This Way Girl Comes Bearing Gifts

The following collection deals with autobiographical work. My purpose for this thesis was to present poems in which spoke to a girlish attitude under various circumstances such as age, location, and expectation. While this thread of girlhood lends itself as a conceptual framework, the poems themselves vary in style. They move between elements of imagism, narrative, lyricism, meditation, and some code-switching. I found that by letting the poems happen upon recognition and shape themselves out of memorable content rather than by trying to adhere to a strict concentration on one particular style or form allowed me ample materials for building this thesis. The title of this collection, This Way Girl Comes Bearing Gifts, is about the way I have been able to bear the weight of memory—as gifts. It is intended to show a way in which lived and living girlishness, whether something wrong or wronged, can still be full-bodied and spirited. My connection to the title at age twenty-six is one where I feel years of prolonged girlhood have influenced the course of my actions and led me to poetry

Design, Synthesis and Delivery of Peptide-Based Systems

Peptide-based therapeutics have been an active area of research for a number of years. They have been found applications as drug-delivery agents, anticancer therapies and as antibiotics, the latter of which is particularly notable when set against a present-day backdrop of the increasing problem of antibiotic resistance. However, the use of peptides is still limited as they suffer from poor bioavailability as a result of their vulnerability to proteolytic degradation. Peptoids are a class of peptidomimetics which represent a potential proteolytically stable alternative to peptides. Chapter 1 introduces peptoids, common methods of their synthesis and their potential therapeutic applications. The challenges associated with controlling peptoid secondary structure are also discussed, along with commonly seen methods of imposing conformational rigidity. Chapter 2 details our attempts to address this problem by synthesising a library of biaryl-containing cyclic peptoids which represent novel peptoid scaffolds. In Chapter 3, we synthesise the active domain (p15) of the known anticancer peptide CIGB-300 along with three stapled analogues on which binding assays can be carried out. In Chapter 4, we synthesise six cell-penetrating peptoids (CPPos) which have previously been reported to localise in mitochondria. Onto these peptoids we conjugated the known anticancer peptide D-KLA and show the ability of these peptoids to increase proapoptotic activity. Flow cytometry and confocal microscopy is then used to demonstrate mitochondrial localisation of the most active peptide-peptoid hybrid, KLA-CPPo6. Having shown the ability of CPPos to transport biologically active cargo, we then conjugate the p15 peptide, previously introduced in Chapter 3, to the six CPPos in preparation for the evaluation of their anticancer activity

The research use exemption from patent infringement - boon or bane?

Unternehmen und Forschungsinstitute haben durch Ausnahmeregelungen im Patentrecht die Möglichkeit, kostenfrei auf patentrechtlich geschütztes Know-How Dritter zurückzugreifen, ohne eine Klage wegen Patentrechtsverletzung fürchten zu müssen. Die nationalen Gesetze unterschieden sich deutlich nach Art und Umfang der Ausnahmeregelung. Daher stellt sich die Frage, ob und wie sich diese Unterschiede auf die Innovationsneigung von Unternehmen auswirken. Eine Studie des Zentrums für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung (ZEW) zeigt, wie die Patentgesetzgebung mit Ausnahmeregelungen für Forschungszwecke ein ausgewogenes Verhältnis zur Förderung des technologischen Fortschritts finden kann, zur Diffusion neu gewonnener Erkenntnisse beiträgt, gleichzeitig jedoch genügend Anreize für Investitionen in die Generierung neuer Erkenntnisse verbleiben. Zur Untersuchung dieser Fragestellungen modellieren die Wissenschaftler zunächst unterschiedlich stark ausgeprägte Versionen einer Ausnahmeregelung für Forschungszwecke innerhalb eines kumulativ verlaufenden Innovationsprozesses. In einem zweiten Schritt werden die theoretisch abgeleiteten Aussagen anhand empirischer Daten aus einer Online-Umfrage, die in Deutschland und Australien durchgeführt wurde, untermauert. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Wirkung von Patentausnahmen wesentlich von derem genauen Zuschnitt abhängt und es daher keinen generellen Aussagen zur Innovations- und Diffusionswirkung von Forschungsausnahmen geben kann

A thematic analytical exploration into secondary school teachers’ views and experiences of risk factors for youth offending behaviour.

Previous research into the related risk factors for youth offending behaviour has been explored from both a youth’s perspective and a criminal justice system perspective. The aim of this study was to provide teachers views and experiences with regards to youth offending behaviour and the impact they believe they can have on said behaviours. Six semi-structured interviews of secondary school teachers, from one school in the North of England, were undertaken. A qualitative approach was adopted from a realist epistemological position. Three key themes were identified through a thematic analysis of the teachers’ views and experiences; perceived influences, the impact of school, and the perception of crime and other individuals. Links were found between the current studies themes and previous research with regards to risk factors for youth offending behaviour. The current study recognises that further research needs to be conducted into the impact teachers can have in the reduction of youth offending behaviour and related risk factors. Interviewing teachers from a variety of schools across the country could provide a further insight into different experiences

Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Archaeology Using Photogrammetry and LiDAR in Southwestern United States

Researchers can use small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), also known as drones, to make observations of historical sites, help interpret locations, and make new discoveries that may not be visible to the naked eye. A student team from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University gathered data for historical site documentation in New Mexico using the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2, DJI Mavic Pro 2, DJI M210 and DJI M600, and senseFly eBee. Utilizing these drones, student analysts were able to take the data gathered and create georectified orthomosaic images and 3D virtual objects. At Tularosa Canyon, at a site known as the Creekside Village, work aimed at imaging an amphitheater like structure (i.e., kiva) that dates back to 600 AD. The team used photogrammetry and LiDAR to determine the location of other manmade structures at the same location. Images were processed with Pix4Dmapper Pro. Team members generated LiDAR point clouds and post processed data in search of undiscovered features and structures

“Women in groups can help each and learn from each other”: The role of homosocial practices within women’s social networks in building local gender contracts

Feminist scholars struggle to articulate gender relations in different contexts. Using the concept of local gender contract - a place specific agreement of gender relations, we explore how women’s networks challenge or shift gender contracts in their communities. Based on two empirical case studies of women´s groups from Eastern Africa and Thai migrants in Sweden, we show gender contracts are challenged through women’s homosocial activities. We highlight tensions between gender contracts and the women’s goals revealing a complicated process of assent and resistance. This study expands gender contract theoretically and provides a way to understand vulnerable women’s activities

Strategies for Recruiting Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Community-Based Research: Lessons from Canada

Objectives: This study sought to describe the recruitment of women living with HIV (WLWH) into the community-based Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), because women are underrepresented in HIV research. Methods: There were 1,424 WLWH were enrolled from British Columbia, Ontario, and Québec, who completed detailed questionnaires administered by peer research associates (PRAs; WLWH with research training). During screening, participants were asked: “How did you hear about the study?” We describe recruitment strategies by subpopulation and offer reflections on challenges and successes. Results: Of 1,131 participants with complete data, 40% identified as White, 33% African/Caribbean/Black, and 19% Indigenous. The median age was 45 years (interquartile range, 37–51) and 4% identified as trans women. Overall, 35% were recruited through PRAs/peers, 34% clinics, and 19% AIDS service organizations (ASOs). PRAs/peers were the predominant recruitment method in Ontario (49%), compared with clinics in British Columbia (40%), and Québec (43%). Nationally, PRAs/peers were more successful in recruiting WLWH commonly considered to be “harder to reach” (e.g., women identifying as trans, using drugs, not receiving HIV care). Clinics were more effective in recruiting younger women (16–29 years) and women not using ASOs. Recruitment challenges centered on engaging these harder to reach women. Successes included hiring PRAs who built participant trust, linking with clinics to reach women isolated from HIV communities, involving outreach workers to engage street-involved women, and disseminating study information to diverse stakeholders. Conclusions: Having multiple approaches, engaging a diverse team of PRAs, ensuring flexibility, and cultivating reciprocal relationships with community stakeholders were key to recruiting a diverse and representative sample of WLWH

Manipulation of structure and optoelectronic properties through bromine inclusion in a layered lead bromide perovskite

Funding: UK Research and Innovation - MR/T022094/1; Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - EP/V034138/1, EP/R023751/1, EP/T019298/1; Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland - RIG008653.One of the great advantages of organic–inorganic metal halides is that their structures and properties are highly tuneable and this is important when optimizing materials for photovoltaics or other optoelectronic devices. One of the most common and effective ways of tuning the electronic structure is through anion substitution. Here, we report the inclusion of bromine into the layered perovskite [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4 to form [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2, which contains molecular bromine (Br2) intercalated between the layers of corner-sharing PbBr6 octahedra. Bromine intercalation in [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2 results in a decrease in the band gap of 0.85 eV and induces a structural transition from a Ruddlesden–Popper-like to Dion–Jacobson-like phase, while also changing the conformation of the amine. Electronic structure calculations show that Br2 intercalation is accompanied by the formation of a new band in the electronic structure and a significant decrease in the effective masses of around two orders of magnitude. This is backed up by our resistivity measurements that show that [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4·Br2 has a resistivity value of one order of magnitude lower than [H3N(CH2)6NH3]PbBr4, suggesting that bromine inclusion significantly increases the mobility and/or carrier concentration in the material. This work highlights the possibility of using molecular inclusion as an alternative tool to tune the electronic properties of layered organic–inorganic perovskites, while also being the first example of molecular bromine inclusion in a layered lead halide perovskite. By using a combination of crystallography and computation, we show that the key to this manipulation of the electronic structure is the formation of halogen bonds between the Br2 and Br in the [PbBr4]∞ layers, which is likely to have important effects in a range of organic–inorganic metal halides.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe