The role of learning in the development and use of maritime technology in the Mediterranean 1500 BC to AD 200

The evidence available to the discipline of maritime archaeology, and the associated interpretation of textual and iconographic sources, has recently undergone a period of rapid growth due to the development of techniques used in underwater exploration. Unfortunately, the presentation and interpretation of this expanded evidence has neither a clear taxonomic structure within which to categorise vessels by type and capability, nor a comprehensive model for development that might explain how, why and when different vessel types arose. The result has been that most published works by specialists in the field do not clearly reference either topic. This in turn has resulted in a great deal of misunderstanding by scholars from outside the discipline regarding vessel types, capabilities and usage. My contention in this thesis is that an understanding of the nature of learning in the ancient world can provide a means to explain how the process of vessel development progressed. Any process of development based on learning will clearly be linked to both the construction and operation of the vessels in use. This in turn requires the definition of vessel types in the form of a system of taxonomy based on features related to their use. The aim and objectives of this thesis are to provide a model of this process of learning and system of taxonomy that fits the current evidence, while providing a basis of challenge for others researching in the field of maritime archaeology

A qualitative exploration of how SENCos construct the term ‘acquired brain injury’ and associated support in UK primary schools: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a term used to describe a neurological injury that occurs to the brain after birth (Howe & Ball, 2013). In the UK, there are reports of up to 40,000 new cases of childhood ABI per year (Dunford et al., 2020). The impact of ABI on children has been linked to physical, cognitive, social and emotional needs (Wilkinson et al., 2017; Saly et al., 2023); highlighting the importance of providing appropriate and timely support in schools (Crowe et al., 2021). Current literature suggests that school professionals are often unaware of ABI and its impact (Ernst et al., 2017) and acknowledge their own gaps in knowledge relating to ABI (Chleboun et al., 2021), including frequent misconceptions (Bennett et al., 2022). However, there is limited research into how ABI and any associated support is constructed by school professionals, especially by Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCos), who often work closely with children with ABI (Linden et al., 2013). The current study aims to provide a novel insight into how SENCos in UK primary schools construct the term ‘acquired brain injury’ and any associated support for children with ABI. This study used semi-structured interviews and espoused itself to Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) to gather and analyse data to explore SENCo constructions of ABI, based on a social constructionist positioning (Pilgrim, 2019). Six participants from mainstream UK primary schools participated in this study, who were all actively supporting children with special educational needs in a SENCo role for more than one academic year. Data was analysed using Braun & Clarke’s (2006 & 2021) six stages of RTA. A critically oriented analysis of the data interpreted that SENCos constructed ABI as complex in need, complex to support, easily misconceived, and requires a high level of support and significant growth in their role as a SENCo. Implications of these findings suggest that there is a need for increased awareness and knowledge of ABI through professional development and research, as well as multidisciplinary working. This research hopes to contribute to the limited literature on ABI in education from a SENCo’s perspective and highlights the need for systemic change to support inclusive and informed practice to support children and young people with ABI

School leadership development in Saudi Arabia: policy-makers’ and participants’ perspectives

This thesis examines school leadership development in Najran, Saudi Arabia by conducting 35 interviews with principals, junior teachers, senior teachers and policy-makers. The study reveals mixed perceptions regarding the effectiveness of leadership development programmes conducted by the Ministry of Education. Policymakers claim that the Ministry is actively working on initiatives to enhance leadership capabilities through developing soft skills and fostering collaboration. Exchange programmes are utilised to facilitate collaboration and networking among teachers, although many of these events are perceived to lack a validated methodology for promoting leadership skills. The Tatweer programme offers some leadership development opportunities, but participation varies significantly across schools. Some schools developed their own successful leadership initiatives, while others lack sufficient support. Self-development emerged as a crucial factor for leadership development, particularly in schools with fewer formal opportunities. Overall, the study suggests that, while Ministry-led programmes are valuable, they need substantial improvement to address the leadership development needs of both junior and senior teachers

Development of novel therapeutic agents designed to enhance insulin secretion through activation of the trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1)

Produced in the pancreas, insulin is widely considered the most important hormone involved in metabolic homeostasis. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic metabolic disease affecting 537 million people worldwide which results from a defect in insulin action, secretion, or both. Over time, existing antihyperglycemic treatments designed to control type 2 DM (T2DM) typically become ineffective due to changes in disease progression including weight gain and increased insulin resistance, highlighting the importance for the continued development of new therapeutic agents which exert their effects through diverse/ novel mechanisms. Trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a G protein-coupled receptor located in the brain, stomach, intestines and pancreatic β-cells which has roles in mediating neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. Although most of the existing research into TAAR1 agonists has focused on their role within the central nervous system for application in schizophrenia treatments, studies have identified activation of pancreatic TAAR1 enhances insulin secretion, thus TAAR1 is a promising target for novel antihyperglycemic treatments for T2DM. This thesis reports the rational design, synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a series of ligands intended to exhibit a peripherally restricted TAAR1 agonist profile, based on N-((1H-imidazol-4-yl)methyl)-4-chloro-N-isopropylaniline (RO5073012, 59), as part of a structure activity relationship study. The analogues are computationally predicted to be substrates of the P-glycoprotein transporter and experimentally predicted to have low blood brain barrier permeability through immobilised artificial membrane reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography, preventing the likelihood of inducing potential undesired on-target effects. The data obtained from high range rat insulin enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (Mercodia) shows that the novel analogues enhance insulin secretion in control and glucolipotoxicity conditions designed to mimic an environment typically associated with patients with poorly controlled T2DM. We also demonstrate that one compound, N-((1H-imidazol-2-yl)methyl)-4-chloro-N-isopropylaniline (76c), upregulates the secondary messenger cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) using the cAMP select ELISA (Cayman Chemical). This suggests 76c mediates its therapeutic effects via TAAR1 thus indicating a potential role for these molecules as novel therapeutic agents in the treatment of T2DM

Transmedia authorship as a media industries practice

This thesis offers an analytical framework to investigate transmedia authorship within the context of the media industries. Through the case studies of the Wizarding World and Star Wars, it transcends the dichotomy, prevalent in media authorship research, between viewing authorship as tied to individual genius or to the collaborative effort of numerous contributors. Challenging current understandings of transmedia authorship as relying on a central authorial figure (Jenkins, 2006; Evans, 2011; Freeman, 2016), the case studies demonstrate that transmedia authorship is mutable, like the texts to which it relates. The thesis uses paratextual analysis (Genette, 1997 [1987]; Gray, 2010), as well as the concept of performance in linguistics (Austin, 1975) and media authorship (Gray, 2010; Hadas, 2020), to show how a ‘transmedia author-function’ emerges from the performed relationships between a primary authorial figure and the other contributors to the fictional universe, as mediated through officially-branded material and public commentary by key creatives. The crux of the study lies in recognising the media industries as a key player in the construction of authorship and its fluidity. Accordingly, the thesis demonstrates that the performed relationships serve as a mechanism through which authorial authority can be bestowed or limited. The case studies show how media corporations contribute to shifts in the transmedia author-function; by showcasing or sidelining different authorial figures, IP owners can encourage a more or less collaborative conception of authorship, with the aim of pursuing different strategic objectives for the future of the transmedia universe as brand

Concentration Inequalities for Fluctuations in Classical and Quantum Markov Processes

Markov processes describe a plethora of physical systems in nature, including the mechanics of molecular motors, chemical reactions, and even financial markets. In the framework of continuous-time Markov processes, there are many important quantities of interest. One example are dynamical observables: time-integrated functionals of stochastic trajectories. Another are first passage times (FPTs), which are the time taken for an observable to reach a fixed threshold. The fluctuations of these two quantities are bounded from below by the thermodynamic uncertainty relations (TURs), a fundamental result which captures the tradeoff between their precision, and physical parameters such as entropy production or activity. Whilst these lower bounds are well-known, less attention has been given to finding upper bounds on fluctuations. We first prove the existence of general upper bounds, at any time, on the variance of any linear combination of fluxes for classical, continuous-time Markov processes. These are derived by considering perturbed dynamics and applying techniques in concentration theory, in particular the Cramer-Chernoff method. We call these bounds "inverse thermodynamic uncertainty relations". Spectral methods allow us to express the bounds in terms of parameters of the dynamics which include the symmetrised spectral gap of the generator and max/min escape rates, alongside observable-dependent quantities. Afterwards we provide a concentration inequality for dynamical observables, which upper bounds the probability distribution for finite time. We then extend these results to FPTs for the dynamical activity, as well as a tail bound for general counting observables. Finally we generalise our FPT results to the quantum framework for general quantum Markov processes and reset processes, including a tail bound for FPTs of general counts, i.e. counts of a subset of emissions. We also prove a large deviation principle for FPTs of classical and quantum counting processes. Our results have several consequences and applications. By providing upper bounds on the relative uncertainty, the range of estimation errors is bounded from both sides. These findings suggest that spectral quantities limit the range of fluctuations. The observable-dependent parameters in the bounds offer an advantage over the traditional TURs for precision estimation. Inverse TURs provide bounds on the accuracy of classical or quantum clocks or the efficiency of heat engines. The concentration inequalities can be used in finite-regime parameter estimation of classical and quantum processes, with open quantum dynamics being particularly relevant in experimental situations

The illusion of choice: barriers faced by mothers with young children in Kazakhstan in re/entering the labour market: an analysis with the concept of defamilisation

This thesis explores women’s experiences when combining motherhood and paid work, and the role that the state, the markets and the family play in this. The theoretical framework is based on the concept of defamilisation in order to explain the extent to which and the way in which three sectors, the state, the labour market and the family, impact the defamilisation of women (Lister, 1994). Mothers of young children, not only in Kazakhstan but in general need support from the state, employers and family (Dugarova, 2016). The state plays a key role not only in ensuring acceptable standards of living for people by decommodifying them from the labour market (Esping- Andersen, 1990; 1999), but it may also provide support to mothers of young children by defamilising them through assistance with childcare and allowing them to have free time to enter paid work (Lister, 1994; Chau and Yu, 2022). While there is research published on gender inequality in Kazakhstan in terms of gender-based discrimination and wage gender gap they experience (Omarova et al. 2017; Khamzina et al. 2020; Mukhamadiyeva et al. 2019; Bidaishiyeva et al. 2018), there are few if any empirical studies carried out on defamilisation and motherhood penalty in Kazakhstan. This thesis therefore makes an original contribution by filling this gap in research. Through semi-structured focus group discussion and secondary research, it explores whether and how the state, the markets and the family assist or hinder women from (re)entering paid work and their impact on defamilisation. This data was analysed through an interpretive approach and thematic method, and utilising an insider positionality approach (Geene, 2010; Wilson et al, 2022). The data collection for this research took place in December 2021 and May 2022 in Almaty and Turkestan, cities located in South of Kazakhstan. The findings show that despite conservative values and beliefs in the importance of traditional gender roles, a pragmatic rationale for having dual-earner household and women choosing to enter paid work for financial needs prevail. The financial situation in families plays a decisive role in women’s decisions to find paid work and commonly women whose partners earn generously postpone entering the labour market for an indefinite time. The findings also suggest that the state's lack of support for mothers of young children pushes them to seek paid work, but due to difficulties faced there to enter and retain, women remain dependent on their families. The traditional lifestyle of living in multigenerational households mean women are engaged in social exchange with members of extended family and receive support with childcare in return for unpaid domestic services. Therefore, the state, the labour market and the family present a complex environment for mothers of young children engaging in paid work, resulting in a strong pull from the family that ultimately hinders them from being able to maintain an acceptable living standard independently of their families

Investigating ApoE4-Mediated Molecular Alterations in H4 Neuroglioma Cells of Alzheimer’s Disease Using OrbiSIMS and LC-MS/MS.

Apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) is the significant risk gene for late-onset Alzheimer’s disease (AD), which is not only associated with the AD pathological features, including amyloid-β deposition, phosphorylation of Tau proteins and neuroinflammation; but also involved with metabolism, neuron growth, and synaptic plasticity. Growing clinical evidence has revealed that dysfunction of systematic molecular alterations in the brain occurs even twenty years before the onset of AD pathological features. Multi-omics such as metabolomics and proteomics have been applied widely in identifying key disease-related molecular alteration and disease-progression-related changes. Despite recent advances in the development of analytical technologies, screening the whole profile of metabolites remains challenging, due to many classes of compounds with diverse chemical properties that would need different extraction processes. In this study, we combined two omics (metabolomics and proteomics) to study the molecular alteration effected by ApoE4 in H4 neuroglioma cells. Typically, we first conducted metabolomics that uses Orbital trapping secondary ion mass spectrometry (OrbiSIMS) as a screening tool to gain a non-biased overview of metabolic alteration under ApoE4-carried neuroglioma cells. Sample preparation optimisation for H4 cells in OrbiSIMS analysis has been conducted under two conditions: freeze-dried and frozen-hydrated. The findings are subsequently followed by LC-MS/MS targeted metabolomics for further confirming specific metabolite classes. Then proteomics was also performed by using UHPLC-MS. Subsequentially, Gene ontology (GO) analysis has been applied to link the metabolomics and proteomics results. The initial OrbiSIMS approach has shown the advantages of detecting large numbers of metabolites with minimal sample preparation, small sample size and a relatively rapid analysis time, allowing 192 putatively annotated metabolites detected in our study. Overall, OrbiSIMS as screening tool then followed by LC-MS/MS is successfully developed to investigate cellular metabolomics, revealing the disruption of lipid metabolism (glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids) and amino acid metabolism. This includes alanine, aspartate, and glutamate metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, glutamine metabolism, and taurine and hypotaurine metabolism. Proteomics study further confirms the dysfunction of amino acids, tRNA aminoacylation metabolic processes, and reveals RNA splicing process affected by ApoE4. GO analysis suggests that nitrogen compounds, amino acids, tRNA aminoacylation metabolic processes play important roles in ApoE4 mediated molecular alterations in AD

A Quantum Graph Approach to Metamaterial Design

Since the turn of the century, metamaterials have garnered significant attention for their ability to exhibit exotic properties such as cloaking and perfect lensing. This has led to a growing need for reliable mathematical models capable of describing these materials' complex behaviors. While various modeling techniques exist for studying and engineering metamaterials, this thesis introduces a novel approach based on the scattering formalism of quantum graph theory. The flexibility and mathematical simplicity of this framework make it an ideal tool for designing metamaterials with unique band structures and for exploring complex multi-layer configurations. This thesis begins by extending quantum graph theory's scattering formalism to study wave propagation in complex periodic and finite quantum systems. Green’s functions on quantum graphs are developed using a scattering approach, offering a powerful method for analyzing wave behavior on both closed and open graphs. Next, we apply this formalism to study acoustic metamaterials modeled as networks of interconnected waveguides, confirming the model's predictions through both simulations and experiments. Finally, the thesis explores the design of an angular Fourier filter using a periodic quantum graph with beyond-nearest-neighbor connections, demonstrating that quantum graphs can be used to model resonant wave transmission at discrete angles. The results were verified using COMSOL simulations in the acoustic regime, showing excellent agreement between theory, simulation, and experiment. This work establishes quantum graph theory as a new paradigm for metamaterial design, offering a versatile and intuitive framework for modeling wave behavior and guiding the development of future metamaterial technologies

Magnetic Induction Tomography using Vector Spherical Harmonic Magnetic Fields and Quantum Sensing

The work explores the use of spherical harmonic magnetic vector fields in magnetic induction tomography, an eddy current based non-ionising imaging technique. It uses the spherical harmonic magnetic fields as primary excitor fields, creating orthogonal sensitivity matrices ensuring efficient and accurate image reconstruction using two different algorithms. The thesis further explores the phase of the eddy current induced secondary magnetic fields and seeks to use phase in image reconstruction. Lastly, the thesis seeks to measure the eddy current induced secondary magnetic fields from low conductivity materials using quantum sensors known as optically pumped magnetometers