Authority and identity: Malawian soldiers in Britain's colonial army, 1891-1964

This thesis examines the experience of Malawian soldiers serving in Britain's colonial army between 1891 and 1964. Until recently, the experience of East African colonial soldiers in particular has been largely overlooked, and African soldiers in general have been perceived either as collaborators in the machinery of colonial oppression or, conversely, as victims at the hands of the military authorities. However, little attempt has been made to unify these two views of military service. Using Malawi as a case study, this thesis investigates social relations within the colonial army and examines perceptions of their often-violent role within wider colonial society. Developing and expanding upon previous scholarship, this thesis provides the first sustained and unified study of the colonial army in Malawi. The project is based principally upon archival sources in Britain and Malawi, but also draws upon interviews with British and Malawian veterans. Chapter one provides an overview of the institutional history of the Malawian forces. Chapter two outlines the development of recruitment policy, with special reference to the concept of `martial races', and examines the motivations behind Malawian enlistment. Chapters three and four investigate the reactions of African soldiers to the formal military environment and to barrack life. Chapter five examines perceptions of soldiers' roles in warfare and internal security, and contrasts this with the place of soldiers in their own communities. The thesis highlights the extent to which Malawian soldiers were successfully co-opted by the military authorities, but also stresses the capacity of soldiers to influence the conditions under which they served. This, combined with the unusually long association which many Malawians had with the army, fed into a growing perception of the colonial army as a Malawian institution

Determination of Phase Transitions in Gutta-Percha by Differential Thermal Analysis

Pure gutta-percha was heat-treated in a differential thermal analyzer. The high melting form crystallized on cooling when gutta-percha was heated to 70 C or less. Above 74 C, crystallization into the low melting form predominated. Either polymorph can be selectively crystallized by control of the heat-treatment temperature before cooling.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67076/2/10.1177_00220345770560120301.pd

Improving Assessment Outcomes Through the Application of Innovative Digital Technologies

Assessing students’ live performances is challenging because the marker needs to make complex judgements often very quickly while at the same time recording information and viewing the performance. The challenge increases when multiple markers are involved and moderation of marks is required. It can be difficult to maintain sound assessment principles, such as fairness and validity, and to offer students quality and timely feedback. This paper describes a two phase, qualitative, action research project which trialled the use of an innovative, digital technology-supported assessment tool designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of assessment and moderation of live performances. The digital assessment tool enabled students to engage with the assessment and feedback from tutors and peers multiple times. The project was initially trialled with 170 pre-service teachers (in phase one) and then 200 pre-service teachers (in phase two) enrolled in an arts education unit in the third year of their Bachelor of Education course. Literature is abundant with references of digital technology which is used to automate scoring and marks (Clarke-Midura & Dede, 2010), however, use of digital technology in this project does not replace the marker. Instead, it provides the marker with a tool to conduct and easily record rich observations of complex learning in a paperless, highly efficient and engaging way

Observations of children with disability during arts-based multisensory story and rhyme activities: Is it all just chimes and perfumes?

It is generally acknowledged that alternative strategies are required to enable children with disability to access storytelling activities. In this study, we sought to analyse the benefits of one such strategy: an arts-based multisensory story and rhyme program delivered to children with Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorder. In order to determine the engagement and impact of the program on the participants, data were collected through a series of multisensory session observations, focus group interviews with parents of participants, and interviews with performing artists delivering the program. The findings of this study revealed multiple benefits of using sensory stimuli to engage children with disability in storytelling processes, including increased engagement, focus, and interaction with other children and family members. The performing artists used their knowledge and skills to create an engaging environment that was responsive to the children’s needs. It was observed that language development could be further enhanced by integrating written text into the performance and increasing the use of nonverbal communication methods. Further, the engagement of siblings without disability in this program suggested that it could be developed to be inclusive of children with and without disability

Using iPad2 to Assess Students\u27 Live Performances and Actively Engage Students With Tutor and Peer Feedback

Assessing student live performances can be challenging because markers need to make quick and often complex judgements about the learning while at the same time record information and watch the performance. This is further challenged where multiple markers are involved and moderation between markers is required. Maintaining fairness and validity throughout the assessment process can consequently become a significant issue. Moderation of assessment can cause a delay in the turnaround time for student feedback because markers need to meet and review. In addition, the ‘busy type of work’ associated with compiling and sorting individual marks and distributing them to students, often further delays this process. This paper describes a two phase, qualitative, action research project which trialled the use of an innovative digital tool to streamline the assessment process when assessing live performances. Phase one involved the assessment of arts performances of 170 Bachelor of Education students and phase two involved 200 students. For each phase, the students were enrolled in a 12 week Arts Education unit in the third year of their course and were assessed in groups of 5 or 6 students. The digital assessment tool enabled each marker wireless access to a customised database during marking and moderation. Markers used laptops in phase one of the study, then iPad2 in phase two, as it enabled mobility during assessment. Each group’s performance video was embedded into their marking key. This made it quick and easy to locate and view. The digital tool automatically saved and collated data. At the completion of the marking and moderation period, the marking key with markers’ feedback as well as the embedded video of performance were automatically emailed to individuals as a pdf attachment. Individuals only received the feedback pertaining to their own group’s performance. The markers reported that the digital tool significantly enhanced the way in which they were able to capture and record their observations of complex learning. They felt that the assessment was more accurate and that the paperless process was far more efficient. The students reported that they became more engaged with the assessment process and that they engaged with their feedback on multiple occasions

Improving assessment outcomes through the application of innovative digital technologies

Assessing students’ live performances is challenging because the marker needs to make complex judgements, often very quickly, while at the same time recording information and watching the performance. This is further challenged when multiple markers are involved and moderation of marks is required. It can be difficult to maintain good assessment principles, such as fairness and validity and to offer students quality and timely feedback. This paper describes a two phase, qualitative, action research project that trialled the use of an innovative, digital technology supported, assessment tool designed to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of assessment and moderation of live performances. The digital assessment tool enabled students to engage with the assessment and feedback from tutors and peers multiple times. The project was initially trialled with 170 pre-service teachers (in phase one) and then 200 pre-service teachers (in phase two) enrolled in an arts education unit in the third year of their Bachelor of Education course. Literature is abundant with references of digital technology which is used to automate scoring and marks (Clarke-Midura & Dede, 2010), however, use of digital technology in this project does not replace the marker. Instead, it provides the marker with a tool with which to conduct and easily record rich observations of complex learning and it does so in a paperless, highly efficient and engaging way

Excessive gas exchange impairment during exercise in a subject with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia and high altitude pulmonary edema

A 27-year-old male subject (V(O2 max)), 92% predicted) with a history of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and a clinically documented case of high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) was examined at rest and during exercise. Pulmonary function testing revealed a normal forced vital capacity (FVC, 98.1% predicted) and diffusion capacity for carbon monoxide (D(L(CO)), 91.2% predicted), but significant airway obstruction at rest [forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV(1)), 66.5% predicted; forced expiratory flow at 50% of vital capacity (FEF(50)), 34.3% predicted; and FEV(1) /FVC 56.5%] that was not reversible with an inhaled bronchodilator. Gas exchange worsened from rest to exercise, with the alveolar to arterial P(O2) difference (AaD(O2)) increasing from 0 at rest to 41 mmHg at maximal normoxic exercise (VO(2) = 41.4 mL/kg/min) and from 11 to 31 mmHg at maximal hypoxic exercise (VO(2) = 21.9 mL/kg/min). Arterial P(O2) decreased to 67.8 and 29.9 mmHg at maximal normoxic and hypoxic exercise, respectively. These data indicate that our subject with a history of BPD is prone to a greater degree of exercise-induced arterial hypoxemia for a given VO(2) and F(I(O2)) than healthy age-matched controls, which may increase the subject's susceptibility to high altitude illness

A rotary mechanism for allostery in bacterial hybrid malic enzymes

This project was funded by BBSRC studentship 1500753 to C.J.H. and a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship to P.J.M. (BB/S010122/1).Bacterial hybrid malic enzymes (MaeB grouping, multidomain) catalyse the transformation of malate to pyruvate, and are a major contributor to cellular reducing power and carbon flux. Distinct from other malic enzyme subtypes, the hybrid enzymes are regulated by acetyl-CoA, a molecular indicator of the metabolic state of the cell. Here we solve the structure of a MaeB protein, which reveals hybrid enzymes use the appended phosphotransacetylase (PTA) domain to form a hexameric sensor that communicates acetyl-CoA occupancy to the malic enzyme active site, 60 Å away. We demonstrate that allostery is governed by a large-scale rearrangement that rotates the catalytic subunits 70° between the two states, identifying MaeB as a new model enzyme for the study of ligand-induced conformational change. Our work provides the mechanistic basis for metabolic control of hybrid malic enzymes, and identifies inhibition-insensitive variants that may find utility in synthetic biology.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Weighted protein interaction network analysis of frontotemporal dementia

The genetic analysis of complex disorders has undoubtedly led to the identification of a wealth of associations between genes and specific traits. However, moving from genetics to biochemistry one gene at a time has, to date, rather proved inefficient and under-powered to comprehensively explain the molecular basis of phenotypes. Here we present a novel approach, weighted protein−protein interaction network analysis (W-PPI-NA), to highlight key functional players within relevant biological processes associated with a given trait. This is exemplified in the current study by applying W-PPI-NA to frontotemporal dementia (FTD): We first built the state of the art FTD protein network (FTD-PN) and then analyzed both its topological and functional features. The FTD-PN resulted from the sum of the individual interactomes built around FTD-spectrum genes, leading to a total of 4198 nodes. Twenty nine of 4198 nodes, called inter-interactome hubs (IIHs), represented those interactors able to bridge over 60% of the individual interactomes. Functional annotation analysis not only reiterated and reinforced previous findings from single genes and gene-coexpression analyses but also indicated a number of novel potential disease related mechanisms, including DNA damage response, gene expression regulation, and cell waste disposal and potential biomarkers or therapeutic targets including EP300. These processes and targets likely represent the functional core impacted in FTD, reflecting the underlying genetic architecture contributing to disease. The approach presented in this study can be applied to other complex traits for which risk-causative genes are known as it provides a promising tool for setting the foundations for collating genomics and wet laboratory data in a bidirectional manner. This is and will be critical to accelerate molecular target prioritization and drug discovery