Investigation of the extent and role of N-linked glycosylation in the human scavenger receptor CD36

Human CD36 is a class B scavenger receptor expressed in a variety of cell types such as macrophage and adipocytes. This plasma membrane glycoprotein has a wide range of ligands including oxidised low density lipoprotein (oxLDL) and long chain fatty acids which involves the receptor in diseases such as atherosclerosis and insulin resistance. CD36 is heavily modified post-translationally by N-linked glycosylation and ten putative N-linked glycosylation sites situated in the large extracellular loop of the protein have been identified, however their utilisation and role in the folding and function of the protein have not been characterised. Using mass spectrometry on purified and PNGaseF-deglycosylated CD36, and also by comparing the electrophoretic mobility of different glycosylation-site mutants, this study determined that nine of the ten sites can be modified by glycosylation. Flow cytometric analysis of the different glycosylation mutants expressed in mammalian cells, established that glycosylation is necessary for trafficking to the plasma membrane. Minimally-glycosylated mutants that supported trafficking were identified and indicated the importance of carboxy-terminal sites N247, N321 and N417 and amino-terminal sites N102 and N205. However, unlike the related mouse scavenger receptor SR-BI, no individual site was found to be essential for proper trafficking of CD36. Surprisingly, these minimally-glycosylated mutants appear to be predominantly core glycosylated indicating that mature glycosylation is not necessary for surface expression in mammalian cells. The data also show that neither the nature nor the pattern of glycosylation is relevant to binding of modified LDL

Factors predisposing Corymbia calophylla trees to canker disease caused by Quambalaria coyrecup

A canker disease caused by the fungus Quambalaria coyrecup is devastating Corymbia calophylla trees throughout much of its native range in the southwest of Western Australia. Disease incidence is higher in remnant stands bordering cleared land such as road edges where there is greater anthropogenic disturbance. It is likely that a combination of factors is predisposing C. calophylla to canker disease: climate change, fragmentation, introduction of pathogens, leaching of fertilizers from agricultural land and changes in microclimate as a result of disturbance. These factors can have detrimental effects on concentrations of nutrients in the soil, soil composition, and communities of mycorrhizal fungi. This project examined these potential predisposing factors and how they may interact with C. calophylla along a disturbance gradient. Seventeen sites were selected. Each site consisted of a disturbance gradient of three transects: remnant stand bordering cleared land and a road, a forest edge, and the middle of intact forest. Soil was collected from ten trees along each transect and the nutrient composition was tested. This soil was used in a glasshouse experiment from which roots were harvested to test mycorrhizal composition. Results demonstrated differences in soil nutrition between the disturbed and intact forest transects. The mycorrhizal communities differed significantly among the three transects with the community along the disturbed edge having a unique community assemblage. Concentrations of soil macro- and micro-nutrients were correlated with changes in mycorrhizal communities and canker incidence along disturbed edges, as were C. calophylla stem basal area and overstory tree diversity. Soil moisture, pH and mycorrhizal species richness were also correlated with canker incidence. It is possible that the microclimate along disturbed edges is disrupting communities of mycorrhizal fungi which is altering nutrient acquisition by the trees. The combination of decreased mycorrhizal fungal richness and changes in microclimate along disturbed edges could be responsible for predisposing C. calophylla to canker disease

Black Power And Neighborhood Organizing In Minneapolis, Minnesota: The Way Community Center, 1966-1971

The Way Opportunities Unlimited, Inc. was a non-­‐profit community center that operated from 1966—1984 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Inspired by the national black power movement that arose in the 1960s, this community center led a local movement for African American equality. This thesis investigates The Way as a unique example of how black power ideology was implemented at the local level, in a city with a statistically small black population, presenting a northern urban context often overlooked by historians. The Way offered a space where aspiring young black musicians could perform, including Prince

To what extent has the adoption of flexible mobile working transformed staff operations within Cheshire East Council ICT strategy?

For many years Central Government has investigated ways in which to streamline Local Government Authorities (LGA), in order to provide better value services to its citizens. Following a Local Government Review (LGR) of two-tier councils, six district councils and one County Council were merged to form two unitary councils; namely Cheshire West and Chester Council and Cheshire East Council. This study investigates the extent of staff operation transformation following the adoption of flexible mobile working initiatives within the Cheshire East Council ICT Strategy. The adoption of such initiatives allows the organisation to tackle issues of accommodation, staff well-being and service delivery. To do this, the researcher uses a mixture of inductive and deductive approaches (supported by a contemporary literature review and a conceptual model), in order to investigate the research aim. Following a phenomenological philosophy, the researcher “seeks an understanding of human behaviour” (Hagyard & Keenan, 2006; Saunders et al, 2009, p. 116) to support the investigation into the extent of staff operation transformation. The data collection for this study is achieved through a research strategy of a survey approach, in which the researcher employs the use of two questionnaires distributed to two groups of respondents. Employing the methodological considerations from Chapter 3 leads the researcher to believe that the extent of staff operation transformation at this stage (year 1) is substantial. The researcher deduces this as the majority of employees adapt their work practices to suit working in a flexible, mobile manner. Staff efficiency is increased, their work-life balance is improved, and, they now have a choice of where they work from. In addition, the organisation benefits from tangible changes, such as reduced sickness absence, reduced overall travel costs, and improved use of existing office space. However, at the end of this report, in order to improve the benefits realised thus far, the researcher presents seven recommendations, to further promote the adoption of flexible mobile working within the organisation

Survival after violence: The post-separation journey of women who have experienced intimate partner violence

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a complex social issue that remains highly prevalent in communities across the world. The impact of IPV includes short-term and long-term psychological, physical, financial and social consequences for women who experience it as well at their immediate and extended families, networks and communities. As research has continued to evolve there has been a move towards exploring the interaction of systemic factors that influence the occurrence of IPV and consequences of IPV long-term. Although researchers have identified that the long-term outcomes for women after leaving an IPV relationship can vary, it appears more research is required in order to understand how women’s post-separation experiences may influence their long-term wellbeing. In particular, it is not yet clear how women conceptualise their post-separation journeys or how such journeys are facilitated by support networks and services. This research project aimed to generate a theory that explains the post-separation journey of women from the perspective of both women who have experienced IPV and individuals who work in the area. In addition this research project aimed to identify which components of the post-separation journey contribute to positive long-term wellbeing for women as well as explore how formal support workers and external factors influence women’s post-separation experiences. In order to achieve these aims a qualitative grounded theory design using semistructured interviews was utilised. Grounded theory was considered the most appropriate approach for the current research as it involves concurrent data collection and analysis procedures that allow theory to emerge from participant’s experiences. The participant sample consisted of 40 individuals: 17 women who have experienced IPV, 15 formal support workers, and 8 women with both personal and professional experiences of IPV. Based on the data a model emerged that identified four main components of a woman’s journey after leaving an IPV relationship: grounding, rebuilding, reflecting, and developing. Each component consists of individual processes identified by both women and formal support workers as key in contributing to a woman’s acceptance of her experiences and sense of wellbeing post-separation. The results indicated that individual post-separation journeys were influenced by women’s interactions with other people, situations, services, communities and the cultural context. Therefore, the model of the post-separation journey of women was positioned within the context of an ecological perspective in order to explain the external processes that participants identified as influencing women’s post-separation journeys. The model assists to enhance what is currently understood about women’s post-separation experiences with important implications for policy, practice, and future researc

Epidemiology and chemical control of Fusarium ear and seedling blight of wheat

The aim of the study was to determine a link between the applications of fungicides, ear blight (caused by Microdochium nivale and Fusarium culmorum), grain quality and the subsequent emergence of infected seed. In order to determine this a series of field and glasshouse trials were carried out. In field situations the pathogen causing ear blight symptoms is often unknown. Azoxystrobin is reported to be less effective against F. culmorum (Dardis & Walsh, 2000) and the results from this study agree with this work. The trials concluded that for chemical control in the field a mixture of the fungicides azoxystrobin and metconazole provided the most significant reduction of ear blight severity and grain infection when compared with the control treatments. The emergence trials concluded that the use of a seed treatment (fludioxonil) can significantly improve the emergence of an infected crop. It is known that M. nivale may be present in a seed crop with the absence of visible symptoms on the seed (Hare et al, 1999). For plots drilled with out a seed treatment, the ones that had received an ear spray of azoxystrobin alone or a mixture of azoxystrobin and metconazole showed a higher percentage emergence regardless of the pathogen. The emergence trials proved the infection of seed can be significantly reduced by the use of ear sprays. If the seed is to be saved on the farm, the use of a seed treatment will improve the emergence of the new crop. Trials on the effect of increasing inoculum load on the symptoms of ear blight and the infection of grain. It was found that increasing the inoculum load for F. culmorum either alone or in a mixture of pathogens gave a reduction in yield and thousand-grain weight but this was not so with M. nivale this agrees with Hare et al,(1999) who studies the relationship between wheat seed weight infected with F. culmorum or M. nivale. When grain form these trial was drilled in the emergence trials it was shown that where the seed contained F. culmorum a significant improvement in emergence was seen when a seed treatment of fludioxonil was used. Glasshouse studies were conducted on point inoculation of ears with pathogens and found that there is a relationship between grain infection and seed weight for F. culmorum but not for M. nivale. Thus, grain weight can not be used on farm as a measure of infection when assessing seed health as M. nivale can be symptomless

Experiencing pet loss as a child: A parental perspective

Due to the positive contributions many companion animals make to the lives of others, it is common for individuals to build strong emotional attachments to their pets. Individuals who have strong relationships with their pets are likely to experience an equally strong grief reaction following their death. Although the grief process is highly idiosyncratic, theory suggests common stages or tasks that adults progress through during grief. However, research indicates that the grief process for children may vary from that of adults. The developmental capability of a child at the time of a loss will determine their level of understanding about death and consequently influence their reactions and use of coping strategies in response to the death of a loved one. Although research has explored the grief process in children, the majority of studies focus on human death, therefore future research should aim to explore the experiences of children following the death of a pet. Research suggests pets may play a significant role in the lives of children. Children who build strong relationships with their pets are likely to experience a strong grief reaction following their death. The current research study aimed to explore the experiences of children under the age of twelve who have previously experienced the loss of a pet, from parents\u27 perspectives. Data were collected through one-on-one semi-structured interviews conducted with ten participants. The results of thematic data analysis identified three major themes: children\u27s\u27 experience of pet death, coping with loss, and parents\u27 experience of pet death, with accompanying sub-themes. It was found that the results of the current study concur with previous literature. The findings of the current study indicate the complexity of the pet grieving process for children and emphasise the need for continuing research in this area

Linking the past to the future: An exploration of the educational experiences of children who have lived with domestic abuse

Almost one quarter of children, by the time they reach 18 years old, will have experienced domestic violence (DV) at some point in their childhood (Bentley et al., 2017). The impact of DV on children can affect the areas of emotional and social development, communication, physical health and learning, in the home and school environments. Rather than being passive witnesses to abuse, children experience it through all of their senses. Despite a wealth of research exploring the areas of DV and the impact on children, there is limited current research in the area of DV in relation to children in education, and teacher perspectives of DV. This research therefore aims to add to the body of literature by exploring the educational experiences of children who have lived with domestic abuse and the views of teachers supporting those children. There were two phases to the research. Phase one involved working with children to explore their views of education and what was important to them, using image-based data collection methods. Phase two explored teacher perspectives of the effects of DV on children and a discussion about the implications of phase one, using a soft systems methodology approach. A visual arts-based methodology was utilised in order to allow children to explore and share their thoughts and feelings in a creative way; to tell their stories, take ownership over their own information and feel empowered to do so through a method of their choosing. The data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The findings illustrated that children’s experiences of school were centred on six key areas: play, education, identity, relationships, feeling safe and linking the past to the future. Teachers in the study expressed an understanding of DV and the impact on children and families. They described what children think about school and what children need at school. However, there were many barriers and conflicts for teachers in providing such support, and they felt disempowered to enact positive change for those children. Visual methodology allowed for children to express their views in a way that linked the past with the future that helped them navigate the present situation. The implications for educational psychology practice were explored at various levels of working. In particular, with relation to eliciting child voice, supporting schools at a systems level and promoting organisational change

Anxiety in childhood: parental expectations, differential parenting and siblings

The portfolio has three parts: Part one is a systematic literature review, in which the empirical evidence for the association between parental expectations of their child‟s anxious cognitions and child anxiety was reviewed. Part two is an empirical paper, which explores anxiety in siblings, perceived differential parenting, fairness of parenting and self-esteem. Part three comprises the appendices, which provide further information regarding the systematic literature review and the empirical paper