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Preparing To Teach In Higher Education., Mp Fuller, Am Lee, M Pettigrove Jan 2010

Preparing To Teach In Higher Education., Mp Fuller, Am Lee, M Pettigrove

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Erbb/Her Receptor Activation And Preclinical Efficacy Of Lapatinib In Vestibular Schwannoma, Sylwia Ammoun, Clare H. Cunliffe, Jeffrey C. Allen, Luis Chiriboga, Filippo G. Giancotti, David Zagzag, C. Oliver Hanemann, Matthias A. Karajannis Jan 2010

Erbb/Her Receptor Activation And Preclinical Efficacy Of Lapatinib In Vestibular Schwannoma, Sylwia Ammoun, Clare H. Cunliffe, Jeffrey C. Allen, Luis Chiriboga, Filippo G. Giancotti, David Zagzag, C. Oliver Hanemann, Matthias A. Karajannis

Peninsula Medical School

Vestibular schwannomas (VS) arising sporadically or in patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) consistently lack expression of Merlin, a tumor suppressor. Conventional treatment options include surgery and radiotherapy but there is no validated medical option. Recent evidence suggests that Merlin deficiency may result in abnormal activation of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and downstream signaling, promoting tumor growth. Although small-molecule RTK inhibitors are widely available for clinical use, no such therapy has been validated in patients with VS. To screen for RTK activation, surgical VS specimens from patients with and without NF2 were analyzed by phospho-RTK profiling arrays. Downstream signaling pathway …


Bio-Informatics Analysis Of A Gene Co-Expression Module In Adipose Tissue Containing The Diet-Responsive Gene Nnat., X Li.X, Pa Thomason, Dj Withers, J Scott Jan 2010

Bio-Informatics Analysis Of A Gene Co-Expression Module In Adipose Tissue Containing The Diet-Responsive Gene Nnat., X Li.X, Pa Thomason, Dj Withers, J Scott

Peninsula Medical School

Obesity causes insulin resistance in target tissues - skeletal muscle, adipose tissue, liver and the brain. Insulin resistance predisposes to type-2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Adipose tissue inflammation is an essential characteristic of obesity and insulin resistance. Neuronatin (Nnat) expression has been found to be altered in a number of conditions related to inflammatory or metabolic disturbance, but its physiological roles and regulatory mechanisms in adipose tissue, brain, pancreatic islets and other tissues are not understood.


Effects Of Hif-1 And Hif2 On Growth And Metabolism Of Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma 786-0 Xenografts, S Biswas, H Troy, R Leek, Y-L Chung, Et Al Jan 2010

Effects Of Hif-1 And Hif2 On Growth And Metabolism Of Clear-Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma 786-0 Xenografts, S Biswas, H Troy, R Leek, Y-L Chung, Et Al

Peninsula Medical School

In cultured clear-cell renal carcinoma (CCRCC) 786-0 cells transfected with HIF1α (HIF-1+), HIF-2α (HIF-2+), or empty vector (EV), no significant differences were observed in the growth rates in vitro, but when grown in vivo as xenografts HIF-2α significantly increased, and HIF-1α significantly decreased growth rates, compared to EV tumors. Factors associated with proliferation were increased and factors associated with cell death were decreased in HIF-2+ tumors. Metabolite profiles showed higher glucose and lower lactate and alanine levels in the HIF-2+ tumors whilst immunostaining demonstrated higher pyruvate dehydrogenase and lower pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1, compared to control tumors. Taken together, these …


Changes In Iron-Regulatory Gene Expression Occur In Human Cell Culture Models Of Pd, Cb Carroll, Ml Zeissler, N Chadborn, K Gibson, Gj Williams, Ke Morrison, Jp Zajicek, Co Hanemann Jan 2010

Changes In Iron-Regulatory Gene Expression Occur In Human Cell Culture Models Of Pd, Cb Carroll, Ml Zeissler, N Chadborn, K Gibson, Gj Williams, Ke Morrison, Jp Zajicek, Co Hanemann

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.


Understanding Gravel Beach Dynamics By Measuring And Modelling Annual, Seasonal And Storm-Induced Morphological Response, Amaia Ruiz De Alegria Arzaburu Jan 2010

Understanding Gravel Beach Dynamics By Measuring And Modelling Annual, Seasonal And Storm-Induced Morphological Response, Amaia Ruiz De Alegria Arzaburu

School of Biological and Marine Sciences Theses

The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the medium-term (weeks to years) morphological evolution of gravel beaches. In particular, this project aims to better understand and parameterise gravel beach/barrier evolution processes at storm, seasonal and annual time-scales. For this purpose, the morphological variability of the Slapton Sands macrotidal gravel beach/barrier (Devon, UK) was measured over a 3-year period using an Argus video-system, and carrying fortnightly and event-driven RTK-GPS field surveys. Concurrent nearshore hydrodynamic measurements were collected by a directional wave buoy located 2km off Slapton Sands, and tidal data were obtained from a tidal model …


The Ecology Of Seamounts: Structure, Function, And Human Impacts., Malcolm R. Clark, Ashley A. Rowden, Thomas Schlacher, Alan Williams, Mireille Consalvey, Karen I. Stocks, Alex D. Rogers, Timothy D. O'Hara, Martin White, Timothy M. Shank, Jason M. Hall-Spencer Jan 2010

The Ecology Of Seamounts: Structure, Function, And Human Impacts., Malcolm R. Clark, Ashley A. Rowden, Thomas Schlacher, Alan Williams, Mireille Consalvey, Karen I. Stocks, Alex D. Rogers, Timothy D. O'Hara, Martin White, Timothy M. Shank, Jason M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

In this review of seamount ecology, we address a number of key scientific issues concerning the structure and function of benthic communities, human impacts, and seamount management and conservation. We consider whether community composition and diversity differ between seamounts and continental slopes, how important dispersal capabilities are in seamount connectivity, what environmental factors drive species composition and diversity, whether seamounts are centers of enhanced biological productivity, and whether they have unique trophic architecture. We discuss how vulnerable seamount communities are to fishing and mining, and how we can balance exploitation of resources and conservation of habitat. Despite considerable advances in …


Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Invertebrate Settlement At Volcanic Co2 Vents, M. Cigliano, M. C. Gambi, R. Rodolfo-Metalpa, F. P. Patti, J. M. Hall-Spencer Jan 2010

Effects Of Ocean Acidification On Invertebrate Settlement At Volcanic Co2 Vents, M. Cigliano, M. C. Gambi, R. Rodolfo-Metalpa, F. P. Patti, J. M. Hall-Spencer

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Physical Activity As A Treatment For Depression: The Tread Randomised Trial Protocol, Helen Baxter, Rachel Winder, Melanie Chalder, Christine Wright, Sofie Sherlock, Anne Haase, Nicola J. Wiles, Alan A. Montgomery, Adrian H. Taylor, Ken R. Fox, Debbie A. Lawlor, Tim J. Peters, Deborah J. Sharp, John Campbell, Glyn Lewis Jan 2010

Physical Activity As A Treatment For Depression: The Tread Randomised Trial Protocol, Helen Baxter, Rachel Winder, Melanie Chalder, Christine Wright, Sofie Sherlock, Anne Haase, Nicola J. Wiles, Alan A. Montgomery, Adrian H. Taylor, Ken R. Fox, Debbie A. Lawlor, Tim J. Peters, Deborah J. Sharp, John Campbell, Glyn Lewis

Peninsula Medical School

No abstract provided.


Boldness And Intermittent Locomotion In The Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis Macrochirus, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Jean Guy J. Godin Jan 2010

Boldness And Intermittent Locomotion In The Bluegill Sunfish, Lepomis Macrochirus, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Jean Guy J. Godin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Foraging Behaviour And Brain Morphology In Recently Emerged Brook Charr, Salvelinus Fontinalis, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Robert L. Mclaughlin Jan 2010

Foraging Behaviour And Brain Morphology In Recently Emerged Brook Charr, Salvelinus Fontinalis, Alexander D.M. Wilson, Robert L. Mclaughlin

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Comparison And Consolidation Of Microarray Data Sets Of Human Tissue Expression, Jenny Russ, Matthias E. Futschik Jan 2010

Comparison And Consolidation Of Microarray Data Sets Of Human Tissue Expression, Jenny Russ, Matthias E. Futschik

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


Expression Profiling And Cross-Species Rna Interference (Rnai) Of Desiccation-Induced Transcripts In The Anhydrobiotic Nematode Aphelenchus Avenae, W Reardon, S Chakrabortee, Tc Pereira, T Tyson, Mc Banton, Km Dolan, Ba Culleton, Mj Wise, Am Burnell, A Tunnacliffe Jan 2010

Expression Profiling And Cross-Species Rna Interference (Rnai) Of Desiccation-Induced Transcripts In The Anhydrobiotic Nematode Aphelenchus Avenae, W Reardon, S Chakrabortee, Tc Pereira, T Tyson, Mc Banton, Km Dolan, Ba Culleton, Mj Wise, Am Burnell, A Tunnacliffe

School of Biomedical Sciences

AbstractBackgroundSome organisms can survive extreme desiccation by entering a state of suspended animation known as anhydrobiosis. The free-living mycophagous nematodeAphelenchus avenaecan be induced to enter anhydrobiosis by pre-exposure to moderate reductions in relative humidity (RH) prior to extreme desiccation. This preconditioning phase is thought to allow modification of the transcriptome by activation of genes required for desiccation tolerance.ResultsTo identify such genes, a panel of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) enriched for sequences upregulated inA. avenaeduring preconditioning was created. A subset of 30 genes with significant matches in databases, together with a number of apparently novel sequences, were chosen for further study. …


Short Rna Half-Lives In The Slow-Growing Marine Cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, Claudia Steglich, Debbie Lindell, Matthias Futschik, Trent Rector, Robert Steen, Sallie W. Chisholm Jan 2010

Short Rna Half-Lives In The Slow-Growing Marine Cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus, Claudia Steglich, Debbie Lindell, Matthias Futschik, Trent Rector, Robert Steen, Sallie W. Chisholm

School of Biomedical Sciences

No abstract provided.


Inferring Modules From Human Protein Interactome Classes, Elisabetta Marras, Antonella Travaglione, Gautam Chaurasia, Matthias Futschik, Enrico Capobianco Jan 2010

Inferring Modules From Human Protein Interactome Classes, Elisabetta Marras, Antonella Travaglione, Gautam Chaurasia, Matthias Futschik, Enrico Capobianco

School of Biomedical Sciences

Abstract Background The integration of protein-protein interaction networks derived from high-throughput screening approaches and complementary sources is a key topic in systems biology. Although integration of protein interaction data is conventionally performed, the effects of this procedure on the result of network analyses has not been examined yet. In particular, in order to optimize the fusion of heterogeneous interaction datasets, it is crucial to consider not only their degree of coverage and accuracy, but also their mutual dependencies and additional salient features. Results We examined this issue based on the analysis of modules detected by network clustering methods applied to …


A Review Of Graduate Schools In The Uk., Mp Fuller, P Denicolo, D Berry, C Raven Jan 2010

A Review Of Graduate Schools In The Uk., Mp Fuller, P Denicolo, D Berry, C Raven

School of Biological and Marine Sciences

No abstract provided.


Sentence Processing: Linking Language To Motor Chains, F Chersi, S Thill, T Ziemke, Am Borghi Jan 2010

Sentence Processing: Linking Language To Motor Chains, F Chersi, S Thill, T Ziemke, Am Borghi

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

A growing body of evidence in cognitive science and neuroscience points towards the existence of a deep interconnection between cognition, perception and action. According to this embodied perspective language is grounded in the sensorimotor system and language understanding is based on a mental simulation process (Jeannerod, 2007 ; Gallese, 2008 ; Barsalou, 2009 ). This means that during action words and sentence comprehension the same perception, action, and emotion mechanisms implied during interaction with objects are recruited. Among the neural underpinnings of this simulation process an important role is played by a sensorimotor matching system known as the mirror neuron …


Modern Seawater Acidification: The Response Of Foraminifera To High-Co2 Conditions In The Mediterranean Sea, B. B. Dias, M. B. Hart, C. W. Smart, J. M. Hall-Spencer Jan 2010

Modern Seawater Acidification: The Response Of Foraminifera To High-Co2 Conditions In The Mediterranean Sea, B. B. Dias, M. B. Hart, C. W. Smart, J. M. Hall-Spencer

School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

No abstract provided.


Grounding Action Words In The Sensorimotor Interaction With The World: Experiments With A Simulated Icub Humanoid Robot., D Marocco, A Cangelosi, K Fischer, T Belpaeme Jan 2010

Grounding Action Words In The Sensorimotor Interaction With The World: Experiments With A Simulated Icub Humanoid Robot., D Marocco, A Cangelosi, K Fischer, T Belpaeme

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

This paper presents a cognitive robotics model for the study of the embodied representation of action words. The present research will present how an iCub humanoid robot can learn the meaning of action words (i.e. words that represent dynamical events that happen in time) by physically interacting with the environment and linking the effects of its own actions with the behavior observed on the objects before and after the action. The control system of the robot is an artificial neural network trained to manipulate an object through a Back-Propagation-Through-Time algorithm. We will show that in the presented model the grounding …


A Review Of Bast Fibres And Their Composites. Part 1 - Fibres As Reinforcements, John Summerscales, Nilmini P.J. Dissanayake, Amandeep S. Virk, Wayne Hall Jan 2010

A Review Of Bast Fibres And Their Composites. Part 1 - Fibres As Reinforcements, John Summerscales, Nilmini P.J. Dissanayake, Amandeep S. Virk, Wayne Hall

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Bast fibres are defined as those obtained from the outer cell layers of the stems of various plants. The fibres find use in textile applications and are increasingly being considered as reinforcements for polymer-matrix composites as they are perceived to be "sustainable". The fibres are composed primarily of cellulose which potentially has a Young's modulus of similar to 140 GPa (being a value comparable with man-made aramid [Kevlar/Twaron] fibres). The plants which are currently attracting most interest are flax and hemp (in temperate climates) or jute and kenaf (in tropical climates). This review paper will consider the growth, harvesting and …


A Review Of Bast Fibres And Their Composites. Part 2 - Composites, John Summerscales, Nilmini Dissanayake, Amandeep Virk, Wayne Hall Jan 2010

A Review Of Bast Fibres And Their Composites. Part 2 - Composites, John Summerscales, Nilmini Dissanayake, Amandeep Virk, Wayne Hall

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

Bast fibres are defined as those obtained from the outer cell layers of the stems of various plants. The fibres find use in textile applications and are increasingly being considered as reinforcements for polymer matrix composites as they are perceived to be "sustainable". The fibres are composed primarily of cellulose which potentially has a Young's modulus of similar to 140 GPa (being a value comparable with man-made aramid [Kevlar/Twaron] fibres). The plants which are currently attracting most interest are flax and hemp (in temperate climates) or jute and kenaf (in tropical climates). Part 2 of this review will consider the …


Context-Dependent Partitioning Of Motor Learning In Bimanual Movements, Ian S. Howard, James N. Ingram, Daniel M. Wolpert Jan 2010

Context-Dependent Partitioning Of Motor Learning In Bimanual Movements, Ian S. Howard, James N. Ingram, Daniel M. Wolpert

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

No abstract provided.


Neuronal Network Pharmacodynamics Of Gabaergic Modulation In The Human Cortex Determined Using Pharmaco-Magnetoencephalography., Stephen D. Hall, Gareth R. Barnes, Paul L. Furlong, Stefano Seri, Arjan Hillebrand Jan 2010

Neuronal Network Pharmacodynamics Of Gabaergic Modulation In The Human Cortex Determined Using Pharmaco-Magnetoencephalography., Stephen D. Hall, Gareth R. Barnes, Paul L. Furlong, Stefano Seri, Arjan Hillebrand

School of Psychology

Neuronal network oscillations are a unifying phenomenon in neuroscience research, with comparable measurements across scales and species. Cortical oscillations are of central importance in the characterization of neuronal network function in health and disease and are influential in effective drug development. Whilst animal in vitro and in vivo electrophysiology is able to characterize pharmacologically induced modulations in neuronal activity, present human counterparts have spatial and temporal limitations. Consequently, the potential applications for a human equivalent are extensive. Here, we demonstrate a novel implementation of contemporary neuroimaging methods called pharmaco-magnetoencephalography. This approach determines the spatial profile of neuronal network oscillatory power …


Bayesian Model Of The Dynamics Of Motion Integration In Smooth Pursuit And Plaid Perception, Kameliya Dimova Jan 2010

Bayesian Model Of The Dynamics Of Motion Integration In Smooth Pursuit And Plaid Perception, Kameliya Dimova

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics Theses

In this thesis, a model of motion integration is described which is based on a recursive Bayesian estimation process. The model displays a dynamic behaviour qualitatively similar to the dynamics of the motion integration process observed experimentally in smooth eye pursuit and plaid perception. The computer simulations of the model applied to smooth pursuit eye movements confirm the psychophysical data both in humans and monkeys, and the physiological data in monkeys. The temporal dynamics of motion integration is demonstrated together with its dependence on contrast, size of the stimulus and added noise. A new theoretical approach to explaining plaid perception …


The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Oxidative-Induced Neoplastic Transformation, Daniel J. Puleston Dec 2009

The Role Of Reactive Oxygen Species In Oxidative-Induced Neoplastic Transformation, Daniel J. Puleston

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a normal occurrence in the life of a cell. ROS are derived from both exogenous and endogenous sources and take part in a plethora of normal physiological mechanisms from host immunity to cell cycle regulation. However, ROS also exhibit a deleterious, disruptive character that means they must now be taken seriously as a genuine carcinogenic agent able to alter a variety of pathways leading to the initiation of cancer. The two-sidedness of ROS means that the relationship between ROS and the onset and progression of cancer is hard to determine. ROS and …


The Role Of The Virus-Phytoplankton System In Marine Biogeochemical Cycling: Possible Impacts Of Climate Change, George Sorensen Dec 2009

The Role Of The Virus-Phytoplankton System In Marine Biogeochemical Cycling: Possible Impacts Of Climate Change, George Sorensen

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Phytoplankton is the main driver of ocean net primary production (Falkowski et al., 1998) and a dominant force behind biogeochemical cycling in the ocean. It is a component of one of the oldest and best described virus-host relationships (e.g. Suttle et al., 1990). Viruses have typically been viewed as pathogens of marine organisms but it has become clear that they also play a critical role in biogeochemical processes in marine systems, themselves falling into the category of dissolved organic matter (DOM) (Wilhelm & Suttle, 1999). Viruses play a large part in carbon (Middelboe & Lyck, 2002), sulphur (Hill et al., …


Does Culture In The Darkness Effect Retina Morphology Of Sepia Officinalis?, Rachael Warrington Dec 2009

Does Culture In The Darkness Effect Retina Morphology Of Sepia Officinalis?, Rachael Warrington

The Plymouth Student Scientist

In Sepia officinalis there was no significant difference (P = 0.241) for the eye diameter in terms of body length. The body length was significantly longer in cuttlefish reared in the dark treatment (P = 0.029). This could be due to photoperiod regulating the release of growth hormones. The outer segment is similar in both treatments containing small compacted rhabdomeres elongating towards the inner segment. The dark retina has a thicker outer segment than the light, which could be an adaptation increasing the probability for photon capture by the rhabdomeres. Rhabdomeres vary little between treatments in comparison to vesicle cells …


The Impact Of Captivity On The Behaviour Of Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor), Jessica Guyon Dec 2009

The Impact Of Captivity On The Behaviour Of Mute Swans (Cygnus Olor), Jessica Guyon

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The mute swan (Cygnus olor) is a large water fowl species widely distributed in Great Britain. They are residential and territorial so often there is no interchange between groups. Swans face many injuries in the wild so are brought into wild life centres for treatment and rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to see if their captive behaviour differed from the behaviour of wild conspecifics. This was achieved by performing observations of captive and wild mute swans. From this it was found that several behaviours were more common in captivity these were standing, standing whilst preening or feeding, lying, …


The Effect Of Imipramine Hcl On Haemolysis Of Horse Erythrocytes, Tamara Esther Farrant Dec 2009

The Effect Of Imipramine Hcl On Haemolysis Of Horse Erythrocytes, Tamara Esther Farrant

The Plymouth Student Scientist

The mechanism of action of tricyclic antidepressant (TCAs) is not fully understood. The effect of the TCA imipramine on the haemolysis of erythrocytes was investigated, focussing on dosage and incubation time. The method used a drug free red blood cell (RBC) haemolysis assay (Watts & Handy, 2007) comparing experimental drug concentrations ranging from 0.0904 mg/ml – 90.4 mg/ml. Incubation time effects were also investigated, and haemolysis increased with decreasing osmolarity. Compared with the control the percentage haemolysis increased significantly with higher concentrations of imipramine, but was reduced by 0.0904 mg/ml imipramine. Haemolysis also increased with longer incubation time in both …


Recent Advances In Marine Microbiology - A Selection Of Critical Evaluations Of Research Papers, Colin Munn, Heather Guy, Grace Phillips, Elizabeth Robertson Dec 2009

Recent Advances In Marine Microbiology - A Selection Of Critical Evaluations Of Research Papers, Colin Munn, Heather Guy, Grace Phillips, Elizabeth Robertson

The Plymouth Student Scientist

This collection of articles features examples of coursework submitted by three students taking the module BIOL3309 „Marine Microbiology – Ecology & Applications‟ as part of the BSc Hons Marine Biology degree at Plymouth. In this module, students discuss recent research papers in regular seminars, and keep a portfolio of critical evaluations of papers that they have studied. This subject is arguably one of the fastest moving fields in marine science and recent discoveries, made possible by the application of new techniques (especially metagenomics and rapid DNA sequencing) have revolutionized our understanding of ocean processes and the interactions of microbes with …