‘The Truth is a Thorny Issue’: Lesbian Denial in Jackie Kay’s \u3cem\u3eTrumpet\u3c/em\u3e

The focus of this paper is Jackie Kay’s novel, Trumpet, the fictionalised account of a woman (Josephine Moore) who lives her life as a man (Joss Moody). This paper looks at how Joss’s identity is constructed, as well as the impact this has on the identities of other people. In particular, the paper examines the difficulties faced by Joss’s wife, Millie, as she tries to help him keep his secret, and protect her own identity as a heterosexual wife. Her attempts to defend herself and her husband from accusations of lesbianism lead to an examination of the power of labels and the essay questions both Millie’s commitment to the truth as she sees it and the usefulness of gender labels in determining identity

Developing a stable isotope approach to trace the sources and metabolism of phosphorus in freshwaters

The oxygen isotope ratio of dissolved inorganic phosphate (δ18Op) represents a novel and potentially powerful stable isotope tracer for biogeochemical research. Analysis of δ18Op may offer new insights into the relative importance of different sources of phosphorus within natural ecosystems. Due to the isotope fractionations that occur alongside metabolism of phosphorus-containing compounds, δ18Op could also be used to better understand the intracellular and extracellular reaction mechanisms that control phosphorus cycling.  In this thesis, new methods were developed and tested for the extraction of dissolved inorganic phosphate (Pi) from freshwaters and its isolation from other oxygen-containing compounds, including nitrate, sulfate and dissolved organic matter. Excluding contaminant sources of oxygen during δ18Op analysis is a critical analytical challenge that has constrained δ18Op research in freshwaters to date. These new methods were evaluated against existing protocols for analysis of δ18Op. While the protocol developed in this thesis exhibited greater accuracy and precision for freshwater matrices compared to the traditional approach reported by McLaughlin et al. (2004), further development work is required to increase the accuracy of this protocol compared to that reported by Gooddy et al. (2016). Through the application of δ18Op within two exemplar freshwater ecosystems in this thesis, the in-stream fate of Pi derived from the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant and from groundwater discharge was examined. Within both ecosystems, δ18Op revealed the occurrence of metabolic processes that influenced the in-stream fate of P yet were masked in the hydrochemical data. In addition, the data reported here increase the worldwide groundwater δ18Op dataset nearly threefold. These groundwater data highlight the important potential differences in δ18Op due to bedrock geology, alongside the potential to use δ18Op to better understand the importance of groundwater-derived P following discharge to surface water ecosystems. -Gooddy, D.C., D.J. Lapworth, S.A. Bennett, T.H.E. Heaton, P.J. Williams & B.W.J. Surridge. 2016. A multi-stable isotope framework to understand eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. Water Research. 88 , 623 -McLaughlin, K., S. Silva, C. Kendall, H. Stuart-Williams & A. Paytan. 2004. A precise method for the analysis of δ18O of dissolved inorganic phosphate in seawater. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. 2 , 20

Developing a stable isotope approach to trace the sources and metabolism of phosphorus in freshwaters

The oxygen isotope ratio of dissolved inorganic phosphate (δ18Op) represents a novel and potentially powerful stable isotope tracer for biogeochemical research. Analysis of δ18Op may offer new insights into the relative importance of different sources of phosphorus within natural ecosystems. Due to the isotope fractionations that occur alongside metabolism of phosphorus-containing compounds, δ18Op could also be used to better understand the intracellular and extracellular reaction mechanisms that control phosphorus cycling.  In this thesis, new methods were developed and tested for the extraction of dissolved inorganic phosphate (Pi) from freshwaters and its isolation from other oxygen-containing compounds, including nitrate, sulfate and dissolved organic matter. Excluding contaminant sources of oxygen during δ18Op analysis is a critical analytical challenge that has constrained δ18Op research in freshwaters to date. These new methods were evaluated against existing protocols for analysis of δ18Op. While the protocol developed in this thesis exhibited greater accuracy and precision for freshwater matrices compared to the traditional approach reported by McLaughlin et al. (2004), further development work is required to increase the accuracy of this protocol compared to that reported by Gooddy et al. (2016). Through the application of δ18Op within two exemplar freshwater ecosystems in this thesis, the in-stream fate of Pi derived from the effluent of a wastewater treatment plant and from groundwater discharge was examined. Within both ecosystems, δ18Op revealed the occurrence of metabolic processes that influenced the in-stream fate of P yet were masked in the hydrochemical data. In addition, the data reported here increase the worldwide groundwater δ18Op dataset nearly threefold. These groundwater data highlight the important potential differences in δ18Op due to bedrock geology, alongside the potential to use δ18Op to better understand the importance of groundwater-derived P following discharge to surface water ecosystems. -Gooddy, D.C., D.J. Lapworth, S.A. Bennett, T.H.E. Heaton, P.J. Williams & B.W.J. Surridge. 2016. A multi-stable isotope framework to understand eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems. Water Research. 88 , 623 -McLaughlin, K., S. Silva, C. Kendall, H. Stuart-Williams & A. Paytan. 2004. A precise method for the analysis of δ18O of dissolved inorganic phosphate in seawater. Limnology and Oceanography: Methods. 2 , 20

Phosphate oxygen isotopes within aquatic ecosystems:global data synthesis and future research priorities

The oxygen isotope ratio of dissolved inorganic phosphate (δ18Op) represents a novel and potentially powerful stable isotope tracer for biogeochemical research. Analysis of δ18Op may offer new insights into the relative importance of different sources of phosphorus within natural ecosystems. Due to the isotope fractionations that occur alongside the metabolism of phosphorus, δ18Op could also be used to better understand the intracellular and extracellular reaction mechanisms that control phosphorus cycling. In this review focussed on aquatic ecosystems, we examine the theoretical basis to using stable oxygen isotopes within phosphorus research.We consider the methodological challenges involved in accurately determining δ18Op, given aquatic matrices in which potential sources of contaminant oxygen are ubiquitous. Finally,we synthesise the existing global data regarding δ18Op in aquatic ecosystems, concluding by identifying four key areas for future development of δ18Op research. Through this synthesis, we seek to stimulate broader interest in the use of δ18Op to address the significant research and management challenges that continue to surround the stewardship of phosphorus

The breakdown of gender binaries: Writing genders in contemporary fiction.

"In Gender Trouble, Judith Butler asked, "[i]s the breakdown of gender binaries ... so monstrous, so frightening, that it must be held to be definitionally impossible and heuristically precluded from any effort to think gender?" (Butler, p. 1999, p.viii). Using this question as a starting point, I look at the way that gender is understood and challenged in contemporary fiction. Specifically, I examine novels and short stories that focus on finding one's place in gender, and the way such narratives write gendered experiences outside of the traditional male/female binary. In the first chapter, I look at females that live as males, exploring various ways of 'doing' gender, both on-stage and off, and the creation of cohesive gender identities. Chapter two looks at the way that sex and gender are medicalised. I argue that the male/female binary is protected by both the media and the medical establishment. This expands into a discussion of the way doctors attempt to preserve this binary in the face of increasing challenges to its very viability. In chapter three, I consider novels that focus on a male-to-female transition, as well as what is at stake in writing gender. Finally, I look at the emergence of 'genderless' characters, both in terms of the viability of the term 'genderless', and the difficulties in finding a suitable language with which to understand and quantify gendered experience.

Preparing SME Suppliers for Sustainable Local Authority eProcurement

Public sector organisations are increasingly introducing eProcurement systems in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their procurement processes. This clearly has implications for their suppliers, who are being asked to adopt eProcurement. For many SMEs, particularly small and micro businesses, this is proving a difficult challenge given their lack of eProcurement knowledge, as well as their resource shortages. It is at the Local Authority (LA) level that this situation is most problematic, as SMEs tend to supply more to local than central government. This paper presents the results of research undertaken with LAs and SMEs as part of the EPROC project. In particular, it provides insights into the level of eProcurement use and development in LAs in North West Europe, and illustrates how the introduction of eProcurement could have a negative impact on local economies and communities if LAs don’t help their SMEs to adopt eProcurement. The paper also reports on the findings of research conducted with SMEs in relation to the problems they’ve experienced in undertaking eProcurement with LAs, and details how some LAs are engaging with their local SMEs to help them become ‘eProcurement ready’. The research has demonstrated there is a need to bridge the knowledge gap between SME understanding and awareness of LA eProcurement developments on the one hand, and on the other, LA understanding of the typical eProcurement capabilities of their SME supplier base. To meet these needs, the EPROC project has developed separate eProcurement guides for SMEs and LAs

Examination of viral and bacterial exacerbations of airways inflammation and function

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an umbrella term that encompasses chronic bronchitis, emphysema and airway obstruction. COPD patients are also prone to acute exacerbations (AECOPD) caused primarily by viral and bacterial infection, which leads to an increase in inflammation, a worsening of symptoms and can lead to death. There is an unmet clinical to better understand and treat AECOPD as well as COPD in general, but this is hindered by unreliable animal models of COPD and AECOPD. The aim of this thesis was to establish an animal model of COPD that could be exacerbated by an infectious agent. Firstly an LPS model of COPD was established in the guinea pig, which resulted in a macrophage and neutrophil inflammatory profile, emphysematous changes, a decrease in lung function and partial steroid insensitivity that could be partially reversed with low dose theophylline. Human parainfluenza 3 virus failed to cause any infection in the guinea pig, so a model of AECOPD could not be established in this model. A chronic cigarette smoke model in the mouse was established, which again demonstrated a similar phenotype to COPD. This model was able to be exacerbated by the bacteria nontypeable Haemophilus influenza (NTHi) with increases in neutrophils and the neutrophil chemoattractant CXCL1. However, it was also observed that while NTHi could exacerbate the model, responses to NTHi in cigarette smoke challenged mice compared to sham challenged animals were impaired, with significant decreases in CXCL8, TNF-α, IFN-γ and IL-10. This impairment was also observed in monocyte derived macrophages (MDMs) challenged with cigarette smoke extract (CSE) with significant impairment of Il-1β, while chronic LPS challenge also impaired Il-6 and phagocytosis. The data in this thesis highlights a possible increase in steroid responses by low dose theophylline in an LPS model in the guinea pig. It has also demonstrated chronic cigarette smoke exposure in the mouse can be exacerbated by NTHi, however the inflammatory response is impaired compared to sham challenged animals suggesting that cigarette smoke impairs the innate immune response. MDMs also demonstrated an impaired response to NTHi after CSE or LPS challenge. ii

The Taylor principle and the Fisher relation in general equilibrium

This thesis presents a structural framework which accounts for two key empirical phenomena in monetary economics: the ‘Taylor principle’ and the ‘Fisher relation’. The former suggests that there exists a greater-than-proportional relationship between the nominal interest rate and inflation in the short-run and the latter implies that a one-for-one relationship holds at lower frequencies. Although these relationships do feature in the ubiquitous, ‘cashless’ New Keynesian framework, it has been suggested that monetary variables are required in order to render this model ‘complete’ (e.g. Nelson, 2008a). Chapter-I demonstrates that an ‘implicit’ interest rate rule can be derived as a general equilibrium condition of models in which the central bank adheres to a money growth rule. Chapter-II compares the equilibrium condition of a standard cash-in-advance model to the interest rate rule of Taylor (1993) for a post-war sample of U.S. data. However, we demonstrate that in order to replicate the Taylor principle, the underlying model must be generalised to allow the velocity of money to vary. We use the model of Benk et al. (2008, 2010) to do so and show analytically that the resulting ‘implicit rule’ features the requisite greater-than-proportional relationship. Chapter-III applies standard econometric techniques to simulated data obtained from the Benk et al. model and the estimates obtained offer support for this theoretical prediction. Chapter-IV establishes that the Fisher relation emerges when low frequency trends in the simulated data are retained and under a related ‘long-run’ implicit rule. Chapter-IV also considers the post-war sample of U.S. data analysed in Chapter-II. While disparate empirical literatures have obtained evidence for both the Taylor principle and the Fisher relation, we show that these results can be obtained from a unified theoretical framework. Several restricted empirical specifications further suggest that standard interest rate rules which omit monetary variables might provide biased coefficient estimate