The effects of stress, background colour and steroid hormones on the lymphocytes of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss)

A thesis submitted in part for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ofthe University of SheffieldThis study investigated the effect that adapting Rainbow trout to black or white backgrounds has on their stress and immune responses. Experiments in vivo showed that stressed fish, adapted to black backgrounds, had higher plasma cortisol levels and a suppressed immune system compared to white-adapted fish. Thus, stress reduced antibody production, induced lymphocytopenia and inhibited the ability oflymphocytes to grow in vitro. These effects were always more pronounced in black-adapted trout. It is argued that white-adapted fish are less susceptible to the effects of stress because of the neuromodulatory influence of the neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH). In fish reared from eggs on dark-or light-coloured backgrounds, differences between black and white groups were not so evident. In some cases, the effects seen in adapted fish became reversed when reared fish were used. It is suggested that homeostatic mechanisms counteract the modulatory actions of MCR in reared fish. In experiments using radiolabelled thymidine to monitor lymphocyte growth in vitro, MCH enhanced both T and B cell-like proliferation. The peptides also modulated the action of corticosteroids on lymphocyte growth and was found to reduce, but not prevent, the inhibitory influence of cortisol. Melanocyte stimulating hormone, an antagonist of MeR, had no effect on lymphocyte growth at concentrations normally found in fish plasma. The major reproductive steroids of trout were tested for their ability to influence lymphocyte growth in vitro. The results were variable, some steroids were predominantly stimulatory (e.g. oestradiol), some inhibitory (e.g. ketotestosterone), while others had mixed actions (e.g. 17a-hydroxy 20b-dihydroxyprogesterone). These observations are discussed in relation to the normal plasma levels of reproductive steroids found at different stages in the life cycle of trout and the possible effects these steroids have on fish immunity

An iron(ii) spin-crossover metallacycle from a back-to-back bis-[dipyrazolylpyridine]

The syntheses of 4-mercapto-2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine (bppSH) and bis[2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyrid-4-yl]disulfide (bppSSbpp) are reported. In contrast to previously published “back-to-back” bis-[2,6-di(pyrazol-1-yl)pyridine] derivatives, which form coordination polymers with transition ions that are usually insoluble, bppSSbpp yields soluble oligomeric complexes with iron(II) and zinc(II). Mass spectrometry and DOSY data show that [{Fe(μ-bppSSbpp)}n]2n+ and [{Zn(μ-bppSSbpp)}n]2n+ form tetranuclear metallacycles in nitromethane solution (n = 4), although 1H NMR and conductivity measurements imply the iron compound may undergo more fragmentation than its zinc congener. Both [{Fe(bppSH)2]2+ and [{Fe(μ-bppSSbpp)}n]2n+ exhibit thermal spin-crossover in CD3NO2 solution, with midpoint temperatures near 245 K. The similarity of these equilibria implies there is little cooperativity between the iron centres in the metallacyclic structures

Avoiding Gender Exploitation and Ethics Dumping in Research with Women

There is a long history of women being under-represented in biomedical and health research. Specific women’s health needs have been, and in some cases still are, comparatively neglected areas of study. Concerns about the health and social impacts of such bias and exclusion have resulted in inclusion policies from governments, research funders, and the scientific establishment since the 1990s. Contemporary understandings of foregrounding sex and gender issues within biomedical research range from women’s rights to inclusion, to links between human rights, women’s health and sustainable development, and the increasing scientific and funding expectation for studies to consider the sex (biological) and gender (cultural) implications of research design, results and impact. However, there are also exploitation issues to consider when foregrounding the inclusion of women as research participants, especially for research ethics committees and institutional review boards. A hidden risk is that exploitative research designs and practices may be missed, particularly by reviewers who may not have a nuanced understanding of gender-based harm. Utilising contemporary case studies of ethics dumping, this paper highlights some of the concerns, and makes recommendations for IRBs/research ethics reviewers to help ensure that essential research is undertaken to the highest ethical standards

Success and failure in social marketing programs: A qualitative exploration

The world is facing a number of complex, interconnected crises that require rapid social transformation. Social change approaches such as social marketing have a role to play in this transformation. In order to strengthen the discipline’s ability to add value to solving or mitigating these crises, social marketers need to better understand what makes social marketing programs succeed or fail. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the reasons why social marketing programs succeed or fail so that the discipline may learn from this in order to improve future program outcomes, particularly at the upstream level. Chapters 2 and 3 of this thesis involved a two-part qualitative study that explored the perceptions of social marketing professionals with regard to mistakes and failures in the field. In the first part of the study, the principal researcher interviewed 17 social marketing experts about their understanding of the most common mistakes made by social marketers. The interviews revealed nine mistake categories: Inadequate research, poor strategy development, ad hoc approaches to programs, mismanagement of stakeholders, weak evaluation and monitoring, poorly designed program objectives, poor execution of pilots, inadequate segmentation and targeting, and poor documentation. The interviews also revealed two emergent, cross-cutting themes that affect the mistakes being made: External influences that the social marketer does not have direct control over, and the social marketer’s preconceptions that they bring to the program. In the second part of the study, the researchers surveyed 100 members of the social marketing community in order to understand their perceptions of mistakes and failures in the field. According to the data analysis, the social marketing community believes that inadequate research, poor strategy development, and mismanagement of stakeholders are the most common mistakes made by social marketers. Weak evaluation and monitoring is considered to be the least well-managed program element. Poor strategy development, external influences, and poorly designed program and behavioral objectives are considered to be the primary reasons for social marketing program failure. Chapter 4 involved a qualitative study that explored what the discipline of social marketing can learn from social movements in terms of successfully engaging upstream stakeholders to create socio-behavioural change. The principal researcher interviewed seven people who were involved with the New Nordic Food movement, and analyzed 53 documents related to the movement. The data analysis revealed a four-point strategy that the organizers of the movement used to engage upstream stakeholders: • Identify key upstream stakeholders • Present a compelling concept to key upstream stakeholders at the right time, with dynamic leaders who have high levels of social capital • Promote the concept using both instrumental and inspirational approaches • Take action to realize the concept The data analysis also revealed that the organizers of the movement had been highly impactful in terms of motivating upstream stakeholders to provide funding and start up government programs to make the New Nordic Food concept a reality. Recommendations for social marketers with regard to what they might learn from the New Nordic Food movement include partnering with mid-stream stakeholders, promoting a concept rather than only products, services, or campaigns, finding the right time to promote the concept, using both instrumental and inspirational approaches, and taking action to realize the concept. All of the data collection and analysis for the three research chapters was qualitative and exploratory, and was conducted using Charmaz’s (2014) grounded theory approach. Future research may explore the extent to which external influences lead to social marketing program success or failure, particularly in comparison to mistakes made by social marketers. Future research may also consider further exploring the spiritual and emotional energy-related aspects of heliotropy in social marketing programs at the upstream level to see if they correlate with program success