Application of multi-colour femtosecond pulses towards light-matter interactions

Multi-colour femtosecond laser fields provide significant benefits when probing states of matter, through either increasing the resolution of transient spectroscopy or via optimisation of highly nonlinear processes. In this thesis, I present several experimental advancements in the development and application of such laser fields towards novel organic photovoltaic devices and optimisation of high-harmonic generation (HHG). In the first case, using sub-10 fs two-coloured fields in a comparative study between traditional pump-probe techniques and pump-push photocurrent (PPPC), we showed that PPPC was able to more readily distinguish the bound states of an optically-excited system, paving the way for new devices to be studied and understood. The experimental system is poised to explore other less-understood molecular processes in the near future, such as quantum beating. For the second, we developed and characterised a three-colour femtosecond field synthesizer with the goal of generating an approximated ‘perfect waveform’ for HHG. We combined a 350 μJ, 6.3 fs near infrared pulse with its second harmonic (40 μJ, 46 fs) and a third, 50 μJ, 41 fs, short-wave infrared field, at 1300 nm. Some technical challenges remain, such as the phase instabilities of the longer-wavelength field. However, we have demonstrated that, by using two of the three channels, a significant enhancement to the flux of isolated attosecond pulses generated by HHG can be achieved without sacrificing the duration of the attosecond pulse.Open Acces

Implementing inclusive education in South Africa: teachers’ attitudes and experiences

The central argument is that the creation of inclusive schools will require more than merely the implementation of new policies. Practising teachers are the key to the successful implementation of an inclusive system and they will need time, ongoing support and in-service training. Real change therefore requires a long-term commitment to professional development. This article presents a comparative analysis of the findings of three independent studies aimed at identifying and describing teachers’ attitudes to and experiences in implementing inclusive education in South Africa. The main themes identified in all three studies include inadequate knowledge, skills and training for the implementation of inclusive education; lack of educational and teacher support; insufficient facilities and resources, and the potential effects of inclusive education on learners

The UK's Small Scale Coastal Fishers & Implementing the Landings Obligation in the Reformed CFP

This document provides an overview of a presentation held during the Industry and Policy Day at the IIFET 2016 Scotland conference in July 2016. The presentation was part of Session B2: Implementing the Landing Obligation in the Reformed CFP - Practical Challenges and Effects on Fishing Businesses - 2016 Story so far and Thoughts on Coming Years. The session was chaired by Jennifer Russell, and the presentation was given by Jim Pettipher.Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

Eicosanoid control over antigen presenting cells in asthma

Asthma is a common lung disease affecting 300 million people worldwide. Allergic asthma is recognized as a prototypical Th2 disorder, orchestrated by an aberrant adaptive CD4+ T helper (Th2/Th17) cell immune response against airborne allergens, that leads to eosinophilic inflammation, reversible bronchoconstriction, and mucus overproduction. Other forms of asthma are controlled by an eosinophil-rich innate ILC2 response driven by epithelial damage, whereas in some patients with more neutrophilia, the disease is driven by Th17 cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages are crucial regulators of type 2 immunity in asthma. Numerous lipid mediators including the eicosanoids prostaglandins and leukotrienes influence key functions of these cells, leading to either pro- or anti-inflammatory effects on disease outcome. In this review, we will discuss how eicosanoids affect the functions of DCs and macrophages in the asthmatic lung and how this leads to aberrant T cell differentiation that causes disease

Resolution of inflammation: a new therapeutic frontier

Dysregulated inflammation is a central pathological process in diverse disease states. Traditionally, therapeutic approaches have sought to modulate the pro- or anti-inflammatory limbs of inflammation, with mixed success. However, insight into the pathways by which inflammation is resolved has highlighted novel opportunities to pharmacologically manipulate these processes — a strategy that might represent a complementary (and perhaps even superior) therapeutic approach. This Review discusses the state of the art in the biology of resolution of inflammation, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for translational research in this field

Implementing inclusive education in South Africa: teachers’ attitudes and experiences

The central argument is that the creation of inclusive schools will require more than merely the implementation of new policies. Practising teachers are the key to the successful implementation of an inclusive system and they will need time, ongoing support and in-service training. Real change therefore requires a long-term commitment to professional development. This article presents a comparative analysis of the findings of three independent studies aimed at identifying and describing teachers’ attitudes to and experiences in implementing inclusive education in South Africa. The main themes identified in all three studies include inadequate knowledge, skills and training for the implementation of inclusive education; lack of educational and teacher support; insufficient facilities and resources, and the potential effects of inclusive education on learners

Prostanoid receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database

Prostanoid receptors (nomenclature as agreed by the NC-IUPHAR Subcommittee on Prostanoid Receptors [644]) are activated by the endogenous ligands prostaglandins PGD2, PGE1, PGE2 , PGF2α, PGH2, prostacyclin [PGI2] and thromboxane A2. Measurement of the potency of PGI2 and thromboxane A2 is hampered by their instability in physiological salt solution; they are often replaced by cicaprost and U46619, respectively, in receptor characterization studies