7,884 research outputs found
AnuĂĄrio cientĂfico da Escola Superior de Tecnologia da SaĂșde de Lisboa - 2021
Ă com grande prazer que apresentamos a mais recente edição (a 11.ÂȘ) do AnuĂĄrio CientĂfico da Escola Superior de Tecnologia da SaĂșde de Lisboa. Como instituição de ensino superior, temos o compromisso de promover e incentivar a pesquisa cientĂfica em todas as ĂĄreas do conhecimento que contemplam a nossa missĂŁo. Esta publicação tem como objetivo divulgar toda a produção cientĂfica desenvolvida pelos Professores, Investigadores, Estudantes e Pessoal nĂŁo Docente da ESTeSL durante 2021. Este AnuĂĄrio Ă©, assim, o reflexo do trabalho ĂĄrduo e dedicado da nossa comunidade, que se empenhou na produção de conteĂșdo cientĂfico de elevada qualidade e partilhada com a Sociedade na forma de livros, capĂtulos de livros, artigos publicados em revistas nacionais e internacionais, resumos de comunicaçÔes orais e pĂłsteres, bem como resultado dos trabalhos de 1Âș e 2Âș ciclo. Com isto, o conteĂșdo desta publicação abrange uma ampla variedade de tĂłpicos, desde temas mais fundamentais atĂ© estudos de aplicação prĂĄtica em contextos especĂficos de SaĂșde, refletindo desta forma a pluralidade e diversidade de ĂĄreas que definem, e tornam Ășnica, a ESTeSL. Acreditamos que a investigação e pesquisa cientĂfica Ă© um eixo fundamental para o desenvolvimento da sociedade e Ă© por isso que incentivamos os nossos estudantes a envolverem-se em atividades de pesquisa e prĂĄtica baseada na evidĂȘncia desde o inĂcio dos seus estudos na ESTeSL. Esta publicação Ă© um exemplo do sucesso desses esforços, sendo a maior de sempre, o que faz com que estejamos muito orgulhosos em partilhar os resultados e descobertas dos nossos investigadores com a comunidade cientĂfica e o pĂșblico em geral. Esperamos que este AnuĂĄrio inspire e motive outros estudantes, profissionais de saĂșde, professores e outros colaboradores a continuarem a explorar novas ideias e contribuir para o avanço da ciĂȘncia e da tecnologia no corpo de conhecimento prĂłprio das ĂĄreas que compĂ”e a ESTeSL. Agradecemos a todos os envolvidos na produção deste anuĂĄrio e desejamos uma leitura inspiradora e agradĂĄvel.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A direct-laser-written heart-on-a-chip platform for generation and stimulation of engineered heart tissues
In this dissertation, we first develop a versatile microfluidic heart-on-a-chip model to generate 3D-engineered human cardiac microtissues in highly-controlled microenvironments. The platform, which is enabled by direct laser writing (DLW), has tailor-made attachment sites for cardiac microtissues and comes with integrated strain actuators and force sensors. Application of external pressure waves to the platform results in controllable time-dependent forces on the microtissues. Conversely, oscillatory forces generated by the microtissues are transduced into measurable electrical outputs. After characterization of the responsivity of the transducers, we demonstrate the capabilities of this platform by studying the response of cardiac microtissues to prescribed mechanical loading and pacing.
Next, we tune the geometry and mechanical properties of the platform to enable parametric studies on engineered heart tissues. We explore two geometries: a rectangular seeding well with two attachment sites, and a stadium-like seeding well with six attachment sites. The attachment sites are placed symmetrically in the longitudinal direction. The former geometry promotes uniaxial contraction of the tissues; the latter additionally induces diagonal
fiber alignment. We systematically increase the length for both configurations and observe a positive correlation between fiber alignment at the center of the microtissues and tissue length. However, progressive thinning and âneckingâ is also observed, leading to the failure of longer tissues over time. We use the DLW technique to improve the platform, softening
the mechanical environment and optimizing the attachment sites for generation of stable microtissues at each length and geometry. Furthermore, electrical pacing is incorporated into the platform to evaluate the functional dynamics of stable microtissues over the entire range of physiological heart rates. Here, we typically observe a decrease in active force and contraction duration as a function of frequency.
Lastly, we use a more traditional ?TUG platform to demonstrate the effects of subthreshold electrical pacing on the rhythm of the spontaneously contracting cardiac microtissues. Here, we observe periodic M:N patterns, in which there are ? cycles of stimulation for every ? tissue contractions. Using electric field amplitude, pacing frequency, and homeostatic beating frequencies of the tissues, we provide an empirical map for predicting the emergence of these rhythms
In vitro investigation of the effect of disulfiram on hypoxia induced NFÎșB, epithelial to mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells in glioblastoma cell lines
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers with a poor prognosis. Advances in the treatment of GBM are limited due to several resistance mechanisms and limited drug delivery into the central nervous system (CNS) compartment by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and by actions of the normal brain to counteract tumour-targeting medications. Hypoxia is common in malignant brain tumours such as GBM and plays a significant role in tumour pathobiology. It is widely accepted that hypoxia is a major driver of GBM malignancy. Although it has been confirmed that hypoxia induces GBM stem-like-cells (GSCs), which are highly invasive and resistant to all chemotherapeutic agents, the detailed molecular pathways linking hypoxia, GSC traits and chemoresistance remain obscure. Evidence shows that hypoxia induces cancer stem cell phenotypes via epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), promoting therapeutic resistance in most cancers, including GBM.
This study demonstrated that spheroid cultured GBM cells consist of a large population of hypoxic cells with CSC and EMT characteristics. GSCs are chemo-resistant and displayed increased levels of HIFs and NFÎșB activity. Similarly, the hypoxia cultured GBM cells manifested GSC traits, chemoresistance and invasiveness. These results suggest that hypoxia is responsible for GBM stemness, chemoresistance and invasiveness. GBM cells transfected with nuclear factor kappa B-p65 (NFÎșB-p65) subunit exhibited CSC and EMT markers indicating the essential role of NFÎșB in maintaining GSC phenotypes. The study also highlighted the significance of NFÎșB in driving chemoresistance, invasiveness, and the potential role of NFÎșB as the central regulator of hypoxia-induced stemness in GBM cells. GSC population has the ability of self-renewal, cancer initiation and development of secondary heterogeneous cancer. The very poor prognosis of GBM could largely be attributed to the existence of GSCs, which promote tumour propagation, maintenance, radio- and chemoresistance and local infiltration.
In this study, we used Disulfiram (DS), a drug used for more than 65 years in alcoholism clinics, in combination with copper (Cu) to target the NFÎșB pathway, reverse chemoresistance and block invasion in GSCs. The obtained results showed that DS/Cu is highly cytotoxic to GBM cells and completely eradicated the resistant CSC population at low dose levels in vitro. DS/Cu inhibited the migration and invasion of hypoxia-induced CSC and EMT like GBM cells at low nanomolar concentrations.
DS is an FDA approved drug with low toxicity to normal tissues and can pass through the BBB. Further research may lead to the quick translation of DS into cancer clinics and provide new therapeutic options to improve treatment outcomes in GBM patients
Towards a sociology of conspiracy theories: An investigation into conspiratorial thinking on Dönmes
This thesis investigates the social and political significance of conspiracy theories, which has been an academically neglected topic despite its historical relevance. The academic literature focuses on the methodology, social significance and political impacts of these theories in a secluded manner and lacks empirical analyses. In response, this research provides a comprehensive theoretical framework for conspiracy theories by considering their methodology, political impacts and social significance in the light of empirical data. Theoretically, the thesis uses Adorno's semi-erudition theory along with Girardian approach. It proposes that conspiracy theories are methodologically semi-erudite narratives, i.e. they are biased in favour of a belief and use reason only to prove it. It suggests that conspiracy theories appear in times of power vacuum and provide semi-erudite cognitive maps that relieve alienation and ontological insecurities of people and groups. In so doing, they enforce social control over their audience due to their essentialist, closed-to-interpretation narratives. In order to verify the theory, the study analyses empirically the social and political significance of conspiracy theories about the Dönme community in Turkey. The analysis comprises interviews with conspiracy theorists, conspiracy theory readers and political parties, alongside a frame analysis of the popular conspiracy theory books on Dönmes. These confirm the theoretical framework by showing that the conspiracy theories are fed by the ontological insecurities of Turkish society. Hence, conspiracy theorists, most readers and some political parties respond to their own ontological insecurities and political frustrations through scapegoating Dönmes. Consequently, this work shows that conspiracy theories are important symptoms of society, which, while relieving ontological insecurities, do not provide politically prolific narratives
The developing maternal-infant relationship: a qualitative longitudinal study
Aim
The study aimed to explore maternal perceptions and the use of knowledge relating to their infantâs mental health over time using qualitative longitudinal research.
Background
There has been a growing interest in infant mental health over recent years. Much of this interest is directed through the lens of infant determinism, through knowledge regarding neurological development resulting in biological determinism. Research and policy in this field are directed toward individual parenting behaviours, usually focused on the mother. Despite this, there is little attention given to maternal perspectives of infant mental health, indicating that a more innovative approach to methodology is required.
Methods
This study took a qualitative longitudinal approach, and interviews were undertaken with seven mothers from the third trimester of pregnancy and then throughout the first year of the infantâs life. Interviews were conducted at 34 weeks of pregnancy, and then when the infant was 6 and 12 weeks, 6, 9, and 12 months, alongside the collection of researcher field notesâa total of 41 interviews. Data were analysed by creating case profiles, memos, and summaries, and then cross-comparison of the emerging narratives. A psycho-socially informed approach was taken to the analysis of data.
Findings
Three interrelated themes emerged from the data: evolving maternal identity, growing a person, and creating a safe space. The theme of evolving maternal identity dominated the other themes of growing a person and creating a safe space in a way that met perceived socio-cultural requirements for mothering and childcare practices. Participantsâ personal stories give voice to their perceptions of the developing maternal-infant relationship in the context of their socio-cultural setting, relationships with others, and experiences over time.
Conclusions
This study adds new knowledge by giving mothers a voice to express how the maternal-infant relationship develops over time. The findings demonstrate how the developing maternal-infant relationship grows in response to their mutual needs as the mother works to create and sustain identities for herself and the infant that will fit within their socio-cultural context and individual situations. Additionally, the findings illustrate the importance of temporal considerations, social networks, and intergenerational relationships to this evolving process. Recommendations for practice, policy, and education are made that reflect the unique relationship between mother and infant and the need to conceptualise this using an ecological approach
TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF EFFORTFUL FUNDRAISING EXPERIENCES: USING INTERPRETATIVE PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS IN FUNDRAISING RESEARCH
Physical-activity oriented community fundraising has experienced an exponential growth in popularity over the past 15 years. The aim of this study was to explore the value of effortful fundraising experiences, from the point of view of participants, and explore the impact that these experiences have on peopleâs lives. This study used an IPA approach to interview 23 individuals, recognising the role of participants as proxy (nonprofessional) fundraisers for charitable organisations, and the unique organisation donor dynamic that this creates. It also bought together relevant psychological theory related to physical activity fundraising experiences (through a narrative literature review) and used primary interview data to substantiate these. Effortful fundraising experiences are examined in detail to understand their significance to participants, and how such experiences influence their connection with a charity or cause. This was done with an idiographic focus at first, before examining convergences and divergences across the sample. This study found that effortful fundraising experiences can have a profound positive impact upon community fundraisers in both the short and the long term. Additionally, it found that these experiences can be opportunities for charitable organisations to create lasting meaningful relationships with participants, and foster mutually beneficial lifetime relationships with them. Further research is needed to test specific psychological theory in this context, including self-esteem theory, self determination theory, and the martyrdom effect (among others)
A narrative study of how shame features in the lives of women living with HIV
Once classed as a devastating virus that resulted in a guaranteed premature death, HIV can be treated successfully with lifelong medication and importantly its transmissibility is eliminated for individuals on effective medication. However, the psychosocial burden of HIV remains for many and despite this advancement in biomedical treatment, HIV remains a highly stigmatised virus and condition.
This study explores how shame features in the experiences of women living with HIV in Ireland. There is an absence of womenâs narratives in the overall discourse on HIV in Ireland, therefore little is known about their lives. Research on shame tells us that prolonged unacknowledged shame can impact on mental well-being if unaddressed.
The studyâs sample comprised twelve women living with HIV who were based in Ireland. Their narratives based on semi-structured interviews have been analysed using Clandinin and Connellyâs (2000) three-dimensional narrative inquiry tool, which explores from the interactional, chronological and situational elements of a story. A cross-case analysis was adopted to explore dominant themes across the twelve narratives.
Findings from this study portray how shame stemmed from an absence of a woman centred HIV narrative and the ongoing presence of stigmatising HIV discourse. Shame featured as three dimensions of the exposed self: anticipated exposure, exposure avoidance and felt exposure. Finally, many of the participants managed to grow through their HIV-related shame and move past it by discovering a shared experience with other women, to reduce emotional isolation.
This study concludes that HIV-related shame can have negative implications for womenâs health and general well-being, thus compromising womenâs ability to live well with HIV. HIV-related shame must be addressed with the appropriate intervention. The study contributes to the development of a women-centred HIV discourse. This can help increase visibility of WLHIV and enable potential mitigation of the onset of HIV-related shame, which is crucial in this era of HIV normalisation
Omics measures of ageing and disease susceptibility
While genomics has been a major field of study for decades due to relatively inexpensive genotyping arrays, the recent advancement of technology has also allowed the measure and study of various âomicsâ. There are now numerous methods and platforms available that allow high throughput and high dimensional quantification of many types of biological molecules. Traditional genomics and transcriptomics are now joined by proteomics, metabolomics, glycomics, lipidomics and epigenomics.
I was lucky to have access to a unique resource in the Orkney Complex Disease Study (ORCADES), a cohort of individuals from the Orkney Islands that are extremely deeply annotated. Approximately 1000 individuals in ORCADES have genomics, proteomics, lipidomics, glycomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, clinical risk factors and disease phenotypes, as well as body composition measurements from whole body scans. In addition to these cross-sectional omics and health related measures, these individuals also have linked electronic health records (EHR) available, allowing the assessment of the effect of these omics measures on incident disease over a ~10-year follow up period. In this thesis I use this phenotype rich resource to investigate the relationship between multiple types of omics measures and both ageing and health outcomes.
First, I used the ORCADES data to construct measures of biological age (BA). The idea that there is an underlying rate at which the body deteriorates with age that varies between individuals of the same chronological age, this biological age, would be more indicative of health status, functional capacity and risk of age-related diseases than chronological age. Previous models estimating BA (ageing clocks) have predominantly been built using a single type of omics assay and comparison between different omics ageing clocks has been limited. I performed the most exhaustive comparison of different omics ageing clocks yet, with eleven clocks spanning nine different omics assays. I show that different omics clocks overlap in the information they provide about age, that some omics clocks track more generalised ageing while others track specific disease risk factors and that omics ageing clocks are prognostic of incident disease over and above chronological age.
Second, I assessed whether individually or in multivariable models, omics measures are associated with health-related risk factors or prognostic of incident disease over 10 years post-assessment. I show that 2,686 single omics biomarkers are associated with 10 risk factors and 44 subsequent incident diseases. I also show that models built using multiple biomarkers from whole body scans, metabolomics, proteomics and clinical risk factors are prognostic of subsequent diabetes mellitus and that clinical risk factors are prognostic of incident hypertensive disorders, obesity, ischaemic heart disease and Framingham risk score.
Third, I investigated the genetic architecture of a subset of the proteomics measures available in ORCADES, specifically 184 cardiovascular-related proteins. Combining genome-wide association (GWAS) summary statistics from ORCADES and 17 other cohorts from the SCALLOP Consortium, giving a maximum sample size of 26,494 individuals, I performed 184 genome-wide association meta-analyses (GWAMAs) on the levels of these proteins circulating in plasma. I discovered 592 independent significant loci associated with the levels of at least one protein. I found that between 8-37% of these significant loci colocalise with known expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). I also find evidence of causal associations between 11 plasma protein levels and disease susceptibility using Mendelian randomisation, highlighting potential candidate drug targets
Chinese Benteng Womenâs Participation in Local Development Affairs in Indonesia: Appropriate means for struggle and a pathway to claim citizenâ right?
It had been more than two decades passing by aftermath the devastating Asiaâs Financial Crisis in 1997, subsequently followed by Suhartoâs step down from his presidential throne which he occupied for more than three decades. The financial turmoil turned to a political disaster furthermore has led to massive looting that severely impacted Indonesians of Chinese descendant, including unresolved mystery of the most atrocious sexual violation against women and covert killings of students and democracy activists in this country. Since then, precisely aftermath May 1998, which publicly known as âReformasiâ1, Indonesia underwent political reform that eventually corresponded positively to its macroeconomic growth. Twenty years later, in 2018, Indonesia captured worldwide attention because it has successfully hosted two internationally renowned events, namely the Asian Games 2018 â the most prestigious sport events in Asia â conducted in Jakarta and Palembang; and the IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting 2018 in Bali. Particularly in the IMF/World Bank Annual Meeting, this event has significantly elevated Indonesiaâs credibility and international prestige in the global economic powerplay as one of the nations with promising growth and openness. However, the narrative about poverty and inequality, including increasing racial tension, religious conservatism, and sexual violation against women are superseded by friendly climate for foreign investment and eventually excessive glorification of the nationâs economic growth. By portraying the image of promising new economic power, as rhetorically promised by President Joko Widodo during his presidential terms, Indonesia has swept the growing inequality in this highly stratified society that historically compounded with religious and racial tension under the carpet of digital economy.Arte y Humanidade
Invisibility cloaks, prisons, and a pandemic: Did COVID-19 render the prison invisibility cloak ineffective?
This thesis acknowledges the importance of examining news media representation of prisons, and more specifically, news media representation of Canadian prisons during the COVID-19 pandemic. A thematic qualitative and quantitative content analysis of news coverage of prison before and during the COVID-19 pandemic was undertaken to analyze how news media organizations communicate meanings and messages about punishment and prison to the general public. Utilizing a social constructionist approach, I examined how the news media frames coverage of correctional institutions, consequently shaping public understanding of punishment and prison which may impact correctional policy. This thesis addressed the following questions: 1) Was there an increase in news media coverage of prison during the COVID-19 pandemic? Has coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic made the prison more visible? 2) Does the news media coverage of correctional institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic reinforce traditional myths and stereotypes surrounding punishment and prison? Or challenge them? 3) Is the news media representation of correctional institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic consistent with coverage of traditional prison newsworthy items which focus on discrete incidents? Or does the coverage reflect newer, broader systemic newsworthy issues, namely, reform? The findings demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic did not quantitatively bring more visibility to prisons as assessed by the amount of news items, however, qualitatively it appears COVID-19 brought more visibility to prison issues. While some traditional prison stereotypes are still present in the news media and were reinforced during the pandemic, other myths and stereotypes were challenged, or were rare. Lastly, the results demonstrate that although traditional prison newsworthy items were still often reported in the news, discussions of prison reform were prevalent in the sample.Master of Criminal Justic
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