Digital Commons Network^™

Helping People With Dementia To Eat Well At Home: An Investigation To Understand And Enhance Nutritional Care, Louise Mole

Other Faculty of Health Theses

In this thesis I developed a complex intervention to help people living at home with dementia to eat well, and improve nutritional care. This was achieved through four studies conducted using multiple methods. A scoping review found 61 studies reported in 63 articles after searching six databases from inception to July 2016. Content analysis was used, and the overarching categories were: ‘timely identification of nutritional risk and subsequent regular monitoring of nutritional status’, ‘multi-component tailored interventions’, and the ‘influence of the caregiving dyad on nutritional status’. Most studies were cross-sectional (n=24), cohort (n=15) or qualitative (n=9). Only three were randomised …

‘The Agony & The Ecstasy: Managing A Chronic Pain Condition Whilst Being A Mother’, Movita Chapman-Moyle

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Persistent pain is a debilitating condition affecting more women than men, and for women in their child-rearing years this means struggling to bring up children whilst contending with an unforgiving pain condition. Existing research in this area has found increased levels of pain complaints in children of mothers with persistent pain, raising the risk of them developing some form of pain in later years. A primary aim of this research was to investigate ways attachment influences pain development in children of maternal persistent pain sufferers. Additionally, the aim was to investigate how transmission of pain behaviour, including the experience of …

From Cancer Stem Cells To Brain Tumour Formation: The Role Of Heatr1 And Ribosome Biogenesis, Laura Rodríguez Díaz

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Brain tumours are initiated by neoplastic transformation of brain cells followed by uncontrolled proliferation, and are driven by genetic mutations. Despite years of study towards increasing our understanding of their origin and development, the high recurrence rate and poor prognosis of brain tumours in general, and specially of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most aggressive type, highlight the need for more efficient therapeutic approaches. According to the Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) hypothesis, tumour initiation and relapse might be caused by a subpopulation of cells with stem cell characteristics. Loss of the Drosophila melanogaster tumour suppressor Brat or its human orthologue, TRIM3, …

The Evaluative Chameleon: The Valance Of Observed Action Outcomes Determines Automatic Imitation, Helen Sharps

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Humans have a tendency to imitate the actions they observe in others, a process assumed to rely on an automatic bottom-up mapping of observed action features to one’s own motor system. In contrast, imitation in children is goal-directed, aimed at achieving the same outcome as the model. This thesis examines whether such an outcome-dependence can also be observed in automatic imitation. In six experiments, participants watched an actor make movements after observing the same movements and evaluated the valence of these outcomes with either compatible or incompatible responses. Chapter 2 showed that automatic imitation depends on action outcomes and showed …

Can The Value And Acceptability Of A Patient Feedback Tool For Revalidating Psychiatrists Be Improved For Both Patients And Psychiatrists Through Its Co-Production? An Action Research Approach., Rebecca Baines

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Background: Co-production is often suggested as an alternative approach to patient feedback design. However, critical exploration of how co-production may affect the perceived value and acceptability of a patient feedback tool is severely limited, particularly in the context of revalidation for practising psychiatrists. Aim: This research sought to address four research questions: i) how are patients and the public involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of patient feedback tools for practising psychiatrists, if at all; ii) what are patient and psychiatrist perceptions, experiences and aspirations for patient feedback tools in revalidation; iii) how do these compare and iv) can …

The Role Of Daxx In The Selective Autophagy Receptor Sqstm1/P62 Phase Condensation, Yi Yang

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Macroautophagy (‘autophagy’ hereafter) is a lysosome-dependent degradation system for intracellular protein quality control. Autophagy can selectively remove cargo materials, which is dependent on cargo receptors. SQSTM1/p62 (‘p62’ hereafter) is one of the best characterised receptors mediating the autophagic degradation of misfolded proteins, and its body formation is essential for its cargo recognition and clearance. Mounting evidence has revealed that membraneless compartments, participating in various biological processes, are assembled via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). These phase-separated condensates ensure that cellular activities occur in a spatiotemporally controlled manner and provide a method for concentrating and segregating cellular components. Liquid-like non-membrane condensates present …

An Assessment Of Universal Tumour Associated Antigens In Primary Liver Neoplasms, Oliver Rupar

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Rates of primary liver cancer are increasing in the Western world, a fact yet to be reflected in research with most currently undertaken in Asia. Whilst here in the UK, during a diagnostic and therapeutic workup within the NHS, surgically resected tumours are routinely kept in storage for up to thirty years. Meaning there is a huge, currently unused, resource that could potentially be included in clinical research. The regional specialist centre in the Southwest of England has been performing liver resections since 2005, no basic-science research has been performed using these archived specimens. In this research I have assessed …

Exploring The Design, Use And Impact Of Companion Pet Robots And Automata For Older Adults And People With Dementia, Hannah Bradwell

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Companion robots, socially assistive robots typically possessing zoomorphic features, have shown potential in the care of older adults and people with dementia. Previous research demonstrated reduced agitation, anxiety, loneliness and blood pressure for older adults, and reduced carer burden. However, many literature gaps and methodological flaws remained, and there was limited evidence of real-world adoption into health and care practice. In particular, most research involved Paro, the robot seal costing ~£5000, a prohibitive cost for most intended end-users. Furthermore, contradictory research results, robot failures and variable responses of older people suggested sub-optimal robot design. This thesis therefore aimed to expand …

Modulation Of Macrophage And Epithelial Cell Immune Defences By Probiotic Bacteria: Immune Stimulation Versus Suppression, Luma S.Abdulqader Al-Abdulwahid

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Abstract Probiotic bacteria are live organisms, if consumed in adequate amounts might confer health benefits. These bacteria, such as Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), include a number of strains that have specific health promoting activi-ties, attributed to their immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. Gut mucosal macrophage subsets play a fundamental role in driving muco-sal immune responses. These include, tolerance, associated with an M2-, regulatory macrophage phenotype and inflammatory activation with an M1-like phenotype. The cross-link between mucosal tolerance and inflammatory cytokine suppression, and augmentation of IL-10 production in the gut relate to endotoxin tolerance. Endotoxin tolerance is a context; it could present …

Dll4 And Jag1 In The Glioblastoma Response To Temozolomide Chemotherapy, Carly Bunston

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Introduction: Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common aggressive primary malignant brain tumour in adults. The current gold standard treatment comprises of surgery followed by radiotherapy and adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy. Prognosis is poor, with a median survival of 14.6 months following diagnosis. Treatment often fails due to intrinsic or acquired TMZ resistance of a small population of cells termed glioma cancer stem cells (GCSCs). A promising target for glioblastoma therapy is the Notch signalling pathway, which can be suppressed using gamma-secretase inhibitors such as dibenzazepine (DBZ). We investigated the effects of the Notch ligands, Delta-like 4 (DLL4) and Jagged-1 (JAG1) …

Music And The Brain: Composing With The Electroencephalogram, Rachel Horrell

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The field of brain-computer music interfaces have been expanding ever since the first development in the 1960s. Although many brain-computer music interfaces have been developed for the purpose of composing music, these systems have not been accessible to musicians due to the use of complex programming and signal processing mathematics. In addition, these systems have often focused on the process of composing music by allowing for specific note selection, or the formation of structure. While these systems are beneficial for those who cannot compose music the traditional way, such as those with motor disabilities, they do not offer a new …

A Practice-As-Research Project Utilizing Butler’S (1990) Feminist/ Post-Structuralist Theory Of Gender Performativity, As Well As Connells (2001) System Of Hegemony, Complicity, And Subordination To Interrogate The Formation Of Toxic Masculinities Through Practice-As-Research And Live Art Methodologies, Charlie Cornforth

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

In the past twenty years or so, the concept of masculinity has come under increasing scrutiny. What used to constitute as socially acceptable behaviour for men to engage in, has increasingly become challenged by developments such as the MeToo movement. There are now stable grounds to argue that there is such thing as a toxic masculinity, an understanding that has been brought about through a series of questions that ask what grounds masculinity is constructing its position of authority and power upon, what behaviours associated with masculinity are bringing harm to both society as a whole, the individual man and …

Governance Of High Sea Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas From A Maltese Perspective, Christopher Cousin

Other Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business Theses

The conservation of marine resources is gaining importance as more research is carried out leading to an increase in public awareness through campaigns and news. One conservation tool that is attracting more attention is commonly referred to as marine protected area (MPA). This tool has been used over many years but its use is increasing. There are various legal instruments that either obligate or encourage the use of MPAs. MPAs can be applied in all areas irrespective of the jurisdiction. However, jurisdiction of the area where a MPA is to be designated, influences the nature of regulations with which the …

Ideas Exchange: Design And The Post Bio-Tech-Body, Agatha Haines

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis situates speculative design as a valuable tool for thinking about design issues and the body. Bringing together historical, theoretical criticism and practice to show that speculative design is intimately linked with the body. The thesis’ arguments build on the basis that both the body and design have gone through a processes of anatomisation: they have been dissected, separated and segmented into parts and terms. Those parts and terms are then ordered in a fashion which may not necessarily be advantageous intra-disciplinarily, that is for collaborations and discussions within a discipline. A different anatomisation is proposed for more contemporary …

Intuitive Interventions: Constructing Documentary Cinematic Narratives, Heidi Morstang

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

The argument in this summary concerns intuition as creative decision method in observational documentary film practice and is based upon three films produced, directed, edited and published by the author: In Transit [2011]; Prosperous Mountain [2013]; and Pseudotachylyte [2019]. The films are created with digital technologies employing state of the art High Definition Video cameras, and digital post-production software . This summary will use reflection and analysis to make explicit three aspects of the documentary cinematic process of creation: image, sound, and edit. It will highlight where a space is created to facilitate intuition. The summary will revisit some processes …

The Liminal Event And Its Symbols: On The Intersection Of Human And Technology, Blanka Deroko

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This thesis is an exploration of practical and theoretical modes of constituting hybrid subjectivities on the intersection of human and technology. Taking as a point of departure the posthuman and postphenomenological perspectives, I develop an approach to articulating hybrid subjectivities, where the distributed human and nonhuman entities come together in a relational way, expressing hybrid agencies. This thesis explores an emergent affective dimension in technological spaces, which provide a sensory stimulation to the human enabling a sense of presence in the distributed and virtual space. Further, I demonstrate a systematic manner, in which an integrated liminal event between the human …

How Progressive Was The Representation Of Physical Disability Within Mainstream Film In The 1990s, Given The Increased Awareness About Disability During The Decade?, Connor David Ruse

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

This dissertation will explore the representation of physical disability in mainstream films in the 1990s, determining that this onscreen representation was only slightly progressive in nature. It is based on a qualitative analysis of sixteen characters with disabilities in fifteen mainstream films released between 1987 and 1999. The observations from this analysis were compiled into a database examining: the type of impairment a character had, the character’s screen time, the disability terminology used within the film and common tropes used to tell the character’s narrative within the film. Using the database and supportive sources, like interviews with the films’ casts …

Social Sculpture: A Plastic Process Of Mutual Transformation, Veronica Marina Fazzio Welf

School of Art, Design and Architecture Theses

Joseph Beuys, the originator of the term ‘Social Sculpture’, stated that the objects he made were stimulators for the formation of thoughts, i.e. that they were intended to mold or to shape thoughts. Beuys believed that the essence of Social Sculpture was to shape and mold the world by working with invisible materials to make new thoughts. His aim was to develop an evolutionary process to share his ideas about the universal nature of plasticity, and thus the ability we all have to constantly transform. This practice as research Ph.D. explores Social Sculpture as a contemporary process of transformation. The …

The Role Of Autophagy In Protecting Periodontium Integrity, And Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Osteoclast Differentiation, Portia Grayson

Other Faculty of Health Theses

The periodontium is a dynamic tissue that undergoes constant remodeling to maintain its structure and function. There is much evidence in the literature that autophagy can be activated by both mechanical stretching and inflammation, however the mechanisms involved are highly context dependent. Autophagy may also be important for bone remodeling in the oral cavity. Two scenarios where bone remodeling is key to the physiological outcome are orthodontic tooth movement and inflammatory-induced periodontal disease. This thesis aims to investigate the hypothesis that autophagy is involved in bone remodeling during orthodontic tooth movement and periodontal disease. While the stem cells concerned in …

Regulation Of The Expression And Lysine Acetylation Of Pro-Inflammatory Molecules By Lipid-Modifying Enzyme (Lpcat2) In Raw264.7 Cells, Victory Ibigo Poloamina

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Lysophosphatidylcholine Acyltransferases (LPCATs) are Lipid modifying enzymes that significantly regulate changes in the glycerophospholipid components of the macrophage membrane phospholipid bilayer. LPCAT2 is a subtype of LPCAT that regulates inflammatory responses to infection by lipopolysaccharides and lipopeptides. LPCAT2 co-localises with TLR4 and prevents its translocation to the signalling site (lipid rafts) of macrophage membranes. The first response to inflammation involves infiltration of macrophages to the infected site, where they fight infection by phagocytosing the microbial pathogen. Changes in the macrophage membrane phospholipid bilayer are essential for phagocytosis and receptor signalling. Regulation of protein acylation is also an integral mechanism for …

The Psychology Of Anxiety & Pain In Fibromyalgia, Anna Kharko

Other Faculty of Health Theses

Understanding pain is integral to understanding fibromyalgia, a chronic musculoskeletal pain condition of undetermined aetiology, and for which no single successful medical therapy exists. Most of what is known about fibromyalgia pain comes from psychophysical research of central sensitisation, a phenomenon of abnormally amplified pain following disruptions in the central nervous system. Anxiety has been long theorised to mediate this centralised pain, but its contribution is yet to be characterised. This thesis presents a multimodal investigation of pain perception under different manifestations of anxiety in both fibromyalgia-diagnosed and pain-free cohorts. Chapter 3 presented the findings from the first study in …

Because You’Re Worth The Risks: Acts Of Oppositional Courage As Symbolic Messages Of Relational Value To Transgender Employees, Christian Thoroughgood, Katina Sawyer, Jennica R. Webster

Management Faculty Research and Publications

Achieving greater social equity in organizations often depends on majority members taking risks to challenge the status quo on behalf of their colleagues with stigmatized identities. But, how do employees enact courageous behavior in this regard, and what are the social implications of these courageous acts on stigmatized group members who witness them at work? To begin examining these questions, we conducted 4 studies using qualitative and quantitative data collected from 428 transgender employees. Drawing on the core principles of sociometer theory, we argue that these acts of oppositional courage serve an important symbolic function in the eyes of transgender …

Fine-Scale Movements And Behaviors Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) During Their Reproductive Period, Michael J. Chamberlain, Bradley S. Cohen, Patrick H. Wightman, Emily Rushton, Joseph W. Hinton

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

In canids, resident breeders hold territories but require different resources than transient individuals (i.e., dispersers), which may result in differential use of space, land cover, and food by residents and transients. In the southeastern United States, coyote (Canis latrans) reproduction occurs during spring and is energetically demanding for residents, but transients do not reproduce and therefore can exhibit feeding behaviors with lower energetic rewards. Hence, how coyotes behave in their environment likely differs between resident and transient coyotes. We captured and monitored 36 coyotes in Georgia during 2018–2019 and used data from 11 resident breeders, 12 predispersing residents (i.e., offspring …

In Vitro Study Of Surface Alterations To Polyetheretherketone And Titanium And Their Effect Upon Human Gingival Fibroblasts, Maryam Gheisarifar, Geoffrey A. Thompson, Carl Drago, Fahimeh Tabatabaei, Morteza Rasoulianboroujeni

School of Dentistry Faculty Research and Publications

Statement of problem

Soft-tissue attachment to different surfaces may play a pivotal role in the long-term success of dental implants. However, studies on the issue, especially on newer materials, are sparse.

Purpose

The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the viability and adhesion of human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) on different implant abutment materials with specific surface modifications.

Material and methods

One hundred and fifty specimens in 6 experimental groups were evaluated: smooth-machined titanium alloy (Ti), laser-modified titanium (TiL), smooth-machined polyetheretherketone (PEEK) (P), laser-modified PEEK (PL), plasma-treated PEEK (PP), laser- and plasma-treated PEEK (PLP). Machined Ti was considered …

Gene Selection For Cancer Classification: A New Hybrid Filter-C5.0 Approach For Breast Cancer Risk Prediction, Mohammed Hamim, Ismail El Moudden, Hicham Moutachaouik, Mustapha Hain

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Despite the significant progress made in data mining technologies in recent years, breast cancer risk prediction and diagnosis at an early stage using DNA microarray technology still a real challenging task. This challenge comes especially from the high-dimensionality in gene expression data, i.e., an enormous number of genes versus a few tens of subjects (samples). To overcome this problem of data imbalance, a gene selection phase becomes a crucial step for gene expression data analysis. This study proposes a new Decision Tree model-based attributes (genes) selection strategy, which incorporates two stages: fisher-score-based filter technique and the gene selection ability of …

Infant Removal From Birth Parents - How Does Health Information Impact Court Decisions? A Scoping Review, Rachel Gregory-Wilson, Liesel Spencer, Elizabeth Handsley, Toby Raeburn

Nursing Papers and Journal Articles

Problem: Courts make complex decisions daily regarding removal of infants from birth parents and placement in out-of-home care. Nurses and other health professionals often take part in such processes, either as court informants, witnesses, or via their role delivering healthcare to infants and/or birth parents involved. To date there has been very little research exploring how health information impacts upon decision-making about infant removal.

Aim: To explore how health information impacts court decisions about removing infants from birth parents.

Methods: Using Arksey and O’Malley’s five-stage method for scoping reviews as a guide, eight electronic databases were searched to identify relevant …

The Resistive Barrier Discharge: A Brief Review Of The Device And Its Biomedical Applications, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper reviews the principles behind the design and operation of the resistive barrier discharge, a low temperature plasma source that operates at atmospheric pressure. One of the advantages of this plasma source is that it can be operated using either DC or AC high voltages. Plasma generated by the resistive barrier discharge has been used to efficiently inactivate pathogenic microorganisms and to destroy cancer cells. These biomedical applications of low temperature plasma are of great interest because in recent times bacteria developed increased resistance to antibiotics and because present cancer therapies often are accompanied by serious side effects. Low …

Matters Of Biocybersecurity With Consideration To Propaganda Outlets And Biological Agents, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Ernestine Powell, Lucas Potter, Thaddeus Eze (Ed.), Lee Speakman (Ed.), Cyril Onwubiko (Ed.)

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The modern era holds vast modalities in human data utilization. Within Biocybersecurity (BCS), categories of biological information, especially medical information transmitted online, can be viewed as pathways to destabilize organizations. Therefore, analysis of how the public, along with medical providers, process such data, and the methods by which false information, particularly propaganda, can be used to upset the flow of verified information to populations of medical professionals, is important for maintenance of public health. Herein, we discuss some interplay of BCS within the scope of propaganda and considerations for navigating the field.

In Silico Investigation Of Cardiac Arrhythmia Susceptibility In Long Qt Phenotype, Anthony Owusu-Mensah, Victoria Lam, Bright Tsevi, Michel Audette, Makarand Deo

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) is associated with cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The Long QT Type 2 (LQT2) phenotype, which accounts for 35–40 % of all LQTS patients, is caused by mutations in HERG gene. The mechanisms of arrhythmia in presence of LQT2 conditions are not fully understood. We utilized anatomically and electrophysiologically realistic numerical simulations to elucidate the mechanisms of arrhythmia initiation in presence of blockade in rapid component of delayed rectifier potassium current, I_Kr. We utilized a 3D finite element model of rabbit ventricles integrated with His-purkinje network to simulate whole heart response to LQT2 …

Evaluation Of Spinal Anatomy Segmentation Methods Using Synthetic Computed Tomography Volumes, Austin Tapp, Michel Audette

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Severe adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is corrected by surgical procedures that necessitate ligament releases. To determine appropriate release allotments, soft tissues must be localized on a patient-specific basis, However, routine computer tomography (CT) imaging precludes traditional, voxel-based soft tissue localization. Fortunately, recent studies have proposed top-down segmentation methods, which elucidate soft tissues using pre-operative CT volumes. While the accuracy of vertebral segmentations obtained from these methods has not been determined, the accuracy of soft tissue segmentations has not. To ensure the soft tissue segmentation methods are clinically applicable, soft tissue validation must occur. This study presents an evaluation measure for …