Road: artists and the stop the M11 link road campaign 1984 - 1994

The project 'Road' is an archive of text, images and oral recordings that document the living history of the 'No M11 Link Road' campaign in East London (Leyton, Leytonstone and Wanstead) from 1984 to 1995, and the people that lived in and visited the area. Road: Acme Artists and the Stop the M11 Link Road Campaign, 1984 – 1994, celebrates and preserves the experiences and thoughts of artists, protesters and the community that lived and worked on the route of the M11 link road

Rehabilitation of captive Chimpanzees (Pan Troglodytes Verus)

The behaviour of 48 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) was studied over 27 months in Liberia, West Africa. The chimpanzees were first studied while they were housed in groups in enclosures in a medical research institute, and then after their release onto a 9.7 ha offshore island. When the chimpanzees were observed in captivity, data on social behaviour were collected with the use of check sheets and ad libitum notes. Data were collected on aggression, social grooming, social play, sexual behaviour, and individual spacing. After release onto the island, data on both social and subsistence behaviour were collected with the use of ad libitum notes. Both changes in social behaviour and in the development of subsistence behaviour were observed following release of the chimpanzees onto the island. Rates of aggression decreased following release, whereas rates of social grooming increased. Rates of social play decreased overall, but this was due to a decrease in social play by adults. Stereotyped or abnormal behaviour shown by some subjects declined. Subsistence behaviours which were observed following release were foraging for naturally occurring foods (leaves, fruits, seeds, and nuts), ant-eating, and tool-use for nut-cracking. Some subjects were also seen building sleeping-nests in trees. The chimpanzees also split into subgroups (including consortships) which showed similar trends in size and composition to those observed in wild populations of chimpanzees. Some techniques found to be useful during the release process are discussed, and the study is compared to previous primate release projects

Chemical profiling and biotechnological potential of marine microalgae in response to light and abiotic stress

Microalgae form the base of the aquatic food chain and have important ecological functions, including nutrient cycling and carbon capturing. These microscopic eukaryotes are incredibly diverse, with an estimated 72,000 extant species. They have been investigated for their biotechnological potential in industries such as nutraceutical, cosmetic, and biofuel. Most research has focused on specific high-value metabolites such as astaxanthin or β-carotene for human health, or classes of natural products such as polyunsaturated fatty acids for biofuels. However, a systematic untargeted approach to exploring the chemical diversity of microalgal metabolites has yet to be performed. Unlocking this chemical potential could provide further applications and incentives to the microalgal biotechnology sector. This thesis aims to fill this gap by exploring the chemical space of microalgae and the elicitation of further chemistry using abiotic stress. A comparative metabolomics study of 36 microalgal strains from both freshwater and marine environments showed that Haptophytes were a rich source of chemistry compared to the well-studied Chlorophytes. It also explored chemical diversity across strains of the same species, providing evidence that isolation environment rather than phylogenetic relationships could be used to group microalgae based on chemical profiles. To investigate the chemistry produced by three strains of marine microalgae, Dunaliella primolecta, Nannochloropsis oculata, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum were cultured under varying conditions of salinity, sodium chloride, nitrate, and pH and Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking was used to gain insights into the effect of these stresses on metabolite production. A total of 2284 metabolites were detected across all strains and conditions, with 49% of those metabolites specific to cultures grown under stress conditions (i.e., not in the control). Salinity had the greatest effect with 22.8% of metabolites only produced under salinity stress. From comparison with over 33 libraries of mass spectral data, only five metabolites were identified, stressing the need for more open-access natural product -and specifically algal natural product - databases. Finally, we partnered with Xanthella Ltd., a marine biotechnology company in Scotland, to study the effect of 405 nm light on growth of four strains of microalgae and the production of antimicrobial metabolites. This wavelength has been shown to reduce bacterial contamination in cultures but is an expensive regimen to apply at a large scale. The production of high-value metabolites under this light regimen could enable culturing under 405 nm illumination to be economically viable. Although no bioactivity was observed from extracts or fractions, molecular networking did show that 16-25% of metabolites were either exclusively produced under 405 nm illumination or absent from the white light control condition. This thesis offers a starting point for fundamental and comparative research into microalgal growth and metabolite production and their applications in human health.Microalgae form the base of the aquatic food chain and have important ecological functions, including nutrient cycling and carbon capturing. These microscopic eukaryotes are incredibly diverse, with an estimated 72,000 extant species. They have been investigated for their biotechnological potential in industries such as nutraceutical, cosmetic, and biofuel. Most research has focused on specific high-value metabolites such as astaxanthin or β-carotene for human health, or classes of natural products such as polyunsaturated fatty acids for biofuels. However, a systematic untargeted approach to exploring the chemical diversity of microalgal metabolites has yet to be performed. Unlocking this chemical potential could provide further applications and incentives to the microalgal biotechnology sector. This thesis aims to fill this gap by exploring the chemical space of microalgae and the elicitation of further chemistry using abiotic stress. A comparative metabolomics study of 36 microalgal strains from both freshwater and marine environments showed that Haptophytes were a rich source of chemistry compared to the well-studied Chlorophytes. It also explored chemical diversity across strains of the same species, providing evidence that isolation environment rather than phylogenetic relationships could be used to group microalgae based on chemical profiles. To investigate the chemistry produced by three strains of marine microalgae, Dunaliella primolecta, Nannochloropsis oculata, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum were cultured under varying conditions of salinity, sodium chloride, nitrate, and pH and Global Natural Products Social (GNPS) molecular networking was used to gain insights into the effect of these stresses on metabolite production. A total of 2284 metabolites were detected across all strains and conditions, with 49% of those metabolites specific to cultures grown under stress conditions (i.e., not in the control). Salinity had the greatest effect with 22.8% of metabolites only produced under salinity stress. From comparison with over 33 libraries of mass spectral data, only five metabolites were identified, stressing the need for more open-access natural product -and specifically algal natural product - databases. Finally, we partnered with Xanthella Ltd., a marine biotechnology company in Scotland, to study the effect of 405 nm light on growth of four strains of microalgae and the production of antimicrobial metabolites. This wavelength has been shown to reduce bacterial contamination in cultures but is an expensive regimen to apply at a large scale. The production of high-value metabolites under this light regimen could enable culturing under 405 nm illumination to be economically viable. Although no bioactivity was observed from extracts or fractions, molecular networking did show that 16-25% of metabolites were either exclusively produced under 405 nm illumination or absent from the white light control condition. This thesis offers a starting point for fundamental and comparative research into microalgal growth and metabolite production and their applications in human health

Long-term proton pump inhibitor use and effect on risk of fractures

Objective: To conduct an analysis of literature that examined the effects of long-term proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in adults 50 years and older on fracture risk. Methods: A literature search of the PubMed database using the terms “long-term use of PPIs” AND “fractures” Results: All 3 studies reported a statistically significant increased risk of fracture associated with long-term use of PPIs in both men and women over 50. None of the studies showed an increased risk of fracture with short-term PPI use. Conclusions: Health care providers should be informing their patients of the potential risk associated with long-term PPI use. While there was no increased risk associated with short-term use of PPIs, providers should be sure to only prescribe the medications when they are heavily indicated, especially if they are to be used long-term. We would also recommend that patients who will be on these mediations long-term be assessed for fall risk and have that taken into consideration as well

Self- and peer-assessment: evidence from the accounting and finance discipline.

Self- and peer-assessment of student work is an area that is under-researched in the accounting education literature, although the subject area of study seems to influence the results obtained in prior studies. The current study contributes to the literature by examining the accuracy and construct validity of self- and peer-assessment by accounting students. It also investigates students' views about these exercises. The findings show that whilst the self- and peer-assessment of students appear to be neither accurate nor valid, the students are positive about the impact of these procedures on their learning experience. These findings indicate that, although instructors might not rely on self- and peer-assessment as measures of students' performance for the purpose of summative assessment, the exercise may prove useful for formative assessment because it can promote a wide range of transferable skills