cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Coordinated regulation of the snail family of transcription factors by the notch and tgf-0 pathways during heart development
Creators: name: Niessen, Kyle
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2008

description: The Notch and TGF13 signaling pathways have been shown to play important roles in regulating endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) during cardiac morphogenesis. EndMT is the process by which endocardial cells of the atrioventricular canal and the outflow tract repress endothelial cell phenotype and upregulate mesenchymal cell phenotype. EndMT is initiated by inductive signals emanating from the overlying myocardium and inter-endothelial signals and generate the cells that form the heart valves and atrioventricular septum. The Notch and TGFf3 pathway are thought to act in parallel to modulate endothelial phenotype and promote EndMT. Vascular endothelial (VE) cadherin is a key regulator of cardiac endothelial cell phenotype and must be downregulated during EndMT. Accordingly, VE-cadherin expression remains stabilized in the atrioventricular canal and outflow tract of Notchl-deficient mouse embryos, while activation of the Notch or TGFP pathways results in decreased VE-cadherin expression in endothelial cells. However, the downstream target gene(s) that are involved in regulating endothelial cell phenotype and VE-cadherin expression remain largely unknown. In this thesis the transcriptional repressor Slug is demonstrated to be expressed by the mesenchymal cells and a subset of endocardial cells of the atrioventricular canal and outflowtract during cardiac morphogenesis. Slug is demonstrated to be required for cardiac development through its role in regulating EndMT in the cardiac cushion. Data presented in Chapter 6 further suggests that Slug-deficiency in the mouse is compensated for by a increase in Snail expression after embryonic day (E) 9.5, which restores EndMT in the cardiac cushions. Additionally, the Notch pathway, via CSL, directly binds and regulates expression of the Slug promoter, while a close Slug family member, Snail is regulated by the TGFB pathway in endothelial cells. While Notch does not directly regulate Snail expression, Notch and TGFB act synergistically to regulate Snail expression in endothelial cells. It is further demonstrated that Slug is required for Notch mediated EndMT, binds to and represses the VE-cadherin promoter, and induces a motile phenotype. Collectively the data demonstrate that Notch signaling directly regulates Slug, but not Snail, expression and that the combined expression of Slug and Snail are required for cardiac cushion morphogenesis.
Causal Influence of Linguistic Learning on Perceptual and Conceptual Processing: A Brain-Constrained Deep Neural Network Study of Proper Names and Category Terms
Creators: name: Nguyen, Phuc T. U.
name: Henningsen-Schomers, Malte R.
name: Pulvermüller, Friedemann
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: category learning
subject: concept formation
subject: deep neural network
subject: Hebbian associative learning
subject: instance representation
subject: verbal symbol learning
subject: 400 Sprache::410 Linguistik::410 Linguistik

description: Language influences cognitive and conceptual processing, but the mechanisms through which such causal effects are realized in the human brain remain unknown. Here, we use a brain-constrained deep neural network model of category formation and symbol learning and analyze the emergent model’s internal mechanisms at the neural circuit level. In one set of simulations, the network was presented with similar patterns of neural activity indexing instances of objects and actions belonging to the same categories. Biologically realistic Hebbian learning led to the formation of instance-specific neurons distributed across multiple areas of the network, and, in addition, to cell assembly circuits of “shared” neurons responding to all category instances—the network correlates of conceptual categories. In two separate sets of simulations, the network learned the same patterns together with symbols for individual instances [“proper names” (PN)] or symbols related to classes of instances sharing common features [“category terms” (CT)]. Learning CT remarkably increased the number of shared neurons in the network, thereby making category representations more robust while reducing the number of neurons of instance-specific ones. In contrast, proper name learning prevented a substantial reduction of instance-specific neurons and blocked the overgrowth of category general cells. Representational similarity analysis further confirmed that the neural activity patterns of category instances became more similar to each other after category-term learning, relative to both learning with PN and without any symbols. These network-based mechanisms for concepts, PN, and CT explain why and how symbol learning changes object perception and memory, as revealed by experimental studies.
Improving potential energy surfaces using measured Feshbach resonance states
Creators: name: Horn, Karl P.
name: Vazquez-Salazar, Luis Itza
name: Koch, Christiane P.
name: Meuwly, Markus
Publisher: name: Freie Universität Berlin
Year: 2024
Subjects: subject: potential energy surface
subject: improvement
subject: Feshbach resonance states
subject: 500 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik::530 Physik::530 Physik

description: The structure and dynamics of a molecular system is governed by its potential energy surface (PES), representing the total energy as a function of the nuclear coordinates. Obtaining accurate potential energy surfaces is limited by the exponential scaling of Hilbert space, restricting quantitative predictions of experimental observables from first principles to small molecules with just a few electrons. Here, we present an explicitly physics-informed approach for improving and assessing the quality of families of PESs by modifying them through linear coordinate transformations based on experimental data. We demonstrate this “morphing” of the PES for the He ‐ H2+ complex using recent comprehensive Feshbach resonance (FR) measurements for reference PESs at three different levels of quantum chemistry. In all cases, the positions and intensities of peaks in the energy distributions are improved. We find these observables to be mainly sensitive to the long-range part of the PES.
The concept of authenticity in Heidegger's Being and Time: thoughts and revisions on a critical theme
Creators: name: Tattersall, Mason
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2008

description: Addressing the meaning of Martin Heidegger's much-discussed concept of 'authenticity',this study challenges the view, put forward by Charles Guignon and others, that that concept chiefly concerns the significance that an individual life can acquire. Emphasizing the crucial distinction between relational and transcendant meaning, the study sees that distinction as critical to Heidegger's treatment of authenticity, and, more broadly, to the manner in which authenticity figures in the situating of Being and Time in the general context of nihilism and belief Drawing on arguments put forward by Hubert Dreyfus, and especially attuned to Kierkegaard's influence on Heidegger, the study repositions the concept at the point where Heidegger's existential analytic and the all too human desire for deeper meaning meet. The result serves at once to clarify the concept and refine understanding of its place in larger histories.
Maechidius nepenthephilus Telnov 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Maechidius
Maechidius nepenthephilus

description: Maechidius nepenthephilus sp. nov.
Described above.
Type material
NME (♂ holotype), DTC (1 ♀ paratype).
Distribution
New Guinea, Sentani area.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace's Line, pp. 1-210 in European Journal of Taxonomy 721 on page 194, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118
Spilophorella Filipjev 1917
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Chromadoridae
Spilophorella

description: Spilophorella Filipjev, 1917
S. candida Gerlach, 1951
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768
Development of high temperature Thermal History Paints for reliable off-line measurements
Creators: name: Castillo-Gutierrez, Daniel
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Temperature measurements are of great importance for the operation and maintenance of combustion engines in automotive, aviation and power generation sectors. The development of efficient engines in these sectors will have a decisive impact in the fight against climate change over the coming decades. Conversion technologies, such as gas turbines, can help to reduce CO2 emissions, while transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. In this context, the validation of temperatures in new engine designs is critical, in particular for turbomachinery components exposed to the harsh conditions of the combustion environment. Current techniques show critical limitations measuring temperatures on the surface of complex-shaped components, such as rotating turbine blades. The use of off-line temperature measurement techniques can overcome some of these limitations, delivering the maximum temperature seen on the surface of rotating turbomachinery components in harsh combustion environments. This investigation focuses on the development of a novel off-line surface temperature technique, Thermal History Paint (THP). This technique consists of a luminescent pigment and a liquid binder, functional to temperatures up to 900 °C on metallic substrates. The behaviour of THP based on potassium silicate binder was studied in this work, revealing the main limitations to high temperature functionality. The obtained results revealed interaction between the pigment and the binder and interaction between the THP layer and the metallic substrates. As improvement points, the pigment and the binder were modified, and several interlayers were evaluated between the THP and stainless-steel substrates. While interlayers did not improve the behaviour of the THP, substituting the binder showed some enhanced behaviour at high temperatures. One binder, Ludox® SM30, showed good attachment to metallic substrates, and good behaviour as a carrier of thermographic phosphors. The combination of the new binder, Ludox® SM30, and the previous potassium silicate binder was tested in order to obtain a high temperature version of thermal history paint. A new THP formulation containing Ludox® SM30 (47.5 % wt.), potassium silicate (47.5 % wt.) and Y2SiO5: Eu3+ (5 % wt.) showed a temperature upper limit extended to 950 °C, and low interaction between the pigment and the binder. This formulation delivered reliable temperature measurements, with uncertainties of +/- 8 °C, for 95 % confidence levels. These results demonstrate the utility of thermal history paints as a durable technique for monitoring temperature engine components, with an uncertainty in the same range of thermocouple readings.
Toll-like Receptor 7 modulation of the immune response in seasonal allergic rhinitis
Creators: name: Kirtland, Max Edwin
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: Toll-like Receptor 7 (TLR7) is a pattern recognition receptor located within the endosomes of immune cells, which can be activated by single-stranded RNA, or synthetic compounds called ‘imidazoquinolines’. A novel imidazoquinoline; GSK2245035; has been developed for use as an immunomodulatory agent in allergen-specific immunotherapy (AIT). In severe allergic disease to allergens such as Phleum pratense (Phlp), AIT is an effective curative regimen, although unmet needs remain regarding treatment duration and efficacy. Grass pollen allergic patients were recruited for blood donations from which peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used in an in vitro model of grass pollen allergy to assess the activity of the tool compound GSK2974932. Whole PBMCs and individual cell subsets including B cells, monocytes and T helper cells, were investigated by multi-parameter flow cytometry phenotyping as well as immunoassays to detect cytokine and immunoglobulin production. Culture of PBMCs with GSK297 and Phlp allergen revealed significant suppression of TH2 cytokines IL-5 and IL-13. This suppression occurred in parallel with an upregulation of TH1-associated cytokines IL-12p70, IL-27, IFN-α2 and IFN-γ, as well as expanding the CXCR3+ TH1 cell population. Regulatory cytokines IL-10 and TGF-β1 were also increased. Isolated CD19+ B cells were found to be critical producers of GSK297 induced IL-10. GSK297 also induced activation of IL-10 secreting B regulatory cells and was capable of suppressing de novo IgE synthesis. Finally, depletion of CD19+ B cells and CD14+ Monocytes revealed a critical role in TLR7 mediated IL-10 and IL-27 induction. In summary, this study has demonstrated that GSK297 is an effective immunomodulator in an in vitro proof of concept of study. It also proposes that TLR7 induced suppression of the allergic response to Phlp occurs through regulatory responses in the B cell compartment and enhancing TH1 cytokine production.
Imaging G-quadruplex DNA in live Cells using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy
Creators: name: Lewis, Benjamin William
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2021

description: The discovery of the DNA double helix was revolutionary because it demonstrated the structure and function of DNA are intrinsically linked. The double helix is not the only structure DNA can form at physiological conditions, however. The G-quadruplex (G4) is able to form in G-rich sequences of DNA, which evidence suggests plays a crucial role in a range of biological processes. The direct imaging of this structure inside live cells has, to-date, proved difficult. In 2015, DAOTA-M2 was first reported – a triangulenium dye which discriminated between G4 and non-G4 DNA topologies using fluorescence lifetime and could be used for live cell imaging. Here, we take this probe and use complementary methods to verify that it is, in fact, able to specifically image G4 DNA in cellulo without interference from other biomolecules. We then apply DAOTA-M2 to explore questions about the biological handling of G4 DNA by helicase proteins and directly observe how the presence of two G4-associated helicases is linked to the prevalence of G4 DNA in live cells. Whilst DAOTA-M2 has many qualities, it is an imperfect probe – suffering especially from low quantum yield. We explore how alterations to the DAOTA-M2 structure can change its properties. First, we examine divergent alterations to the fluorescent core of the molecule with BDATA-M2 and CDATA-M2 and develop new insight into the subtle thermodynamics which allow this class of G4 probes to function. Second, we explore how altering the substituents of the molecule impact its performance with (C3M)2-DAOTA and (C2M)(C3M)-DAOTA, which prove themselves as improved second generation triangulenium probes for G4 DNA. These are used to explore further biological phenomena. Finally, we observed an unexpected phenomenon in our studies – a sensitivity to viscosity through the fluorescence lifetimes of these dyes. We characterise that response and perform preliminary studies using trianguleniums to sense viscosity.
Maechidius obiensis Telnov 2020, comb. nov.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Maechidius
Maechidius obiensis

description: Maechidius obiensis (Narakusumo & Balke, 2019) comb. nov.
Epholcis obiensis Narakusumo & Balke, 2019: 45 original description as, 46 (key).
Type material
MZB (holotype, paratypes).
Distribution
North Moluccas (Halmahera, Obi).
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace's Line, pp. 1-210 in European Journal of Taxonomy 721 on pages 194-195, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118
Engineering in vitro cellular models through spatial patterning of morphogens
Creators: name: Boland, Daniel
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2022

description: Spatial patterns of biomolecules play a central role in a range of biological processes, from embryogenesis to cancer development. Although some progress has been made in recent years, most current engineered platforms lack the spatial resolution to accurately model these systems. The ability to exert control over the local activation of signalling pathways that cells experience in vitro could facilitate investigations into developmental processes, as well as disease and cancer progression, and could lessen the burden of animal research. To this end, this thesis describes efforts to manufacture a novel material system that can present a spatially patterned interface to cells in culture. By leveraging inkjet printing on nanotopographical substrates, the behaviour of cells can be influenced both biochemically and physically. A range of bio-inks were investigated in this work, from proteins to small molecule pathway activators and inhibitors. Through the printing of Shh protein gradients, a spinal cord-on-a-chip model was developed, with motor neuron and other progenitor cell types being generated from mouse embryonic stem cells. A range of transcription factors verified the presence of specific ventral subtypes from the neural tube, and quantitative analysis of microscopy images was used to visualise the reproducibility of the differentiation induced in cells on printed patterns. The platform was also utilised in preliminary studies into targeted Wnt pathway activation for cancer investigations. A number of candidate cell lines were screened, with similar image analysis methods being utilised to visualise the role that printed bio-inks played in a range of cell behaviours. The printed Wnt gradients were seen to influence cell density considerably, and also showed location-dependent levels of pathway activation. It is hoped that this approach may encourage more emphasis on spatial patterning in materials design in the future, to enhance the capabilities of bioengineered systems for cell interfacing applications.
Investigating utrophin expression in vivo and in vitro by bioluminescence
Creators: name: Fernandez Ruiz, Beatriz
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2022

description: Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a lethal muscle-wasting disorder caused by mutations in the DMD gene that results in loss of function of the protein dystrophin. Despite intensive clinical management, there is currently no effective treatment for patients with DMD. One promising therapeutic strategy for treating this disease is to compensate for a lack of dystrophin by enhancing the expression of utrophin, a paralogue that in preclinical studies has been shown to partially rescue dystrophin-deficiency in murine models. Here, I describe the characterisation of novel luciferase-based mouse reporters and myoblast cell lines, in which Dmd and Utrn gene expression can be visualised using bioluminescence. These were generated by inserting genes that encoded spectrally-distinct luciferase proteins, non-disruptively into the 3’ region of endogenous Utrn and Dmd loci, thereby enabling the simultaneous monitoring of both genes in vivo. In order to generate an in vitro model to screen for drugs that increased Utrn expression in adult muscle, I derived a myoblast cell line from Utrn-luciferase reporter mice. Using this approach, I showed that chromatin-modifying drugs can be used to enhance Utrn expression; in a preliminary screen, I discovered that inhibitors of EZH2, the catalytic subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 responsible for H3K27 methylation, increase Utrn expression in cultured myoblasts. This result was independently confirmed by genetic ablation of EZH2, which also led to increased Utrn expression in myoblasts. My results also indicated that inhibition of ERK1/2 resulted in an additional increase in Utrn gene expression, opening the possibility of using combinatorial treatments to enhance Utrn expression. Collectively these results show that the luciferase-based mouse and cell lines developed in this work can be used as a platform to examine drugs able to increase Utrn expression that, together with EZH2 and ERK1/2 inhibitors, could provide new therapeutic avenues to explore for the treatment of DMD.
Soft Technologies
Creators: name: Albaugh, Lea
Publisher: name: Carnegie Mellon University
Year: 2024
Subjects: classificationCode: 46
subject: Information and computing sciences
classificationCode: 460806
subject: Human-computer interaction

description:  This work explores soft technologies in computational fabrication: ways of creating with materials that are flexible, dynamic, and/or uncertain. Soft fabrication  systems can be built to work with unusual materials, and to adapt to current and  futures needs; they can be appropriate to a wide variety of contexts, including  those outside of industrial and production work such as materials research labs  or personal creative practice. 
 I develop the lens of “softness” through a combination of technical systems development and design inquiry, resulting in computational fabrication systems  which explore softness at the levels of physical materials, contexts of use, and the  workflows that bridge between them. In documenting the individual systems, I  provide a number of supporting contributions, including techniques for producing complex mechanisms with machine knitting, demonstrations of inexpensive  and easily deployable camera-based sensing for fabrication tasks, and insights  from creative practitioners. Uniting the findings from these, I construct a conceptual frame and a set of system-building tactics that can be used to create flexible  and adaptable computational fabrication systems, with implications for how  complex materials can be used, by whom, and in what contexts
Galling of hardfacing alloys for light water reactor systems
Creators: name: Rogers, Samuel Robert
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2022

description: The aim of this project was to investigate the fundamental mechanisms of galling to instruct the design of a Fe-based hardfacing alloy or alloy family for use as a valve seating material in a pressurised water reactor (PWR) for nuclear fission. This is due to safety concerns which have found that wear particles from Co-hardfacing alloys (Stellites) activate, resulting in radiation doses for workers that are higher than is deemed safe, particularly on nuclear powered submarines. Galling mechanisms and behaviour were studied using white light interferometry and X-ray diffraction for surface characterisation of galled samples and electron microscopy for further analysis. In addition, a python code was written to analyse and quantify galling surface data. 316L stainless steel, which was oxidised in simulated PWR water conditions, was found to possess improved galling resistance compared to non-oxidised 316L stainless steel. This is due to adhesion being significantly reduced until abrasion and removal of the oxide layers occurs. When galled, however, 316L stainless steel was found to gall via the wedge formation and flow mechanism. If a 304L countersurface is used against a 316L tribosurface, adhesive transfer can be observed to have occurred during the galling process. The testing of Tristelle 5183, an austenitic stainless steel with niobium- and chromium carbides, showed that galling and adhesive transfer occurs as a result of subsurface shear in only one tribosurface, as opposed to occurring simultaneously on both surfaces. Niobium carbides were found to fracture as a result of the high shear they experienced, causing voids to form. When exposed to further shear, these voids were found to coalesce and cause fracturing. The galling resistance of a developmental Fe-based hardfacing alloy family was investigated. It was found that a number of these alloys contained the sigma phase (FeCr), as a result of their high Cr, Si and Mn fractions. Whilst at room temperature, the sigma phase behaved similarly to carbides in increasing the alloys galling resistance, at 300 °C high volume fractions of the sigma phase appears to adversely effect the galling resistance. As such, it was found that the sigma phase volume fraction can be reduced by performing heat treatments at high temperatures, followed by a water quench. ThermoCalc was investigated as a tool for predicting Fe-based hardfacing alloy phase fractions. Whilst a useful tool, it was found that the phase identities and phase fractions were not always accurately predicted.
Ptycholaimellus Cobb 1920
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Chromadoridae
Ptycholaimellus

description: Ptycholaimellus Cobb, 1920
P. sindhicus Turpeenniemi, Nasira & Maqbool, 2001
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768
Sparse and partially observed large-scale networks: analytic statistics, behaviour, and structural inference
Creators: name: Loomba, Sahil
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2022

description: Most real-world systems are networked, composed of nodes connected to each other via edges, whose overall behaviour can depend on the underlying connectivity structure in non-trivial ways. They are also of a large scale, consisting of numerous nodes and edges not all of which can be viably observed, making the study of key structural properties computationally intractable. This thesis responds to the challenge by leveraging sparsity of edges to determine (1) structural statistics analytically, and (2) the relevance of structure in describing behaviour, based on (3) an inferred statistical model of the structure of sparse and partially observed large-scale networks. First, we determine higher-order structural statistics of networks: in particular, the length of a shortest path connecting any two nodes in the network. Assuming a statistical model for the network structure, we establish an analytic distribution of shortest path lengths, whose approximate closed-form has a natural interpretation of traversing independent walks. This formalism yields new results for both network- and node-level properties like percolation phenomena and distance-based centralities of closeness and betweenness, for a large family of statistical network models. Then, we contextualise behaviour in a network to health behaviours in a social network: in particular, we consider how misinformation influences vaccination outcomes. Through a randomised experiment we find that exposure to misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines negatively impacts individuals' intentions to vaccinate against the disease. To address one possible psycho-social mechanism, we use a psychometric test to show that the ability to detect misinformation positively predicts regional vaccine uptake. Assuming a statistical model for the network structure, we observe that the ability is mediated by the social network. Finally, we infer a statistical model for social networks from a source of partial observations. We use publicly available data from spatially aggregated friendship counts to infer a Bayesian socio-physical connectivity model. The approach is grounded in a microscopic process of friendship formation describing how people in a society connect to each other jointly in social and physical space, that explains the empirically observed decay of connection probabilities in physical space. It provides a multidimensional social inequality measure quantifying the surprisal of social connections that we term the "social Gini" index.
Liberal environmentalism and the international law of hazardous chemicals
Creators: name: Barrios, Paula
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2008

description: This study looks at the role that liberal economic norms are playing in international environmental negotiations on hazardous chemicals (including wastes), and the implications of these norms for the protection of the environment and human health from the thousands of chemicals on the market. The key trait of liberal economic norms in relation to global environmental governance is their assumption that the liberalisation of trade and finance and economic growth are both consistent with and necessary for environmental protection. From this assumption follows, for instance, the idea that states should adopt the "least-trade restrictive" measures required to protect the environment and human health. I argue that liberal economic norms are "hegemonic," in a Gramscian sense, in chemicals-related international environmental negotiations. This means that a wide range of actors, including those that do not necessarily accept the liberal economic perspective, are upholding liberal economic norms in their statements and proposals if not out of conviction then out of a perceived need to be realistic or persuasive. The most important implication of liberal economic hegemony is that it is widely assumed that human health and the environment can be effectively protected from the negative effects of hazardous chemicals even though the volume of chemicals and chemical-containing products being consumed is increasing at a spectacular rate. The issue of growing consumption of chemicals is therefore consistently framed as a problem of quality (hazardousness) rather than quantity. To understand consumption in this narrow sense is problematic, however, because there is considerable scientific uncertainty concerning the environmental and health effects of most of the chemicals on the market and because chemicals that pose minimal risks to the environment and human health might be very hazardous when they are being manufactured or upon becoming waste. In order to address the problem of hazardous chemicals effectively, it is necessary to challenge the hegemony of liberal economic norms in international environmental negotiations. This can be done, I conclude, by deepening a number of fissures in the hegemony of the liberal economic perspective that can be detected in the context of chemicals-related instruments.
Deep learning on real-world graphs
Creators: name: Rossi, Emanuele
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2024

description: Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) have emerged as the primary tool for learning on graph-structured data. Yet, many GNNs are primarily suited for toy academic benchmarks, often limiting their efficacy in real-world scenarios. This thesis proposes novel approaches to enable the use of GNNs in real-world applications, including but not limited to social networks and recommender systems. Our contributions are as follows: Scalability: We introduce Scalable Inception Graph Neural Networks (SIGN). By decoupling graph propagation from model learning, SIGN obtains comparable accuracy to previous models but with up to 30x faster inference, enabling efficient GNNs on web-scale graphs. Temporality: We propose Temporal Graph Networks (TGN), a comprehensive framework for learning on evolving graphs. Representing a temporal graph as a series of events, TGN dynamically updates node representations through event-driven messages prior to their aggregation across the graph. TGN outperforms previous methods on both temporal node-classification and link-prediction tasks. Edge Directionality: Our research shows the importance of leveraging edge directionality, especially in heterophilic tasks. We introduce Directed Graph Neural Networks (Dir-GNN), a general framework to extend any spatial GNN to directed graphs. Incorporating edge directionality with Dir-GNN leads to large accuracy gains in heterophilic scenarios, while leaving performance unchanged on homophilic graphs. Missing Data: Addressing data incompleteness, Feature Propagation (FP) imputes missing node attributes by propagating existing ones through the graph. Paired with a downstream GNN, FP mitigates accuracy degradation to about 4% even when 99% of the features are absent, vastly outperforming previous methods. Structural Inference: We propose NuGget, a method to reconstruct unknown graphs in a game-theoretic setup. NuGget recovers the network structure of a game from players' equilibrium actions, outperforming previous models without relying on explicit utility functions.
Fine particle transport and separation using electrostatic travelling wave methods
Creators: name: Yu, Yue
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2024

description: An electrostatic travelling wave (ETW) field can be produced by a set of electrodes, insulated from each other and connected to AC poly-phase voltage sources. ETW techniques have been previously applied to transport particles, but the separation of particles by size has not been considered, and this is the focus of this thesis. The use of ETW to separate particles by size requires understanding of the forces acting on particles. This is done using models for the electrostatic field, single particle motion and for multiple particles. The accuracy of the calculation of the electric field distribution was improved by using advanced numerical methods and included in a more rigorous particle motion simulation model. The simulations explore how different parameter combinations affect the transition of particle motion modes, the particle moving velocity and levitation height. The experimental research verified the simulation model and clarified basic mechanisms. The recording of particle trajectory clearly identified the three typical motion modes. The analysis comparing dielectrophoresis (DEP) and Coulomb force explains the reason for the backward motion of poorly charged particles. In the multiple particle experiments, the fraction of particles transported in forward and backward directions exhibited frequency-dependence. At lower frequencies, most particles moved forward, but as the frequency increased, the fraction of particles being transported backward increased. A crossover frequency was identified and defined, at which a particle is equally likely to move forward or backward. This critical frequency decreases as the particle size increases. The crossover frequency can be used to select the appropriate frequencies to separate particles by size by making the fine particles mostly move forward and coarse particles mostly move backward. A mixture of 30 to 50 μm and 75 to 110 μm particles was tested and the results showed good separation performance.
Label-efficient medical image segmentation: the benefits and limitations of semi-supervised generative models
Creators: name: Rosnati, Margherita
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2024

description: Deep learning has displayed considerable promise in medical image segmentation for various applications, such as disease prognosis, quantifying disease progression, lesion volumes, tumour progression, and radiotherapy planning. However, the availability of ample annotated datasets for training is restricted and obtaining expert annotations is highly resource-intensive and time-consuming, making it troublesome to obtain a sizeable dataset. As a result, models are frequently trained on smaller datasets, which may not generalise well to changes in data characteristics, known as domain shifts. To overcome the challenges of low data availability and domain shift, we focus on label-efficient paradigms and their robustness to environmental changes. The research presented in this thesis aims to achieve three primary objectives. Firstly, we intend to demonstrate the potential and pitfalls of machine learning in medical imaging through a case study in traumatic brain injury outcome prediction. We also emphasise the under-utilisation of data owing to annotation limitations. Secondly, we define an evaluation scheme for the robustness of Semi-Supervised Learning in medical image segmentation, focusing on data shifts and assessing the model's performance on downstream tasks such as classification. Our empirical analyses using a state-of-the-art generative model-based network highlight its generalisability and robustness in in- and out-of-domain tasks. Our evaluation framework contributes to the broader discussion on the efficacy of Semi-Supervised Learning methods in medical image segmentation. Finally, we propose a novel Semi-Supervised Learning method based on generative modelling that carefully utilises the latent features extracted from diffusion models, showcasing their ability to segment medical images robustly. Our experiments showcase the superiority of the proposed Timestep Ensembling Diffusion Model in diverse medical imaging tasks and illustrate the impact of mindful design choices.
Analysis and design of contributions of grid-forming and grid-following inverters to frequency stability
Creators: name: Ducoin, Eugenie
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: Environmental concerns have led to the displacement of fossil-fuel-fired Synchronous Generators (SG) by renewable energy in the form of Inverter-Based Resources (IBR). The rise of IBR has created new threats to grid stability, and this thesis focuses on frequency stability following a sudden large power imbalance. Frequency stability traditionally relied on the inertia and damping of SGs, but now IBR features dominate, and local frequencies can deviate substantially from the system frequency, called Centre-of-Inertia (CoI). With carefully chosen simplifications, a cohesive set of swing equations for two main types of IBRs, Grid-Forming Inverters (GFMI) and Grid-Following Inverters (GFLI), is developed to model the local frequency trajectories. Combining these, the aggregate CoI frequency trajectory is also modelled. Further analysis has yielded closed-form formulas for frequency stability indicators, namely: settled frequency deviation, Rate of Change of Frequency (RoCoF) and minimum settling time. The contributions of IBRs to frequency stability are uncovered from the analysis. GFMIs can provide inertia and damping to limit the frequency deviation and local RoCoFs, respectively. GFLIs can directly contribute to the system damping, but only indirectly help reduce the local RoCoF and CoI settling time. A procedure based on the stability indicators is proposed to design IBR contributions to frequency stability and set the local and global frequency trajectories. The procedure guides the parameterization of IBR droop slopes and controller bandwidths. Because it relies on closed-form formulas, the procedure is quick and simple and could be applied at every settlement period to choose the IBR generation mix. The analysis and procedure are validated with modified IEEE 14-bus and 68-bus networks. Simulations show that, despite the simplifications, the swing equations and indicators are reliable to evaluate the frequency stability of the system, and thanks to the simplicity of the procedure, IBR contributions are easily designed to guarantee frequency stability.
Trichromadorita Timm 1961
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Chromadoridae
Trichromadorita

description: Trichromadorita Timm, 1961
T. arinus Khan, 1991
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768
The type I and type III interferon response in cystic fibrosis Aspergillus fumigatus related lung disease
Creators: name: Laverty, Sarah
Publisher: name: Imperial College London
Year: 2023

description: Af is an airborne fungus that healthy human lungs clear daily. Af infection in CF leads to more hospitalizations and intravenous antibiotics, contributing to lung function decline. Recent research highlights type I and III IFNs as crucial for fungal immunity. While these IFNs regulate antifungal neutrophil responses in mice, their role in humans remains unexplored, particularly in CF lungs, where IFN levels are downregulated during bacterial and viral infections. This study investigated Af infection response with and without CFTR modulators in CF and CF-corrected human BECs. Cells were infected with the Af strain CEA10 as HK conidia or fixed hyphae. Bulk RNA sequencing showed significantly upregulated ISGs in CF-corrected BECs compared to CF BECs post-Af infection. GSEA indicated enriched TRAF6-mediated IRF7 activation in Af-infected CF-corrected BECs, but not in CF BECs. Monolayer and ALI cultures showed significantly reduced IFNβ and IFNλ1 expression in CF BECs compared to CF corrected BECs post-infection. However, no difference was observed in PBMCs from CF patients and healthy donors post-Af infection. The impact of CFTR modulators (tezacaftor, ivacaftor, and elexacaftor) on the type I and III IFN responses in CF BECs was assessed. Modulator treatment partially restored IFNβ and IFNλ1 expression and significantly upregulated ISGs at 12 hours post-HK conidia infection but not post-hyphae infection. Modulator treatment significantly downregulated NLRC3, a gene inhibiting type I and III IFN signaling through TRAF6, STING and TBK1. Neutrophils, essential for controlling fungal infections, from healthy donors and CF patients were treated with exogenous IFNβ and IFNλ1. The addition of IFNλ1 (10ng/ml) enhanced the fungicidal capacity of CF neutrophils without increasing NET or ROS. This study reveals a novel downregulation of type I and III IFN expression in CF BECs after Af infection, a defect partially rescued by CFTR modulators. Exogenous IFNλ1 showed promising antifungal and immunoregulatory effects.
Maechidius opatroides Arrow 1941
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Maechidius
Maechidius opatroides

description: Maechidius opatroides Arrow, 1941 comb. rest.
Maechidius opatroides Arrow, 1941: 454 (original description), 456 (key).
Paramaechidius opatroides – Frey 1969: 504 (key and new combination).
Type material
BMNH (♀ lectotype, 3 ♀♀ paralectotypes).
Distribution
Waigeo of Raja Ampat Islands.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace's Line, pp. 1-210 in European Journal of Taxonomy 721 on page 195, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118
Panduripharynx Timm 1961
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Chromadoridae
Panduripharynx

description: Panduripharynx Timm, 1961
Panduripharynx spp.
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768
Funding Mechanisms for Makerspaces and Open Source Projects For Africa and Europe
Creators: name: GreenTec Capital Africa Foundation
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024

description: This is guide crafted my makers, with makers and with the support of an experienced team of venture builders.

The objective is to understand and appreciate the funding strategies for makerspaces that extend beyond conventional avenues. New approaches to customer engagement, market access, distribution, partnerships and adjacent opportunities are discussed in this guide.
Achromadora Cobb 1913
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Achromadoridae
Achromadora

description: Achromadora Cobb, 1913
A. ruricola (de Man, 1880) Micoletzky, 1925
Achromadora spp.
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768
Maechidius owenstanleyi Telnov 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Telnov, Dmitry
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Maechidius
Maechidius owenstanleyi

description: Maechidius owenstanleyi sp. nov.
Described above.
Type material
BMNH (♂ holotype, 7 paratypes).
Distribution
Papuan Peninsula of New Guinea.
description: Published as part of Telnov, Dmitry, 2020, A revision of the Maechidiini Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the Indo-Australian transition zone, and the first record of the tribe west of Wallace's Line, pp. 1-210 in European Journal of Taxonomy 721 on page 195, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2020.721.1127, http://zenodo.org/record/4122118
Cyatholaimus Bastain 1865
Creators: name: Shahina, F.
name: Nasira, K.
name: Firoza, K.
name: Erum, Y. I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Nematoda
Chromadorea
Chromadorida
Cyatholaimidae
Cyatholaimus

description: Cyatholaimus Bastain, 1865
Cyatholaimus spp.
description: Published as part of Shahina, F., Nasira, K., Firoza, K. & Erum, Y. I., 2019, Overview of the nematode fauna of Pakistan, pp. 171-243 in Pakistan Journal of Nematology 37 (2) on page 229, DOI: 10.18681/pjn.v37.i02.p171-243, http://zenodo.org/record/10711768