The Wartime Experience of the League of Nations, 1939-47

This thesis explores the wartime experience of the League of Nations. It analyses the League’s ability to serve as a touchstone for international political, economic and social cooperation in a period of intense crisis for liberal internationalism. It demonstrates that the League’s political identity retained a relevance to a world at war, despite the failure of its diplomatic role. The thesis chronicles the efforts of League officials and of member states as they strove to maintain, in the League’s international civil service, a nucleus of liberal idealism in contradistinction to fascist expansionism. It determines the impact of geo-political factors on the integrity of the League apparatus and documents how the League’s ideological baggage determined its wartime social and economic work. The League did not remain a static entity in its final years and this work highlights the adaptation of League officials to an evolving political landscape with the League’s wartime experience providing a bridge between pre-war internationalism and its post-war variant. The successes and failures of the League’s political and technical organs were a reflection of the course of international affairs with its wartime history serving as a barometer of the diminished Eurocentrism and rising Atlanticism of international cooperation. This period was emblematic of the challenges of internationalism with the League’s international civil service splintering under the weight of internal and external pressures. The League’s wartime experience also underscored the reality that internationalism was a contested concept. The League’s brand of internationalism, with its aim of universalising the values of liberal democracy, was increasingly out-of-step with a war-weary preoccupation with security. League officials fought to preserve technocratic unity between the old organisation and the U.N.O. within an international order increasingly dominated by the two emerging superpowers; neither of which enjoyed a straightforward relationship with the League of Nations

The Wartime Experience of the League of Nations, 1939-47

This thesis explores the wartime experience of the League of Nations. It analyses the League’s ability to serve as a touchstone for international political, economic and social cooperation in a period of intense crisis for liberal internationalism. It demonstrates that the League’s political identity retained a relevance to a world at war, despite the failure of its diplomatic role. The thesis chronicles the efforts of League officials and of member states as they strove to maintain, in the League’s international civil service, a nucleus of liberal idealism in contradistinction to fascist expansionism. It determines the impact of geo-political factors on the integrity of the League apparatus and documents how the League’s ideological baggage determined its wartime social and economic work. The League did not remain a static entity in its final years and this work highlights the adaptation of League officials to an evolving political landscape with the League’s wartime experience providing a bridge between pre-war internationalism and its post-war variant. The successes and failures of the League’s political and technical organs were a reflection of the course of international affairs with its wartime history serving as a barometer of the diminished Eurocentrism and rising Atlanticism of international cooperation. This period was emblematic of the challenges of internationalism with the League’s international civil service splintering under the weight of internal and external pressures. The League’s wartime experience also underscored the reality that internationalism was a contested concept. The League’s brand of internationalism, with its aim of universalising the values of liberal democracy, was increasingly out-of-step with a war-weary preoccupation with security. League officials fought to preserve technocratic unity between the old organisation and the U.N.O. within an international order increasingly dominated by the two emerging superpowers; neither of which enjoyed a straightforward relationship with the League of Nations

Manufacturing of human mesenchymal stem cells: the analytical challenges

It has been repeatedly proven that cell therapies can address many current unmet clinical treatment needs and also improve on current treatment options for various diseases, from neurological disorders to bone repair (Rosset et al. 2014; Corey et al. 2017). Though the potential of cell therapies has been demonstrated at a relatively small scale, the realisation of bringing cell based treatments to a larger market is hindered by the complexity of the product along with safety concerned and high production cost. Safety concerns can be informed with more in-depth analytical analysis of the product, however this in turn increase the costs involved in producing a cell therapy (Davie et al. 2012). Consequently the cost of analytical techniques also needs to be reduced, to address this need the area of microfluidic based bioanalytics holds much promise (Titmarsh et al. 2014). The culturing of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) was used as a proof of concept model to demonstrate where improved bioanalytical and bioassay methods could be utilised in the production of cell therapies. Cells from four donors were cultured under three different oxygen environments and the conditioned medium assessed for pro-angiogenic capabilities using a tube formation bioassay and a proportion of the cytokine secretome profile measured using Luminex technology. Thorough secretome analysis it was shown that predicting cytokine levels based solely on the donor was not possible as the handling of the cells also had an influence on the secretome profile. The donor expression profiles did not behave in the same manner across all oxygen environments, for example in some donors IL-8 levels increased per cell at lower oxygen where as other donors showed a decrease per cell. While the tube formation assay showed some differences between donors in pro-angiogenic capabilities it also highlights the challenges with interpreting large data sets. The feasibility of using a microcapillary film (MCF) based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detected two relevant cytokines, IL-8 and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was investigated. Following on from this work the development of a combined MCF ELISA assay with hMSC cell culture to produce a fully closed cell screening system was initiated. It was shown that it was feasible to measure IL-8 and HGF using the MCF ELISA platform but further work would need to be done to make the system more compatible with the manufacturing environment. In order to adapt the MCF to also be an hMSC culture platform the first challenge was to functionalise the Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene (FEP) surface of the MCF. It was concluded that a poly (vinyl- alcohol) (PVA) and gelatin mixture produced a homogenous coating to which a consistent level of hMSC would attach. This work was carried out on a flat surface; therefore steps were taken to adapt this knowledge into the MCF, while there was evidence of hMSCs present inside the MCF more work will need to be done to bring this concept to an established platform

ANIMAL WELFARE AND ECONOMIC OPTIMISATION OF FARROWING SYSTEMS

Livestock Production/Industries, alternative housing systems, animal welfare, economic optimisation, farrowing systems, pig,

How does a vocational qualification (BTEC) prepare students for a degree in Biosciences at a research intensive university?

Over the last decade the number of students coming to university with a BTEC qualification has risen. As BTEC students are more likely to come from widening participation backgrounds, accepting students with a BTEC qualification has been instrumental in helping universities to broaden access to Higher Education. However, the poorer progression and retention of students attending university with a BTEC qualification is a key area of concern. The aim of this study was to explore the transition experience of Biosciences students entering university with a BTEC qualification in order to better target support for these students. Focus groups with current students who entered university with a BTEC qualification, and semi-structured interviews with teaching staff at feeder colleges, highlighted that the BTEC equipped students with many transferable skills relevant to university study. In particular it prepared students for time management, report writing, practical laboratory work and working independently. However, our findings suggest that further support is required in mathematics, chemistry, examination and revision techniques. We propose that instilling confidence, encouraging friendship groups, more transparent advertising and developing inclusive curricula may help to improve BTEC student retention and progressio

Caught in the act: Implications for the increasing abundance of mafic enclaves during the eruption of the Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat

An exceptional opportunity to sample several large blocks sourced from the same region of the growing Soufrière Hills lava dome has documented a significant increase in the presence of mafic enclaves in the host andesite during the course of a long-lived eruptive episode with several phases. In 1997 (Phase I) mafic inclusions comprised ~1 volume percent of erupted material; in 2007 (Phase III) deposits their volumetric abundance increased to 5–7 percent. A broader range of geochemically distinctive types occurs amongst the 2007 enclaves. Crystal-poor enclaves generally have the least evolved (basaltic) compositions; porphyritic enclaves represent compositions intermediate between basaltic and andesitic compositions. The absence of porphyritic enclaves prior to Phase III magmatism at Soufrière Hills Volcano suggests that a mixing event occurred during the course of the current eruptive episode, providing direct evidence consistent with geophysical observations that the system is continuously re-invigorated from depth

Influences on conceptions, perceptions and experiences of employability

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of Education.This research explores the responses to the employability agenda of staff working within a post-1992 Higher Education Institution (HEI). Recent policy and discourse has served to drive this issue to the top of many HEI agendas. HEIs are required to provide data about the employment rates of their students at course level (Office for Students, 2018). University marketing material emphasises these statistics as publicity and promotion to prospective students (Burke et al, 2017, p.88). Employability is, therefore, a priority for many institutions operating within a competitive, marketised higher education (HE) sector. This research contributes to existing work on employability by examining, in one institution, the lived experiences of the following key participants in the agenda: senior leaders, middle managers and academics. By adopting an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, rich data was generated revealing the often hidden institutional conversations taking place. The findings of the research reveal a complex and varied response to employability, influenced by several factors, principally: personal experience, values and beliefs, position within the institution and the nature of the institution itself. Common experiences emerged in terms of surveillance and auditing, characteristic of an HE environment governed by increasingly standardised policies, where measuring employability has become mandatory. Participants were united in advocating a bespoke approach to employability policy development and evaluation, which takes account of and recognises various macro and micro issues, for example: the region in which the research setting was based, the nature of the institution, and the diversity of the student body. The research further indicates that institutional approaches to employability can be understood as a change process, impacting on individuals in the sector in various powerful ways: identity, loss of control, agency and increased pressure are significant issues for participants. The research demonstrates that the implementation of the employability agenda within HEIs is clearly challenging and requires an understanding of the influencing factors on perceptions and conceptions of employability, and negotiation with key staff. For academics in particular, local adaptation of policies and strategies was seen as crucial to meaningful developments in the agenda and the avoidance of being merely policy-led

Reproductive Fights!

This zine is focused on the impacts of Roe v. Wade on women’s reproductive rights. It discusses the timeline of events before, during, and after Roe v. Wade that affected abortion rights in the United States. Local resources for abortion care are provided in this zine.https://digitalcommons.butler.edu/spring_2023/1013/thumbnail.jp

Theory and the breadth-and-depth method of analysing large amounts of qualitative data:A research note

This research note builds on a previously published discussion of the ‘breadth-and-depth’ method for working with extensive amounts of secondary qualitative data, to consider the way that theory can be used and developed as part of this method. We illustrate potential deductive, inductive, and abductive logics of the relationship between theory and data that can be pursued using the method, but note that in reality research analysis rarely proceeds along such clear categorical lines. Rather, qualitative researchers are more likely to pursue an approach akin to a retroductive logic and analytic practice, which the breadth-and-depth method also can accommodate