Deciphering Ephrin/Eph signaling pathways in cancer cells using rationally designed ligand nanoclusters

The dynamic link between the nanoscale spatial distribution of biomolecules and their functional impact on cellular and downstream biological behaviors has been hypothesized, but only supported by limited evidences. This is mostly due to the lack to methods to fabricate well-defined patterns of biomolecules. In this thesis, we utilized the DNA origami method to create protein ligand and antigen patterns with high precision, and applied it to study cell signaling events in a cancer cell line and complex antibody-antigen interactions. In addition, to achieve quality fabrication of our protein and antigen functionalized DNA origami nanostructures we developed and adapted several DNA and protein purification methods. Finally, we employed the versatility of the DNA origami method to create anticancer drug carriers with tunable drug release kinetics

Synthesis and reactivity studies on oxo and sulphide compounds of the early transition metals

This thesis describes studies directed towards the preparation of new oxo compounds of the early transition metals with a view to delineating some of the complex factors which govern their stability and reactivity. For a number of the types of compound studied, the work has also been extended to analogous sulphide systems in order to provide a contrast with another chalcogenide element and further aid an understanding of the bonding and reactivity of both of these elements in a transition metal enviroment. Chapter 1 highlights the areas of transition metal oxo chemistry of relevance to the general theme of the thesis. Chapter 2 describes the use of the commercially available reagents Me(_3)SiYR (R = alkyl, SiMe(_3); Y = O, S), for rapid, convenient, solution syntheses of transition metal oxohalide and sulphidohalide compounds of molybdenum, tungsten, niobium and tantalum. In addition, this methodology allows the preparation of mixed oxosulphidohalide materials and, in certain cases, intermediate alkoxo(siloxo) halide compounds have been isolated. Chapter 3 describes the synthesis, characterisation and reactivity of a series of mononuclear mono-oxo complexes of molybdenum and tungsten including M(O)(OAr)(_4) [M=W, Ar=2,6-Me(_2)C(_6)H(_3) (DMP), 2,4,6-Me(_3)C(_6)H(_2) (TMP), 2,6-Pr(^i)C(_6)H(_3) (DIPP); M=Mo, Ar=(DMP)], M(_2)(O)(_3)(DMP)(_6) and Mo(O)C1(_2)(DMP)(_2). Attempts to synthesise related mononuclear complexes containing the cis di-oxo moeity are also discussed. Chapter 4 describes the synthesis and reactivity of seven coordinate oxo and sulphidohalide derivatives of niobium and tantalum which exhibit the phenomenon of bond-stretch isomerism. Compounds prepared include Nb(O)Br(_3)(PMe(_3))(_3), Nb(S)X(_3)(PMe(_3))(_3) (X=C1, Br) and Ta(S)C1(_3)(PMe(_3))(_3). The latter three have been characterised by X-ray crystallography. Chapter 5 describes the synthesis and reactivity of half-sandwich oxo compounds of niobium and tantalum. Some of the derivatives prepared include[CpNbC1(_3)](_2)(µ(_2)-O), [CpTaC1(_3)](_2)(|µ(_2)-O) and [Cp*TaC1(_3)](_2)(µ(_2)O). The stability of [Cp*Ta(O)Cl(_2)](_2) has been investigated and the X-ray structure of the trinuclear decomposition product Cp*(_3)Ta(_3)O(_4)C1(_4) is described. Chapter 6 describes the use of alkali metal aryloxides as intercalating agents and the preparation of a series of novel intercalation compounds, of the type W(O)(_2)C1(_2)xM (M = Li, Na and K) which display the properties characteristic of tungsten bronzes. Chapter 7 gives experimental details for chapters 2 6

Enhancing the social ecological framework : a social marketing solution

Purpose – Social marketing has been criticised for mainly focusing on the individual and not the wider environmental impacts. Collins, Tapp and Pressley (2010) began the process of tackling this issue by introducing the Social Ecological Framework (SEF). The SEF is based on Bronfenbrenner’s (1977) Ecological Theory, but it utilises his first iteration. This thesis has enhanced the framework by incorporating Bronfenbrenner’s (2005) Person-Process-Context- Time Model.Design/methodology/approach – The study utilises a mixed methods approach with a single case study: examining why individuals living with diabetes chose to attend (or not) a structured education course in England. It examines the attitudes of the patients, healthcare professionals and administrators of the NHS.Findings – The research identified that there was a large disparity in the types of services provided by the various PCTs. Many patients were unaware of the courses and that they should have been offered a place: the key driver, which dictated the types of services provided by the NHS was money. The patient’s decision to attend or not was influenced by a variety of factors that were correlated to wider environmental issues, or more specifically Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT model.Research implications/limitations – Utilising Bronfenbrenner’s PPCT model within the SEF has positive implications to the process. Researchers and practitioners will now have a new way of addressing social marketing issues. The study’s scope was limited to a ‘health’ social marketing review, further research will be required to confirm it relevance across the wider social marketing domain.Practical implications – Diabetes is a growing chronic condition that accounts for approximately 11% many nation health service providers’ budgets. Diabetes structured education is proven to empower patients and reduce costs but many of these patients are failing to engage with the process. The enhanced SEF that this research is providing may solve the issue.Originality/value – The study provides an example of social marketers having to deal with multiple complex behaviour changes. It also addresses a concern that is continually raised by the social marketing fraternity: researchers tend to focus on the individual.Keywords – Social marketing, Social Ecological Framework, Ecological Theory, Bio-Ecological Theory, Bronfenbrenner, PPCT Model (Person, Process, Context and Time), diabetes and diabetes structured education

Leadership of Voluntary Aided Schools: An Analysis from the Perspective of Headteachers

Voluntary aided schools exhibit a unique combination of characteristics including; responsibility for admissions, employment of staff (including the right to prioritise on the basis of faith), control of the RE curriculum, ownership of the premises, and funding from and being part of Local Authorities. This thesis investigates how headteachers of voluntary aided schools perceive their leadership role across the range of small/large, urban/rural and different faith schools of this type and whether they demonstrate similar leadership styles. The paradigmatic approach for this research is that of realism which acknowledges the benefit of both quantitative and qualitative data to generate a broad empirical picture of educational practices, patterns and institutional outcomes. This approach is particularly appropriate for this research as there is a real world of school regulations and requirements imposed externally by central and local government that affect how voluntary aided schools are organised. However, within schools it may be that individual perceptions and priorities distort the image of the external reality and affect how headteachers lead and manage their schools. Mixed methods were utilised comprising an on-line Likert-style questionnaire containing rating scales which provided the opportunity to determine quantitative frequencies and correlations. This was combined with open ended questions which provided the freedom to fuse measurement with opinions, quantity and quality. In addition, a purposive sample of 12 semi-structured interviews provided rich qualitative data conveying the views and perceptions of headteachers of voluntary aided schools in 12 different Local Authorities. This thesis has made a significant original contribution to the body of knowledge in this field by presenting an overview of the perceptions held by headteachers of 450 such schools throughout England (over 10% of the total number) from different phases of education, sizes of school, types of location and denominations. It has addressed the current gap in existing research, supported the findings of several previous smaller-scale studies, identified the distinctive ethos in voluntary aided schools, highlighted the pivotal role of personal faith for these headteachers, produced a new model of ‘ethotic leadership’ and presented suggestions for future research and training

Jobs and responsibilities in audio-visual departments

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

The Concept of Vacant Possession: Theory and Practice

Abstract To the everyday man or woman on the street, the term 'vacant possession' raises its head most noticeably in the residential sphere, with many everyday people buying and selling property and being obliged to give, or entitled to receive, vacant possession. Furthermore, the term is by no means limited to a 'lay' usage: a wide range of business and professional people use the expression 'vacant possession' on a daily basis, and the term is in the lexicography of judges, conveyancers, litigators, surveyors, estate agents, commentators and others connected to property, including property owning landlords and tenants. All these stakeholders make use of the term in a formal and professional sense, and with reference to legal transactions for which vacant possession is an essential element. Although it is an everyday term that is used by many, a common feature of these usages of the term is a lack of attention to what it actually means. For example, estate agents, who invariably use the term in their advertising particulars, seem able to distinguish between 'full vacant possession', 'immediate vacant possession' or 'complete vacant possession', with ostensibly no real justification as to how the prefacing adjective in each case adds anything to the message that they are seeking to convey to prospective purchasers, as to what they can expect to obtain on completion. Lawyers talk about 'giving VP on completion', but few documents ever actually define what vacant possession means with a capitalised 'V' and 'P'. Furthermore, the courts have made decisions as to whether vacant possession was or was not given in a particular instance, but rarely found it necessary to explain what the term actually meant, or sought to explicitly apply an understanding of the concept to the facts of any particular case. Indeed, behind the familiarity of this common expression, lie years of uncertainty, misunderstanding and general neglect of the development of a sound and coherent theoretical model of vacant possession. There is very little case law and even less judicial guidance available. In 1988, and in two editions of the Conveyancer and Property Lawyer, Charles Harpum wrote what probably remains the most insightful learned article on the subject, but since then the concept appears to have warranted very little scholarly or practitioner attention. This thesis explores the concept of vacant possession and its meaning. Expounding the inconsistent evolution and development of the concept, the thesis explains the constituent elements of the concept of vacant possession, along with the practical manifestation of the term in everyday property cases. In doing so, it highlights the difficulties that lawyers, surveyors, judges and other third parties face on a day-to-day basis when seeking to interpret the nature, scope and extent of the obligation. Further, to link this work to wider theoretical debate in literature pertaining to possession, the thesis draws on other common property law concepts, those of actual occupation and adverse possession; such a discussion helps to explain why the inherently infra-jural concept of vacant possession cannot be 'tied down' to a precise legal definition or formulation. In conclusion, and to facilitate understanding and usage of the term, the thesis draws on the analysis undertaken to promulgate a working articulation of the concept, and considers other provisions that can ameliorate the remedial entitlements for an injured party in the event of a breach of the obligation. These may go some way to assist all those who will encounter the concept in future legal transactions

A general study of Minoan frescoes with particular reference to unpublished wall painting from Knossos

PhD ThesisThis four-part dissertation considers Minoan frescoes in their own right for a first time, with reference to unpublished paintings and nearly fifty new restorations, with a view to providing a new basis for historical reconstruction drawn from that source. Earliest developments begin with Neolithic architectural muse of mud plasters, the first painted plasters occuring in EM II settlements and simple decorative schemes in the First Palaces (1900-1700 B.C.). The sudden rise of pictorial naturalism in MM IIIA is explained by native cultural developments of the First Palace Period, not by foreign influences or "eideticism" which is rejected altogether. A review of the motival repertory leads to considerations of six main "cycles of ideas" whence the painters derived their themes. The most important, confined to Knossos palace, depicts a major festival of grand processions and athletic activities before the chief Minoan goddess, and it illuminates the palatial architechural design. But five different systems of mural decoration characterise Minoan architecture as a whole, with regional and perhaps autonomous variations at Cycadic sites. Technical considerations confirm "buon fresco" as the normal painting technique and distinguish Knossian town house and palace murals in construction and purpose. Similar distinctions in compositional design are also described. A review of eleven "schools" of Knossian painters and of regional artists precedes a detailed reconstruction of the dates of the frescoes on stratigraphical, stylistic and comparative evidence. Sir Arthur Evans's fresco dating should generally be lowered by one Minoan phase. Minoan pictorial painting ceases with the palace destruction at Knossos, c.1375 B.C. Major differences appear between pre- and post-LM IB frescoes, tentatively explained on the evidence of Aegean and Egyption pictorial representations by the arrival at Knossos of a Mycenaean military dynasty, c.1450 B.C. Minoan wall painting finally disappeared in the LM IIIB period

Past, present and future: transformational approaches to utilizing archives for research, learning and teaching

This article focuses on transformational approaches to utilizing archives in the creation of textile and textile-related products. The existing context in terms of historical resource and archive use by the textile industry and for textile-based creative practice, research, learning and teaching, is discussed. Literature, projects and examples reviewed indicate reproductive, adaptive and transformative approaches to working from historical and archival resources. In the context of this article reproduction involves copying, adaptation refers to alterations and transformation involves complete change in form, nature or appearance. A deficit in existing studies surrounding articulation of approaches to archive utilization is identified. Three projects undertaken at The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) are presented as case studies, which seek to fill the identified gap and contribute to existing research. For each case study, the aims and contributions to research are described and an overview of the project context and methodology is provided. Findings in terms of approaches to archive utilization are discussed, as are the outputs and outreach activities resulting from the projects, which ensures that to some extent, examination of the past informs creative activity in the present and impacts upon the future creation of textiles. The paper concludes by discussing how the case studies have evidenced varying approaches to archive utilization and proposes recommendations to formulate forthcoming strategies and activities

Victim’s profile analysis reveals homicide affinity for minorities and the youth

BACKGROUND: In this study we have examined the risk of death by homicide in Miami-Dade County and Broward County (BC); and examined the association between socioeconomic status and homicide while describing victim's typical characteristics such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and type of injury. METHODS: Data was collected from the County's Medical Examiner's Offices, Census Bureau, and Federal Bureau of Investigation between 2004 and 2007. RESULTS: There has been an increase in the risk of dying by homicide in the studied area; the homicide rate for the selected period was two times higher than the national average. Although Black Non-Hispanics count for 19% of the population of Miami-Dade County and 23% in Broward County, 56% and 53% of homicide victims are among this ethnic group in Miami-Dade County and Broward County respectively. Hispanics were more at risk of being a victim of homicide in 2007 than they were in 2004. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of the homicide victims were 22 years of age or younger. . In fact, the homicide victims' average age has been steadily decreasing in recent years. The drastic increase in the risk of death by gunshot among young Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic residents warrants cause for concern