cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
World Health Organization myth busters and indigenous perceptions of COVID-19: Quechua and Shipibo communities
Creators: name: Sánchez, Liliana
name: Koulidobrova, Helen
Publisher: name: University of Illinois at Chicago
Year: 2023
Subjects: classificationCode: 47
subject: Language, communication and culture
classificationCode: 4704
subject: Linguistics
subject: FOS: Languages and literature
classificationCode: 44
subject: Human society

description: When the COVID (SARS-V2) pandemic swept across the world, it impacted Indigenous communities more than others. This is due to a variety of reasons: socioeconomic injustice and racialization, lack of access to equitable healthcare, and linguistic discrimination. As a result, several communities and community types demonstrated this effect when perceptions of inferences or other COVID-related information were measured. This paper reports on a participatory collaborative study with two Indigenous communities in rural Peru-ten Quechua-speaking communities in Southern Cuzco and three Shipibo-speaking communities in Ucayali regions. We investigate the communities' level of preparedness for the crisis by eliciting answers based on the World Health Organization COVID 'MythBusters' in a form of a semi-structured interview. Interviews were transcribed, translated, and analyzed in search of the effect of three variables: gender (male/female), language group (Shipibo/Quechua), and proficiency in the Indigenous language (from 0 to 4). Data reveal that all three variables have some effect on the target comprehension of COVID-related messages. Additionally, we explore other possible explanations.
title: Morphological, histological and biomechanical adaptation of the rat musculoskeletal system to electrical muscle stimulation
Creators: name: Vickerton, Paula
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2015

description: Musculoskeletal tissues exhibit a remarkable extent of plasticity throughout life, with tissues continually able to adapt in line with functional demands. As the skeleton plays a major structural role, its form is profoundly influenced by its mechanical environment, which is largely determined by muscular contraction. Despite the clear functional link between muscle and bone relatively little is known about the biomechanical relationship between these tissues. This thesis therefore focuses upon the use of implantable neuromuscular stimulators to provide controlled muscular mechanical stimuli. Stimulators were implanted into Wistar rats, inducing muscular contraction every 30 seconds for 28 days. Following stimulation, microCT, histology, and nanoindentation were used to establish changes occurring at the micro and macro-scale in muscle and skeletal architecture. Analysis revealed a localised region of extensive bone growth, with significant increases in cross-sectional area (28.61%, p
Thermodynamics of isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter from chiral effective field theory
Creators: name: Wellenhofer, Corbinian
name: Holt, Jeremy W.
name: Kaiser, Norbert
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Nuclear Theory (nucl-th)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: The density and temperature dependence of the nuclear symmetry free energy is investigated using microscopic two- and three-body nuclear potentials constructed from chiral effective field theory. The nuclear force models and many-body methods are benchmarked to properties of isospin-symmetric nuclear matter in the vicinity of the saturation density as well as the virial expansion of the neutron matter equation of state at low fugacities. The free energy per particle of isospin-asymmetric nuclear matter is calculated assuming a quadratic dependence of the interaction contributions on the isospin asymmetry. The spinodal instability at subnuclear densities is examined in detail.
description: 20 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables. additional typos corrected, cf. footnote 2 in arXiv:1603.02935
title: Neoliberal extractivism and rural resistance: the anti-mining movement in the Peruvian Northern Highlands, Cajamarca (2011-2013)
Creators: name: Seo, Ji-Hyun
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2015

description: This dissertation examines the political prospects of rural subaltern groups in the era of neoliberal globalisation by engaging with the ‘death of the peasantry’ debates. To achieve this, it concentrates on rural resistance in the northern highlands of Peru, Cajamarca, against ‘new mineral extraction’ by multinational capital in the form of Minera Yanacocha S.A. (MYSA), with a theoretical framework of critical geography on transnational activism. In particular, the dissertation devotes attention to the massive mobilisations against MYSA’s Conga mining project between 2011 and 2013. The dispossession and disempowerment of the peasantry have been highlighted as the accumulation of global capital has intensified alongside the implementation of market-led development models around the globe. In the 1990s, the extraction and export of abundant natural resources was promoted as a ‘new development alternative’. In tandem with the unprecedented width and depth of resource extraction, the continent has become witness to increasing incidences of struggles led by local communities, particularly in the countryside. Recent Peruvian economic growth has been boosted by a ‘new mining boom’. Simultaneously, many Peruvians are protesting against mining activities, particularly due to their negative social and environmental impact. Cajamarca is one obvious example where neoliberal mineral extraction has generated a series of local struggles since the arrival of MYSA in 1993. The asymmetrical power of multinational capital vis-à-vis campesinos stands out in the context of the emphasis of the central government on ‘national development’ based on natural resource extraction. Against this backdrop, this dissertation examines the re-articulation of rural subjectivities and the political possibilities in their ‘networked form of resistance’, instead of focusing on the fragmentation, powerlessness and passivity of subaltern groups in the face of global capital power. Economic reductionism restricts our understanding of neoliberal globalisation to the exploitation of global capital vs. dispossession of local communities. Following Doreen Massey’s relational geographical approach, the dissertation maintains that it is relevant to understand the ‘relational content’ of global capital mobility and complex dynamics of resistance. In addition, the dualistic framework of geography and power which is based on an essentialist geographical understanding of the spatial (i.e. space/place; powerful global and powerless local) tends to regard local resistance as ‘reactionary’ place-based struggle. Instead, the dissertation focuses on the ‘interconnectedness’ of subaltern groups. It argues that diverse social groups shape what Featherstone terms ‘prefigurative solidarity’ around ‘maps of grievance’, via political resistance. In this process, a political identity is constructed in order to bring neoliberal globalisation into contestation.
Two-copy Quantum Teleportation
Creators: name: Quan, Quan
name: Zhao, Ming-Jing
name: Fei, Shao-Ming
name: Fan, Heng
name: Yang, Wen-Li
name: Long, Gui-Lu
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We investigate two-copy scenario of quantum teleportation based on Bell measurements. The detailed protocol is presented and the general expression of the corresponding optimal teleportation delity is derived, which is given by the two-copy fully entangled fraction that is invariant under local unitary transformations. We prove that under a speci c case of the protocol, which is signi cant for improving the optimal delity, the set of states with their two-copy fully entangled fractions bounded by a threshold value that required for useful two-copy teleportation is convex and compact. Hence the witness operators exist to separate states that are useful for two-copy teleportation from the rest ones. Moreover, we show that the optimal delity of two-copy teleportation surpasses that of the original one copy teleportation.
description: 8 pages, 2 figures
Attenuation of Counterregulatory Responses to Recurrent Hypoglycemia by Active Thalamic Inhibition: A Mechanism for Hypoglycemia-Associated Autonomic Failure
Creators: name: Arbelaez, A. M.
name: Powers, W. J.
name: Videen, T. O.
name: Cryer, P. E.
name: Price, J. L.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: Hypoglycemia, the limiting factor in the glycemic management of diabetes, is the result of the interplay of therapeutic insulin excess and compromised glycemic defenses. The key feature of the latter is an attenuated sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia that typically follows an episode of recent antecedent iatrogenic hypoglycemia, a phenomenon termed hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) in diabetes. We investigated the role of cerebral mechanisms in HAAF by measuring regional brain activation during recurrent hypoglycemia with attenuated counterregulatory responses and comparing it to initial hypoglycemia in healthy individuals.
Comprehensive Association Study of Type 2 Diabetes and Related Quantitative Traits With 222 Candidate Genes
Creators: name: Scott, L. J.
name: Jackson, A. U.
name: Tong, M.
name: Narisu, N.
name: Willer, C. J.
name: Pugh, E. W.
name: Collins, F. S.
name: Conneely, K. N.
name: Abecasis, G. R.
name: Doheny, K. F.
name: Tuomilehto, J.
name: Valle, T. T.
name: Li, Y.
name: Gaulton, K. J.
name: Sprau, A. G.
name: Chines, P. S.
name: Luo, J.
name: Boehnke, M.
name: Mohlke, K. L.
name: Duren, W. L.
name: Bergman, R. N.
name: Bonnycastle, L. L.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: OBJECTIVE—Type 2 diabetes is a common complex disorder with environmental and genetic components. We used a candidate gene–based approach to identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants in 222 candidate genes that influence susceptibility to type 2 diabetes.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In a case-control study of 1,161 type 2 diabetic subjects and 1,174 control Finns who are normal glucose tolerant, we genotyped 3,531 tagSNPs and annotation-based SNPs and imputed an additional 7,498 SNPs, providing 99.9% coverage of common HapMap variants in the 222 candidate genes. Selected SNPs were genotyped in an additional 1,211 type 2 diabetic case subjects and 1,259 control subjects who are normal glucose tolerant, also from Finland.RESULTS—Using SNP- and gene-based analysis methods, we replicated previously reported SNP-type 2 diabetes associations in PPARG, KCNJ11, and SLC2A2; identified significant SNPs in genes with previously reported associations (ENPP1 [rs2021966, P = 0.00026] and NRF1 [rs1882095, P = 0.00096]); and implicated novel genes, including RAPGEF1 (rs4740283, P = 0.00013) and TP53 (rs1042522, Arg72Pro, P = 0.00086), in type 2 diabetes susceptibility.CONCLUSIONS—Our study provides an effective gene-based approach to association study design and analysis. One or more of the newly implicated genes may contribute to type 2 diabetes pathogenesis. Analysis of additional samples will be necessary to determine their effect on susceptibility.
title: The QUOTE Study (Qualitative Understanding of Trial Experience)
Creators: name: M. D. Smyth, Rebecca
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: This thesis presents the QUOTE (Qualitative Understanding of Trial Experience) Study. The study explored women's views and experiences of participating in a large multi-centre randomised controlled trial - The Magpie Trial. The Magpie Trial was designed to test the hypothesis that in women with p're-eclampsia treatment with magnesium sulphate reduces the risk of eclampsia, and so improves outcome. Wqmen recruited to the Magpie Trial all had sufficiently severe pre-eclampsia to warrant consideration of magnesium sulphate for seizure prophylaxis. They were therefore being recruited at a time when they were likely to be having intensive monitoring, and there was often concern about their health and that of the baby. At present little is known about the experiences of pregnant women recruited to trials, especially when in potentially' life-threatening situations. Issues regarding the randomisation of pregnant women to trials have been identified as needing special consideration.
Integrin-Associated Protein Association With Src Homology 2 Domain Containing Tyrosine Phosphatase Substrate 1 Regulates IGF-I Signaling In Vivo
Creators: name: Aday, A. W.
name: Clemmons, D. R.
name: Miller, E. C.
name: Maile, L. A.
name: Capps, B. E.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: OBJECTIVE—Smooth muscle cell (SMC) maintained in medium containing normal levels of glucose do not proliferate in response to IGF-I, whereas cells maintained in medium containing 25 mmol/l glucose can respond. The aim of this study was to determine whether signaling events that have been shown to be required for stimulation of SMC growth were regulated by glucose concentrations in vivo.
T-Cell Promiscuity in Autoimmune Diabetes
Creators: name: Tisch, R.
name: Frelinger, J. A.
name: Wang, B.
name: Li, L.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2008

description: OBJECTIVE—It is well established that the primary mediators of β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes are T-cells. Nevertheless, the molecular basis for recognition of β-cell–specific epitopes by pathogenic T-cells remains ill defined; we seek to further explore this issue.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—To determine the properties of β-cell–specific T-cell receptors (TCRs), we characterized the fine specificity, functional and relative binding avidity/affinity, and diabetogenicity of a panel of GAD65-specific CD4+ T-cell clones established from unimmunized 4- and 14-week-old NOD female mice.RESULTS—The majority of GAD65-specific CD4+ T-cells isolated from 4- and 14-week-old NOD female mice were specific for peptides spanning amino acids 217–236 (p217) and 290–309 (p290). Surprisingly, 31% of the T-cell clones prepared from 14-week-old but not younger NOD mice were stimulated with both p217 and p290. These promiscuous T-cell clones recognized the two epitopes when naturally processed and presented, and this dual specificity was mediated by a single TCR. Furthermore, promiscuous T-cell clones demonstrated increased functional avidity and relative TCR binding affinity, which correlated with enhanced islet infiltration on adoptive transfer compared with that of monospecific T-cell clones.CONCLUSIONS—These results indicate that promiscuous recognition contributes to the development of GAD65-specific CD4+ T-cell clones in NOD mice. Furthermore, these findings suggest that T-cell promiscuity reflects a novel form of T-cell avidity maturation.
Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 (TCF7L2) Polymorphism and Context-Specific Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in African American and Caucasian Adults: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Creators: name: Boerwinkle, E.
name: West, S. L.
name: Chambless, L. E.
name: Heiss, G.
name: Ballantyne, C. M.
name: North, K. E.
name: Selvin, E.
name: Franceschini, N.
name: Yan, Y.
name: Brancati, F. L.
name: Pankow, J. S.
name: Kottgen, A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2009

description: OBJECTIVE-Although variants in the transcription factor 7-like 2 (TCF7L2) gene are consistently associated with type 2 diabetes, large population-based studies of African Americans are lacking. Moreover, few studies have investigated the effects of TCF7L2 on type 2 diabetes in the context of metabolic risk factors of type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS-We investigated the association between the TCF7L2 rs7903146 polymorphism and type 2 diabetes in 2,727 African American and 9,302 Caucasian participants without diabetes who were inducted into the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study in 1987-1989 and followed for 9 years. RESULTS-A total of 485 and 923 cases of type 2 diabetes were identified in African Americans and Caucasians, respectively. Compared with homozygous CC individuals, heterozygous CT and homozygous TT individuals had higher cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes over 9 years of follow-up: 11.3% (95% CI 10.2-12.4) vs. 21.1% (20.8-21.4) and 27.9% (19.3-36.5) in African Americans, respectively, and 9.7% (8.8-10.6) vs. 11.3% (10.2-12.4) and 13.6% (11.1-16.1), respectively, in Caucasians. Individuals with the risk allele had the highest hazards of diabetes if they were obese and had low HDL cholesterol, followed by individuals with any one and none of the traits. CONCLUSIONS-Our study provides the first significant evidence of association between the TCF7L2 rs7903146 polymorphism and type 2 diabetes risk in a large African American population and also demonstrates that the diabetes risk conveyed by the rs7903146 risk allele is substantially increased in the context of some metabolic risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Our study findings need to be replicated in other large, population-based studies.
Detailed Physiologic Characterization Reveals Diverse Mechanisms for Novel Genetic Loci Regulating Glucose and Insulin Metabolism in Humans
Creators: name: Ingelsson, E.
name: Graessler, J.
name: Knowles, J. W.
name: Zethelius, B.
name: Chines, P.
name: Buchanan, T. A.
name: Assimes, T. L.
name: Bergman, R. N.
name: Collins, F. S.
name: Hao, K.
name: Lyssenko, V.
name: Sharp, S.
name: Langenberg, C.
name: Dennison, E. M.
name: Fox, C. S.
name: Boehnke, M.
name: Berne, C.
name: Erdos, M. R.
name: Ferrannini, E.
name: Bumpstead, S. J.
name: Jackson, A. U.
name: Magi, R.
name: Cooper, C. C.
name: Hivert, M. F.
name: Bergmann, A.
name: Bornstein, S. R.
name: Dupuis, J.
name: Bonnycastle, L. L.
name: Bottcher, Y.
name: Prokopenko, I.
name: Shrader, P.
name: Abbasi, F. A.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: OBJECTIVERecent genome-wide association studies have revealed loci associated with glucose and insulin-related traits. We aimed to characterize 19 such loci using detailed measures of insulin processing, secretion, and sensitivity to help elucidate their role in regulation of glucose control, insulin secretion and/or action.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe investigated associations of loci identified by the Meta-Analyses of Glucose and Insulin-related traits Consortium (MAGIC) with circulating proinsulin, measures of insulin secretion and sensitivity from oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTTs), euglycemic clamps, insulin suppression tests, or frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance tests in nondiabetic humans (n = 29,084).RESULTSThe glucose-raising allele in MADD was associated with abnormal insulin processing (a dramatic effect on higher proinsulin levels, but no association with insulinogenic index) at extremely persuasive levels of statistical significance (P = 2.1 × 10−71). Defects in insulin processing and insulin secretion were seen in glucose-raising allele carriers at TCF7L2, SCL30A8, GIPR, and C2CD4B. Abnormalities in early insulin secretion were suggested in glucose-raising allele carriers at MTNR1B, GCK, FADS1, DGKB, and PROX1 (lower insulinogenic index; no association with proinsulin or insulin sensitivity). Two loci previously associated with fasting insulin (GCKR and IGF1) were associated with OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity indices in a consistent direction.CONCLUSIONSGenetic loci identified through their effect on hyperglycemia and/or hyperinsulinemia demonstrate considerable heterogeneity in associations with measures of insulin processing, secretion, and sensitivity. Our findings emphasize the importance of detailed physiological characterization of such loci for improved understanding of pathways associated with alterations in glucose homeostasis and eventually type 2 diabetes.
Three combinatorial formulas for type A quiver polynomials and K-polynomials
Creators: name: Kinser, Ryan
name: Knutson, Allen
name: Rajchgot, Jenna
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Algebraic Geometry (math.AG)
subject: Commutative Algebra (math.AC)
subject: Combinatorics (math.CO)
subject: FOS: Mathematics

description: We provide combinatorial formulas for the multidegree and K-polynomial of an arbitrarily oriented type A quiver locus. These formulas are generalizations of three of Knutson-Miller-Shimozono's formulas from the equioriented setting; in particular, we prove the K-theoretic component formula conjectured by Buch and Rimányi.
description: v3: significant improvements throughout the article, final version accepted for publication
Quantum Critical Fluctuations in the Heavy fermion compound Ce(Ni$_{0.935}$Pd$_{0.065}$)$_2$Ge$_2$
Creators: name: Wang, C. H.
name: Poudel, L.
name: Taylor, A. E.
name: Lawrence, J. M.
name: Christianson, A. D.
name: Chang, S.
name: Rodriguez-Rivera, J. A.
name: Lynn, J. W.
name: Podlesnyak, A. A.
name: Ehlers, 1 G.
name: Baumbach, R. E.
name: Bauer, E. D.
name: Gofryk, K.
name: Ronning, F.
name: McClellan, K. J.
name: Thompson, J. D.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Electric resistivity, specific heat, magnetic susceptibility, and inelastic neutron scattering experiments were performed on a single crystal of the heavy fermion compound Ce(Ni$_{0.935}$Pd$_{0.065}$)$_2$Ge$_2$ in order to study the spin fluctuations near an antiferromagnetic (AF) quantum critical point (QCP). The resistivity and the specific heat coefficient for $T \leq$ 1 K exhibit the power law behavior expected for a 3D itinerant AF QCP ($ρ(T) \sim T^{3/2}$ and $γ(T) \sim γ_0 - b T^{1/2}$). However, for 2 $\leq T \leq$ 10 K, the susceptibility and specific heat vary as $log T$ and the resistivity varies linearly with temperature. Furthermore, despite the fact that the resistivity and specific heat exhibit the non-Fermi liquid behavior expected at a QCP, the correlation length, correlation time, and staggered susceptibility of the spin fluctuations remain finite at low temperature. We suggest that these deviations from the divergent behavior expected for a QCP may result from alloy disorder.
description: 6 pages, 8 figures, To bu published on J. Phys.: Condens. Matter
title: The methods employed to provenance and to attribute putative works by Raphael using a personal. case-study as a contemporary example
Creators: name: Lothian, Murdoch
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: The objectives of this thesis are (i) to examine the methodology of art historians in Raphael research with special reference to authentication, attribution and provenance of previously unknown or unaccepted works, and (ii) to undertake a case study in the similar authentication, attribution and provenance of a previously undocumented painting. My working hypothesis is that within this particular category of art historical scholarship it is virtually' impossible to establish convincing proofs. The scarcity of contemporary documentation relating to Raphael and his Horks has provided a licence to biographers and critics to construct a plausible history for the artist, and an orthodoxy for h~s works. The few verifiable facts, augmented by these reasonable assumptions, have become the accepted profile of the artist and the corpus of his works.
title: Transcriptomic approaches to understanding ageing and metabolism in rodents
Creators: name: Holmes, Andrew
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2015

description: Ageing is a major cause of diseases in modern society and leads to many age-related diseases. In addition, rising obesity in society increases the likelihood of various diseases. The development of genetic sequencing technologies provides a novel platform to unravel the complexity of ageing and metabolism. The Naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a rodent that is related to mice (Mus musculus) and ages very slowly, and can live for over 30 years without developing cancer. RNAseq analysis of H. glaber and M. musculus livers identified genes that were under- or over-expressed in H. glaber. Relative qPCR analysis was performed to confirm the expression of highly expressed genes in the naked mole-rat. Adenosine-to-Inosine (A-to-I) RNA editing is a post-transcriptional modification of specific bases that can cause an alteration in amino acid and splicing events. Recent studies indicated a gene-specific decline in RNA editing with age in humans in Cyfip2. Using SOLiD RNAseq, we sequenced the transcriptomes of 6-, 12-, and 28-month old rat cerebral cortex. We identify a conserved RNA editing site in Cog3. Upon analysis of known conserved RNA editing targets, no changes in RNA editing were observed during ageing in the rat. These results highlight the biological differences between rodent model organisms and humans, and their significance in the context of RNA editing and ageing. Dietary restriction of caloric intake is known to increase the lifespan of many species. Physiologically, these animals remain lean and show a later onset of age-related diseases. Through this concept, we were interested in studying Gnasxlm+/p- knockout mice, which remain lean due to hypermetabolism, despite increased food intake. Gnasxlm+/p- mice have a deletion in Gnas, which prevents expression of Xlαs. However, it is not known exactly how the loss of Xlαs exerts this phenotype. Due to its role in homeostasis and localisation of Xlαs expression, RNA from whole hypothalami of wildtype and Gnasxlm+/p- mice were analysed by Illumina RNAseq in order to identify expression changes that may help to explain the physiological symptoms. The glial cell marker Gfap was found to be downregulated 2-fold in Gnasxlm+/p- mice, which was confirmed by qPCR. Furthermore, in analysing the localisation of GFAP within the hypothalamus, we identified a distinct loss of GFAP expression in the arcuate nucleus, and suprachiasmatic nucleus. GFAP was not found to be decreased in postnatal (P)1 and P5 mice, indicating that the decrease in GFAP is more likely to be an adaptation to chronic undernutrition as a result of hypermetabolism, than a developmental problem in the mice.
title: Gold nanoparticles : toxicity and biomedical application
Creators: name: Samuel Kalaposi Ikah, December
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: Gold nanoparticles effects on neurite outgrowth were assessed by measurement of neurite outgrowth in differentiating mouse neuroblastoma cell line NB2a exposed to 5 nm, 10 nm and 15 nm conventional gold colloids and monolayer protected clusters. Neurite outgrowth enhancement was the predominant effect of most particles types. The thesis also investigated the uptake and intracellular fate of gold nanoparticle in the NB2a cell line in a serum free environment, employing a 2-D profile-based counting method. It was found that the monolayer clusters were taken up in significantly less amounts than their conventional counterparts following 24 hour exposure. No evidence for cellular accumulation was found after seven days as particle clearance was shown to be greater than 90 %. In addition, the thesis describes the development of functionalised monolayer protected gold clusters for application in bilirubin extraction. Bilirubin neurotoxicity was determined by measuring neurite outgrowth in NB2a cells and the application of the gold nanoparticle system in ameliorating this effect was attempted. No significant changes were observed. The presence of virus-like particles in the neuroblastoma cell line was investigated in the line of a potential confounding factor to the observed toxicity results. The thesis therefore also describes the morphology and genomic features of a virus-like particle. The morphological appearance describes intracisternal A-particles (IAP) but the nucleotide sequence revealed evidence of the B-tropism of mouse leukaemia viruses suggesting a rare form of an infectious IAP. The finding of an infectious IAP in mouse NB2a cell has implication for the continued use of this cell line.
Glycerol-3-Phosphate Acyltransferase 1 Deficiency in ob/ob Mice Diminishes Hepatic Steatosis but Does Not Protect Against Insulin Resistance or Obesity
Creators: name: Cline, G. W.
name: Shulman, G. I.
name: Wendel, A. A.
name: Coleman, R. A.
name: Li, L. O.
name: Li, Y.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: OBJECTIVEHepatic steatosis is strongly associated with insulin resistance, but a causal role has not been established. In ob/ob mice, sterol regulatory element binding protein 1 (SREBP1) mediates the induction of steatosis by upregulating target genes, including glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase-1 (Gpat1), which catalyzes the first and committed step in the pathway of glycerolipid synthesis. We asked whether ob/ob mice lacking Gpat1 would have reduced hepatic steatosis and improved insulin sensitivity.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSHepatic lipids, insulin sensitivity, and hepatic insulin signaling were compared in lean (Lep+/?), lean-Gpat1−/−, ob/ob (Lepob/ob), and ob/ob-Gpat1−/− mice.RESULTSCompared with ob/ob mice, the lack of Gpat1 in ob/ob mice reduced hepatic triacylglycerol (TAG) and diacylglycerol (DAG) content 59 and 74%, respectively, but increased acyl-CoA levels. Despite the reduction in hepatic lipids, fasting glucose and insulin concentrations did not improve, and insulin tolerance remained impaired. In both ob/ob and ob/ob-Gpat1−/− mice, insulin resistance was accompanied by elevated hepatic protein kinase C-ε activation and blunted insulin-stimulated Akt activation.CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that decreasing hepatic steatosis alone does not improve insulin resistance, and that factors other than increased hepatic DAG and TAG contribute to hepatic insulin resistance in this genetically obese model. They also show that the SREBP1-mediated induction of hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice requires Gpat1.
title: A transcriptomics approach to understanding polymorphic and transcript level differences linked to isoquinoline alkaloid production in triploid varieties of narcissus pseudonarcissus
Creators: name: Pulman, Jane
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2015

description: The Amaryllidaceae have characteristic isoquinoline alkaloids including galanthamine that is approved for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. The daffodil (Narcissus pseudonarcissus) is an industrial source of this alkaloid. This project undertook analysis of the daffodil transcriptome as an approach to understanding this alkaloid biosynthetic pathway. Material from the basal plate of var. Carlton was analysed using the Roche 454 GS FLX Titanium and Illumina HiSeq platforms to assemble reference transcripts (45324 transcripts from 454, 165065 from Illumina). Annotation was via a bespoke BLAST pipeline utilizing UniProt, TAIR, Rfam and RefSeq. Further functional annotation and enrichment studies were carried out using the DAVID platform encompassing KEGG, GO and EC annotations. Illumina HiSeq sequencing of a second variety, Andrew’s Choice, was used alongside the reference transcripts to identify SNPs and transcript level differences. A bioinformatics method to determine ploidy indicated both varieties were triploid, in agreement with microscopy results. The level of selected transcripts was also assessed using qPCR. Several transcripts putatively involved in alkaloid biosynthesis were identified. Comp75950_c0_s1 showed homology to a C4H gene from peppers and could be involve in protocatechuic acid biosynthesis in daffodils. Two transcripts, Daff106212 and Contig1404, were predicted to catalyse the synthesis of norbelladine from protocatechuic acid and tyramine, and its subsequence conversion to 4’-O-methylnorbelladine. Finally, transcripts HDA57HA0AK3FX and Daff88927 were suggested for the final step in galanthamine biosynthesis, an intermolecular phenol coupling. This is the first transcriptomic comparison of two daffodil varieties and is an important resource for further investigation into genes involved in Amaryllidaceae alkaloid biosynthesis.
BUDHIES II: A phase-space view of HI gas stripping and star-formation quenching in cluster galaxies
Creators: name: Jaffe, Yara L.
name: Smith, Rory
name: Candlish, Graeme N.
name: Poggianti, Bianca M.
name: Sheen, Yun-Kyeong
name: Verheijen, Marc A. W.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Astrophysics of Galaxies (astro-ph.GA)
subject: Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics (astro-ph.CO)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We investigate the effect of ram-pressure from the intracluster medium on the stripping of HI gas in galaxies in a massive, relaxed, X-ray bright, galaxy cluster at z=0.2 from the Blind Ultra Deep HI Environmental Survey (BUDHIES). We use cosmological simulations, and velocity vs. position phase-space diagrams to infer the orbital histories of the cluster galaxies. In particular, we embed a simple analytical description of ram-pressure stripping in the simulations to identify the regions in phase-space where galaxies are more likely to have been sufficiently stripped of their HI gas to fall below the detection limit of our survey. We find a striking agreement between the model predictions and the observed location of HI-detected and non-detected blue (late-type) galaxies in phase-space, strongly implying that ram-pressure plays a key role in the gas removal from galaxies, and that this can happen during their first infall into the cluster. However, we also find a significant number of gas-poor, red (early-type) galaxies in the infall region of the cluster that cannot easily be explained with our model of ram-pressure stripping alone. We discuss different possible additional mechanisms that could be at play, including the pre-processing of galaxies in their previous environment. Our results are strengthened by the distribution of galaxy colours (optical and UV) in phase-space, that suggests that after a (gas-rich) field galaxy falls into the cluster, it will lose its gas via ram-pressure stripping, and as it settles into the cluster, its star formation will decay until it is completely quenched. Finally, this work demonstrates the utility of phase-space diagrams to analyze the physical processes driving the evolution of cluster galaxies, in particular HI gas stripping.
description: Accepted for publication by MNRAS; 16 pages and 10 Figures (including Appendix)
Gate-Tunable Tunneling Resistance in Graphene/Topological Insulator Vertical Junctions
Creators: name: Zhang, Liang
name: Yan, Yuan
name: Wu, Han-Chun
name: Yu, Dapeng
name: Liao, Zhi-Min
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2015
Subjects: subject: Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
subject: Materials Science (cond-mat.mtrl-sci)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: Graphene-based vertical heterostructures, particularly stacks incorporated with other layered materials, are promising for nanoelectronics. The stacking of two model Dirac materials, graphene and topological insulator, can considerably enlarge the family of van der Waals heterostructures. Despite well understanding of the two individual materials, the electron transport properties of a combined vertical heterojunction are still unknown. Here we show the experimental realization of a vertical heterojunction between Bi2Se3 nanoplate and monolayer graphene. At low temperatures, the electron transport through the vertical heterojunction is dominated by the tunneling process, which can be effectively tuned by gate voltage to alter the density of states near the Fermi surface. In the presence of a magnetic field, quantum oscillations are observed due to the quantized Landau levels in both graphene and the two-dimensional surface states of Bi2Se3. Furthermore, we observe an exotic gate-tunable tunneling resistance under high magnetic field, which displays resistance maxima when the underlying graphene becomes a quantum Hall insulator.
title: Aspects of pathogenesis of nontyphoidal Salmonella Bacteraemia in Malawian children : a study of pathogen virulence, antibiotic resistance and carriage
Creators: name: Lawrence Msefula, Chisomo
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: Introduction: Multi-drug resistant (MDR) nontyphoid Salmonellae (NTS) enterica serovars Typhimurium (STM) and Enteritidis (SEN) are a major cause of bacteraemia in children and HIV-infected adults in Malawi. The aims of the investigations were to determine the relatedness and virulence of invasive NTS strains, and the mode of antibiotic resistance, and to assess the level of NTS carriage in healthy asymptomatic adults and children in the community and children admitted to hospital with NTS bacteraemia Methods: Pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), plasmid purification, multilocus sequence typing, whole-genome sequencing, polymerase chain reaction and disk diffusion antibiotic-sensitivity testing were used to characterise NTS isolates. Standard microbiological techniques were used to isolate Salmonellae from stool and the oropharynx. Fitness of pre-2002 and post-2002 STM strains was measured using the serum-bactericidal assay, HEp 2 cell-invasion assay and competitive growth in mice and L8 broth. Results: 90% of STM isolates have one PFGE type and plasmid profile. There is no dominant PFGE and plasmid type among SEN strains. 90% (38/42) of STM strains tested belong to a novel sequence type, ST313. SEN strains belong to the worldwide-reported sequence type, ST11. MDR genes in STM strains are encoded on a large self-transferable virulence plasmid pSL T-8T. Chromosomal deletions and prophage insertions distinguish pre-2002 and post-2002 STM strains. There was no significant difference between pre-2002 and post-2002 STM strains in their capacity to invade HEp-2 cells, in their growth in mice and in their sensitivity to serum killing. An NTS carriage rate of 1.6% (13/824) was found in healthy individuals in the community. Stool and oropharyngeal NTS carriage rates in bacteraemic children were 52% and 36% during admission, 13.2% and 13.7% six weeks later in convalescence. Conclusion: The findings suggest that emergence of MDR among STM in 2002 in Blantyre was a result of the appearance of a new dominant 8TM strain and not acquisition of mobile genetic elements. The results further suggest reductive evolution in the dominant STM strain. There is possibly co-selection of virulence and antibiotic resistance in STM strains. The results also suggest that postbacteraemic children are the reservoir of invasive NTS in the community. A longitudinal study of NTS carriage in post-bacteraemic children in the community needs to be conducted.
Pparg-P465L Mutation Worsens Hyperglycemia in Ins2-Akita Female Mice via Adipose-Specific Insulin Resistance and Storage Dysfunction
Creators: name: Tsai, Y.-S.
name: Pendse, A. A.
name: Johnson, L. A.
name: Maeda, N.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: OBJECTIVEThe dominant-negative P467L mutation in peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) was identified in insulin-resistant patients with hyperglycemia and lipodystrophy. In contrast, mice carrying the corresponding Pparg-P465L mutation have normal insulin sensitivity, with mild hyperinsulinemia. We hypothesized that murine Pparg-P465L mutation leads to covert insulin resistance, which is masked by hyperinsulinemia and increased pancreatic islet mass, to retain normal plasma glucose.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe introduced in PpargP465L/+ mice an Ins2-Akita mutation that causes improper protein folding and islet apoptosis to lower plasma insulin.RESULTSUnlike Ins2Akita/+ littermates, male PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ mice have drastically reduced life span with enhanced type 1 diabetes. Hyperglycemia in Ins2Akita/+ females is mild. However, PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ females have aggravated hyperglycemia, smaller islets, and reduced plasma insulin. In an insulin tolerance test, they showed smaller reduction in plasma glucose, indicating impaired insulin sensitivity. Although gluconeogenesis is enhanced in PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ mice compared with Ins2Akita/+, exogenous insulin equally suppressed gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes, suggesting that PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ livers are insulin sensitive. Expression of genes regulating insulin sensitivity and glycogen and triglyceride contents suggest that skeletal muscles are equally insulin sensitive. In contrast, adipose tissue and isolated adipocytes from PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ mice have impaired glucose uptake in response to exogenous insulin. PpargP465L/+Ins2Akita/+ mice have smaller fat depots composed of larger adipocytes, suggesting impaired lipid storage with subsequent hepatomegaly and hypertriglyceridemia.CONCLUSIONSPPARg-P465L mutation worsens hyperglycemia in Ins2Akita/+ mice primarily because of adipose-specific insulin resistance and altered storage function. This underscores the important interplay between insulin and PPARγ in adipose tissues in diabetes.
Collective Field Theory for Quantum Hall States
Creators: name: Laskin, M.
name: Can, T.
name: Wiegmann, P.
Publisher: name: arXiv
Year: 2014
Subjects: subject: Strongly Correlated Electrons (cond-mat.str-el)
subject: High Energy Physics - Theory (hep-th)
subject: Mathematical Physics (math-ph)
subject: FOS: Physical sciences

description: We develop a collective field theory for fractional quantum Hall (FQH) states. We show that in the leading approximation for a large number of particles, the properties of Laughlin states are captured by a Gaussian free field theory with a (filling fraction dependent) background charge. Gradient corrections to the Gaussian field theory arise from ultraviolet regularization. They are the origin of the gravitational anomaly and are described by the Liouville theory of quantum gravity. The field theory simplifies the computation of correlation functions in FQH states and makes manifest the effect of quantum anomalies.
description: v1: 20 pages; v2: 6 pages, considerably revised and rewritten for the sake of clarity and brevity, v3: 7 pages, updated to reflect the published version which includes a discussion of the effects spin
title: J.R.R. Tolkien's the lord of the rings and appropriation
Creators: name: Louise Dollard, Emma
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: This thesis rejects conventional critical work on appropriation, using The Lord of the Rings to illustrate a theory of appropriation as being an integral part of the creative process. Current researchers, exemplified by Sanders, argue that appropriation is characterised by a political agenda, and intention. The thesis argues that appropriation can be both deliberate and unconscious and demonstrates the difficulty of distinguishing between these states. Chapter one connects modem fantasy to imperial ideology by identifying the links between Tolkien and empire adventure writers. Tolkien's appropriations of northern European myths and medieval literatures have been extensively investigated; the few studies of his appropriation of more contemporary texts focus on The Hobbit.
title: Children's experiences of parental employment: gender, class and work-life negotiations
Creators: name: Lynda Pimlott-Wilson, Helena
Publisher: name: University of Liverpool Repository
Year: 2023

description: In recent years, there has been much investigation into the impact that having children has on mothers' decisions to enter paid employment. Researchers have identified how the age and number of children condition the type of employment, the shift patterns and hours of work, which in tum influence the domestic division of labour. Public discourses about the appropriateness of maternal employment identify the potential 'damage' that the employment of mothers might have for their own family and work experiences as well as for children's development. Yet, much social research has ignored children's voices and, in particular, the advancement of feminist perspectives has not encouraged researchers to address children's experience directly, seeing them as receivers of women's work and attention. It must be acknowledged that children are not just passively affected by mothers' decisions relating to employment. By considering the employment of mothers from the child's perspective, my research engages with current debates in the study of childhood about the importance of identifying children as agents, which have influenced growing interest in children's and young people's geographies. The primary aim of this research is to explore how children receive and perceive their parents' employment. By engaging with children aged five to six and eight to nine years in the West Cumbrian context, it explores the significance of local socio-economic circumstances in affecting the employment types and arrangements of parents as articulated by these young people. It explores how children experience these varying employment types, and how the configurations of the home and work spheres impact upon their experiences. Drawing upon the concepts of habitus, and social and cultural capital, it analyses their combined contribution to the differential life experiences and views of the children in the study. The construction of gender roles and parenthood through normative discourses is addressed, and the thesis illustrates that motherhood and fatherhood are fluid and fluctuating identities that can vary between areas. It also explores the way home and work are divided in different contexts. Overall, the thesis contributes to discourses about motherhood, childhood and family life, addresses the use of family time, and questions children's understandings of employment and the impact this has on their conceptualisations of their lives. The thesis looks critically at the relative importance of class, economic background and place in transmitting the gendered aspects of employment and home life intergenerationally.
The Association of Hemoglobin A1c With Incident Heart Failure Among People Without Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study
Creators: name: Selvin, Elizabeth
name: Coresh, Josef
name: Pazin-Filho, Antonio
name: Blecker, Saul
name: Bertoni, Alain
name: Matsushita, Kunihiro
name: Chang, Patricia P.
Publisher: name: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Libraries
Year: 2010

description: OBJECTIVEThis study sought to investigate an association of HbA1c (A1C) with incident heart failure among individuals without diabetes and compare it to fasting glucose.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSWe studied 11,057 participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study without heart failure or diabetes at baseline and estimated hazard ratios of incident heart failure by categories of A1C (<5.0, 5.0–5.4 [reference], 5.5–5.9, and 6.0–6.4%) and fasting glucose (<90, 90–99 [reference], 100–109, and 110–125 mg/dl) using Cox proportional hazards models.RESULTSA total of 841 cases of incident heart failure hospitalization or deaths (International Classification of Disease, 9th/10th Revision, 428/I50) occurred during a median follow-up of 14.1 years (incidence rate 5.7 per 1,000 person-years). After the adjustment for covariates including fasting glucose, the hazard ratio of incident heart failure was higher in individuals with A1C 6.0–6.4% (1.40 [95% CI, 1.09–1.79]) and 5.5–6.0% (1.16 [0.98–1.37]) as compared with the reference group. Similar results were observed when adjusting for insulin level or limiting to heart failure cases without preceding coronary events or developed diabetes during follow-up. In contrast, elevated fasting glucose was not associated with heart failure after adjustment for covariates and A1C. Similar findings were observed when the top quartile (A1C, 5.7–6.4%, and fasting glucose, 108–125 mg/dl) was compared with the lowest quartile (<5.2% and <95 mg/dl, respectively).CONCLUSIONSElevated A1C (≥5.5–6.0%) was associated with incident heart failure in a middle-aged population without diabetes, suggesting that chronic hyperglycemia prior to the development of diabetes contributes to development of heart failure.