and then evaluated using a pre-post-test design. The intervention was successful in significantly increasing nursing students’ self-efficacy regarding the initial management of anorexia nervosa. Furthermore, the nursing students’ self-efficacy was high prior to the intervention, indicating that nursing students already feel confident to manage patients with the disorder. The methodological and theoretical implications are discussed. nervosa awareness campaign did not sufficiently raise awareness of anorexia nervosa, and therefore the limitations of the second study were considered.

Glyphosate is the world’s most used herbicide. There are currently 32 weedy species with resistant populations in 25 countries, although at present there are no reported cases of glyphosate resistance in the UK. As glyphosate use and selection pressure increases in the UK there is an excellent opportunity to investigate the potential for glyphosate resistance, and the evolutionary processes that may lead to resistance. The variability in standing genetic variation to herbicide susceptibility between weed populations can affect the amount of selection pressure and generations needed for resistance to evolve. If herbicide doses act within this standing genetic variation there may be a reduction in sensitivity due to a buildup of minor alleles related to reduced sensitivity. This thesis has investigated the glyphosate response of three UK weedy species, Alopecurus myosuroides (blackgrass), Anisantha sterilis (sterile brome), and Arabidopsis thaliana. Dose-response experiments showed significant variation in susceptibility between populations of all three species. Glasshouse selection experiments tested if glyphosate sensitivity could be further reduced under directional selection with below field rate doses, in Alopecurus myosuroides populations. Following selection, ten of eleven selected lines showed significantly different ED50 and ED90 values compared to unselected control lines, demonstrating that there is potential for selection of reduced glyphosate sensitivity, which may result in compromised field efficacy. Fitness cost experiments for two glyphosate-selected lines showed no major fitness costs associated with decreased glyphosate susceptibility both with and without wheat competition. Analysis of multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross Arabidopsis thaliana lines highlighted an area on chromosome 2 of the Arabidopsis thaliana genome that may be associated with variation in glyphosate susceptibility. These results are discussed in the context of the possibility of glyphosate resistance evolution in the UK.

Introduction: Non-specific low back pain is a common condition that continues to place a considerable burden on society. Various treatment approaches have emerged which are aimed at targeting non-specific low back pain and one of the most commonly recommended of these is spinal manipulative therapy, which is a central component of the chiropractic approach. However, despite observations in clinical practice in which some individuals respond well, results from clinical trials of treatment interventions for low back pain, such as chiropractic, are repeatedly seen to have small effect sizes. A plausible explanation for this is that low back pain may be considered a heterogeneous condition consisting of a number of subgroups of patients. Previously highlighted as a research priority, these subgroups and their predictive factors for outcome are beginning to be identified among low back pain patients receiving chiropractic treatment; however they are largely unstudied in the UK chiropractic patient population. The overall aim of this prospective cohort study was to attempt to identify predictors of outcomes in the short, medium and long term in low back pain patients undergoing chiropractic treatment in primary care settings throughout the UK. Methods: All practising members of the British Chiropractic Association were invited to participate in the study. Each chiropractor was required to recruit 10 consecutive low back pain patients. Patients were eligible for inclusion if they were between 18 and 60 years of age; presenting with a new episode of low back pain with or without leg pain; no treatment for low back pain within the previous 3 months; not pregnant; no contraindications to chiropractic care; a mobile phone user. All participating patients completed an informed consent form. Data were recorded utilising self report paper questionnaires by patients and chiropractors at baseline; and by patients only at the 4th visit, 3 months and 6 months follow-up. In addition, outcomes in the immediate short term were recorded from patients via text message on a daily basis for 7 days following the 1st visit. Baseline potential predictor variables encompassed demographics, clinical characteristic, clinical examination findings, work-related factors and psychosocial factors. The primary outcome was patient self-report global improvement. Patients were subgrouped according to the duration of the current episode of low back pain into acute (less than 2 weeks) and subacute/chronic (2 weeks or greater). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to construct prognostic models for baseline and change score variables at each follow-up. Results: Sixty-five chiropractors and 452 low back pain patients (222 acute; 230 subacute/chronic) participated in the study. The loss to follow-up at 6 months was approximately 65%. Almost 60% of patients participated in the text message study and the response rate was high (96%). The acute patients reported higher pain and disability at baseline; however a greater proportion of these patients were categorised as improved at each follow-up. The greatest drop in pain scores occurred in the 1st week in both subgroups. Several baseline predictor variables were independently associated with improvement at follow-up; however these differed between the subgroups with the exception of the patient-practitioner relationship. Early changes in pain were independently associated with improvement for the acute and subacute/chronic patients in the short and medium term. The discriminative ability of the baseline and change score prognostic models varied from weak to acceptable. Conclusion: The investigation presented here contributes to the body of research concerning prognostic factors, specifically those in the immediate short term, in the UK chiropractic LBP patient population and for being the largest study of its kind to date in the UK. Furthermore, this study highlights the potential impact of the patientpractitioner relationship on outcome in low back pain patients receiving chiropractic care. Although several baseline variables predicted improvement at follow-up, the importance of early change as a prognostic indicator is emphasised.

The low air stability of many primary phosphines has made them an under-utilised class of ligand, however they are versatile starting materials due to the possibility of functionalising the weak phosphorus hydrogen bonds, which can lead to a library of new phosphorus compounds. The work presented herein details the synthesis of the first air-stable fluorescent primary phosphines based on the fluorophore Bodipy (Chapter 2). The primary phosphines are shown to be air-stable in solution and in the solid state by 31P NMR spectroscopy and by DFT computational analysis, which is in accord with our group’s model of phosphine air-stability. In Chapters 3 and 4 we show the primary phosphines can be readily functionalised via hydrophosphination and formylation reactions to give novel fluorescent tertiary monodentate and tridentate derivatives. Fluorescent primary phosphines and their functionalisation via hydrophosphination reactions. Remarkably the phosphorus moieties have minimal influence on the photophysical properties, showing only a slight reduction in fluorescence quantum yields from the parent Bodipy dyes; the fluorescence is not ‘switched off’, which is the case for many amines and the few examples of phosphines conjugated to other fluorophores. In Chapter 4 we show these novel fluorescent phosphines coordinate to a range of low oxidation state(I-III) transition metals including those in groups 6, 9, 10 and 11. Surprisingly the presence of the heavy metals does not turn off the emission of the Bodipy dye; the complexes also showed high thermal and air stability in solution. These complexes have the potential to be used as multi-functional radiopharmaceutical complexes, for which the following functions were sought after (i) a polydentate ligand to ensure the complex is kinetically inert and thermodynamically stable; (ii) a radioactive metal centre, which will allow in vivo nuclear imaging using a gamma scanner; (iii) a fluorophore, which will provide in vitro fluorescence imaging and (iv) a target-specific group to transport the radiolabel to a specific receptor site in the body for iii a given disease. This combination of modalities would allow images obtained from fluorescence cell imaging to be correlated with in vivo radioimaging, to gain a greater understanding of the true fate of these agents within the body. The last chapter shows how the fluorescent rhenium(I) phosphine complexes can be made target-specific, and details the synthesis of a 99mTc radio-analogue containing a fluorescent tridentate phosphine rhenium(I) centre, which showed high levels of stability in biological media. Fluorescent rhenium(I) phosphine complexes, which have a carboxylic acid tag for peptide coupling, allowing the preparation of a target-specific fluorescent potential radiopharmaceutical, and a 99mTc/Re(I) fluorescent tridentate phosphine complex. Finally a number of the complexes are uptaken into cervical and prostate cancer cells and viewed by fluorescence confocal microscopy. Most of the complexes showed no toxicity towards the cells and have the potential to be used as a diagnostic tool.

The plant parasitic cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii forms a specialised feeding cell in the roots of host plants. The feeding site, termed a syncytium, is the sole source of nutrition for the developing parasitic nematode. The initiation and development of a syncytium requires extensive re-programming of gene expression in the specific root cells selected by the nematode for feeding site initiation. Auxin is postulated to playa role in this re-differentiation process. Activation of the auxin-responsive promoter DR5 in syncytia indicates an increase in perceived auxin levels. To determine whether or not the increase in auxin is required for the formation of syncytia, auxin signalling mutants were infected with H. schachrii for analysis of syncytial and nematode development. Measuring the size of syncytia throughout H schachtii development revealed sign ificantly smaller syncytia were formed in the auxin signalling mutant, axrl-12 in comparison to wild type plants. To elucidate biological processes mediated by auxin during syncytial development in silico analysis was performed on syncytia transcriptome data; this was used to identify genes upregulated in the syncytia that contain auxin-responsive elements in the promoter region. The cytoplasmic contents of syncytia formed in axrl -12 and wild type plants were microaspirated; this material was used for qRT-PCR analysis of auxin responsive gene expression. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that genes encoding cell wall remodelling enzymes were differentially expressed in syncytia fonned on axr 1-12 plants. The effects of altered cell wall remodelling enzyme expression on the structure of syncytia were investigated by obtaining transverse sections through syncytia fanned in wild type and axr 1-12 plants. Monoclonal antibodies to defined glycans and a cellulose binding module were used to localise carbohydrate and structural protein components in the cell walls of syncytia. The carbohydrate components of syncytia were found to be similar but differences were observed in the expression of structural proteins in syncytia formed in axr1-J2 and wild type plants. Additionally, cell wall degradation had occurred more extensively in syncytia formed in wild type plants in comparison to syncytia in axrJ·12. Cell proliferation in axrJ-12 and wild type roots during syncytial development was examined and found to be reduced in the auxin signalling mutant, indicating a role for auxin mediating cell-cyc\e activation during the development of syncytia. This study provides the first insight into the biological processes mediated by auxin during the development of syncytia by H schachtii in Arabidopsis thaliana .

Much of current welfare policy directed towards the support of lone parents is intended to encourage earning as a primary responsibility for all, regardless of responsibilities for care. This thesis sets out to explore how these policy discourses diverge from or converge with the lived experiences of a sample of divorced or separated parents. The thesis analyses how individuals and their families experience the policy and legal process in the context of increasing levels of welfare conditionality. The ways in which the underlying assumptions inherent in these discourses intersect with the choices and preferences of the participants and their children are explored. In doing so, the thesis investigates the current gaps in knowledge around the potential impact of these policy developments on lone parents, non resident parents and their children as they re-negotiate their family lives post separation. The thesis contends that policy and legal structures could take a much greater account of care as both a practice and an ethic. A more holistic welfare policy model which regards interdependency as positive rather than negative could be fostered if we recognise that human flourishment comes from our relationships with others. I argue that the focus on employment as the primary duty appears to be informed by a flawed understanding both of the complexities of family relationships and of the realities of managing paid work alongside responsibility for domestic and care work as the sole adult in the home.

Analyses of early modern Europe and the developing commercial print culture of the eighteenth century tend to divide their focus between, on one hand, the impact of print upon styles of reading, writing, and textual dissemination, and on the other, discussions of literacy and orality in relation to ‘popular culture’. Within this research model definitions of ‘oral’ and ‘orality’ are based on a legacy of anthropological, historical, and literary studies which places a particular emphasis on the relationship between oral and literate modes and theorises the difference between them primarily in terms of alternative forms of sensory apprehension. This thesis argues that such an approach is limited and limiting. It offers an analysis of the ways in which the oral was understood and represented during the eighteenth century. Through an exploration of the assumptions that were then made about oral modes and practices it indicates not only where there is room to challenge the biases of its current critical formulation, but also identifies how much can be missed by an anachronistic interpretation of eighteenth-century attitudes. Accounts of and advice on the ideal conversation, public oration, and sermon form the focus of the first three chapters, which discuss how contemporary oral practices were imaged, theorized, and represented during this period. The subsequent chapters assess the engagement of eighteenth century writers with what they deem to be historical forms of orality. The representation of bardic poetry and song is examined through a reading of various conjectural histories, accounts of the effect of music and poetry, and descriptions of the classical world. A comparison between two versions of one text – Henry Bournes’ Antiquitates Vulgares (1725) and its reformulation by John Brand as Observations on Popular Antiquities (1777) – facilitates a reassessment of the connection between oral tradition and ‘popular culture’.

Convection is a well-observed atmospheric phenomenon, which has a fundamental role in global weather and climate. The transport of heat, moisture and momentum that result from convection are significant at a range of temporal and spatial scales. Convective clouds have a wide range of non-linear interactions with other atmospheric processes which make them difficult to understand and model numerically. Due to resolution constraints in climate models, sub-grid convection is represented by a parameterisation. Many parameterisation schemes are based on an assumed temporal and spatial separation between convection and its forcing. The implied equilibrium relates current convection directly to the large-scale forcing. The validity of the temporal scale separation is directly tested in this thesis by examining the convective response to a time-varying forcing.

The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor, involved in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, the immune response and stress response. GR is a member of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and is activated by binding glucocorticoids, which triggers receptor dimerisation, nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. The activity of GR is further modulated by post-translational modifications, cofactor recruitment and protein stability. Exactly how GR regulates transcriptional activity in a gene specific manner and how GR responds to cellular stress is unclear.University of Manchester.