Brainwave Classification for EEG-based Neurofeedback

The aim of this project was to find a way to differentiate active and rested brain signals in a patient using tasks without bodily movement to provide extremely motorly disabled patients a method of control for robotic devices that enable them to move independently of a caretaker. Although many control methods exist for less severely motorly impaired patients, this method would improve quality of life for all patients by allowing for movements to be controlled exclusively using the brain. The three steps for our project were to define the tasks and collect data, process the signals, and run the processed signals through a machine learning algorithm. In addition to the tasks not involving movement, having the subject’s eyes open was required as closing one’s eyes as a control method would not be practical. Different processing techniques were used to prepare the data and extract features for the training of the machine learning model for the classification task. Due to COVID-19, a limited amount of data was collected, resulting in inaccurate classification results. The “imagining-to-move” and “at rest” tasks that we designed for data collection appear to be the most effective when focusing on the mu rhythms at 7 to 12 Hz from the central cortex, but much more data is needed to prove this point. These tasks, brain area, and frequency ranges would be ideal for control method research projects in the future

CLUSTard: An automated pipeline for metagenomic clustering using read abundance over time

Metagenomics, the study of genetic material generated from culture-independent shotgun sequencing of environmental samples, facilitates the investigation of environmental communities as a whole. However, in order to determine biological context from a metagenomic assembly it is necessary to group sequences to allow for the study of the community dynamics and individual organisms. This process, known as metagenomic binning, is accomplished by utilising an aspect of the sequence’s composition. There is little metagenomic binning software available that utilises the change in a community over time in order to cluster metagenomes. Here, I present CLUSTard, an automated pipeline that accomplishes metagenomic binning by utilising sequence abundance values over time, this pipeline clusters large datasets efficiently and requires minimal user input or installation. CLUSTard enabled the resolution of a previously undefined metagenomic dataset. The pipeline allowed for reproducible analysis vastly reducing the time and effort required. I found that the most important factor impacting the CLUSTard’s success of clustering was the quality of the input assembly, with a highly contiguous Nanopore assembly polished by Illumina sequences producing the best clustering result. The results demonstrate that the use of abundance information enables efficient and accurate clustering and also highlights the importance of a reproducible analysis pipeline. I anticipate this pipeline to be beneficial for those who want to produce metagenomic clusters using time-series data and to provide a starting point for further analysis

From misfit to monster : a study of the anti-hero in post-World War II United States novel

This thesis is a study of the white male anti-hero in post-World War II United States fiction. It is my intention to analyse the manners in which surrounding sociocultural systems are integral to both the construction of deviance and social responses to it. Varying attitudes towards the deviant during this period were shaped by a wide variety of factors, such as the increasing assimilation of psychoanalysis into popular consciousness, the Sexual Revolution and counter-culture of the 1960s, the rapid rise of consumerism and mass culture and the growth of sociology and criminology as diagnostic tools in managing deviance during these years. This will frequently involve a heavy emphasis on the pertinence of these issues to post-World War II concepts of masculinity, as the rise of second-wave feminism opened up the interrogation of gender roles and their accompanying pressures and privileges. I will also examine the presence of deviance as a matter of narrative form in the work of authors such as William Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, and the relationship between the formal experimentation of artistic movements and the response to the relevant facets of post- World War II society contained within them. I argue that deviance in the post-World War II United States novel is most commonly represented as both a reaction to and an extension of sociocultural formations, which the figure of the anti-hero simultaneously embodies and repudiates. It is my intention to examine nine texts from this period, and to analyse the manners in which deviance is represented within the context of post-war United States culture, drawing upon a variety of contextual and theoretical approaches as appropriate. I hope to move towards establishing a shared basis between these nine novels, which differ widely in terms of context, concerns and narrative form, in terms of their treatment of deviance.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

UK Diptera species are undergoing range shifts, this is associated with an interaction between climate change, habitat breadth and mobility traits

This year, the UK reached an all-time high temperature of 40.3°C. Species globally are being affected by climate change across every continent and every taxonomic group. Also, species are undergoing range shifts, this has been documented in butterflies, birds, and trees to name a few. This is largely associated with climate change; species are shifting in elevation and latitude to maintain suitable climatic conditions under our warming environment. However, it is clear that there are other variables also influencing the occurrence of range shifts. Insects, particularly Diptera, are known to be sensitive to temperature changes and have been found to be dispersing. Morphological traits and habitat associations also affect the localities of various species. Diptera are undergoing range shifts, with a bias for northwards shifts. This is associated with an interaction between climate velocity, habitat breadth, wing size, and intertegular distance. A high climate velocity and intertegular distance, and a low habitat breadth and wing size, correlate with a greater range shift in UK Diptera species between 1980 and 2019. Flight muscle performance and habitat associations are particularly important factors in the process of Diptera range shifts. This is important information to predict future patterns of dispersal and what issues this may bring in terms of disease or pests from insects. For conservation, predicting future range shifts under the changing environment is essential for effective protected area creation. The climate is continuing to warm and species are predicted to continue undergoing range shifts. Further research into most groups of organisms is needed as different groups will have a variety of influencing factors which the knowledge of is required for prediction. Range shifts are associated with a complex interaction between species specific variables as well as external factors and there is huge scope for future research in this relevant field

The SWS unit for water supply in developing countries

The SWS unit for water supply in developing countrie