Leishmania parasites are digenetic protozoans which infect human hosts and are causative agents of a series of diseases known under the name of leishmaniasis. Macrophages represent the main host. Hence the interaction between Leishmania and macrophages is a fundamental step in t…
Studies of the phenotypes of animals at different parts of their geographic range often reveal striking variability. It is of considerable fundamental and applied interest to discover the extent to which such variation depends on genetic as opposed to environmental differences. …
This thesis aims to improve our understanding of the macroevolutionary implications of antipredator defences, particularly with regard to how defence impacts biodiversity (including both species and trait diversity). To do this I took a phylogenetic comparative approach and used…
This research is united by both geographical area, principally the Vale of York, and methodology, stressing the use of insect remains in interpreting archaeological environments. Firstly the Cover Sands of North Lincolnshire and the Vale of York are considered. A terminal Devens…
The more traditional interest in mitochondria as energy conserving organelles has in recent years been rivalled by studies related to membrane biogenesis. An extensive literature has shown that mitochondria are semi-autonomous with a system for the expression of their own genome…
Differentiation in the budding photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris was studied both in its own right and in the context of other comparable bacteria; particularly R. acidophila and Rhodomicrobium vannielii. Together, these three Rhodospirillaceae present a gradie…
Biomineralisation is the process by which living things produce hard mineral tissues with unique physical properties. The study of this process can help us produce biomimetic materials, reproducing such properties, with the study of nucleation and crystallisation of the material…
Abstract Recently, there has been increasing interest in investigating the interrelationships among the component stochastic processes of a dynamical system. The applications of these studies are to be found in various fields such as Economics, Neuroscience, Engineering and Neur…
A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS) are a family of proteins that are closely related to the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). It has been suggested that the proteins have a critical role in the breakdown of articular cartilage during osteoart…
1. Rivers are highly structured ecosystems in which habitat complexity and heterogeneity are postulated to affect species diversity and abundance. However, the exact links between habitat structure and organisms such as macro-invertebrates remain poorly understood. 2. Field surv…
The Imperial Dock Lock Special Protection Area (SPA) in Leith Docks on the Firth of Forth currently supports the largest common tern (Sterna hirundo) colony in Scotland. The nest site, a former lock wall in an operational port, was designated as an SPA for the species in 2004 bu…
Trilobites from the Ludlow and Přídolí of England and Wales are described. A total of 15 families; 36 genera and 53 species are documented herein, including a new genus and seventeen new species; fourteen of which remain under open nomenclature. Most of the trilobites in the Bri…
Many parasites of mammals avoid elimination by varying their exposed antigens. African trypanosomes—deadly parasites of humans and livestock in tropical Africa—possess a comprehensive system of antigenic variation (AV). Trypanosoma brucei undergo frequent, stochastic changes to …
The research focusses on the river Lugg – a cross-border catchment and major tributary of the river Wye, the most important Atlantic salmon river in England and Wales. The problem of declining Atlantic salmon populations in the catchment is addressed through investigating recrui…
Liriomyza bryoniae is an economically important pest of vegetable and ornamental crops in European glasshouse agriculture. Diglyphus isaea is a parasitoid of Liriomyza leaf miners and is commercially available as a biological control agent. Anecdotal reports made to commercial p…
Biological systems involve features/behaviours of individuals and populations that are influenced by a multitude of factors. To explore the dynamics of such systems, a statistical description offers the possibility of testing hypotheses, drawing predictions and more generally, a…
A number of species of wood decay fungi important for the damage they cause to timber and timber products in Korea were cultured. Trametes versicolor, which is one of the most important, was also cultured from a collection made in the UK and likewise the ascomycete Daldinia conc…
The flora of Crete in its multifarious micro-landscapes offers the possibility of selecting native species with high ornamental value for use in urban landscapes and commercial horticulture. To assess this potential eight species were selected: Staehelina petiolata, Ptilostemon …